Gardening and gardens and a carriage

Since the last outpouring when I was all about the new locos I've made a slight detour and they've got no further really. They need priming and the weather has been foul so a trip to the cold damp garage for a visit from a rattle can; they have been for a bath in the ultrasonic cleaner along with a sneaky addition. That terribly nice chap at Fourdees has added a small range of his lovely prints to suit the iconic KATO 109. The one which caught my eye is called a Whiting named after the late lamented Garry so I had to have one.

Last time I had added the tall warehouse to the station forecourt module, here it is in place. Brrr.

Also seen in the last episode was the reroofed Airfix cottage, here it is nearly finished. What a bugger to paint, the beams aren't very raised but I'm nearly happy with it. The shop sign will be printed out to cover over my wonky painted one. The shop has a detailed interior and a light which should look nice.

Here is the less changed side.

Meanwhile, here is the first part of a terrace of lineside houses which I've completed. These are Fair Price Models laser cut kits which I've finished with a rough render look by spreading filler over them and then brushing it flat with Mekpak.

Plan A for the next building was this rather handsome PECO wooden kit.

This was how I originally planned it to be but circumstances forced my hand.

Progress here with the addition of a Scenecraft low relief shop which I modified with a porch and a repaint. The PECO house is starting to change colour.

This is the first finished part complete with gardens.

I'm pretty happy with the look of these bits but the PECO building was proving very hard to paint so it has gone into the reserve box. I'm sure it will be back as it's a very nice building, it also is a dead ringer for our old house in East Grinstead.

Next door ended up reusing a Hornby building that had been on the original Isle of Stoner L shaped layout.

A garden of two halves.

This is a laser cut low relief warehouse which I found on eBay and which was very good value for eight quid. It will sit at the back somewhere and look the part.

This is the next module which will include these three buildings and a row of low relief buildings behind and starting to rise up a hill, the Airfix shop will probably end up here too.

I haven't only been building buildings, this is the brand new kit from Chivers for the WHR/FR Ashbury coach. It was a nice kit to build and will make a nice addition to my VoR bashes and will be painted dark green and cream.

Now here's a thing. I've wanted a Mallet for a while and have been keeping an eye out for the lovely Minitrix one but I can't justify £300+ for a second hand chassis. I realised that maybe there is a different solution so I've had a rummage in the bits of kits box and found some bits of a Langley WD 2-6-0 tank. Early days but it might just work...