Festive picture

My daughter just uploaded this picture featuring her Guinea Pig Stanley and the railways own Santa Sleigh.

Christmas update

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and will have an enjoyable New Year celebration.

I have not been able to get at my computer over the Christmas period as the cupboard it is in has been blocked firstly with wrapped presents then with unwrapped ones!
A new laptop to replace the family pc has now been purchased and it should make doing updates easier.

I received a few presents that will be useful on or with the railway.

Whilst not a present this little 800 Watt heater was purchased over the Christmas period and will make the workshop a nicer place to work in.

I received 4 kits as gifts the first being this neat 4-wheel coach from Swift Sixteen 

My daughters bought me one each of these open wagons also from Swift Sixteen

  

Finally I got this complete railcar kit by Rail-Road Models from my Mother-in-Law

So lots of things to do before the Spring comes again.

December update - Christmas is coming!

No work has occurred on the railway mainly because it has been wet and the garden gets rather boggy. First job in the spring is to complete the footpaths to make it more usable in such weather.

The engine shed is slowly coming together (very slowly) I will put more pictures up of progress when I take some.

Locomotive no. 2 has had some work done on it. The problem with the gears coming out of mesh was excessive side to side movement of the driving axle. A couple of bits of plasticard behind the wheels cured that, still leaving some movement but preventing the gears from becoming un meshed.

You can see how much movement there was in the axle (the top one) in this picture.

Once modified it made light work of the heaviest piece of rolling stock on the line.

It now runs very well but could do with some more weight and perhaps 4 wheel drive.

I recently ordered a new displacement lubricator from Dream Steam and, after a short delay due to the quality of the painting on some of the stock supplied to the company by a third party, it duly arrived. The next task was to rebuild the loco from its kit of parts.

The loco in bits. Its not actually that hard to rebuild.

And there she is. The gas tank will be turned round so the control knob comes out of the side window and not the front.

Another parcel also came from Houstoun Gate Locomotive Works with a very festive little kit.

Actually two kits, a flat truck and its Santa Sleigh load.

As the locoshed is taking up all workspace construction was done on the kitchen table with the houshold authorities permission of course

The sleigh is a simple thing to put together with tabs going into slots.

A bit of weight ensures the skids go on correctly

Whilst the sleigh was drying the flat truck was constructed. The kit contains everything appart from glue and paint and can be ordered with 32mm or 45mm gauge wheelsets.

Construction is very simple, I would suggest this as a good kit to get children into modelling as it uses a harmless wood glue and simply needs sanding to prepare.

The complete kits posed together for the first time. A coat of sanding sealer or two followed.

A coart of red begins to bring the model to life. A vistor from Santa inspects the work to date. He looks pleased with it.

With the white trimming added and the flat truck painted as well it is all finished well in time for the festive season.

He does look pleased.

Thats it for the moment. If I dont get a chance to add a Christmas Day update may I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Garden Railway filled New Year.