Skylark

 

The loco is in bits again ready for paint to be applied. Hopefully tomorrow the parts will look good and ready for reassembly on Monday.

The PDF Skylark

 The new loco is slowly looking more like a railway engine.

The chassis is slowly coming together and will soon be disassembled for painting. 

The boiler, smoke and fire boxes have been fitted to the running plate and the side tanks placed to see what it all looks like.

Lockdown jobs

 As we will be going back into lockdown this Thursday I have been looking at what tasks I need to do now I will have some time on my hands. I have plenty of stock that could do with some extra details like loads or rivet detail etc., I have several locomotives that need completion plus I have an oval of old Triang track that needs sorting out so I can use it as a test track and Christmas Train track around the base of our Xmas tree.

I also need to sort out the spare room where my workdesk is located, getting rid of the large double bed that is rarely used and replace it with a sofa bed. This will give me somewhere comfortable to sit and read or watch the TV plus a nice big area of floor space to work on railway and Cosplay items.

More details as and when this happens.

PDF Skylark Kit

 I have just taken delivery of one of the new PDF Models Skylark kits and I have begun to put it together. I am in no hurry to get it finished and will add extra details as I go along.

Started with the smoke box by assembling and fitting the chimney and then fitting the smoke box door and its dart

All assembled and ready for rivets

Rivets going on

Boiler back has been fixed in place

The boiler assembly ready for some undercoat before I continue although I will finish the rivets first

New 3d printed wagon kit

 I am now building a small tank wagon from a 3D printed kit from a company called Rraven Kreativ. It is nicely printed with some striping but it is not too bad. The parts need some work to make them fit but thats not really a problem. The tank supports were not in the kit so I will make some from balsa wood.

The tank body showing the banding.

The flat bed and chassis being built.

I hope to get this built over the next week.

The wagons nearing completion

 Both the new wagons are almost complete with just a load and numbering to add plus couplings.

Getting back into the workshop

Although I am currently in the middle of my summer holiday the first week was spent in hospital due to an ongoing problem with my Gall Bladder. I am now resting at home and part of that is building a few of the large number of kits I have.

First one on the bench is this Phil Sharples 3 plank open wagon which I am trying out putting strips of paper over the marked ironwork to help hide the seams on the corners. Plastic rivets going on and paint will then follow soon.

More work done

 I have finished off a few models which will be featured soon and I have added numbers to a few models that never received them. I hope to get a few more jobs done today which will then be added here soon.

I have 2 weeks off from next week and I will get work done on the line and run some trains to video them and publish a new on train video.

End of Lockdown

I have been back at work for 5 weeks now and my shifts have been long and finishing late so far less work has happened on the railway and associated projects. I have finished a few projects that I will add to the blog in the coming days and I am hoping to soon get the factory area started although I will have to buy the factory building before hand to allow me to set it all out correctly. Hopefully it will be done before the Autumn but, knowing me, it will probably take longer.

More will be added to the site over the next week and pages will be updated as well as I have some dead links to remove.

A new coach

Another lockdown project is this Phil Sharples 4-wheel coach

The kit with its main parts glued together and receiving a coat of watered down PVA.

The coach slowly gaining some colour.

The body now has its colour and the seats and buffer blocks are now red

3 new characters are being painted with the 2 in the background going into the coach.

The main structure is complete

The passengers are in place

The glazing is in so I can now fit the roof struts

The roof is going on

The coach in its current form. I will try to complete it this week.

Making the most of time on my hands

The Phil Sharples bow ended wagon is finished.

   

The body is quickly put together and the fake axle boxes prepared for painting.

 

Colour going on the truck

 

Rivets (not included in the kit) going on the strapping.

 

The wagon is on its wheels and ready for the false axle boxes to be added

 

After being painted the strapping is glued in place

 

Once the glue sets the wagon is done.

 

Ready for service

 

Latest lockdown update

I do hope that everyone is keeping well during this time, a hobby is essential in my case to keep sane. I have had plenty of DIY and gardening jobs to do plus a large plastic box full of railway related kits to be getting on with. I am trying to clear my worktop so I can do a video about building a kit plus I need to get on with sorting out my cosplay of Mad Eye Moody so I have plenty to do.

My latest update in pictures:

A new kit on the bench

The chassis is quickly assembled

The top rails roughly put into position.

The wood has been given a nice dose of distressing.

Some watered down india ink has been applied

The running gear gets a coat of rust

With the wheels in place a slate load is tried for size

 

The wagon completed and ready for action.

 

Another Phil Sharples kit and this one is a bit more detailed than the others

The kit of parts

 

The chassis comes together quickly.

New wagon and a non-railway item

I am slowly getting on with building some of my kits and one of my older wagons now has its load.

A Phil Sharples hand cart kit in all its glory

The parts are accurately cut out and hold together nicely without glue. 

Obviously glue is needed as well as a coat of watered down PVA glue to seal the wood.

The paint slowly goes on

The finished model although it will get some graphics soon.

This broken tipper wagon chassis will be a load for flat wagon 11

A set of supporting timbers are first fabricated

The supports are glued down

Ink is used to stain the suppprts

The load and some chains are added and no. 11 is ready for service.