Getting back into it.

 The past couple of months have seen very little being done in terms of the garden railway. The garden itself is very untidy and I haven't been able to get any modelling done mainly down to my recovery from my recent operation and, in the last 2 weeks, the mess and upheaval associated with a bathroom being turned into a wet room. The work is now done and the boxes I had to take down from the loft have been returned to their storage. 

This means I can now get at my workbench again so I will get on with the winter jobs of mending, building and planning plus the portable layout will get more work with track going down so I can work on the baseboards.

All Change

 Several things have been happening with the railway the first being that I have built a set of portable boards to build a garden railway on tour. Track is now being lifted from the garden ready for its rebuild later in the Autumn and then Spring. 

The baseboards assembled in the garden. No joints between boards are done up tight as the garden is very uneven and I couldnt get it flat.

The boards had a coat of matt green.

The boards were used at the North Weald and District Miniature Railway's Model Fest but had an oval of 45mm gauge track on so a friend could run his stock. This was down to the fact that I had my gall bladder removed and they had to open me up so I was unable to do very much. Hopefully in a week or so I will be able to get track down and trains running.

As sitting and leaning forward has been painful for me recently I have not been able to use my down time to get kits built however I can now do so for short periods so I will get on with it and get some videos made of the construction.

I did get trains running at the Model Fest using my test track. Whilst it is not the best to display with I did get things running and it attracted lots of kids who loved it when Wallace and Gromit went for a run.

Dan Foards gauge 1 trains doing their thing

The test track with W&G featuring.

Rain, rain and more rain!

 I had hoped to get the spring video on the railway recorded and published by now but a combination of health problems and the horrible weather has put that on hold. 

The garden desperately needs attention as the grass is growing fast due to the weather and the plants surrounding the railway are overgrowing it everywhere.

I am getting on with the kits I have been given for Christmas and my Birthday and I will put a post up about them once they are complete.

Short update

 I haven't made progress on any projects at present as my gall bladder has been playing me up again although I have got hold of some plastic drain pipe for free that will be used for some of the support posts for the railway when I get going with the rebuild.

I have a few days off over Easter and I hope to get some progress on projects and give some of my locos a charge up and run on the new test track.

The latest from the Workbench

 The Trench Wagon is now complete and a new kit is now on the workbench plus one of my non functional locos is on the bench to be completed. I have also got the base for yet another locomotive.

The Oxford Circus Trench Wagon has been completed although the shell needs more work.

The next kit is this working tipper wagon from Phil Sharples

Wallace and Gromit have had some work done on them as Gromits wheels didnt go round.

Another new kit has come from Raven Kreativ

Its a nice, neat snowplough.

I purchased this little wooden box from The Range which will be turned into a small tram loco.

The tipper is slowly coming together

American diesel, 'Bruce', is back on the workbench to make it opperational. Name and number plates are on order and I hope to get it done this week.

A bag of bits

 Got some nice things from Cathys Castings and PDF Models for the Skylark.

Got fittings from Cathys Castings and cranks from PDF Models that will see the Skylark back on the workbench again.

New wagon kits

 As the Skylark has been put to one side awaiting the delivery of parts I have built a couple of wagon kits. A video of one wagon being built will be made soon.

A Phil Sharples Statfold Open Wagon Kit

Almost complete

With lifting handle, chevrons and couplings all it needs is numbering, weathering and a load.

A Harecroft Oxford Circus Trench Tramway Wagon kit underway.

A really neat and highly detailed little kit

Main body ready for strapping and coupling hooks.

Skylark Update

 The PDF Skylark kit is slowly coming together, the story is told in pictures

Some colour has gone onto the kit with the cylinders being painted first.

The chassis in one piece with the motor fitted.

The top of the chassis and the boiler unit temporarily fitted and it is looking more like a locomotive.

The buffer beams have been fitted 

Unfortunately I broke a piece off the body, the plastic is quite brittle, super glue to the rescue.

The firebox is slowly getting its detail added.

The body is now under construction. It is made from clear plastic but to aid construction I used glass paper to rough up the surface to make it easier to see.

The side tanks were filled with roofing lead and the body sides glued to them making a very heavy body which should aid the locos traction.

The loco is assembled to check fit and get an idea of what it will eventually look like.

The buffer beams are getting their colour.

The water tank fillers are fitted as the body approaches completion.

 

The side banding and door frames are in place

A coat of filler primer is added, not a complete coat as it ran out but enough for the next step

And that step is the rivets, lots and lots of rivets!

With all the rivets on the body gets a proper coat of primer and a few tweaks before paint.

 

The body has most f its paint and will get further coats before its done.

All paint is on, now the connecting rods, details, electrics and roof still to be done.