Just in case!

Passing by a model sop, I took the opportunity to restock the WMD Stores with a few sundry products. However, being a model shop it is always worth looking around just in case!

Lying in a pile of second hand wagon boxes, I found this. Now although the box looks a bit battered, looking at what was inside made me think that the contents had never been out of the box.

 The content was a Bachmann model of the British |Railways 45 ton bogie well wagon. Not something I had see noted as being a Bachmann model before but an unusual wagon never the less. At £12 it did seem a bargain so was added to the pile of sundry products as Mrs. Woody rolled her eyes!

Back at WMD HQ unboxing the wagon confirmed my suspicions that it had never been out of the box as the plastic protective packaging was still sellotaped shut. Taking it out of the packaging revealed a very well modelled wagon.

I was really impressed by the decals as well such as this one on the side.

So, well worth having that just in case look around although I doubt that Mrs. W will ever see that!

Almost silent Sunday!

I will keep this post short and just term it as an almost silent Sunday and let the picture do the talking of the progress made!

I bet Mrs. Woody would like me to do more silent Sundays!

Sometimes plans just don't work out!

 Sometimes plans just don't work out. You can see in the photo below that the base of the fuelling point is just too wide to fit between the sleepers. I could just leave it and have a lopsided structure but no, I had a plan!

All I needed to do was raise the base above the sleepers. That was the plan! So out came some balsa the same thickness as the sleepers and I made a base for the base! The only problem was that trying to get a loco onto the fueling point, the loco now collided with the base. So it was onto plan B. That involved lifting the glued track and swinging it a couple of mm out.

 

With that done, the base now fitted between the sleepers and locos no longer collided with it.

So now it is place all I need to do is ballast the track. That is a job for another day.

I have posted about knitted scenes such as those for Easter and the Coronation which are then put on top of post boxes before on this blog and although a new trend it does appear to be continuing as Mrs. Woody and myself discovered whilst raveling through the village of Greatford.

I am always impressed by the sheer skill of those making these and this one for VJ80 is another in the line of impressiveness.

Not sure what the next event for post box toppers will be but I suspect Halloween and Christmas may see some knitted given the increasing popularity of theses toppers.

What a difference a strimmer makes!

 What a difference a strimmer makes!

It was a quiet day at the Rocks By Rail Museum today and with the dry weather the grass has not grown much so I could leave the mower to rest and take Sammy Strimmer into parts of the grounds that rarely see his presence! It will grow back again but for the next few weeks the track bed shouldn't look as though it is being taken over by weeds! I just feel shattered now!

Nice how a model can suddenly come together!

It is nice how a model can suddenly come together after time spent in dealing with separate parts and this is how the refueling point kit has gone. Not quite finished but certainly come together. The area that I had to do some work on were the hoses. There was a short length of rubber hose supplied and I did use that for the water hoses, but the fuel pipes were done with some electrical wire. Still not fully to scale but good enough for me.

Just a few bits to finish and then it will be ready fr the layout.

Fade to Grey!

The diesel fueling point is coming on but I went back a step and took the canopy off (I had not glued it so that was easy) and dusted off the base with a thin coat of light grey paint to fade the concrete coloured paint and weathering - just like that hit from Visage, Fade to Grey! I then redid the drainage covers with some dry brushing of brown to highlight the rusty metal and a  wash of black to pick out the recesses.

Yep! That's fade to grey!

More in keeping with reality!

After looking somewhat grey and then a supposed concrete colour yesterday, the base to the diesel refueling point has had the metal grills covering the drainage and oil capture point painted silver. Still looks far too clean though!

With some added dirt provided with black and brown washes the base looks more in keeping with reality although it just needs a misting of grey to tone it all down.

In addition, a start has been made on the diesel pump and the canopy. Hopefully it should look good when finished. 'Finished'. Now that is a word that is a bit of an oddity to WMD!

What colour is concrete?

After a few days of other things it is time to get back to the diesel refueling point for my 00 gauge Last Great Project layout. I usually prime parts off the sprue or when they are built up but I decided just to blast everything with rattle can grey primer. This was fine for the base and on the other parts it at least highlighted the various moulding lines that I would need to deal with.

Whilst the grey primer is a nice shade of grey, the base is supposed to be concrete so that got airbrushed with a coat of concrete colour paint. 

I am never sure what colour concrete is supposed to be! Looking around I see everything from a beige to a grey and many shades between. I am guessing some of the variation is down to the mix and origin of the materials used and some of it down to the age of the concrete itself. What is sure though, is that regardless of age, materials or mix, this base is far too clean for a refueling point so it will be weathered and then it may get misted with some grey paint just to tone the finish down.

The Last Post.

Following on from yesterday and VJ80 Day at the Rocks By Rail Museum, there is a short video of The Last Post being played which I always find emotional for many reasons. I think the recorded scene speaks for itself so I will leave it at that!