Neighbours can stop panicking as this drum kit is just a wooden model

Out on a Christmas Day bike ride to get a better appetite for lunch, I swung by the canal to see what was going on. Nothing! It was eerily  quiet with not a sole in sight,

Or was there someone in the distance?

Not sure exactly what this guy was doing highlighted by the red arrow but it does look like he was fishing! Maybe he was after his main course for Christmas lunch?

Anyway, back at WMD HQ, Mrs. Woody had dished up one of her famous lunches which stuffed me and kept me stretched out on the sofa watching Mission Impossible! Maybe I should rename my 00 gauge Last Great Project model railway Mission Impossible?

I am pleased to say Santa did bring me some gifts so I must have been good!

First off was a cycling related T shirt... 

...which says a lot about my life although not sure about the 'Still going strong' bit!

I also got a new drum kit!

However, neighbours can stop panicking as this drum kit is just a wooden model yet to be built but I'm sure I can get a beat out of it!

Last off is this wonderfully delightful model by Hornby of Locomotion.

I will delve into that a little more tomorrow as it is stunning looking model.

 

Merry Christmas from WMD!

Have a wonderful time!

If you cannot get to sleep tonight this may be just the thing to bring about the Land of Nod!

Well, it is Christmas Eve and in one more 'sleeps' I will know tomorrow if I have been good and get some presents! In the meantime, the WMD film crew have been out in the Man Cave with another layout update and a bit of train running which if you cannot get to sleep tonight this may be just the thing to bring about the Land of Nod!

Things that you might never have guessed about Woody!

Things that you might never have guessed about Woody! Yes, I play, or should I say bash,, drums! That is me in the picture, many years ago I hasten to add, playing a gig with a band I was in at the time. Note the half drunk pint of larger at my feet, its thirsty work playing drums, and the parker coat muffling my bass drum. Oh the happy memories! As you can probably tell I never became famous but I had a lot iof fun!

I still have that kit but nowadays I play an electric kit which is wife and neighbour friendly although Mrs. Woody complains about the tapping noise! There is no satisfying some people!

Just wish my wallet would recover as quick after one of Mrs. Woody's shopping sprees!

No time for model making activities at the moment but a bike ride was undertaken and as I was passing a diversion to on route to see how the canal was looking after the Summer of it just about drying out. Well, the recent rain has certainly changed things and it is now positively brimming to near the top of its banks!

I seem to recall being informed by those who know about such things that after the drought this Summer it would take months for the water levels to recover! Apparently not so!

Just wish my wallet would recover as quick after one of Mrs. Woody's shopping sprees!

Gailston - a little mentioned layout of mine!

I talk a lot about several model railway layouts of mine, My Last Great Project in 00 gauge, Chalkdon in 009 gauge and the USA Switching layout in H0 scale which ahs yet to be named. There are however other layouts which hardly or have never featured on this blog. One which has had mention but not a great deal, is Gailston, my 00 gauge terminus to fiddle yard layout. As with most of my projects, it is yet to be finished despite being started nearly 25 years ago but it does work and I do enjoy running passenger and freight trains in and out of the station with some shunting and run rounds being part of the process - very therapeutic especially when the Man Cave is cold!

It is 9 feet long which is the scenic part.

And another seven feet long at right angles to the scenic board and this is a five road fiddle yard.

I will come back to looking at Gailston in a bit more detail in future posts but here area few closer up images.

Its a cold one today!

Its a cold one today so time in the Man Cave is limited but I did paint the kerb stones on the pavement sections for the road over over the bridge/tunnel structure and once dry they will be glued in place.

 I also started 'wilding' the last of the three scenic sub-bases presently under construction. The various bushes and undergrowth just add to the texture. Hopefully that will be completed in the next day or so unless I become waylaid by the heating inside WMD HQ!

Probably the last day of this year that I will be at the Rocks By Rail Museum!

Probably the last day of this year that I will be at the Rocks By Rail Museum and I finished the year as I will no doubt be starting it in 2026 with more vegetational butchery in the bone yard! It may not be the most glamorous job but you never know what you may find and it is also starting to interest other volunteers who now come by to see what I have unearthed!

Todays junk treasure included this table frame....

,,,,thus ladder....

.....these point rodding parts.....

...and an assortment of metal parts that may well end up in the scrap bin!

Hopefully be March of next year just about all the bone yard will be cleared but there is much to do so the start of 2026 will be a busy one if the weather is kind!

Pavements take shape!

I decided to construct the road section over the bridge/tunnel that was in the photo in yesterdays post. I had already cut the main base to size and painted it with some rattle can grey primer which is a bit darker than my usual brand but it was half the price! What I needed to do was to cut the pavements out of mounting card for either side of the carriageway. As usual, the WMD Stores had card in stock so after some measurements, head scratching and more head scratching the pavements were cut to shape. I then scribed the kerb stones at the edges which will be painted later.

The two pieces of card were then painted using the same rattle can as the road. Given that the shade of grey was far too dark for worn and weathered tarmac I used some light grey paint and airbrushed it in random patterns to give the real life effect that you see on real roads.

Once the paint dries it will look less stark. I then need to paint the kerbs and glue the pavements in place. The dark grey areas will be 'grassed' in some form!

I have plenty to keep me occupied as I keep telling Mrs. Woody!

There is much more to do but I placed one of the scenic sub-bases in place just to see how things were going towards the final scene and I think it fits in well. I need to finish that bridge/tunnel section and paint the 3D printed signal box so I have plenty of things to keep me occupied as I keep telling Mrs. Woody when she adds more jobs to her list of things for me to do!

In the meantime, I have also treated the second of the three current sub-bases to some additional 'wild' vegetation which makes it look more realistic. 

Will I get most of all this scenic work done before Christmas? Who knows but it is a hobby to enjoy so it takes as long as it takes which i also tell Mrs. W!