Just as I predicted yesterday, I had another butterfly moment and although there is still wiring to finish on the baseboard I decided to make a start on the profile boards! some 3mm ply was used and it was a job and a half to mark everything out so that it matches up to the other already in place boards as well as the scenery modules already constructed. However, the initial job is done.
Recording my progress, or usually the lack of it, in building kits, creating model railways and other related and sometimes unrelated matters!
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Thursday, September 11, 2025
Another butterfly moment!
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
It is a bit like keyhole surgery!
Wiring continues on My Last Great Project layout with the point motors having been fitted which is never an easy job. Basically you have to feed the actuation pin from under the baseboard and try to get it through the small hole in the tiebar of the point. It is a bit like keyhole surgery! You then have to ensure that the motor will actually work the point and then mark and drill holes through the mounting plate of the motor into the baseboard and screw it in position. A third or indeed a fourth hand would be useful! However, success eventually came about with all eight now in place.
Further back ache and contributions to the WMD swear jar have seen six of the eight motors actually wired up.
There is still a lot to do once the wiring is finished including things on the surface of the baseboard including profile boards and tidying up the ballast as well as thinking about the scenery. In my butterfly mood at the moment of fliting randomly from one job to another who knows what tomorrow may bring!
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
A butterfly moment!
In one of my butterfly moments of fliting from one thing to another, I have put aside the oil depot kit for a while to allow me to get on with the wiring of the final board of four on My Last Great Project layout. There is some logic behind this in that I would rather get this job done whilst the warmer weather is with us. Nothing worse then dealing with wires in a cold room!
The big clear off from the board of rolling stock and yet to be attached scenery saw the board on its side.
Monday, September 8, 2025
Plastic Part Panics!
Building this Ratio Oil Depot kit has been very laid back and relaxing for some reason which makes a nice change from my usual plastic part panics where some calamity strikes meaning hours of searching for a lost elusive but critical part or trying to unglue a wrongly located part getting finger prints everywhere from wet glue, etc, etc! Hopefully this trend will continue to replicate itself in future builds. Somehow I doubt it though! Anyway, back to the oil depot and a relaxing time adding some etched dial faces to the various pipes and painting said pipes sees the project move on. Not too much more to do now!
On a different note, I have mentioned the classic K6 phone box on this blog before. They are very iconic and since they have been removed from the streets many alternate uses have been found for them including as garden tool sheds, green houses, showers, community book swap centres, and many other things including as a drinks bar. Prices of these phone boxes is high and you need about £2500 for a good one which means you seriously want to own one if you pay that. However, whilst out with Mrs. Woody, who was listing up products for future jobs for me to do, I saw this.
Sunday, September 7, 2025
It now looks like this....
I have hawe moved onto the various pipes for the oil depot. Not much to see really but valve handles added and awaiting painting.
Saturday, September 6, 2025
Another relaxing hour!
Another relaxing hour (hope Mrs. Woody does not read that!) with some Panzer Light Rust colour paint saw the brickwork on the recently constructed bund painted and the coping stones got a stoneish colour on them too. As with most of my brick painting, I then mixed up some darker and lighter colours to randomly highlight individual bricks. More relaxation!
With that done I then used a wash of dilute grey paint to settle into the mortar joints on the bund and the office building. This also subdued the overall brick colour making it look waethered.
I think that looks OK, but then again I would!
Friday, September 5, 2025
Bund!
In todays World, every potential large container of a hazardous product needs a bund around it in case of leaks. The idea is that the product is kept contained within a sealed area so that it doesn't leak into the ground and can then be dealt with to make it safe. Oil depots are no different. However the Ratio kit dose not have such a thing so I have to construct my own. If I was constructing a real bund it would probably be referred to as a cauldron!

Coping stones were added and then it was time to prime the bund.
Thursday, September 4, 2025
It all gets clear!
Moving on with the oil depot kit, the window and door have now been fitted to the office and look in keeping with the structure.
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
A relaxing hour or so, just don't tell Mrs. Woody!
Spending a relaxing hour or so, just don't tell Mrs. Woody, I mixed random darker brick colours and picked out individual bricks on the oil depot office. It does give a more realistic appearance to the walls. I also did the same to the ridge tiles on the roof.
A relaxing half hour, just don't tell Mrs. W, saw individual slates on the roof picked out in slightly darker shades again making it look a little more like real life.

Monday, September 1, 2025
Adding some colour!
Having got the office of the oil depot primed in grey from its original red plastic colour, it was time to paint it red! Only this time the red was a brick shade using the rust colour from the Panzer paint range.
Also achieved has been the attachment of the supporting bases to the two oil tanks. Hopefully they all look level when the kit is finished!
Next job is to randomly paint individual bricks a slightly darker colour on the office so that it does look like real bricks rather than a painted wall.
Saturday, August 30, 2025
Put a roof on it!
The hut to the oil depot now has its roof built. Still not glued on for painting reasons but at least the 4mm workers will have a dry place to shelter in bad weather! The two tanks now have their end caps attached and are all smoothed down to get rid of the joint lines. I need to think about getting some paint on the hut and getting the tanks built up with the rest of their parts next.
Thursday, August 28, 2025
Etched parts in a model building kit?
Very surprisingly, the kit for the oil depot didn't stay long on the shelves of the WMD Stores! It is now on the work bench so a quick look at what is in the box. It all looks well moulded with parts for the two tanks, bases and he accompanying hut.
What I did not expect was this....
Etched brass parts in a model building kit! However, their inclusion is actually welcomed and the parts are fairly large so should be fairly easy to get a hold of and bend to shape - I hope!
Initial building has seen the hut walls and tank halves glued together.
There is a depressed seam line in the tank halves that cant be sanded out without deforming the round shape of the tanks so a bit of acrylic putty has been applied. It will need a day to go off before I can sand it and then will still need a little more!
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Ratio oil depot kit.
Back to my Last Great Project Layout and with the fueling point just about finished I need to have a source of fuel for it to dispense. I could have gone for the easy option and just worked on the assumption that where ever the fuel was stored was off the layout. But I did see this kit.
Sunday, August 24, 2025
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!
Saturday, August 23, 2025
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!
Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Fade to Grey!
Sunday, August 17, 2025
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.
Thursday, August 14, 2025
Good job I remembered!
As I am ballasting the sidings on My Last Great Project 00 gauge layout I luckily remembered that I wanted to incorporate a diesel refueling point. I had bought a Knightwing kit for this some 15 years ago when I was going to put it on my terminus layout Gailston before plans changed!