White lines and more swans!

I am putting finishing touches to various parts of the landscaping around the viaducts on my 00 gauge layout. Small things that make all the difference such as the white center line on the road. We all see these everyday and probably take them for granted but there are specifications for how they should be set out. As someone who was involved in highway maintenance in my time I could clear out even the most wild  party in less then two minutes by talking about the intricacies of Chapter 5 of The Traffic Signs Manual which covered lining! It is also a subject that Mrs. Woody has banned me talking about at home unless she is suffering from insomnia! 

However for those with a thirst for such knowledge the center line on a road with a 60mph speed limit in the UK is set out with a 3m long line spaced at 6m intervals. If it were a 40mph limit the lines would be 2m long set out with a spacing of 4m between them. The line is also between 100 and 150mm wide. For 4mm scale this means a line about 1mm wide and for the 3m line about 4cm long. To replicate this I cut a stencil from a scrap piece of card. Apart from when fresh laid white lines ware and fade. To replicate this i used a dry brushing technique where most of the white paint was wiped off the brush on some paper towel. As the brush was fairly stiff I could then use a stippling action on the stencil to replicate that worn look. The photos below probably illustrate it better than I can describe.

At last some lane discipline for the 4mm scale vehicles!

I was subject to a swan road block a few days ago as described in my post at the time - available here. Luckily I have not been subject to more swan activity whilst out and about but strangely enough today saw the arrival of this that I ordered a few days before the swan road closure incident.

They are small but well formed and painted and when I ordered them I thought they would bring a bit of interest to the canal. I tried a couple out just to see - I like that!

Given the various random directions that they appear to be floating in they could perhaps benefit from some lane discipline on the water especially with that approaching narrow boat! 

Now I wonder if Mrs. Woody is interested in hearing about the detail of setting out a give way marking at a junction? Oh! I think she is asleep!

Road closed!

 Out on my bike ride this morning I found my route subject to a road closure. No road works causing the closure but a group of swans who had probably decided being out of the canal water was warmer than being in it and the road was the perfect place to warm up. Only problem was that they were not willing to share it! As I approached they showed their aggitation!

Having stopped they went back into guard mode. I was not going to risk my wellbeing or bodily extremities by going any further so turned back! 

Having survived the potential swan incident I returned to the relative warmth of WMD HQ where some progress was made on the viaducts. One viaduct now has all its parapets and capping stones which makes a visual difference and brings this long ongoing project a step forward to finishing. Maybe by the weekend I might be able to get some track back in place and actually see some trains running. That is unless Mrs. Woody has other ideas for my time.

 I also added the cosmetic stones around the underside of the arches to hide the join between two parts.

There is a gap as I have not fully bedded the viaduct in yet. It is getting tight so I don't want to damage anything!

Making tracks!

I woke up at 4am this morning. By 5am I knew I was not going back to sleep so I thought I would leave Mrs. Woody deep in sleep dreaming about handbags or her list of jobs for me being completed! May be that was a nightmare? Anyway, the cats got an early breakfast, which they seemed to appreciate even if they were a bit shocked and the greenhouse plants got an early watering and by 6am I was making tracks on my bike for an early morning ride. Lovely, with few cars or people about and nature still doing things you don't normally see like these two swans and their seven signets making tracks through the green algae along the local canal. Makes a great start to the day!

Back at WMD HQ I am also making more tracks. This time for the Egyptian T34 tank. The tracks are made up of individual links which have to be cut from the sprue and then cleaned up. If that was not boring enough the joints also have to be opened up slightly with a file other wise they do not fit.

I need to assemble 144 track links in total and so far I have done 52! A long way to go and with all the work they need it will keep me amused making these tracks for many hours yet!

Swan song!

Well not quiet my swan song but whilst out this morning on the bike I came across this.

Looks a bit strange but getting closer it was a young swan having a kip! It looked up at me as I took the photos and stretched before going back to sleep. An hour later as I headed home it had moved a bit further down the road but was enjoying the morning sun.

Back at WMD HQ it was time for some green house work and I spent a pleasant few hours pricking out seedlings into pots. I will be in good books with Mrs. Woody - I hope anyway! Still more to do but it is nice to see nature at work.

I even had time for a bit of model making. The two T34 Egyptian tank kits have been sitting in my Man Cave shouting out to be made and I have given into one of them! So in my usual grass hopper way of jumping from projects another now joins the list.

There are a lot of parts in the kit which is worrying.

So far I have managed about 30 or so of these parts which has got me a basic chassis so far.

|Having built the Italeri kit of the Russian version of this tank a couple of years ago this one is light years ahead of it in detail. However more detail can mean a harder and more likely to go wrong build so I will see how I go. I just hope this kit is not my Swan Song!