Say cheese!

I do take a few photos of model trains but no matter how life like I think they are I have never said 'Say cheese' to any of them! Well the DJ Class 71 that I recently bought was due to be DCC chipped today but having dragged the ever suffering Mrs. Woody around various model railway shows I thought it was time to delay that task and take her out to something that she was really interested in - The Melton Mowbray Cheese Fest! There was enough cheese there from all over the UK and further afield for everyone who attended to find at least one they liked from the many tasting samples on offer. I had to taste a lot of samples though - and say cheese! 

It was not all cheese, there were all manner of drinks....

...breads, cakes, pies.....

...sweets

...this lemon and lime tart I bought never even made it out of the hall where I bought it before I consumed it!...

...and lots of people enjoying a great day!

It was inevitable that we would buy some cheese as well as a few other goodies, but it would be rude not too!

On the way home with car now like a mobile branch of  Ye Olde Cheese Shoppe, I took the long way in order to put out the Rocks By Rail banners for the next events which are next Bank Holiday weekend! Time flies as they say!

Whilst putting one set of banners out I heard a rather strange skyward emanating sound and looking up say this rather incredible site of 19 similar airplanes flying in formations. They looked like Chipmunk trainers but I am no real expert but no doubt Mr. Beecham will be able to put me right with his vast aircraft knowledge. No where is that cheese????

Wrenching Woody!

Wrenching Woody? A strange title but given that yesterday when I was at the Museum it was somewhat wet outside, a job under cover and in the dry was a preferable option!

That job centred around Mr. D the latest loco now in the restoration shed.

The ever knowledgeable John had a oil tank to relocate under the bonnet and a hydraulic tank to fit in the vacated space. This is the tank!

Luckily John is nimble and could get under the bonnet.

Nicely nestled under the bonnet John could identify what needed to be done . 

My job was to be in the relative comfort of the cab to wrench, or as we say in the UK, spanner (but spanner doesn't rhyme with Woody!) the nuts off and on the old and new bolts.

Some holes also needed drilling so I had to keep an eye on making sure the drill didn't hit any of the wires or pipes on the bulkhead. of which there are a few!

Anyway after a few hours and several holes, nuts, bolts and washers the job was done!

And I was dry - unlike Rob and Richard who were trying to keep the welding gear dry!

Meanwhile, Harriot the JCB, looks good outside with the rain adding some shine to her new paintwork!

Next week, if it is dry, It will be back to Lawn Mowing Woody!

The WMD Film Squad have been out again!

Another WMD YouTube production featuring how I added the cables to the platform sides in moving form rather than the pictures from the last few days.

Weathering the platform.

Having glued the platform surface to the base it was time to weather the base. The bricks and cables just looked too bright and new, not dirty and old as such a platform would be. Not only that but a bit of weathering does hide the odd glue smear and similar! The airbrush was loaded up with some very thinned earth coloured paint and randomly sprayed on the base until the desired effect had been achieved.

Putting it on the layout it turned from this....

....to this. Still more to do to the platform itself but it is coming on.

Back to model making!

 Time to get back to some modelling as it did rain today! Still didn't get much done as there were indoor jobs to do on Mrs. woody's list! However, I did get some more done on the platform for my 00 gauge layout. Something that you see attached to most platform sides are electrical cables but rarely modelled so that was my challenge today. I had some thin black cable salvaged from a defunct electrical appliance and although not long enough to go the full length of the platform I had a plan!

First off I needed some supports to attach the cables to - just like the real thing! I cut 5mm lengths of sme plastic rod from the WMD stock of such things and super glued these at 25mm gaps - roughly 6 feet in old money,

My plan to cover the joints in the wires was to make a dummy joint box. Some angled plastic strip did the job.

Painted balck they blended in.

Tempoarily putting the platform in place it looks good - in my view anyway!

Just needs the top surafce gluing on and some weathering - I wonder if it will rain tomorrow!

WMD Stores added to!

As a result of my visit to the Market Deeping Model Railway Club Exhibition, not only did Mrs. Woody get her Tiffin but the WMD Stores got a few items!

I picked up this from a company called LCut who produce laser cut building kits. They sponsored YouTuber, Lauries Mechanical Marvels, in his recent model railway build so I thought I would try one of their kits.

Very well packaged and I bought some DeLux glue made for the job to.

There are certainly a lot of parts but looks very interesting.

The gent who does 3D printing with profits going to the Lincolnshire Air Ambulance was there and I really do love what he has in his ever expanding range. This 009 diesel loco body was just £13.

This very nice Cat pipe layer was just £8 - look at the detail!

And these bikes were just £1.

There was also a bus stop shelter and a telephone box again £2.

I just need time to put them together! Talking of which the good weather is seeing me concentrating on gardening rather than model making so maybe some rain is needed! However in the meantime the log splitting is seeing the pile go down.

And with hedges and grass cutting together with weeding there is a nice pile of bags to go to the recycling centre - evidence that Mrs. W cannot refute that I have been busy!

The Market Deeping Model Railway Club Exhibition May 2024 part 2

Yesterday I highlighted two unusual layouts and I will follow that today with a few others.

First off something that you don't see usually at a model railway exhibition, a ScFi layout curtesy of Laurie Calvert who has produced several of these layouts, plus others, over the years. His YouTube channel, Calvertfilm has a plethora of interesting and entertaining videos on all sorts of model matters. A great gut to talk with and really gets into the part with him and his parnter both in Steam Punk costum. People like this really do make a big difference to an exhibition.

It was great to see one of his layouts in the flesh and whilst many railway modellers may dismiss such layouts, I find them fascinating and they usually make a big impression on those non-railway modellers who attend shows such as Mrs. Woody.

A short video clip brings it all alive!

The whole layout is about 6 feet by 2 but packs a lot in.

This, believe it or not, is a GWR railcar, with a few ScFi additions!

Many of the lights and movements are interactive with switches for people to press!

Moving onto something very different and based on history and not ScFi we have this amazing duo of layouts depicting the exact same spot n Switzerland, just that they are 100 years apart! Take a look at the two pictures below. There are the subtle and less subtle changes such as the balloon being replaced with a helicopter, the horse drawn wagon going over the bridge being replaced with the Mercedes Actros but belonging to the same company! Whilst the owner explained the history of the layout my eyes just kept dating between the two layouts. It was fascinating and expertly executed and I have never seen it done before! You can click on the pictures to get the original high resoltution photo open up in a new window if you want a closer look.

Another first for me was to see a monochrome layout. Based on the old black and white film, Brief Encounter, the layout looked brilliant. I am guessing just working in monochrome is not easy but it is possible as this layout proves.

There is obviously a sense of humour wit the funeral parlor offering 'Buy one get one free'!

Another dock type layout in the form of Eastgate Harbour with its two teddy bear guardians!

Some wonderful ship modelling as well as the railway side of things.

This layout also had animated scenes and I was taken by this one of two brawling dockers!

Amazing the lengths to fit something in that modellers will go to. A cinema on one layout had an open roof...

...the audience and the film actually playing on the screen - and it was playing! Apologies for the poor camera focus.

Lastly, my first layout in the new Hornby TT range based on the Dawlish seawall.  Have to see if any others appear in this new gauge during the year or whether this is a lone sighting!

It was a great exhibition and I could post more photos but the ones I have posted are perhaps the type of layouts you may not see very often at an exhibition. To see so many in one is a credit to the club and exhibiton manager.