Woody the failed detective!

It was a case of missing the obvious at the Rocks By Rail Museum yesterday. I certainly would not make a detective! I was busy looking at progress in the smokebox of 1931 where dismantling of various pipes was going on as part of the re-tubing work that I missed the obvious major piece of work.

It took me about ten minutes to realise that the cab roof had been removed - so obvious but undetected by me!

Going to the back of the loco it is obvious!

You really get a good view of the firebox without the roor in place.

Of course I needed to detect where the roof was and luckily for my limited detective skills I did not have to look too hard. In fact a few step out of the restoration shed had me detect that this wagon might be concealing something!

Yes! My detective skills were back!

Luckily my detective skills were not needed to find John and Mr. D. John is preparing Mr. D for further painting so it is a case of flatting the existing paint in readiness for fresh paint to be applied. My detective skills would tell me that the new paint maybe similar to that that John painted the removable grills in last week!

This loco is John's project and I think he would set up his bed in the cab if his family would let him!

Once he has finished Mr. D there are a number of other projects in the background that require painting!

For me, despite the Museum now being closed to the public until next year, the grass still grows and needs cutting but at least it was warmand sunny - just the right weather for grass to grow in!

I also had another session of moving some more of the pile of cuttings that has been in place for a couple of years. There is a lot gone as you can see by the bald earth patch of where the pile once stretched to.

I filled two 1 ton builders  bags up and the pile is now getting to the point of almost being undetectable! Well for my detective skills anyway!

Seeing double!

 Its finished!

Is it really finished? That is not like me!

Rubbing my eyes in disbelief that it was finished I had to double take on the situation!

Then there were two!

No! I have not built a second one! Mr Beecham, he of cycling and model making prowess dropped off his build of the earlier Airfix kit of the P-40B which is an interesting comparison. Mr. B's model making skills exceed mine but Airfix have certainly provided a far more detailed kit in their revised model that I built. Most markedly are the panel lines that are recessed on my model whereas Mr. B's has the raised panel lines.

Mr. B's model looking good back it will have to go back to his display shelves!

A moment of panic!

Sometime you doubt yourself and a moment of panic struck me as I applied some panel line to the Airfix Curtiss Tomahawk. Basically panel line is an enamel based product that is thinned black paint. The idea, like my home made washes, is that the dilute colour collects in the recesses of the model to highlight the details, in this case the various panel lines that make up the aircrafts superstructure. The idea is that you paint your model in acrylic paints and apply the enamel panel line over it. Being a different product the enamel being oil based should not harm the acrylic water based paint and so you can use enamel thinners to clean off the excess panel line. It just looks horrible when you apply it first and so that moment of panic strikes as to what happens if the two products react or the enamel thinners don't clear the excess off!

However, calm was restored as I applied the thinners and it worked! Whats more is that it left a nice streaking weathered effect!

Having started on the underside, thinking if it goes wrong at least the underside is partly hidden, based upon it going well attention turned to the top side.

 

All that mess cleaned off laeving the panel lines highlighted and a nice weathering effect!

All I need to do know is fix that canopy permanently along with the side glass and things should be almost finished!

Almost finished! That is another moment of panic - I never finish things this quick!

Canopy capers!

As I said yesterday the canopy to the Airfix Curtiss Tomahawk needs fitting but before that can happen it also needs to have the frame parts painted. Now the last time I did one of these I probably painted the frame with what would have been like a tar brush as a young lad with lots of imagination and keenness but no skill or patience! Things haven't changed much then in the passing years as Mrs Woody would no doubt say!

However, with this caper I did take my time and thought about the issue of painting fine lines on a clear canopy moulding. You can, if you hunt about on the internet, find firms who sell self adhesive masks that you can mask up the clear parts of the canopy with and from what I have seen most are really good. However my wallet is empty, I am not patient enough to wait for delivery and in my typical way I am sure I can manage without. Hence the mass of masking tape in the picture below. I did the vertical lines first and then masked off the horizontal once the paint had dried and....

...it turned out quite well in my view for a first attempt. The good thing about clear parts on a model is that you can generally clean unwanted paint off them using a soft blunt instrument such as a cocktail stick which is what I did.

I trial fitted the canopy which seems to fit and just need to fit the two rear canopy side pieces that are in front of the model in the picture below.

In other news, and of interest to those loyal blog readers with an interest in canals, a bike ride past the recently dried out canal has revealed that it is full again! Not sure if this is down to storm Ashley and its rain or whether some flow stopping device has failed or if all the repair works that required the drained canal have now been finished? 

Today I haver mainly been doing the undercarriage!

After the excitement of the finishing the last event for this year at the Rocks by Rail Museum yesterday it was time to get back to trying finish the Airfix Curtiss Tomahawk kit. The decals have been applied so it was time to think about adding the parts that I would, through clumsy hands, break off whilst putting the decals in place had I of  already fitted them! These parts are mainly the undercarriage. I have been wise enough (can you use the word 'wise' and Woody in the same sentence?) to already have painted them so fitting would be easier.

With those fitted and the engine exhausts, pilots head rest and the pilot himself, the model took on a new look.

I just need to matt varnish the model, then do a bit of weathering and fit the canopy! Not too much if you say it quick!

The season finale!

Over for another year! The last public event of the year happened today and whilst we all thought that it might not be the finish we wanted due to Storm Ashley lashing the Country with rain and gales it actually went remarkably well with a good number of guests coming to visit. It must have been good as two even became members and asked about volunteering! 

As usual brake van rides were available all day.

For me however, it was not the luxury of riding in a relatively cosy diesel engine cab or brake van. The reality was walking up and down the quarry sidings shunting wagons which I actually enjoy a lot! Something therapeutic in sorting wagons and locos! Today was also different from other times in that I had assistance from loyal blog reader Mrs. B. who on numerous occasions put me to shame but we wont dwell on that!

Point switching was no issue to her!

Directing the locos was no problem either!

Nor was coupling!

The day was also different with as Mr. D was out on his maiden operating session. 

Trevor, who had the privilege of driving, did say it drove very smoothly but the controls were the other way round to the Sentinel locos that he had been driving for the last 5 or 6 years. Well, there were no issues so he must have got used to them.

Interestingly, the operating consul (I keep wanting to call it a dashboard as would be in a car) does have a speedometer which registers speed in either direction which of course it needs to as the loco can go in either direction at the same speed. It just looks odd when you are used to a speedometer in the dashboard of a car.

This the Sentinel loco that hauled wagons up to the quarry to be exchanged with the ones that were being shunted.

Withy both locos, eight wagons and a brake van things can get messy if you don't have a Mrs. B around to keep you on the right track!

The face shovel is a brute of a machine and much respect to Martin who operates it - you really do need to know what you are doing!

Even though some of us got wet at lunchtime, Pam here 

getting a bit wetter than most as she was looking after the crossing by the platform so could not leave to shelter, we all enjoyed the season finale and I think our guests did too given the positive comments I heard. That may be the end of the season for the Museum but work carries on over the Winter as we prepare to reopen next Easter. That may seem a long time but I suspect the time will wizz by!

More decals!

 Work on the Airfix Curtiss Tomahawk11B carries on with the last of the decals being applied to the undersides of the wings....

and the interesting mouth and eye markings around the front end. Yes, I have managed to break off one of the machine guns in the wings as predicted but it is safe ready to be glued back in place.

These last decals were not the easiest to fit as they had to meet in the middle. There is a bit of a gap but I should be able to hide that with some paint. I am somewhat in territory I have not been in before with aircraft so a lot of looking at pictures on the net has taken place to clarify details including that the wheel wells were painted greem so that is what I also did!

Reaching this stage means that the last few pieces can be fitted so hopefully that will be a job for the next day or so once I have sealed the decals with a coat of matt varnish.