My Last Great Project Carboard Butchery - The video!

The long drawn out saga of the tunnel sub-base is recorded to some degree in this YouTube video. The WMD film crew have carried out their usual magic in producing this visionary delight which you will either find fascinating or as a sure blown way in which to cure insomnia!

Painting, weathering and shattered whilst Mrs. Woody has a spa day!

8am this morning Mrs. Woody went off for a spa day. That was nice! It left me to my own devices so instead of enjoying a day of pampering I got down to some painting of the freshly plastered bathroom. Luckily the plaster had dried over night so out came a watered down undercoat followed by top coats with the only part of the room escaping paint being where the tiles will go above the bath. By 2pm I was done - in more ways then one! 

Shattered i still went for a bike ride and then off to the Man Cave to weather the tunnel sub-base that has been an ongoing model making saga!

I airbrushed a misting of thinned down brown paint over the brickwork and then some black as soot coming from the locomotives above the tunnel mouths.

I think it looks good but then I would! Mrs. W, having returned from the pampering of her spa day, thinks the bathroom looks good although not sure what she might make of the tunnel! I could do with some pampering after today - maybe a spa day would be good!

Key moments!

A few key moments at WMD HQ today. Firstly the tunnel scenic sub-base is just about as finished as I need it to be at the moment. Just a stretch of coping stones to add and some weathering and I will be calling it a day on this for the moment. What goes on top of it is still open to debate, which is a polite way of saying I am not sure yet! It very much depends upon what I do on the next baseboard when I cover the loops at the back of the layout. However a key moment in that it is back in place and despite of my card board butchery of the last few weeks the trains still run through it!

The second key moment is that the bathroom was plastered this morning. The plasterer arrived at 8am and was gone by 11.30am! I have every admiration for those with the skill to plaster. My attempts usually end up as a pile of plaster on the floor or even if it stays on the wall it ends up looking like a lunar landscape! Once the plastering is done you feel as though things have turned that corner where the destruction becomes construction. A key moment indeed! My next key moment will be painting it after it dries. Oh joy! More painting!

Coping?

Much as there is a lot going on at WMD HQ and in my life I do tend to cope with these although Mrs. Woody may have a different view especially having travelled to the Bingham Model Railway Show only to find I was a month too early! 

Enough of that for now and in this instance, the coping I am talking about are the coping stones that I am adding to my tunnel scenic sub-base as this long drawn out project slowly steams into the port of completion!

I needed to build up a the top of the piers so that they straddled the wall along the top of the tunnels. Fabricated from card these were quick to put together.

These were then covered in brick paper.

The brick paper was then trimmed after the glue set and the pieces glued to the rear of the existing piers.

With theses now in place I could add the coping stones which are just strips of card cut from the backing sheet of a pad of paper (never throw useful stuff out!) and marked up in pencil. I taped the strip of card to the side of one ruler and that enabled me to read of the measurements and draw the lines at the required separation using another ruler and pencil.

Still more to do but these two pictures give an idea of how these additions make the plain brickwork look a a bit more interesting and whilst these details are a time consuming activity, it is something that I can cope with!

Adornments!

The tunnel scenic sub-base is beginning to look a little more interesting with some adornments to the previously flat brickwork. These bits take some time to make and add but do enhance the look. Just a lot more to do yet before I can say it is finished - just like the WMD HQ bathroom at the moment!

A level of sanity returns!

In Mrs. Woody's view, sanity and me are not words that you associate with each other! However, in the case of WMD, a level of sanity returns with me getting out into the Man Cave and doing some model making activity and inside of the WMD HQ the bathroom is now fully plaster boarded and looks a lot better even if there is much more to do!

Lets deal with the model making first and I am still working on the tunnel section of my layout with the installation of the various supporting piers that are needed. Although I had previously made some of these, because of the need to alter much of the main structure these no longer fitted so there I am having to build new ones.

This is where the above is going to fit.

And fitted, it tidies up that joint nicely!

The next one is now under construction so hopefully with the return of a level of  sanity to model making it will be completed shortly!

Meanwhile, the sanity level returns, in part, to the bathroom with plaster boarding complete and things tidied up. Next step is plastering next week. That will be nice!

Consultation!

 It is not unusual theses past few months to go to the Rocks by Rail Museum and find the engine cover on a piece of plant open as some issue is dealt with. Today was no exception with Harriot being the subject of attention today.

Following a joint consultation it was diagnosed that as everything else in the fuel system has been proven to work or been replaced the lift pump must be the issue. A new one is on order!

Down by the recently commenced drainage works there was more consultation going on as a number of volunteers watched the action.

And the action was Andy in the trench!

Meanwhile, in the restoration shed lots of progress with all of the tubes in 1931 taken out ready for the whole thing to be washed out ready for inspection.

Meanwhile, on the viewing platform project that I am involved in, more progress has been made! The ends of the Heras fencing have been fastened to two posts hammered into the ground and then concreted in, the Teram sheeting has been unrolled and the path edges chamfered.

Following the unloading of the platelayers trolley by throwing spadefulls of  material up over the viewing platform barrier a layer of suitable cover over the Teram began to form.

Standing on the platform gives a great view of the quarry sidings - just hope that it is appreciated! 

Not much left to do now to finish this project so hopefully in a couple of weeks it will be finished ready for the grass cutting season!

No bath tonight then!

Old bath in the skip.

New bath in the bathroom but not really ready for use so its a unclean Woody tonight!

But at least we have a toilet!

It will all come together - eventually! And I will celebrate with a bath!

 

This my bathroom - at the moment!

 

Note the toilet eco-flush system - the bucket!

Yes, this is how the WMD HQ bathroom looks at the moment. Not exactly what you would find in the glossy shots that estate agents take to advertise 'the unique opportunity to purchase a sought after property' but, from this will arise something that hopefully pleases Mrs. Woody. It better do or I will need to move into my Man Cave which Mrs. W thinks is actually more of a mess then the bathroom! Phil the builder, however, assures me all is well and things can only get better!!

Well, as appears the norm at the moment, little if any time for model making matters but I can report on the delivery of this.

And with the outer sleeve removed it does look good without even delving any further, which unfortunately I don't have time to do just at the moment. 

Of course, on the opening of any package a WMD cat has to take part which in this case is the inquisitive Monty!

I do have a soft spot for the Class 37, or as they were referred to by train spotters, tractors. Something about their shape which suited so many of the liveries they have worn over their long lives. This is the classic British railway corporate blue which whilst plain compared to some of the latter liveries, to my mind is the classic 37 livery. I look forward to getting it on the layout - when I have time after that bathroom is finished!

Under thge weather 2!

Still not feeling great but well enough to cut the scrap wood from Phil the builders escapades in bringing WMD HQ up to date and use it to restock the log store for the log burner!

I found that the skip makes a great saw bench and the saw dust goes straight into it meaning less cleaning up! Working smarter not harder as I get older! 

With the warm weather I did feel that I should at least make a token gesture bike ride even if I was not feeling that well. Certainly gave me some fresh air but there was no power in my legs. I think local athletic snails would probably have over taken me at some stages. However I did at least get up to the local canal which I have not seen for some weeks now.  

Obviously things have been happening in those weeks with the Marie Celeste of the canal, AKA Earwig having returned and been parked (or is it moored?) in the middle of the canal. No idea why but no doubt the reason will reveal itself at some point if I can reinvigorate myself for another bike ride and indeed find the time to get back to some model amking!