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.

Obviously the fitting of these would make the building cosy only if the window had some glass. The kit says use the clear packaging that it came in to glaze the window but I find that method can look a bit odd so I opted for my now normal approach of  Glue and Glaze. It didn't take long to apply and although at this early stage it looks a white mess things do improve!

To this when it all gets clear......

And I think that looks really realistic - but then I would!

WMD Destructive Cats!

Being a Mrs. Woody and cat run  organsiation, WMD HQ has to do other things than model making, most of which is on a certain list. On that long list there was an item relating to cat activity tower. The old one was built back in 2023 and I blogged about it here. Since then it has been subject to cat activity that was probably never envisaged by the makers who probably don't know about the WMD Destructive Cats. They had literally scratched one of the supporting posts in half - better then the sofa I guess, but never the less this had structurally compromised the tower so that it had a Leaning Tower of Pisa list!

As the cats like the upper sleeping area on the tower, there was a danger that the whole thing would collapse so Mrs. Woody found a suitable replacement - in the middle of Lidl (other stores are available, etc) . That was really my fault as I wanted a small socket Lidl had on offer so whilst I had Mrs. W observing my spending she also observed said cat activity tower!

 

Anyway, it came hom with us along with my small socket set and I have built it!  It does look good and as Monty cat illustrates, meets with the cats approval!

So was it to the tip with the old Leaning Tower of Pisa? Well at WMD we do like to recycle when ever possible so the sound parts of the tower were recycled into this.

I think that looks a lot safer at least until the WMD Destructive Cats work their magic

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.

The oil tanks themselves have been airbrushed in a matt black so I just need to paint the concrete block bases. The windows and doors to the office have also been painted up ready for attachment to the office. All in all very relaxing!

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.

Little time for model making!

Not a great deal of time to do model making today but I have primed some parts of the fuel depot and added some parts to the tanks. Hopefully tomorrow may see some more progress!

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.

Sammy Strimmer meets the Sidings! More adventures in vegetational butchery!

 Another day at the Rocks by Rail Museum with progress being made on steam loco 1931. Things are being put back together which is always a good mark of progress! At the moment the boiler is getting a coat of heat resistant paint which will be covered with insulation, cladding and the water tank so despite the care that Steve and Hazel are taking in the finish it will all be hidden unfortunately!

I think Steve is enjoying the work or maybe it is becayse its nearly lunch time he is smiling!

Meanwhile, Harriot the JCB is undertaking some work on the oversized washing machine where Rob is digging out a base for a a new shoot for the ballast to run down. Although great at the drag line Rob has still to master the complexities of the controls for the back actor. He will get there - eventually!

I took Sammy Strimmer to meet the Sidings! Mainly to meet the siding overgrowth! This is going to be a long job but I seem to have perfected the art of vegetational butchery!

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!

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.

This looks ideal and as you will no doubt have deduced is now part of the WMD Sores inventory awaiting construction! When and how long that construction will be is one of those unknowns!

Sore, but a great day with great people in a great place!

A bit sore today from yesterdays action at the Rocks By Rail Museum where the Sunday saw the Museum open with brake van rides and Monday was the same but with the quarry operating so I was shunter. That might conjure up images of driving a shunting loco but that was in the capable hands of John and Margaret who were at the controls of Mr. D between bouts of sunning themselves on the footplate! I hadn't noticed how shiny Mr. D is until I looked at this photo and saw the reflection of John and Margaret in the paintwork.

Being a shunter actually involves being on the ground directing the shunting loco, changing points. applying and taking off wagon brakes and coupling and uncoupling wagons. Lots of walking, bending and stretching especially operating this point which doesn't suit my aging body well! 

Luckily I was ably assisted by Dan who, with his younger legs, was able to do much of the leg work.

Mr. D pulls out of the loading siding after Margaret and John have topped up their tans!

One of the Sentinel locos brings up a rake of hoppers to swap with the rake of tipplers. Never easy getting the brake van on the right end for the return trip!

Meanwhile the cafe was busy. In fact it was so busy it sold out of cold drinks and icecream!

Meanwhile, sunning himself on the platform between duties, 

Graham was wearing this rather interesting T shirt under his hi vis vest.....

Even I can't add to that!

Anyway, sore, but a great day with great people in a great place!