They take the high road.

YouTube can come up with some real gems of things from the past and this video is one of them. A British Transport Film production, tthere is an incredible amount of social history in this as to how the UK was about 75 years ago. Well worth a watch and it gets a Woody recommendation.

Tunnels and frowns - all in a day working on my Last Great Project layout!

After a day of smiles at the Rocks By rail Museum my face frowned a bit as I got back into the Man Cave to progress the bridge build for my Last Great Project Layout. Having got the bridge structure right I need to get a top on it and that will also incorporate the tunnel mouths into th storage loops. I know what I want shape wise and a top has been cut out.

I then cut out a 'trial' set of tunnel mouths.

Whilst it looks right to me the central pier is catching on passing trains so I will have to see if there is a way of keeping that pier or having to make the tunnel mouth a single four track one rather than two two track ones. Lots of frowning will be going into that decsion!

Painting and smiles - all in a day at the Rocks By rail Museum!

Always good to be met by a smiling face when I arrive at the Rocks By Rail Museum, and Rob had one! Probably he was smiling because he was nearly finished with painting the Plant Shed or, as it is becoming known, the Hanger.

He has achieved a great finish which is amazing given Robs paint brush.

Apparently, rather than cleaning it after last weeks session, he just left it in the tin of paint, put the lid on and then retrieved it at the start of this weeks session! Well, it seems to work for him!

However, in the Restoration Shed, new volunteer Clair was helping out on painting steam loco Barrington which will have a yellow wasp stripped front and rear as it did in its working life.

More smiles!

Unlike Rob, Clair has a more caring approach to paint brushes! This cleaning system she has put in place means that brushes are left suspended (hole drilled through the handle and then a metal rod threaded through), in white spirit in a jar (left in the picture) where the paint leaves the bristles to settle on the bottom of the jar leaving a clean brush ready to use next time. The sediment can be removed into the Sediment bottle on the right leaving clear white spirit for more cleaning! Brilliant and certainly brought smiles all round to have clean brushes!

Further down the shed Andy was not painting but was discussing some work on 1931 with an outside contractor to speed up getting this loco back into steam which will bring a smile to his face!

Outside, more painting by Pete, who was finishing off the Quarry Office buildings' exterior finish and very nice it looks too! No wonder he was smiling too!

Looking from a distance it does take on a different look from when it was painted brown.

Meanwhile, Pam seemed t think I needed a helping hand in keeping the grass under control and was busy with the strimmer and was doing that with a smile!

Wherever I looked she seemed to be bringing neatness to an otherwise vegetational free for all!

I did get a fair amount of grass cut though and looking at the finished product always brings a smile to my face! 

I seem to spend a lot more time building layouts rather then playing or should that be operating them!

I seem to spend a lot more time building layouts rather then playing operating them! So that I did just that! I ran some trains and it was a really relaxing fulfilling hour or so!

What was running? Well, this 8F was in charge of the mineral wagon train. I do like the the looks of this loco with its 8 main wheel configuration, black paintwork and a look of power!

It certainly had no issues with the 24 wagons behind it.

Next up, another powerful loco in the form of the 9F. Again, with a 10 main wheel configuration and that classic black paintwork it oozes the power to haul freight as the real loco did.

The classic Class 25 diesel which was the mainstay of much of the freight operations of British Railways in its early days and well into its Corporate Blue era. Many of these locos are still alive and well thanks to the preservationists. 

Finally, the Class 58 which saw a great deal of action hauling coal hoppers especially on the so called Merry Go Round operations to the power stations when they burnt coal. A great model in EWS livery hauling a rake of Turbot wagons.

I really must play operate the layout more!

It may well be make believe but is that not what model making is about ?

Sometimes, when a project is taking a while and progress seems slow, it is worth taking a step back and just seeing how things have actually progressed and if that progress is leading to an end result that is worth the work. I did just that!

The bridge project that I am currently working on is taking some time to do but with the main structure together it does alter the character of the station area of my layout . Put together with what I have already done the atmosphere and character of a small urban station and goods yard, hemmed in by walls is really coming along just as I hoped as these photos illustrate - well to me anyway! 

Class 153 and Calss 156 in Central Trains livery stand at the platform whilst the goods yard plays host to a rake of BOC bogie tankers.

Having just arrived in Platform 2, the Class 153 has cleared the single line out of the station so that the Class 156 can depart.

Which it does!

Meanwhile, the resident Class 08 shunter is topping up its tanks at the refueling point before moving some more wagons around the goods yard. 

All the above descriptions of what is going on may well be make believe but is that not what model making is about - creating your own World?

Another day and another side of the bridge covered in Metcalfe brick paper!

Another day and another side of the bridge covered in Metcalfe brick paper!

I thought that I had better see how it looks on the layout before going any further and yes it is as I hoped. It gives a good scenic break as trains come into the station on the inner loop whilst the antics of those trains on the outer two loops are visually separated.

Lots more to do so I better get on with it!

I am not going to mention the C word!

I am not going to mention the C word but that time is coming but in the meantime there is Halloween as I was reminded by this display I saw whilst out with Mrs. Woody the other day. It does look good but I am afraid pumpkins are not my thing!

What is my thing is at the moment is getting this bridge built and it is coming along - just very slowly. In fact Halloween and the day that the C word relates to may well go by before this is finished! The latest progress is getting one of the sides covered in brick paper. The white part left will be covered by a yet to be built embankment.

Now, is it time to start my list for the big day?

Oversized clothes peg!

Sometimes you see the strangest of things such as this oversized clothes peg in a local park that Mrs. Woody and I went for a first walk in.

I do seem to have a fascination with oversized sculptures as I have blogged about on previous occasions. Not sure why this is. Maybe it is simply doing the opposite of making miniature models and making oversized models of things? Whatever it is, I did like this a lot. But no, I won't be creating my own version for display in the WMD Towers garden! However, with some lateral thinking, what about making a miniature model of the oversized clothes peg? I could simply take a peg out of the peg bag and use that!

Back to more miniature mode items and the bridge that has featured in the last few posts slowly comes together as the underside of the arch has been covered in Metcalfe brick papers which match the other brickwork that it will adjoin to on the baseboard.

Slowly but surely this is coming on!

THe bridge moves on!

Model making time has been at a bit of a premium at the moment but I have grabbed the odd few minutes here and there to get some progress on the model bridge I am building. Having got the two sides fasten together it was time to infill the top of the bridge arch. As this is a semi curved area, I cut several lines part way through the card infill on its upper surface where it needed to curve. The picture probably explains better than my words!

I also cut out some additional cross members to strengthen the structure. Gluing everything in place I used masking tape to hold everything in place until the glue sets.

Once set in a day or so I can start looking at getting a top on it and some brick papers.

Is that a James Bond paint - shaken, not stirred?

 That was the view yesterday as I set to getting ready for a day at the Rocks By Rail Museum. It did look a little eyrie but as always (well some of the time anyway), the sun was shinning on the Museum as well as this tin of paint which conveniently had the date when it was shaken (is that a James Bond paint - shaken, not stirred?).

Anyway, Martini cocktails apart, Rob who is more of a pint man then a cocktail drinker, was applying the paint to the Plant Shed which will hopefully bring that project to a conclusion. 

It is looking good and in my mind with its shape and now green paint looks a bit like a military hanger! I cant see Harriot the JCB flying though!

My thoughts of Rob being a pint rather than a cocktail man were challanged a bit when I looked in his van to discover this!

Upon questioning, Rob said he found it in a skip and it was ideal to put his gloves in. Really! Lucky the hanger, sorry, plant shed hasn't ended up being painted pink!

Getting back to more railway related matters, Richard and Martyn were out on the track with a spirit level which can only mean that there is more track work in the offing. The middle of October sees the last public operating day so I am assuming after that there will be some major engineering works to greet the incoming Winter months.

Another project for the Winter is the ongoing restoration of the Southern brake van which is under cover in the restoration shed. Having dried out over the summer and having had much of the rotten wood and metal taken off it, it should soon start going back together.

The wooden floor at one end has been taken out or rather swept out as it was fairly rotten! Martyn needle gunned the rust off the metal work last week so that area is ready for painting.

More painting can be done on the vacuum tanks as well which will make that look a lot more functional.

In between taking pictures I just got on with some grass cutting which will hopefully come to an end for the year in a few more weeks giving me more time to question Rib about the Barbie bag and see if I can find some more shaken, not stirred paint!