Progress update

Hi,

The digital revolution continues, with the purchase of a sample chip to check space in locos - it is much smaller than I realised and there should be no problem. However, the funkey diesel may be an issue as the N gauge chassis appears to be live throughout the chassis - more thought needed.

After purchasing more solder at Warley, the Pullman is ready for primer....

FR 122 was also completed at a similar time. It is interesting to see the difference in size between the max FR loading gauge (122 above) and the WHR loading gauge of the Pullman below:

Bad photo (sorry) but this is FR 22 (ex NWNG but rebodied). The vents over the doors were a nightmare!

FR 112 was put together without problem:

FR 106 - actually my Brother's - on loan until his layout comes to fruition:

A plastic kit for a Vale of Rheidol bogie coach was kitbashed into WHR No. 24. It is pictured next to the cut-down WHR No. 23 (brass). To kitbash I had to remove the footboards, file down the detail where the footboards were and then cut lines so it looks like the planking continues all the way to the bottom. Finally the footboards were put back on and small strips of plasticard were added to show the bottom of the doors and the slight protrusions that exist on the real thing:

The camera flash unfairly makes this (below) look a mess, but this is just mek-pak and won't show up once painted! This is the WHR(P) brake van - ex Vale of Rheidol. The parkside kit needed some serious bashing too. All side detail was filed off, the rebate for the duckets (not required as have been removed by the WHR(P) were filled with plasticard (the white block) and then half-moon shaped plasticard strip was added to show the new panelling. 4 holes for the new windows were also added in the ends - the WHR(P) really couldn't have altered this van too much more!

At Warley I purchased the 'I' beams and curved hollow section for the water tower gantries. The official drawings show that the Braithwaite tank squares would be 16mm in 4mm scale (4ft!). The Wills kit below is a decent approximation at 18mm and thus I purchased one. It does however require different detail on the squares, but otherwise is pretty good (and easier than scratch building the squares with all those rivets!).

and finally....Dad made a start on a B wagon over Christmas for me - a very fiddly job adding all that L section!
Colin

Warley review

Better late than never eh! A Warley narrow gauge review:

Firstly some garden railway stuff: K1 in red and a lovely original Welshpool train:

This diorama of a quarry hunslet was on a demo table - weathering was achieved by using t-cut to show the primer underneath and then dirt added too - very nice.

The Tarrant Valley Railway in 009 was pleasant and included this bizarre 'railcar'!

and a nice river bridge...

The rest of the L shaped layout looked like this:

Another 009 offering was this -winter overcotes - not my cup of tea, but interesting to some no doubt.

and I noticed these hidden away in a showcase:

' That Dam Railway' was there ...

and then there was 'Beddgelert' - lovely locos...

But... the rest was a little disappointing, especially the perilously steep-sided Goat cutting and the backscene. Shame I was looking forward to this layout particularly.

Backwoods were showing off the first RTR 7mm NGG16:

and a video:

Trade stands were many and various once again - worth the £7 to park and £9.50 to get in? Probably not, but then the shopping opportunities were second to none I suppose. Still the old problems with there being not enough chairs to sit down and there was a bizarre situation where despite holding a ticket I was not allowed into the loo next to the ticket booth, without first going through a different entrance and fighting my way through the crowds - some job's-worth bloke stopped me and others from doing so - why have a opening in the barrier at that point then? Just plain annoying at the time and not a good experience on first entering the hall really!

anyway, Happy New Year!

Colin