But the main progress has been with ballasting, which is largely now complete except for the points (thought required to avoid ballast gumming up them).
Indeed my permanent way crew have been busy!
We visited Crich tramway museum on Sunday and this exhibit was rather relevant I thought!
Colin
Some interesting progress has been made on carriages too recently... Dad is helping me learn about this as I have quite a number of carriages to get through if I want a few rakes of FR and WHR stock, not to mention heritage and WHR(P) stuff.
The second half of Ffridd Isaf has had its coat of LNER Doncaster Green (thinned to about 1:16 and some matt yellow added). Also the ballast has been extended around to the loop point. It needs tidying up at the edges, which I shall do when I add the weathering - a thin wash of dark grey in the 2 foot for one) - it's too 'clean' at the moment.
The main station area has also been greened, the platform has had its initial coat of paint and is now fixed down, to allow ballasting up to the platform edge to commence on the side nearest the camera.
There is much discussion in dispatches that the head shunt in the yard will be extended (towards Pitt's Head), now that the container for the little blue diesel 'Dolgarrog' has gone. Indeed the sub base already exists, so I have taken a flyer on this one and extended it now, at the risk that it might not happen! This also had the benefit that I could remove the (now unnecessary as I'm going for DCC) gaps added for isolation on this siding, which had caused me some concern about the reliability of running as they were mighty close to the point. One new feed will need to be added (using the holes already drilled), and the rails painted, but otherwise this is now done (cork underlay extended, track cut and attached with insulated joiners and track plus ballast glued down.
The first wall section had some fine scatter randomnly added and was then glued in place next to the foreground grass, that is now also green!
Ballasting continued in the yard area, weathering to come.
On Ffridd Isaf, the considerable work has involved extra detailing of the grass with different shades of static grass etc, painting of the stream bridge (wall) by Dad (top artist and good at mixing colours etc http://www.fclea.co.uk/) and further coats of realistic water for the stream plus more slate bits added to the path.
I have also been experimenting with (in the rear) some dead (coconut fibre) and live bracken (from busch)... and (in the foreground) some heki trees that Dad got cheap, which I have added static flock to (they are not permanently planted by the way!). This has generally been successful, and the bracken will work well I think. The trees on their own are too 'blobby', but in a copse or small wood, they should be fine.
another overview of the Ffridd Isaf board. It's getting there!
Yesterday my brother graduated from Bristol University with a 2.1 MEng in Civil Engineering. We had a great day out!
In Dad's studio, sits my WHR saloon 2043, which we sprayed with primer this weekend and a Merchant Navy tender in O gauge - quite a size difference! This is the first etched carriage I had constructed which has got as far as primer.
Dad had some BR Crimson in stock - is this close enough to FR/WHR 'Mercedes' Red?
We also visited Toddington.
For the North Gloucestershire narrow gauge railway. This has recently been extended and we hadn't been on the extra bit. You stop off halfway for a shed and signal box tour. Here well tank 'Justine' is on display.
We had a diesel though. The railway suffers from very little in the way of views - yes you can sort of see the mainline diesels, but there's too much greenery around to see much else. The cafe was unusually disappointing, and short lines like this also suffer in the scoring due to their timetable, number of locos in steam and carriages. Overall, the railway scored 33%, placing it pretty much on par with the Golden Valley at Butterley and the Amerton railway and I suppose that kind of fits as they are similar lines.
http://www.spmodels.co.uk/ 
Knicker ripping rock has been added (local legend apparently) and you can see the carpet felt, plus the new plywood edge to this board too below.
Further along the layout, miles of carpet felt is visible.
and further attempts are being made at Larch modelling... using woodland scenics tree kits, I cut out most of the branches, leaving just single branches (they were split into threes) at intervals, then cut to pieces off a ridiculous model of a larch bought at the World's greatest model shop (more on that tomorrow).
Tonight I have literally been watching paint dry (assisted by a hairdryer) whilst I sprayed these white metal trees, first with grey cellulose primer and I then added brown and a hint of green with spray enamels from B+Q (see below).
Then I'm going to glue on the larch branches I removed.... more soon.
Colin
First up is the Wells and Walsingham Railway (10 1/4 inch gauge and apparently the longest such railway in the world). Using my usual scoring system this scored 39%, placing it slightly better than the Amerton Railway but not quite as good as the Corris. The railway suffers from a small loco stud, terrible facilities and a terminus at Walsingham some distance from the village and indeed the car park. The Garratt was nice though! Below is also a moderate attempt at a Leek and Manifold carriage...
At Bressingham we had a great day out with 3 railways operating. Two miniatures and a 2 foot line too. All set is gorgeous gardens - fantastic. Overall it scored 51%, let down only by the lack of intermediate attractors, views etc that such a self contained site brings.
Now the North Norfolk railway isn't narrow gauge, so it doesn't get a score, but we had a great time, the engine and stock was very well turned out and the stations were immaculate. The below view wasn't bad either.
