Getting back into it......again.
Entry posted by milkman matt
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Now that my life is returning to something resembling normality, I have managed to get more done in the train room! 
I have roped my cabinet maker neighbour into constructing the bridge piece for my layout (he rarely says no to a cash job) so I may actually make some headway with the layout in the not too distant future. I probably should think about laying some track eventually!
I have moved forward with the MMS white metal Hilman kit though. It has been given a (Hand painted) coat of paint and I have started assembling it at last. I'd forgotten the joys of small kits until I found myself on my hands and knees looking for the headlight (about 3mm in diameter) that pinged out of the tweezers as I was trying to place it on the model. Initially, I was using Araldite 5 minute 2 part epoxy to assemble this (I don't have a soldering iron) but I found this was getting wasteful as I would have to mix more than I could possibly use before it set hard on the card it was mixed on and would, consequently, have to throw it out. I have since discovered UHU "Super glue" in small 1g tubes which is much more convenient and user friendly. Quick tip though. It may not dry fast enough for you on the model but it will dry INSTANTLY on your fingers! No I didn't stick anything I shouldn't have but it was close!
Meanwhile, the grounded coach now has a roof on it! In the end I just used a sheet of plasticard formed to shape and held firmly in place with a generous amount of "Super Glue". It was then that I realised that the interior was almost impossible to see owing to it being very dark inside. I may be able to rectify that with a light in it but it will take some careful planning to retro fit one. But, for now, It will just have to be. Time to start on some outside detailing. I've added a window box for now and will eventually mount it on some sleepers cut from some old track. I may look at adding roof details such as vents and lamp tops. Maybe even give the roof a coating to resemble canvas or bitumen. I'm open to suggestions here. I was thinking of adding rain gutters and downpipes but, when I offered them up to the model, they just didn't seem right. I think I will just add rain strips which would be more in keeping with a railway carriage.
Speaking of adding different parts to kits, I've made a final addition to the Metcalfe coaching inn that I built while on "Light duties" after the heart attack. Instead of using the supplied paper to make up the chimney pots, I ordered the large castellated ones manufactured by Dart Castings (L67C). After a coat of Humbrol stone (121) and a wash of Model Masters Black acrylic Detail wash, I think they are far superior to the rolled up tubes of red paper that are offered in the kit.
This leads very nicely onto the subject of paints. I realised, tonight, that I had a lot of Humbrol paints that I had not even opened in a good many years. Although tightly sealed, they still don't last forever it seems. After examining the contents of approximately 15 tins, I have had to throw about 9 away as they had either hardened or separated in a such a way that they could not be saved without more effort than I care to make at this time. That said, most of them were colours that I, most likely, wouldn't use in the next ten years anyway.
To close this missive out tonight, I was looking through a draw in the train room the other day and came across a Hornby "Town and Country" Victorian semi detached terrace still in it's original box. I immediately started thinking of how much fun the grounded carriage has been...........
The Hillman kit.
Araldite v UHU. Spot the difference.
The grounded coach with roof!
Definitely look the part in my book.
Hmmm, I wonder......... 
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