Hi all,

It's been an age since I last updated this blog!

Firstly, following a very enjoyable time at TINGS, I'd like to thank MikeJ and the North of England Line (NoEL) team for being most welcoming on the Sunday and letting play with some of my creations (no layout of my own again at present!).

As seems to be the case in recent years, my own modelling picks up when I know I've got somewhere to run locomotives (and occasionally stock but not on this occasion) and TINGS was no exception.

So, in eleven days two locomotives went from being raw 3D prints and an unaltered donor chassis into these:

Above are my interpretations of Gresley's rebuilt C1 Atlantic 3279 and K2 4659.

3279: uses the Farish Jubilee chassis originally slated for a 'standard' C1 coupled to a Union Mills tender drive and tender assembled from a set of frames from a V2 and an old Farish A3 tender top (suitable cut down). The whole tender has been packed with as much lead as I could fit and amazingly haulage is almost as good as a standard Union Mills tender!

4659: is mounted on a Farish 4MT loco chassis and uses a Farish B1 tender drive with a 3D printed body. The loco body sits a little high at the front and I will be remedying this as and when I have the time and inclination. I've got some Farish B1's to convert into K3's (they've been sitting in their boxes for a couple of years now!) and I might do another K2 using this approach at a later date - the coupled wheelbase of the B1 is spot on for the K2 and just about correct for the K3!

As Julia commented at TINGS, both these locos are too shiny at present but the paint had barely dried by the time they got their first runs! Both have some small bits of finishing work (i.e. line 3279's frames in red) but I'm really quite pleased with how they came out - especially 3279 as this is my first 'proper' attempt at an LNER green livery. Sorry to those who have already seen this video elsewhere but here is 3279 in action on NoEL hauling MikeJ's exquisite 'Queen of Scots' Pullman rake.

One locomotive that didn't make it was this:

My latest attempt at a standard C1 class Atlantic, I've still got a lot of problems with this and I don't think this latest choice of donor chassis/parts is a going concern... However, I've now got another Farish Jubilee chassis and will have (yet) another go using this sometime in the far flung future!

So what is next? Selling my house! I'm pleased to say that just about everything pertaining to the big 'D' and the ice rink closure is now sorted (the ice rink is scheduled to be refurbished later this year - day job is safe but will be unemployed for a couple of months) but the house has to be sold before the end of the year. At the moment most of my free time has been spent decorating and generally sprucing the place up (with some much appreciated help from my parents - thank you guys!). I'll be moving back home for a few months to regroup before trying to get back on the property ladder nearer to work (I currently commute 40 miles a day and if I no longer need to, I'd rather not!).

All that isn't to say that modelling is completely dead (although earlier this year is really was as my mojo had been completely lost and I was thinking about selling everything). I made a few impulse purchases at TINGS, all second hand or returned stock:

All of the above will be converted into more appropriate stock for my 1930's LNER leanings (some initial ideas below)...

I also bumped into Hans Starman of N-Stars at TINGS, he presented me with this:

This is his end of a project to build an N gauge B2, 'Sir Sam Fay' class locomotive, the chassis is a converted Peco Jubilee while the tender drive is solely Han's work. As with every chassis I've seen from Hans, this one runs like a Swiss watch! Now I've got to complete my end of the bargain and design the body for the loco and tender (and sort out his etches but that's another story!).

I wasn't very well last week so to keep myself going insane I came up with this during some of my better moments:

With all the hype surrounding a certain Hornby product at the moment, I don't think anyone will need any explanation as to what this is going to be. The tender is straight off the Farish A1 while the chassis is two Dapol Britannia chassis spliced together and mounted on Dapol B1 wheels (the cylinders are off the B1 as well) - yes, this means the coupled wheelbase is slightly too long but I think this can be disguised with some careful placement of the pony and Cartazzi trucks. I've got some clearance issues to sort out to get the loco chassis free running but I'm encouraged that my latest bout of insanity looks like it might actually work!

Meanwhile what to do with the rest of the A1?

This is something I've wanted to do for awhile and I think it'll be something a bit different from the more common A3s and A4s you see running about!

I'm not expecting lightly speed the above anytime soon, other life commitments have to take priority again. I've also got J6 and D49 commissions to squeeze in at some point as well (as well as a commission for another locomotive) so time is really going to be tight for the rest of the year - at least the D49 has a concept chassis made up:

So, the end of a lengthy blog entry and in all likelihood the last one for awhile. Good modelling everybody!