Just me bored and rambling on a bit, think I've been on holiday to long.
I am sort of trying to find the mojo ready for when I get home. But after two years of worth of modelling That did not, I feel, amount to much. I thought I ought to take stock and see where I have got to and where I should be heading.
My first pleasure is to build kits or scratch building whether it be locos wagons or anything else. Well I've only managed four locos and a few wagons in the last 2 years. I need to up my game I could do more when I was working full time. If I want a layout and stock to run on it.
When I get home I will be in a position that I will have a few kits which I can build without major parts needing. These are in no particular order. A GWR Saint, LMS Jubilee, LNER F1, MR 1P 0-4-4T (a rebuild), and a GWR Deans goods. These will be sold and with any commission work that comes my way (not so many now), it will help pay for my toys.
For me there are a few more wagons to add to the stockpile. But also I should have a Finney7 M7 to take home too. Which will need to wait for wheels etc. I have the last couple of bits for the Shedmaster 700, so that may be on the bench sooner than I thought. I have a LBSCR E2 with parts to make it run. This will actually be blue with a face on it.(really looking forward to this one). The smile on a certain someone's face is going to worth more than any I sold. I also want to start another scratch build. Not sure which class but quite fancy one of Mr Adams's elegant 4-4-0's, would have to be one of the smaller wheeled west of Salisbury locos.
Now on with the layout. Bodmin is still my aim but I need more space, not sure how to achieve that. The design started at about 4.5 metres, now has reached 6 without a fiddle yard. I'm not wanting to reduce the length again as it now has a much better feel to it. My collecting of loco and stock building is aimed at that. Not all locos will have run on the real Bodmin, but they will be Southern and some of my favourites. In the mean time I would like somewhere to run what I have and hone my skills on the layout building front. I will get onto Templot when home and see what can be done in 3.1 metres. Nothing longer than two 48 footers and a tank loco. Yes I know that's a good metre used up, but you don't need to run around it, it's just fiddle yard length required. My thoughts are also some if not most of the buildings could be transported from this to Bodmin when the time comes.
All these thoughts on how to make it all work, and it's 30 years since I had a layout and not sure about playing trains. Playing has never been high on my list of priorities I am hoping that an all in approach, making track, buildings etc all myself, may keep the interest alive. I am sure the enthusiasm will stay, as there are many new challenges and things to learn. It is one of the bonuses of living in Brazil. You have to be very much more hands on, a bit like old style 1950/60s modeling. Not being able get everything within days or out of a box. I like it. The down side is that delivery even from within Brazil can take a month or so.from the UK can be months. Planning is always essential.
So what will be the outcome, well hopefully I will be more productive, P will slowly become less needy, so that may in turn give more work bench time. I am in effect looking forward to my modelling I have a few nice locos to build , not much in the way of rebuilds or low cost kits. Saying that I am looking forward to the saint, and that's a hotch potch of parts. A Slaters tender, Scorpio castings, and etches of unknown heritage.