Hello again everybody who is interested, sorry I've not been posting and I think I should explain.

Over the last few years of this blog, since about spring 2012, I have many times referred to poor health of both myself and Margaret, my wife. Around that time Margaret was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers' disease, which early on caused us little trouble beyond silly, even laughable forgetfulness.

I was declared her full time carer and initially we had, and needed, little help, but as her carer I lost a lot of free time normally spent in the workshop or writing about my work in there. In those early years Margaret's deterioration was slow and life was near as before her diagnoses.

However during the last weeks of 2016 and early 2017 problems increased very rapidly and three weeks after our Diamond wedding anniversary, I was taken ill and Margaret had to be taken into full time care on a respite basis. Unfortunately the assessment for that resulted in the medics deciding that Margaret needed 24 hour care and that that was beyond expectation of my abilities. Margaret has been in a dementia care home since the end of June 2017 and her condition was so far gone that she was and is, totally unaware of the distinction of achieving Diamond wedding status. Very, very sad!

For myself, it has been extremely traumatic and I am still in a mental state that at times I have difficulty in controlling; concentration is poor and modelling only has priority in battling the condition, but I have made a few startling decisions. So enough of the misery talk; I'm sure I have bored most of you who have not already flicked the page.

But the events of the last year have effected where my hobby is taking me and an update of what is going on is I believe essential. There are two biggish changes both essentially caused by my loss of Margaret.

One is not so big but certainly convenient for me. Margaret's craft room has become available as a centrally heated railway room and light workshop, within the living quarters of our property, not as "Honley Tank" which is housed in back-ground heated out-houses The craft machines, tools and card stocks have been inherited by our daughter Lynda and now reside in darkest Dorset. So now, the so called subject of this blog, a super-light EM layout called Wheegram Siding is housed on what was the bottom shelf of Margaret's craft room.

The second change is much more dramatic!
Some time back, sat with my son Nigel on his patio, partaking of some liquid refreshment, he said " I keep thinking about building a garden layout, like Roger's". Roger and I are the only survivors of those who founded Huddersfield Railway Modellers and he is a friend of many years standing, but when I left HRM he dropped P4 modelling and went very heavily into radio controlled live steam under the heading "SM32" , and now has an extensive garden railway, which at the village annual festival weekend he opens to the public. What matters as far as today's story is concerned is that he always invited Margaret and I to attend and indeed to operate. Here is the crunch! Margaret got near child-like pleasure playing trains with live steam, radio control.

Now, if you will, put three things together:
money destined for a 'Bit-of-a-do' for our Diamond wedding had not been spent.
Nigel fancied a garden railway.
Margaret got much pleasure from R/C live steam.

The money was spent on three locos from Roundhouse of Doncaster (yes I now own locos built at Doncaster!!). One of these will carry nameplates "Lady Margaret" and a train headboard "Diamond Jubilee".

All future locos will carry family names or, to amuse the kiddies, names from 'Thomas and Friends' . I drew the names and head plate and they are now etched and painted ready for future use.

I also now own a cnc engraver and a 3D printer so memories of the horrible events of the last eighteen months or so, or slowly being lost in brain activity about new things and re-activating others.

Just a couple of pics:
An over-all view of Wheegram in its new, permanent site

A look at my first static grass attempts.

The etch of head, and name plates less "Lady Margaret", those plates are away with the loco for professional lining out - well it is a very precious loco!

More will follow but please don't expect very frequent posts.
Sorry if this post was not what you expected but I'm facing big life changes and these will, indeed are, effecting my hobby.