Fancy a pint?
The last week has seen some relaxing, low-stress scenic modelling around the area of the level crossing. After fiddling around with
loco chassis and so on, it's nice to cut loose and just hack away some polystyrene with a kichen knife.
Perhaps the most obvious development here is the sudden arrival of a pub, where previously there was just a steeply sloping hillside.
This has caused no end of comment in the King's Hintock parish newspaper, but since the establlshment apparently serves a wide
range of ales, the pub's arrival has been quietly accepted by the majority of local patrons. Many of them have remarked on the fitting
name of the pub, "The Swan", given its location overlooking the three resident swans behind the signal box.
In reality, this is the pub (very obviously the venerable Superquick "Swan") that used to reside on the winter module, and so needed a new
home following last year's redevelopment. I held it against the green hill, squinted a bit, and was struck that it looked immediately at home
there, with the white sitting very comfortably against the green. A pub-shaped recess was then hacked away into the hillside; all very unlikely
but I wanted it to sit tucked away as it is, and be screened from various sightlines. Eventually more trees will crowd in around the pub, as
well one or two smaller ones between the pub and the signal box, further helping to push it back. The model is in fact very old (easily more
than 40 years) and has been on every layout I've had, so it had to have a place on this one. It's had a fair bit of refurbishment and detailing
over the years, and the white walls (which had turned grubby with age) were carefully brush painted with Petit Properties "top of the milk",
which is a very subtle off-white. The roof of that Maudslay bus has also been done in the same shade. It's a bit less in-your-face than pure
white,
I don't know what others think, but my suspicion is that large single-pane window and those half-glazed doors are a bit modern for the
steam era, so they may be tastefully backdated to something a bit more between-the-wars, without being too much of a stickler.
The frustrating prospect of closed crossing gates, when a tasty pint awaits at The Swan. Never mind, they won't be closed long.
Here's a shot from a different angle showing how the pub sits in the scene, partly screened by trees from some sightlines.
Much more to be done, but it's the journey, not the destination. Thanks for reading!
- 16
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