Past couple of days have seen me doing a major tidy up in the shed, mainly to stop me breaking my neck tripping over various boxes and other bits of wood, but also some track cleaning and some more scenic work.  I used some "mud" texture paint to coat areas which will end up looking like neglected wasteland, which dried to a pleasant coffee colour, ideal for the slightly sandy soils I wanted to simulate.  It needs a bit of weathering, which I'll do with paint pigment, and a bit of spare ballast scattering over it when I have tested and ballasted the track, but it looks good so far.  Also, I spent a slightly frustrating evening wiring up three Rapido WMPTE standard Fleetline buses with plugs and sockets so they can share a 4.5v battery pack I found whilst tidying up (I have a habit of buying stuff, putting it down, then burying it under crud, wondering what the hell I have done with it).  The idea was the Fleetline would park up next to the Poplars estate as the last boozer cruiser back to Dudley when I get round to lighting up the estate and streets, as the wires could conveniently disappear under the elevated scenic board.  However, it looks like I might be able to put one in the bus station with minimal wiring intrusion so I suspect I might be buying three more...



Wednesford by Night.  I intend to add interior lighting to buildings, and suitable street lighting, but the effect of the illuminated Fleetline is effective.  The light setting in the shed is mid blue at about ten-twenty percent which gives a good early morning effect.  No doubt the bus to Dudley will move once the driver has finished his smoke break in front of the parked Midland red D9.





At one time the Black Country was full of scenes like this - barely sanitary housing with a workshop or scrapyard in the grounds.  As I had two half depth house fronts spare I thought I would see how they looked together.  The scene is inspired by a yard which used to be located in Bentley Mill Lane, Darlaston, which eventually passed to my great uncle, just as the Black Country Development Corporation, with their hands in Maggie's handbag splashing her cash, decided to CPO the land for the Showcase Cinema and chain restaurants.  My uncle and cousins kept me in auction sourced cars until I started work after graduation, so doing this is a bit of a nostalgia trip.



Civil engineers, look away now.  How the Euneda Highway still stands no one knows.  The area under the flyover has somehow managed to become overgrown with brambles and weeds, despite being virtually in darkness all the time.



Euneda Highway has now been paved on one side and the other has been treated to the kind of salt tolerant, semi-wild planting that became the signature of the old West Midlands County Council on highway andstation schemes.  Pavement needs painting and weathering, and I still need to do the signs for the gantry.



Parks and Rec's trusty VW pick-up chugs down the dirt track to the park keeper's shed.  Again, the mud needs weathering and some spare ballast adding, once I've done the track ballasting.  Looks like the Wednesford in Bloom Ninjas have been out and about judging by the stuff in the back of the pick up.

The parkie's shed and parking space, hidden behind the civilian war memorial.



The Ninjas have arrived but instead of unloading, they've dashed into the shed for a brew and a Players No.6.