Having bought many Preiser figures last month, I have taken photographs trying composition and colours.  The layout is strewn with 1970's wagon-load stock at the moment, and while bauxite shades dominate, I wanted to try other-coloured wagons in some pictures to see the effect.  Sadly, focus and camera-shake is not my strong point, and some backgrounds must be excused.

 

 

D7070 rests in the grain/warehouse siding, having brought in a special Company train of minerals from Acton Yard (despite what the head-code says).  The '03' yard shunter bustles around arranging the wagons.  I hoped the completed part of the warehouse would dominate, but this teaches me to pull back further, for the train to be smaller in the frame.

 

 

 

The minerals company's JCB loads an Accurascale MDV, and a lorry arrives with more shingle for one of the bins.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, further down the siding, the coal merchant arranges sacks.  ModelU have brought out some more suitable figures recently, rather than these generic warehouse staff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I rather like the way, in the last picture above, the size of the vehicles increases from left to right, and the blue grain wagon gives a splash of colour on the right of the frame, but not out of balance with the drab grey and bauxite.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, the '33' on 7N44 departs for Tonbridge Yard, taking the grain wagons, an empty Vanfit for sacks of fertiliser, and a VIX Ferry Van back to Kent.

 

 

I shot this with the camera raised slightly above ground level; for some reason I thought it looked better.  Please excuse the un-painted 'onion dome' on the corner of the warehouse.  I did not expect it to be in shot.

 

 

 

In the two Mileage Sidings, staff load and unload the day's freight from 7L57, the 09.08 from Norwood Down Yard, with 33 039 deputising for the rostered '73' EDL.  This was the first time I have played with the Accurascale Coil wagons.  These will be headed for a canning factory, an idea for which I am indebted to @Nearholmer .  Still not fixed a realistic hook on that Coles crane...

 

 

 

 

A Vanfit is unloaded, as two staff bicker about how best to get the load into the back of the red drop-side lorry.  The pale poles on the BEV on the left of the picture were an attempt at 36' telegraph poles from pine felled on the High Weald, made from bamboo kebab sticks.  I must find a dark wood-stainer to simulate creosote.  Again, the colours are muted, but the yellow and red of the road vehicles bring a splash of colour.

 

 

 

 

71 012 pulls away with the 'Up' after-noon milk train from the passenger station on the viaduct, as the '33' shunts two vans out of the way in the goods yard.  I should not have included the N.C.L. lorry; the picture did not need more bright primary colour.  The yellow 'Freight-Lifter' would have drawn the eye to the loading of the Vanfit and the Supervisor chalking the destination.

 

 

 

 

 

At last, the train is made up and the '33' pulls its vans into the departure siding, ready to have more added by the shunter, and then run round and be off as 7L58 to Norwood Jn Yard.

 

 

 

 

 

I like the opportunity now of including more figures in my pictures.  Presumably goods yards were run down and mostly deserted in the 1970's, but there must have been several people bustling about (or, in this decade, probably just standing around) when un-/loading had to be done.  The railways are for people, and British Rail itself employed thousands of them.  It is easy to get fixated on the trains and their constituent machinery.

 

I will re-take some shots, and try a few more when next I have the opportunity.  I must also repaint more of the figures with high-vis. vests and yellow hard-hats.  Do watch Using T.O.P.S. (1978) if you are interested.  It has been my inspiration.