Well, here's the first entry on my new blog. It's the first time I've ever had anything to do with blogs, apart from reading those posted by other people.

Like most other folk, I shall start posting workbench and layout progress here, as and when there is something significant to report.

The current layout project on-going are the construction of 'Callow Lane', my first P4 layout, set in the North Bristol/South Gloucestershire area and based on Midland and GW practice.

But in a surprise development yesterday, an opportunity arose (or perhaps, more accurately, a reason) to build my long-mooted OO gauge layout 'Burrowbridge'. This was always going to be a small layout, very easily transportable, and capable of either being exhibited/played with on it's own, or plugged onto one end of 'Bleakhouse Road'. Burrowbridge is one end of the South Polden Light Railway.

On the workbench are various items associated with 'Callow Lane', including an unfinished chip shop, which is a modified Hornby 'Thomas' range bookshop, of all things! I am also building retaining walls and will then paint them and the central girder bridge over the layout engineers blue brick colour and weather it etc.

I also need to re-start the point rodding for the layout soon, to enable me to then weather the track and ballast it, prior to making further serious progress with the scenery.

There is also a S&D/L&SWR 'Road Van' on the workbench at the moment, which is a 30 year old TMD kit, in many ways an 'aid to scratchbuilding' rather than a kit. It is being painted at present, which will include (hopefully) faded brown paint coming away in places, revealing weathered wood underneath. The vehicle is now owned by the South Polden Light Railway, and hasn't had much TLC for quite a long time.

My modified 'Knightwing' diesel shunter has now had a Black Beetle motor bogie fitted to it and run in, and is a lot smoother now. I am now contemplating using the original single-axle drive chassis I built for it on another variation on that kit, only with ALL the weight over the driven axle! The previous configuration would not pull the skin off a rice pudding....

Also contemplating some plastic wagon kit construction 'therapy' in the near future, there are several Chivers kits beckoning....

Friday 02/10/09

Well, I've done a little more work on my TMD Models L&SWR/S&DJR road van, namely painting patches of bare wood on it and applying small, random patches of Maskol, prior to spraying it with a dull-ish brown topcoat.

Saturday 03/10/09

I've posted a few photos of 'Plantaganet' running in, on my circle of Lima track, taped to a clean tiled floor. I don't mind using my rolling road if I have to, but I prefer to set the circuit of track up for running in if I can, as I think it gives slightly better results. I also have a circuit of P4 'set track', which I made up myself from C&L flexitrack, for running in P4 locos.

Wednesday 07/10/09

In a bit of blatant consumerism, I today took delivery (from the sorting office!) of a cheapo Bachmann class 47 in BR blue from Kernow Model Centre, only ??34, I think it was (as advertised in their newsletter last Saturday). It will be destined for a conversion to P4 and running on Callow Lane, in due course...

Friday 09/10/09

When I opened the box, I realised that the loco had 'dominos' in the headcode boxes. Whilst I was happy to change the number to a pre-TOPS one, I can't be doing with messing around with headcodes, for what was meant to be a fairly quick conversion and weathering job, so I've decided to sell it to someone at work and look out for a proper pre-TOPS blue example.

Saturday 10/10/09

Was supposed to have been going to the Taunton show with Re6/6 and a couple of other friends, but something dodgy has been playing around with my digestion, so discretion being the better part of valour, I felt it prudent to have a quiet day at home instead, if keeping an eye on a new and completely mad kitten can be called a 'quiet day'....

When t'Missus gets back later, I will put him in another part of the house and put 'Bleakhouse Road' up for testing (Cheltenham show in two weeks) and for a photo session tomorrow.

Tuesday 20/10/09

Well, I did indeed erect BHR and photos were taken of it on the Sunday following my previous entry, but once the layout was safely stowed away again, the dodgy digestion problem re-emerged with a vengeance and laid me low for the best part of the following week, the end of which coincided with the forum being off-line.

I've now re-started work on the S&DRJ road van in OO, and this is now half-way through being weathered. Whether I take it to Cheltenham this weekend or not will depend on having a chance to finish the job tomorrow night.

I've also serviced a couple of locos that were showing signs of 'screeching motor' syndrome - my J72 now in NCB livery and my North British/Paxman 0-4-0 diesel - a little light lubrication sorted that out.

Finally, I thought I'd lost the glazing for the chip shop on Callow Lane, but luckily found it again and that will soon be fitted, so that I can get on with another part of that layout project.

Thursday 22/10/09

I managed to get more of the weathering done on the S&DJR road van last night, which is finished in a tired and flaking brown livery of the South Polden Light Railway. I painted some old/bare wood colour on some areas of the planking and applied Maskol when dry, a la Martyn Welch method. When the top coat had been sprayed on and dried, the Maskol was removed, leaving the old grey wood showing through, as if the top coat of paint had been flaking over the years.

I also applied some small, discrete lettering by hand, using a sharpened fabric pencil, which although sold as 'silver', comes out as a nice faded grey on the model.

Hopefully I shall be running the van at Cheltenham this weekend, in the company of 'Plantaganet' and other light railway items...

Tuesday 27/10/09

Here are a couple of photos of the finished road van, taken on BHR at Cheltenham last weekend: