Hmmm. No baseboards or track down yet, and yet what do I spend the first money I actually get in ages on?

Erm, a locomotive, a wagon, and a DCC chip.

Okay, maybe the third one can be excused - there's no way the stunning Hornby Class 50 I got for Christmas will stay DC on my layout for long, not when it has working lights and fans - but the other two? Well, my excuse is that both of them are excellent prices that couldn't be ignored. The loco is a Bachmann Standard Class 4MT 4-6-0, no. 75024, and it looks a decent model, with good detail. This with a DCC chip fitted, for just £67 is too good to miss IMO. It would just be my luck to hold fire, then go to buy it, and the offer be over/the loco be sold out. Plus it fits in with my planned region (South West/South coast, Devon area), even though until I build my stock collection up, it will remain as a preservation era line, thus allowing my NSE 50 and the 4MT, as well as my BR Blue Class 25, to co-exist peacefully alongside each other

The wagon, well I'm not sure you could technically call it a wagon, seeing as it's actually a lovely BR Mark 1 GUV. Again made by Bachmann, and again at a good price of just £18. May as well get something period for the 4MT to haul, right? It's in maroon, and looks nice - parcels will be a key part of the goods traffic on my layout, perhaps the only goods traffic, so if I can start building the collection now, then more power to me

As for the baseboards and important stuff, I don't have a timescale on that just yet, so I don't see the point in stockpiling track which will sit around, potentially be kicked about and damaged, whilst it has nowhere to go. Granted, you could say that about the rolling stock, but at least they look good on display on the shelf in the meantime In all seriousness, I do have a plan down, and a vision for it - all that's needed now is for myself and my dad (Who may be joining us soon on RMWeb) to grab some wood and bloomin' well get on with it!

Until next time...