Things continue with the siphons. I have the second test etches and the previous corrections have turned out a pair of decent (IMO) kits. The other items that I added to the sheet second time around remain to be built because I am now out of top hat bearings. An order is into the association shop but I needed something else to do.

What I thought would be some quick wagons turn out to take rather more effort. I bought a few Mathieson Models wagons at the 2010 Expo in kit form to paint up with the liveries of the line's merchants. There are some good pictures of various merchants wagons in the Lingard book that covers the line. Since then I have bought several more, and a few of the coloured wagons. In town at the weekend I spied some in the cabinet of the local model shop and now have three more! I already had some early RCH wagons built up awaiting a similar treatment to that proposed for the 'kits'. I now have quite a collection of wagons requiring painting and weathering, or just weathering. Sticking to private owner wagons here is a selection.

L-R: Association 1907 RCH body kit on 9' RCH chassis; 1907 RCH body on 8'6" chassis; Mathieson wagon kit with association split spoke wheels on 14mm axles and coupling hooks added; 2 off Mathieson wagon with a little weathering already started, wheels and details as before; Mathieson wagon out of the box.

The Mathieson wagon is pretty good. The body is fine, much thinner than anything else available RTR in N and therefore pretty good for size. The chassis is a little flat on the axlebox detail (a compromise due to the width criteria being met and still fitting in N gauge wheels, I guess) but quite passable. When fitting 2FS wheelsets you need to thin the back of the brake shoes to avoid problems with the wheels rubbing and resultant poor running. The weathering that has been done so far to the Bradbury and Brodsworth vehicles has been with a scratch brush to scar the lettering, followed by a some mucky colour applied with a cotton bud. It needs some more depth to the dirty colours and for the effect to extend onto the chassis.