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Having been following the 'Quality of Blogs' thread, it reminded me I'd not updated my own for some time. My driving theme at the meoment is creating buildings suitable for the module I'll be taking to the 2012 Taunton Member's Day. As well as the Starcross Pumping house, I've been making a far smaller shed to fill a small corner. I hope actually to add a set of 3 sheds, all different in style, but all models of real prototypes. This real shed can be found immediately to the west of Pizza Hut, Maiden Green, Truro. I've been intending to model it for some years - the photos were taken in Feb 2006. The model is not quite complete - there is a lot of groundwork to complete, but this may be achieved better once the shed is on the baseboard proper.

2011 has been a very much mixed up year for me, it has been a year of extreme highs and lows, more or less in equal measure. On the down side my personal life has been turned on its head and pulled though a hedge backwards, that’s the only way I can describe it. At the start of the year two events took place that will probably be two of the most significant events that will stay in my life for ever. In January my wife was diagnosed with bone cancer, and I was also told that I would be losing my job through redundancy in April. Just one of those events would be enough, but both together, I was devastated to say the least. Because of these events another great upheaval took place and that was a house move back to the Black Country from Telford so we could be nearer to our kids and family. The redundancy was really a blessing in disguise for me, at 60 years of age the prospects of getting another job was remote to say the least, so I signed on the “Dole” and took things as they came. At least I would not be working 12 hour night shifts anymore! In March there was a brief “high” point. My Model railway layout Pen-Y-Bont was featured in Model Rail magazine, It was a strange feeling actually seeing your work through the eyes of photographer Craig Tiley and words by Richard Foster but I really felt that I had got some where at last with my hobby. Pen-Y-Bont again featured when I took the layout to two exhibitions. Telford in October and Wolverhampton in November. I was also really chuffed when Andy York contacted me and wanted to feature Pen-Y-Bont in Modelling Inspiration, so that was another high note for me. After “signing on” for six months and getting nowhere with job searching I had had enough and have thrown in the towel. I now claim Pension Credit and class myself as retired so that is the blessing in disguise I was talking about earlier. My wife continues to receive treatment for her cancer and is still fairly well considering, so we hope we have some more quality time now I am at home 24/7. I was too late re-joining RMWeb to enter the 2011 challenge competition and I suppose to be fair the way things were going at the start of the year it would have been unlikely that I would have entered into anything that would take up much spare time. However I have found another internet forum MRG, which is a new group of around 100 members. One of their ideas is for each member to build some sort of diorama over the winter months, no competition, no prizes, just interchange of ideas and progress on the forum. I decided to take part because unlike the RMWeb 2011 contest there was no pressure to complete in a given time scale, Hence my new layout (or part of it) Morfa Bach was born. Towards the end of 2011 and my own health is now starting to go downhill. I have a few problems including COPD, Heart disease and angina and to top it off I have been told by an orthopaedic specialist that I have a partly fused spine which is not going to get any better. This almost put a full stop to me showing any layout at any exhibition but, since joining MRG and Cradley Heath MRC I have been amazed by the offers of help at shows,so, Pen –Y-Bont and hopefully Morfa Bach will be out and about again in 2012. So, as you can see it’s been a very mixed year for me. I don’t believe in wish lists but if I could just have a couple of things for Christmas it would be a cure for Cancer and a long happy retirement. I’m sorry if any of this has bored you to tears but, by telling others about such things makes it a lot easier for me to bear. Finally...................... Money is tight, times are hard, Here's your E Christmas card! Cheers everyone and happy new year! Frank

Good evening, I must admit, having participated in and been following the thread on 'Blog quality' I was wondering whether to continue with my blog(s)...however, I do try to post something regularly and I accept that it may interest some...but not others. After two weeks of Christmas parties, its time to rest the liver and slot in some modelling...tonight being one such night. The first layer I am referring to is the glazing layer which was applied a few nights ago and has helped give strength to the base structure. One thing I realised half way through, is that its not necessary to scribe the windows...as they are formed with an overlay sheet... The second layer, the window layer has now been marked out and added and onto this I will add a further sheet which will give further relief to the window frames. The horizontal planking has been the subject of experiments by printing pre drawn horizontals 'greyed out' but I think I will try and scribe these instead. The windows and door frames will be added again as a separate layer. Its slow progress, but am much happier with it than the plasticard version. I had hoped to complete the 3 month revamp before crimble but I will now use January to try and complete it as the layout will be featuring in the 2mm Association Mag so I need to get a wiggle on to meet the deadline for printing. A few pics attached... I hope this of interest to some of you and I should just like to say thanks for all your support and encouragement throughout 2011 and best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. Pete Overall showing window layer in place on perspective layer... Plan view with partial of next layer to be applied... And the customary cruel close up shot...using that 'not so popular' currency for scale... EDIT: A quick pic taken this morning in natural light insitu in the context...I think the station is looking a bit more substantial now and has a bit of presence...

Well after a final push ive managed to get these wagons finished! The blog entries show that this has taken a considerable length of time, but this shouldn't be confused with this being a difficult project, more that i take an age to complete anything. Obligatory shot of them on my loft layout. This is one of the end wagons which have recieved heavier weathering, due to ( i think ) brake dust from the loco, apart from that there is not a massive amount of weathering/dirt from coal, in all pics of these from their use on the fiddlers ferry LBT coal circuit the wagons stay pretty clean, just the actual paint finish has faded quite a lot, which i acheived by painting using a faded version of the np blue colour. This is an inner wagon, the coal load was created using a mixture of crushed coal, and some charcoal dust, when adding it to the wagons they did start to resemble wagons loaded by a loading shovel, i.e loads of coal down the side! once most of this was brushed off it gave a decent weathering impression, charcoal seems a pretty good material to create a subtle effect. A shot of the loaded wagon I'm pretty pleased with how these wagons have turned out, they can now be put to use as 1 of a variety of rakes for mgr workings, i wanted to build a layout that was heavy on coal operations and as i used to see these wagons either in stafford heading for ironbridge p.s or occasionally rugeley p.s, when away from their more normal duties i thought they had to be modelled. One thing i particularly like is EWS's minimal intervention, some of the wagons still showing defunct national power logos, and generally an air of neglect. The other major appeal is that because of the nature of their merseyside operation they generally feature a tug up front, as can be seen, 60007 features in all my pics. i've got a few 60's i want to do and this is where i plan to focus now i've finished these wagons, i've managed to get half a dozen of them off ebay without paying more than £60 which, although they're a great model, seems about the right amount to pay. Being a bit haphazard i've had this 56 sitting about for a while so i intend to get this finished first. This started life as hornbys 56032 in metals sector livery, it also had a giant nameplate, which turned out to be a bit of a pain to remove, on both sides slight marks were left, not very noticeable but i didn't want to get to the transfer stage and be unhappy with it so i repainted the rail grey on the lower bodyside. I intend to model this loco 2001-2004, so i thought this could cope witha slight fading, i added a small amount of white to the mix and also a drop of british steel blue (ithink you're not actually supposed to see this, it just adds a slight different hue - saw it on someones blog and i think although subtle, is effective.) This loco will become 56054 British Steel Llanwern,just a bog standard grid, though one that managed to linger on almost to the end of the grids, iirc. This 56 has had the roof fan grilles changed - this is the biggest letdown on this model and although an easy fix is 1 reason why i'll not be paying to whack for these models. Ive also added revised cantrail grilles, as per loadhaul/ews mods. Both of these come from shawplan. I hope to get this loco finished pretty soon, just an application of weathering now really, then i've got a few 60's to work on. cheers Chris

I'm a happy bunny tonight, having finally gotten my act together to go out to the shed, put the warm air blower on for a few minutes, in readiness for a bit of spraying on the goods shed. I decided to spray the exterior brickwork in red oxide, as a base for adding the final brick colour in due course. This will be more orangy in hue, and the base colour will actually be B.R. early freight stock bauxite! I sprayed the crane with grey primer at the same time.

That building just cries out to be modelled.. well done in capturing it!

Great stuff Stu , you even have the rust in the right places . I wish I had your skills when it comes to doing buildings .

Excellent! In my opinion making things look run down is so much harder than something which is new, especially with buildings and you have made a great model there. Missy

Jon, hi - Agreed on the blog thread - Hopefully the peeps whose blogs were deleted are reading it... Thanks for your comments re the station...seeing as its the only building on this layout its kind of important, so probably worth the time spent on it. I think the plasticard version was in danger of being hurried hence the rethink. Lets talk about currency exchange rates over a pint of extra cold Guinness* next week... *insert favourite tipple to suit

Lovely, well observed modelling. Paul.

Two of the more unusual items of rolling stock built by the Southern Railway were the cinema coach and also the 100 inspection Saloon. Marc Models have now produced kits of, or will supply Ready to Run, these unique prototypes. These models of both coaches and generator vans are in etched brass and have the correct style bogies. A resin cast generator is fitted into the vans that can be viewed through the van windows. This is an extract of the latest entry on my modelling blog click here to read the full entry Some of this has already been covered else where within my posts here on RMweb but this is an update on my main offsite blog, so I make no apologies for a little duplication. My full model railway and meanderings blog can be read at www.grahammuz.com