larryblag

I'll echo that. We too are working from home. There's a lot we can do remotely these days. Some stuff requires a physical attendance obviously but we are trying to limit this as much as possible. Maybe things will ease (slightly) after Sunday's chat with Boris?

Saw the prototype today.

Thanks James, It was well received. Made it all worth the effort.

Originally fitted to MENTOR it was unfortunately damaged during an OLE dewirement.

I was recently commissioned to build a diorama as a leaving gift for a well-respected colleague who is retiring. Inspired by Kernow Model's Limited Edition of the Hornby DVT (82124) I set to work creating a little cameo for this vehicle, the full-sized version of which our colleague had worked on extensively. For our observant friend it was detailed with the special load-measuring wheelsets of the prototype and suitably renumbered to 82111. An appropriate location was then modelled representing a siding somewhere comprised of partly slabbed track. Figures were added, plus a skip complete with an old Brecknell Willis type pantograph unceremoniously dumped in it (the significance of this you'd have to ask our colleague about).

Here's another. I do like my dioramas

Thanks Stu, yes I agree. It's surprising how satisfying it is to work on one of these isn't it? For me, it's mainly because I can already see the constraints of the (lack of) space which keeps me grounded. I've a tendancy to become over-faced and daunted otherwise. It's also easy to make failrly rapid progress and an end point which is not too far in the future. My head is so full of stuff noise these days that I have a limited attention span. Little projects like these which are easily completed I find very therapeutic. My "main" layout in the loft on the other hand - that's another subject altogether and has suffered at least half a dozen false starts. That young lady is always showing off by the way.

Nice Job Stu. Reminds me of a small diorama I made a few years' ago with some scrap bits.

Latest diorama. For another colleague Clive Barlow who retired on Friday 21st Dec 2018 https://flic.kr/s/aHskPaGKsJ

Thanks Rob, I'll take a look

Here I've gone the other way. By blurring foreground and background it makes a real life view appear surprisingly model - like? https://flic.kr/p/2cmcAQ1

When I attempted water colour painting following the excellent Alwyn Crawshaw series of books I quickly developed a bad habit. Following the project exercises I made quick progress and practiced techniques until I felt comfortable. But when I started to paint my own pictures I noticed I'd adopted a style which meant I was painting a painting - rather than trying to create realism itself. This started to carry over into my model making too and can happen when I lack the confidence to attempt to replicate "life" and instead model models as it were. With paintings of course, artistic licence and developing one's own style is to be encouraged (look at impressionism for example). But with the railway hobby I can't be as maverick as that can I?

Sorry guys and gals,I'm struggling to post an embedded image a link from my flickr albums. So here's a link to the complete album instead. https://flic.kr/s/aHskEQFSSR Yes, I was tasked with coming up with something unique, something other than the usual "clock". I'd done a few dioramas in the past and a quick visit to our local model shop (Malcs Models of Ilkeston) yielded a pair of dummy NMT power cars. The case was bought at the same time and provided the physical constraints within which to work.

Inspired by the Dapol model of the NMT our boss worked on. https://flic.kr/p/KfSqaX https://flic.kr/p/KdwADf https://flic.kr/p/KnPAJv https://flic.kr/p/KfSrLn https://flic.kr/p/KfSr7X

Early seventies, me aged betweeen eight and ten years old. Stood on my brother in law's rear garden watching all the movements at Westhouses shed. Plethora of type 1's - 2's 3's and 4's (20's, 25's, 37's and 47's in new money) and all in Rail Blue. Those days are fixed permanently on my cerebrum and the fascination I've carried with me ever since. Not at all boring to me