Tricky

It's the spoked wheels that I love!

Psst - they are! A trick of the camera angle.

Here goes another massive distraction! This is a 5” gauge wagon in the making. Cup of coffee for scale. Who can guess what it’s going to be? Sorry, @Compound2632 you’re not allowed to play!

A few nice little detail scenes emerging on Tewks. Subject to overcoming some technical DCC issues, I’m getting there!

So, having dragged out of storage the ancient and dusty Monk's Gate, I am loathe to shove it back from whence it came, but at a tad over 8' long I was stumped as to where it could go in my relatively cramped workshop. So I reduced the working height of Tewks and strung up Monk's Gate over it from the Dexion rafters! Not very pretty, and not easily accessible but at least it now has a place in the workshop - and very poetically, a place once more in my affections!

I couldn’t decide where on RMWeb to post this, so thought I’d pop it here. I had one of those flashes of inspiration over the weekend; just as I pulled Tewkesbury out of store a few months ago to resurrect it and finish it off, I decided to also drag out the original ‘Monk’s Gate’ which has also been languishing in the dust depths of my undercroft. I’m now thinking way ahead but this will be re-purposed and re-modelled to the next in the ‘Midland in…’ series as ‘Midland in Nottingham’. For those of you with good memories, you may recall this layout as my first real attempt at a layout about 7 or 8 years ago. I am loath to waste the boards and track and some of the scenic elements (although much has moved on in my methods since then). You’ll see that Nottingham Goods provided some inspiration even then with the canal and stone walling. This time around I will extend the canal to include the tunnel and also include the grain warehouse as a back-drop. My thinking also is that I may even keep M in N rather than sell it on…we shall see. The B&W photo is lifted from Midland Record no1 - the photo that started it all!

Who makes a decent 7mm kit? I like Princess of Wales but not keen on bogie tenders! Also, who makes a kit of 1757 Beatrice?

Progress update! Coming together slowly but surely. A lot of detail work has been done, some not obvious from these few pics. Ballast is all laid but still needs weathering along with the rails. The engine shed is in need of some TLC and then it’s concentrate on the ground works. Work is also progressing in the background on three locos. Updates to follow at some stage! The water also needs re-doing!!

Here’s another diorama I’ve finished today. This is based on the Midland goods yard at Ancoats but if the notice board was changed and the door to the office repai yes could be anywhere. It measures 1230mm x 480mm x 500mm high and the back panel with houses attached to it is removable. It makes a very effective static diorama to display O Gauge rolling stock. It’s available for sale for £900, rolling stock not included! I have loads more photos if needed.

Photos would be great!

I woke up in the night last night and for some strange reason started to wonder about the following: One day I’d like to build a Spinner. Working inside motion is a must with all that fresh air under the boiler, but how does one power it as clearly the gearbox can’t mount on the one and only driven axle? Is the tender driven perhaps? But doesn’t feel right pushing the loco…any thoughts or experience?

Johnson Half Cab back from having DCC and sound fitted. Runs very smoothly indeed and has full working inside motion - not that you can see any of it! Tomorrow I will strip it down and start painting. Let’s hope it goes back together as it should!

Sweet! Lots of frantic activity from the working innards, not that you can see any of it!

Thursday’s update: the station canopy roof has been extended to follow the curved backscene in its new position, painted and fitted. The loading bay has also been glued down, as well as the framing for the rear goods platform. Finally the brewery has been fitted, track behind painted and blanking panel between the mill and brewery. The last structure is, of course, the engine shed but I will have to finish ballasting the trackwork behind it before fitting it. Really cracking on now!

Another update: this time on the right hand end, a very low-relief building to hide the track exit. Shades of ‘Bristol’ with hidden text. And also work progressing on the back right corner. None of this (apart from the rear-most buildings) is fitted permanently yet, but will be soon.