nebnoswal

I picked-up some more Spirit Design laser etch coach kits the other week at the Caulfield show. With the ability to come home at lunch time, and with the early burst of spring, I was able to get the undercoat and 1st top coat of "VR Passanger Car Red" on. Tonite I manged to get 2 of them, 1 x ZLP bogie brake van and 1 x CW guards van, mostly put together. I will need to order some bogies soon. the next fiddley bit will be the roof's. And it looks like I'll have a new T class to haul them by the end of next week.

Well it looks like winter is about to come to an end, so its about time to come out of hibernation. I've got some Worsley Works MR Celestory coach kits a couple of years ago, but it wasn't until last week that I finally got the Chris Higgs roofs. Being a bit unsure on the how's of soldering with sides with tumblehome, I took one of the etches with me to the Caulfield model train show and got some hints, tips + advice from one of Ixion team. After a one hour lesson, I got stuck into 1 coach today, in between playing hide and seek, jumping on the bouncing castle and pushing Master Douglas around the backyard in his pink (originally red, but now sun fadded) car. Next thing to do, the chassis, and to extend the roof by 3mm.

Just a thought here. I've noticed and read that those of you in the UK seem to prefer moving your layouts around in vans, whereas here down under we move our layouts arround in trailers. My Sturminster breaks down to 2 boards of 1100 x 800mm and a 600 x 800mm. These then slip in a set of racks in my 7' x 4.5" trailer. Trailer has a canvas canopy to keep the weather out. Any exhibition you attend down here always has the trailer carpark tucked around the side of the venue.

That looks great Rich.

Has been quite sometime since any updates on Stur. Things have been progressing very slowly. Trips away, a little person to look after and now winter. But some work has been accomplished. The remainder of the goods area buildings have been started and and progressing. The asbestos dry goods shed The water tower The Good shed This is the beginings of the Blandford & Webb Grain and Feed store

Puckapunyal, Victoria. BRMA member, but I've not attended many meetings of late, due to distance, timing, and lack of N gauge. I'm a minority . Have just returned from a work trip in the US, from summer to winter.

Lst I heard Colin dosen't have email. I've done all my ordering, from Australia, over the phone. I'll Pm you the number.

But the original 3 5MT's on the S&D, 73050-2, all had BR1G tenders, same as the 9F's, for working the Pines. They needed to extra water capacity. anyone got a spare tender top of a redundant Dapol 9F.

Not so much a modeling update, but goods news. With the release of the Farish production list for 2011, I thought I'd better check on the loco numbers of the proposed Std 5MT. A quick search promptly told me that 372-725 5MT 73068 was sheded at Bath Green Park, 71G, and it was its last before being removed and scrapped. I then did a quick flick through some Ivo Peters books, hoping to find a photo of said loco. It then dawned on me that I had purchased a 35mm slide on eBay several years ago of a 5MT passing through Sturminster. I dug it up, and as luck would have it, it is 73068. Definitely one loco I won't have to re-number.

Have a close look at the front of the gunshield, next to the shovel. There's about 50' of rope there, a drag rope. 60 years latter and the old crusties still like to get the young un's to drag the guns, for the time when trucks arn't there! Helicopters are not that accurate and will dump a load where ever they seem fit, usually about 50m downhill of where the gun is meant to go!

That would be the trails, and considering there is one parked just outside his office, I wouldn't be surprised if he is out there now, pacestick and all, counting them.

Haha, eyes front always. But it is grey, same as in my office. I only know cause I regularly collaspe on it after a grueling PT session.

great work indeed.

I know I set myself a week to finish this one, but ................. I blame valentine's day, a long story, for another time. While not completely finished, they still need further weathering, I’m happy with the result so far. All I need now is to finish the warwells and warflats and order some more warwells, plus find some bogies I've got hidden in a box, somewhere! On a side note, whilst at happy hour last week in the Sergeants mess, the topic got around to me and my model trains and what I was up. I had mentioned to a mate how I was making a gun battery load. This drew the attention of my RSM, who was full of enquiring questions. I thought nothing of this. Come Monday morning I arrived at work and logged on to the computer and first thing in the inbox was an email from my RSM, with the dreaded phrase, 'come see me in my office'. This is a summons from god, and not to be ignored. I left straight away, wracking my brain as to what I may have or haven’t done to draw the attention of the RSM. I knocked on his door and was quickly given permission to enter. "Come around here, Sergeant, and tell me what's wrong with this picture?" he ordered. I made my way to his side of the desk and had a look at his monitor. There, on the RSM's screen was my RMWeb blog page, on building the quads and 25 lbs. "How many guns in a Bty? Sergeant," he asked. "6, sir" I replied. "Are you sure?" "Not now†I responded. "I suggest you go away and do some more research and get back to me. I will see you at morno's." And so I was dismissed from the RSM's office, slapped over the knuckles for getting my hobby wrong! A quick bit of googling and checking some books in my office and I quickly learnt that in WW2, 25 lbs batteries consisted of 8 guns, 2 troops of 4. I jumped the gun, and to escape any embarrassment in front of my colleagues, I quickly emailed my answer to the RSM. Within a minute he responded and asked how I was going to fix my problem of being 'under –gunned'. I replied that I was now modelling a resupply train, hence the variety of vehicles, that Rule No.1 was applied and I didn’t think I had a loco strong enough, of WW2 era, to pull 12 warwells/flats with heavy whitemetal loads. He hasn't replied, I may have confused him with Rule No.1. Mind you, now that he has found my blog, after posting this, I think I may be on his mat again in the morning!

Was that 2012?

That Mr Doyce, did he ever run for president of the US of A. There's a touch of Abraham in him

well believe it or not, but I did get some more done today, amazing. There are signifcant and varying detail in the 2 variants of Quad/limbers/25 lbs I have. The Gramodel is alot finer, but the gun is lacking, whereas the Pithead is a bit rough in places, but the gun has more prescene. I really like the shovel and drag ropes molded onto the gun sheild. Considering they will be sitting on some warflats, they won't be static long enough for the rivet counters to ............. They still need some more touching up, hopefully tomorrow. Maybe I might get lucky and Oxford diecast will bring them out in N . Whilst had the airbrush out, I put a second coat on some bauxite wagons and... I had a go at doing the lining for my VR B Class. Even with carefully application of tamiya masking tape, I still managed to get some bleeding. Windows still need a clean-up, and next it will be the decals.

Well were to start. Why Army railway loads? Why not! The S&DJR was used extensively during the build-up to the D-Day invasions. I could of gone with the usual load of tanks, but I am a gunner, so Artillery it is (My Scots will eventually become 6144 + 6157). Where did they come from. Well the finished Quad/limber/25lb are Gramodels which pick-up several years ago. Another one of those "I'll get around to it eventually projects". The quad was in 2 bits, just needing to fix the roof section. As for the gun, well it didn't look right to me! (and I do walk past several of them everyday at work) The new batch I got from Pithead Miniatures, who manufacture to 1/150, compatible to both 10mm + 12mm wargamers. They have a varied range, especially in support vehicles. They have a 40mm Bofor's set which I'm looking at next. What are they? Quad - correct, limber - Mk 3, 25 lb-er Mk 3, White M3A1 scout car - correct, Humber Mk IV armoured car and 15cwt radio truck. Flooding - well the Stour, which runs through Stur, no dobut does flood, but only pic's I've seen are of a pub, the Bull Inn, flooding in Stur. As for Army flooding relief, Sithlord can attest the pics I sent him earlier in the week of the Aussie Army providing assistance, (unfortunately there still on my work computer). DUKW - I'm sure there is 1 avaialble out there somewhere.

Have set myself a deadline this week. I recieved some military whitemetal kits on Tue, and I going to try and have them finished within a week. Its now Friday and they are finally put together. Undercoat first thing in the morning, and hopefully a 1st coat of OD sat nite. Maybe, just maybe they will be finished within a week, stay tuned.

You think! He only lives 10mins away and drives past my front on his way to work everyday.

So what is the stuff your intending to put on eBay? There could be a home for tem found downunder.

Well for a 6 week break, I really don't have much to show for it. Mainly it was just little odd and ends, which today are still sitting unfinished on the work bench. I did manage to get access to an ALPS printer, so I did get some new wagon transfers. Another dozen or so wagons have been finished off. Work on the layout is at a very slow pace. The backscene is still only 50% finished. Hopefully the remainder of the goods building will be ready in the next few weeks. I made a start on an Ultima LMS 42' bogie CCT. Fairly simply, but I have made one of these before. I also had a crack at a 57' LMS P1 full brake. Can't remember where I got this from. Painting and lining will be a challenge. The only blue diesel's I will every own, are those of my childhood, in this case Victorian Railways/VicRail/VR. I've had this B class sitting in the UFO pile for a very long time now. Having gotten a compressor from my good lady wife for my birthday, I decided it was time to have a start and give it a spray. So far, so good, but just as I type this, the Aussie RTR manufacturer has just emailed me to say his RTR B class will be ready in the next month or so! Isn't that always the way.

Magnificent work, as always Missy. Have watched the evolution of your cattle dock, and every time I get that one step closer to wanting to re-do mine. it just the fact that mine is 10 times bigger that is stopping me .