MrWolf Posted April 2, 2021 Author Share Posted April 2, 2021 (edited) Back to model railway subjects, the next thing that will be getting more paint, weathering and some finer details is a real old relic. It's a Cooper Craft GWR platelayers hut that I have finally found time to build and will be sited somewhere down near the headshunt. I haven't done an awful lot to it other than replace the roof with slates that look nearer scale and a bit of lead flashing around the chimney. These are a nice model which does turn up on eBay fairly often and doesn't go for silly prices. One mistake I did make was not to snatch the instructions off her before somebody asked if I was going to make the grindstone rotate. I have done some daft things in the interest of showing off to girls, but this has to be the oddest. So the grindstone spins nicely via its little handle, for no reason other than it can... Images M.I.A. Edited August 17, 2022 by MrWolf 13 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 2, 2021 Author Share Posted April 2, 2021 (edited) 15 minutes ago, GWR_Modeller said: Insects are more efficient at converting plant material into protein than mammals. More calories per acres than cows and less methane. Locust steaks anyone? IIRC locusts are another species that breed uncontrollably, devour everything in the vicinity and then move on. Locust may be a double edged sword. Ants taste rather nice, remind me of orange peel. Same objection as locusts. Planet still overcrowded. Edited April 3, 2021 by MrWolf 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold NHY 581 Posted April 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 3, 2021 6 hours ago, MrWolf said: One mistake I did make was not to snatch the instructions off her before somebody asked if I was going to make the grindstone rotate. I have done some daft things in the interest of showing off to girls, but this has to be the oddest. So the grindstone spins nicely via its little handle, for no reason other than it can... That'll teach you but well recovered. R 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted April 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 3, 2021 9 hours ago, MrWolf said: IIRC locusts are another species that breed uncontrollably, devour everything in the vicinity and then move on. Bit like humans, until they become “affluent” and can’t afford to have more than (usually) 2 kids per couple because they are so darned expensive! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 3, 2021 Author Share Posted April 3, 2021 (edited) Today, the weather has been far too nice to be grovelling about under the layout and in order to avoid the inevitable crowds of nutters, we took the motorcycles out for a run in the back of beyond. As both bikes have now passed their 70th summer, we went for a gentle plod, admiring the scenery rather than anything that could be classed as testicular exertion (or thrashing the b#####ks off them!) and we spotted something normally hidden by trees as we flash past. It's rather well hidden, but I have a peculiar talent for spotting abandoned things. Close up, it looks like the aftermath of the First War. Lovely old wrought iron gate. Edited August 17, 2022 by MrWolf 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 3, 2021 Author Share Posted April 3, 2021 (edited) More pictures of the ruins. I thought them quite inspiring. There are some buildings in the woods on the far side of the river Clun, but I have been thinking for a while that something simpler and half hidden in the trees might be better. We didn't venture inside the house, it really has a bad lean to it and everything is visible anyway! Edited August 17, 2022 by MrWolf Replaced picture 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Gough Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 Does this make you an Urban Rural Explorer? I find it fascinating, being able to see how old buildings were put together - like this. 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, Nick Gough said: Does this make you an Urban Rural Explorer? Possibly. But the truth is that at first I thought it might not be a good idea to get anywhere near it. All it took was for me to say: "That looks F. dangerous"... and my other half took off her crash helmet and jumped over the fence. To not follow her would mean that I was chicken. Being chicken is not a part of who I am. I would also have been mocked mercilessly had I not followed her. I've always been fascinated with ruins like this. I remember holidays in Wales when I was six or seven, I wasn't bothered with sitting on Llandudno beach, I dragged everyone round Conwy castle, the slate mines and other dank, crumbling attractions. We often end up poking around somewhere forgotten on our weekend trips out. Apparently some weird couples go to out of town shopping centres or furniture warehouses? Edited April 4, 2021 by MrWolf Stupid autocorrect 5 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 (edited) Of course there's the obligatory tree growing in one of the outer rooms. Edited August 17, 2022 by MrWolf Replaced picture 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chuffinghell Posted April 4, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2021 Would that be classed as ‘lightly weathered’ 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 3 minutes ago, chuffinghell said: Would that be classed as ‘lightly weathered’ Dunno, I'm sure that an estate agent would describe it as having "stunning potential" Not just from the odd brick dropping off either... 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 I'm glad that this thread isn't anything like as established and wonderful as Little Muddle. Otherwise, the fans would have me building that wreck by teatime! 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mick Bonwick Posted April 4, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2021 3 hours ago, MrWolf said: Of course there's the obligatory tree growing in one of the outer rooms. That was probably the pantry. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chuffinghell Posted April 4, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2021 13 minutes ago, Mick Bonwick said: That was probably the pantry. A lesson to all, don’t leave tarragon in the pantry and forget about it 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 14 minutes ago, Mick Bonwick said: That was probably the pantry. If a tree grows in a ruined church, is it a vestry ? 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gedward Posted April 4, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 4, 2021 Apparently the police are looking in to a break and entry. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gopher Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 2 hours ago, MrWolf said: I'm glad that this thread isn't anything like as established and wonderful as Little Muddle. Otherwise, the fans would have me building that wreck by teatime! O.K it is tea time - where is the model ? 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 (edited) 19 hours ago, Gopher said: O.K it is tea time - where is the model ? I KNEW someone would say that... Serves me right. Edited April 5, 2021 by MrWolf Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 35 minutes ago, Gedward said: Apparently the police are looking in to a break and entry. Definitely broken, didn't enter. I threw up half a brick and a good lump of masonry came down. It might not be standing at all next week. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted April 4, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 4, 2021 6 hours ago, MrWolf said: I threw up half a brick Serves you right for eating it... 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 4, 2021 Author Share Posted April 4, 2021 11 minutes ago, Regularity said: Serves you right for eating it... It was 3am and we were out of Pop Tarts.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 5, 2021 Author Share Posted April 5, 2021 Yesterday I decided to concentrate on matters track related. I have finally made the under board connections between each of the five boards and sawn through the rails at each baseboard joint with a razor saw. This leaves a negligible gap and the rail ends are already soldered to brass screws driven into the ends of each board. I thought that a quick win would have been to spray the track with a can of sleeper grime I was certain that I had. Wrong. I have tried ordering it from several places but it's always been out of stock. This time I got some. It will be here eventually... Okay, how about wiring up those points? No. Not enough wire. A dig in the workshop revealed plenty of wire. None of which was suitable. Old motorcycles may be 6-12v but the amperage is way higher than a model railway and the cable is far too heavy. Order some of that too. I've started putting together a very simple control panel but again I am stalled for a few bits and pieces. I'm determined to get the track and its associated items as finished as I can before I forget something important that I can't fix later. The point motors I think I have got away with. 3 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 (edited) It's all getting a bit edge of the seat here! The CDU has arrived in this morning's post, but there's nothing I can do with it other than screw it to my fledgling control panel. The rollercoaster hasn't stopped yet though! I have trimmed down some bits of coffee stirrer, (remember when you could pinch them?) into bits of dummy sleeper to fill the gaps at the baseboard joints. Image M.I.A. Thrilling. I hope that nobody had a panic attack out there.... Edited August 17, 2022 by MrWolf PostScript! 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 (edited) This photo shows the little hut with its final bit of weathering. Dry brushing with Humbrol 53 Gunmetal gives it a silvery creosote look. A little bit of pencil lead rubbed into the lower part of the door accents the board gaps and bare wood. I was quite pleased with it until my work light / magnifier suddenly decided that it was bored of having been clamped to the bench for the last year and fell off. Can we guess where it crash landed boys and girls? That's right!! Edited August 17, 2022 by MrWolf Replaced picture 3 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWolf Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 (edited) It's a resilient little shed, considering that something that looks like the Starship Enterprise fell on it . I even found both finials. Other moments of the WHAT!?? REALLY!!?? variety has been the realisation that I had also dropped a spherical object with my station building. The little lean to's each end are taller than I allowed for. So when I got clever and stuck them to the ends of the main building in a position favouring the platform side.... It wasn't until everything had set rock hard that I realised I had obscured the space that should be occupied by the barge boards. Dumbass. Gingerly prise off the toilet and lamp room, realise that there's no way to hide the scars, saw gable ends off building, make new ends for building... Just for another hilarious joke, I was cutting the clapboard ends from the plain rear side using one as a template. Not noticing that I had the clapboard upside down and ended up with one gable at the bottom of the wall. Modelmaking is supposed to be good therapy for CPTSD.... Old (top) and new ends. These ones are some I made earlier, but later than the ones that I ####ed up... Edited August 17, 2022 by MrWolf Replaced picture 1 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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