cornamuse

Some more progress: Open carriage now fulley loadad; I’m pretty happy with it, despite it being very conjecture. Station mistress Myfanwy waiting for the next train. Her real counterpart sold postcards of herself to the tourists! Porthole zoo car well on its way to completion. Used to hold 12-14 passengers; no idea how! More cardboard vehicles- a wooden slate wagon this time, trialling a design before I make loads. One will need to be powered for the gravity train! Cardboard is a good medium for this - surprisingly robust, easy to work, light and cheap. Yes, it has limitations, but at £3 a truck including wheels, I can live with it!

Just 2 more passengers to go a few slate waggons next, I think...

And now an open coach; not quite Penrhyn, not quite Ffestiniog. Plus some passengers, a little more detailed than the ones in the semi covered coach. 4 more to make, plus the wheels.

The quarry train is growing - type 2b scratchbuilt coach joins the roster. Type 1a next I think, plus some hardy miners clinging on

Finally got them all outside... some sunny shots to cheer your day up! to follow soon - type 1 & 2b quarrymen’s coaches, more slate wagons, hearse, gunpowder wagon, porthole bugbox and Blodwen the stationmistress in Welsh costume.

thank you! They are very rough and ready, but will barely be visible, so character and movement are more important than accuracy. Which is lucky so here are Pork-pie Dai, Bryn, Scruffy the dog and Puffin’ Gwilym: so, if the train stops suddenly, who gets the pie? Dai or Scruffy? here they are crushed in for a trip to work. Eeeeek!

Back to work on the quarrymen and their coach... the first 4 passengers - Taid (granddad), Flash Rhys, Trefor the tab and Seth. Some funny shapes so they fit together. like sardines in a tin - and I think my guys are a little undernourished- you can see from the knees why they were called zippers... Another 4 guys tomorrow. The next version will have doors and tiny windows, which I imagine was worse!

In other news- chassis for type 2 quarrymen’s coaches: rather simple, but they will barely be visible- and admittedly I believe they should be inside bearings but rule 1 and all that- made from layers of card and cheap superglue. Very strong once dry, and very much like mdf. These are the layers: All 4 glued up in about 20 mins - and accurately cut on the ol’ Card cutter!

Progress finally on coach 15. Lighting installed, although the gutless battery I have space for will be replaced by cables to the lovely empty brake van where I can hide a nice big battery. the two passengers look happy- with luggage and so on stacked round them. and the end handrails- a bit of an iconic item- finally soldered up and not looking too awful. Finally, the end is in sight!

Thank you - I’m really liking the gloss black, it is going on the coach ends too. Then we are going to have a nice gloss black hearse van to go with it. Thanks for the info, Mike. I’ll have to look into it, it would make a nice model

Painted and awaiting lettering- which will have to depend on the eventual name of the railway... the brake van does have wheels, honest, and they are under there! I am going with all black, I like the look. I’m very tempted to build the hearse wagon too and make a nice little gothic number up! The slate wagon is not IP engineering- it is from Lineside huts. At £10 with wheels, you can’t go wrong!

Thank you! My current mix includes black and purple spray paints, but isn’t perfect. I’ll have a look at the railmatch- the only issue is that these coaches need bucketsful! The bogie coach isn’t black, despite appearances. I was half hoping a black brake van would show that! The single plank wagon is good- what sort of casks was it for, given its livery? Was it intended to run with coaching stock?

In a short break from that enormous carriage, I bring you a short brake... namely a sentry box brake van. Apparently these were used in gravity passenger trains. I can almost feel the knuckles whitening! will be gloss black with with a white roof I think, although it has also been oxide red in the past. The black will match the smart carriages better though. The lovely little early slate wagon is a nice little kit. Just need another 20 or so!

Painted and waiting for a train. a bit bit of a cruel close-up, really. Dr Ignatio Browze - he of remarkably luxuriant eyebrows; and Megan the maid, returning from a trip home, and in possession of some startling gossip and the train has arrived...

Ok, here I am again, pre-grouping, but a bit larger scale. The intention is a small indoor layout in a big scale. Location not Wales... maybe the lakes, or possibly the Yorkshire coast or dales... First stop, some stock. Unusually from the excellent ip engineering kits. All Ffestiniog because I like it, but built to 45mm gauge. Loco tbc but probably scratch bodged England. first up, carriage 15- oldest iron framed bogie coach, I think: with so many windows, some panelling has been needed. Thank you card cutter! and seating, upholstered with felt and some dodgy looking characters, due to be painted. Mr eyebrows and E.T’s grandma

Nell has a convincing look, and very blue. Did I read something on here that blue was a difficult colour in terms of longevity?

Pipes truly wuthered, it was a little brisk around the back of the choir stalls! please do drop in early, name a week and time, would love to see you!

im assuming you have seen the Monte Darlo posters in the art shop... very nice they are too! You do, but I know it is in safe hands, and it won’t get much use here for a while... I have given in to the large scale temptation. Except- you have to model everything - argh. I’m in Monday’s as the small human is off scouting. The kettle is usually on! love how the Beck usually looks. I’m off to play t’organ in a church with a big hole in it where a parishioner tried some ad hoc redesign work with her car. Fortunately no injuries, but it is a little parky!

hope the wuthering recedes, I believe you can get an ointment for it. Let us know if we can get you help from the “big lights” ... or at least a cuppa if you are down this way - would love to catch up. I have a small stone engine shed going begging if you can find a space, too.

Enjoyed getting back in with all of this- been a break from modelling for a variety of reasons, but back on with some more pre-grouping, or rather never-grouped... a rather nice 16mm model of a Victorian bogie coach from the Ffestiniog - no idea where it will fit on any layouts currently owned... so thank you for the kick in the pants to get me back working!

I like it, I wants it... although might be a bit of a challenge for our rather incredible pianist to render the entire orchestral part alone!

In response to this, having come late to t’thread... I have a choir named Sans Pareil; based near Darlington... a few years back we worked with Making Music and BBC radio 3 and a composer. He was fascinated by our name, and set the rainhill rules and regulations to music. I can confirm that they do not lend themselves immediately to being sung, but the project was interesting and exciting! The music was in 5 movements, named after the 5 main protagonists. Memories return... nurse, the sedatives!

Very nice- where did you get the plan?

Can always visit Thornaby.... with apologies to the denizens of said metropolis

A fairly down-and-dirty kitbash of the metcalf stone cottages to produce a village shop for my son’s Lake District based layout. Shop is based on the fantastic co-op in Chapel Stile. The windows are lit from above and sport this seasons fashions and some housewares felt this was worth showing as it is an easy first step towards scratch building- the metcalf kits go together a treat! The different colour stones’ tones are an attempt to vary the stonework with felt pens, I might do the whole thing tbh as the original building is much darker slate edit to show evening in his little world