Tom F

Thanks Chris, well I have a little more to show: Some mysterious shunting manoeuvres have been spotted at Ward Fell. Superb kits to go together. Tonight I'll add the top opening roof sections and brake gear, ready for painting.

Wartime Skarloey: 'During World War II the old mines had been commandeered for ammunition dumps, and the line was worked to the limit providing slate for blitzed houses and pit props for mines.' - Reverend Wilbert Awdry

Not touched it I’m afraid, not until a get the chassis from N Drive. I always like to have both kit and chassis before I start work. In the meantime, Rheneas will be on WD haulage duty

The War Department is coming to Ward Fell! The fabricated headstock extensions have worked well, and the buffers line up nice with Rheneas’s when I checked last night. Some more detailing to add before fitting the roof and painting. The transfers arrived earlier in the week.

Ah the Douglas is pretty much complete (courtesy of Corbs) but is on hold for the moment while I work on rolling stock. As for Lass, she is indeed a very good girl. The model you see really is her too, @alanbuttlerscanned her when he scanned my late Dad back in 2016. Here's Lass on top of Blake Fell in the Western Fells of Lakeland

Lass the border collie looks on, as the loaded are given the 'Right away' out of the exchange sidings.

Hi Chris They were from the Noch range of ferns. They come in a shaded green finish which looks pretty good, but as I'm depicting the autumn I repainted the majority of them.

It is indeed the fireman, although in this case it’s the driver ‘Bill Thwaite’ letting young fireman ‘Ben Taylforth’ have a go on the regulator.

'clank, clank, clank, clank'

Hi Alan! Lovely to hear from you. Just had a catch up on your 7mm modelling, looking stunning!

It's the last train of the day and after bringing up empty slate wagons, unusually there are no loaded to collect. So, it's 'light engine' down the valley although there maybe some empty vans to pick up at Glennock. Driver William 'Bill' Thwaite, has decided to let young fireman Ben Taylforth have the regulator for the return working. With little work for 'RHENEAS' to do on the down gradients, Bill keeps an eye ahead as Ben takes No. 2 carefully over the forestry crossing.

What is that hiding in the undergrowth? A few months back, I broke the axlebox on my 'incline wagon'. I was rather annoyed with myself as I'd done a particular effective rust finish on the body work. All was not lost however, for I had a cunning plan, but I knew that I needed to weather the underside of the wagon first. Once I'd finished the weathering of my client's models, I used what was left in the airbrush to spray the wagon's underside. Once finished....it was time to take its place on the layout. I had been inspired to do something like this, from a photograph in the Boyd book of a couple of up turned slate wagons adjacent to the exchange sidings at Nant Gwernol. One can just imagine that many years prior, a runaway on the incline had ended up in such a position and been left for nature to reclaim.

Thanks Ade It was a shot I'd not done before, so figured it was worth a try. The basic body is now together on three of the WD vans. They've gone together really well (and a third of the price of the new Bachmann vans, which aren't out yet).

It looks like the War Department have arrived on the Skarloey Railway. I'm going to fabricate a headstock in styrene under the ends for the buffers.

With the loaded slate collected, 'RHENEAS' begins to descent along the mineral extension to 'Skarloey', the passenger railway terminus.

Last for today.... In the Ward Fell exchange sidings, No. 2 'RHENEAS' simmers patiently, waiting for the next load of slate waggons to come down the incline, circa 1943.

Very nice, I did look into this, but I don't think anyone does a kit in 009. As for the kit I've gone for, I'm keeping it under wraps for now until it's built, painted and weathered. It could be some time until I've got a chassis though. Another little visit in the early1940s.... A peak through the trees at Ward Fell. The evening is fast approaching, with a real nip in the air. 'RHENEAS' shunts a pair of empty bolsters into the exchange sidings. The build up of ash by the water tower, is from the clearing of any clinker from the firebox of No. 1 and 2. A common ritual over the years when the crew are waiting for a load of slate to come down from the incline.

Thank you! No it’s not Rusty. Rusty arrived around 1956-1958 period. In unpublished works of Reverend Awdry he discusses that during the war, to help the two old steam locomotives, the Skarloey Railway were loaned two diesel locomotives to help with the increase in traffic (slate, timber and of course the W.D traffic). For now I’m just depicting one of the diesels, of which I have the body kit, just waiting on the chassis.

Simmering at the exchange sidings, after the 16 mile climb.

Thanks Chris, well in that case here's another for you! My primary work as a peripatetic music teacher is currently the busiest it has been for several years, which is great and an absolute godsend. However, it makes me all the more enjoy my hobbies. I was home late tonight, but made sure I spent a little time with the layout taking a couple of photos. It's great to disappear into another world.....for a little while at least.

Thanks for the kind comments, much appreciated! I totally agree regarding the lugs. I’ll tell you why I’ve not removed them yet! I attempted to remove the Forestry Crossing one a few months back, by cutting it off with a scalpel. I’d forgotten though that as I’ve used foam board, all I did was push the tie bar down until the switch blade came away from the rail….and I completely ruined the point. So what I plan to do, is remove just the lug top half with sprue cutters, leaving the tie bar intact.

Driver Bill Thwaite move's 'RHENEAS' under the aqueduct, while fireman Ben Taylforth does a check on the overflow pipe. He doesn't like the look of that steam leak around the frontend either. It is 1940, and rumour is rife around the local hostelries, of the War Department's interest in Ward Fell.

Thanks Steph, and thanks for asking about Lass. She's gone over 36 hours without vomiting and has enjoyed scrambled eggs for breakfast and tea. In fairness she's been fine in herself. I suspect she picked something up from our hike in the Lake District last Saturday.

Thanks guys. Incidentally, they are Dundas produced as a 009 Society exclusive.

A bit of a tricky day. My border collie had me up at 4am vomiting and had been sick while I’d been at work. She seems ok in herself but it’s understandably distracted me this evening. In the last hour before I head off to bed, I’ve fitted the handrails to the first MoD van.