Tricky

Great, Dave. Looks like you had a lot of fun. Very sadly, Cardiff is a bit too far for me! Sherton Abbas looks stunning though, I would love to see it in the flesh one day. I imagine the running quality is faultless, along with everything else. Apart from the loco on the naughty step that is...! Best, Richard

Thank you Rob, I really appreciate that. Trickers (aka Richard, Rich, tricky, trickster, trickly dick, dick, etc etc. In fact anything except Ricky!!)

The above mentioned Beware of Trains sign duly installed..

And for those who might be wondering, there's no floor to the loading bay because once the barge is stuck in place the ply base of the canal will become the floor, painted in to match and mostly covered up with a load of grain sacks.

So here it is primed and ready for painting, although the primer shows up a few fluffy bits and stray glue which will need cleaning up first. Next is cogitating on what would be appropriate colours. I think I have worked out with some help that the sign writing was white, shaded black, on an ultramarine blue background. The rest of the hull I assume would be well-weathered black, with the decking being well-weathered bare timber. Looking forward to getting this aspect done and moving on to adding crew, coils of rope, sacks, barrels, loading planks etc.

Further up on this thread there's a pic of the hull. Basically 3 blocks of solid cherry (because that's what I had lying around) glued together. The centre section was jigsawed out and then the hull profile sanded with a drum sanding block set up in a drill press. Surprisingly easy to profile both sides and get them reasonably similar, although the far side won't ever be seen.

The barge is almost there, just about ready for priming.

I wouldn't say parking was inconvenient - it's the only place I know with a large free car park.

Apart from getting huge inspiration at the Uckfield exhibition today, especially the beautiful Arun Quay, I have painted this: Which will take pride of place on the side of my train shed.

Good show Giles...lovely to meet you at Uckfield. All the coupling and uncoupling off stage - genius! Richard

Superb. Great to meet Gary, Giles and Gordon. And DLT whose name strangely doesn't begin with a G...very impressive stuff. Well done. Back next year without a doubt.

What a coincidence, I bought a copy of that map this week and have yet to really sit down and study it. Scratch and sniff cameo... can't find a chapter on that in Rice's book...

With Slater's open wagons for instance, I have gone with squeezing as much lead sheet into the spaces in the underframe as I can. Add a splodge of epoxy to hold it. Not very scientific but seems to work. Next question, though, do you bother with compensation..?! Some of mine have it and some don't - I can't tell the difference in performance.

Very much looking forward to seeing this layout. I love the mechanics of the working bits and bobs. Need to get some inspiration for some ideas I have brewing...

Hi Phil, Great photo. Have been looking through the link posted by Burgundy, I find if you study photos like these and immerse yourself in the atmosphere then it helps to bring out some of that atmosphere in your models. Unfortunately in a space of 6' x 2' I'm fairly limited! Richard

Yes, although possibly the wrong way...! Prevailing wind would be SW but obviously weird weather blowing those storm clouds over...!

Hi Eric, great selection of photos- very atmospheric indeed. They all seem to be taken on bright sunny days as well! Looking again at my painting, I will probably have a go at taking the blackness down a bit to more of a grey shade to suggest distance and add some more buildings etc on the horizon. You're right in that I don't want it too gloomy, bordering on apocalyptic...!Richard

Made a start tonight on the buildings in the background. I sketched them on in pencil and then painted them in, just with white black and a smidge of brown. Might do more; not sure.

That looks good...

Like this... And this... And this... Shouldn't be too difficult- he says...!

Good idea, thanks. Richard

Hi Wenlock, yes, in my mind's eye I'm ahead of you...already contemplating chimneys, cranes, telegraph poles etc etc fading into the distance. Wondering how I might paint them and also wondering if in the process I'm about to ruin all my hard work...!

Moody sky over Bristol, summer 1907.

Here's some more shots of my moody sky. Maybe a bit too moody? Although I'm imagining Bristol in 1907 to be pretty dirty and sulphurous so the sky matches the mood down on the ground. I think it's finished although every time I come back to it I'll fiddle with it some more!

Here's a cheeky glimpse of the sky painting. Only a glimpse because the rest isn't finished. Very very difficult to get the feeling of depth. More haze needed and some suggestion of distant chimneys, cranes and buildings.