RedGemAlchemist

I gathered. One of my main locos is a repainted Triang Nellie and the majority of my fleet is also of Triang stock. Triang to me just means "more than it seems if you know where to look." I've actually had one of these little guys on my list for a while now as a possible alternative to a Ruston if I can't get one cheap.

Oh wow. You've certainly been busy Sophia. Very smart already. Your first one looked good enough to be recognisable anyway, but this one is already looking pretty prototype-accurate.

Very cute, and it's a good example of the fact that the modified or scratch stuff that is meant to be on this thread doesn't just have to be bad. I mean it doesn't help that nine times out of ten I'm the only person who contributes anything to this thread but still (not a rant, just an observation that this seems to be the least popular of my maín threads).

Sounds like me on my day off work. That it is. Reminds me of playing with ERTL Thomas toys with my older brother on my grandparents' living room rug as a kid. Memories. Great, now I'm thinking about how much I miss my Grandad

No, because the name is incorrect on about five levels.

Hello again all! Been scouring the dark depths of eBay for odd and interesting creations, and found some good ones I feel. First off is this beautifully modified Airfix 4F, which when I first saw it I initially thought it was one of @Corbs's creations thanks to the colour scheme and the quality, then I looked a bit closer and noticed that he'd have touched up the pipework near the smokebox as I doubt he'd just let that slide without it being perfect. That aside, it looks fantastic. Auction link in picture as per usual. In fact all of this guy's stuff is nice. Their username is m15pkb, comes recommended. Next up: Someone's failed attempt at making a Thomas OC. Not linked because I can't see many reasons why anyone would want this.

My OCD is screaming at me now because of that.

I'm aware of this meaning thanks to my Scottish SIL.

How the f*** is that worth a grand?

Said sister post to the above. Here's a trio of low relief houses made from Wills sheets and a Hornby Town and Country Georgian house kit (remember those?) Then there's this... Palo, is it? overhead crane, a Ratio maintenance depot and a cattle dock for Berkham. The last, of course, are very much WIP. EDIT: The crane kit is by Faller. Who the hell is Palo?

Mr. Alchemist, what have I told you about remembering to keep your work up to date?! Apologies for the long gap, I just keep forgetting to show my working as it were. All the rubbish going on at the moment makes it very easy to lose track. There will be a sister post on my buildings thread showing my work on that front too. Let's start off with the 9F, No.15 Tom Hickathrift, as its the loco I've been wanting to add to the roster for longest. The smoke deflectors have been removed and the gaps filled in, and more weight has been added to the tender but other than that nothing has really changed. It goes look very smart in KLR unlined black with copper fittings though. Really like how the copper cap turned out. This thing is, in terms of haulage, an absolute MONSTER. When I was testing it it pulled the entirety of my coaching stock at once! Next up is the little Neilson tank, No.20 Lynn Witch. It... actually needed no modifications, and all the black is the same as original. All I did was paint the running board grey and the fittings brass and add the gold lettering. It runs like a dream (clearly the motor has been geared down by the previous owner) and is actually very powerful for its size. And finally No.19, the Warship Boadicea. Same paint scheme as the Class 37, which I can't remember the name of but I know is named after Grandad's old Regiment to act as a pair with No.16. Connecting new couplings was a nightmare, and while they are a bit low thankfully its not so much as to cause an issue, though I did have to remove the extended tabs at the bottom of them to stop them clipping the sleepers. Runs OK but chugs a bit. No.18 has also had a rename, as Jack-in-the-Green doesn't fit any more seeing as it's no longer green. So now it's called Thomas Paine, because it's another good Norfolk name, though I was originally saving that for a possible American loco.

Agreed. Looks simple enough to do theoretically.

Not exactly very aesthetic, is it?

Sadly, that does indeed seem to be the case.

Granted, the photos aren't overly good. You already know my issues with cardboard.

Nice to see someone else who listens to him! First for today is this little thing which I was just discussing on eBay Madness. I love seeing these sorts of things, they always look so goofy. Following up is this slightly nicer model, a scratchbuilt Wisbech and Upwell Y7 made from cardboard on a Triang Nellie chassis I think. Link in the picture as per usual.

I know, right? You see why I talk so much about this stuff on my Wild Kitbash thread? Because to me that's the point. For every awesome bit of bashing out there, there's a load of bits that are as funny as they are bad. That's the entire reason I made the thread.

In all honesty, the first photo gives me This is Spın̈al Tap vibes. Try sharing a house with your mum like I do. It's even worse. Exactly the sort of thing I'd deliberately buy to fix up. Which leads on nicely to my own extensive wrap sheet, which I've just realised I've never shared: Liking hook and loop couplings due to their plentifulness and ease of use. Means I don't have to replace the chassis on all my beloved Triang stock. Not caring about perfect scale accuracy. If it looks fine it is. Freelancing nearly all of my locomotives - and not just the liveries. I like designing my own stuff. Attaching hook-and-loop couplings to old Trix and HD stock so I can use them with the rest of my collection (assuming it's nothing rare, obviously) Deliberately buying broken models to be parts fodder. Actively refusing to use DCC. Using purely manual points and signals. Not weathering my locos or numbering my wagons. Having a GWR loco and an LMS loco on my Norfolk-set railway. Having no idea how signalling works and where all the signals go. Using grey-painted sawdust glued to the baseboard instead of scale ballast. Not using a static applicator to place static grass. Naming all of my locomotives, even the grimiest of goods locos. Having a Triang Nellie in my fleet. Running my 9F without smoke deflectors. Using how odd, imperfect or awkward a locomotive is as part of the criteria for me liking it. Makes me able to relate to it. Using how cute a locomotive is as part of the same criteria. Modelling a preservation railway. Modelling a fictional railway. Injecting my sense of humour into my work

The one that always makes me laugh is Trackmaster Thomas bodies whacked onto Hornby chassis. See those on a few sites and they always just look daft. I know OO locos aren't perfectly proportionate by their very nature, but seriously. Look at this. I see these all the time when looking around on eBay and they always crack me up.

Seeing as 0°C is 32°F (thank you food tech in high school) that's definitely out a bit.

Cute. However, I would personally give the shunter a slightly taller chimney so that it's taller than the cab, otherwise the smoke would blow back into the cab through the openings rather than it all being carried over. Glad to hear they're both running though.

Excellent to hear!

I found a Twitter post saying exactly that. Yeah, I definitely agree. Give it circular spectacles and that's vintage Thomas.

Well, the bit I was referring to was that the locomotive is rather too "lanky" in proportions and the chimney a bit too short.