westerner

Some initial weathering

The minerva class 14 arrived last week, and despite what i had heard I am very pleased with it. There slightproblems with it I'll admit, the cab door on one side is the wong way round, and the colour of the cab might be on the light side and the roundal has a black ring rather than a cream ring on the outside.

All photos taken from the side with the correct door as that's the way it wil run on Blackney

So as it arrived

On running in the crankpin to the jackstaff came loose, just neede unscrew , a dab of Evo stick on the thread and then screwed back in, problem solved.

The next photo shows it with the old roundal removed a replaced with a correct Fox transfer one, number to one that was in the Forest D9502 (transfer Numbers come with the model as do the builder plates and the train reporting numbers and windows for the same). The builders plate etchings are lovely, painted black and then wiped over with wet and dry used dry.

As you can see from the cab front that light green really does alter its look depending on the amount of light/shadow on it.

Oh by the way its straight DC and runs very well and contaolably. On the rolling road it dispalayed a bit of a wobble but not on the layout at least at the speeds I am running it at.

Net the bit I'm rally looking forward to WEATHERING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Took advantage of yesterdays Hiatus and did a bit of modelling. I made yet another load for the double bolster. A load of cut tree trunks.

Ben's been at Blackney again.

A pet hate of mine is seeing wagons always with the same loads no matter where or in which direction they are going.

As you may have noticed I do fill and empty my wagons depending on what duty they are on eg mineral wagons going to the colliery or leaving the colliery. 

I thought I'd take a photo of the removable loads to date.

From te left the coal loads, in the centre the sleepers and spent ballast and nearest the camera the double bolster loads and the empty bolsters. There may be more to come. Ads you can see looking at the coal loads they are constructed in such a way thet by pushing down on one end they can be lifted out of the wagon.

The demolition train arrives to take away track and ballast from a disused siding up the branch.

After collecting rail , ballast and sleepers 3775 arrives back at Blackney ready to shunt its way to the front of its train.

And the finally leaves for Bullo.

As I still had another set of bolster I made up the load of rails which you can see in a couple of the shots above. As with the tree trunk load the rails are glued to the bolsters, so that when the wagon is empty the load can be lifted off, chains, bolsters and all and replaced with the empty bolsters apart from the chain as in the first photo

Continuing the sequence. Later that morning 8749 arrives back with two full coal wagons uncouples and runs round its train.

It then shunts its train(coal wagons and break van) under the bridge, allowing to room to pick up the Vanwide.

 and then leaving for Bullo.

After running round its train 8749 shunts the Vanwide for the Drakes to un load into their van.

It then couples up with the brake van to proceed to the colliery to pick up some full wagons, before returning to Blackney to pick up the by then unloaded Vanwide.

Ben's been visiting again. A couple of shots of 8749 arriving with the afternoon goods from Bullo.

Couldn't resist it. Todays effort at making something I'd not before, A bit of a change from wagons, scenery and vehicles-----------------------------------

----------------------------

Apricot and Walnut bread

And luckily it was even better than my railway modelling.