Spot The Difference

My pair of houses are almost at the same stage now. The latest one is on the left in this shot.

Like every good item of FR rolling stock the two are broadly similar but most certainly not identical, as you can see.

Progress on this model since the last update has included the dormer window at the front, the laboriously-scratched stone wall below it and the cutting to fit of two of the sheets of slate roofing.

Here's a close up of some of the details of the very complex layout of the front of the building.

At the rear you can see how the foundation level brick courses have been bonded on. Note also the right hand door which is another of the variations on this house.

The main bit left to be done is the roof at the back. I do not have a sheet large enough and I am waiting on a fresh pack to arrive in the post.

However, as you can seen, the dorm and the chimney have been made up ready to be fitted on.

Tank Command

Himself needs some spare parts to complete the latest rake of B wagons to represent the six which arrived this year from South Africa.

As noted in a previous post the positions of the vacuum reservoir tanks and the brake cylinders have been altered on some of them.

As these parts are cast as part of a one piece floor unit on the kits the plan is to hack them off and replace them with new ones.

Fortunately its quite simple for me to produce these by part filling the moulds - I just have to cut a small section of perspex to fit over the top.

You can see how they emerge with just a very thin film connecting them so they can be easily be cut out and should be a very straightforward replacement for the originals.

TV Repeat

There's another chance to catch a glimpse of our model of Dduallt on the telly (in the UK, I should say) tomorrow night (Tuesday).

The first episode of the two part series The Golden Age Of Steam is being screen on BBC4 at 8pm

Dduallt features briefly - don't blink, you might miss it - in a segment towards the end of the programme explaining how the Deviationists built the spiral formation.

(It was cheaper to come and film our model than hire a helicopter, you see.....)

If I'd known it was going to be shown again so soon I would have negotiated for repeat fees.......

Window Dressing

Here they are then, the pair of wagons for display in the F&WHR shop at Harbour Station.

I've finished the B wagon in the style of the latest batch imported from South Africa which is why the V hanger is picked out in yellow.

Some SA NG purists I know have rather turned their noses up at this embellishment when the wagons were refurbished at Sandstone prior to shipping to Wales but I have to say I rather quite like it.

The DZ wagon has been done up to represent one of the WHR examples with the cut down, straight-top ends.

I hope they do the trick and drum up some passing trade for the kits.

Window Shopping

My spy spotted this in the shop window at Porthmadog Harbour Station last week.

I have been building up a pair of B & DZ wagons to join John's display but it seems I have been beaten to it.

I understand this B wagon belongs to an FR volunteer who, I guess, must have purchased the kit from the shop and has, according to Himself, done a very neat job putting it together.

It's gratifying to also see one my DZ wagon kits on show in its packaging too.

The four wheel wagons you see in the picture are examples of Peco's new OO9 ready to run range and the little loco is one of Chris Ward's 3D printed models of the Boston Lodge shunter Moel y Gest - or Castell Arrghh as it is also known to some on the railway.

I hope very soon they will be joined by my fully finished SAR wagons.

Kits are available off the shelf and online from www.festshop.co.uk

Making Up The Neighbours

Some rapid progress on the second Oberon Wood house.

It'd cut out another set of the main walls blanks when I made the first house so they only required the window apertures to be cut and as I explained in my previous post, because of the way this house is positioned there are less of them to do.

Most of the eastern half of the house is now assembled as well, as you can see.

The obvious space below the overhang will be filled in with a fake stone clad wall which I will scribe by hand into styrene.

Here, then , are the two of them together for comparison.

Time to scratch some stonework next, I think.

The Wheels Of Commerce

Good news for everyone waiting on the SAR ballast wagon kit.

At long last we finally have some designs prepared for the missing items on the wagons which are to be made in brass and hopefully the first test etch will arrive with me very soon.

The bits in question include the ballast chute door mechanisms which you can see in this picture below.

The plan is to etch the cogs and the brackets which can be threaded onto brass wire and fixed in place on the wagons.

Other parts to be included on the fret are the small and large handwheels which control the brakes and the ballast doors as well as the hood which covers up the brake cylinders at either end.

Once these parts have been test and any necessary revisions made either to the photo-etching artwork or the cast components of the kit we can begin to go into production.

Needless to say I will keep you in touch with developments here on the blog.