Review Of The Year - Part 1

And so we come to the end of another year of lockdown and exhibition-less modelling - for us at least.

It's ironic that the reason I began this blog nearly a million page views ago, was to have a way of showing off what we were doing while we were in the long process of building Bron Hebog, and while Dduallt was retired from shows.

Never could I have imagined we'd face such a sustained period where modelling, once again, became an almost exclusively private activity in your home, with no communal outlet.

It's one reason to be thankful for the opportunities the online world gives us.

Now, as I always do at the end of December, I'm going to take a look back - three months at a time - at some of the highlights of our modelling .

January

I'm afraid to say that there's been little progress since the start of the year on my prototype for the FR infrastructure well wagon,

Since this picture was taken I have found a way to cast the deck pieces in styrene, but it still doesn't have any couplings so has yet to be given any sort of test run.

Himself was busy adding the final pipe runs onto to the boiler unit of the Backwoods NG G16 kit for our model of the freshly restored 130.

And he was also well on the way to lining out a set of three 3mm Hawksworth carriage kits he'd been making as a favour to the Engineering Consultant - a man who was destined for higher things before the year was out!

February

This was the year my son reached an age where he was ready for his first OO layout, and I found my moulding and resin casting skills came in handy fixing a second hand Mainline wagon which had lost one of its sliding doors on one side.

Once the pipe runs were finished on the real locomotive, Himself wasted no time in getting our 130 painted, lined, and sent on a test run on Bron Hebog.

It really looked quite the part!

Another locomotive which was finished off - after many years - was our Mercian Welsh Pony, which looks absolutely stunning matched with the Victorian set.

March

Our James Spooner II project was in danger of running perilously far ahead of the real build as Himself had a play around with the etches to see how the half cab arrangement would work,

This is a model I hope we can expect more updates on in 2022.

Many years after our first model was stolen at an exhibition, Himself finished off his long-term project to make a replacement of the works shunter Harold. (aka, Shitty the Shunter)

At this time I was busy working on a commission for a scratch built model of Carnforth buffet car 114 in styrene.

To be continued...

Western Weather

The permafrost in the west of Scotland this week has seen off any hope of getting some varnish sprayed onto completed models (Himself isn't allowed to use the airbrush inside the house!) so instead he's been applying some transfers to the 3mm models he's been building for the Engineering Consultant.

I've always thought the Hawksworth carriages are among some of the most attractive designs ever to run on the British main line network, it's a shame there weren't more that reached preservation.

The lining on the waist and at the top was a bit of a trial by all accounts, due to the transfers breaking up continually - perhaps due to age?

Fortunately the 2-8-0 tank couldn't have a simpler livery because he's been asked to finish it in unlined black.

TT Time

While I’ve been plugging away at the observation car Himself has been getting the 3mm scale Hawksworth carriages to run with the 2-8-0 tank ready to paint.

Being etched brass they are quite a weight!

The resin cast roofs work really well and Himself has added some lovely details, such as the lavatory pipe work.

There’s one more still to make to complete a trio and they’ll be finished in BR maroon.W

Smaller But Bigger

I let Himself out of my sight for a week and see what happens?

While he was in Wales volunteering on the FR he got nobbled by the Engineering Consultant who succeeded in bribing,  or blackmailing him (I’m not sure which) into putting together some etched brass 3mm scale standard gauge kits.

Having reached a unavoidable dead end with both the Fairlie and NGG16 builds - waiting for Blodge and Dinas to finish the real ones - he has made a start on the first of these kits which is a GWR Hawksworth Carriage.

It’s rather odd to be making something in a smaller scale which is actually bigger than the models he usually works on.