Pushing on

Thanks to the bad weather it was time to get back into the Man-sion.

I carried on from last time and covered the rest of the hill. More glue, pins and a bit of waiting. I'm reasonably happy with how it is turning out.

 And after locating a plentiful source of NZ120 scale coal, I thought it might be time to make a start on the coaling point at the loco depot. It will not be a 'running' siding which will make things much simpler.
 I had a short piece of track made for something or other and so I just bent it into shape and glued it down. seems to do the job OK.

 The thinking at the moment is to have 2 wagons, a full one at the bottom, and a partly unloaded one at the top. I also have to work out how a standard NZR coaling crane fits in.

There is also a shed between the fuel tanks and the coaling compound, with a visible lack of space for it to slot in. A bit of clever thinking will be required there.

Cheating?

Since I've been pottering round working on the station platform I also though that it was time to do something about the hill behind the station. I had purchased a Grass mat by Busch (though I see every man and his dog seem to make them) at Railex for this purpose, and at $37 for a mat 80cm by 80cm it seems like a good idea. Essentially it is static grass stuck to a crepe paper base.

So, after a bit of land form sculpting (which will not satisfy all readers of this blog)....

 It was time to have a go so i cut out as first piece and glued it down with the good old PVA.

First thoughts are that its easy to work with. it looks OK, but I will still be doing a bit more colouring to lighten it up. The inside bits in the roll are a bit flat, and I'll leave this spread out from a couple of days to see if it improves.
The huge plus for me is that it has saved a vast amount of time, given that I would have to acquire a static grass dispenser, get the grass, then spend time learning how to do it all. Add to this the fact that I don't think static grass works visually (it just doesn't look right to me, especially when some seem to think its the bees knees).

I also added some offcuts from the mat to do some other areas at the Wellington end of the layout.

 These pieces will allow me to have a bit of a play with ballasting, plus I will have to do some work on the shaping of the main road.

However, I could not resist having a bit of a play

'The back one probably is broken down'

This reveals that I really need to add the cowcatchers to the Ed's, and that from close range code 55 rail still looks too big. Oh, and I need to do something about those cars (colour wise)

Saturday Morning

Well, it seems to be the only time I get to blog round here at the moment. My large project is winding down now (just the analysis to finish up) so there should be more time for summer pontificating.

Time for a further episode of 'whats in my room'.
This morning we have the workbench and surrounds.

 Here we have the top of the 'railway bookcase'. The Bosphoran army is on the wrong side, but appears to have made a hostile takeover. There are a collection of loco mechs (a couple of SD-7's and I think the remains of my first DFT). A wooden train whistle from a preservation site in The British isles. There are some etched birds, and then containers of 'once were models' that I've got so far with. plus a collection of old wheels and bits which quietly wait their turn for fame. Also note part of the poster from Sir Peter Jacksons first film. I still wonder if the movie men would have advanced him so much money for the lord of the rings if they had seem 'Meet the Feebles'. The Pith hat is for BBQ's

 My actual workbench. not a lot to see here. More UGA's ,a British 2mm good shed and some random tools. Also some 1/2 assembled microtrains couplers. I seem to have found my knack for firing the springs off into the never-never again. In the plastic case are a collection of Teddy bear cowboys. The less questions asked about those the better.

And the layout, which is where most of my projects are kept/left to die. I've been doing some work on the station platform in the last week. The side has been filled and painted, which lead me to notice that the paint wasn't sticking to the foam board very well (at all). this has lead to a bout of sanding and repainting, but I think I'm going to have to mix some talc in to get a decent asphalt surface.I also have a quick solution to my hillside scenicing, which I'll look at deploying tomorrow afternoon, when its rainy.

Right, its sunny, I have my end of year bonus so apparently its time to visit the local garden shops....

Ribbed for her Pleasure: Now available with fewer inches

DB Says:

It must be a while since I last posted anything here since I can't work the blog software anymore.

Among my email inbox of black friday sales spam I see that PSK Modelbouw now makes wee 20 foot containers. I enjoyed their 40 footers in this episode so I must order some of these fellows and give them a spin in a last-chance effort to get myself into the trainroom. If I can still find it.

TT Containers

Saturday morning

Annoymous writes;

"Completing stuff and not starting additional new layouts is a good policy. I'm in the process of completing a number of unfinished projects at present. It's a real buzz to have modelling projects completed rather than having lots of partly done work hanging over one creating a lingering long-term feeling of dissatisfaction."

 I thought I should examine this further. So, with out further addo, the Man-sion as it stands this morning.

I suppose its easiest if we start from left to right. On the desk out of shot are a collection of 1:105 scale models for the Fell museum in featherston. Visible on the desk is my WW2 early 1944 Russian army that I have been working on since 2007. Back left is Paekakariki, which has been absorbing/sucking time since 2009 (though given that its a 5/10 year project I'm not overly worried about it). Sitting on top of it are too many 1/2 finished projects to mention. OK, I'll try. Engine shed, turntable, more wagons for Fell museam, DCC controller sockets, module connecting tracks, Loco servicing depot, 2 signal boxes, railway station, various wagons. This is just the stuff that has actually been started....

Middle far end of room is a collection of 25-28mm colonial war gaming terrain that I build for something different. Most of it has been used once. Back right is the collection of loco and wagon bits. More 1/2 started projects than a goblin could shake a stick at (unless you can find a goblin who is particularly adept at the art of shaking sticks). Further right is the work bench, with surprisingly few projects on it (possibly making it the cleanest surface in the room). A collection of war gaming armies (WW2 1944, 1980's central front, 15th century western Europe). Finally on the sofa there is a possible base for the smallest NZ120 layout yet, as seen at railex, and Wahio Forks, which is in the middle/start of a point blade replacement project as all the first attempts were not good enough for fine scale track. Oh, and in the Garage is my bush tram layout that needs work.

So, I feel that there is plenty there to create a lingering long-term feeling of dissatisfaction. Maybe lingering should be removed from the previous sentence?

As an addition to this post, I suppose I should 'unvail' my current reading pile.
(in no particular order)
The 4mm engine, a scratchbuilders guide.
landscape modeling.
Signaling in the age of steam.
The broad gauge of the GWR, BER, NDR and SDR.
Modeling the broad gauge.
Broad gauge broad sheet No 68
Broad gauge locomotives.
GWR 0-6-0 standard gauge locos

Not a shread of NZR reading material is there, though maybe a tip towards my next project (but in 2mm, of course). Maybe I should exchange it all for copies of Railfan in the hope that I can get back on track?

Snowed under

Well, a slacking off of postings in the last few weeks. A few big projects at work that have slowly chewed up my enthusiasm over the last month. I was going to be largely shot of them today, but due to a few hiccups they grind on another day. Then hopefully (which it appears is not a scientific term) things will slow down for christmas.

Apparently Pokaka was just this last weekend gone. I completely forgot about it.
Reports/rumours that I have received appear to indicate that a range of 9mm wagons was unveiled using 3D CAD and resin printing. I have yet to come across any photos  though. Probably they are on face book.

I'm currently trying not to purchase some 2mm society wagon kits. I really should as it might indicate to me once and for all that the scale is far too small and I'm wasting my time. I can live without trying to build another layout, given that's there are currently 3 on the go.

Foaming

So, there's an excursion from Fielding to taihape and back hauled by Ab663. Now I have many failed attempts under my belt to actually photograph excursion trains, and this one started no differently. I keep forgetting that to go west out of Palmerston North, one first has to traipse across Palmerston North. To cap it all off the chariot demanded fuel. So, the plan is to get to the Rangitiki bridge the other side of Halcome. I had previously scoped out this spot, and it seemed like as good a time as any to try it out. The train is due at Marton at 4:15, and Fielding at 4:40. So, at 4:15 I'm at Fielding with the target location being the other side of 1/2 way to Marton, and the sky a selection of shades of grey. Optimistically I continue, but decide to take a back road that follows the railway just in case. an interesting drive and I pull up at a commanding spot and ponder waiting here. No sign of any smoke so I decide to push on. The kilometers wind off with no sign of a train round any of the road corners and so I make it too the bridge. Wonder if I have missed it somewhere in passing. . The plan is to walk down the west bank and onto the river flat. Its so windy that I can't hear anything train like coming down the hill.

1st problem.... theres a bit much water around

'Its flat, but....'

 However I do notice a track down onto the flat from the other side. Away we go.

 As I'm crossing the bridge, I notice a car ahead of me pull off the road. A guy hops out of the car with a camera the size of a small south pacific nation. So, I'm not too late. I barrel down towards the river past them, and turn off. Some bastard appears to have blocked the access way. There's nothing to it but walk.

 OK, so here's the view.

Walking a bit closer gives me this.

 I decide on a spot about 1/2 way between the 2. All the time I can hear the train moving down the hill. These steam excursions do not make much noise and suddenly here it is.

In retrospect Its a bit far away, but at least the suns out.

 Returning to the car, I find this spot which could well have resulted in a far nicer picture, if only I had looked behind me.

The decision is then made to head back to Fielding and catch the train along the railway reserve at some point. And this works too.

'Classic leaving shot there'

 Down at the station the train is moved off the main line. I was going to write quickly, but by the time its headed down to the far end of the yard and back a good 20 minutes have passed.

 The sound of crossing bells announces another train, this time an express freight from Dorkland that barrels through at a great rate of knots.

'Its OK, I'm standing in a carpark'

I decide to try something arty, despite the fact I only have a 1 in 5 chance of shooting at the right time between moving 40' containers

'Ta Dah'

 Finally the loco gets put away, and I head home.