The remains of the day

A while ago this came back into my possession after a stretch of time.

This model was the original plastic master for my resin cast Df/Dft models. Obviously it has seen better days.
A cursory look reveals that most of the bits are there, or I can fabricate replacements. One thing that I can't remake is a Bachmann SD40-2 bogie from the second incarnation of the model. The first incarnation (from the id 1980's) was a good mech. However its weak spot was the worm gear, which after a lot of running, would wear out the plastic end bearings.

So, does anyone out there have a Bachmann SD40-2 bogie that I can buy off them?

Boating part II

(No we are not turning into a boat blog)
A knock playing social football on Wednesday night meant I was not keen to drive 4 hrs to Railex today. Instead I got some modeling in (quite honestly a first for a long time).

I started assembling one of the card ships I had purchased last week. These models are not for everyone. a steady hand and a sharp knife is required to cut the bits out. The instructions are pretty basic ('Assemble the model in part number order' is all well and good, but it would be nice to know that tehre are a,b anc c parts without me having to hunt all the sheets for them) and the pictures leave a lot to be desired. Having said that, it takes me back to building Superquick buildings in the early 80's, as well as doing a few castles for wargaming last century
The main frame is laminated onto thicker card (possibly too thick) and then assembled. The rest of the bits are then added (in order. Very german)

The bits are supplied to buld a full hull model, or a waterline model. I will probably add a slice of the red hull just to add a bit of colour and height to the front of the scene. The is to have the ship at the front, then the wharf and then a warehouse of some description.

Only a progress shot.......

Its not perfect, but it looks the part, and size wise its spot on compared to the W wagons I've posed in front. Did I say the price was excellent as well?

Down to the sea....

Well, after the posts from our roving international reporter (unpaid) its back to the blogsphere for me too.
I've been looking into TT scale models from overseas for use. Others have concentrated on plastic and metal models, but these tend to be on the small and expensive side. However there is a sizable range of models avaliable in the ancient medium of card. My interest was raised by a selection of model ships avalaible from Schreiber-Bogen. I've had some previous experience with this companies products in that they do a range of european castles which build into very nice models. A few clicks and a week later the package arrived in my mailbox. 3 models and postage for 40 euros.

 The scale for the first 2 is 1;100 (close enough) and the bark (sailing ship) is 1:200, which we will get back too. So what do the insides look like.

3 Pages of instructions and 8 A4 pages of parts, all nicely printed and coloured. The models can be made as full hull or waterline models.. The instructions are not overly clear (but workable) and some considerable dexterity with a knife is required. The overall size of the Sirius is 51cm long, 7.5cm wide and 22 cm high, all for the princely sum of 13 euros. A model in any other medium that size would set you back 5 to 10 times that. the detail is a bit flat in places, but 3D details can easily be added.

The bark in 1;200 scale I will scan and get printed out at a larger scale on A3 (1:160) or A2 (1:100) sheets. They will need to be laminated onto thicker cardbefore assembly. There are also more modern models for those of you with different tastes.

One of the problems I have just thought of is that having large delicate models on a layout will provide the operators with quite a few chances to damage them. Not sure how I will get round this, unless the masts are made from sharp stainless steel needles.