So time marches on and life gets busy and time to model seems to get pushed out by other things, let alone time to blog about the modelling you have little time to do. So what has been happening?
Hornby has started to (re-)produce an old favourite of mine, the GWR 14xx. What with my return to modelling British outline in OO and in particular a focus on GWR and its branchlines as a suitable subject for modelling, this was a must have. Thanks to my previous positive experience with eHattons, a brand new 14xx is on its way to our address for under 50 British pounds including postage. Paired alongside my 0-6-0PT 5775, these two locos represent typical examples of motive power for a GWR branchline in the time of the big four railways in Britain.
Now that the N-scale layout is inside, progress continues and running has resumed. I found and fitted some Atlas metal wheels to rolling stock that had either plastic wheels or large flanged wheels. They look, run and sound great. When the budget allows, more will be purchased to convert all my N-scale rolling stock to have those wheels. The extra weight at the lowest possible centre of gravity is nice too.
A card kit that came with a magazine will add to the collection of OO brick buildings that do not have enough room on the current 4' by 3' HO/OO loop up and over. While it has been an interesting exercise, it does not come up to the finish possible with the Superquick kits, but it was "free" if you don't count the cost of UK modelling magazines from the news stand in Australia (only a few come in just under $10) but that is another story...
I am baulking from the final assembly of a girder bridge that has been split into two parts to make two bridges that join part way across the 12" wide shelf, at an angle of ~15 degrees. Once glued, there will be little chance to go back so I am getting carried away with dry runs, double sided tape mock ups and so on.
Anyway, signing off for now, here are some pictures of another mock up of the bridge:
The concept behind this bridge is that the shelf layout is a "slice" of reality, and if you had a bridge that went across that reality and then that reality got sliced, this would be the result in model form. It also disguises one of the end of the layout where reality also stops abruptly on the other axis. I hope that makes sense, if not, it may do when photographed on the layout in situ.
