As a diversion from the usual toy chuff chuff stuff, meet 'Uru' the latest acquisition to the household. 'Uru' is a British Shorthair and she is the great grand daughter of Fleur one our other cats.
About Me
- Chris Nevard Model Railways & Photography
- Professional Photographer, Model Maker, Writer & Pretend Musician
27 November 2010
26 November 2010
Friday's Steamy Bit of the Somerset Levels
Southern Railway built 8F No. 48660 collects a smart but ancient LSWR Road Van from the siding at Catcott Burtle.
W I D E S C R E E N W A L L P A P E R HERE!
W I D E S C R E E N W A L L P A P E R HERE!
24 November 2010
Wallpaper for Wednesday
In the late summer of 1964 Ivatt Class 2 tank No. 41248 slows for Catcott Burtle with the 2pm service from Evercreech Junction to Highbridge. Note the gleaming ex-works Hawksworth brake composite passenger coach and the Southern Railway bogie parcels van for cheese, cider and another perishables.
The coach is my most recent item of rolling stock, and it will of course be weathered in due course. I intend to add a yellow band above the first class section. A single Hawksworth coach and a bogie van was a typical formation for Highbridge branch passenger trains in the final few years on the former S&D.
Pic: this was taken on a little Canon G9 in natural north facing window light with the camera resting on a bean bag. Exposure was 1 second at f8 which is the little Canon's smallest aperture. The backscene is not a fake one added after the photo was taken but an actual high photographic one attached to the rear of the layout and created from a panorama taken near the real location.
The coach is my most recent item of rolling stock, and it will of course be weathered in due course. I intend to add a yellow band above the first class section. A single Hawksworth coach and a bogie van was a typical formation for Highbridge branch passenger trains in the final few years on the former S&D.
Pic: this was taken on a little Canon G9 in natural north facing window light with the camera resting on a bean bag. Exposure was 1 second at f8 which is the little Canon's smallest aperture. The backscene is not a fake one added after the photo was taken but an actual high photographic one attached to the rear of the layout and created from a panorama taken near the real location.
- W I D E S C R E E N computer wall paper can be found HERE!
19 November 2010
Mendip Colliery in Model Rail
They say that conventional communication using pen and paper is dead; not quite the case, for a very helpful and knowledgeable gentleman mailed my via the editorial office some most useful information about coal mining in the Mendip area after reading the feature in the mag. He said all that is missing from the above model is a ladder to allow access to the wheel (shieve) and possibly some ironwork above to allow the wheel to be winched out and replaced. These can be addressed at some stage pending some suitable prototype photographs. Thank you sir!
The next installation of Mendip Colliery in Model Rail Magazine will revolve around building a Cornish Pump house, not using ready to plant bits and pieces as a bases, but a full scratch-build.
On the left is a sneak preview of the almost finished structure.
16 November 2010
Cream of Tartar
58086 on a cold but sunny snowy morning in 1957 awaits with the 11am service from Combwich to Evercreech Junction.
People who know me know that I'm not one to be taken for a ride by cottage scenic manufacturers passing off household products as bespoke items for model railways, then charging 1500% over the odds for sticking it in a small clear bag and a trashy photocopy. OK rant over, the snow is cream of tartar, something that you will probably have in your larder with a sell by date of March 1993. And oh yes it vacuums off by the way!
W I D S C R E E N wallpaper version here!
People who know me know that I'm not one to be taken for a ride by cottage scenic manufacturers passing off household products as bespoke items for model railways, then charging 1500% over the odds for sticking it in a small clear bag and a trashy photocopy. OK rant over, the snow is cream of tartar, something that you will probably have in your larder with a sell by date of March 1993. And oh yes it vacuums off by the way!
W I D S C R E E N wallpaper version here!
09 November 2010
Pic of the Day for Tuesday
Bath shed's 8F 2-8-0 No. 48660 propels a short rake of 16 ton mineral wagons under the loading screen at Cement Quay Old Quarry Wharf. This shot was taken under available artificial room light rather than studio lighting and there is no computeryjiggery apart from the fake smoke effect.
A lot of people new to photography these days think it's all done on the computer, sadly I'll have to disappoint them because good old photographic techniques still rule. Whilst much can be done on a computer to compensate for poor or inexperienced technique, it's still better to get it right in the first place abiding by rules that go back to the era William Fox Talbot. However, digital has allowed colour photography in a wider range of lighting situations than in the days of film, because it would be near on impossible to colour correct under today's low energy domestic lighting. And of course to add a bit of fake smoke one no longer needs to resort to cotton wool which is better left in the wife's make-up bag.
A lot of people new to photography these days think it's all done on the computer, sadly I'll have to disappoint them because good old photographic techniques still rule. Whilst much can be done on a computer to compensate for poor or inexperienced technique, it's still better to get it right in the first place abiding by rules that go back to the era William Fox Talbot. However, digital has allowed colour photography in a wider range of lighting situations than in the days of film, because it would be near on impossible to colour correct under today's low energy domestic lighting. And of course to add a bit of fake smoke one no longer needs to resort to cotton wool which is better left in the wife's make-up bag.
07 November 2010
Wycrail 2010
Combwich's first outing in 6 years finally took place at Wycrail in High Wycombe on Saturday 6th November at what is rapidly becoming 'the' quality one day show in the SE.
On Friday night Combwich was crammed into a hired Ford Transit for it's 35 mile journey first thing the following day. After an easy 45 minute ride pretending to be a yob in a van from Guildford to High Wycombe, I managed with a little help from Ian Redgate who'd come all the way down from Mansfield the evening before, to get the layout set up in about 40 mins. This is surprising, because Combwich was never designed to go on the road, with baseboards varying from 5ft 3 to just 18 inches long as the layout has evolved in length and width over its 30 or so years existance.
With everything looking good, the power lever was cranked on like firing up the Frankenstein Monster for the first time. Everything appeared to work as it should until I set the road running parallel to the platform, then everything went dead, deader than Nunhead Cemetery on Boxing Day, and not what one wants with just 45 minutes before the doors open! Fault finding wasn't helped by the fact that I had temporarily lost my reading glasses! After 25 mins of much cussing under the layout I tracked down (more a lucky break as the result of random prodding and shaking) a couple of wires that had crossed and the problem was resolved much to my relief. I then found my glasses hanging safely off the backscene - duh!
At 10am sharp, the eager punters started to wander forth in all shapes and sizes. As you no doubt know, model railway buffs are a mixed bunch from the darn right weird to elequent and intelligent upstanding members of society who are real pleasure to chat too, and as usual I got to meet all of them. There were by all accounts a few smelly ones too, but luckely I didn't have a pleasure of meeting any of these, but Combwich is quite wide with a high backscene, so distance may have masked me from the smellier of the smelly brigade who've converted their bathrooms into somewhere to play Thomas and keep their dead mother's stuffed head.The highlight of the day and something mooted over a year in advance of the show, was to attempt run trains between Tim Maddocks' superb Bleakhouse Road and Combwich, and this we did via a bespoke cassette that could carry an entire train between fiddle yards and then allow it to continue its journey via the respective layout to its destination and then return. Much fun was had making up the oddest train formations to try to flumox the crew of the opposing layout. I imagine because of this there'll be several letters of complaint in the next issue of the Model Hornblock Journal with the usual miserable set getting hot under the collar about us having the occasional bit of fun.
Operationally the layout considering its hasn't been let out for 6 years worked reasonably well, but was occasionally spoilt by the odd derailment due to a sloppy locking mechanism on the station throat point. Looking to the future, and with this in mind, and with some of the other points starting play up as the day went on I've decided to remove all the old Peco units and replace them with something a little more positive in action before the layout's next outing at RAILEX at the end of May 2011. After chatting to several people about this, it would appear that something called COBALT is the way to go.
Oh yes, before I vanish back to the real world, Wycrail is the only show so far where exhibitors were served delicious homemade cake actually served at the layout - now that has to be a first! Roll on next year!- For a section of happy snaps from the show, CLICK HERE!
- Blogger Phil Parker also went to Wycrail, read his REPORT!
05 November 2010
Pic of the Day
After leaving the solitary passenger coach in the platform, 58086 was captured shunting the coal wagons into the coal road of Combwich Goods Yard.
The little loco, a Johnson 1P 0-4-4 is from a Craftsman brass kit is the very first proper loco kit I built was back in 1982. The wagons are a couple of British 'Railwayised' former private owner wagons from Hornby that came free with a British Railway Modelling Magazine subscription. The LSWR roadvan is from a delightful resin and plastic kit by the Isle of Wight based Smallbrook Studios.
04 November 2010
Crossing the Divide
With just a couple of days remaining to WYCRAIL, serious thoughts have been going on behind the scenes of just how Bleakhouse Road (above) will be conncted with Combwich to allow through workings. 
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/blog/21/entry-5064-the-bleakhouse-road-combwich-transfer-cassette-cardboard-rules-ok/
02 November 2010
The Mixed Train
Mixed trains ceased to be part of the UK railway scene at least half a century ago. I imagine passengers hated them, any journeys being very slow due to wagons being picked up and dropped off at various sleepy stations on what was probably a journey from nowhere to even less-where.
Captured here for your enjoyment on 10 asa Kodachrome 1, is one of these sleepy services arriving at Combwich hauled by an ancient Johnson 1P 0-4-4 sometime in 1952.
The loco here is the first proper kit I built (Craftsman), there's a date on the underside saying 1982 - that's quite scary because it doesn't feel too long ago. MRJ snapper and loco-guru Phil Hall gave it a mechanical up and under a couple of years ago, and I must say that it now runs a dream! The coach is a Ratio Midland brake-end, it's in fact part of my engineering train, but it looks the part even though these low roofed Midland coaches probably didn't make it much past the 1930's in revenue earning service.
W I D E S C R E E N wallpaper HERE!
See Combwich for real at WYCRAIL - 6 Nov '10
Captured here for your enjoyment on 10 asa Kodachrome 1, is one of these sleepy services arriving at Combwich hauled by an ancient Johnson 1P 0-4-4 sometime in 1952.
The loco here is the first proper kit I built (Craftsman), there's a date on the underside saying 1982 - that's quite scary because it doesn't feel too long ago. MRJ snapper and loco-guru Phil Hall gave it a mechanical up and under a couple of years ago, and I must say that it now runs a dream! The coach is a Ratio Midland brake-end, it's in fact part of my engineering train, but it looks the part even though these low roofed Midland coaches probably didn't make it much past the 1930's in revenue earning service.
W I D E S C R E E N wallpaper HERE!
See Combwich for real at WYCRAIL - 6 Nov '10
Temporary Custodian of a Castle
It's not generally known, but route availability was briefly thrown out the window in 1962 when No. 7034 'Ince Castle' powered an RCTS railtour down the Combwich branch. Here is the beauty departing the terminus for the return leg to Paddington via Bridgwater.
This is the Hornby Castle which is currently gracing the cover of MODEL RAIL 150.
I've been lucky to be the temporary custodian of this delightful piece of fettling by George Dent for the last couple of months, but now it is time for me to say good by as I prepare to give this delightful locomotive back to its rightful owner. Before it goes, and seeing Combwich is all set up in preparation for WYCRAIL this weekend, it would have been rude not to put the old girl in front of the camera lens again for one final snap.
This is the Hornby Castle which is currently gracing the cover of MODEL RAIL 150.
I've been lucky to be the temporary custodian of this delightful piece of fettling by George Dent for the last couple of months, but now it is time for me to say good by as I prepare to give this delightful locomotive back to its rightful owner. Before it goes, and seeing Combwich is all set up in preparation for WYCRAIL this weekend, it would have been rude not to put the old girl in front of the camera lens again for one final snap.
- W I D E S C R E E N wallpaper HERE!
Model Rail 150
- Shooting the Cover: For such a special issue of Model Rail, we needed a special cover. Here’s how we did it...
- Big Picture: An unusual conversion project was unveiled at Model Rail Live.
- One Big Weekend: If you didn’t make it to Model Rail Live at Barrow Hill, here’s what you missed.
- New FNA wagons from Bachmann, big diesels from Heljan and a first look at all-new 4mm Mk 2 coaches.
- Reviews: Hornby’s ‘L1’ and Railroad Class 40 and Bachmann’s ‘A2’ and ‘Autoballaster’ come under scrutiny from our experts.
- Free car for every reader! Turn to page 31 to find out how to claim your free 1:76 scale car.
- Madder Valley Railway: Chris Leigh delves into the history of John Ahern, one of the key links between the pre-war trainset and the modelling hobby of today.
- Pretty in Pinxton: Alex Fisher tells the story of the signalbox that inspired our latest limited edition.
- Christmas Gift Ideas: Leave these pages open at home, it will give your loved ones some great ideas for December 25!
- Network News: Network Rail’s Class 950 DMU can be justified on any modern-era layout. George Dent shows you how to build it.
- Warley 2010 Preview: Here’s your essential guide to the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition.
- Only here for the beer: Railways and brewing were inextricably linked. Ben Jones looks at the movement of beer and the possibilities it offers modellers.
- Building Eastwood Town: Want to build your dream layout? Gordon Stolliday offers hints and tips to get your project under way.
- Build an exhibition layout: How to do you design a layout destined for a life on the road? Ben Ando explains all.
- Making Mendip Colliery: Chris Nevard describes how he detailed and improved some resin buildings for his latest layout project – a Somerset colliery.
- Supertest: Trees; Every layout needs them, and tree aficionado Peter Marriott gets to grips with what’s available.
- Pendon Perfection: Chris Nevard was granted exclusive access to the ‘Vale Scene’. Prepare to be inspired!
- 1960: Britannia rules? Robert Forsythe looks back to the eve of the ‘Swinging Sixties’ when BR’s ‘Britannia’ was threatened by an electric from Austria.
- Masterplan: Borchester: ‘Borchester Market’ contains everything we might want from a layout. Here’s how you can build your own version of this classic.
- Model Rail DVD offer
- Model Rail Shop
- Buy exclusive models online or by telephone from our all-new shop.
- Britain’s Model Trains: Our unique and comprehensive guide to RTR models is out again on November 11. It’s fully refreshed and updated for 2011!
- Q&A: Your modelling questions answered by fellow readers, experienced and expert modellers.
- Show & Tell
- Exhibition Diary
- Backscene
- and in MR151: Three great layouts, top kit-building advice and the ultimate guide to ‘N’ gauge modelling - coming next time.
31 October 2010
Thanks Barking Bill!
48660 prepares to depart Combwich Station with a mid afternoon service to Templecombe on the 10th of October 1965.
This afternoon I finally finished off the 8F with a good dose of dry-brushing using creams, leather, earth, pale grey and finally black (just to take the edges off) in front of the computer looking at Barking Bill's FLICKR website for inspiration. I will replace the pony wheels next time I get to a good show with such suppliers. I have to say that this loco runs and absolute dream.
Photographically I just used the natural window light with a long exposure, and this is just what the eye sees too including the backscene. The only trickery is the fake clag.
This afternoon I finally finished off the 8F with a good dose of dry-brushing using creams, leather, earth, pale grey and finally black (just to take the edges off) in front of the computer looking at Barking Bill's FLICKR website for inspiration. I will replace the pony wheels next time I get to a good show with such suppliers. I have to say that this loco runs and absolute dream.
Photographically I just used the natural window light with a long exposure, and this is just what the eye sees too including the backscene. The only trickery is the fake clag.
30 October 2010
Faded Elegance
Going through some of the famous Bath based photographer *Ivan Locksmith's old prints, I decided that this one was worth slapping under the scanner for today's load of old baloney and venture into a past parallel universe that never was.....
40564 was one of the very last elegant LMS 2P 4-4-0s left running on the Somerset & Dorset, and is captured here rolling into Combwich with the 10 am Templecombe service on the 21 August 1961. By this stage the Western Region has been in charge of the northern section of the former S&DJR network for sometime and its influence could be seen with the ex GWR Pannier tank No. 4691. Had the photo had been taken in colour you'd be able to spot the WR brown and cream paint on the old oil lamp mounted on an old piece of rail to the right, these colours replacing the previous green and cream.
Back to reality, the loco is Hornby with a repaint and a few extra bits and bobs, it will get a proper Comet chassis in due course once I've saved up some pennies to get it properly done by a pro (I'm a disaster with such wizardry). The signal on the right is a designed to upset the purists in the form of a Ratio LNER plastic kit with a few mods and some MSE finials to make it look sort of 'LSWR'.
*Ivan Locksmith of course is fiction like much of this post, he is a character based on the actual celebrated photographers Messrs Ivo Peters and Norman Lockett who between them recorded much of the SDJR.
40564 was one of the very last elegant LMS 2P 4-4-0s left running on the Somerset & Dorset, and is captured here rolling into Combwich with the 10 am Templecombe service on the 21 August 1961. By this stage the Western Region has been in charge of the northern section of the former S&DJR network for sometime and its influence could be seen with the ex GWR Pannier tank No. 4691. Had the photo had been taken in colour you'd be able to spot the WR brown and cream paint on the old oil lamp mounted on an old piece of rail to the right, these colours replacing the previous green and cream.
Back to reality, the loco is Hornby with a repaint and a few extra bits and bobs, it will get a proper Comet chassis in due course once I've saved up some pennies to get it properly done by a pro (I'm a disaster with such wizardry). The signal on the right is a designed to upset the purists in the form of a Ratio LNER plastic kit with a few mods and some MSE finials to make it look sort of 'LSWR'.
*Ivan Locksmith of course is fiction like much of this post, he is a character based on the actual celebrated photographers Messrs Ivo Peters and Norman Lockett who between them recorded much of the SDJR.
29 October 2010
The 4.30pm service to Templecombe
Ex GWR Collett 0-6-0 No. 3206 prepares to depart Combwich with the 4.30pm service to Templecombe on the 30th of September 1963. The narrow gauge trucks in the foreground are used on part of the narrow gauge quayside tramway.
The natural daylight reflecting off the LMS subs (repainted and detailed Airfix) highlights the minor failings of Flushglaze with the rounded edges. Yes, that is me riding the cushions.
The natural daylight reflecting off the LMS subs (repainted and detailed Airfix) highlights the minor failings of Flushglaze with the rounded edges. Yes, that is me riding the cushions.
- CLICK HERE for a 1280 x 800 pixel version which is ideal for widescreen wallpaper.
- See this layout for real at WYCRAIL on Saturday 6 November '10.
28 October 2010
Postman Penguin
Here's Postman Penguin snapped at Ankle Bend Crossing near Combwich Station!
My wife collects miniature penguins, with this one from Murano Glass being one of the cutest and smallest of all at a mere 20mm tall. This little fellow was found on Ebay and is one of around a 100 in her collection of these beaky, slippery, black & white creatures! I'm really tempted to do some more silly shots with a few more of these penguinesque fellas because they're far more fun than badly moulded and painted white metal figures that look like they've escaped from Quatermass or Doctor Who.
My wife collects miniature penguins, with this one from Murano Glass being one of the cutest and smallest of all at a mere 20mm tall. This little fellow was found on Ebay and is one of around a 100 in her collection of these beaky, slippery, black & white creatures! I'm really tempted to do some more silly shots with a few more of these penguinesque fellas because they're far more fun than badly moulded and painted white metal figures that look like they've escaped from Quatermass or Doctor Who.
Perspective Dilemma
Bath shed's Class 4 Ivatt 2-6-0 has just arrived at Combwich with the mid morning working from Templecombe formed of a brace of LMS subs and an LNER Pigeon Brake Van. Note the trucks on the narrow gauge 2ft 3inch gauge wharf tramway. For a bigger version of the above snap CLICK HERE .
It's all the rage these days to photograph model railways from a worm's eye view in an attempt to make them look more 'real', occasionally though, it's nice to get up a little higher to show off more of the layout. But, photographically if too elevated the backscene can start to take on an odd perspective spoiling any realism, so it's probably not the best approach if you're trying to pass off your pride and joy for the real thing. A similar problem occurs with low relief buildings if not perpendicular with the camera, with my pet hate being half low-relief houses which look very odd when the ends are not hidden by a tree or some other tall structure to hide that fact that the rear of the roof is missing.
The low relief end-on warehouses seen top right in the snap above very much highlight this problem, with them looking rather odd from most angles unless viewed head on. In hindsight I'd have been better off with a bank of trees, but it wouldn't have given that mildly industrial look I was after at the time and only having 1/2 an inch depth to play with.
It's all the rage these days to photograph model railways from a worm's eye view in an attempt to make them look more 'real', occasionally though, it's nice to get up a little higher to show off more of the layout. But, photographically if too elevated the backscene can start to take on an odd perspective spoiling any realism, so it's probably not the best approach if you're trying to pass off your pride and joy for the real thing. A similar problem occurs with low relief buildings if not perpendicular with the camera, with my pet hate being half low-relief houses which look very odd when the ends are not hidden by a tree or some other tall structure to hide that fact that the rear of the roof is missing.
The low relief end-on warehouses seen top right in the snap above very much highlight this problem, with them looking rather odd from most angles unless viewed head on. In hindsight I'd have been better off with a bank of trees, but it wouldn't have given that mildly industrial look I was after at the time and only having 1/2 an inch depth to play with.
- Find out more about Combwich
- Visit Chivers Finelines
- Just over a week to Wycrail
27 October 2010
Drunken Railway Cat and other things....
47276 arrives at Combwich with a Sunday engineering train. See a bigger version of this photo HERE!
I must apologise for maybe getting a bit tardy with all these Combwich snaps, it's just that I haven't had the layout set up in the house for years! Here's another grab under the available room lighting, this time of the little 'Bagnall' arriving at Combwich with a Sunday engineering train formed of a rake of repainted Heljan Dogfish and a LNER Dia 120 4W BY Pigeon Brake Van built from a Chivers Finelines kit. Whether they ever acted as a brake on such a train I have no idea, but it was on the layout at the time and I quickly snapped and processed this shot just before going to bed last night.
The cat on the ganger's hut was bought at Pendon many years ago and looks rather more like a fox that had a spell with the local chimney sweep, or at least inbibed in too much local cider judging by the angle. The SR concrete hut could be treated better now, I'm much better and doing concrete (you'll have to wait for my feature on the printed page) these days. This angle shows off the refresh with the Noch Gras Master, a fabulous tool that allows one to place hairy grass on almost any existing surface in a matter of seconds.
I must apologise for maybe getting a bit tardy with all these Combwich snaps, it's just that I haven't had the layout set up in the house for years! Here's another grab under the available room lighting, this time of the little 'Bagnall' arriving at Combwich with a Sunday engineering train formed of a rake of repainted Heljan Dogfish and a LNER Dia 120 4W BY Pigeon Brake Van built from a Chivers Finelines kit. Whether they ever acted as a brake on such a train I have no idea, but it was on the layout at the time and I quickly snapped and processed this shot just before going to bed last night.
The cat on the ganger's hut was bought at Pendon many years ago and looks rather more like a fox that had a spell with the local chimney sweep, or at least inbibed in too much local cider judging by the angle. The SR concrete hut could be treated better now, I'm much better and doing concrete (you'll have to wait for my feature on the printed page) these days. This angle shows off the refresh with the Noch Gras Master, a fabulous tool that allows one to place hairy grass on almost any existing surface in a matter of seconds.
- Combwich
- Visit Chivers Finelines
- Just over a week to Wycrail
25 October 2010
A Balmy Day in '62
Bath Green Park's 48660 is captured shunting the sidings at Combwich in September 1962. Black 5 No. 45440 can also been seen on shed - quite what it was doing here is uknown, but it's though to have hauled a 'special' working to do with the nuclear power programme at nearby Hinkley Point. See a bigger version of the photo here!
Of course the above is just aload of old rubbish - all just a bit of fun.
Like with previous shots of Combwich being tidied up for Wycrail on the 6th Nov (and also Railex in May '11) this one was taken under the single 60w domestic bulb in the ceiling with a long exposure. 5 identical images focussed on key spots were combined using software to increase the depth of field. The sky; the lower section is the the actual rather badly painted backscene, the area above a little wash with Photoshop to hide the walls and windows the layout is currently residing in.
Of course the above is just aload of old rubbish - all just a bit of fun.
Like with previous shots of Combwich being tidied up for Wycrail on the 6th Nov (and also Railex in May '11) this one was taken under the single 60w domestic bulb in the ceiling with a long exposure. 5 identical images focussed on key spots were combined using software to increase the depth of field. The sky; the lower section is the the actual rather badly painted backscene, the area above a little wash with Photoshop to hide the walls and windows the layout is currently residing in.
24 October 2010
Photo of the Day
Bull: Gently simmering away, Radstock's '*Bagnall' No. 47276 is captured resting between shunting moves at Combwich on 2 October 1965.
Reality: simply taken with daylight coming through the window, the only messing about is the bit of fake clag. Combwich is currently set up in preparation for Wycrail on Sat 6 November. Work on the layout today involved a few tweaks to point blades and a little refresh of the scenery using a Noch Grasmaster.
*A 'Bagnall' (what S&D men called a Jinty) is just a renumbered and weathered Bachmann.
Reality: simply taken with daylight coming through the window, the only messing about is the bit of fake clag. Combwich is currently set up in preparation for Wycrail on Sat 6 November. Work on the layout today involved a few tweaks to point blades and a little refresh of the scenery using a Noch Grasmaster.
*A 'Bagnall' (what S&D men called a Jinty) is just a renumbered and weathered Bachmann.
22 October 2010
Countdown to Wycrail (aka pulling my thumb out)
nevard_101022_combwich_4f_IMG_8152_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.
Baloney caption: Under a stunning clear blue summer sky, a nicely buffed up 44417 poses next to the photographer's Morris Traveller at Combwich Station in July 1962.
I woke up at 04:00 this morning in a restless state realising that Wycrail is only 2 weeks away; "so what", you say "you finished this layout years ago so there's nothing to worry about". All quite true, but the problem is that Combwich hasn't been run since 2004 at the Farnham Model Railway Exhibition. Model railways, like old cars don't like to be forgotten and ignored because they break down or at least refuse to work properly. What's more, Combwich is 30 this year, so whilst not a classic is at least an old heap with all the associated problems apart from rust.
With permission from the domestic authorities I've taken over the extension and set the layout up in there. The cats are rather amused by the goings on especially seeing it's where they normally hang out at bed time.
One of the first jobs was to set up the layout on Cement Quay's trestles, these are a little higher than Combwich's old ones which are now firewood. That bit worked out OK, but does mean I'll need to sort out a longer drape to mask the trestles (I'll pinch Cement Quay's and add another section). Next job was to power it all up, this bit took me by surprise in that everything works - amazing really since it has spent 5 of the last 6 years in a slightly damp garage. The last 9 months however has been in a warm house.
The backscene and fascia was a little scuffed, so a slap of paint has sorted out that, matching the blue sky was a little tricky but feathering the new paint hopefully has worked to blend it in. Then the lighting rig was erected and the big nameboard displaying 'Combwich' in finest Gill Sans fixed with the aid of a hot glue gun.
That's pretty well it, so the above snap was taken at tea time under a single 60 watt bulb in the ceiling which gives a good representation of midday sun with it being to overhead. In case anyone thinks we have nice blue walls then of course that it not the case, that bit is just a bit of cgi....
19 October 2010
Return of The Titfield Thunderbolt!
It's a little known fact that 1451 and its GWR autocoach made a trip along the old S&D between Highbridge and Evercreech one Tuesday in 1964. Here the little ensemble is captured by Hungarian photographer Draven Rehpotsirhc after a chase from Evercreech Junction. Some say it was run to shoot footage for the failed cinema release 'Return of The Titfield Thunderbolt'.
Of course, this is just a load of old tosh and a chance to wind up the purists;-)
Of course, this is just a load of old tosh and a chance to wind up the purists;-)
- More info on this little station can be found here.
- Find out about the original Titfield Thunderbolt.
15 October 2010
"Chim chiminey Chim chiminey Chim chim cher-oo!"
With the near completion of the long-winded cornish pump for Mendip Colliery, last night a chimney was built up from plastic sheet and earlier today a little paint splashed onto it. Read more about it in Model Rail Magazine in due course.
12 October 2010
Cornish Pump Engine: Update 11 Oct 2010
Cornish Pump Engine: Update 11 Oct 2010.
Today's work included making up the beam from plastic sheet, wooden shutters and additional paintwork. Ignore the gap around the base, that will be filled when the structure is set into the ground. There is still quite a bit of detail to be added to the area below the beam. I'll post a snap in due course.
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