October 2024

A bureau?... and another baseboard.

The household authorities had ordered a tidy -up of the "model railway room" months ago, so I thought I'd better get on with it. "I know", I said, "I want an old fashioned bureau,  I can work on the lift-down flap then store my scruffy tools, turps, rags behind it. All my materials can go in the drawers."  So a few visits to second-hand shops didn't throw up anything, nor did an antique centre, the bureau's in there were far too grand and expensive.  Then I thought, you twit! (being me), I already have one in storage! it is being kept for me after my fathers passing from the family house, a small reproduction one and of a suitable size for the room where I make my models.  

One of the only jobs I would do around the house when I was young (being a spoilt brat) was to polish the bureau, I liked doing that.  So the bureau was collected and brought home.  I repaired the cubby-hole fitment and strengthened one of the legs, polished it up, and filled it with my modelling stuff.

... all sorted and ideal!

New woodwork: Initially, I had ideas to build a new 6ft 6" layout using two boards, but I had to shelve that idea for a while as I simply don't have room to store another large layout.  So this is a small board that I can easily lift and transport, it's 36" x 20".  

  

The rear left-hand corner will contain a passing loop/storage loop.  the siding will run to a head-shunt and a kick-back to a goods shed.  The passenger platform and shelter will be at the front right.  I have a number of ideas for scenic features, some of which might work, some may not!

New Rolling Stock August 2024

 New stock added in July and August 2024:-

In my "wakefield second-hand haul" was this un-made Avalon Line ALR1-9 freelance railbus.  Here it is seen at Pye Rigg Works with painting nearly complete.

4-wheeled diesel "Satyr" is hauling two new resin kit builds from my "wakefield haul", which are Avalon Line AL51 Open passenger coaches. Passengers are by Woodland Scenics. Also in the photo is the railbus, now named "Siren". The van is also an Avalon item, a restored AL46. The open is also a restored vehicle, a Unit Models open wagon on a long chassis, I quite liked it as it was (placed on a wrong 15ft chassis) so I just added buffer beams and couplings and also re-painted it.

2024 New Locos

 2024 new locos.

We had three exhibitions with the PHLR in the first half of 2024, two with Raven Hill and one with Pye Rigg Works, and three exhibitions also with our 009 layout Shortwaite Hill which is still getting nice comments from visitors.  Modelling time has been very intermittent, but three new locos have appeared, Ladon, Kur and Scylla.

Towards the end of 2023 I bought a box of second hand O9 models from a nice chap in Wakefield.  There were many un-made kits by  Avalon Line, Black Dog and Unit models were amongst them. Also some poorly made part built kits, Ladon was was one of them, an Avalon Line ALD1-9.  Like Hyena (see previous post) it was restored as best I could and re-painted.  Resin goes very brittle as it ages, so some bits broke off, other parts I could get apart without too much damage and were re-aligned and glued.  Runs on a Kato 11-103.

Kur is a Hudson Hunslet by Floyd-Kraemer (FK3dprint). Runs on a Kato 11-109.

"Kur" (A huge Sumerian serpent Dragon) and "Ladon"  (Greek mythology: dragon who guards  the golden apples in the garden of the Hesperides) posed together at Drawley.

Scylla, a 4-wheeled tram loco by Pankot Models (3D print), with a brake column added in the cab.  Runs on a Kato 11-104.

 

"Scylla" (six-headed sea monster in Greek mythology)

Also in the second hand collection were these two small bow-ended open wagons, Avalon Line AL36 resin kits.  A third has now been added after a Facebook O9 group friend sold me an extra one.

Early in June I was surprisingly asked to exhibit Drawley at an "O" Gauge event at the Mid-Suffolk Railway along with some of the Norfolk & Suffolk NGM Group. I was strangely displaying in a standard gauge closed van near the platform, along with another member of the Group. 

A photo taken with flash with diesels Knucker and Ladon.  It was the first ever exhibition for Drawley.

I am currently working on some part-built goods vehicles from the Wakefield collection plus a Avalon Line railbus from the same source.