Making a New Start

[C&S]

G scale hamsters? What's this going to be?

 

[beavercreek]

A Playschool branch line? "Who is through the round window...."?
Indoor watermill?
Large washing machine?
Or is it a roundhouse .....

 

[C&S]

Took a picture of the next stage in the building's conversion, but it suffered camera wobble. Back soon!

Meanwhile here's a picture of the line's diesel switcher resting at Cattewater.

 

[beavercreek]

Hi Giles
Just to say that Cattewater is a place preety close to Ipswich Slofolk (sorry,.. Suffolk)

Still looking very good.

 

[C&S]

Just to say that Cattewater is a place preety close to Ipswich Suffolk

Well, you learn something new every day! Always thought it was only in Plymouth. Think my version is a tiny bit too mountainous to be in East Anglia, though.

 

[beavercreek]

You try cycling up some of the Suffolk hills

 

[C&S]

Had a little free time this afternoon, so the hamster house project has moved on a little. It's going to be the locomotive's sanding facility - something like this......... Still some way to go before it's finished.

 

[beavercreek]

Very sweet....... as must have been all those lollies that you licked to make the fence

 

[C&S]

Looking back to the first official day of operations on May 30th..................
Number 8 pulls into Hogwood Junction with a freight. The stand-in Barber's Shop is the little building beside the boxcar, and the "box" behind the depot will be the grist mill.

The Playmobil signal may one day get rebuilt as a US-style train order signal if running sessions prove the need to alert passing train crews of the need to pick up additional instructions. If so, it could be linked to a solenoid hidden inside the depot.

 

[C&S]

Done some more work on the sanding plant, including reducing the height of the tower a bit, plus painting and weathering. While clearing out the spares box I've just re-discovered a small cylindrical tank which will just fit in the gap beside the sand tower, to provide a refuelling point for the diesel switcher.

 

[C&S]

Lost and Found Dept. The "missing" box of rolling stock just turned up, and of course it was under the layout in full view, all the time. How does that happen? Anyway it gave me the excuse to run a mine train - the first time these items have been put together.

The box also contained the 4-wheeled boxcar, which was immediately sent to Hogwood for loading.

 

[Shawn]

Thats my kind theme. Looking real good so far. I wish I had room for an indoor.

 

[C&S]

Thats my kind of theme. Looking real good so far. I wish I had room for an indoor.

Very kind of you. I could say the same for yours/outdoors - makes me wish I had the right sort of garden; but sitting indoors, working on the layout when the rain is rattling on the window - magic!

 

[C&S]

Taking pictures indoors, my camera wants (quite rightly) to use the flash; trouble is, because I'm also using close-up, the colour gets washed out, like this. Can anyone suggest a solution? Perhaps I could use a small piece of tissue to cover the flash and soften the light?

P.S. The drover caboose stables overnight at Cattewater, so this must be an early morning shot with some freight waiting to be loaded for the first trip up the line.

 

[JRinTawa]

Does you camera allow you to set the "film" speed, may in a Manual mode.. If set set if as to 800ASA or higher (though image quality will drop). Alternatively bring in some extra artificial light if you have some portable lamps perhaps. Actually a combination of the both would be good.

 

[C&S]

John,

Many thanks for that suggestion - as you may have guessed I'm not much of a camera buff. The camera itself is getting quite elderly, so it may not have all the features that would be considered as standard on a newer one. Here's hoping!

 

[C&S]

Had a couple of hours on the layout today. The diesel fuelpoint at Cattewater is coming together, though I still need to make the delivery pump, which is going to feature the plastic moulding that was the case of a travel toothbrush - a useful tube with a domed end. Also, over at Hogwood the Barber Shop is beginning to take shape. Pictures soon.

 

[French Chuffed]

Its all looking good, amazing what pleasure you can get out of a small space, as you know I am working on the other end of the layout size, still good fun though but more gardening?..

 

[C&S]

The diesel refuelling point has moved on a stage. It consists of a tank from a toy farm trailer with the cap of a washing-up liquid bottle as the tank's lid - all set on a base of 10mm foamboard with card for the pump compartment. Ladder and access platform came from an old tank-car. Not sure I'll keep the tank silver, though; perhaps a dirty green would look better

Meanwhile the Barber Shop has progressed beyond the mock-up stage; just need time to clad the walls. The roof will be corrugated sheeting recycled from an unused building from the previous layout.

Both these views were taken using a piece of tissue over the flash - seems to have solved the colour-washout problem.

 

[C&S]

Had a little bonus time with the layout today, after fixing the door hinges on the cupboards underneath the baseboard. Decided to try and empty one of the boxes of scenic bits - this one with grass salvaged from the earlier layout. This had originally been made from ancient carpet underlay split to half thickness, then teased apart and stuck down in clumps, coloured with a dilute wash of various green and yellow Humbrol paints. The area chosen for the work was the nearest side of the layout from the trestle to the outskirts of Cattewater. Now with grass stuck to the flatter areas it looks a lot better than raw painted plaster. I also added a couple of unused plaster rock castings, and these need bedding in and painting before the camera comes out again.

I should also finish off colouring the rocky face of the cutting opposite with a spray of black to show up the strata and crevices, and then work on the highlights. Not sure when there'll be time for this - perhaps on Sunday.