Hello everybody and festive greetings from Corky!
This final update for 2013 is a bit like a traditional Christmas dinner. There is probably far too much of it and at times you'll wonder if you'll ever reach the end of it. But you know if you persevere and keep working your way through it all you will eventually reach the end and you can stagger off and recline in a state of deep satisfaction, and just like Christmas dinner, probably nod off for a few hours afterwards to recover...Dreadful!
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| Oh My Lords!...Merry Christmas to all you lovely Corkettes! |
This epic update is, as always, a real mixed bag. There are reports on exhibitions, kit building and plenty of new arrivals on the Corkscrew-Lines. Regrettably, still nothing positive to report regarding selling Jones-Towers. I console myself that this is not the best time of year to try and sell a house so fingers crossed we'll make some progress in the New Year. I have all sorts of (overly?) ambitious plans and ideas I'd like to share with you all but I will keep my powder dry until I know for sure where the Corkscrew-Lines mk2 will be housed.
Spalding Model Railway Show
Back in early November I attended my local model show in Spalding and very enjoyable it was too. This has become an annual must see for me and the show rarely disappoints. There were two particular highlights for me. The first delight was a demonstration of the latest Zimo DCC sound-file project for the Hymek from the ever genial chaps on the Digitrains stand...hmm, I want one! Actually, I want three! Interestingly, Hornby have announced in their 2014 model release programme that they will be selling sound equipped locos with only a £25.00 premium over the standard, mute locos. Of course, these chips will naturally be watered down and lacking in the flexibility of current ESU and Zimo offerings, but any move towards a reduction to the cost of DCC sound has to be applauded and welcomed.
The other highlight was the wonderful St Stephens Road layout on the Hornby Magazine stand. I know I am probably slightly biassed because I have been fortunate enough to have some articles published in the magazine, but I am always impressed by the layouts Mike Wild and his team create. Using inexpensive and easy to find products and materials including Peco track, RTR locos and stock and many of the ready to plant resin buildings by Hornby and Bachmann, the layouts they create always seem to exceed their component parts and become wonderfully complete and enjoyable layouts to watch. St Stephens Road is OO-gauge and based on an ex Southern and ex Great Western junction station in the 1960s and is visited by diesel-hydraulics and Bullied Pacifics with sound chips. Sounds familiar eh? Dreadful!
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| St Stephens Road |
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| St Stephens Road |
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| Meacham - N Gauge |
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| Meacham - N Gauge |
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| Farkham |
Warley 2013
If you are going to attend only one model railway exhibition a year, then make sure you make your way to the NEC for the biggest and the best show by far. I joined Napier-Boy at Peterborough station back in late November and we headed west on our pilgrimage. Once we'd arrived we joined another pair of Corkettes...Andrew and James, and began our heroic efforts to see everything we could.
I include a few snap shots below of the show and the layouts I particularly wanted to see. The Gresley Beat was as magnificent as ever and a joy to see...if you were prepared to wait your turn for a place by the lineside....I always am! The guys from Hornby Magazine were there with another of their project layouts, Topley Dale...Napier-Boy was especially taken with this one. I then spotted yet another Corkette, my mate Steve Copley who was enthralling a large audience on the Computer DCC demonstration stand...Hellfire! Having soaked up the legendary Borchester Market we then enjoyed the sublime Fencehouses in 2mm and the exquisite Braysdown & Writhlington...Hellfire! All in all a fantastic day out for anybody afflicted with the model railway disease as I am.
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| Topley Dale |
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| Borchester Market |
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| Partners in crime! Napier-Boy, Andrew and James...Oh My Lords! |
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| Corris - 7mm |
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| The Gresley Beat |
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| The Gresley Beat |
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| Patriot Project |
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| Fencehouses |
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| Haddon Bank |
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| Dock Green - 7mm |
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| Braysdown & Writhlington |
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| Steve Copley - Dreadful! |
On My Workbench
I have now finished assembling Glacier Gravel, the Walthers kit I mentioned last time. My problem now is do I continue to paint it or stand it to one side and begin the next kit. I don't know for sure how to position the conveyor sections because until I lay the tracks on the Corkscrew-Lines mk2 I cannot attach them. I'll probably paint and weather the main buildings and leave the conveyors for a later date.
To allow me to carry out kit construction anywhere in the house that takes my fancy, I cobbled together a portable workbench, as per the photo below. It is simply a sheet of board with a couple of Screwfix handles bolted through and a foam base to prevent scratching tabletops. Just an hours work and a few quid but very handy...Dreadful!
You will note a couple of new kits which arrived last week. The pagoda hut took about half an hour to construct and I wish all kits were so quick and easy!
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| Glacier Gravel on the new workbench |
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| Quick and easy kits |
New Arrivals on the Corkscrew-Lines
The most exciting and eagerly awaited arrival for this update has to be the latest piece of heritage traction to join the Corkscrew-Lines roster...the Bachmann model of one of the LMS twins...10001. This is a superb looking model but once again looks can be deceptive. Presumably I've just been unlucky, but this model is mechanically noisy and stutters and stops without warning. It will be going back to be swapped for another. In the meantime I gave it a run on the mainline to see if the issues would be resolved with some mileage...unfortunately not.
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| A noisy visitor passes Shinbash Lane Box |
More rolling stock for my parcels trains has arrived in the shape of a pair of Hornby CCT vans. These are fine models which are let down badly by a very disappointing paint (or lack of it) finish. I know these wagons will eventually be so coated in crud that you'll probably not even see the maroon but come on Hornby...moulded colours on rolling stock died out decades ago! Taking advantage of the bulk pack prices from Hattons I have also added another batch of 16t minerals to the fleet.
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| Hornby CCT |
I can just picture you all sat there shaking your heads in pity but I have again been unable to resist stocking up on die-cast vehicles by Oxford Die-cast and Pocket Bond. The Pocket Bond models were just a couple of pounds each at Hattons...Bargain! You will note I have gone for dull pastel shades wherever possible as my extensive research using the "Look at Life" DVDs (more about that later) shows cars of the 60s were normally painted in bland colours. The Scammel wrecker will be repainted into Army bronze green to match the project TAT trucks I constructed at the start of the year. The magnificent blue Bentley has been purchased as a suitable vehicle to be parked outside my future model representation of Lord Dowsby's stately home.
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| Minerals Motors & Chips! |
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| Seeing red! |
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| Lord Dowsby has a new motor! |
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| British Railways vans |
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| Austins, Austins everywhere |
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| You can never have enough die-cast cars! |
You'll all know me well enough now to know I just love books. To do some more research into vehicles of the 60s I have picked up a couple of the Noodle Books volumes on Fire Engines and Police Cars...absolutely fabulous. The special edition Weathering Guide by Hornby Magazine is excellent. I will eventually need to weather all of my stock so I am happy to get some reference material to help me when the time is right. As for the Great Model Railroads 2013 magazine, this is for inspiration as always.
An inspired purchase via Amazon was the pair of "Look at Life" DVDs. These are collections of short films from the 1960s filmed in glorious vibrant colour using professional movie equipment and covering all sorts of transport and military topics. Being born in the mid sixties, I unfortunately do not remember the daily street-scene or culture of the day...an issue when you want to model it accurately. However, these DVDs have been invaluable in showing me so many fantastic examples of how the 1960s streets looked. I cannot recommend them enough. Even if you don't model this era, they are often absolutely hilarious...sometimes not intentionally...Dreadful!
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| All of them a great read...Dreadful! |
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| Oh My Lords...these are tremendous fun! |
Visiting Corkettes
In a very hectic month there have been very few opportunities for running days in the garage. However, just a few days ago my great mate Wibble arrived with a Bachmann Peak under his arm needing a decent run on the mainline. Much fun ensued as Wibble just couldn't resist feeding train after train onto the helix from the storage yard. I took a couple of shots of the fun. Thanks for coming over Wibble, as always it was a blast!...Hellfire!
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| Wibble..."Where's the risk?" |
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| Crompton & Peak action |
That's all Folks!
Well done for reaching the end of this update, I hope you enjoyed it. This year is rapidly drawing to a close and although I have not made the progress I wanted to with the layout whilst the house sale is acting as a constant brake, I still think it has been an excellent year. My enthusiasm for the project never wanes and I really cannot wait to get stuck into the next Corkscrew-Lines incarnation hopefully early next year.
If you regularly read the updates then thank you and I hope you have enjoyed them so far. If you are a confirmed Corkette then thank you for your friendship and support again this year, it is really appreciated.
One person must get a special mention and that is my wonderful, long suffering wife, Sarah. She always puts up with all this Corkscrew-Lines nonsense with good humour and supports my often delusional behaviour whilst no doubt wishing she had a normal husband. Although she works as a Railway Control Manager, she claims not to have any interest in trains. I would suggest that the view below of her "Fat Controller's" desk would suggest otherwise! Oh My Lords - Hellfire!
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| That's why I love her - she's Hellfire! |
So that's it guys...have a great Christmas and I'll hopefully see you again next year with more fun and games on the Corkscrew Lines...Have a good one!...Dreadful!
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| Brilliant birthday card from my sister-in-law...Thanks Elizabeth. |
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all,
Corky!
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