With the basic woodwork completed on my O9 pizza project I have started to think about how the scenic treatment might work. I have therefore worked through a series of cereal packet cardboard mock-ups to explore a few ideas. Luckily I had a few bits retained from previous exercises to help with this. The first has a distinct theme, backstory and to a degree, a sprinkling of whimsey, something it inherits from my other pizza 'Christmas Tree Halt'. When I built my O9 Railcar a year or so ago, I had visions of it running on a layout depicting some sort of tramway leading to a small hotel or res ..read more

It started with a sketch... a very small sketch in fact, literally doodled the size of a postage stamp on a scrap of paper. In fact I'm amazed it has scanned and cleaned up so well! It was initially drawn for a circular base but then squared off into an Octagon when I realised the cake board I had to hand was a little warped. It doesn't represent anything in particular, just some narrow gauge track, a building that may have a disconnected track emerging from it, and a tree. Having procrastinated for a couple of weeks, it was soon getting towards the Easter Weekend. With family visits pushed ..read more

It is always interesting when a 15" gauge locomotive emerges from a prolonged period of hibernation, and whilst not as exciting as some of the potential hidden delights that may exist, the unique Maxitrax 'Invicta' has recently arrived at the Sherwood Forest Railway for testing and a longer-term residency. She has been on display over the Easter weekend and was kindly rolled out of the shed by Bob Colley into better light for photography. Built in the late 1980s for the original incarnation of the Markeaton Park railway in Derby, I saw her in the shed there in 1996 but for some reason did no ..read more

Back in October I completed my Doctor Who micro-diorama on a hexagonal base measuring 7cm between each set of flat edges in order to fit within my display cabinet. A second base was cut from MDF as a "just in case" and whilst not used at the time it was actively considered for a Christmas scene and a suitable tree was even sourced.  I had wondered for a while whether such a tiny base could accommodate any meaningful railway scene so in an odd moment or two I created almost the seasonal opposite of what was previously intended! Construction is very similar to the methods used for the T ..read more

Work on the 422 Modelmaking wagons continues. Having proved the concept to modify the axleboxes on the spare chassis, I have now modified both of the other chassis castings. In this view one is lined  up with a modified Peco chassis, and the sad remains of it's old body! The Peco chassis has been modified to accept the Mathieson 7mm wheelsets which required removal of all brake gear, and opening out the holes above each wheel to be fully rectangular.    The modified 422 chassis has the axleboxes modified and if you look carefully in the centre of the tubes you can see the d ..read more

Having completed the Motor Rail/Simplex and with my mind telling me it was an 18" gauge loco rather than 15" gauge, I felt the need for the some suitable rolling stock for it to work with. Having followed the development of the 422 Modelmaking range of resin cast O9 wagons, Narrow Gauge North provided the first opportunity to see them in the resin, so to speak...   I chose to sample one of the 1-plank fixed plank and a 2-plank dropside variations along with a few spare bits and pieces. The castings are relatively clean, requiring some fettling of flash around the bottom edge of the ..read more

Work progresses on the FK3D Motor Rail 'Simplex', firstly with a little weathering...  Initially I focussed on the underframe, where I first sprayed with Humbrol matt varnish before starting the weathering itself. To achieve this relatively easily I used post-it notes to mask off the bodywork during the spraying. This gave a much flatter base to work the weathering into, including colour washes, dry-brushing and a few oily/wet patches. On the bodywork some lighter blue was dry-brushed around the body edges to give a lightly-worn effect and weathering applied to the grilles, chimney/exhau ..read more

Since I last posted about the FK3D 'Druid' print a couple of weeks ago I've been busy with the paintbrushes and masking tape and the result is an LCLR-style Simplex. One of the downsides of the (almost) all-in-one print is that delicate masking is required between the underframe and the bonnet/cab areas to get a neat result, but well worth the effort.  The blue is Citadel Lothern blue as used on my 009 LCLR coach and loco, applied in three coats with the paint thinned as required to help alleviate brush marks. The red and black from Vallejo, the latter reduced in blackness with a spot o ..read more

The FK3D 'Druid' print has been selected as my next O9 project and outwardly it really did not need much work as it stood, just the removal of the support struts in the cab openings. However to add a touch of individuality I opted to remove the skirting under the underframe and around the axleboxes by a combination of cutting an drilling. A fine razor saw was used to make 6 cuts on each side, behind each re-railing bar and either side of the axleboxes. I then scored along the top edge with a craft knife and drilled out a series of holes to weaken the skirt. With a pair of pliers I could then c ..read more

It's been a quiet few weeks since I posted at Christmas, and it does seem a bit late to be wishing readers a Happy New Year! I have spent a little time recently considering "what next?" and "what's achievable?" There are various thoughts at play and despite the appeal of something that the Shifting Sands stock can run on, another part of me wants to push in a different direction. I've always struggled with non-miniature railway O9, but I may now have a helping hand... my dad wasn’t sure what else to buy me for Christmas and I was out of ideas, so this was a complete surprise on Christmas day ..read more