Some freelance large-scale thoughts
I have been a busy little person during the latest lockdown, until it got too cold for the shed. The two main projects have been to progress the 16mm live-steam shunting layout and to build a rake of South African wagons to go with the newly-acquired Garratt.
For the layout, in addition to the sheer excitement of cat-litter ballasting, I have added scenic grass, some cast-plaster paving, a black-paint-and-sand road and some 3D-printed floor tiling around the station building. It’s more of a halt really, donated along with some wagons to the West Lancashire Light Railway, where the layout will eventually have most of its being. The station yard has been decorated with Pendle Valley buildings borrowed from other assorted layouts, and with a Bedford lorry and a 'Mostyn 7' pick-up, both kit-built.
For the pick-up, a dozen or so sacks were printed using a design from Thingiverse, which as the name suggests is a large online collection of printable objects, made available free by their designers. Such objects include, you will be glad to hear, a bemittened Bernie Sanders, which I couldn’t resist adding to the download. For the lorry, something more ambitious was called for. On Facebook I came across a reference to an early 20th-century Indian railcar, based on a fairly primitive automobile, possibly French. The author had shared the files for a printable 16mm scale model, so I made two, one built and somewhat weathered and one in pieces, as if both had just been rescued from a long-abandoned barn hidden in some deep, dark Normandy baucage. They both just fitted on the lorry.
There was still a bit of space at the east end of the yard, so another search of Thingiverse threw up a tractor and trailer, already scaled to roughly 16mm, which would fit nicely. The attached photo shows the tractor under construction, the starboard rear wheel being printed as I write. I understand Bernie has volunteered to drive it, provided he can keep his mittens on. The trailer will need a load, possibly more sacks or something similarly agricultural.
The wagons were another Facebook find, offered for sale by David Williams of North Wales, trading as Resurgam Models. The laser-cut wooden kits are the best I have come across in several decades of messing about in the garden, making up into accurate and extraordinarily detailed models of SAR stock. To try to do justice to them painting-wise I invested in an Expro mini spray booth from Hattons, and some Kobra spray paint, courtesy of Amazon. These cans are of the low-pressure variety, which makes it easier to cover fine details without obliterating them. They also come in some non-standard colours, the orange-red being a better match than anything Halfords are likely to stock.
More wagons meant more loads, so yet more sacks were mass-produced, and just for variety some oil drums, crates and gas cylinders. For the jumbo ballast bags I folded and glued pieces of material around a wood block former, with thin slivers of cloth for the handles. More cat-littering ensued, the resulting load being massive enough to give the loco a satisfying work-out.
You may not be surprised to learn that I have made a Valentine's Day’s resolution to stop building stuff, and spend the rest of the year, weather permitting, actually running trains in the garden. It'll last until April Fool’s Day, if I’m lucky.