Sunday, 12 October 2008

MKII or like Topsy






My so called careful measurements of the boot of the car proved wrong. It was even smaller than I thought by 4” or 100mm in new money. The obvious but long avoided rethink was now overdue and required. Time to bite the bullet and a rethink enabled me to formulate a cunning plan or Guilford Colliery MKII.

I’m fortunate that my better half works for a timber supplier and armed with one of my finest sketch plans she arrived home with 6mm plywood pre cut to suitable width and overall length. C+L supplied suitable pattern makers dowels – of which more latter and a weeks leave resulted in a start been made, in total three boards (two scenic and one fiddle yard – which may be a couple of points and may something more fancy at the moment I have only made the end joint to the scenic section) I think I have the geometry right and the middle board will make a stand alone Inglenook. Same idea for legs must get to Homebase and purchase four more. Given me a 5’ x 1’ or 1500mm x 300m scenic section, which inverts for storage is just about portable weight wise and with a jiggle fits the car (The fiddle yard board should fit on its side). Fitting the dowels caused some major problems and extreme language which luckily the wife finds amusing given as he says it’s directed at an inanimate object during which time it I don’t pause for breath.





The news that shop one is out of stock of suitable rail is a hurdle which sent me of on a tangent, I adopted modern thinking and purchased a new split from set Bachmann Ez Command via the usual auction site for £25, ordered a chip and suitable GraFar conversion bush - wonder when they will arrive. Interesting that my job is information technology and yet I confess to been a Luddite in personnel things – where do you find a four year old to program a video recorder, not sure how that one will work out.

I suppose it’s about time I made this public and advertise this blog





A final thought why everyone else’s layout looks do so much better than I can ever hope to emulate.

3 comments:

Richard Lake said...

Great to see you are making progress. Don't criticise your work too harshly - most of the top modellers had to learn the hard way too. If you think your work looks poor, just wait until you see the next instalment of the Rothervale saga. I refuse to be ashamed, as at least I am making progress, too!

Keep up the good work.

Richard

Don Willsmer said...

Don;t worry about your woodworking skills. The onlything that matters is do the trains run. That's the bit that you have to get right.
Regarding rail the old rail was plain strip but made into track still looked good. Can you get hold of any?
Don

N Bastable said...

thanks for the comments

regarding the rail Light railways tended to use2nd hand rail hence the need for the plian strip rail. Indications are that it will return hopefully soon