Bits and Pieces

After quite a few years of modelling, I am quite convinced that the three main impediments to progress are time, finance and space. Of these, space is probably the least of these. You need only look at the variety of solutions published in magazine articles or on the internet to see the creative solutions that have been developed to deal with a lack of space. While we will often whinge about a lack of space, we do manage to create something.

 However, time and finance are probably the more difficult and unless you win the lottery, often mutually exclusive. When you have some funds coming in, often you are time poor and when you do have time available, you probably don't have a level of disposable income to expend on the hobby. Right now, I am very clearly in the first category although I can foresee that not too much farther down the track, the reverse will be true.

 This is a long way of saying that I haven't made any massive leaps forward over the past month and this arrangement is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

The Silo

Work on the silo has almost stalled because I ran out of suitable corrugated iron and had to wait until I could get some more from my preferred source, Anton's. Work will resume on the silo after I have completed the 'filler' project that I started in lieu.

The MFE Upgrade



The roof has had some weathering with powders
 but not the extent described in Ian's article.



Very soon after I started work on Philip's Creek in 1997, I purchased a Lima MFE coach. While it had received a basic weathering, unlike my other passenger coaches, I had not fitted an interior. With an imposed delay on the silo, I took the opportunity to complete this work. I also decided to try upgrading the appearance of the roof using the technique described by Ian Phemister in his blog and article in AMRM. It worked well although I learned that there are tea bags and there are tea bags, and some are more suitable than others for this role. I also didn’t read his article closely enough and failed to work from both ends towards the middle.  However, I am reasonably happy with the end product and will probably tackle my FS and BS coaches when I can find time.

I purchased a MFE interior kit from Casula Hobbies and prefabricated the interior to be inserted after painting. After a primer, I hand painted the ‘timber panelling’ using a couple of coats of an acrylic paint, ‘raw sienna’. I wasn’t too worried about even coverage because the timber finish is not uniform.

It was also necessary to remove the thick glazing and replace them with a very thin clear material.

There is still some more work to complete by adding some passengers and refixing everything. I haven’t checked the under body closely at this time but suspect that any work there may have to wait.

The Backdrop

I mentioned backdrops in an earlier post.  My ‘better half’ has volunteered to paint these for me and I have now removed one from the layout to facilitate this. In the meantime, I grabbed the opportunity to take a few photos from angles not normally available when the backdrop is in place.

Projects for April

Bearing in mind my original comments, I hate to forecast anything but I’d like to think that I can finish what I started in March and move the silo project forward. Here’s hoping!

Have a great Easter break!