Crosti, Cats and Cottaging

Hello, welcome, good to see you all again. Yes, it has been too long, if not for you, then certainly for me. I type this from the comfort of my bed, in our new cottage. YES…. I did say cottage, how awesome is that.

But firstly, I need house the toilet. Actually, sod it, I’m gonna’ write a bit of this on the bog. Also, I may leave for a bit as I need to walk the dog and gawp at the solar eclipse but i shall be back to talk about trains! 

So, down to business Crosti toilet- I mean boiler - yes, I am writing this on the toilet too… I care not what shame to put on me. This is my blog and I can write it wherever I bloody well want. 

…In fact I’ve now writing this a week later whilst rehearsing lines at university…

…oh how time flies…. a few days have now passed even then, and now we have a kitten! Bernard. He's a real, bastard too.

He and Bert, our dog, seem to be getting on like a house on fire, or wildfire or something relatively destructive. But they are getting along, which is nice. 

…now, I’m re-watching Game of Thrones as the little buggers mess around in the living. Sorry, I’m being terribly ill disciplined. 

So modelling, well as you can tell from my hectic lifestyle of bed that not much has been progressed. However I was given a commission to fulfil in the shape of a Crosti 9F. 

The person in question has built it around a Hornby Railroad 9F using the Dave Alexander Crosti conversion kit. 

A lot of the weathering was pretty much my normal mix of layer upon layer starting with the blocking in a mix of Humbrol 62 & 33 followed by strategically painting on rust patches using Humbrol 62 and Humbrol 113 and another wash of 62 & 33 until everything is toned down. 

The limescale streak were a real pain in the hoop, I haven’t really done a lot of these before as from my research the Teesside Region locos tended not to have limescale to the point that Midland Region did.

A lot of it was just scribbled on it brought downward lines followed by dry brushing Humbrol 64. The initial process didn’t work for me but after trying it a few time, going away, coming back, shouting at it, swearing a few times, going on mass genocide and finally returning to it, I think I got something I like. 

One further thing I did, was to light dry brush Humbrol 27004 over the side of the loco and tender to give it a much more lifelike sheen. 

I’m quite happy with the finished model and was more than pleased to release it back to my friend. 

Here it is with my own detailed Railroad 9F.

so, what’s next for me.

Well, I decided to completely fuck with history… more on this little beauty in the next few weeks.

Oh by the way, by the time I finished this blog, we re-named the Nigel (You know after Sir Nigel Gresley). I reckon next week we’ll have re-named him Ivatt (fingers crossed)

Here's the delightful little bastard, with our dog, Bert. 

A Title About Something from Motherhood...

I give up.

I'm an ignorant, awful person who cares as much about other people as he does about everyone else. So no wonder I totally forgot it was Mothering Sunday today, I should have had an inkling when she was going on about calling some midwife. I kept telling myself, she's too old to bare children...

But I managed to trudge to HMV today and buy series three of Call the Midwife which one of her favourite programmes at the moment. This is, somewhat, a bit of a relief as my ears have been pounded by the constant bellow of the Merlin theme tune every day she's off.

Also today, I've managed to also buy myself a new camera, after the other one I had decided to take a business trip to Beijing via Kuala Lumpur and has yet to be seen since.

I've also found myself absolutely fascinated Canadian musician Grimes, an individual who was brought to my attention by a friend of mine last year and didn't really explore properly until the last few days. There is also the Seoul based BBC correspondent Lucy Williamson, of whom, I've been hoping tensions between North and South Korean grow so I can see more of her on television. I think I'm in love, I doubt it. It might be possible though.

Modelling wise, I've have been using alot of elbow grease on something which is technically old enough to be my own  mother. This is technically impossible as it is a Hornby Double crane, and not my mum.

It really wasn't bad for £15 quid, which I managed to bully the 10 year selling it to knock an extra £5 to strike a deal on £10. I'm the bestest :D

Normally these thing will cost around £45 - £50 at exhibitions and it didn't take a genius to see why it was so cheap. There was evident scenes of mishandling from some twisted edges on the turret to a large break in the jib.

The first task was to take off whatever was necessary on the model. Things like the winding handles, old ropes and the caste metal parts which would interfere with the flashes gearing system I plan to put in the model. 

The diecast parts were easily cut into with a circular saw bit but the steam handed simply sheared them down to nothing. So out came the razor saws and stone cutters which happily made short work of them. Some elbow grease was needed to file away any left over bits.

despite all efforts, I managed to turn my trousers either a distant Nebula or someone's pants from Dance with the Stars.

Not really alot to talk about really... god this was quite a boring blog in all honesty. Sorry for wasting your time. But look, there's more stuff to do... things such as the gears....

And the support stuff, like the trucks....

 And here are some photos I took with my great new camera, like my knackered Laptop... I broke the keyboard by dropping Contact Lense Solution on it... currently using a USB keyboard which looks like the designers are been eating illegal mushrooms. It's got a pretty picture of Parika dressed like Monkey :D

Here's one of my toilet with the lid open...

 ...and now with the lid closed.

and here's one of me, with my new Sunglasses :D

I'm off to listen to more Grimes and watch the Young Ones whilst regretting my current career choice.

Here's one of my favourite Grimes songs, and also whilst I'm at it, here's Lucy Williamson talking about South East Asia or something...

Night kids

Blindness and exasperation...

EHwoh!

I'm back... I bet you'd never thought you hear that again! I am though, one year older and slightly more jaded that when you last met me, and let's be frank, I was quite jaded before hand.

I reached 27 and for a week I was okay, totally fine. Then it hit me, literally a week afterward, waiting at the bus station. I was older, physically, if not mentally. I hate that feeling. Especially considering I'm more atheist than agnostic. The pit in your stomach when you realise that you have about 70 more years on this planet, I'm 27 years in already and life's getting faster, God damn it!

This is one cruel game!

However, it's not all bad. Doctor Who was fifty the other week and I fankwanked myself silly with it all. Especially the Day of the Doctor and An Adventure in Space and Time.

An Adventure in Space and Time was beautiful and I'm not weak enough to hide the fact that I literally cried laughing and cried crying in the last five minutes of the show. It was a most beautiful moment which I was happily moved by the acknowledgement for the longest continuous running sci-fi in history.

This lead me to a site call Goodread where I've been reviewing books and adding short stories and talking to some cool people. Please visit and join in, it's pretty good. Goodreads

I've also taking to jabbing the living fuck out of my eyes with some contact lenses. What fun I'm having also causing myself to go blind by trying to make it easier for me to see.

Also what happened was a jolly little visit to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway... which was both, enjoyable and bloody weird. Oxenhope, what is there, what the actual fuck is there? I found half a park and nothing else!!!! But it was nice to see the WD in action. Lovely engine, if a little loud.

Although there was a creepy moment between a train spotter and his Thai Bride, which made me question everything I hold dear.

On top of that, my local town has found out it has the world's shittest Christmas Tree, well England's shittest Christmas Tree. In fact it's not even a Christmas Tree at all... so it's a bit of misnomer really...

Bad tree

Anyway I'm digressing, we're hear to see me build trains and shit aren't we?

So, trying to combat lethargy, I have been pushing myself to work on the painting and decal side of this.

I managed to get so far with the brake van, I think all this I need now is to weather it, which a relief as it looked the hardest thing to make.

It isn't completely finished and is still prone to fall apart but it's good enough at the moment. The same goes for the Sulphate wagons below. The "Sulphate" decals were a little awkward but just some careful handling made short work of them.

As you can see with the wooden doors, I have added variations to the planking which will hopefully tone down with weathering.

Anyway, I must be off to repair my coat and sleep before *shudders* work tomorrow.

Awh and Doctor Who has finished on the DVD player whilst I've been typing this up... sod you all!

I hope I don't die of old age just yet...

I write this new blog entry thing literally a week before I turn 27.

I'm slowly becoming more freaked out about how old I am and how little I wish to remove myself from the kindly bosom of my parents. Am I really going to end up like a 45 year old undesirable bachelor? Will I die not fulfilling any potential at all!

Tune in next week, Same Twat Time, Same Twat Channel!

But modelling wise, things are happily coming along.

The main superstructure for the break van is now complete including adding updated it to make it more LNER. A lot of which was detailed in my last blog but something which I hadn't done before that entry was the double lamp irons common to LNER brake vans. there was simple being just a slice of "L" shaped plastic strut and some micro strip about a 1mm wide.

Over all the rest of it was simple enough to do until I came to the brass wire which I know I've messed up with but hopefully it won't look to bad once painted and weathered.

also whilst I've been at it, I've began painting the Sulphate wagons with some Railmatch enamels I bought from my local shop. The thing about these wagons is that the main body was made up of steel sheeting and the doors where wooden. I suspect the wooden doors would fade at a quicker rate to the nature of wood and the frequent handling of the doors.

To replicate this I painted the body the general early BR grey colour where as the doors I painted with LNER grey. I know, Grey is grey but as that sex starved dildo wielding writer lady state (incorrectly) there was 50 different shades. Actually, love, petal, sugar tits, you might find in the model railway fraternity there are far more than just 50.

I'm hoping that after some weathering they turn out okay, what this space....

Anyway, I'm off to try and see the Great Gathering again on my birthday :D then afterwards get smashed with some friends and try and find a way out of an uncomfortably interested cactus.

For more information on the recent gathering at York here's the link.

http://www.nrm.org.uk/planavisit/events/mallard75.aspx

A goods train, A Goods Train, A GOODS TRAIN!

.... said Gordon, grunting like an impotent executive trying in vein to enjoy his "business" trip in Bangkok.

Hello, it's me, Sylvian, welcome back to my irreverent look at model railways. As you may have guessed, I'm watching Thomas the Tank Engine. Mere weeks before I turn 27, I feel like  a dad who took divorce quite badly. I've even took to comfort eating... This life will be the death of me. 

But as I waft, limply into oblivion I continue with my modelling. I last left you with a rake of Ammonia Sulphate wagon, and I'm pleased to say I've done literally fuck all with them since. 

Instead I've been slowly but surely working on modifying a Dapol Brake Van to turn it into some more Ex-LNER. With the help of a scalpel, some squadron putty and a modelling by Martin Welch I commandeered from the library, I set to work. 

So far I've really just done the chassis but this is where I expect most of the work would have gone with it, the rest looks a little simple... apart from the railing. (Actually I've just realised I still need to do them...bollocks)

                                      

One of the main bits on the body I've reworked was inner wall way which lost it's original planking after a good seeing to with sandpaper to removed those ruddy moulding marks. The planking is just some 2mm microstrip.

The ballast blocks on LNER brake vans ran right up to the verandas so this was amended on the model with some thick plastic strip which was filed down when the glue has thoroughly dry. (I say thoroughly dry, I did risk it and it paid off)  

                                         

Once of this was finished, the squadron putty came out to make the little problems disappear , like what the CIA does to people. That is what they do, right?

                                         

 Further details were eventually added to the under frame including the bracing made from "L" strip.

And we see the eventual evolution of the brake gear given a basic mod to single clasp ( as per NER prototype), I couldn't be arsed looking around for some. I am told however ABS do some. They'll look alright once painted and weathered, from a distance, to a blind man.

So here is the overall outcome of the chassis bit, brake gear has been added along with brake loops made from staples and some whitemetal brake pipes from 51L models I bought at York about a year ago. As some of you more observant may have seen, the foot boards have been cut down by about 10mm from the left end and rejoined with some new hole made let them fit. 

Its been fun but I do fear I may suffer from a general unhappy lethargy which makes these projects protract. 

Sod it, I'm joining Fathers fro Justice!