A Few Thoughts On Addiciton

Wow... it's been a while. A fair few months in fact. Too long it would seem. Others might think it too short... but blah! bugger them.

In my absence from this page there has been a few changes. Firstly, I left my job! Woohooo or more likely, it's left me! still woohoo!

Secondly, Peter Capaldi! Woohooo! he's amazing isn't he, with his total change on that nicey nice Doctor in Doctor Who which was beginning to irritate the bollocks off of me. I really think it's in safe hands. Even the episodes which seem weaker than most it's still really good and watchable. He suits Moffat's writing more, IMO.

Thirdly, I'm starting university! WOOHOOO! though I am crapping myself. PLRM, that's what they call my course, What it means, who knows! I joke, it's Performance for Live and Recorded Media which fits in nicely with my performance experience. It's something I wish to go into further and make a career out of.

Fourth, and finally, I've started smoking! WOO...oh...not good. It's an addictive process which can possibly lead to me talking through a voice box and carrying an respirator by this time next year. God, I hope not. It's a good coping mechanism though as there have been a few trials and tribulations in the past year.

But this is not why we are here is it? No, so onto another form of addiction; train talk.

This blog is just a catch up of my recent updates from my previous post.

I you may have witnessed in my previous installments of the saga known as my modelling you may have noticed that I was building a B1 and restoring (of sorts) a Hornby-Dublo breakdown crane. Well, they're done, completed, finito...

The gears were just some parts I found in the local model shops designed for Servos and the likes for radio control boats and planes. They're handy for breakdown cranes too ;)

This is the completed article, the full breakdown train. In addition to the crane and support wagons themselves, I have added a repainted and modify rake of wagons and coaches from about 4 generations of Hornby stock. 

The stock includes a Palethorpes sausage van; a heavily modify Gresley teak with side doors haphazardly added (as per prototype), one of the old Clerestory coaches, and a 12t van. They have been modify in various different areas including underframes, roofs, brake and steam heat pipes and a full repaint into the appropriate black for the 50'-early 60's.

Also completed was my beloved B1 "Nyala". Now weathered and with a crew.

She's a canny puller too. So far no problems at exhibitions (unlike the ruddy sulphate train and tanker trains).

Finally, to top it off, a Mucky Duck. My second one, and it's 43050 which is another local Ivatt 4MT. 

Away from my previous efforts, I have refrained from the normally heavier weathering which these beasts were accustom to. 

All of the weathering here is my usual mix was block painting the uncleaned areas (chassis frame, smokebox, roof, tender top and interior etc) with a humbrol 62 - 33 mix. I then washed the whole thing over in humbrol 33, 29, 113 and 27004 before wiping most of it away from the "cleaned" area with a cotton bud lightly soaked in white spirit. The rust and ash stains around the smoke box where done with WHSmith artist pencils that were applied then lightly dabbed at with a cotton bud dipped in water. Sofar... good effort. I now have six complete trains (although some need some refining work to get them to run.)

I'm now going to sit back and enjoy Nightbreed radio for a bit and fill my lung with cancer causing chemicals before life calls upon me once more. See you lot in another six months!

For anyone who likes Goth and Alternative music, please do follow this link Nightbreed Radio

Anti-disestablismentartisainjsnvjdsnvdann.... whatever...

Right, I’m going to take a piss and make a cup of tea, then I’ll come back…

…back. Hello cruel internet, my only friend. I lie, not even you are my friend. Bastard.

Hello, anyway.

Yes, I have returned from a random and almost uninteresting assortment of months where I really lived very much like a boring human being. That’s all changed, I’ve re-joined my old sketch group (I think they still hate me and now we’re back to our old selves of not doing anything until the actual day (keep the energy up on the night).

It was a bit of a bittersweet weekend in all honesty.

I finally felt that "Fuck Yeah Friday" feeling, which had promptly turned into "Oh Shit Sunday".

I’ve also managed to successfully act like a 14 year old by getting irrationally drunk and acting in a behaviour which can only be described as adolescent.

Also, I got told off by a Car Park. Yes, I real car park. I don’t even have a car. Maybe that’s why I was on the receiving end of a verbal reprimand.

It was that moment I have decided to become anti-establishment again after many years. Not because of any left-wing social connotation, no! It’s just a bit of a laugh really, you only live once and all that, why do I want to waste my life by supporting some rubber faced associate to a political entity I care little about? Or towing the line for some outdated social sensibilities when in fact I’m not hurting anyone. You know, we are ignorant, I get told off by a car park and yet not one person was arrested after I caught them trying to break into my shed!

I mean, there was that but also, the fact that Russia have just proved what everyone was thinking and suddenly come out the closet as a big bunch of baldy, muscular, homoerotic homophobes…what’s going on there.  Get a grip Putin, you big scary phallus.

So yeah, massive social change and acting like a 14 year old in public spaces, I guess the world isn’t as boring a place as I expected.

I fear we are getting a little off topic as I have been busy modelling. Modelling I say! Modelling all sorts, well a building. Hey! It was a new adventure for me.

I had never really painted brick before, I mean, I tried to restore the old station on the old layout but I eventually came to nothing. The old layout was stored away, never to be seen again. Until it came back, and now it just hangs there, watching us like some senile old grandparent ready to innocently shout out a racist remark in front of the foreign nurse and send the room into a tirade of red faces and apologetic remarks.

Actually going back to the night I was bollocked by a car park, I was offer wine by a friend. Actually no, that was afterwards. She kept topping my glass up. Incredibly tenacious that woman.

So yeah, train stuff.  

What we got here was the engine shed, based loosely (very loosely) on Malton shed for our club layout , "Hartburn Junction".

The mission, if I chose to accept it, was to paint and weather the bugger. I accepted it, and then promptly regretted having to take it home to paint it up. But after a few weeks of hiding under my bed, gathering dust and feeling forgotten, I decided to drag it out and get it a whack with the old paint brush.

The initial undercoat was Humbrol 187 although, this happened back in November, so I can’t really remember. It could also be Humbrol 72. Either or, would be a viable option. Sorry I can’t remember it but… sod off, I’m not the memory man!

Afterwards, a few days maybe, I went over the brick work with Railmatch Dark Brick. Not quite dry brushing but not soggy enough to annoy me by filling in the mortar.

It was then dry brushed with Railmatch light brick.

The roof and supports were painted using Humbrol paints. The ratio being 6 parts Humbrol 33, 4 parts Humbrol 98 and 2 parts Humbrol 147. That combination doesn’t have to be an exact match and I’ll inevitably change it on other projects.

The guttering along with other fittings were painted a 50:50 mix of Humbrol 98 & 33 and the window frames were given a coat of Revell  65.

The weathering was generally a mixture of Humbrol 33, Humbro 98 and Humbrol 174. This time with an emphasis on the Humbrol 98.

E.g. 6 parts Humbrol 98, 4 parts Humbrol 33 and 2 parts 174. But, as with before, the ratios are not concrete, be free young brethren, paint the living shit out of your models. If you ruin it though, not my fault!

Finally the roof received a random assortment of the base colour, adding darker and lighter highlights streaking down. Plus touching in some green (Humbrol 226) to give the impression of moss. The corrugated roofs, smoke vents and other bits of metal work were dry brushed Humbrol 62 and Humbrol 113 to show weather beaten rust. Finally the blackboard were given some writing with a white gel pen and the windows were given a light wash of the weathering mix from inside before being wiped off.

So, there you have it. An engine shed.

In other news, I have seen the six lovely ladies again at Shildon. When I say ladies, I mean the A4 Locos, and I’m hoping to see then again on Saturday. Because, I’m a greedy bastard okay, and proud of it! But hopefully I bought some bits to keep me quiet for the next year.

Also in the post I received a part order for some Brandbright 16mm Coaches. More on those later.

So, theres ya lot.

FUCK THE SYSTEM!

For more information on Hartburn Junction, please visit our club website Stockton & District Model Railway Club