Station progress...

The station has a roof...

Some photos in the afternoon sun with the newly acquired Piko railbus.

LGB Rugen option 2...

Yesterday I introduced Option 1, today I present the Px48 bash...

The Polish designed Px48, designed in 1948 (hence the designation apparently) were also sold to Romania, the CFR. It is these Romanian examples with small 4 wheel tender that have inspired the second Rugens kit bash idea.

This model is much more significant undertaking with major chance of destroying a wonderful LGB model - the well tank needs totally removing potentially leaving some of the motion support-less. Beyond that the cab will be removed and a new one fabricated along with tender. On the body the well tank is replaced with a higher running board.

The 0-8-0 tender engine might make more sense though for the EJ&KLR, in the sense that to increase tractive effort with increasing traffic after the war, especially timber, the railway needed new equipment. 0-6-0s were not powerful enough without being too heavy. An 0-8-0T would need big tanks and coal bunker and be too heavy for the lightly constructed bridges - the tender locomotive, despite it's increase in size reducing the capacity of the small run round loops offers the best of both worlds.

What do you think? Does Option 1, or 2 do it for you?

Next kitbash, LGB Rugen option 1...

I've been pondering my next move on the LGB kitbash front. The success of my Frank S conversion has me hungry for more, and this time I'm planning something around a Rugens 0-8-0WT.

Option 1 is something inspired by this Saxon 0-10-0T, two of which operated in Austria after the Second World War. I think the Rugens would make a more compact version, just needing tanks and a revised roof profile in my opinion. Something different anyway...

As for Option 2, that's totally different... A Polish built PX48 in Romanian trim... More on that another day...

Promotional poster...

New EJ&KLR railbus...

With the arrival today of an ex DB VT98 railbus converted to the EJ&KLRs narrow gauge that's winter services taken care of!

The Piko model, for anyone wondering, is exquisite. Size wise it works fine next to the 1:22ish LGB Austrian stock, despite being about 1:27th, and a standard gauge prototype.

With 4 wheel drive and pick up plus 4 skates pickup even in bad weather should be good, and the trailer car, when used doubles that!

Austrian brake van conversion finished...

This evening I finished the Austrian OBB inspired brakevan, based upon the LGB balcony vented goods van.

The work has involved filling the vents, cutting and fabricating windows, adding an end door, smoothing off some other details, respray and then custom transfers.

I'm really pleased with how it's turned out. Initial inspiration came from Bruce of the Hill Head and Dales Light Railway conversion's along with the book 'Schmalspurig Durch Osterreich'.
I lettered her for the EJ&KLR as although it's a reasonable replica I didn't follow one prototype too closely.

Drying time...

All the main bits of the van conversion are now finished, with a second coat of black on the roof and the varnish applied over the transfers. Just waiting for it to dry before re-assembly, and a touch of detail painting.

Good progress again...

I've found my modelling mojo again and have pressed on with both projects that are on my work bench in the past week.

I've replaced the hand drawn doors in the station interior with some I printed out from the Internet. As the building will only be outside for operating sessions I'm not too worried about it curling, but did use a UHU type glue just in case.

I've also sprayed the van with two coats of satin dark green, which is now ready for some gloss varnish to be applied where I'm adding transfers tomorrow evening.

In other news I've bought a Piko railbus in the DB maroon livery which I'm collecting on Sunday.

It ain't pretty but it's effective...

I hope it's effective anyway... It felt wrong to have no interior on the station, even though it won't be possible to see inside properly but I thought it would be sensible to add a few posters, fake doors and the ended up adding some somber black curtains too... I could have gone to town but that's not really my style when the effort doesn't seem worth it... Bodging seems much more at home on this aspect to me...

You just know that in the summer though, with a low angle shot in the evening I'll regret it, still there is always photoshop!

Brake and station painting...

It's been a few weeks since the last update as modelling progress slowed and I've been away with work, however I've been working on the can conversion and station building again.

First up you can see another distraction, I dug out this Bachmann Class 66 the other week to see if I could re-kindle my 4mm mojo, slightly but it's not really returned, and I find the large scale modelling much more appealing and therapeutic.

So the van now has all four side windows cut out, a top plank added to each opening, and then a frame inside the new opening. Then I've also fabricated a new end door frame and door handle. To tie it all together and check the finish I applied a first coat of primer...

Photos from the camera of a 4 year old...

I downloaded Elly's photos from her camera this evening and amongst the typical blurry indistinguishable ones I found some real gems - some of these you would not expect a 4 year old to be able to compose, let alone hold steady with a rubbish kiddy camera...

A ride on the W&L steam gala - 2

It was great too to see the non running Resita at Llanfair and Sir Drefaldwyn at Welshpool. The inspiration behind the EJ&KLR's 798.201.

A ride on the W&L steam gala - 1

We went back to the Welshpool and Llanfair today for a ride on the trains. We rode behind Joan in the Zillertal coaches, and what a lovely day. Joan perhaps a little rough though, was she always like that?

Strange blue visitor...

Oh dear, it had to happen sooner or later...

We couldn't visit without a ride...

Fun day out at Llanfair...

I've had a fun day out at Llanfair at the garden railway exhibition and the Welshpool and Llanfair Steam gala, hi-light for me seeing Joan.