Scale Model Scenery Low relief cottage

 This just completed for the people in Lincolnshire. I have issues with it, but nothing that couldn't be sorted on a second go. Most of these are the order of the instructions which seemed to make things harder than they needed to be. Overall though it does what it says on the tin and produces an excellent 'back of the layout' piece of scenery. Essentially brick paper over an MDF carcass, it is robust and would take more detail if you so wished. Comparable in price to S/Q and Metcalfe for a similar item and would probably sit better with the former. I'd like to try some of the brick papers without the rest of the building.

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Movie Monday. KESR Ford Railcars

I've probably put put a link to this up before on the old place, which doesn't mean that it doesn't deserve another look.  Aside from the intended subject matter it does give a different, and moving view of the contemporary KESR, which in some ways is more useful in model terms than stills. The thing that jumps out though is the almost Buster Keaton-esque lack of railway safety, even for the time, with the cameraman filming through the spectacle plate of a moving locomotive fifty feet in front. Thus breaking every one engine/section rule in the book. 

Saturday Ramble

 Is this railway modelling blogging still relevant? When I shut the old blog down (see post a few days ago) there was more than a little soul searching. Did I want to do this anymore? Was it worth it? It takes time and I have to keep at it to keep the interest. A few people contacted me to ask where it was. The repeated phrase was 'an entertaining read'. I'm not quite sure how to process that, but I took it as positive. After a while I decided to re-start, without the baggage and without the Russian bots. I did consider RMweb for a nano second, but although I pop in there for a snippet of information from time to time, it feels a bit feral, in common with all forums. Here I have a modicum  of control and I've tended not to get people shouting at me. So Blogger it is again. Is anyone reading, well no. As expected, the numbers are at floor level in comparison to the quite hefty hit rate of the old one: people don't know I'm here. That's actually quite alright. I'm happy for it to grow again almost organically. 

The answer to the heading question is probably yes, it is. In a magazine article I have the blue pencil hovering over me and I have to be commercially circumspect. There is a measure of this here as well, but I make that call, I don't have advertisers to please. Speaking of which it will remain ad free for the immediate future, though if you are regular please do consider the coffee buying option. Better that than pop ups for Thai-brides and garden furniture littering the page.

What to expect? More of the same really. I have done away with all the historical stuff at the top of the page, but I'll add a few links for the more recent layout builds and the current exhibition beasts. The latest build is a TT:120 for the people in Devon so little bits of that will be the flavour for a while. It's a learning curve for me  so you are getting a filter-free response here. I'm constantly on the edge of cock-up with it as I feel my way through all the new (and uber fragile) stuff.

If you are reading this, then well done for finding it, you are part of a very select band of viewers. Onward.

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