Our world in miniature, hobbies

That's the worst part there Dreamtime if any of my collection has to be dusted, as it can easily be so time consuming (lol), depending though on how many models you actually have? Fortunately for me, my two favourite models (the two biggest ones!) are in an air tight display case and so I don't have to dust them two! I do have some displayed in a large cabinet and they get dusted probably only about once a month and the rest of the models I have are all still in their original boxes and kept stored away in containers, so no dusting involved with them ones luckily !!!! lol. I've been on-line to have a look at the Tram Museum that you visited in Bendigo and the place itself and their collection of trams look to be fantastic! Without the sheer dedication of enthusiastic volunteers, so many museums around the world just wouldn't be able to open, or even exist today full stop and so we should really owe them all a debt of gratitude for what they do!!!!!!! I don't know whether the Tram Museum has any models on display at all of some of the trams that they have in their collection, but I'd be very surprised if they didn't have at least one or two on display? (plus lots of tramways artefacts as well!). It sure looks a great place though and all I wish is, that it was a bit nearer to Coventry than what it is (lol), as I'd be heading straight to have a look around the place myself then!!!!!! Hope you get visit there again one day and see just how much more restoration the volunteers have done since your first visit?

CKV 1D, While you are still in the land of nod, I will have the last word from Oz before I get moved over to the Coventry trams. My son lives in Bendigo so there will be a lot more trips yet. I would add though, I was very surprised there were no golden charms of trams in the jewellery shops, not one to be found, not even in the gift shop (if there was then somebody beat me to it) considering it is well known for its Deborah gold mine and had a strong Chinese influence. I will now go back and blow the dust off my Bendigo pottery.

Hi all I have never been ashamed of the enjoyment that I derive from model railways, or big boys' toys. I still enjoy a challenge too, more so as my vision issues are not quite so restrictive as they were even half a year ago. It was a sad & happy occasion when a model trader in Sutton Coldfield retired & sold his business. Pete was a fair minded trader, who made his soul living from his shop in Ryland Rd, so he had to be business-like. The shop was known as a treasure trove amongst modellers, many travelled the length of the country to visit his shop. He had a few enthusiastic customers who had learning difficulties, one of whom often ruined perfectly good models by squirting them with Three-in-one Oil, then coming back to the shop telling Pete that it won't work anymore. Pete would always sort him out, even if it meant the dustbin for the returned item. He described his kindness as a loss-leader. I was in his shop on such an occasion when in about 1991, a gunged-up Hornby B12 loco was returned. When the chap had gone, Pete asked me if I would like the challenge of getting it to work & to keep it. No joke, the oil stains were in the box, it was caked. I brought the loco home, stripped the body from the chassis, then soaked the lot, motor as well, in hot soapy water. I brushed it liberally, then rinsed with fresh warm water & left to dry. Once dry, a small paint brush dabbed in meths, soaking the motor as it turned. I then reassembled, since when it has sat in our display cabinet. Seeing the only B12 running at several heritage railways, I considered recently buying the new Hornby super detailed B12, at a cost of current price £135. Instead, out from the cabinet came my never used B12. A bit of work, of adding detail, I now have a B12, to nearly match the latest detailed edition from Hornby that has cost me nothing but a few hours time. I do hope you like.

Ballasting in progress. There are many short-cuts for ballasting, using special devices, which for large layouts, can be very timesaving, but for Hallbrooks, such would look too uniform. In the sixties, ballasting on secondary lines was a man & shovel job. My shovel is an old stiff toothbrush. This week of very dry atmosphere is perfect for gluesetting. Later today, when all has throughly dried out, the toothbrush will be used vigorously used to clear all inappropriate ballast.

Hi all The principal reason for the demise of steam on our railways, was that they were labour intensive. Proof of the pudding is the fact that our model locos all have electric motors, they are not live steam. Our national railways in the sixties possessed thousands of steam locos, we have over four hundred in preservation now. Hundreds of different designs & classes, which one of our most recent steam loco designers Ivatt, attempted to standardise into twelve classes. Upon his retirement, he stated that our entire rail network could be run by just five classes. A good design was evident when years after a class introduction, further batches were ordered. Such was the case with 4300 Class, a Churchward design of 1911. Modifications were developed over the years with over three hundred being built. Thirty of the class when they came up for major overhaul were re-built as the Manor Class. We have four of the class at Hall Brooks. In real life I never ever saw one in Coventry, so I am making up for their absence. They would not get platform clearance in those days as the cylinders would foul the platform edges, as one did at Leamington Avenue in the fifties. They could be found on all duties, having a wide route availibility on the Western region. To the embarrassment of the new diesel era management, the new Warship Class diesels introduced in 1958, struggled to match the performance of these vintage 4300 Class. I described in an earlier post that I had super detailed my four Bachmann models, so just to say what a delight they are.

I too get a great deal of pleasure from my model vehicles. We often put items together in the same picture which have perhaps never been seen together in real life, such as the Russian Zil limousine and the Morgan sports car. Sometimes there are disappointments though. The ice cream van I bought has a very slapdash paint job.

Lovely ice-cream though!

... and a Coventry registration number!

I suggested earlier in this thread that I was going to try setting the Greyhound coach against the Council House. Tried it today. Despite shuffling around on floor for quarter of an hour I still feel I could do better. So, here's to the next time.

Morning all My Pam is beside herself with excitement. It was her birthday last weekend, so just look at what has arrived from Hattons this morning. A Ninky Nonk, fits nicely in the short platform at Longford Park.

Hi all Hounds Hill town station retaining wall almost complete.

Is that an inflatable boat on top of the barge?

Or a doughnut?

Its a dingy. A gift from a dear friend. I do have some keepsake items on the railway, for reasons of who they were from.

Because my back is playing up I had to stay in and play today. Steve came in to help. We wanted to show relative sizes of different vehicles using scale models. One could never hope to assemble the group of models in real life.