Things I do for Trains: Chris the Brickie...

Just back from the first night of my 10 week evening class on bricklaying.   I want to have some (lift out) bridges on my layout and that involves probably at least one brick pillar even if I'm looking at decking etc for the main layout.  And the brick faced flowerbeds are falling apart and need some maintenance and I want to have my logging camp extension in one of them.

Bit surreal really to do something like bricklaying at evening class given that I've previously normally done computer based skill courses, or things that take place in a classroom.  The DIY course had all the girlies... :-(  (There is a girlie on the bricklaying day class and her work looked excellent - as Ann said she could be someone like a landscape gardener).  Also the course brought home how we haven't really moved that much forward from Roman times....  although one might argue that bricks didn't come back into use after the Romans left until circa 1500 AD...  Carpentry I can see as an extension of my modelling skills, but bricklaying is well off base... It would be interesting to hear all the stories of why people are on the course as we seem a fairly motley crew...

We build walls up, we take them down (the lime mortar we are using doesn't set in the timescale we are on).   By week 4 if we are good then we may get to leave our walls standing....

 I did about 4 foot by two bricks high tonight, with each attempt better than the last.  Learned alot already - I'm obviously not the first G scale train man he has had on a course... By the end of it then I think I will have got value for my £80 course fee.

Ann of course wants one of these...

Given that it is a tripartite build - base, column and bridge bit, then I had been thinking of a base and bridge for a bit of the Garden.

Working on the builders bottom, tattoos, and wolf whistles...

Chris

Logging camp - Garden work and track planning again

My new PIKO R2 (920mm) curves arrived last weekend (along with some second hand LGB R3 curves - 1175mm).  R3 is the default minimum standard for 'anything will run" but still a bit big for my garden.  I've already accepted that 'big and long' locos or coaches don't belong on my likely layout as it is at the moment and 500 mm may be the maximum length of either if it is not to look a bit silly.  

I spent some time on more detailed undergrowth clearance - Ann previously has tended to hack away on clearance, but has tended to produce a 'coppice' effect, thus making future years worse.  The end result of this was lots of wood for the stake cars for the proposed logging camp (and the Zillertal - link this time is to a tourist article - makes lots of its money from carrying wood) and I put out some track with some new curves.  The ultimate aim is to have a 'lift out' bridge across the path, so that is functional on non operating days.

Welshpool and Llanfair again - coaches

One of the unexpected treats of the visit were the coaches on the railway which are ex Zillertalbahn stock and which are typical of the real life stock that have informed the LGB models that I have.  LGB made/make replica Zillertal coaches which I don't have but the similarity with others should be apparent. The bottom coach is what we actually rode on.

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway

August 4/5th was the Llanfair Garden railway show and the steam gala on the W&L light railway.   A long journey North and West but an excellent day.  More to come, but a couple of videos for now the ride on the railway.

First up is riding on the carriage balcony behind the Countess engine.

Next is seeing the engine Joan depart with a rake of Zillertal Carriages. 

Enjoy !

Chris