Monthly Archives: May 2023

There are a few readers who occasionally correspond with me by email. They are aware of the fact that I do not check my inbox on a regular basis and it can sometimes be a few days, or weeks, before … Continue reading →

Back to the daily routine after the bank holiday, better inspect the line before resuming operations. A couple of wagons have been moved since Saturday and needed collecting. Just local kids playing about on the railway, no harm done. The … Continue reading →

I mentioned masonry in yesterday’s post. Scratch that. Timber is cheaper. Better than cheap, corrugated cardboard from a box that was destined for the recycling bin is free. It’s Sunday, the railway is not operating today so those kids have … Continue reading →

I reckon a shed large enough to serve as a loading facility at Moonage Sidings would overpower the scene so a simple earth bank will suffice. The gap left between the bank and the track is deliberate, I’ll add some … Continue reading →

I have been testing the SM32 locos to see which layouts the are suited to. The tightly curved track at Moonage Sidings means the Plymouth will be the only loco suitable while the flex means the umbilical loco can only … Continue reading →

I have retrieved Moonage Sidings from the shed where it had been left while the sand/filler roadbed set solid. The ballast had cracked in places as it dried, only to be expected because it is quite deep. After the repairs … Continue reading →

I have been working on the front edge of Syxtene Mill today, the aim is to create a fence similar to the one that featured in the Top Cat cartoons I used to enjoy so much as a child in … Continue reading →

And in the death,As the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy thoroughfare,The shutters lifted an inch in Temperance BuildingHigh on Poacher’s Hill. Future Legend, David Bowie This is what the red, mutant eyes saw. Not quite how Bowie … Continue reading →

Nothing new there then, it happens all the time at Blackcloud Railways HQ. While bending paperclips to make drawbars and fitting the coupler pockets to a few SM32 wagons last night I noticed that one of the flat cars was … Continue reading →

When working in larger scales with open cabbed locos it is essential to provide staff. The first of these was intended for the Hudson Hunslet but he’s too tall for the cab so he’ll be used as driver of the … Continue reading →