I've been busy...

 

...so I'm behind on my blogging. In lieu of a proper post, here is a picture of our cat, Stampy. 

Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.  

Saturday Film Club: Class 14: Why Britain Scrapped These New Locomotives After Just 5 Years

The Class 14 "Teddy Bear" has, to my eyes, always been an attractive loco. Sadly, it was a bit of a failure - the traffic it was designed to handle was fading away as the locos were delivered. This video covers it nicely, with some well-researched archive footage. 

But, the highlight for me is at 12:50, when we see a self-propelled rail-mounted Coles crane batting along a bit of track. I don't recall seeing one of these in action before, and it can certainly move!

I built a static model of this in the September 2025 issue of BRM, using a base from 247 Developments, with a Corgi Trackside top.  

Worth it for the postage!

Ever a sucker for a bit of Manx tat on eBay, I won a couple of very vintage badges. They arrived, and the big surprise was the fabulous collection of Isle of Man post office stamps on the envelope. Easily as much fun as the badges, and definitely deserving of a place in the collection! 

R486 Town Bank in The Collector

My quest to build all the 1980s and 90s Hornby "Made in West Germany" kits continues, with one of the lesser-known models, R486 Town Bank, in The Collector. 

To be honest, I thought this would be a nice quick kit to build, commensurate with the tight deadline I was working under. As it turned out, it is a bit more involved, thanks to the corner shape. When it comes to the roof, I needed to come up with some techniques (in the article) to hold on to everything while the glue dried. 

One of the most interesting points is that the box describes the model shown as "enhanced". It's not; it's an early scratchbuilt prototype. Look at the brickpaper covering and dormers that don't match the ones in the kit. That cash machine is better than we get in to the box too. 

What it doesn't show is the red telephone box also included. Quite a nice kit too.  

For speed, I made extensive use of acrylic paint pens, and they were very handy too for window frames and doors. 

This is a nice kit, that could form the basis of a detailed model. Inside the doors, which I modelled open, there is a bit of interior. Given time, more could be scratch-built, so the blinds were superfluous. Or perhaps it could become; a trendy wine bar?  

Warehouse Wednesday - Bunded tanker area

 

Spotted in the Cadbury factory, this is an interesting detail for an industrial scene. A bunded area is somewhere to park a tanker, with drainage to avoid spills spreading. I'd assume this is normally where it is being loaded or unloaded, but this one seems not to have any facilities for this. Does the driver haul the tanker to this spot if it appears to be leaking? 

Modelling would be simple enough: some gratings around the edge of a concrete area. You could probably scribe the lot into card, unless someone laser-cuts the gratings. The change of ground colour from tarmac to concrete would look good in model form. 

You'll need a sign, of course: 

Maybe that door hides a connection for a hose from the tanker? Since it was the weekend, and there were no deliveries, I can't tell. If anyone knows more, I'm sure we'd love to know.