Barchester

Well folks the temperature really had a go today round Barchester, 102.F or 39.C. I was only there for half an hour fortunately as just a couple of small items were awaiting my attention. It will have to get a bit cooler before I start having long sessions again, unless I start on something really good.

I have been wanting to make progress on producing several railway vehicles of the mechanical horse type but couldn't seem to find any reasonably accurate measurements and then a very kind chap on one of the forums I frequent offered to send me a set of drawings. Well, they arrived yesterday and are perfect for what I want to do. It's a good job I waited as well, other wise my efforts would have been over scale as the vehicles are much smaller than I thought.

Before I can get to wheeled transport I have to produce some barges as now I have the cranes for loading I sorely need something to load to and from. So, next is a timber cutting shed, then barges and hopefully the wheeled transport will follow..

Anyway, here is a photo of one of the new cranes in it's permanent position on Barchester, loading up pipework in the Goods Yard.

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Well the vehicles are on hold I'm afraid, at least for the time being as a couple of other projects are in hand. The first is an open sided saw shed on which I have made a start. The design isn't finalised as yet but I am far enough forward with it to have made this first attempt as shown in the photograph below.









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Progress on the saw shed has taken place in spite of the awful temperatures around Barchester. As you can see the design has changed slightly with the steps being separated into two halves. Hopefully more changes will not be needed.










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Now you can see the base of the model with the saw table added and necessary pile of sawdust underneath the table.








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Here are the sides and top of the model. The curved roof has been added but not yet coloured.










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The two halves put together and other detail added. Note the chap at the back of the shed spraying preservative on the raw timber planks.









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Have made a start on the barges, well almost, and have been giving much thought to the mechanical horses I want for Barchester. Not a fat lot happening on the modelling front as we have three grandchildren staying with us for two weeks and they are taking up most of our time. Still, they return to their loving parents on 23rd so I may just get some stuff under way before the end of the month.

Well the grandchildren are safely back in the UK, along with my better half, so yours truly has a couple of weeks on his own. I will be making a start on the barges I need very shortly, all being well and if nothing else crops up. I have also been studying the drawings of the Mechanical Horse series of vehicles and I now have a few ideas for Barchesters very own mechanical horse.






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