Two Down, with Another Two Almost Complete and Another To Go

After last week’s post PK sent me through a couple of witty emails in response to my post about his backyard shed and clothes line.  I was not very sorry about airing his dirty laundry so to speak.   I had to respond in kind, by saying I was not going for the prize of best model, but most popular, as I am sure everyone will get a huge laugh out of the entry once they see a model of him outside his shed, drinking beer with his huge beard (and I do mean huge white beard) – Note I have purposely not posted that photo as I want to see his reaction in person when he sees the completed model.

Work this week centred around completing my Modelling competition entries.  On Monday I bent up and attached four handrails around the access doors for my FAM Coach.  I also bent up and painted two down pipes for PK’s Shed. 

On Tuesday Night after a trip to my son’s school for a Drama Presentation was cancelled due to apathy, I was able to make it to the UPMRC Buy and Sell.  I caught up with a few mates there and afterwards, a few of us caught up with Peter and few other Tuesday Nighter's at Peter’s place.  I could not find anything of interest at the Buy and Sell.  But I must admit there was plenty of items being transacted.

I had Thursday and Friday off thus week to watch the Test Cricket.  On Thursday this week, I attached the down pipes to PK’s Shed.  I also had a rather thorough look for my previously built chicken coop.  No Luck.  So I made another one.  I then made up the hen house to go inside the chicken coop.  On Friday I cut up two base boards - one for the chicken coop and  one for PK’s Shed and did a bit of work in preparing the diorama bases for these.  The hen house and chicken coop were painted/weathered and the wire attached to the chicken coop.  The door even works.  So with a few added pieces of detail these entries are now considered complete.

On Saturday I got stuck back into the Old Cassino Goods Shed.  I found a few photos that I had put aside and also dialled up a view from Google Earth and Google Street View to confirm colouring and other various details.  That allowed me to basically paint up the model that I have built.  Late yesterday I also cut up a display base for this model.  Last night I decided that I needed to add an entry to the building, so this morning I painted that up with the help of my Silver, Grey Primer and Yellow Oxide spray cans.  I will add that tonight.  I spent all day today at a family BBQ, and we had fun watching the women's world cup football and the cricket on TV.

I think tonight I might think about some extra detail onto the Goods Shed and maybe next Friday (another day off) I will paint up the display base, and add the track, ballast and driveway for the trucks to the goods shed module.  Then that entry will be completed.

That will then leave me all next week and the week after (when I’m on Holidays and there is more cricket on TV) to apply the decals to the FAM passenger coach and also complete the building of the load for my 40’ container flat.

So I think everything is coming together nicely for my Club Modelling Competition entries.  I just need to remember to pack everything up when I head over to the Club for the Christmas Party and Modelling Competition on the 9th.

Modelling Comp Entries Update

Well after weeks, maybe months, of prodding PK, it seems like the silly old bugger has finally installed his clothes line in the back yard.  There was a post on Facebook by PK and I have attached his photo here.

One of PK's 2 HO scale clothes lines that I made for him for his retirement.

This week, I could not find time to progress any of my planned modelling jobs.  However, I was able to spend a little time just looking through my decal collectiuion.  I did find relevant decals that will allow me to decal the FAM when I’m on holidays later this week while watching the cricket.

I was about to have a half day on Wednesday this week, when I got a call from George from Aurora Trains, that my Auscision order was in.  So I went home, picked up the car and drove over and collected up some more Coil Wire Wagons with loads for myself and some mates.

Yesterday I also picked up some items from Simon Says Hobbies and Games.  This included some styrene and something special for the model I started to build yesterday.  This model is titled PK’s Shed.  My modelling competition entry is a model of PK’s Shed.  It also has a sliding door just like PK’s shed.  However, in this version of the shed, it has a clothes line just outside.  This version was also lined and painted on the inside, also unlike PK's.

Today I spray painted the inside of the shed, and then painted the outside of the shed.  I then painted the tracks for the sliding door, and fitted them to the model.  When they were dry I fitted the glass doors and tested to ensure that the sliding door could be opened and closed – which it could.  I then built a roof frame and then attached some corrugated iron.  This was then painted and the shed finally assembled.

The gutters were then painted and attached.  I have not yet attached downpipes, but I can do that this week sometime.  This still needs to be put onto a very small diorama, again a task for this coming week.  That will then make it the second modelling competition almost complete.

PK's shed and clothes line.

I will continue looking for my wooden chicken coop that I had previously built and cannot find.  So next Thursday before the cricket starts, I will turn the shed upside down.  If necessary, I will build another one on Thursday.  That should then make 3 entries down with two more to go.

Planning the Club Modelling Competition Entries

Tuesday this week I made my first visit to Cliff’s place for our Tuesday Nighter’s meeting.  Cliff is the newest member of our group, although he has been a member for quite some time now.  I have not been able to make any of the previous trips to Cliff’s place to view his layout.  He has a nice layout down one side of his garage and plenty of tracks to shunt back and forth on.  He also has a few desks on which to undertake modelling and painting.  While there another of the Tuesday NIghters brought along 3 of his Eureka 40 class locos.  So I coded them up with 4 digit addresses for him.  They seem to have a very weird speed straight out of the box.  Very fast on speed step one, and one had a huge amount of momentum.

This weekend was our monthly meeting for our Club.  It was also the date that we needed to have our modelling competition entries submitted for next month's modelling competition.  This allows the organiser to determine what categories we will have entries in, and arrange judges, and trophies to be purchased for the various categories that will have entries.  This year I plan to have 5 entries.  The competition is on the second Saturday in December.  So I have not much time left in which to complete my entries.  I spent a good hour thinking what I was going submit on Thursday night.

On Friday night I decided to get stuck into completing my Hanovale FAM sleeper.  THis has been sitting around for months.  I had previously tried white glue for making the windows, but they turned out very cloudy.  So on Friday I cut out and shaped 10 windows for one side of the wagon from clear styrene.  On Saturday night, I made another two windows for the side doors.  Today I cut out 10 more for the other side of the wagon, and got around to gluing them in.  The windows now look much better.  I also painted two bogies up for the FAM on Friday afternoon.  Today I also fitted the KDs and the bogies to the FAM.  I now need to do the two end windows in the doors that allow travel between coaches in the train, and then look around for some appropriate decals for the wagon.

Yesterday on the way to the Club, I picked up some styrene to make a train shed as part of a diorama to be entered into the modelling competition.  I think I will try and get around to completing that either tonight or during the week.  I will paint it next weekend and it should be ready by next Sunday.  So that will be two entries down.

I have made another structure that I was going to use for entry number 3, but I have not been able to locate it.  It is somewhere in the shed.  I will dedicate next weekend for locating that item and put the finishing touches on it.  If I cannot find it, I will make another.  You can never have too many of this item.

Another item that I was going to enter was started many months ago and has languishing on the layout unfinished and unpainted.  So I think I will be working on that the weekend after.

My last entry also contains lots of half finished models.  So I need to get stuck into completing these items.  I am having some holidays around the cricket test match in Brisbane and the first week of December (just before the competition) and should be able to knock up about a dozen items and paint them up.

It will be shame if other members do not get on board and put entries into the competition.  That is why I am putting in 5 entries.

I have also done so much detailing and scene making on the home layout during the year, but I just cannot up and bring it along to the Club.  The shed is just not portable.

Goodbye PK

Well this week PK showed up at work on Tuesday after another couple of weeks off on holidays.  On Thursday about 60 of his closest friends and some that just wanted to make sure he was going to leave for good, had lunch on the roof at work and had about 42 pizzas ordered as well as chips, cake and softdrink etc.  It was PK’s retirement lunch from work.  My association with PK started about 17 years ago, when PK’s section at work (Office Systems Unit) shutdown and all the guys from there were redeployed to our central office in other teams.  That is when I met this ratbag.  I found out he had an interest in model trains among other things.  He wasn't a bad bloke either.  He used to swing between being bald with a beard, hair and no beard, a dead ringer for Santa and different combinations.  On the Thursday at work, various photos from his work history were plastered around the office in stairwells, inside lifts and on some doors.  He even looked like a porn star with a mow in a few of the photos.  PK always knew his stuff.  I have had the pleasure of being able to wander down between floors and have a talk to PK (as well as other model railway guys at work) when I needed to get away from my desk before I went postal.  We could also reminisce about some dork at the Club, something funny from Tuesday Nighters, something that occurred at an exhibition, or just have a chat.  PK is a great source of jokes, funny photos and train information.  He will be missed at work.  Although he barely spent any time there this year with holidays and long service leave.

Thursday was the first party.  His work mates got him a selection of presents that were quite funny.  He also got a few bottles of alcohol which apparently he will slowly demolish.  I also presented him with two HO scale clothes lines I knocked up just for him the night before.  PK built his 12 m x 7 m train shed apparently 4 years ago (I think it was longer) and has all the materials in it to insulate and line it.  They have been there for a couple of years.  Also in his shed is his trusty clothes line.  He can dry clothes in any weather.  He also has a clothes line post ready to install outside his shed, so he can then get around to insulating and lining his shed, and move into layout building mode.  He just needs to dig a hole, put the post in, and back fill with a bag or two of pre-mix concrete.  We have been waiting for ages.  So that is the reason for his present.

Santa leaving work with his retirement goodies (Photo by Cookie)

On Friday PK and about 40 to 50 of his mates went to a local hotel and had a very nice lunch and a few cold drinks.  I pulled up stumps just before 3:00pm to get home and do things as the daughter had a school dance to go to, and I had to look after the son.  Apparently PK kicked on until about 9:30pm.  Various photos were posted by his mates while he was in various degrees of inebriation.  It was a very nice arvo and we had many laughs, caught up with some people who have moved on to other jobs, but generally just farewelled a great mate – PK

PK having a drink on Friday (photo by Rob Hawkins)

On Friday Night after deciding that the two clothes lines I put together for PK looked pretty good, I jumped into putting together two more clothes lines for myself.  I painted them on Saturday.  I just need to string some line on them.

Today was a Buy and Sell day at the Club.  Plenty of sellers, plenty of buyers and I resisted and ended up not buying anything, although plenty took my fancy.  I did not have a very happy day selling some of my excess NSW stuff, and having to buy food for my apprentice in tow.

We have all been threatened with a phone call from PK on Monday asking what we are doing, as he will be lazing around drinking coffee with his feet up in his pergola, reading the paper followed by a train magazine while we are trying to still save for our retirement.  See you on Tuesday night PK.  It has been lots of fun.