Slow Progress

Well, it's been a February with a lot of deadlines at work. Articles, tenders and exhibitions to prepare and finalize. Also some projects on the 1:1 scale vintage railway HVB, where I spend some of my spare time, have been swallowing up time, too. Still I have been able to sit at the work table now and then, but have precious little to show.

Since last post every part of the traction engine has been painted. Mostly black and dark grey, but  brass, copper, gun metal and red were used as well. Weathering is now in progress. Some of the equipment to be fitted to the engine is also in progress. I hope a small selection of hand tools and personal belongings can make my traction engine look like a 'living vehicle'.

A small wooden tool box for the traction engine. The box is built from scraps of wood. Currently it is slowly filling with tools, wire and rags.

Recently I have finished stage 2 of my great 1:35 scale clear-out. Currently I have no more 1:35 railway models for sale as a few have been saved for exhibition purposes on a narrow gauge vintage railway along with my 1:35 scale modules. There are still a few road vehicles on the sales list, though. I'm also beginning to drag out all the kits I have had stashed away in boxes in the loft. There is a few original 13'eme Dragon 1:35 Pechot wagons among the unbuilt kits. Write to nystrupgravel@gmail.com if you are interested and I'll send a list.

Parcel almost ready for send-off. All the locos and wagons I had made wooden boxes for, presented no problems and all have arrived at their new owners undamaged. I was more worried about this particular parcel, that contains several rather flimsy road vehicles with open doors, direction markers and exhaust pipes. To cut down on transit damage I had packed models in several smaller sub-parcels. Still, not every model arrived without damage. Damage, that fortunately has been reported as repairable.

As a sort of Christmas present HVB received a new Schöma loco. After a short proces HVB took over the ownership from the old owner and we arranged the transport. The loco has run under its own power within the last 15 years, but has a different gauge (785 mm rather than 700 mm). Time will show if the gauge can be changed.

The 6 ton Schöma 2867/1965 will soon touch the rails. It will then be pushed into the narrow gauge industrial railway 'gene bank' building. The loco will reside here until it can be properly exhibited or restored and put into use. Photo: Hans-Henrik Schönthal.