New figure from MK35 (1/35)

I’m not going to review stuff here on the blog. But when I stumble over an interesting product, I will not hesitate to share it. I have several figures from the French company MK35. They have quite a large selection of civilian figures in 1:35. Most are distinctly French looking, but with minor modifications I have made several fit for acting as Danes.

Image from MK35's web site

The new figure is a worker waiting for a train or a bus. He is equipped with a substantial suit case. I am sure he will find a place along a road near Nystrup waiting for a 1:35 scale bus (that I hope will one day be available as a kit). See the complete range of figures and ordering info on MK35.

Impressions from the Gauge 1 exhibition (1/35)

Having spent two full days setting up modules, running trains and watching other modellers' work, it is hard to get motivated unpacking the stuff which now resides all over my normal working space. Much more fun staring at photos from the event and do some ‘arm chair modelling’ (made really easy with wireless internet and tablet PC). I suppose I’m not going to get any serious modelling done the next few weeks.

Let me instead share some photos and links of both Nystrup Gravel’s excursion to Fyn and some of the standard gauge 1:32 stuff that maybe could be of interest to narrow gauge enthusiasts. To the non-Danish speaking audience I apologize for the links to sites in Danish, but I’m sure you’ll be able to appreciate videos and images. First a few images from my own camera (amazing how little time you have to watch other layouts when you're a one man show at an exhibition). More photos on my Flickr-site.

The exhibition was held in an area where gravel was once a main industry. Small remnants of the activity can still be found today - much to my interest! Narrow gauge in the area fell out of use during the early 1970's.



The hired Henschel DG 26 from contractor Arne Nielsen pulling stone wagons from the pits.



Loco 23 with a long train of skips. Only very few derailments occured during two days of operation - even with a train this long. Must be an indication that the staff did a good job building the track. The edges of the modules could still use some finishing work, though.

Loco 22 passing what I think will become a great 'scenic divider' in the future. A small tree line will act as a 'gate' to the next scene. Sorry for the unfinished landscape at the front...

Despite the somewhat 'odd man out-status' of the industrial narrow gauge theme and scale (1:35 as opposed to Gauge 1 1:32) it seems that Nystrup Gravel made an impression on several viewers. At least my small modules have been able to be mentioned on two Danish sites. You can see them here:

Blogger MY1287

A visitor from a H0-club

At exhibitions many enthusiasts make substantial 'investments' in new rolling stock and other items for their layouts. I made it home with only small additions to my collection: two small trees, two mail boxes, an assortment of gas bottles and a rabbit. You may even be able to spot the rabbit in the image below?

Spot the rabbit on this photo of the Henschel with empty stone wagons.

The exhibition was an enjoyable 'outing' for my small gravel company and I hope to be invited again. A big thank to the organizers. It is no small feat to set up such a large arrangement!

Exhibition snapshots (1/35)

Just a few snap shots from the Gauge 1 exhibition's first day.

A Henschel diesel loco crossing the small stream outside Nystrup. The Henschel was on hire to Nystrup Gravel Ltd. from contractor Arne Nielsen, Langeland.

Nystrup No. 8 with three wooden skips crossing the barren grounds at the (yet) dried out stream.

Broloekke halt on one of the interesting standard gauge modules attending the exhibition. Scale is 1:32.

A standard gauge loco from Danish manufacturer Pedershaab, well known for its narrow gauge locos. Again scale is 1:32. 

Up and running (1/35)

Getting my humble module set up ready for the participation in the Gauge 1 exhibition in Rolfsted near Odense has taken up much of my spare time for the last few weeks. My new module with the bridge has been taken into use, but is far from finished. The new fiddle yard comprised of two 80 cm modules were the last thing to get finished being built practically on site at the exhibition. One of the good things about attending exhibitions or meetings is the motivation that makes one work much faster and put aside more time for modelling. Normally being a very slow modeller the demands of meeting a dead line brings out a new aspect in modelling.



Nystrup Gravel is for a few days resident on the Danish island of Fyn. Nearest the camera is my fiddle yard, next my three landscaped modules and in the distance three 'naked' modules from Arne Nielsen.

Not only getting the modules ready has taken time, making locos and rolling stock ready for service, packing models safely for transport and arranging all the stuff that is needed to make everything work properly takes quite some time. I hope I have everything I need for faultless operation of Nystrup Gravel for the next two days.

Skip painted (1/35)

Among a lot of other tasks in preparation for an exhibition next week, I managed to paint and weather my brake skip. It may need a little airbrushing to hide som of the hard edges from the variours washes, but I have to move on to other things. I need a 1,8 m. fiddle yard ready by Friday.

Spudded wheels - Volvo T 41 (1/35)

I may be building an industrial railway, but I have an interest in tractors too. As the town of Nystrup is located in a rural area and the gravel company's railway winds its way through a lot of fields, models of tractors are not out of place. Even though I build in 1:35 scale I have become sort of addicted to the tractor models in 1:32 from Model Tractor Co. Last summer I built a Volvo T 41 with a wood burning gas generator. A gas generator was used on many lorries, smaller locomotives and tractors during the German occupation of Denmark 1940-1945 to save liquid fuel. The gas generator turned wood into gas to be burned in the engine.

The tractor is painted with Vallejo acrylics. Engine block and gear box are 975 'Military Green' while wheels, bonnet and fenders are 70957 'Flat Red'. The gas generator is painted in Model Air 064 'Chrome'. The tractor is lightly weathered with oil paints and pastel chalks. The tractor's license plate is a custom made decal from the small Danish producer Skilteskoven. The small markings on the generator are from a set by Archer - 'small instructional plaques'. The 'Volvo' markings are from the kit.

A nice kit, easy to assemble and a great addition to my little piece of 1950's Denmark. If any inspiration is still needed to build one yourself, enjoy this image from a Volvo commercial!

Skip with brakes (1/35)

Having two trains of five Scale Link skips each Nystrup Gravel needed some way of braking them when not in use. As an experiment a braked skip has been aquired.

The brake skip is made from two Scale Link frames combined and fitted with brake gear and a platform. From three kits I get parts for two braked skips – and two wheel sets and four axle boxes in surplus that will come in handy for future projects. The platform is a piece of etched brass tread plate and brake gear is nothing but nickle silver rod and brass profile. The diminutive brake blocks are from plastic card.


The skip is currently being painted and weathered to blend in with the other skips.