Contentment

It has been a hectic couple of months both at work and with the family, that have left little time nor head space to progress my current kit build project. Where I have had time, I’ve found myself popping up to the attic and playing trains.

Intended as a stop gap project, Wheal Ponder has proved far longer lasting and satisfying than I expected it to be. Whilst others build layouts to take to exhibitions, a mixture of shift work and family life have seen me turn down the last couple of invites and Wheal Ponder hasn’t left our house for nearly a year.

Nevertheless, rarely a week goes by without me going upstairs, switching the layout and the lights on. Take a quick sip of the brew I’ve taken up with me and see which train I’ve left set up to run. It takes me longer to make the brew than it does to get the layout running.

There are four train sets on the cassettes with a dozen locos now to choose from. Giving me chance to ring the changes as I go. Sometimes I just run the one train, others, like yesterday I run half a dozen.

Thanks to the late Iain Rice’s plan, operating never dulls as there are a few different ways to operate the layout. With a head shunt not quite long enough to make every option work. The locos and stock trundle about and I feel a sense of calm.

The layout isn’t perfect, I see the flaws in the dodgily laid track. There’s no finescale track and I use hook and bar couplings rather than something finer.

Contentment comes from the operation and the knowledge that everything on that layout has been worked on by me. There’s scratch and kit building. It’s only very recently that we’ve had ready to run in NG7 and even the recent Bachmann Quarry Hunslet locos have received attention to personalise them. Whilst the older Bachmann on30 loco has received much bodgery as a result of my imagination.

Whilst my modelling output is currently very low, there is much contentment to be had by enjoying what I have achieved up til now.

Who knows what the new year will bring modelling wise, time will tell. But for now, best wishes for the festive season and here are some photos from this week’s operating sessions.