Heatwave Hiatus

Very little modelling has been done during the heatwave, the attic has been out of bounds and even the modelling desk too hot for me for the majority of the time. What little I did do was in tweaking my KS Tattoo to improve the running.

In an inspired fluke of timing, the heatwave broke just as I headed off for Tywyn last Sunday evening for a dose of steam engine therapy. Overcast weather with temperatures in the high teens and a few rain showers was perfect.

The rostering gods blessed me with three full days on No 4.

In the midst of this, I enjoyed a single trip short day on the galloping old No 2.

As you’d expect Tywyn Bakery was tested.

My final day was spent at Abergynolwyn being Blockman. The station cafe is very handy and after some recent supply issues, the first of the new supply of custard slices was personally delivered to the Blockpost.

A grand few days with decent folk. Reacquainting with some old faces alongside meeting some new faces for the first time. The trains were well loaded, some including one of mine needing strengthening with the spare carriage from the middle road at Wharf. Encouraging signs.

Alongside the full size trains, spent some time with my mate Chris who lives in Tywyn looking over his smart new model railway room. Chris’ O-16.5 layout ‘Hensbarrow’ that led to my choosing to model Cornish what might have been narrow gauge is undergoing a slow revamp. I took a stock box of toys which we spent a fun evening running to help spur Chris along.

I also took along my 16mm scale Skylark that I’d not run in a while for a trundle round Llechfan Garden Railway at Wharf station. It hasn’t run for a while so was good to give it a trundle. I rarely build up the enthusiasm to run my steam 16mm scale loco, possibly because I get to play with the full size ones and there’s little to add modelling wise to them. But I could easily be tempted to build another 16mm scale loco, there is a growing number of these kits on the market. Maybe some more stock to run with them as an enlargement of my modelling in 7mm scale.

All good things must come to an end and it was soon time to head down the slide at Aber and drive back over the hills and home. It’s not long before we are back.