Monthly Archives: July 2017

Stanier 8F in Scale Seven Part 31 – Running on the Layout

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It has taken a long time, and I have had to re-lay some of the track, but I can finally show the model Stanier 8F locomotive pulling a fairly long train of coal wagon around my model of a colliery.

This shows my 7mm scale, Scale-Seven, model of a Stanier 8F 2-8-0 freight locomotive running around my model colliery.  The track is a bit rough, and I had to relay some of it to allow the eight-coupled (long fixed wheelbase) locomotive to go around the curves, and up and down the gradients I have made in the model.

In fact at the moment, I can make the engine and wagons go around the loop in an anti-clockwise direction, but if I try to have it run around clockwise, it comes off the rails!

However I suspect that the problem is with the track work, rather than the engine which I made.

 

Glenbrook House 11 – Granite

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We had to go out this week to choose the grant for our kitchen bench tops, and also the granite floor which will greet visitors (and ourselves) as we come in through the front door.

Granite 4 copyThis is the actual price of granite which will make up the floor.

It is called an “Orinoco” pattern of black granite and comes from somewhere in Brazil (so much for obtaining all our building materials locally – there are a few ship-miles in this!).

There will be a 1.8×1.8m slab of this granite on the floor just inside the front door.

 

Granite 2 copy

 

In this picture you can just see a reflection of  Sue, in the vast warehouse we had to visit to choose the precise bit (necessary as the stone is so variable).

 

 

 

 

Small 47 Park Street 16th July 003This is what the house now looks like, not much different except the little roof above the bay window in the front bedroom is taking shape.

 

Glenbrook House 10 – the Entrance

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The house is coming along well.  I’m still Impressed with front circular window, but the front entrance is now becoming clearer and more prominent.

Small 47 Park Street 7th July 03

As the scaffolding comes down the entranceway becomes more visible.

Small 47 Park Street 2nd July 1

It is not going to be small, or easily missed!  I had always wanted to live in a sandstone house, and the designer and builder are “doing us proud”: the two-level from entrance will be an impressive feature of the building by the looks of it now.

One of the odd things, if you look, is that the “bargeboards” (the front panels just underneath the roof edge) and the guttering are being put in place even though the roof tiles haven’t yet arrived, let alone been put in place.

This weekend we have been having to decide about electricals: we have had to decide on the location of 40 different site for electrical sockets, and the locations of no less than 110 different lights!  We have also been having to decide upon the house alarm.  Whilst this has never been an issue in our current house, in Glenbrook we will have to have a state-of-the-art house alarm.  Fortunately one of our friends is an expert in this industry, so we are able to use his expertise to get an up-to-date system, wireless, linked to the ‘net, etc.

In reality, it all sounds horribly expensive to me, and I have little doubt that it will be.  Still, out “Grand Design” was never going to be a cheap or cut-price project.