Hi everybody, welcome to the 200th ChufferDuffer post.
Actually, I think it is more because when I looked at number one on here, it isn't the first post that I wrote. I think there are a few lost somewhere in the clouds...

Not that it matters in the great scheme of things.

As Pete's marquee sadly won't be needed at Login this year, it is seeing service at the Shire Horse Farm at Eglwyswrw, and last Sunday Pete and I with help from the Farm family put it up:

141 poles and joints, 178 nuts and bolts, 12 wall/end panels, and 1 roof. It took 5 hours, which Pete said was the fastest time yet. We did have some attractive help though, but I don't have pictures!



Here in Llechryd, the repairs to the bridge are coming along nicely, as there has not been much rain, so the level has been manageable.

A little sequence of progress:

That last one was taken today.
On to railway modelling!


Chuffers met properly for the first time time since March - we gathered here at Llechryd and did some scenic work on the two current layouts, the Teifi extension and the 7mm NG layout.

Pat and Colin applied trees and undergrowth:

Whilst I added some hedges and grass to the Llechryd board of the Teifi Gorge:

As we were out in the garage, an hour was quite enough, so we went into the house and loaded the DVD player with appropriate railway films, and then into the dining room for an authentic Mexican pork chilli con Carne. Going by the plates it was moderately successful...

I had hoped that there would be enough to take over to Mike in Llandeusant, but no...


I went to Mikes anyway yesterday after a morning's work at Freebooks and was treated to a delicious roast lamb supper cooked up by Judith. All home grown - the lamb, potatoes, herbs and vegetables.
I have gone from 38" trousers to 40".
Not really surprising.

Mike has been managing to squeeze in a bit of modelling in-between farm work, though unfortunately the farm work has necessitated using up layout space, so modelling has been confined to the work-bench.

We do like pictures of work-benches!

Some of Mikes 3mm stock that he has been putting together, from Kitmaster chassis and brass fretwork:

In the inner room of the barn loft is the 3mm layout that we featured a couple of years ago. Squashed into a corner now, as the loft is waiting for a new A-frame.

I finally reached home at ten o'clock last night to find a message from the estate agent to say that there were two more viewings booked for next week - making seven so far, No offers yet though!


We finish with a couple of pics of Pat's little heritage 00 gauge layout. Chef getting ready for the bar-b-que:

 The classic car exhibition is in full swing, with a late entry Porsche coming in through the gates:
(it would appear that a customer has keeled over - probably succumbed to the local ale...)


 

And that's it for this week.

Hope you are all enjoying the limited freedom, and picking up all the litter left by the irresponsible louts.

I found Macdonalds wrappers and coffee cups just beyond the bridge - 30 miles from the nearest Macdonalds outlet. I truly despair. 

The old clear up after the young. Nothing new there... it ever was thus.

Nos da,

Shaun.

To quote Stephen Fry on QI, Good evening, Good evening, Good evening...
(thank god he's gone - Sandi Toksvig is much better)
Anyway, welcome to the 199th edition of the blog. Almost out of the lock-down situation now, and I took the opportunity of trekking up into the hills to visit Mike and Judith. Life goes on much the same up there - both keeping well and send their regards to fellow Chuffers.
Mike has decided to let his beard grow for the duration, and is now a Santa Claus look-alike.
Discretion forbade me from taking a picture...

On to the blog.
First news - Sale of Ty-Nant is now in the public domain - on all the Property Websites, and had my first viewing today, but not too optimistic. Going to be a few months, methinks

We'll stop in Ty-Nant for the next picture, as I had done a little bit of work to the new layout last week.
I think that I posted that I had plastered over the hillside to the left. Since then I have grassed it over, painted the cliff face and added a bit of hedging (scouring pad covered in flock stuff)

Still a bit more tittivating to do to it - bushes and trees and stuff - but as the lads are coming over next Tuesday, we will have something to do (apart from watching videos and scarfing chilli con carne, which I have yet to think about making. Going to be a Mexican night, I think.)


Pat sent me some pics of his 00 gauge heritage layout that his son Daniel took from interesting angles.
The resolution is not too good, as they were copied from computer images:

That's it from the modelling front - nothing from Pete in Login, as they have had a communication crash, with no telephone or internet for the best part of a week.



What I can do is update you on the Llechryd Bridge saga.
Ten days or maybe two weeks ago we had lots of rain...

and of course, the barrier was breached. Lots of debris, as usual, came down:

However, they told me that they had finished on the South side anyway, filling in the cracks and repointing. All they had to do was recover the barrier material and sandbags.

Which they did.

Recovering all the scaffolding supports and the plastic barrier material, they set up a diverting barrier and dam on the North side of the bridge:

Since then (that was ten o'clock this morning) they have put a further 'catching' barrier downstream of the sandbags, and have started pumping out the catchment area.
The three lads (whose company's name has slipped my mind at the moment)

 I just did a quick check - Its APEM - Europes leading Environmental and Marine Consultancy

Anyway, they went into the catchment area and captured all the fish, eels, lamphreys, crayfish etc and put them over into the running water.

They (the three lads, not the marine life) have now gone back to Manchester, after a nice break staying in Flambards... Nice work if you can get it. NRW must have one helluva budget...



And thats about it for this post - not all that exciting, I have to admit! We shall try and get a bit more together for the 200th report on the doings of the ChufferDuffers...

Thanks for reading,
Ta-ra,

Shaun.

Another weekend upon us - 100 days of lockdown, and it seems like things are easing considerably, with Mr Drakefords permission...

Bit of a mishmash for this post, as it's been an odd week. Pat and Mary called, I did a morning of sorting in the bookshop, work started on Llechryd bridge, I called in to see Pete and dawn,and then yesterday spent all day under the car trying to fix the starter (which wouldn't... start, that is.)
After a lot of hassle and naughty words, we discovered it was a faulty earth connection...

Next weekend (or was it this weekend?) it would have been the Login Extravaganza - the two-day jamboree to highlight the Cardi-Bach, have craft stalls, exhibition stuff, vintage tractors, tea and cakes, and mix with friends old and new in the pleasant surrounds of Login Station.
Sadly not to be. Let's try and make next year a double!!

Anyroad, I ventured over to Login on Thursday, and saw the ladies:

Talk about luxury accommodation! Sheltered from the blazing sun (last week) the pouring rain (this week) Over a foot of buried mesh to deter predators, these girls have it made.

Having a feed of fresh sweet corn kernels while I was there, and there was talk of a water melon being obtained for them... I can't speak!

They all have names, which of course I have promptly forgotten! (sorry Dawn, Failed the quiz...)



Peter however was not as happy as his newly acquired harem.
Last week he stuck down the best part of 30 foot of photographic backscene on to foamex behind the L & B layout.
All was well for two days, and then the weather became hot...

You can see along the top left to center the back scene paper has started to cockle - the paper separates from the backing, and blisters. With wall-papering, it shrinks back down and all is well, but doing back scene work is a little more serious. No way will the buckled paper go back down.
We draw a veil over this set-back and will revisit in a week or two.

Apart from that, Pete is progressing. The snows still haven't thawed yet, but a farm is on the cards, as above, and in the pic below:

Lynton is taking shape, as you can see below:

And at the back of Pete's layout, we have what will eventually be Caffyns halt. (and in this picture you can see the effect that the extreme temperature had on the back scene paper):

Hastily moving away from Pete's dilemma, as I mentioned earlier, Pat and Mary came over to Llechryd to check on the 7mm layout, which has now been put together in the garage, before being moved over to Pat's railway room.
This is going to be necessary, as I am putting Tynant on the market, and we need a home for our layouts!

The two layout boards had been separated and on trestles in the conservatory for the last twelve months, but when I got them into the garage and put them together they joined seamlessly, and a test loco ran round perfectly.
Pat brought over some locos and stock (and some scones...)
And here is a short vid' of the funeral trail going around:

A couple of the locos that will eventually appear on the layout when it gets exhibited:

Above is Merlin, and down below we have Puffin:

Since Pat and Marys visit, I've done a little bit more to the layout, starting on backscene work:

The whirlwind is actually a shadow cast from the lighting gantry. (Poor composing by the photographer)



Finally to keep you up to date with the work on Llechryd bridge, they have been power blasting some of the damage before injecting an adhesive grout. This is just the damage to the first pier:

Thats about it for this week.
Take care everyone. Nos da,
 Shaun.