Just going to get this post in before the end of the month (and before I finish this bottle of red...)

We met last night at Colin's, where he had prepared a delicious leek and potato soup, with a pate starter, and cheese rolls, crisps and stuffed olives on the side. Plus some red liquid stuff from Portugal which I wasn't allowed because I had to drive home (insert miserable emoji ) 

Prior to getting to Col's, I stopped at Chessboard house to pick up Patrick, and also transfer the Teifi Gorge layout out of Pat's van and into the Volvo - and it all fitted! This morning (Wednesday) I unpacked it all and stored it in the garage. Here is a quick view that not a lot of people see - Teifi Gorde's nether regions! :

Back to last night.

Pat had ordered some 7mm pewter figures a week or so ago and they duly arrived a few days ago. Without further ado, Patrick set to with his paint brush, and showed us the results.

Here is the group of figures:

And a couple of close-ups of individual ones:

The construction of the 009 loco that Colin has been documenting for an article for the 009 Society Journal finally emerged from the paint shop:

 

 

 

Together with another 009 locomotive that I don't think we have featured on Chuffers before - Dolbadau:

And the view of the back of the loco showing the fireirons and shovel:

But the most interesting part of the evening... We were watching assorted videos on Youtube (as you do), and one was about Second World War battleships (we are nothing if not eclectic...)

Colin said 'Oh, I started making a model of HMS Rodney years ago - I might still have some of it' - and disappeared upstairs

This is HMS Rodney:

And Colin re-appeared with this:

Made over thirty years ago - scratch built in plasticard, just from plans out of a book - not a kit! My trusty Bic is there for comparison.

The plastic has discoloured over the years, but it's all still solid and robust. Unfortunately he never got around to building the hull. - But who knows...

Just one more of Colin's hidden talents.

No Chuffers next week, as we have a Cardi-Bach meeting.

Hwyl fawr,

Shaun.

 Good evening.

Just one lonely post for this Month. We've had two Chuffer meetings and a Cardi-Bach Society get-together, plus we exhibited!!  more of that later.

The Cardi-Bach meeting went well, with a station PowerPoint presentation, and a couple of old movies including a never-seen-before 16mm film of the Ffestiniog. A very enjoyable evening all round. Next one will be on Tuesday May the 3rd, 7:30 pm at the Pen-Y-Bont in Llanglydwen. Everyone welcome!

Chuffers met here at Pentrecagal last week, and we packed up our Teifi Gorge layout into Pat's VW van ready for transporting down to Pembroke Dock the following Saturday.

Not a lot of show and tell last week, just the horse-drawn carts that Pat has been making. After finishing the scratch-built '0' gauge that we featured in our last post, he then decided to build the original '00' one that he used as a guide for the big one.

Here they both are:

A closer view of the commercial 'bought' kit:

For the larger one Pat went to the trouble of making luggage to go on the roof of the carriage, using off-cuts of Plasticard and modelling putty.

As well as a monogrammed gun case, there is also a tapestry carpet bag, and believe it or not, the large trunk even has a padlock:

There are going to be passengers, but at the moment they are still being painted, as is Colin's latest loco, that we have shown in the last couple of posts.

Up to the spare bedroom, and we played for a while on the 7mm NG layout, still not named yet. I have done a bit more to the scenics, with a bit of undergrowth, a couple of walls and a fence.

Also there is a plan to have a road running above and behind the houses at the back.

Couple of pictures of progress:

Two taxis waiting in the station yard:

The layout operates really well, and we are considering the possibility of exhibiting it, should any venue crop up, hopefully next year.

Which segues nicely on to the next subject of this post - Saturdays exhibition put on by Penfro Modellers, at the Heritage Museum in Pembroke Dock. We left Cilgerran at 7:30, to get to the 'Dock for an 8:30 setting-up time.

All went well until we powered up... nothing moved! twenty minutes later however, and it was all sorted. The Teifi Gorge then ran impeccably for the rest of the day, and proved really popular - possibly because apart from Dave Howarths trams, we were the only exhibit that moved (and the only railway layout) the Penfro boys are mainly boats, planes, and military models.

 

Here we are set-up:

 

 

Another Cardi-Bach member was also there - Roger Howells from Hermon came along with his model planes and military layout:

The TV behind him is a bit disconcerting, as it was showing a continual loop of still pictures of old Pembroke dock. I imagine Roger knows the Dock quite well by now...

A good time was had by all, and we were packed up and home by five thirty - tired but happy. The first show for a couple of years!

I'll finish with a video clip of the Teifi Gorge...

Thank you all for your indulgence - Cherrio,

Shaun.