First coat of grot generously ladled on. By 1992 the Hymac has plenty of hours on it and the battle scars of a life well lived, but it soldiers on and still proves itself useful around the yard. #modelrailway #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK

Work in progress Hymac 580C. These were everywhere when I was a small and digger-obsessed child. 3D print from DieselDog Models on the ‘Bay. Vallejo Yellow Green is a decent approximation of the distinctive Hymac colour. Decals are home-made. More weathering to follow. #modelrailway #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK

A quiet day in the sidings. Plus it’s perpetual June there, which means a pint of cider and a bowl of chips in the garden at the Cross Keys. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

Early start for Saturday, quick bacon roll then off down the Retailplex for a bit of shopping. And we have trains running again, which feels like progress. #modelrailway #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK

A super-saturated sunny #Saturday in the sidings. It’s very peaceful here. Time to chow down on a breakfast bacon roll before I have to start work. #TMRGUK #modelrailway #bacon

Flashing light is flashing. There’s been a lot of mucking about to make everything fit, including chopping out the floor for the electronics. Initially it’ll run on a couple of watch batteries until I can be bothered with pickups and a rectifier to power it from the track. #TMRGUK #modelrailway

Brake van progress. Roof was done with tissue paper to replicate roofing felt, but the result was somewhat lacking in subtlety so it was re-done with paint and talcum powder, with much better results. #TMRGUK #modelrailway

Home-brewed flashing tail lamp, because the decent ones are out of stock & I’m not going to debase myself with some of the dross on sale. 555 chip makes it flash; lamp is West Hill item drilled out to take 1mm fibre optic. Final version will be slimmed down & hidden in the van. #TMRGUK #modelrailway

Brake van body with the first coats of colour on; perched on the chassis to get an idea how it’ll look. Added buffers and roof vents (Lanarkshire Models & Supplies), coupling hooks (Smiths). Concrete weights re-shaped with Vallejo filler. #modelrailway #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK

A slab of old-school DJ hardware, KAM KCD1000. If you’re used to Pioneer CDJ-whatever this feels like it’s out of the Ark, but it’s surprisingly useable, and apart from a slightly flakey pitch control on Deck 2 it’s fully functional.

So as the #modeltrainshow2025 reaches the point in the evening when we’ve all had a few too many beers, how about a bit of Japanese N-gauge running round the garden.

Seems like ten minutes ago it was Friday. Where did the weekend go? #ModelTrainShow2025

Staff/Tool van, adapted from the Parkside CCT kit. A bit of a rush job to get it vaguely presentable for the #ModelTrainShow2025.

Engineers’ train heading North. #modeltrainshow2025 #TMRGUK

First priority this morning concerns fried eggs, bacon and black pudding, then it’s all aboard for the #ModelTrainShow2025. A nice break from the relentless negative headlines, and raising money for a good cause too shorturl.at/SrPtO #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK

Gearing up for the #modeltrainshow25 with this lashed-together improv that might be ready if I lay off the booze for a couple of evenings. #BSMRGUK #TMRGUK

This Parkside VEA kit has been hoovering up far too much of my time over the last couple of weeks. #BSMRGUK #TMRGUK #modelrailway

iPad update, clearly coded by someone’s dog, meant I couldn’t post pictures. Appears fixed now. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK

I still believe in Father Christmas, and as long as he keeps turning up with stuff like this I’ll continue to do so. Plasser 12 ton crane from EFE, box-fresh and in need of some subtle weathering, but still rather lovely. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

Jingle all the way to Alcoholics Anonymous, probably. Family Christmas lunch successfully delivered, nobody got food poisoning and it didn’t descend into a festive brawl. A success, I think. Season’s Greetings from Eling. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

Crap things this week include iPadOS 18.1.1 making this thing run like a pig; tiresome old fanny Nicky Haslam and his stupid festive tea towel; the government’s digital ID thing. On a more positive note, I’ve finished work for Christmas. Have a seasonal Class 26 to celebrate. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK

Bluesky is being a bit choosy about which photos it’ll let me post this evening, so here’s a grotty GUV to welcome the weekend. Augmented Lima on Bachmann running gear. Happy #Friday everyone. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

Fancy a bit of Cure for Saturday? Of course you do. And for those of you who like a cartridge, it’s my final evening with the Dynavector XX-2 MkII, which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. Roksan Shiraz arrives tomorrow. #vinylcommunity #nowspinning

Starting the weekend with irresponsible 4 o’clock beers and currently Devo on the turntable. Happy Friday to you lot out there. #BSMRGUK #TMRGUK #modelrailway

University parties were a long time ago, but this brings it all back. Just need a bottle of K and an eighth of Red Leb. Back then it wouldn’t have been a 180g pressing and we’d have been spinning it on a rough-as-guts Alba midi system. Good days! #vinylcommunity #nowspinning

A #Tuesday trio of BRCW bruisers. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

#Friday, with a bit of luck, will be a calorie-laden, boozy mess. #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

Wednesday’s throwback photo brings glorious summertime Worcestershire skies and a sunset that looks like the Second Coming is happening over by the dairy sheds. The model portion of this was hanging precariously out of an upstairs window to get the angle right. #TMRGUK #modelrailway #BSMRGUK

Get in the bin! #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

It’s #Friday, it’s payday, and it’s raining here in Wonderful Wales. And here’s one from the archives, a scabby Sealion in the ruins of Engineers’ livery. Hope everyone’s Tetanus vaccinations are up to date! #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

Happy #Thanksgiving to any of my American chums who have ended up over this side. And here’s some SSW action from Dead Badger Gulch, my HO layout that never really existed, although it might do soon. #BSMRGUK #modelrailway #TMRGUK

This was on you-know-where captioned “33053 powers through with the the Straight Outta Crompton Railtour on Saturday June 19th, 1993.” 33053 was half-way through a rebuild when, in quick succession, I got the sack, went contracting, & moved to Wales. It’s in a box somewhere. #TMRGUK #modelrailway

One of those tequila-driven down-the-rabbit-hole sessions a few years ago turned up the fact that there’s a Canadian version of T’Pau’s Rage that’s a bit different to the one everyone else got. So that’s what’s playing now. #vinylcommunity #nowspinning

Anyone for a bit of Rush? #vinylcommunity

ARC livery is one of my favourites. Bachmann POA with added grubby. Apart from replacing the plastic ladders with metal ones, it’s otherwise stock. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

It’s #Friday evening. I have a pint of Faversham’s Whitstable on the go, Killing Joke on the stereo and fish & chips for dinner. Things could, on balance, be a lot worse. Here’s some end-of-the-week recycled Tw*tter trainage for you lucky people. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

Already mentally checked out for the weekend? Yeah, me too. #TMRGUK #modelrailway

Dogfish hopper wagon built/adapted from a Cambrian kit. If you’re some kind of masochist, the kits are still available, and assuming you have a lot of spare time and the patience of a saint, the end result can turn out pretty well. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

Lazy Sunday morning, sometime in 1993. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK #modelrailway

Freightliner Friday. Slightly off-era for the layout but time here is allowed to behave in a non-linear way. Hope you have all had a good week and are looking forward to a great weekend. #BSMRGUK #TMRGUK #modelrailway

Have you got the Limpets? No, I always walk like this. #BSMRGUK #TMRGUK #modelrailway

Meanwhile, over on #Twitter, some of the stupidest people on earth are freaking out about chemtrails.

This was the first thing I posted on #Twitter, back when it was good and I was just getting back into model trains after a long time away. Learned a lot and met some lovely people since then. #TMRGUK #BSMRGUK

This is a bit more peaceful than Twitter, isn’t it. It’s quite pleasant.

Weekend manoeuvres in the yard.

How do you do, fellow Twitter-exiles. #TMRGUK

A few pictures from the Redditch MRC show this weekend. #TMRGUK #modelrailway

A bit of 80s retro going on

Twitter duplication thingy. There may be more of these.