Rockfall shelter progress

Some more progress on my canyon scene. The rockfall shelter is the focus of my attention this time. During the week I used some premixed plaster to make little foundations for each leg of the shelter. With the shelter roughly in place it was time to make some ends for it. I made a rough pattern out of cardboard and then made a matching mold. Poured some plaster, strengthened it with some balsa splints, and clamped it between two plates of glass.

I then did the opposite for the other end of the shelter.

While studying some photos of the prototype I noticed how uniformly coloured the scenery was, so while waiting for that to dry I started working on blending the rocks into the rest of the scenery. I'm trailing using a medium-gray base coat on the scenery that I'm dry bushing...

Ballasting the canyon scene

Progress continues on the canyon scene. Today the hard working Utrainian railway crews laid down not one, but two, main lines.

The tracks have been carefully curved and aligned, and clearance tests done to make sure even the largest Utrainian trans will be able to pass with ease.

A quick test with the start of the rockfall shelter. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished scene, I think there are going to be a great angles.

On a roll, the hard working Utrainia engineers added some superelevation to the curves. Superelevation is where the outside edge of the curve is sli...

Rock progress

Been a bit quiet here in Utrainia for the last month or so. With good reason however, as my CNC machine has been taking up all my time. I am hoping that once I have ironed out the bugs it will be both accurate and powerful enough to help make many of my models. I can design them upstairs in comfort, and then "print" them out on the machine, which will then carve them out before my very eyes. Currently there is still a bit of work to do on it, and I'm waiting on a few final components.

In the meantime, I have resumed work on my canyon scene. I have finally finished carving all the rocks, after a couple of additional weekends work carving away. Now it is time to move on to more exciting stages, as I stain all the rocks.

The Postal Bureau of the Fraternal Republic of Utraijnia

The Postal Bureau of the Fraternal Republic of Utraijnia is Utrainia's public mail service. The have a long and proud history, stretching back to the founding of the country itself. To celebrate this fine establishment, our roving correspondent was tasked with following the daily mail run.

Post Master Alenski has been making the daily run for many decades and is a familiar face to all in Utrainia. Each day, the mail train stops at his small unassuming mail office and offloads the day's deliveries. His trusty station wagon is almost as old as his velocipede.

After sorting the mail, Alenski pushes out his velocipede and swings it onto the rails. These days he carries a small radio to let Train Control know when he is on his way, however he is so punctual that it is hardly necessary.

More photos from my camping trip

Some more photos from my recent camping expedition. I like this bit of coast line, lots of different places to climb out and get photos from. After I'd pitched my tent I climbed back around the coast a bit and waited for a train. I was soon rewarded by a huge freight train growling up the coast. The sun had set by now, but the headlights were making their presence known, as were the triple locos on the head.

After that it was quiet for a while so I headed back to the camp. While I was gathering up some driftwood for my campfire I head a distant rumbling, so I grabbed my camera and got ready:

Nice! A return freight heading the other way. I watched for a while then went back to toast some marshmallows.

The next morning I was up bright and early, woken by...

Gone camping

One of my favourite ways to escape for a weekend has always been camping by the sea. Since I was on my own this weekend, and it's been a while, I decided to spend a night under the stars. So I dug out my camping gear, loaded up the wagon, and set off for Utrainia's Coastal Highway.

I found a good spot to pull off, parked the car and gathered up my gear. After half an hour or so of clambering around the coastline I arrived at a nice quiet wee spot. I found a nice sheltered spot and pitched my tent. And as luck would have it I was right next to the mainline!

I fell asleep listening to the waves crashing into the shore, occasionally interspersed by clickety clacking as a train went past.

The next morning I rose bright and early to the fresh sea air. After breakfast I grabbed my book and camera and found a nice spot where I could comfortably read and watch the ...