The Third Rail

25/10/2026

Put lights in the silo’s main tower. Did the siding too, which was a bit of a cow as I sunk the rails into the ground just to see that proper scale stuff drag their diesel tanks over my ballast…… 😳😡😂

But sanded most of it to suit and now all that needs to be done are the lights on tower 16 and then the fun starts. I need to construct a weigh-bridge and its office. A side silo. A loose loader and then the truck loading and off loading facility.

I must still decide how far I am going to take it. It is eating resources like it’s nobody’s business. But if I want this layout to look like it means business, budgets cannot interfere. Then I recoup funds before I start the saw mill. Easy as that.

But whatever gets tackled…… needs to be finished.

24/10/2026

The difference in scale between 1/87 HO and 1/24 Cape Gauge 1 on a class 44 GE.

21/10/2026

Oh, things went south. 22H00 Sunday night….. in the middle of soldering an antenna….. P**F, power went. It just came on. 4 days!!!!

So I packed that whole grain silo and shipped it here to our house. Soldering iron, tools, paint and hardware. This is where it is at now. Will take it back tomorrow. Then start the actual plumbing around it.

Lekker julle!!!!

19/10/2026

If you had told me anywhere in my past life that there would come a day where I would sit and solder thumbtacks to brass lattice……… I would’ve given you the face below……

18/10/2026

Operation Grain Silo…..

They were built by Neil Plumbley for the club as the Warden silos. Brutal model.

But you know how it goes. It is painted in primer so that needs to become cementish….

Easy I hear you say…… well hell, I can paint a bit and I am battling with it. In the pics you will see one barrel painted but it stuffed up my airbrush as I had Scumble Glaze in there. 🤔

So I need it to be stripey. That is a problem. I am painting it as we speak. Not too sure it is a success. Treat this post as the “before” post. Then I will show you the “after” and you tell me if it is ok.

I want to put antennae on the centre roof and a ladder. Maybe some electric looms and so forth. Just a little detail. They were imposing structures.

This was the deal on this layout all along. Everything will be weathered. It is a massive silo. I am ten barrels in and look at the time!!!!! I at least sort of finished the siding. And track laying is one of the things I suck at. Awkward angles, difficult to get to…….

Lekker julle!!!

13/10/2026

The pedestal…. such a lovely place to be put on. Because somehow it drives you to be better. And I am not going to get off it easily because the view up here is stunning😂

But enough about me. I need to talk about the other two Rs in this partnership. And I use that term loosely because neither of them were asked to be here. They just pitched up. No renumeration. Just feed them and the rest is friendship.

And both of them being obnoxious Dutchmen 😳😂there is a lot of banter and s**t going on. But every so often I get reminded that they can do stuff that I cannot do half as well.

I have never seen a guy that can chuck scenery at something and make a scene come together like Rinke Blok does. It is blatantly obvious in the pics below.

René can walk around with whatever he has in his hands and just plonk it down. Or paint with it. Or have an idea that sounds absurd at the time and then ends up as being the solution. Sometimes we rag him because he can be the most spiteful being alive. But….. he planted Philip’s weeping willow in that dry riverbed and it just worked. He paints stuff and you only realise later that is was actually very good. And every single time he rocks up here with stuff from his shop. Beautifully weathered masterpieces. And then calls it “our” stuff.

Long story short, 03H00 this morning we poured a loopdop and we drank it inside the layout room. Earily silent because you see….. for the very first time the last 4 weeks work came together. It tied in and it is stunningly beautiful. Beyond my expectations. This morning it looked even better.

I told them in person this morning but if they missed it, let me say it on here so everybody knows….. I will not change this team for anything in the world. Without them none of it would be possible.

Lekker julle!!!!

12/10/2026

Today, I need to be back behind gears, screws, decals and all the little pleasures that builds a model locomotive.

So I took my last weekend “off” and made it count. I built the landscape for the silo and ran the Car System road up to just past it. I built the contours around and put the basecoat on “Kluisenaarskop”. Also did the valance for Krys se kuil and it is now nicely framed.

Other side the dam wall is painted and the dry bed detailed. Planted some grass last night just before the pics were taken. Tonight when the dudes come over, we can start planning the other side of the mountain.

Lekker julle!!!!!!

10/10/2026

10/10/2026

09/10/2026

Layout update!!!!!