Down the club

Regular readers will know I'm a big fan of model railway clubs. Yes, you have to work a bit to fit in, and there are some "characters" who might be a little offputting, but there are also many really good aspects. 

Here's a selection of things spotted at the Leamington & Warwick MRS last Thursday. 

A group were running a production line building Airfix cement wagons. They are being improved with brass bearings and metal wheels. The aim is an attractive train for the OO layout. 

A group were watching a figure painting demo using military modelling techniques, lead by one of our newer members. 

This is a Gauge 1 Drewery Shunter, 3D printed in one piece, and based on a file for a TT scale model. We think a fully running locomotive should cost around £150, including a chassis from Model Engineers Laser. 

In addition, several layouts were being worked on, and people were chatting over tea. 

Not a bad way to spend an evening. 

Warehouse Wednesday: Lisbon warehouses

 

Spotted near the Lisbon waterfront - don't these just look like something Faller would produce as plastic kits? 

Since we were hunting food at the time, I only had the chance for a single quick phone shot, but you can have a better look on Google Streetview.

Little Lisbon trams

Did I go all the way to Lisbon to see trams, and not bring back some souveniers? Don't be daft!

Ryanair luggauge limits, obviously reduce the amount of tat I can put in my suitcase. Useful, as there is a LOT of tat for sale in the city. 

However, I wasn't going to come away entirely empty-handed. So, in the middle, we have an Atlas originals tram bought before the holiday in an Oxford Diescast sale. I like the Atlas trams, it was cheap, and meant I didn't have to find space on the plane. Handy, as there wasn't one for sale in the city itself. Oh no. Nothing nearly as accurate...

At the front, a fridge magnet, to join my collection including the train from Switzerland. 

Behind that, a little model, complete with a bit of overhead, for my mate Tim. He's passed on a couple of little Australian trams from trips, so I return the favour. 

And at the back, a drawing (print) bought in the market, from the artist. I took a photo of him, and will stick it on the back. There's quite a bit of art featuring trams, and some of it is quite fun. I liked this as it's small (A5) and different from anything in the tat shops. 

I did manage to avoid the horrors such as models with bogies though! Maybe next time.

Pires & Thadeu, Lisbon

 

"I want to go into that tat shop", I said. 

"Why? We've been in loads already.

I point at the picture of a train on the awning. That, and the stack of Oxford Diecast models in the window. 

The shop is in Lisbon's old town - the touristy bit if I'm honest. But, inside it's more interesting than most shops. Apprently, this is one of the city's oldest toy shops. You can tell that because of the somewhat faded plastic kits on the top shelf. 

There was a little bit of train track in a cabinet, but no trains. No paint or glue either. Loads of diecast cars though. Oxford ones mainly, so better than a lot of the horrors in other shops. 

The rules say that if I'm in a model shop, I have to buy something. Ryanair's rules say that if your bag is too big for the tester, it goes in the hold, at a price somewhat more than buying the airoplane. So I bent the rules a bit, and bought some stamps. To be fair, not the easiest things to get your hands on!

Address: R. Áurea 148, 1100-063 Lisboa, Portugal

Riding the trams in Lisbon

This time last week, I was on day two of a short break to Lisbon. A full-on city break with my travelling buddy. We flew out 9:30am Saturday, and back 8:30pm on the Sunday. 

Day One, once we'd landed, found a hotel, and some food, was a tour of the city funiculars - three of them. Quite a lot of walking, but worth it to tick off what I thought was a full set - only to find a fourth appeared a couple of years ago!

 

It was more than a little damp, and my trainers didn't grip well on the limestone pavements, but we explored the city, thanks to Christian, our guide, and saw a lot that we'd not have found off our own bat. If you are in the city, I'd definitely recomend this tour. 

Day 2 was all about strolling around the old town. A trip to The Lisbon Story filled in a lot of the history of the place, including a flying priest. 

A trip up The Rua Augusta Arch gave us a vantage point to watch some of the action on the river, as well as a large group of Portugal fans getting ready for the match later that day. 

Day 3 - A three hour walking tour, including a ride on the famous route 28. The one the tourists like. 

To be honest, we caught the number 12 instead, as our guide insisted on queuing up on the corrrect side of the street, where the sign is, not the narrow strip of pavement on the side where the doors open. 28 is notorioulsy difficult to get on, anyway, so this didn't help. Not to worry, the route is nearly the same, and there was space to sit, and run around the car taking photos. 

The ride was fantastic. I can't believe how steep and windy the roads these trams traverse are. Well beyond the limits of conventional wheel grip to my mind, but they charge around quite happily. The drivers have to work hard though to deal with the terrain, and insane traffic conditions. 

Our guide then took us on a tour of more interesting bits of the city. To be honest, he did go on a bit, and it wasn't long before me and another member of the tour started to wander a bit as we wanted to take photos of trams weaving through narrow streets. I manged more of this later  in the day too - and could easily spend a whole weekend doing this!

Cake-wise, there is a bakers about every three shops, and Breakfast Pastel de nata for breakfast too!

You can enjoy the full gallery here.