It's a simple job, fit the first two, and then add the internal walls. PVA holds everything together, but it's important at this stage, to ensure all the parts are square. The walls provide some positive location for all the rest of the hull slices.
Incidentally, the hull is 22cm long, which I think means this is a 32ft long boat/
First kit out of the stash is a 1:48 scale kit for a small narrowboat from Petite Properties.
I've built enough stuff from this firm to be confident everything is going to fit together properly. I'm not in the mood for a lot of fettling. Not that this will stop me making small changes, but fighting a kit is out.
The model is an oddball addition to the range, which is probably why it appealed to me when I spotted the photos on social media. It's not normally on the stand at model railway show, so I had to pre-order for collection. Yes, I could order through the post, but I wasn't in a rush, and chatting is more fun. It's a popular kit too, it's often out of stock, so I was lucky.
As with all Petite kits. what we have is a set of laser-cut MDT and cardboard parts. There's some wire in here as well. Instructions are included, although everything looks pretty simple.
The prototype is a holiday cruiser. There is something similar in the Craftline range, although Petite's is shorter.
You may remember that at the BBC Gardeners' World show, I had an issue with my Merlin Mayflower. A cab full of flame made the RC wiring a bit crispy.
My assumption was that this would all need replacing, but out of curiosity, I switched it on during the week, and it worked!
Next stage was a trip to the club track for a proper test. The evening was warm, high 20s rather than last week's 30+. The loco fired up quickly, with all the fire staying in places where the fire should be in a model steam locomotive.
Pressure took a while to build, and looking in the cab, I could see why. There was a loose bolt on the back of the boiler. Hot water was coming out, and if there is water, there will be steam escaping.
After a few minutes cooling, I regassed and watered, and off we went again. Sweet as anything.
I can't complain though. For the moment, the RC gear stays in place. I might wrap some tape around the receiver, which doesn't have much of a cover now, but for the moment, if it ain't broke, I'm not going to try to fix it!
I'm not sure why I haven't seen a locomotive point of view trip around Bekonscot's extensive Gauge 1 railway system before, but here we go.
OK, there is a bit more. This latest version of the guide, at 70 pages, is far more than a simple stock list. The text takes the reader from the earliest days of the Glen, and then the railway at the end of it. It introduces the steam locos, then their electric replacements, and exactly how badly those worked out.
We go through dereliction, and gradual restoration before coming up to the present day.
Only after this, do we cover each locomotive, including a few no longer on the line. All the stock gets a moment in the sun too, and that includes the all-important working wagons.
My only worry, is that this is such a good history, it negates the hardback history that is also an impressive read. That said, it's perfect, and well priced at under a tenner, for the normal visitors the line attracts. If they read the contents, a little of the magic of my favourite railway line will be revealed.
Only available from Flavel's Emporium on the line, so go pay a visit!
