A Few Trees.

A few trees and figures make a big difference, I saw a few trees, 180 trees, and I had thought I had bought too many, but I will have to order at least as many again.

Keith.

Further Detail Painting of the Working Boats.

Blacking of the rubbing strakes between the tunnel bands on the motor, difficult enough at full scale! Cabin doors initial base colour.

Both boats front hatch covers.

Start of the elaborate Elum painting on the butty, and it’s cabin doors base colour.

Both bows now have their base colour.

The stern of the butty now has its base colour.

Red hinges on the front hatch covers.

Keith.

Canal Bed Painting.

The 1st coat of base colour for the canal bed.

At the canal wharf.

Above the canal lock.

Keith.

Further Working Boat Painting

The start of the detail painting. Tunnel bands and dollies on the motor and rudder tops on both.

Tee studs, cratch boards, stands, masts and loobys on both boats.

Keith.

Hull Blacking

Quickest I have ever blacked a 70ft narrowboat hull, 2 done in 1 hour!

Also painted black the cratch, tunnel lamps, chimneys and inside the cabins.

Keith.

Working Boats Primered

The pair of working boats have now been primered.

Keith.

Final Working Boats Detailing.

Tee studs on both bows.

Cabin doors, slides, tee stud for the butty and dollies for the motor.

All ready for painting, apart from the water cans, mops and boat hooks, I will paint these first then attach them.

Keith.

Further Working Narrowboat Detailing

Motor boat now has a rudder, swans neck, tiller arm, engine exhaust and stove chimney.

Butty boat now has a elum and stove chimney.

Keith.

Working Narrowboats

I have started to add the detail to the pair of working narrowboats.

Cratch, mast, stands, uprights, and top planks.

Keith.

Lock Gate Painting

This afternoon during the rain, I added the metal grab rails on the top of the end of the balance beam, and the step to be able to step up onto the gate to cross over them.

I also put the 1st coat of paint on the lock gates.

In situ they are now looking pretty good.

If you look very closely you can see them in these next 2 photos.

Keith.

Modified Top Lock Gates

Today I have modified the 2 top lock gates for the canal lock. I realised after close inspection of the photo below of a real GU top gate that having added the extra paddle gear which was missing I now had 4 posts, and should only have 3, the one at the windlass winding end, and 2 paddle gear posts. This was because I had added a spare set of paddle gear as supplied. I also noticed that as supplied the hand rails on top gates are attached to the paddle gear and not the other side of the gate as I had done according to the kit.

I have removed the excess post, added an extra section of rod to replace where the extra post was, and fixed the handrails on the correct side of the gate, actually attached to the paddle gear posts. If you look closely you can see in the photo of the unpainted gates the extra post, which is now removed, and the handrails on the wrong side of the gate.

The photo of a real GU top lock gate is how they should look.

I think this is about as close as I will get as there are variations so not too fussed. For example, some top gate handrails do not have the curve but are square as in this photo, so there is definitely some leeway allowable.

Keith.

Lock Gates

I have started working on the 4 lock gates. I first attached the paddles and paddle gear to each gate.

However, as supplied the top gates only had one paddle each, so I have added an extra one to each gate to be more Grand Junction (southern Grand Union) style.

Once the glue had set I then added the handrails to all 4 gates.

They are now ready to paint once the glue has set.

Keith.

Final Plaster Work.

With the 2 bridges fixed in place yesterday, I was able this morning to complete the landscaping up to them.

The canal lock side.

The towpath side below the canal bridge.

Keith.

Canal & Railway Bridges

Today I finished the basic painting of the 2 bridges which cross the railway and canal at the village, and have fixed them in place along with the retaining walls.

As viewed from the canal wharf.

The view from the canal lock side.

They still need further painting and weathering in place.

Keith.

Carnage at Hadarford

Carnage at Hadarford station, casualties are light fortunately.

Similar disaster at the canal wharf.

All this due to travelling up through the 21 locks of the Hatton flight today.

Keith.

Roads

Farm, station, canal bridge and level crossing roads temporarily in place.

The road alongside the farm.

Keith.

Bridge and Coping Stone Painting

Today I have started to paint coping stones on the canal and lock walls and the bridges.

Keith.

Another New Arrival

Today I received another Bachmann Baldwin loco. This is now my 2nd one. It also means I now have 3, including the kit one I built for my late father, as in the photo below.

This now completes my steam fleet for Hadarford and all 6 locos are below.

Keith.

Remaining Base Colour Painting

With the plaster at the tunnel end of the layout taking a bit longer to dry, I managed to get it painted this evening.

Keith.