Time for an update, seven days away from TV and internet have allowed me to crack on with quite a few of my ongoing projects.

First up I finished the remaining three Parkside Vans ready for painting – actually I tell a lie because the LNER fish van still needs guard irons and vac/steam pipes.

Then I built a Slaters Gloucester 5 Plank Open. Unlike my previous builds of open wagons I haven’t gone to town on the interior detailing on this one – I went as far as scribing in the plank lines because I plan to load it in such a way as the interior won’t be seen.

Then I built a Parkside NBR 4 plank open and while looking in Tatlow for the additional details that I had added to the last one of these that I built, I noted that some of these wagons had been converted for use as Coke wagons. Variety is the spice of life as they say, so of I went with the styrene rod and sheet – it was actually great practice at cutting straight strips from 1.25mm sheet.

Despite being a simple kit bash it allowed me to indulge in adding bolt head details and by dint of good fortune I just had enough styrene washers to hand to complete it.