WATER SUPPLY FOR MAUDETOWN

Mentioned in a previous post, I scratchbuilt and installed a water tower on Maudetown Colliery nearly a year ago - anyone who has bought my latest book (Airbrushing for Railway Modellers) will have seen this model being weathered - yet I've only just completed the scene, with a few finishing detail touches now in place.

Progress on the layout itself has stalled somewhat, especially as I'd begun the extension baseboard in Spring, but no track has yet been laid. In fact, I keep tweaking the trackplan to suit my changing desires. Apart from a consistently heavy workload, the other main reason for limited progress on any of my layout projects has been the dire state of my shed (where they're housed). However, the weekend has seen a little more progress on the building's ropey fabric, with more cladding replaced and a full re-wire affected, complete with a modern (and much safer) fusebox.

My small fleet of water carriers should soon prove their worth, keeping the tank topped-up on a regular basis. I've a couple more Dapol rectangular tanks to repaint, plus a couple of 'scrap' loco tenders to convert. Combined with the various internal works trains and regular deliveries of pit props and engineering equipment, there should be plenty of traffic variety; not just a constant stream of coal wagons.

With Maudetown now easier to access, perhaps some progress can be made over winter...

With a Knightwing water column and a Bachmann boiler atop the scratchbuilt gantry, the watering facility looks convincing.