SRC for SCR

Well the Liverpool exhibition is over again for another year. I must give congratulations to the team that put it all together. Well done for the fiftieth. I must admit I probably missed the first couple but have been a regular since the Lower Town Hall days and don't think I have missed any up to now.
The extra tent filled with layouts was welcomed. The only comment regarding the layouts for me was there were very few layouts I hadn't seen before, and this certainly doesn't detract from seeing them again.
It is a costly exercise to build an exhibition layout, transport it and show it off and then after three exhausting days pull it all down and return home. The fabulous Coffs Harbour layout must fit this category. With closing at 5.0pm on the Monday they would have been there long after tea time before heading home up the Pacific Highway, thats if they made the trip that night.
My choice of visiting day was on the Monday. Through forums and other discussions I heard people were queuing up for an hour or so just to get in the door, and when the tribe got in there you couldn't get close enough to a layout to see it for all the people. Was this all supposed to be for the "so called bargains?". Having arrived on the Monday right on 9.0am I strolled straight into the main hall with hardly any one there. By midday there were a lot more lookers.
My only rolling stock purchase for the day was a pack of SRC refrigerator wagons and very nicely done Mr Easy. I got some scenic material from the Orient Models stand as well. 

Well I got the three 'virgin' white SRC's out of the packet and weathered them up a bit. They certainly look different now than from the box. Its hard to get good reference photos in colour for weathering purposes, so anything goes. I was lucky to catch them on a garratt led train just leaving Bega and managed a few shots.

Derelict 42213 at rear of Bega loco

 

Now the next shot with the two 44's is probably a failed attempt at an atmospheric scene supposed to be on a foggy morning. I'll say maybe 5 out of ten at a pinch.
How else do you create fog? With a fog machine of course. About two years ago Aldi had a fog machine co-inciding with Halloween - Trick or Treat time. It was around $50 and I could not justify that much for a photo or two. Last year they had the same machine down to around $30 so I thought why not. So I had this machine sitting under the layout for nearly a year and decided I had better try it out.
After unpacking, setting it up and filling up with the liquid after eight minutes of warming I pressed the remote button and out pumped some fog. A few dense clouds hung around and needed hand stirring to get the thinner effect I wanted. The fog also seemed to effect the colouring in the photo. The fumes were certainly not flavoured nicely but I hoped they weren't toxic. The tank ran out of juice before I could take more shots. 
I suppose I would have to call it a failure and not the end result I hoped for.
I may have another go another day but its next use which will be coming up soon will be to put it behind the screen door and when the little blighters knock on the door and call out 'Trick or treat' I can call out "Neither, get this lot of fog into ya". It will be along the lines of the fog machines they are installing in banks now. Mum will be at the front gate yelling "Johnny are you in there somewhere?" Hopefully Mum will put an 'X' on the front gate meaning don't go there next year.

 

 So after the fog had cleared I was able to get a clearer shot of the 44's on the bridge near the gully working a coal train.

 The next shot shows the Candelo coal mine in the background. This is where the train had originated from some time ago.

So far it has been a very quite year for SCR and there will be a few interesting months ahead to see how we progress. Watch this blog.
I'm also glad to that Blair 'North of Narrabri' is alive and kicking after a long abscence from his blog even if his posting has a plane on it. Come to think of it his mate Lance has been quite as well. Hope he is pounding away on his new layout.
It seems sometimes if you haven't posted after a few weeks they send the undertakers around to see if you are still alive and kicking.