Has it really been a month since I did a Covid diary entry?  I’m really not sure where the time has gone.  I think that I’ve spent too much time reading and doing odd jobs here and there.  The hot weather has also been a negative influence, as lazing about has been preferable to cutting plywood.

Perhaps I’m just short of mojo?  Most modellers I know have productive periods and down days/weeks/months/years.  I think this is really a product of Covid.  On the one hand, I have lots more time (even in retirement) for modelling, but I am missing the incentives that modelling usually has.

The first of these incentives is being able to meet at ESNG.  The club was a chance to meet good and long term friends.  Our recent Zoom meetings have been great to be able to meet up with a few of them, but I do miss the chance to run some trains – or more often watch other peoples trains run.  And meeting up gives a little peer pressure to keep building things.  I have been thinking, too, that I need to build a small scenic test track/layout so that I can run some trains.  I can shunt my American layout, but it would be good to be able to give a few other items a go.

And the second is the lack of exhibitions.  Not just the chance for a sociable outing to a show with club members, but not being able to take a layout to exhibit.  I have these N-club modules, and a couple of N-mod boards, to complete, but what’s the incentive to complete them when we have cancelled our show, and we’re not going to Stuttgart.  I guess what I need is a deadline!

I have been following the discussions about exhibitions on modelling forums closely.  They include a lot of hot air and red herrings, but are invaluable to work out how people are thinking.  It is clear that a majority of enthusiasts are not expecting exhibitions to be viable till the middle of 2021.  Perhaps two factors that I had missed that prevent any early return to shows are:

1. That quite a few schools and colleges are going to limit hires for a while yet (I thought Reigate College is unusual – maybe not.)
2. Even if we could hold a show in September, no one has had a chance to prepare larger layouts for exhibition – all the normal pre-show maintenance and fettling has been impossible.

No doubt exhibitions will be back, but not for a while yet, I guess.

Or maybe something completely different?  I had wondered whether to explore the back of the loft cupboards.  I have a complete resin and brass kit for and LSWR 0330 class tucked away somewhere, and perhaps a change of scale would help?  Not really, so I’ll save this beauty till my eyes finally give up ‘N’ gauge.

But this week, it had better be onwards and upward.  I sorted all the outstanding projects out in the loft and have some bits of brass to hack around.  And a couple of NGS kits in the post to try something else out.

After this rant, a little inspiration.  Two photos of Torrington in Southern Railway days, from Facebook.  That goods yard is just packed with wagons.  And the station yard is spotless apart from the two vehicles.  No litter here!