Over the break, I have been concentrating on trying to finish things.  Like many people, I find it much easier to start a kit or project than it is to get it fully finished.  Indeed, do we every truly finish our models – certainly not our layouts!

Back in March 2013, I completed a dia 39 goods break.  These were the final Highland Railway break vans and it is not clear that they were actually finished prior to the end of the HR era.  Given that I model in the mid 1920’s, I am quite content to do this in LMS grey which to date I have not seen the model depicted in!  The main body painting has been completed and the van has been lettered but weathering, the interior and final detailing/glazing is still to be completed.  Based on the Lochgorm Models kit with minimal adjustments (a few pipes below the chassis and sprung W irons in lieu of the compensation provided in the kit) this is what it presently looks like:

Also coming through the paint shops are a pair of vans.  The first is a Great Central van build from a Mousa Models etched brass kit and the other is a LMS early standard van from an injection plastic moulded kit from Cambrian Models.  Both are pretty simple models to build; the Mousa Models one was built as designed and no adjustments were found to be necessary.  I only fitted springing to the Cambrian one and got rid of the rather too thick W irons in the process.  Again the bulk of the painting is complete, but some dirtying work is definitely still required.

Apologies for the slightly squiffy photos; I left it a bit late in the day to take them and the light was poor.  I have made a lot of progress painting the NER hoppers, but the photos of these really did not make it and need to be repeated.  Something to post tomorrow I suspect!