Winter Distractions

It has to be said, winter is not a good time for garden railways. Whilst the outside section of my garden railway is mainly covered in decomposing leaves I've retreated to the warmth of the office. My Heljan 47 now has a number 47105, and to be honest, I'm amazed at what a difference it has made. It almost seems to have given it an actual identity! The Heljan 7mm Duff (like most of their 7mm range) comes with logos and overhead warning flashes already applied but no numbers. I've picked 47105 partly because it's still around at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, and partly because it survived in BR Blue with a black headcode for most of the 80's. Progress has also been made on the Westdale Bubblecar which has had the ends smoothed and painted. I've decided to try and wire it up with a 9v battery as an alternative power source as well as the DCC option so it's possible to run it outside when setting up the full DCC system is too time consuming! Having something that can be blasted round without needing to clean all the track is very appealing...