Last week, while accommodating guests, the comment was made that a day outing or activity be undertaken. Naturally I had my guests best interests at heart and suggested that a scenic jaunt to Arthur's Pass would be a good move. There was unanimous agreement. The fact that there was likely to be an opportunity to snap several trains along the way was merely a coincidence, honestly! Thus, last Thursday, this happened: (apologies if the photos are a bit large for dial-up users)

Late morning we came across (quite by accident) DC 4473 and an unidentified sister arriving at Cass with a west bound freight. Immediately after this photo my camera decided it was actually a toaster, so I missed identifying and shooting the second DC.

Just recently I tried this brief experiment. I was ruminating on the possibility of a modular layout that would actually fit within the confines of my home, while doing so I considered the various methods for scenery construction, with a view towards the light and strong category. Naturally, fibreglass would be great, but there is no way I would be able to afford the quantity of resin required, not even the cheap resin! Thus I present to you, humble reader, an attempt to make a budget fibreglass substitute and test a few other materials along the way.