Today I was out in the shop cutting the last of the pieces for the train. I welded them into place and did some final hookups. Then it was time to roll the little rig out into the sunshine at last. I carefully put the rail truck on the tracks. I shot a few pictures before calling Phoebe over for a test drive. She's been patiently waiting for her whole twelve and a half years for this day. I fired up the motor and eased the Johnson bar forward. This time the chain was tight enough to stay in place. We navigated through the first corner with ease. It was smooth sailing all the way to the end of the track and back. We made a second run together to be sure all was well. Then I jumped out and Phoebe got into the cab. It was her turn to give the truck a test drive while I took some pictures. As we rolled past the station tower it made me smile... for this was the first piece of the railway I built fourteen years ago. It's been a long wait!
A little closer to done.
With the tree triple coated with it's base paints, it was time for the first of several glazes. This is when the tree suddenly comes to life and all of the detail we painstakingly sculpted in starts to jump. Over the next few days the tree and sign will get a series of darker glazes and then the smaller details like the lettering, ladybugs and fairy door will get their final colours as well. I can hardly wait to see it all done!
Centerpiece
It is amazing how fast a project sometimes comes together in spite of much steady work going on for weeks. The pace doesn't change but rather everything seems to come together in a hurry. As Becke and Jeff worked on our trade show booth for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions EXPO in Orlando, the colours suddenly showed all their splendour and richness. We welded up and mounted the Imagination Corporation logo ship to the compass rose base this afternoon. The cool colours of the logo contrasted beautifully with the riveted parchment coloured background and copper structure.
