Hi Gary,
Great photos, sounds like you had a great trip.
It is also great to hear you have been inspired to start back on your Puffer.

Cheers,
Stephen.

Hi Gary, I did want the Highlander orginally, but was about 15 quid short, I got it at Haydock about 8 years ago. I wanted to build it as The Maggie but Sealight is of a slightly larger vessel, hence it being 1/32 scale wheras Highlander is 1/24th scale. I shouldn't have bought the Proxxon saw before going to Mountfleet's stand, oh well...

Hi Nick, and always good to hear from another steam enthusiast as per yourself. I opted for The highlander as it was bigger and had a bit more room to fit things into. Check out my build blog under Highlander Clyde Puffer, and you can see how I solved the room problem by installing the engine in the center of the hold, using chains sprockets, and shafts, to get around the boiler at the back end of the hull. Keep up the good work and please keep posting your progress. Regards, Gary.

Hi Gary, not had much luck on modelling for a few months due to medical issues, but good news is I've now got full use back in my left hand and the right is improving with every visit to the physiotherapy, so modelling should start again soon.
I have 2 large tugs without power source fitted so 1 could conceivably change to steam .
Have been following the stories on here with interest and still making notes for future use.
As my grandson is now getting involved with the hobby I have been doing my best to help him.
Following the purchase of Witte Zea from Rolfman2000 for a birthday present in August he has spent a few hours each week actively helping repair some of my models, and then the best bit, testing on local lake (shshshsh not allowed, got told of by land owners agent luckily he only pops up every 3rd Friday).
So watch this space, something will start again soon.
Cheers Colin.

Hi, I am building Sealight, also from Mountfleet, although it had been stalled for several years now. I dug it out a few weeks ago with a view to resuming the build. It is powered by an SVS 10mm bore/stroke engine and a home built boiler based on a Tubal Cain design. I have managed to squeeze both engine and boiler into the engine/boiler room space. As the boiler is quite small I have made a servo driven boiler feed pump.

Hi Colin, and a good afternoon to you also, out of natural curiosity or being somewhat nosey, what are you doing on the building front? I appreciate the fact you now have a very nice supply of steam engines, and the Stuart Turner and Saito come to mind, as well as others that I can't put a name to. So what is happening at your end and are you involved with a steam build as yet? I very much appreciate that prices have gone through the roof and that especially refers to China and Microcosm, my latest boiler-operated gas-control valve cost £70, a year ago that same valve cost only £40. Prices certainly have gone through the roof of late and that is with regard to everything. Regards, Gary.

Good afternoon Gary, sounds like a really interesting trip, and your pictures are quite informative.
Waiting for your next instalment on your puffer.
Cheers Colin.

Hello, and good afternoon to any interested parties reading this forum topic. I am sure some of you are aware that I was building the Highlander a Clyde Puffer kit from Mountfleet, which came to a grinding halt about twelve months ago. I have now started the build again as my interest has been rekindled by a recent visit to Scotland, which turned into a quest to try and find VIC 32, and we (my friend and I succeeded) and as a bonus, we also found VIC 27 which is quite famous, and is named Auld Reekie and starred in the film of Para Handy as Vital Spark. These two are the last of the coal-burning steam-engined Puffers, the others have all been converted to diesel engines. These two were both built in England for the Royal Navy in the early 1940s. The VIC which is not a normal registration comes from Victuals Inshore Craft (VIC) and were used to get supplies to the many islands on the west coast of Scotland, as they could be beached to be off-loaded, and they were short-length wise so as they could also use the canal systems. At a very small place called Crinan, which was our starting point for the search, and not an easy place to find as the roads were more like farm tracks in the middle of nowhere. I was very happy to find VIC 32 and finding VIC 27 also was a bonus, they were both out of the water on steel bogies on the slip-way and side by side. VIC 27 was undergoing some serious restoration to her hull using very large hammers. I have restarted my Puffer build and will continue my blog soon. Regards. Gary.