powerrabbit

An elder cousin of mine still has one of these type buildings that Tellarian mentioned. it was the old cow shippen below and the tallet above being open fronted with timber posts at intervals appart to support the roof, at the back of the tallet there are a series of trap openings, one for every stall below where the hay would be shoved down into the mangers infront of the cows, was still used up to a few years ago. when I'm down there again I'll take som pics of it, built of stone and cob. Meantime, here are pics of the barns opposite me that I mentioned in my last post. First is the unrestored one. Restoration is in the pipeline but if not done reasonably soon it's in danger of falling down. This is the other barn that has been restored. Should be good now for another 1,000 odd years. Thatch should do 20 to 25 years, it's wheat reed, had to be that for the grant.

Damn shame that the majority of there traditional type of farm buildings are no longer in existence. As said, bulldozed to make way for newer buildings as their function became obsolete in the advance of farm progress. The irony of it now is that as farming has declined and herritage funding and grants have become available we are now being paid to reinstate, rebuild and restore these older buildings but this is difficult as their component parts have either been re-used in other buildings over the years or the cut and shaped stones such as the staddle stones or mushrooms as some call them have been sold off in farm sales to adorn gardens. Here where I live in the Dartmoor area, fortunately there are still a healthy percentage of these buildings still in existence and with grant funding a lot have been restored. The farm opposite me is listed in the Doomsday book and all the traditional granite buildings are mostly in-tact, although slightly altered over the years and the present owner last year finished restoring one of the barns by removing the tin roof and put it back to thatch, it cost ?200,000 to do on an 80% grant but had to pay out the full amount before being able to receive the grant. The National Park will pay ?100 to replace granite gateposts, again torn out and gateways widened for the access of machinery over the years as it has got bigger. Fortunately again, we still have most of our granite gateposts, they have been moved in the widening of gates but have always been put back again, just further apart. The gateways here were always traditionaly 6 feet wide, some still are. I will take a couple of pics of the barn and post it up here later.

If the high bidder crys wolf and you were the underbidder Marky, would you still go for it then?

Oh you vandal you Marky!

I have only had mine for one day and only just took it out of the box for a closer inspection. If I may have a little input about this model I would agree that it is well made and quite robust with a very good level of overall detail. The points that may knock it down a tad to the purist is, as said, the handbrake assembly being not that strong and plastic. The ring hitch is too thick to attatch to a 'period' tractor such as the Britain's MF135, Ford 5000 and earlier Majors with the clevice type drawbar with pin. The tailboard only just clips in the closed up position and could have done with the lugs locating in the sideboard notches a little deeper. The ram is very substantial and is two stage but apart from being red, why was it not painted grey?,seems to look a little fat but the strength of it probably compensates for this. I am sure that this model trailer will give those of us that build this type of thing ideas for future prodjects of the period. In conclusion, I will give it 9/10 for representation of the real thing and for build. 8/10 for the tailboard opperation. 5/10 for the hitch. 7/10 for the ram. To give a points rating for the handbrake would be a little unfair as metal would be easily broken whereas in the plastic form it has a little more 'give'.

Sorry chaps, my mistake, now corrected.

Some more 'earlier' Ferguson models from my pile. First one is this incredible TE20 in 1:18 scale from Schucco. This model is about one of the best I have come across for attention to detail and contained in it's own display case. Not cheap at ?58 a year ago but quality speaks. Next is another TE20, this one from Scale Models in 1:16. Not the best of models as detail lacks a bit but not very often seen in the U.K. Made to sell through the MF dealerships in the U.S.A. Yet another TE20, this is the UH one in 1:16. Fantastic true to detail even down to the 1947 single rib front tyres and even comes with a Fergie spanner to put in the toolbox. Another UH model Fergie, this time the 35X. another incredibly detailed model with opening bonnet and toolbox, the seat tips back and even the middle lid on the bonnet opens like the real ones. Last but not least, the industrial version of the UH 35X. Exactly the same as the red one in build apart from diferent bonnet decals and was limited to a run of 1500 models.

Thanks Marky. Did'nt want to make it too good just acceptable. I notice that there are a few of these listid on Ebay still in the packaging, originally in a hanging card bubble pack. I'll post up a few more of my Fergusons later on.

Here's the Corgi Juniors Ferguson industrial. Sorry Marky, forgot about the 'before' pic but here is the 'after' pic.

Took the rainguage reading before I went to bed last night and between midnight Saturday and midnight last night we had 48mm or 1 1/2 inches of rain. Today it's dry and cloudy with a quite strong Northerly wind and it is cold, according to the local TV the temperature today is 11 degrees lower, feels like January.

Marky. I found one of those small Masseys with loader and angle blades today in a little toy fair. They are not Matchbox but Corgi Juniors. Needs a paint job, I'll post it when I've done it, a before and after.

You can buy growing kits from good garden centres and agric suppliers that sell garden stuff. The pack comes in the form of a poystyrene deep box like a fish box with a cardboard lid, in the pack you get a bag of compost that looks like it consists of woodchip bark and horse s**t mixed up, in another bag is a very fine compost with the spore mixed and the instructions tell you to put the couse stuff in the bottom and then put the fine compost (2/3rds) on top, give it a good soak, fold in the corners of the lid from the box so it sits on the top of the box and put it in a dark warm place, like the airing cupboard (Mother would do her nut, smells a bit!) and keep moist. I grew one last year and had a good crop. When the mushrooms tail off, put the rest of the fine compost in an off you go again.

I know a chap that used to take all the spent compost from a mushroom farm for nowt and spread it on his fields, when the humidity was right he found he got a crop of mushrooms in the fields as the compost had to be replenished at regular intervals for commercial efficiency, thus the compost is never completely 'spent out', He put some in an old chicken shed, only a small one that would hold about 30 birds, blacked out the windows and he had enough mushrooms to feed an army. As regards local veg, I grow my own, surprising what you can produce from 3 small greenhouses and 1/8th acre of garden. Usually till 9 rows of spuds, last year never bought a spud and still got half a bag left. I only grow the basics really, spuds, carrots, beetroot, a few marrows and cougettes, runner and broad beans, peas, parsnips, shallotts, onion setts, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, sweetcorn and a few raspberry canes. In the greenhouses (one to grow stuff from seed) tomato and cucumbers. Oh, and must'nt forget the rhubarb!

Thanks for posting up those little ones Marky, hav'nt seen any of those as yet. Did you know that the Corgi 50B also came in white, orange and some had black decals on the wings instead of white? Could be other colours out there as well.

Don't think I have Marky. Would like to see some pics of them though so's I know what to look for.

Here are half a dozen more of the Fergies in my collection. This first one is the second in the series and the only one that I have of these, G&M Models 1:16 scale Ferguson 35. This model was a limited production of 157 units (bit of an odd number!) and this particular one is number 04. An awesome model with exellent detailing, the only thing that lets it down for me is that the rear tires are too wide, unless they were meant to be 'oversize', the bonnet tips forward and you can lift the battery out. Someone on here must have the T20 and the others. This next one is the Dinky Massey ferguson that replaced the Massey Harris in 1966 and was in production until 1971, being different from the Harris in having a yellow plastic exhaust and front wheels, plastic driver and rubber tires with Massey Ferguson decals. The seat was ommited on this model. We must include the Corgi 65 of 1959 to 1966. There are several variations of this model, some have a darker red bonnet with a silver metal steering wheel and red metal wheels, others have a bright red bonnet with a grey plastic steering wheel. This one has the dark bonnet with the slightly rarer pinky fawn engine and red plastic wheels. All have a silver seat but there is another with a red seat and the rarest one to look for has a copper seat. Then there is the Corgi MF50B (industrial) from 1974 to 77. The gift set included a trailer with a 'loose' hay load with two figures on the top but the tractor had no loader. I have an example of this as well. This little model is an interpretation of a T20 from Benbros just listed as a 'Ferguson Tractor'. Believed to have been produced before 1955 and came in various colours, some with an implement and one with a cab and loader. Last one for now, to give everyone else a chance, my Scaledown 65. I think this one is the MK11. Some of their kits at this time were beginning to decline somewhat in quality but considerably improved again as I believe the company was taken over by someone else. Not much more to add about this model.

Some exelent models ther Marky. I will post up a few more of mine over time. In the meantime here is the 'Hatchette' 35X made by UH in 1:43. You may have seen this one before as it was posted elsewhere.

Here is the Langley Models TE20 and 2 furrow plough that is a white metal kit that I built up last year. The plough comes seperate from the plough, the tractor kit is around ?30 and the plough around ?14. I found these kits in a toyfair last year for ?30 the pair which was a good price. Both peices are all white metal including the tractor tyres. It is aproximately 1:48 scale and on the build intruction sheet it says that it is '0' scale. Both are very fiddely to build as only a minute amount of glue is needed to sick the parts together, a very steady hand and a very fine pair of tweezers. I hope that you will agree with me that it is a very accurate representation of the TE20 and plough considering it's size of scale. I'm sure that we would all like to see some of the members earlier Ferguson models in this topic, say up to the 185.

They were made by Twose of Tiverton (Blundells Road) Devon. Went up with YFC and looked at these rollers being made several years ago, very interesting process, ends of rollers and the ballasting hole and all the other holes for pins and bolts were cut from the sheet steel on a damn great plasma cutting machine. The steel sheet for the rollers were passed to and fro through a roller mill cold to form the tube then the welders got to work to stick all the bits together, then put in a sealed shed and sandblasted, next shed, hung up by the drawbar and undercoated with red oxide and then finished with top-coat in another shed. The bearings were made of beech blocks on the blue ones, the later yellow ones were, in the main. fitted with greasable steel bearings but the beech wood ones used to last twice as long.

I thought that Creative Masters were the U.K importers/distributors for UH, or are they simply the U.K agents? I say this as the majority of the of the new stuff from UH when released is advertised in the magazines under the name of CM.

Been earthing up the spuds in the garden a bit more today, keeps them growing if you move the earth around them from time to time. Had to go to the post office this afternoon and post off an article for the model section for the Editor of T&M Mag, if it's good enough should be in the July issue.

You should'nt have let the last ones make such a mess!

Did'nt have time to take the camera with me. Sorry Marky.

Dartmoor. Devon.

Interesting little trip for me today. Elderly Cousin of mine had his MASSEY 148 drop a valve 32 miles from his farm and I had to go and recover it with the Disco and 14 foot trailer. Lovely job bringing it back through Exeter, all the other traffic kept well clear.