Hi folks,Well I got going again in the last few days. Been working on the extension and thinking about what still need done, which is a lot 
.
Anyway a few pics. Got the track and the hard standing laid. This should give it a bit more depth..
I have to top off the Lighthouse to add a few Female figures into the officee space, which is why the generatorr room is on the beach.!.
Glad to see you’re doing a bit better Alan. It can take a while to shake a bad case like that, so make sure you’re not over exerting yourself. Coming into summer soon so more chance of getting out in warmer fresh air should help too.
Nice progress on the masterpiece too, even whilst being poorly!
Really good to see you back mate and getting back into it …. Pier 51 comes to life again …. very nice !
Many thanks Jon 
Hi Sam, Thanks. I prefer to model in good natural light, so summer is best. . Motivation is a bit of an issue at times and I’m easily distracted by other kits and ideas
Hello again folks. As the rail track turned out to be longer than I originally intended I’ve add a couple of wagons to the background. A fruit and Veg Van and a flat bed loaded with steel plate.
Hi folks, I’ve been doing a little work on the incoming tyde (water). This is all a bit of hit and miss or learning on the job
Really like how that tide looks … very nice indeed mate.
Thanks Jon, it’s a slow process. I will have to get some resin epoxy and experiment with deep water at some point. There’s a beach landing to build, at least in my dreams
I’m working on a few figures at the moment for the the LH Balconey. Whilst there are still a lot of small details to add I’ve been thinking about the LCs that might best suit the flat beach. I have a couple of versions of the LCA still to build and one to finsih off. The LC Support Mk I and the Grappelling hook version plus another standard boat . These roped together might be a better option. LCs are like Shermans you can never have enough
Hi folks, I’ve been working on some civilians for the scene.
Added a secretary into the office by the door. Various workmen/dockers for the crane and crates,. a cook for the YMCA Van, a Shop keep er coming to collect his veg, (more later) and some Pealers one who will be stopping phone use and one dealing with an errant child.I’m waiting on a flag(s) for the flag pole and I’ve done some officer types in an O group for the veranda on the peir. I want to add an RN Chapt there too but not built yet. I also have a small row boat I’m working on and thought some creates of fish might be appropriate? Anyway some progress.
I mentioned I had a Humber Box to build. It can be finished as an Army staff car or a BBC staff car. Any thoughts?
Beautiful work Alan , good Lord man , how long has it been since I built that lighthouse for you ? Everything you’re doing is just as you planned all those years ago .
I don’t remember the name of the person that hand delivered the lighthouse to you , I seem to remember I shipped it to somewhere in the midwest and he brought it with him vacationing to the U.K. to hand it over to you .
Fish spoils fast so if there isn’t an unloading fishing boat
or a vehicle collecting the fish I would not add fish crates.
Empty crates waiting for the next fishing boat would work
It looks phenomenal. A really epic diorama. Just one thought though (to which I don’t know the answer) - how restricted to civilians were the harbours used for gathering invasion forces?
Hi Glenn, I hope your are well. It’s been many, many years my friend, more than 20. Marriage, jobs, moving house, the normal things. . Life took over in many respects and it was only a couple of years ago I got around to trying to get it started although I’d build various bits along the way but putting it on a board is fairly recent. I’d been collecting stuff for years but never quite got to building most of it. It was Paul who brought it over on his trip to the UK. .. I’ve modified a few small bits here and there but the original structure remains much as you built it.
I’ve never mastered deep water, so I thought an incoming tide might work. Still a lot of stuff to do but I couldn’t just let it sit on to of a display case after your kindness. In figure mode at the moment. Once I get the land based stuff set I can start adding some boats.
Good to hear from you.Thanks again Alan. 
A good observation.
There would have been restrictions but there would also have been thousands and thousands of civilians working in the defence industry and supporting the war effort. Most but not all would have been in uniform, so dockers, general labourers, YMCA etc all still played their part. The machinery of invasion was stuffed into every nook and cranny around the coast, some areas were just temporary staging areas and some more permanent. so not everyone would have been moved out although many were. That’s my understanding. anyway. My Gran ran a small hotel on the sea front in Bangor NI. during the war. They had American GIs staying in the hotel and it over look the harbour and the coming and goings. No one got moved out things just got fun as my Mum said!
Amazing work mate, it is looking phenomenal even at this stage … very busy ( in a good way ) and your eye keeps getting drawn to different parts … A really nice depth to it all and an overarching sense of movement in the harbour … ref the Humber, I would go staff car to tie in with the officers on the O group.
Thanks Alan, that makes sense
Thanks Johnny. appreciated. Still a lot of figures to do and then set them in their areas of activity. It was worth putting the track in at the back as it draws you eye in a bit more. .. On the Humber, you’e probably right. I can add in an Army Photographer recording the scene which is one reason the BBC finish popped into mind.All the best for now
