Soul Searcher: October 2nd 2004

“I apologize for the crudity of the model, Marty. I didn’t have time to paint it or to build it to scale.”

If Ray was 1/18th his real size, he would be 104mm tall. Why do I know this? Because I’ve spent the better part of today making little models of him, plus Chris, AJ and Lara, out of pipe cleaners (sparkly ones, no less), plasticine and felt. And lots of Copydex. Another ludicrous footnote for the CV. They’re not very good, but they are only to be glimpsed as the train rushes by. I also added an authentic license plate to the mini-Mustang, a model so faithful to its full-size counterpart that it even has no locomotive power of its own.

My uncle reports he has made 30 new wheels, and Grandad has been working on the linking rods for the engine. Grandpa, we love you. Grandpa, we do. There’s no-one quite like Grandpa.

Soul Searcher: October 2nd 2004