Jump to content


Don't miss Modelling Inspiration 3 - free pdf e-mag - click here.

The Farthing layouts



Photo

All in a day's work - Part 3 (1914)

Posted by Mikkel , in The Bay, Rolling stock, Figures 02 April 2012 - * * * * * · 494 views
GWR, Monster, Figures, Foul play
Posted Image

“Francis, what on earth is that?”
“I don’t know, dear”
“It says ‘Monster’ on the side. How terribly silly. Why on earth would they call a railway carriage something like that?”
“I don’t know,...


Photo

Laying track on "The depot"

Posted by Mikkel , in Track, The Depot, Construction 23 March 2012 - * * * * * · 515 views
GWR, Track, C+L, The depot
Posted Image

All those close-ups of Code 100 track in my past couple of entries made me want to push ahead with the C+L track for "The depot". So here's a little interlude to the "All in a day's work" story, showing what I've...


Photo

All in a day's work, Part 2 (1914)

Posted by Mikkel , in The Bay, Rolling stock, Gallery, Figures 28 February 2012 - * * * * * · 486 views
GWR, 517, cattle wagon, sheeting
Posted Image

”Surely you do not intend to transport my prize-winning champion in that ?!”. Mr Bull looked incredulously at Woodcourt, the Station Master of...


Photo

All in a day's work - Part 1 (1914)

Posted by Mikkel , in The Bay, Rolling stock, Gallery, Figures 21 February 2012 - * * * * * · 539 views
GWR, 517, Horsebox, Bay
Posted Image

Farthing, June 27, 1914. Europe is on the brink of war, but noone knows. The staff go about their morning routines, and No. 835 sleepily shunts a...


Photo

Here's looking at you

Posted by Mikkel , 13 February 2012 - * * * * * · 528 views
GWR, 633, Bogart
Posted Image

It was the winter of 1997 and I was in London for the Watford show. Or to be honest: My life was a bit of a mess, and I was trying to escape from some difficult decisions that had to be...


Photo

Messing about with track panels

Posted by Mikkel , in The Depot, Construction 29 January 2012 - * * * * * · 475 views
Track, Depot, C+L, Timbertracks and 1 more...
Posted Image
Been doing some further experiments with the Timbertrack panels from C+L. This is mundane stuff for experienced track builders (especially as there is no pointwork involved), but for me it’s all new and part of an exercise to see if this whole...


Photo

Lesser known whitemetal figures

Posted by Mikkel , in Figures 20 January 2012 - * * * * * · 737 views
figures, 4mm
Posted Image
I've been exploring some of the smaller and lesser known 4mm whitemetal figure ranges recently. Here's a handful of photos showing a selection of some of them. These are cruel close-ups, but if we're concerned about the details of our...


Photo

Short trains with a twist

Posted by Mikkel , in The Bay, Rolling stock, Gallery 06 January 2012 - * * * * * · 345 views
517, 4-wheelers, 6-wheelers and 5 more...
Posted Image
PBV - Composite - All Third.

Above: A few more examples here of prototype-inspired short trains for Farthing. These are all a bit unorthodox, as opposed to the more standard formations shown in...


Photo

Painting coach panels

Posted by Mikkel , in Videos, Rolling stock, Construction 30 December 2011 - * * * * * · 308 views
GWR, coaches, painting


My coaches are brush-painted, and I have sometimes been asked how I paint the panels. This video shows it. Be warned though that this is one of those bodged (hopefully not botched!) techniques I seem to often end up using - there are definitely more "correct" ways of doing it!
...


Photo

The Sidelight Job

Posted by Mikkel , in The Depot, Construction 28 November 2011 - * * * * * · 86 views
Depot, construction, GWR
Not quite a "heist" movie, but my family did wonder what I was up to in the basement this weekend...




Photo

4mm slate roofing

Posted by Mikkel , in The Depot, Construction 07 November 2011 - - - - - - · 303 views
Depot, buildings
Posted Image

[above] I've been looking at options for modelling the slate roof on the goods depot at Farthing. For what it's worth, here's a quick overview of the options considered. Above is one way of doing it: Lengths of thin card strips scribed...


Photo

Short trains for short layouts

Posted by Mikkel , in The Bay, Rolling stock, Gallery 22 October 2011 - * * * * * · 264 views
6-wheelers, 0-4-4T, siphons and 6 more...
Posted Image

Brake Third, Third, Composite, Brake.

Above: Small layouts require short trains. Recently I've been looking at prototype examples of short GWR formations in pre-grouping days, and options for employing them on Farthing. Here...


Photo

Outside Framed 8 Ton Van

Posted by Mikkel , in The Depot, Rolling stock, Construction 23 September 2011 - - - - - - · 166 views
Depot, stock, Van
Posted Image

Been working on this little van - an Outside Framed 8 Ton Van from the David Geen whitemetal range. Still need to add rainstrips, I completely forgot about them! According to the instructions, these lovely O/F wagons were introduced in...


Photo

Progress on "The depot"

Posted by Mikkel , in The Depot, Construction 20 September 2011 - - - - - - · 146 views
buildings, Depot
After a less than glorious summer (too much work, too much rain) it's time to get the autumn modelling season going. The past weekend saw a bit of progress on "The depot".

Posted Image
As some may recall, the depot can be viewed from both the inside and...


Photo

Comparing track

Posted by Mikkel , in The Depot 19 May 2011 - * * * * * · 578 views
Track, Depot, C+L, Timbertracks and 1 more...
A follow-up here to the track experiments in the previous entry.

Posted Image
A batch of Peco Code 75 has arrived, enabling a comparison of the four types of track seen above. Everything is OO, ie 16.5 mm gauge. The Timber Tracks panel is the GWR...


Photo

Experiments with C+L track

Posted by Mikkel , in The Depot, Construction 19 April 2011 - * * * * * · 437 views
Track, Depot, C+L, Timbertracks
Posted Image
Time to get some track in place for “The depot”. For a pragmatic modeller like myself, it’s easy to dismiss finescale track as something “for the purists” only. A little too easy, perhaps! With this in mind, I’m currently taking a...


Photo

Across the Years (video)

Posted by Mikkel , in Videos, The Bay, Gallery 31 March 2011 - - - - - - · 89 views
6-wheelers, Bay, stock, figures and 3 more...
This 4 minute video spans the period 1867-1947 on “The Farthing Layouts”. These 4mm layouts are normally set in 1907, but occasional forays into earlier and later time periods has allowed for a bit of pragmatic “out of period” modelling and operation.




Photo

The sleeping giant (1887)

Posted by Mikkel , in The Bay, Gallery, Figures 25 March 2011 - - - - - - · 244 views
figures, stock, Bay, gallery and 1 more...
Posted Image
Farthing, 1887. The Great Western is a sleeping giant. The system is plagued by gauge inconsistencies and circuitous routes, and the Churchward revolution is yet to come. In the bay platform at Farthing, a “Buffalo” sleepily knocks a few...


Photo

State of Play

Posted by Mikkel , in The Depot, The Bay, Construction 18 March 2011 - - - - - - · 177 views
Bay, Design, Depot, Sidings, GWR
Posted Image
Here’s a brief overview of the current state of play on the Farthing layouts, including first thoughts on the next layout in the series. Just to recap: The layouts consist of a suite of micros that each show a different section...


Photo

The unbearable lightness of plastic (video)

Posted by Mikkel , in Videos, Rolling stock 04 March 2011 - - - - - - · 130 views
videos, wagons
Just a little follow-up video clip here to illutrate that good old whitemetal still has its advantages...








Welcome to Farthing!

Attached Image: farthing2.jpg

This blog chronicles the building of "The Farthing layouts", a series of OO micro-layouts that each depict a small section of the same overall station. The scene is (normally) Edwardian GWR, and the emphasis is on atmosphere rather than high accuracy.

Intro and concept
How to eat an elephant
State of play

Gallery (1907)
The trials of Mr Bull
A most implausible arrival
A parcel for Mr Ahern
Blue skies and horse traffic
The Remains of the Day
Motley crew

All in a day's work (1914)
All in a day's work, Part 1
All in a day's work, Part 2
All in a day's work, Part 3

Out of period
Undecided sky (1867)
The sleeping giant (1887)
Bunker first (1927)
Fitted fish and piles (1947)

Videos
Once Upon a Time in the West
Summer silliness
The unbearable lightness...
Across the years
The Sidelight Job
Painting coach panels

Building "The bay"
First bite: "The bay"
C+L underlay and Carr's ballast
Simple structures for "The bay"
Horse-drawn vehicles
Platform trolleys and barrows
Signs, posters and adverts
Six lessons learnt

Building "The depot"
Second bite: "The depot"
Shunting Puzzle
Sketches of The depot
Soft body, hard shell
Kit-bashed roof structure
Dry Run
Dusting off the cobwebs
Playing with mirrors
Mezzanine floor
Experiments with C+L track
Comparing track
Progress on "The depot"
4mm slate roofing
Messing about with track panels
Laying track on "The depot"

Stock

Sprat & Winkle couplings
Low-tech pre-grouping stock
Hand-me-down coaches
3 plank Open in GWR red
Outside Framed 8 Ton Van
Short trains for short layouts
Short trains with a twist

Figures
Backdated Monty's figures
Footplate crew
HO figures for an OO layout
Lesser known whitemetal figures

Miscellaneous
My friend the operating chair
GWR Modelling website
Ready-to-plonk freight
The FSWDC
Season's greetings
The mists of time (and all that)

Here's looking at you

Search My Blog

Recent Comments

My Friends' Blogs

Latest Visitors

  • Photo
    Chrislock
    15 May 2012 - 20:38
  • Photo
    robb1090
    15 May 2012 - 20:14
  • Photo
    webbcompound
    15 May 2012 - 19:14
  • Photo
    lordhinton
    14 May 2012 - 21:02
  • Photo
    richbrummitt
    14 May 2012 - 17:29
  • Photo
    spaceworks
    14 May 2012 - 16:41
  • Photo
    dantimmy
    13 May 2012 - 20:57
  • Photo
    Rhys
    13 May 2012 - 09:24
  • Photo
    Ian Smith
    12 May 2012 - 17:49
  • Photo
    Turnout
    11 May 2012 - 18:27
  • Photo
    jonte
    09 May 2012 - 20:28
  • Photo
    creweboy
    08 May 2012 - 08:47
  • Photo
    ham49395
    07 May 2012 - 18:13
  • Photo
    The Great Bear
    06 May 2012 - 22:22
  • Photo
    Don Alexander
    06 May 2012 - 18:37
  • Photo
    trustytrev
    06 May 2012 - 18:27
  • Photo
    ICH
    05 May 2012 - 16:59
  • Photo
    richard37670
    05 May 2012 - 13:36
  • Photo
    crompton 33
    04 May 2012 - 21:48
  • Photo
    Jamiel
    04 May 2012 - 18:41