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Reflections on Peak Forest


Fordbank
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Green Stuff - 4

 

Time to make up a ground mix.

 

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The 'kitchen cupboard' includes dry tea leaves (far left) and a variety of flock and turf greens and yellows.

 

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The base ground mix. 

 

A question on RMweb had not produced any replies as to how best to fix the flock mix to the trimmed felt underlay.

So back to the Test Boards. The objective was to find a balance between economy and not destroying the furry finish with sticky glue.

There was a clear winner: Hobbycraft Repositional Spray Adhesive. Not as cheap as PVA but a good coating avoided any clogging of the felt pile.

 

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Cling film was used to mask the trackwork, rock faces, and tunnel mouths before the felt was sprayed with adhesive.

 

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Green Stuff - 5 

 

So some before and afters......

 

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The same ground mix was applied using PVA straight onto the painted plaster where a rougher ground cover was not required.

 

The next step is to use a greener mix on areas which would have been grazed by sheep.

 

Overall I am fairly pleased with the texture of the resulting embankments, but they are a bit too wintry / brown and too even in colour. 

The colour is very light sensitive ( It's all artificial light in the garage home of Peak Forest Revived).

 

Hopefully some brighter summer greens in the next layer of static grass, and plenty more detailing of bramble, bushes, and rose bay willow herb will break up the uniformity in the colour tones.

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Hi Andy

That ground cover looks great mate. Really bringing the layout to life and compliments the limestone out crops perfectly. I know the slow progress situation only to well since Christmas. Think we all go in fits and starts. Don't forget though, you'll get bored once it's finished LOL!!

Still giving me plenty of inspiration though Andy so keep up the excellent work now matter how long it takes.

Look forward to the next update.

Cheers

Marcus

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Hi Andy

That ground cover looks great mate. Really bringing the layout to life and compliments the limestone out crops perfectly. I know the slow progress situation only to well since Christmas. Think we all go in fits and starts. Don't forget though, you'll get bored once it's finished LOL!!

Still giving me plenty of inspiration though Andy so keep up the excellent work now matter how long it takes.

Look forward to the next update.

Cheers

Marcus

Thanks Marcus. I value the encouragement.

Andy

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Green Stuff - Brambles

 

Lots of brambles at Peak Forest:

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The raw materials:

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Rubberised horsehair. Best for big mounds, but too coarse for more ground hugging brambles. Cut into small pieces, then spray brown with car aerosol.

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Commercial foliage: maybe OK for trees, but a cheaper alternative lurks under the sink...

 

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Teased out pan scourer. Requires just a dusting with brown spray paint to tone down that green.

 

The tools:

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I choose hairspray for this detail job. The Repositionable Hobbycraft is excellent but expensive; the Hobbycraft Permanent doesn't work for me. It comes out as a stringy jet rather than a spray.Nice and sticky though.

 

Cut to size. Spray chunks with hairspray. Sprinkle with a few bits of Coarse Turf. Ice with chosen scatter. Seal again with more hairspray.

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Some small stuff from the pan scourer:

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Ready for planting ...

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Cheers

Andy

 

 

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Now With Added Bramble...

 

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Next some more bushes, and a bit of foliar variety.

 

The rose bay willow herb will need to await the application of static grass, and a deep pool of patience.

 

Cheers,

Andy

Edited by Fordbank
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Hi Andy,

 

I've tried tweaking the colours a bit, hope you don't mind:

 

attachicon.gifAndy-peak-forest002.jpg

 

Cheers,

 

Al.

You are right about the colour balance, Al.

I have not mastered a proper understanding of colour temperature so far. The layout is under fluorescent lights in a garage with no natural light ( and no heating!) and I am still struggling to find a digital camera setting which reflects 'normal' vision.

 

The seasonal colours are also very different, too. I'm leaning towards August for the model - some patches of rose bay willow herb to be added - but the prototype photo looks to be January/February.

In the end I'm not looking to imitate any particular image of the real thing, but to evoke the character of the location. I certainly recognise how important light is in doing just that. ( Think 'New Street' & 'Brettel Rd' and some of your own black and white photos of Bakewell).

 

And, of course, a bit of weathering wouldn't go amiss..... But that's another( future) story.

 

Cheers

Andy

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Hi Andy

I'm in the same boat. Fluorescent lighting is a real pain to get decent pictures in unless you've got a top notch camera. I've got exactly the same issue as you in the loft. I want to add a Velux roof light eventually but in our area you need planning consent. Even then though I can only have it on the back of the house which could also be a pain when taking pictures of the layout on that side as the light will come from the wrong side. Had that problem with KoLW as the window is behind the layout in Anthony's room. My plan eventually is to put LED strips over the layout which will hopefully give a much better effect.

Cheers

Marcus

 

P.S Did you get my PM? 

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Ghost Train

 

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Ooops! Class 3F emerges from Great Rocks Tunnel with the Rowsley to Gowhole empties.

 

Last spotted at Bakewell the train appears to have overrun the buffers in the fiddle yard and entered a mini black hole 60 years ago! 

And - hardly surprising - no driver.

 

Weird.

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Funny that. Just spoken to Al and he says someone has just stolen a 3F off Bakewell shed and gone off joy riding in the direction of Peak Forest. BTP have been informed and are making enquiries. HaHaHa!!

Now I'm wondering weather a pair of Class 37s can crash through the Black Hole in the other direction. I'm going to visit Al at the end of March..........

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