SVR in N- Arley on a Kitchen Table

[Will J]

Hi Everyone,
A bit of a 're-boot' here, back to a thread rather than the old 'Adventures In N Gauge' blog that I have left rather neglected recently!

To kick things off.. a quick project that I started after Christmas, with the aim of getting it ready(ish!) for the Wyre Forest MRC Show at the end of April, see http://wyreforestmrc.com/index-u.htm

As with my previous 'Victoria Bridge' diorama, it is based in that 'Modern Image Steam' heritage kind of world where you can get away with anything. I'm planning to populate the platforms with a Gala's-worth of people... this gives me an excuse to run exotic Pacifics, obscure diesels or whatever I want alongside my reasonably-priced Pannier Tanks!

Stretching the preservation theme slightly, a Dean Goods has escaped from STEAM at Swindon for a surprise gala appearance:



I do love the Union Mills model, it is the perfect starter for a bit of light modelling. Mine has a sprinkling of coal, lamps, crew and a subtle repaint, from BR Black, to resemble: https://chasewaterstuff.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/2516-preserved.jpg which has some 'form' in the Wyre Forest area, hauling railtours in the fifties.

Speaking of Union Mills, I reckon I might order a Dukedog.. I have only just learned of their existence.

Some more photos. I ought to explain, the layout is very much a table top train set with a sprinkling of Arley-esque garnish. It began life as a couple of ovals of setrack for loco-running in purposes, but it has developed a life of its own since.





The eagle eyed will notice that the 'hairpin bends' at either end of the station bend in entirely the wrong direction. I'm thinking of it as a sort of 'sketch' in preparation for a much more 'pukka' Arley in the future!

Edited April 24, 2017 by Will J

[Will J]

A couple more views, as you can see I have had to be imaginative with the location of the bridge, which began life as a plastic (Triang?) OO rail overbridge.

 

 

[BobM]

This is lovely....I am a volunteer at Arley...superb work...!

 

Regards

Bob

[Will J]

This is lovely....

Cheers Bob! I hope to have it on show at Arley at the Autumn Gala. Test run this Saturday at the little Stourport show.

 

Must get on with more foliage! Had an interesting trip to do some research over the weekend. I was pleased to learn that the Sleeping Car is off (while its track is worked on) for a repaint. I had made a pretty approximate version of it from bits of old Farish Mark One, Ultima Hawksworth roof and some American six wheeled bogies. I had painted it nicely and didn't have the heart to weather it....

 

 

It was also lovely to see so many wagons in the siding. Gives me the excuse for more shunting on the layout.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Will J

[BobM]

Cheers Bob! I hope to have it on show at Arley at the Autumn Gala. Test run this Saturday at the little Stourport show.

 

Must get on with more foliage! Had an interesting trip to do some research over the weekend. I was pleased to learn that the Sleeping Car is off (while its track is worked on) for a repaint. I had made a pretty approximate version of it from bits of old Farish Mark One, Ultima Hawksworth roof and some American six wheeled bogies. I had painted it nicely and didn't have the heart to weather it....

 

IMG_0338 rotate.jpg

 

It was also lovely to see so many wagons in the siding. Gives me the excuse for more shunting on the layout.

 

Hi Will....

Yes, the sleeper has departed away to Bridgnorth for a paint job....in the meantime as your photo shows the back siding is being shortened, the sleeper then taking up a position further down the siding on it's return after its has been relaid.....this will allow the staff rest room (at some future stage) to be rebuilt and turned around  90 degrees (as it should be)......this possible when a proposed new workshop is erected beside the p-way hut and the existing workshop removed....

 

Regards...

Bob

[Will J]

 

the back siding is being shortened, the sleeper then taking up a position further down the siding on it's return after its has been relaid.....

Interesting, I was half aware there were new plans for that area, so hadn't 'gone to town' scratchbuilding the bits that may soon be replaced. Currently the workshop is the top of an old Ratio water tower which looked more or less right, the staff room is an old Peco 4mm salt wagon roof cut to size. The shop actually began life as a 009 carriage body that went wrong somewhere along the line!

 

If I have to shorten the model siding it'll be no great loss, if you look at the 'aerial view' of the layout you'll see the back siding isn't actually connected to anything, due to the extreme curvature it just 'vanishes' behind the signal box into some foliage! I have an old Peco tanker wagon to nestle behind the signal box, but I reckon Revolution Trains may have come to my aid to get a better representation of the 'Regent' one:

 

http://www.revolutiontrains.com/product/35t-class-b-tank-wagon/

 

Edited April 25, 2017 by Will J

[Will J]

 

Ah yes, it is perfect, I'll be ordering a Regent one (Image borrowed from http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f24e36cafcafabf07d09722c1&id=39b58a63c9#Class B ) on http://www.revolutiontrains.com/newsletter-archive/ -see 'Post TINGS Round Up')

 

Dear Revolution Trains, can the Regent one be numbered '345' please!

Edited April 25, 2017 by Will J

[Liam]

This is lovely....I am a volunteer at Arley...superb work...!

 

Regards

Bob

Really? A friend of mine also works there, and someone else I know is training for the 'box. I help out on the railway too. Edited May 1, 2017 by SVRlad

[Mikkel]

Just found this, Will. It may just a sketch to you but I really like the way you've achieved so much atmosphere with it. The backscene is ingenious, it's so simple and yet so effective.

 

I wouldn't have noticed that back siding trick if you hadn't said it!

[Will J]

Glad you like it Mikkel, I'd have made more progress today but I found myself sat in a GWR carriage behind a very shiny pannier tank trundling through the real thing.....

[Will J]

I will get going with a proper update soon.... here is a little preview, the latest view of little Arley, the backscene has taken on a 'misty morning' appearance. I had done my best with Victoria Bridge to blend the 'foreground' with the vertical background. For this diorama I wondered if it might work better to have a distinct 'edge' between model and backscene. This would normally be a catastrophically bad thing, but it gets around the problem that you can't really paint in the river, but you can paint a bold line of 'mist' tracing along where the river exists in the scene.

 

Id be curious to get any opinions, I'll try to get some better pictures!

 

 

I can also now finish the nearer platform. A new arrival with relatively wide connecting rods meant holding off on platform building to get the clearances right, more on this soon.

 

------

 

Also, you may be aware the Northern Belle luxury dining train has recently made Kidderminster its home in between excursions. To add to my N Gauge Severn Valley-related fleet, here it is:

 

 

Seen on Kinlet Wharf at the recent Trainwest show, the carriages are a formerly motley assortment of old Farish Mark 1s, 2s and 3s.... the decorations come from Electra Railway Graphics and they really are superb!

 

More to come soon.

[TomE]

Top work Will, really coming along nicely! 

 

Nice to see the 3D printed buildings in their natural environment! 

 

Tom.  

[The Johnster]

A lovely model, Will, and captures the essence of the real Arley very well, hairpin curves the wrong way round notwithstanding.  I have to agree with Mikkel about the 'impressionist' backscene, and admire your skill in doing it; it is very difficult to pull this sort of thing off without it overpowering the modelled area on the one hand, or making it too wishy washy on the other.  You've got it about right!

[Will J]

Thanks all... bearing in mind I am trying to replicate a kind of 'Spring Gala' scene, I need to install my crowd of people in great numbers, and lambs in similar numbers in the field at the back, which I'm painting now.

[Will J]

A few more images of Arley out in the sunshine today:

 

Very basic shunting in and out of the siding comes courtesy of 'old faithful', my son's favourite object in the world, an old Farish 08. He asked me to weather it, honest! (It came out reasonably well...)

 

 

It is actually the only useable member of the fleet due to its short wheelbase. The hairpin bend to the rear is somewhat less than first radius! I had half hoped to employ the little 14xx with an Autocoach as well, but its rigid rear wheel setup rules it out. The diesel has my patented automatic digital coupling system, a coupler on one end and some 'slight of hand' flipping it around the other way to return to trucks to pick them up.

 

While N gauge had evolved so much in recent years, I do like the old fashioned style of robust model! (Especially with a 3 year old assistant to keep engaged).

 

Speaking of gloriously robust models... the latest arrival (which will be detailed and generally made to look like a visitor from the Bluebell Railway). Much has been written elsewhere about the wideness of the Union Mills Dukedog's outside motion. It is an issue, but one we can I think accept in the quest for a ready to run N gauge model of this kind of machine?

 

But mustn't grumble. On opening the package from the Isle of Man you are given such a joyful object... it runs beautifully and as I have said before, is a perfect blank canvas for a bit of model making fun. As you can see, I have already been adding some brass:

 

Verdict, accept the eccentricities, sand back your platform edges, it is gorgeous!

(And has me thinking of a heavily weathered 1950s example in a little Cambrian diorama....)

 

 

The wider scene:

 

Does my bum look big in this? (Wouldn't like to say, but I now know the clearances for that nearer platform, must finish it off....)

 

General Great Western Goodness... (ready to be interrupted in true SVR fashion with top'n'tail Class 50s with a rake of LMS carriages. I did enjoy my ride in the company of 'Hercules' and 'Defiance' the other day).

 

 

More to follow soon!