TheRockingRoadie Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Hi thre, I think that is quite steep for an embankment - maybe cut a 45 degree bend in the corner and have that as emabnkment, and the bottom, vertical part of it be a retaining wall?Hi - thanks for you feedback, always very appreciated! The trouble I have is that there isn’t much room between the track, and the width of the roadway. In hindsight, I wish I had moved the track closer to the edge of the board! The retaining wall is a very tempting idea, but I’m worried it’ll leave very little room between the wall and the track. I also kind of like the idea of having a fence running along the top of the embankment. I’ve bought some wills Flemish bond sheets to play around with. Even if I don’t use them for the retaining wall, I can use them for the “low relief factory” along the Backscene. Cheers L Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRockingRoadie Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 I’ve had a sudden burst of enthusiasm... The card formers have been reshaped to allow for the retaining wall. This was a bit of a job, as I couldn’t get the scissors or knife in at the right angle! I think the decreased land mass will give an improved sense of space, especially as there’s now a bigger gap between the track and the wall. I’ve also started assembling the retaining wall itself using the wills sheets. It’s a bit annoying trying to the get brickwork to match up, so I’ve done them as best as I can, and will find something to mask the joins. I’ve used an off cut as a tester for the paint. I have given it an all over coat with a masonry coloured matt emulsion, which has then been wiped off with a dry rag. It will then be further weathered with black and a hint of green once dry. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacathedrale Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Hi there, That looks a good deal better.to my eyes, good work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRockingRoadie Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Thank you, my thoughts exactly! The layout also has a new home during these winter months. It’s resting on a keyboard stand in the spare room! I’ve also turned an old microphone flight case into a stock box. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Bickerstaff Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 Love the microphone case conversion Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRockingRoadie Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 Love the microphone case conversion Cheers! It’s not my finest handiwork but it does the job. I’m in the process of filling it with stock and will take another photo later! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRockingRoadie Posted January 21, 2018 Author Share Posted January 21, 2018 It’s not perfect but it’ll do the job! The dividers in the rows are removable so I can move things around to suit the stock. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRockingRoadie Posted February 11, 2018 Author Share Posted February 11, 2018 Afternoon all! Work on the diorama continues but has been slow! I am still altering the card formers, and have been bulking up the ends. The (currently bendy) retaining wall has slowly taken shape over the last few evenings. The Flemish bond sheets have been cut into strips, and glued to a piece of thick car the required length. Once all had been attached, I then cut smaller pillars/supports, which are strategically placed to hide the joins. I’ve cut small groves in the ends of the brick courses to represent the cement/motar. I’ve been playing around with the brick colouring, and will paint the wall fully before attaching to the formers. I’m also inclined to build up the embankment with paper mache before the wall is planted permanently. Cheers L 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRockingRoadie Posted April 29, 2018 Author Share Posted April 29, 2018 Hi All, Slow progress of late as I’ve been busy with music projects! Whilst the weather was unusually warm I took the time to sit in the garden and do some Blue Peter style arts and crafts. The card formers on the diorama have been stuffed with newspaper. I’ve then been building up layers of newspaper and junk mail strips/squares. The mix is just 50:50 water and PVA wood glue. I haven’t bought any new stock recently, but have continued to convert existing stock to Kadees. I also created a catalogue for all of my stock, whilst trying to combine many boxes into one bigger box. Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRockingRoadie Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 Today saw a little more progress; The retaining wall has now had its first coat of paint. It was then test fitted, where I identified that there wasn’t enough “landscape”. So today, I have added another layer of paper, and left in the sun to dry. I’ve also painted a bit of card with the paint I was intending to use as the undercoat. I’ve then covered this in scatter material. Tomorrow I will try to plant some static grasses using a puffer bottle. I have a feeling the scatter and paint will be too dark compared to the grasses. I also spent some time converting a few more items of stock to Kadees. This included a non-NEM Bachmann shock van I had laying around. I cut the old tension lock mounting (bits?!) off, filed them down, and then glued a Kadee #5 at either end. It’s not the best job but it’s not a bad first go! I also changed the plastic wheels for some metal ones I had. Lastly, I’ve found a few minutes to play with the main layout. Ideally I need to start getting the track painted and plan where I want the buildings! Cheers, L 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRockingRoadie Posted May 9, 2018 Author Share Posted May 9, 2018 Had a quick trip to Trains4U today to grab some lighter coloured flock, as well as some earth colour for the cross! I’ve tried using the puffer bottle - I don’t think my technique is very good, but we’ll see when it dries. May have accidentally acquired a pair of Bachmann MK1’s in Maroon (ex set) whilst I was there, hehe. I’ve also now painted the landscape green. I’m off to a steam rally tomorrow so may not be much more progress this week, but I’ll check in again soon! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 That looks pretty good to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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