When you haven't got much time / space / motivation / all of the previous...

[marc smith]

Okay, I know - I've banged on and on about having no modelling time these days, and time really has become the most scarce of commodities lately. But I've really missed my modelling. I started a few projects, but my workshop is also too full to allow me any modelling space. Also, like so many of us, I seem to have accrued so many bits & pieces, and odds and ends stored up for some mythical "one day" in the future.... lol

Anyhow, I did start on an old Metcalfe O gauge goods shed, as I was once thinking about using it to create a 7mm scene, inside a loco depot... or possibly the inside of a goods shed... Metcalfe O gauge kits have been discontinued for some time now, and it got me thinking that it was a waste, not to do anything with it....

I dreamed of all sorts of possibilities of loading and unloading wagons, and wondered how I might go about doing this... with a crane operated with motors or hand-cranks, plus maybe an electro-magnet, to load and unload the contents of wagons... then I woke up! Where on earth would you get time to finish such elaborate schemes eh Smith? I mean... you've got to finish that OO colliery yard layout yet, and that 7mm tuning fork small project... let alone finish repairing / restoring "Ruyton Road" - and I can only do those tasks if I get one or two layouts sold, to create space in my workshop....  Blah, blah, blah... once again

Anyhow. Looking at the remnants from said Metcalfe 7mm goods shed, I had put the Office part of the kit to one side - as I had no intended use for it...
So I thought I might do some laptop modelling, nothing too tricky, something I can put together whilst also watching TV - so Mrs Smith can't complain that she never sees me, and when I'm at home... I'm always in that "bl33din' messy train room!"
Anyhow, I tweaked it a bit, added a bit of depth to the window frames, made a new roof (never liked the Metcalfe one - not enough relief for 7mm) out of bits & pieces of left-over corrugations (3 different types, 2 different scales no less lol). I weathered it a tad, and then found I had nothing to do 7mm gutters and drain-pipes with... so I carved the gutters from some thick plasticard off-cuts and used some old cast-off sprue for down-pipes.... 

Anyhow, here it is - last weekends project, made with an hour here, half hour there, and some time lunchtime earlier this week, scribing that *&**£#@*! guttering! It needs some moss & ivy to hide a multitude of sins - I did try to feather the corner joins - they're bigger and rather more noticeable in the Mecalfe 7mm kits than their 4mm counterparts...
Perhaps I should also add some window sills (cills?) for added depth too? And I'm now thinking..... "hmm, how about a tiny 7mm project / scene for this little hut? 
She's a very patient lady (she needs to be, with me).... but I'm sure I'll get a hard, cold stare if I also spend much of next weekend fiddling about with bits of card & plastic......

All this preamble aside -  I forgot just how therapeutic and relaxing model making can be.... I've missed my railway modelling so much...

Edited January 5, 2018 by marc smith

[alant]

Looks like a good start Marc. I'm still not finding time to do much modelling. We have quite a few gigs in for this year, are you busy on that front?

 

Alan.

[Dick Turpin]

I'm sorry in advance for this, but when you haven't got enough time and space, what you you need is a ......

 

[eastworld]

I think that I have the reverse of that - a house that is much bigger on the outside than the inside!

[1722]

I hadn’t realised Metcalfe had done O gauge kits until now. A good start and I like the personalisation of the standard kit. What’s the plan for it?

[HonestTom]

I'm sorry in advance for this, but when you haven't got enough time and space, what you you need is a ......

 

tardis.jpg

Slightly off-topic (sorry), but a non-enthusiast friend of mine got me the Hornby Skaledale police box for Christmas once. He explained, "I'm not sure what time period or area you model, so I got you something you could use in any time or place."

[Alex TM]

I think that I have the reverse of that - a house that is much bigger on the outside than the inside!

Hi,

 

I wonder if we had the same architect?

 

The house looks big from the outside, but just wait until you try to move furniture in .....

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[Max Legroom]

Love that peak at the interior brickwork through the open door.

[marc smith]

I hadn’t realised Metcalfe had done O gauge kits until now. A good start and I like the personalisation of the standard kit. What’s the plan for it?

Yes, they briefly did just a couple of the kits they made in OO. Though they discontinued them some time back....

As I mentioned, I bought an O gauge goods shed. I built it, just to see what it was like, and whether I could use it...

 

I think the Metcalfe kits are pretty good - but in O gauge, the thicker card meant the bare cardboard at the corners was just more visible, as the card is that much thicker

I did think about rendering the Goods shed, and maybe distressing the rendering - so some brickwork was visible in broken render patches....

 

Although my idea then shifted to using the interior brickwork (which is a nice, slightly grubby yellow with a painted grey band along the base) and just model the interior of an O gauge depot

possibly an engine shed, or possibly a goods facility. Though I later decided against either of these, due to time constraints, and Mrs Smith shouting at me, for building even more layouts!

I bought another Metcalfe Goods shed, which I started for this project - the office annexe was lying there unused - hence this little shed

 

I don't have a planned use for it, but I might build a really small simple scene yet - you never know! I'm already sketching a few ideas, but these keep changing all the time lol

 

Metcalfe O gauge kits are now pretty scarce. I did look to obtain another one some time back, on eBay - but they started going for silly money

Then I discovered that the son of my local model shop owner listed them on eBay.... at their old "face value" - they were snapped up immediately, by the same buyer - all 4 of them!

Dammit, I missed them. I'm sure the buyer would then have sold them all on, at a rather handsome profit.....

 

Anyhow, I'm just about to sketch another scheme, using this little shed... and a few other left-overs and odds & ends........ hmmmm

[marc smith]

Looks like a good start Marc. I'm still not finding time to do much modelling. We have quite a few gigs in for this year, are you busy on that front?

 

Alan.

Hi Alan,

 

Last year was very very busy for me on the music front. Lots of rehearsals, gigs, folk jams and sessions in pubs, and some recording & radio interviews...but mainly rehearsals

Sadly, most projects seem to fall apart - just as they seem to be getting somewhere.....

I wasn't too busy over Christmas with playing live - as currently I've not been doing anything festive. I shied away from the annual folk christmas carol concerts, and let Mrs Smith do that

 

But not much modelling time lately. Even less space in my garage / workshop.... hence this little shed

It's just about all I've got room for currently - until I get myself into gear and sell some of the layouts I currently own....

EDIT: It's a shame the marketplace has gone from rmweb - otherwise I'd be listing them here....

 

I'd almost forgotten the therapeutic value of just sitting down and doing a little bit of modelling. It seems especially nice, sitting there with a model project on your lap, with the telly on

So if I can dream up a really tiny 7mm scheme, that won't upset domestic equilibrium too much, and still allow me to dabble with it in the lounge.... I might be onto a winner!

Edited January 10, 2018 by marc smith

[sb67]

Great little hut Marc, be good to see a small layout to put it on ;-) 

Steve

[Jerry1975]

I echo the above, very nice indeed.

 

Jerry.

[1722]

Yes, they briefly did just a couple of the kits they made in OO. Though they discontinued them some time back....

As I mentioned, I bought an O gauge goods shed. I built it, just to see what it was like, and whether I could use it...

 

I think the Metcalfe kits are pretty good - but in O gauge, the thicker card meant the bare cardboard at the corners was just more visible, as the card is that much thicker

I did think about rendering the Goods shed, and maybe distressing the rendering - so some brickwork was visible in broken render patches....

 

Although my idea then shifted to using the interior brickwork (which is a nice, slightly grubby yellow with a painted grey band along the base) and just model the interior of an O gauge depot

possibly an engine shed, or possibly a goods facility. Though I later decided against either of these, due to time constraints, and Mrs Smith shouting at me, for building even more layouts!

I bought another Metcalfe Goods shed, which I started for this project - the office annexe was lying there unused - hence this little shed

 

I don't have a planned use for it, but I might build a really small simple scene yet - you never know! I'm already sketching a few ideas, but these keep changing all the time lol

 

Metcalfe O gauge kits are now pretty scarce. I did look to obtain another one some time back, on eBay - but they started going for silly money

Then I discovered that the son of my local model shop owner listed them on eBay.... at their old "face value" - they were snapped up immediately, by the same buyer - all 4 of them!

Dammit, I missed them. I'm sure the buyer would then have sold them all on, at a rather handsome profit.....

 

Anyhow, I'm just about to sketch another scheme, using this little shed... and a few other left-overs and odds & ends........ hmmmm

Thanks for the info - much appreciated.

 

I do hope you’re going to share these sketches...?

[Jerry1975]

I'm suffering from a lack of motivation at the moment, illness doesn't help and I seem to be very busy at the moment.

 

I have even changed my plans for my little yard layout as I just couldn't get anywhere with it.

Also as I'm sure you'll all be aware the price of modelling is getting ridiculous, ok, you pay for detail etc but surely major manufacturers could make a less detailed version similar to hornbys railroad range.

I have resorted to buying second hand locomotives and rolling stock and have got a few real bargains.

I do feel though that soon the average man in the street will be priced out of this wonderful hobby and it will be for the more wealthy, how are children ment to get started in the hobby for instance if there pocket money won't even buy a wagon.

 

Things are hard for us all, pressure of life, money, stress etc at least for now ( in my case anyway ) I have this wonderful hobby.

 

Jerry.

[marc smith]

Sorry to hear you've not been well Jerry. I was enjoying your thread for your small layout project too - hopefully, you'll feel up to starting it again soon.
Sometimes a break from either the hobby itself, or just a short break from a particular project can help to re-invigorate your enthusiasm..... hopefully, that will happen

Re my sketches, I've been noodling railway plans, and in particular, plans for micro layouts for some time (years actually, lol)
I keep swapping and banding ideas around - perhaps I'll share a few soon - currently, I'm thinking about a really small O gauge scene
just big enough for a shunter and a wagon or two... but oh dear! I already started a small tuning fork layout ages back! lol

Re your comment on the cost of the hobby Jerry - yes, I agree, it does appear that it is becoming expensive. I fear that's partly all of our fault....
We seem to demand higher levels of detail, and more features, and the manufacturers deliver.... but at a cost.....
Perhaps we are looking at this all the wrong way anyway? An old pal of mine (well, he was the Dad of a fellow rail & modelling fan) now long deceased, said that back in the day, you had to build almost everything - so people were happier with less

 

I'm a fan of re-cycling, using odds & ends, bits & pieces - keep your eye out for bargain boxes, under the table at exhibitions. Half started kits where the original owner just got fed up, or couldn't complete it to the standard they wanted....
Heck, I've got loads and loads of bits & pieces, unbuilt kits etc in various boxes & drawers, scattered not just around my workshop, but lurking in cupboards around the house! I actually don't "need" to buy anything other than glue, paint & scenic material to keep me busy modelling for the rest of my days....  perhaps I should have a garage sale - I could even sell 4 or 5 layouts! ha ha

[marc smith]

Thanks for the info - much appreciated.

 

I do hope you’re going to share these sketches...?

Here's one I've been thinking about for ages. I had put it to one side, and this little hut made me take another look at the concept....

The original intention was to build this, to make use of that O Gauge Metcalfe Goods shed, and to use an O gauge Peco point I had bought -  I got it cheap at Lord & Butler (Cardiff) Someone had sprayed the rails to weather them, and the over-spray made the sleepers an awful colour & appearance. This didn't deter me however (ever an eye for a bargain!) as I would have re-painted the sleepers anyway.... (think I paid about £12 for the point!)

 

The plan is just over 3 feet long, by about 10 inches deep. It would require the use of cassettes at the right hand end, just long enough to accommodate an 08 shunter and 2 wagons.

The sneaky space-saving concept, being that there is a sector plate tucked half way inside the goods shed - just long enough for an 08 (should you need to run around your wagons)

Or the layout could be used as an inglenook - with obvious care needed with attention to the position of said sector-plate! lol

 

The bridge deliberately has two separate, small arches, as in 7mm scale, it's all too easy to see through to the fiddle yard. The siding in the foreground is deliberately short - only enough to accommodate one wagon, with a bit of room - enough for the loco to pass the wagon, once it's parked there. You often see quite short end-loading bay sidings right next to a goods shed. Paul Karau's Great Western Termini plan books show a few examples of this. 

 

Anyhow, looking again at the plan, it occurred to me that it would be ideal for one of those lovely Dapol 08's and just 3 or 4 wagons. And if I were considering this now, I might even make a curved foreground (as I've done on several layouts) just to give the illusion of a bit more depth and space. A nice lower foreground, with a bit of rubbish / clutter - some old broken crates and pallets, maybe a rusty oil drum and lots of weeds...... I would possibly even angle the over-bridge a tad more, and perhaps have a road leading down from it, so there's an embankment, sloping down to the railway in the foreground. I can see some neglected rusty, white iron railings there now - this would also help disguise / hide the entrance to the fiddle.....

Such a tiny layout (for O Gauge) could be really popular. I often got nice comments about how much detail I'd crammed into such a small space on "Poynton Sneer" - which is only 4'11" incl fiddle yard

.... this plan is even smaller, and looking again - it could be squeezed a little bit more, especially with one of those new shorter radius Peco points..... hmmmm if only I had time to build a tenth of the ideas I had

Edited January 18, 2018 by marc smith

[Jerry1975]

Hi Marc.

 

I really like that plan for the layout you sketched, that's the bit I find hardest of all, knowing what to do, where to put what, what will work etc.

 

Jerry.

[marc smith]

Hi Jerry,

I think the two hardest parts of railway modelling, that no magazine articles seem to address, is how to "focus" a plan - to concentrate on the design and focal points within a layout,
and the second point - how this will translate from a 2 dimensional sketch, into 3 dimensions.... and how all the elements of a layout sit, in relation to each other in that 3D space,,,

Sounds a tricky concept to get your head around, I know. But in my professional life, I have come to realise that there are some people who are just better at "translating 2D into 3D" than others.
Colleagues of mine, who are highly intelligent, highly educated people, sometimes cannot grasp a 3D concept, which I can almost see, leaping from a 2D image....
Other colleagues who are similarly educated, can see the concept... sometimes. Equally, there are times when I can't "see" or visualise something, and a colleague can...

In your "Damwee Yard" project, you were placing buildings, track and stock onto your base, and moving them around - seeing how they sat in relation to one another
I think this is an excellent practice, and many people do it, but perhaps they don't do this enough? Maybe you should look at such a 3D mock-up, ask yourself why it works, then re-arrange the elements,
and ask yourself why something doesn't work too...... again, sounds a bit mad (but this is me, yeah? lol) but by doing this, you come to appreciate what works and what doesn't
Also, you often come accross a scenario or composition which disobeys any composition "rules" but just works anyway

I've so frequently said, that one of the beauties of building micro layouts, is that you haven't lost too much money or time if it doesn't quite work out as well as you'd hoped
But it's only by building something that you actually learn these things. You can read all the magazine articles and best books by Iain Rice or Gordon Gravett - but you learn even more when you start to put what you've read into practice....
That's why things like the rmweb cakebox challenge are great - it focusses your mind into working within a given area - you can't add another siding / building / platform.... there just isn't room
So you focus your mind into utilising the space you have available, and to build the best scene you can.....

I hope you get around to building Damwee Yard matey - it was looking good, and by re-arranging it, leaving it a while, then tweaking the design - you were exploring composition and possibilities within a 3 dimensional space.

One of the "things" I try to do when sketching a design for a layout plan, is to be thinking of the backscene, and especially the lines / shape of the horizon as I'm doing that sketch
Sorry folks...., I'm rambling on and on again - when I should be doing some modelling! lol

[Marly51]

Totally agree Marc, I always start with a rough idea, then try to draw a basic scale plan, but once I have a few 3D elements like a building, track, etc. in place I realise that some things need to be moved around to create a better composition. I hope that Jerry keeps going with his model and look forward to seeing your plan in the flesh as well.

Marlyn

Edited January 19, 2018 by Marly51

[Stubby47]

perhaps I should have a garage sale - I could even sell 4 or 5 layouts! ha ha

 

Don't forget the Bring & Buy stall at this year's SWAG day

[marc smith]

Don't forget the Bring & Buy stall at this year's SWAG day

Maybe I should just do that then Stu? Mind you, it'd take a bloomin lorry to shift it all! lol

[1722]

Really like the track plan and the way it can be used as an inglenook. 

 

Get it built :-)

[sb67]

Nice little track plan, I wish I could convert ideas into layouts and plans. I really struggle with getting anything to flow and look believable. It's definitely an art.

Hope this gets built.

Steve.

[Lord Bickerstaff]

see now this is the type of thing that will get me started again

[marc smith]

see now this is the type of thing that will get me started again

That's what this forum is all about, and it's one of the reasons I like it so much - inspiration for everyone

Doesn't matter what scale you model in, what's your favourite era, whatever your favourite region / area, how much space you have for a layout or diorama - there's inspiration on rmweb