With the goods shed all but completed, the loading bank is next on the agenda. As with the platform, the basic shell is a thin ply top with 12mm basswood sides.

For the surface, I've again used DAS clay, this time attempting a cobbled surface using a method mentioned in the past by Chris Nevard of using a ballpoint pen with the writing part removed to form the cobbles themselves.

Chris' article can be found on his blog -http://nevardmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/quick-cobbles.html

My method is slightly different, in that I used the ink tube from a Biro rather than the end of the pen, as I wanted slightly smaller cobbles than the end of the pen gave, and dismantling too many pens would have produced stern glares from she who must be obeyed (I've already had strict instructions to stay away from the baby powder!)

Once dry, I painted the surface with Railmatch Sleeper Grime, and then drybrushed with a variety of greys and creams to produce a variance of colour. Finally, I added brick facings on the edges and coping on the rail side using plasticard, scored and thinned on the edge, and a flint wall of which more will follow in a later update. This isn't quite finished, I feel it needs a couple of brick pillars for the ends, the subject of tonights planned session, along with some fencing on the 'other side' and along the access ramp and a bit of filler to cover up a gap (which inevitably looks worse than it is in the photos!) at the bottom where the surface and ramp facings meet.

A close up to show the cobbled effect - the colouring looks better from a normal distance!

The other side

An overview, showing the coping.

As always, thoughts and comments are welcome - I took advantage of the natural light for these photos, but will try to add one showing the dock in place on the layout next time.

EDIT

Here you go - gap filled with Humbrol Filler and a 'vintage' filter applied to try and get an 'of the time' look to the photo. The buffer stop is an old Hornby one as a placeholder.