Victoria Bridge, genuine progress for once!
Hello everyone, and a belated mid-January Happy New Year to all on RMWeb!
I'm sure I am not the only one to have experienced a surge of 'actual modelling' over Christmas with the temporary lack of gawping at other people's fine creations on RMWeb. I took it upon myself to get cracking on my Victoria Bridge diorama..
(part decorative display shelf, maybe occasional exhibitable micro layout)
..which had begun life with some tentative woodwork, but little else, a year ago, the previous New Year.
The only other burst of modelling in what was a busy year, was a weekend in the summer when I decided I could fashion the abutments from DAS clay, luck and probably not enough judgement. These abutments were, lets say, more impressionist than accurate, and just before Christmas a replacement set, designed on Google Sketchup (see blog post back in December) appeared in crisp white plastic from Shapeways.
Work began on Boxing Day with the new abutments, with relief detail printed in, set in place. While waiting for the glue to dry I also made a start on a Brass / Whitemetal WD 2-10-0 made from two Foxhunter 2-8-0 kits and the remains of a pretty ancient Fleischmann ten-coupled loco of German origin. (a BR52?).. but more of that in the coming weeks.
This burst of activity has continued with regular evening sessions experimenting with scenic treatments. I am enjoying this work, with so little pressure to get things spot on, just build up layers, as in nature. If something looks wrong, just build up some more foliage on top of it!
I am quite pleased with the 'orifice' at the end where the track has to vanish into a hole in space and time that I have never encountered in real life. The flock and foliage carries on up the vertical backscene to try and blur where 'scenery' finishes and a vertical plank of veneered chipboard begins.. it still needs some work. The colours work in some lights, and will probably work well as a base for the more delicate scenic fluff on top, although take a photo with a flash and it all goes a little psychadelic... tricky business, model photography!
- - - - -
Dapol Carriages
I had been pondering why my Dapol Collet carriages looked somehow different to their 1:1 scale counterparts running, in the present day, over the real bridge. Closer inspection revealed that the Dapol livery had a broad 'Chocolate' stripe above the windows not present on the present SVR fleet. A few moments with some cream paint sorts out this problem, and they suddenly look the part.
(right hand carriage is modified)
- - - - -
Some vague, artistic 'moody' shots. The backscene is deliberately rough and vague (and still a work in progress) which is supposed to represent a wall of trees on the far side of the valley. It is working in places, the challenge will be to make it work consistently along the full length of the diorama!
Close up detail. The front face of the bridge ironwork is really just a 'placeholder' for now, as it has been subjected to a few too many of my 'experiments' in trying to replicate the texture of iron, which has gone a little lumpy. Soon I will produce a 3D printed front 'face' with embossed lettering, and many fine bolts and rivets... when I get around to it!
I am quite pleased with the look of the track, which, in deference to my older models is still standard PECO, the 'train set' look of it can be largely disgused with ballast and representations of track bed oily gritty filthyness. My next project will be, I'm certain, off on the finescale path though!
I do wonder if the train might vanish through here...
And pop out into another SVR-based 'module', any suggestions as to a location (?), answers on a postcard please....
Thanks for reading, more to come soon.
- 4
9 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now