Stooperdale Engineering Ltd a box file layout
Entry posted by Tel2010
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Stooperdale engineering,a layout in a boxfile
by Tel2010
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??? posted on Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:34 pm
Hello everyone,
i'm new to this forum,having read loads of great posts and viewed some really outstanding modelling thought i would finally take the plunge and post a little about my current effort.
Having come across carendt.com micro layouts and one in particular by Colin Peake,i was inspired to have a go,haveing been away from modelling for many years.The result been Stooperdale engineering Ltd,a boxfile layout.
If i had found this site earlier, i would have posted earlier and also found a good few more boxflie layouts to boot !.Most of my photos of the build can be found on my fotopic pages.
Stooperdale is a fictional business, although i worked for an engineering firm,which had one of its shops named stooperdale(was a railway workshop in past before my time there).
I still have one or two bits to do on it,mainly cosmetic.The track runs off to the right to a sector plate and can run off through the end shop onto an extended siding,which i suppose could have hidden siding aswell. I worked out the track to make a 3:2:2 shunting puzzle.The wagons(still converting)are coupled with Lincs auto couplings(dont know if still arround has i purchased then years ago)There are permanant magnets under the track,test runs work fine.The motive power is provided by a Bachmann 04 shunter.
For the track infill i used a layer of thin card, coated in pva glue then applied a mix of cheap ready mix tile grout,with pva and gray acrylic paint added. Once dry sanded down with fine wet/dry,re did any holes and sanded again.The grooves scribed out with home made scriber to width and depth of wheel flanges. Painted with acrylic paint to darken it off and weather it.In fact I used acrylics for nearly all the painting.Great medium as dry's so fast and you can mix different shades so easily.
All the buildings are scratch build from plasticard and card,covered with scalescenes building papers,with exception of the small oil storage shed in bottom left corner which was bashed out of scalescene freebee goods store.
The work shop has a radial drill,horizontal borer and milling machine in them,where from my late fathers collection of bits and bobs and although Ho in scale still look the part.The tubeplate on the floor that the fitter is bending down to,is just a photo printed out and stuck to plasticard.
The background sky is from the scalescene John Wiffen's South oak Road layout link,a free download from him.
The back scene buildings where just scrounged off the web,scaled to size and stuck on.
Well guess thats about it,please feel free to comment or make suggestions.If you like to know anything else about it i will do my best to answer.Thanks for reading.
More photos of Stooperdale can be found here
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Comment posted by mines a pint on Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:37 pm
Thats just brilliant, and an excellent first post to the forum, Welcome! 
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Comment posted by Steve with the Hat on Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:04 am
Welcome to the forum Tel,
I agree with mines, those pictures are great - particularly the one with the blue warehouse type building which at first glance I thought you were showing us the prototype! also, how have you done the wire fence and posts? I've been wanting to get that effect but struggling with finding the right scratchbuild materials,
regards
Steve
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Comment posted by mines a pint on Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:23 am
You asked for suggestions, and I couldnt think of any first off, it really does look well!
(hope you dont mind resize of pic, forum wouldnt talk to it otherwise!)
-from the straight forward view the overbridge is sound, but from this angle it looks a little like it is floating above the backdrop, I wonder if a fence from the wall down the embankment to the building would sort this, a planked (or otherwise non-see through) fence roughly the same height as the wall? - its splitting hairs really though.
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Comment posted by skipepsi on Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:04 am
I think it is very good and to be honest I can't suggest any improvements, some oil stains on the concrete?
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Comment posted by Ragtag on Fri Oct 09, 2009 7:25 am
Always nice to see another boxfile on the go. Is your backscene removable so that it can turn back into a box?
In addition, you might want to post some pics (if you have them) of how you handled any reinforcement of the file - it's an immense help to people thinking about their own projects.
And lastly, welcome to the forum
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??? posted on Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:06 am
Thank you Russ and everyone for the nice welcome and comments,wasn't expecting so many great reply s having only posted very late last night.
I can see what you mean about the buildings floating a bit,didnt think of it this way,but been thinking of what to do at back.Got to be careful as the lid closes down there,as well as over bridge and sky lifting off. The rear grass bank also lifts off to enable me to access the point motor.The grass is stuck to a piece of foam rubber. Will take your suggestions on board and see what it looks like with a fence.
kind Regards
Terry
Ps added link below to where some of my build photos lurk,will try put some up here when i get time
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??? posted on Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:10 am
Hi Ragtag
thanks for the kind comments
Yes it all comes to bits and closes into a closed boxfile,will try some photos first chance i get.
Kind regards
Terry
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Comment posted by stubby47 on Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:16 am
Wow, Terry, very impressive.
You seem to have got quite a lot of track in a small space, without looking cramped.
And the details you've added look the part too.
And the lid closes !!
Very, very good.
Stu
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??? posted on Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:25 am
Hi Steve
Thanks for the great comments,guess the give away to the building looking real is that the chimney behind it is the desktop lamp lol.
The fence came out much better than i thought,i cut 1.5 square plastic into 20mm long lengths rounded top off with file at one end.Marked out the position of wire holes evenly and drilled with a small drill,in my case a .04mm bit. i then placed this master over another blank post and pushed through holes with a pin to mark positions and then drilled,repeating on each post. the posts where under coated,then painted and dry brushed with a mixture of white grey ,red and black acrylics to get a weathered concrete effect.(i still needs to dirty the concrete floor some more)
Holes where drilled evenly on layout and posts sunk and glued with pva glue to a depth of 5mm.
Here's the bit i should have done before glueing in position,threading fine fishing line through the holes.when i do any more i would do this first leaving line long till into position,then taking up the tension.Final step was to paint line a rusty colour .
Hope this is of some help.
Kind Regards
Terry
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Comment posted by Steve with the Hat on Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:54 am
Terry,
Thats absolutely spot on, just what I needed. They look a bit shorter than the scarecrow so I guess about 1.5m/5ft so 20mm in 4mm scale? I dont have plasticard to hand (all our budget is going on locos atm), so I'll give it a go with either DAS or mountboard
thanks for the help
Steve
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??? posted on Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:05 am
Hi Steve
Glad to be of help,since i planted posts 5mm deep,15mm protruding works out around a 3foot 9inch in 4mm.which from memory seems to be hight of a low fence.Scarecrow a little baggy(badly stuffed lol) but compares to a 4mm figure placed next to it.Scarecrow made out of milliput on a wire frame.
kind Regards
Terry
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??? posted on Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:18 am
Thanks Stu
track work,very similar to Colin Peakes box file layout which inspired me to build one myself in fact getting back into modelling after 15yr or so break.His layout also responsible for the sector plate design and means of fastening to boxfile.
I think for me to copy ideas from a design that worked was best way forward ,as in past had so many idea's for building a layout,all of which didnt go far for one reason or other.I started this layout in 2007,i think,but its only been in last couple of months that i did most of the scenery and buildings and getting it to a near complete state.
The concrete has got stains but its come out lot lighter in the photos so need to darken it,add stains again and likes of vehicle tread marks.
Kind regards
Terry
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??? posted on Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:21 am
Thanks Mike B
Last part of my last post ment for you concerning concrete ,stains etc.Its come out lot lighter in the photo,so will darken it when i get the chance.Thank you for your comments:o)
Kind regards
Terry
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Comment posted by Thirty2A on Fri Oct 09, 2009 11:45 am
I love it well done, has a nice feel about. I dont think of it as a box file looks bigger!
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Comment posted by sandshifter on Fri Oct 09, 2009 7:33 pm
Glad you've broken cover with this Terry 
It's looking absolutely great, I echo the comment that it certainly seems more spacious than a boxfile. You've really made the backscene work and make the whole thing seem almost endless!
Well done 
Colin
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??? posted on Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:53 pm
Hi Colin
Thank you for your kind comments,and for providing me with the insperation in the first placeto have a go myself at making a box file layout.
Its been a great learning experience to get back into modeling.
Best Regards
Terry
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Comment posted by matto21 on Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:12 am
Excellent - I love it! Love the buildings and the infilled track - the 'concrete' colour looks spot on to me 
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Comment posted by Northern Maiden on Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:19 am
This is wonderful .... you've got lots going on to capture the viewer's interest without it being cramped. 
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??? posted on Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:37 pm
Thank you, 
Kind regards
Terry
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??? posted on Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:40 pm
Thank you ,its come out better than i thoght,wait to you see some early shots 
Kind Regards
Terry
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??? posted on Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:26 pm
Here are a few more photos which i said would put up of layout when was first getting build,as you can see in photo i used a piece of quarter inch plywood for track base,just something i had spare,braced with same along length and width.Holes cut through these supports at intervels to enable wire to pass.Sleeper spacing altered to look better.Track and base sprayed black.
You can see the sector plate end with plywood strengthening around cutout and on sector plate board.Captive nuts held in place inside box,fastening sector plate to box with bolts A piece of ply was contoured and glued into place at front where allotments will be.This enabled me to hinge the front pannel so it can be totaly closed up when lid closed.I also have two black card inserts which fasten onto the opening of ends of box file,with foam rubber cut to size of opening.,so holding them in place.Looks nearly like a ordinary file one closed up.
The 2nd photo shows a early mockup of buildings and bridge made from thin card.It helped me get some idea of scale and what i could include in the available space.
The 3rd photo was taken once the wireing had been done tested and base glued into boxfile,which had already had the ends and front cut out.i was also at the stage here when i built the bridge abutments and retaining walls( bashed scalescene bridge abutments kit )
??? posted on Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:38 pm [/color]
Here i have applied the first coat of filler ,which consisted of a cheap ready mixed white tile grout,with black aycrilic pain and drop of PVA glue added.I also gave card infill a coat of PVA glue before applying filler.
It shrunk only a little when it dryed,a second coat put this right.It has a very fine grain so sanded very smooth and didnt break off when scribed.
Once rubbed down,it was scribed to simulate the concrete slabs and the grooves for track was done by a old hacksaw blade ground to width of wheel flanges.I set a stop made from wood on this blade to keep depth even.
If you wonder what the white areas are,its plastic card bases for the buildings.=,i was hoping to have them sunk into ground,it did work to a degree,but there was still a gap around congregated building,the only one to completely lift off,i solved this by aplying some weeds to its brickwall base,so they sink below ground level aswell,thus hiding gap.
I ballasted the track after this stage,by the traditional method of 50/50 mix PVA glue and a drop of washing up liquid.
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??? posted on Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:07 pm
Testing out how well lid closes here with buildings layed flat.The bridge has since been attached to side background,still fits in box.
This photo also shows how i built up the ground with card formers,covering with thin card which was then covered with some left over tile grout,having first coated with PVA again.
Once dry i formed ploughed ridges in the soil out of Das clay,i also used clay to make the base for the ground cover (not shown here,but areas of black wood at side and in between tracks)Worked out a less messy method for doing theses area,since ballast had been done.These where painted before grass added.
The shorter grass was of the static grass viriety,whilst the rough grass on embankment is hanging basket liner.
The little object in lower left is a Langly's wood burning oil drum,wire running under baseboard to the building wireing.
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??? posted on Sat Oct 10, 2009 4:46 pm
Shown here is coregated shop,the doors actualy slide open.This gives me choise of using a extended line the boxfile already been cut away for this.I made the door slide out of a piece of brass rod held between plastic ends which are sunk into holes and glued.
The building came out a little rougher than i wanted(gaps near roof) but the painting made up for it.
I tryed a method used by Brian William Knott Fayle who has a great little website found here http://www.brifayle.ca/1home.html.
The model was first sprayed matt black,then colour built up by drybrushing. thinner,lighter washes where applyed to weather it.Rust etc was then applied.The brickwork paint same way but picking out bricks with light and dark shades,then a white wash applied and rubbed off before drying to highlight the cement courses.
I tryed same method to paint the figures but couldnt quite get away with method on these ,so reverted back to a gray undercoat for these,I used artist acrylic paint for most of the models painting,so dont know if this was the problem.Will practice some more when i get chance.
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