The sewage pumping station (to give it its correct title!) is based on a prototype only about 2 miles from where I live. Tucked away in a an area of open land, it is a beautiful example of how Victorian public buildings - even the most basic utilities - were built with a high degree of quality.
Constructed of ? 'London Stocks' with redbrick and sandstone detailing, the building (now owned by the local authority) appears to have been recently cleaned and one of the outstanding features
The 'Tanners Arms' is now open for business... Less the pub sign which I'm still mulling over! Keen eyes will notice modifications to the dormer windows. The 'local authority' objected to the (miniscule) size of the rooms... However, given its noisy, smelly location it's unlikely the landlord will be killed in the rush for occupants! (for Mikkel - NOW you can see the bricked-up window!).
However, the billiards hall on the first floor will doubtless prove popular with the local workers '
Whilst it's been a while, progress has been made, although somewhat slower than I'd like! A spur to progress was a memo from the EMGS that the choice of finalists (to be judged at ExpoEM North in September) would depend on a progress report submitted at ExpoEM South (tomorrow & Sunday) where the 26 initial entries would be reduced to four.
So, onward!
Having sorted out rail & road access, time for the pedestrians to have somewhere safe to walk. 2mm Depron to the rescue again,
I always envisaged that 'Tannery Lane' would be cobbled, with inset 'tramway-type' track. But how to do the cobbling? I gave some thought to commercially-available products - but he cobbling has to conform to both street and track formations, so a 'tailormade' inlay was the only real solution, and accept that it would be time-consuming.
I decided at the outset that the base would be my 'new best friend' - 'Depron Foam'. This is very similar to the high-density closed-cell urethane foam used
It's been a while since the last entry & there's a danger of slippage... So on with the wall covering for the viaduct. Nothing new here - 'SEFinecast' plasticard - 'English Bond' suitably painted. I do LIKE this product - the mortar courses are vertical and horizontal (unlike some I can name) and at 20 thou thick - its thick enough for me! The various apertures were suitably embellished with hand-scribed courses and again suitably painted. The 'mortar' was picked out by a VERY dilute sc
Dont get old! I think I might have said that before!
Christmas came - and with it a bad stomach bug. This had a disastrous effect on my sugar levels which in turn had an affect on my eyesight (incipient Diabetic Neuropathy...) FORTUNATELY strong doses of medication resolved both the bug and the sugar levels (eventually) but it's taken some time for my eyesight to return (almost) to normal. A new pair of prescription lenses has also helped!
Anyway, I decided to do some fairly 'broad-br
I've been waiting for a couple of items to arrive in the post... So rather than just twiddle my thumbs I've got on with the 'mini-scene' so I can finish the tracklaying...
First job is to lay down some basic paint -
in this case tube acrylic using a very limited palette - 'burnt umber' 'sap green' & 'yellow ochre'.
The stream-bed was suitably treated with a mixture of acrylic - 'mars black' and 'Vallejo' black ink... Wouldn't want to swim in THAT!
And as I had some
Ever had one of those days when you get up full of good intentions - and then realise you're actually planning something about three stages too early?? Case in point....
A small 'occupation bridge' is required to cross the 'drain' to access the abbatoir. No problem - a few bits of plastikard, some acrylic paint then lay the track...
Easy.. Then I realised that the scenics of the drain would have to be done prior to setting the bridge in...
Slap on scenic compound and som
The last 10 days have been a bit of a nightmare, with virtually no modelling done last week, what with a funeral in Devon, some private work coming in (more of that later on the 'workshop blog') and, of course the start of the 'festivities of the season'. Nice but it ain't modelling!
So what time could be given over has been tied up with the trackwork. It's now all built -
as this shot shows - the PCB sleepering is still 'au naturel', but
a few passes with a can of 'sleep
'Challenge Wednesday' went by the board this week as I was at the REC Monday to Wednesday working on 'Netherley' the 7mm layout. So... spent all day today at the bench instead! First job was to lay in the viaduct track-bed with its 'split-level'
The 'running line' is descending on the right whilst there will be a 'track remnant' on the higher level. I got the idea whilst riding the 'Brio Train' (aka the 'Docklands Light Railway').
This is the only section that will have a 'normal'
It's 'Challenge Wednesday' so' up 'n at 'em'. Sort of! The major job today was to try & get the viaduct in place, but first I transferred all the salient points onto the baseboard surface
Next job (now that I knew where the major elements were going) was to add the cross-members to brace the foam board - made from 5.5mm ply with a hole in each for the wiring (little though it will be)
Having resolved them I was able to add another scenic item -
the 'Quaggy dit
It's Wednesday - and I actually found myself with a couple of spare hours.. So I thought I'd build the wagon turntable giving access to the tannery...
Take a piece of 080" plastikard, scribe a circle to the relevant diameter (I used 80mm/20ft), and open out the centre-pop hole (this will become the mounting point) and draw in centre-lines at rightangles.. I then printed off a section of straight track in Templot on adhesive paper, cut two 80mm lengths from it, took out centre 'inspection p
Out to lunch with an old friend on Wednesday, and rubbish weather today, so make baseboards until the sun shines!
As previously explained the baseboard will be of high-density foam edged with 6mm ply..
First, I painted both sides of the foam with white emulsion -
I'm hoping this will (a) provide a surface for 'laying out' and b) limit the effects of any solvents etc which might spill on the surface and c) painting the underside should help make things more visible if maintenance
Right - it's 'Challenge Wednesday'. Since the last entry I've had my 'thinking cap' on (the pointy one which involves standing in a corner...). The main train of thought (aargh, PUN ) evolved along the lines of 'how can I get action into the scenarios?' First decision - choose a scenario. Okay Mikkel raised a good point - do the sewage works, drink beer (and provide them with the necessary?) However, the sewage works really didn't have too much operationally going for it. Coal & lim
Right - firming up some ideas...
1. The Dock
'Busy' scene - probably modelling 'the dock' at mid/low tide. A chance to use my Langley' Puffer' at last (sitting on a 'barge-bed'), with their canal-boat probably in the 'lock' which dives under the building/road (want a prototype - look at the Birmingham Canal where it goes under Snow Hill Station!). Lots of scenic potential and buildings to make..
2. The Brewery
Combines my three favourite subjects - beer, rails &
Here we go again... I received my EMGS Newsletter' today.... Take an area 5' 00" x 18.2" (the '0.2" might be critical!) and turn it into a layout by November 2015... The Plan:-
pretty blank at the moment - but various themes are floating round my head.... Oh yes, the hatched lines represent the space taken by the cassette-type fiddle-yard(s).
Theme 1 'Perfection Wharf' -
- a canal basin
- Wharehouses
- wagon turntables
- high level 'access' line.
Theme 2 'Perfection Br
