The stepped cottages chimney stacks and pots are now completed. I checked for older images of the cottages on the Internet and came across my own, which was disconcerting, as I hadn’t placed them there! Then I resorted to look for video images using You Tube. These old videos at the time were taken using film and VHS technology; most reveal the loss of the number and types of pots since the 1950’s.They do however reveal the grime around the chimney stack roof tiles and the barge boards when comp
Called in at my Tauranga Hobby shop here in NZ for supplies and came across ‘Just Plug’ LED nano lights to my delight! I’ve been looking out for Pico LED’s sold locally until I spotted them thanks to the shop owner.
Some time back I got and made a Ratio 470 LMS home signal in the hopes of using a servo for its operation and of course it needed to be lit as well. Although the Nano is a size up from the Pico it was as close as I could obtain.
The signal lamp needed modifying which proved
Hi all, I’ve just been able to get back into some modelling of my version of Garsdale on the S & C line after a lot of other challenges since last December 2019. Nothing to do with Covid 19 though.
With a lot to keep me busy, I am now ‘learning to fly’ and getting to grips with the layout servo wiring control system that I had put aside before I could get back into modelling.
Having opted for using a simple server / ESC tester (see my pictures below) connected to a server to
The sequence of constructing a layout can be deceiving, as you may think one may have thought of everything, but not well enough in my case apparently!
Putting the platforms down before I had completed track ballasting may have made it more awkward than anything else. However I’m going to persevere and may need to use old pieces of card strip against the sides and mask up the top of the platform to prevent any ballast and paint getting on the platform sides. The platform top surfaces ended
Grazing in the grass is a gas, baby,can you dig it: from The Friends of Distinction was going to be my other title as I’ve been laying down quite a bit of Woodland Scenics fine turf as my base before I get into more detail using static grass to build up my diorama.
On my first module it was by pure luck it went so well, but some time had past since I’d completed it and I had to relearn the technique used then ‘cause I’d forgotten it!
Therefore for my own edification I thought be
Still working on the terrain around the station end of my module two. After I took another look behind the down line signal box and the Carlisle waiting room it was obvious that the access road level was below the platform and not up level with it.
So out came the contract filler and poly offcuts to remedy the situation which meant that the water supply tower for the railway cottages and station buildings needed to be built while raising the existing embankment height.
As there’
Under way at last, another portable baseboard module (no. 2) i. This allows completion of the platforms and accommodate the station proper. The module is interlocked with the 1st module to ensure that the railway tracks are kept aligned in both the horizontal and vertical planes. With the construction completed I wanted to concentrate on the SAC Bridge 116 which is an occupational access for the farmers sheep or stock.
The Eastern portal was slightly difficult as mostly there are no
Despite my GWRM involvement then getting the 60 day coughing flu I have been busy building up my control mimic panel box and servo switching arrangement units for my own layout requirements. The control panel features an acrylic fascia with 3mm embedded LEDs and DPDT point switches. The control box size is 625 x 240 x 80 mm constructed from 12 mm thick ply and two 40 x 18 mm dressed timber that is piano hinged between at the front for internal access.
The layout mimic panel consists
Experience, there’s nothing quite like it! As you maybe aware I’ve been immersed in the joys of diode matrix wiring for the above. Much to the delight of my fellow GWRM club members two of us have finally cracked getting the 3 way point to operate the way it should using three momentary button switches on the loop/yard module control panel. Thanks to the UK Heywood Model Railway Group posting on the internet, John Essex has a solenoid matrix wiring system that I can endorse after finding other
I have flat surfaces that need some character and I’m using 50mm thick polystyrene off cuts of flooring insulation that are glued down with exterior PVA to create it. The outline of the access path to Platform one and road to the terrace railway cottages were drawn in with a permanent marker pen after studying many photos and determining a plan view. Then using a small flexible handsaw and a Surform rasp these are then carved out and shaped to simulate the embankments and general sloping terrain
With the abutment built, the next challenge is getting the wing wall lengths measured. Using Google maps, the approximate length was ascertained reasonably well at the10m scale and by comparing this with the bridge dimensions I obtained earlier.
Both the Eastern wing wall lengths being shorter due to the rise in the road/terrain appear as a nearly identical mirror image on either side along with the end height. On the opposite West wing, both walls are the same in length but wall end heights
Inspiration is a wonderful tonic! Progressing well now as modifying the bridge sides is a relatively easy task. The four outside plates are complete with the inner plates cut in half and glued. The end plates that are directly under the stonework abutments were cut from the original end pieces and end riveted detail cut from the same now spare panels. This is because the plates were turned through 90° to create the right number and spacing for replicating the bridge.
Going from the photos, y
Well items ordered sometime go astray! While waiting patiently for the Wills SS57 plate girder panel bridge to not arrive, I’ve had time to help improve the old layout and rolling stock down at our local clubroom and go over my original thoughts and plans for my own layout baseboard construction. With having the advantage of the newly constructed Railway Workers Stepped Cottages and diorama requirement around the Coal Rd. #115 bridge this forced me to rethink what I wanted to achieve.
Also a
Well as you can see I'm still getting my head around this Blog thing. I Just used the Edit button to continue instead of this. As you can see by the photos they show up my warts and all efforts on the Carlisle Waiting Room. The last pic shows my attempt of Yorkshire Stone colouring using acrylic paints, with the Up Line Leeds Waiting Room in the background. Presently I'm tackling the window details of both buildings. The 3.0mm foam board has been scribed using a 0.5mm HB propelling pencil after
Now for a slightly different approach for assembly than my last effort. Ease of assembly is my excuse, particularly for window detailing such as curtains. Although this was a relatively easy exercise for me before, it only required the pre painting all the external walls with a grey wash. The glazing panels were fitted along with the flooring support strips along the internal walls, which also helped to keep the walls straight.
The intermediate walls were also fitted with support strips for
The weekend GWRM Exhibition at Cambridge was well supported and all members contributed to its success. I've included photos showing our ever evolving Layout. Being a work in progress there is of course a lot more to be done modifying and improving it, but visitors are always interested in how our modellers scratch build and make our module dioramas.We encourage many to have a go at one of the five controllers of the DC layout and gain new members as a consequence.
Back to building next time
No one slacking off here! The opposite would be true with involvement with the GWR Modellers forthcoming Cambridge Exhibition here in the Waikato and family visitors. Aside from those, I have managed to progress on the above and now have some progress photos to share.
Many soggy days here have meant plenty of time to refine methods for easier paper removal from foam board. I found that my fingers didn’t appreciate rubbing the paper off when dealing with large pieces. When the foam board is made, I understand the paper backing is part of the manufacturing process. Removing the bond between the two should be the answer. I tried adding white vinegar at a quarter to one-cup water ratio, but this added to material cost and only had a minimal effect on softening th
The Hollies of course sang my title for this post. Now at last the glazing can be fitted to the windows. I had already cut these out at 25mm and 35mm square 0.4mm clear styrene sheet when I made the entrance lobby/porch windows. The immediate concern is window dressing as once the tile roof goes on the access to the inside of the building will no longer be possible.
Because there will be no internal lighting, I decided to apply the three-foot viewing rule to my building here and use 1.5mm th
Before I can fit the glazing to all the windows, I need to paint the building exterior. Being new to scratch building I have found painting with acrylics a challenge, in as much the matching of the paint colour to the images in photographs is always a compromise depending on the photographers use of filters, time of day, decade and of course the weather.
So with that in mind I started with a light grey wash, then I mixed a light grey along with yellow oxide, burnt umber, plus a touch of crim
Now this is where we all might learn something, as this is a test of my observation! I tend to start with the quoins on my replica of the Georgian era buildings, because they provide the basis of the Yorkshire stone courses and how they fit with the doors and window openings, but I’m getting ahead of myself here. My earlier buildings of the Garsdale Junction Railway Station were a lot smaller in height and width. These Railway Workers Cottages are considerably longer and will take me into the n
Measure twice and cut once. I first learnt this when I fabricated steel that it was not appreciated if you wasted any material. Using a 1.0 x 0.76 x 3.0mm Foamboard sheet (they come in all thickness and sizes, 10,5 and 3mm and in sizes A2, A3 and A4), I lightly draw out the sides and ends using a 0.5 HB mechanical pencil. Ensure you start from a square corner, most are. Then for cutting out use a new sharp edge angle blade. This is because you need a clean cut through the paper both sides of the
These will certainly be a challenge! When I used the AnyRail program as a guide to get an idea of all the buildings positions and their sizes on the layout, I also drew out a section through view of them on a spare piece of 3.0mm thick MDF to get their relationship to the baseboard’s structure i.e. support joists and risers. My reasoning at the time (2015) was that because the Dandy Mire Viaduct needed the diorama depth to accommodate it and I intended to have a lower return tracks/fiddle yard b
The Restroom
Just finished off both the waiting rooms glazing details, as far as I can go at the moment. May need to come back to those later on. Getting to the second structure on the Garsdale/Hawes platform that should have been an easy build but for one thing, I made the top window lintels the same as the Waiting Rooms. This was an oversight, as I didn’t check my original drawing against a photo of the prototype that shows a squared lintel instead of the rounded top corners.
So after
Carlisle Waiting Room has progressed along to the point of detailing the window frames. Of course I apply the 3 feet viewing rule at the moment. Hopefully as I up skill it may get shorter!
Now for the Leeds Up line Waiting Room. As this is my second attempt to model these buildings you will probably notice that the quoins detail has been scribed on rather than using a card quoin glued to the foam board. This was because the quoins appear to be flush with the stonework, not proud. Also I cha
