Decided to have a go at a bit of forced perspective by using a smaller scale building in the background behind the Signal Box. I decided on a typical country Church - it is not to any particular scale, just a copy from a photo. I knocked it up out of some mounting card and scored the ashlar stonework with a scalpel. I was surprised just how pleasing the effect can be as I was expecting it to look a little daft or out of place. The only problem now is that the lighting at the front of the mod
Just a quick update at Carlisle Citadel.
A picture from the other side of the layout for a change. I doubt a Green 105 would have worked the Silloth Branch, but it's all I've got in the Green DMU era and I think it makes for a nice picture. I know they worked Carlisle in the BR Blue days though. Changing the destination board was a real pain and I also had to twist the frame as it seemed to be pushed up under the body shell and out of line above the bogies - ironic given that the
Just an update after some much needed correction to the signals. Many thanks to Dave for pointing out my glaring error in having the signal arms the wrong way around! Despite having built loads of schemes, read numerous books about the railways and pouring over thousands of prototype pictures I am still prone to making embarrassing mistakes from time to time. But that's what great about being a member of RMWeb - always loads of help and objective advice from my fellow modellers. It also has
Smoke hoods now in. I only intend to cover 12 roads out of the 24. I took on board the advice about lowering them closer to the locos but looking at the pictures of Saltley and old pics of Barrow Hill I noted that they are about this height anyway. I guess that when initially installed in Victorian times they suited the height of the tall stacks on the steam engines of that time. Hoods for newer roundhouses were then brought down much closer to suit later train design.
Below is a pictu
Some pics of the roof covering going on. Mounting card pasted with the Scalescenes Aged Clapboard render has been used as an outer cover leaving the window openings clear. The outside of the card will be covered with simple strips of masking tape which will then be painted in black acrylic - this will nicely simulate an asphalt covering (this worked well on my model of a track side store on my Cheslyn layout).
What's great about taking photos during a build is that it shows up detai
The walls have gone up and after a lot of MacGyvering everything has come square - phew!
The above shots are through a couple of the openings in the opposite wall - these will have either removable mirrors or wall blanks for internal viewing.
This shot is through the left hand door opening on the left hand gable wall. This end has been designed so that the entire wall can be lifted out to provide an unhindered view into the interior even when the roof is on.
Time for an update. The station building has now been completed (few minor details to do). This is the Scalescenes Small Station Building kit which has been extended - the Scalescenes Gent's Kit has also been added to the gable end. I'm a bit of a Scalescenes nut and very much enjoy making and modifying the kits. I'm crap at painting plastic building kits so really love the crisp detail of the textures - there is a wide range of kits and papers allowing you to scratchbuild and modify to your
Had a couple of GWR ground signals turn up from an outstanding order a few months back so I thought I'd do a bit more work on Cheslyn. Also started installing some Spratt and Winkle couplings on some more coach stock.
One day I was playing with a Vi Trains class 37 whilst working on the couplings at the same time - never a good idea. After the session I picked up the 37 and found a dirty great superglue blemish and a bit of finger tip hanging off the bodywork. This was quite a shock and I di
Can anyone help with this. I want to avoid the 20 pence look of long length trains that are so typical with set track radius curves and want to aim for that more smooth prototypical look. What minimum radius should be aimed for - say a minimum 6 foot radius, or can you get away with something smaller? I have a twelve by twelve space in which to construct a layout and was thinking of a simple circle to fill the space.
Mike
The fascia and lighting units and have now been installed - nearly there! I use a glue gun to speed things along and have found it an invaluable tool when it comes to baseboard construction. If you're going to use one though, spend a few quid on a good one as I learnt the hard way with a cheap Aldi type first. I bought a Stanley gun and it really heats the glue up - the hotter the better - you have to watch your fingers mind!
I picked up a couple of display tube lights in a sale, but
Ever since completing my GWR branch terminus layout (Cheslyn) it has languished under dust sheets in the loft. My trouble is that I'm a bit of serial layout builder and get quickly bored once a project has been finished. Space is also at a premium and Cheslyn was taking it up so I therefore approached the Lartigue Museum in Listowel, Co Kerry and asked if they'd like to have it for display. They were delighted and mounted the layout on the wall in the old engine shed shortly after it was deliver
The second Lima arrived on Monday morning along with the Fox Transfers - I only ordered both of these on the 31st Jan!!! Great service. I also ordered a Hornby shunter detailing kit and some Flush glazing from another supplier - still no news!! It seems that not all suppliers have an enlightened attitude toward customer service. I'm not inclined to name names because I don't know how this would go down. However, as it turned out, they did me a favor.
Right out of the box from eb
Just a quick update on progress so far.
The track is down and wiring nearing completion. There's been a lot happening here of late with family matters of one thing and another so modeling time has been severely compromised.
My wiring method ain't neat, but it works! All points are motored and the frogs wired to Peco switches - a lot of work but worth the effort for a yard type layout. So hopefully loco stutter will be non existent and slow running should be superb when all thing
Whilst finishing off Barrow Hill I inevitably started thinking about what next - I guess we're all guilty of that during builds? Then, whilst browsing on RMweb one day, I came across Geoff Forster's blog of his layout 'Penhydd' - this, in my humble opinion, has to be one of the most perfect models I've ever seen. It has everything - a station, three goods sidings, roads, lots of perfect greenery and potential for lots of expansion. It offers loads of operational fun and makes for a great phot
The Lights are in - blew one up by not using resistor when testing, but the rest work fine! Here's a smoky shot (cigarette smoke) with the lights on (I've used 8 in total).
The next shot is a smoky one with outside daylight (simulated by a couple of 100watt bulbs). I'm trying to get the sunlight streaming through the smoke effect, but just can't get it to work yet.
I've included this last picture because I quite like the mottled effect from the roof windows on the walls.
Tried a couple of smoke hoods just to see if they look okay. These are copies of the old types as used at Saltley. I tried another design first and made twenty before deciding that I didn't like them!! The ones in the pics actually look as if they are designed to do the job.
Tried a long exposure shot -
Comments most welcome because I don't want to destroy the look already achieved without the hoods. I notice that at Barrow Hill only under half the roads have hoods for
I was going to have a go at making the yard at Barrow Hill to compliment a previous model of the Roundhouse made about a year and a half ago. However, after much thought, I decided that the original model just wouldn't do - so here are some pics of my second attempt.
The turntable is from Walther's Cornerstone which matches the one at Barrow Hill although it's longer. Some say the model isn't up to scratch, but it was easy to put together. I did have some problems with the motor, b
Some Edwardian style postcards. These have been made using a free program on the internet called Be Funky. The new store shed is made from coffee stirrers and matchsticks - I used the Scalescenes free upload of the same shed as a template to stick the cut wood on. Can't say enough about the versatility of Scalescenes products - brilliant little kits to make.
This is an ordinary shot of the new store shed. It took about 4 hrs to make start to finish. The n
I've decided on Cheslyn as a name for my fictitious GWR branch terminus. Here are some latest pics of progress to date.
The ballast, point rodding and signal box have been completed. I tried the method for ballasting as prescribed by Andy Y's article, but came a right cropper when cutting out the webbing - the flexi track just twisted completely out of shape despite glueing all the tie bars and going carefully. The webbing was left in place thereafter and was disguised by the fine ba
Progress so far. Walls are up - some Scalescenes papers and a few spare Brassmasters windows later and the roof still fits fine. Smoke Hoods, detailing and roof covering still to complete.
Another pic from a different angle.
It isn't an exact copy of Barrow Hill, rather a mish mash of what a Round House would look like although the roof profile is the same. I've used a pictures from Both Barrow Hill and some old photos of Saltley as a reference.
Had a recent birthday and with the money bought some goodies. However, the credit card bill revealed a bit of an overspend and collars were duly felt. But after much wailing, gnashing of teeth and a few recriminations the new stock was quickly whipped out of the box for a few update shots.
The Bachmann Warship is a beautiful model and whilst the grills are only moulded they really give the impression of something beyond. However, the cab crew are a bit on the naff side so they'll hav
Been off line for a while as the veg patch and garden have had to come first. Mind you, given the awful wet weather here it has been a bit of a waste of time.
I've returned to the model for a bit of light relief and decided to hack off a couple of inches from the back scene as I was disappointed with the look of it when it was first attached. I only ever wanted gentle rolling hills in the distance and not the mountains of the previous version. This is part of the build process I suppose
Another mess about with video. This is much inspired by Mikkel's Farthing Layouts although it's nowhere near his modeling standards. I'm also sure that many GWR fans will know that inappropriate stock has been used, but it is my first attempt. I hope you like the concept.
I don't think the attachment has uploaded properly so take a look at this link instead:
The back scene has now been finished (nearly). This was made from a simple frame covered in 3mm MDF. I've found in the past that if you don't prime the MDF with a coat of oil based undercoat first then the emulsion/acrylic used after will only crack and peel.
Ordinary white emulsion was used for the sky. Some tester pots were obtained from Homebase (cheap) - sky blue and slate grey - these were dabbed on in several places and the white worked in. It creates a good effect without
