Summer module - more scenery
Entry posted by Barry Ten
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Things have moved quite quickly in the last couple of weeks. This tends to be the way it goes, I find - slow progress from baseboards, track laying, wiring, backscene construction, and so on, then basic landforms go in and everything speeds up (before slowing down again with the slow process of fine detailing, which can take months or years as required). Maybe it's because scenic work is very much my comfort zone as a modeller, but I tend to just dive in and get on with it, coupled with having a big cardboard box full of scenic materials which means I don't need to keep nipping down to the model shop every few minutes. Unlike messing around with rolling stock, there's very little damage you can do in scenery that can't be reversed or undone, so there's no fear factor there for me, just sheer creative enjoyment.
I've continued adding landforms, with card, foam, plaster and hanging basket liner, followed this week by an application of static grass of various shades, hoping to give the necessary texture and summery look. Once again I'm thinking back to the brilliant work by John (Re6/6) visible on the member's day in Taunton, as well as the fine scenic work on Ray Norwood's yard shunter. Yes, I know we shouldn't "model models", but if we can't take inspiration from such things, the hobby would be sadder for it, I feel. Anyway, as per the summer theme, I'm going for stronger greens than in the spring module, where muted tones were the order of the day. I really want this module to scream "summer" - blue skies, strong colours ... shading gradually into a more autumnal palette on the right side. Pretentious, moi?
Going back to the railway infrastructure I've begun surfacing the first of the removable platforms using Wills sheets. Easy to work with, stable, rigid, and they can be cut neatly and joined fairly cleanly using plastic filler.
Mindful of a comment by Captain Kernow about the possibility of warping, I've cut a hatch in the end of the platform which would allow it to be screwed to a sub-base if necessary. There'll be a similar hatch at the other end. This isn't too conspicuous in reality but if it shows up too much after the platform has been painted and weathered, it could always be disguised with a lamp hut or a collection of milk churns or some such. I think the tendency will be for the ends to bow up, rather than the middle, but if that's not the case a similar dodge can always be contrived in the station building area.
Incidentally about 15 years ago my wife scavenged a huge number of surplus office calendars from our place of work. These huge sheets of quality card are glossy on both sides and have served me well through many, many modelled projects. Being calendars they are even "gridded" on one side which makes cutting out even simpler since there are ready-made parallels to follow. Sadly, I am now down to my last few sheets of this brilliant medium.
Meanwhile, Abbotsbury station (we're going GWR with this set of removable platforms, but the S&D ones will follow) has been fitted into an aperture in the Wills paving so that it beds down nicely. This approach means that each set of platforms will be tied to a specific building but I prefer it to having a dark line around the base of the building. Spear fencing will follow. For a change from the usual light stone, I'm thinking of going black, which was by no means unusual at GWR stations during the company's reign.
Finally, I've added detachable scenery beyond the limit of the module itself, so that there's a view through the underbridge. I made it detachable because there are some nice possibilities for photographic angles shooting through into the module, which I didn't want to lose. It's all very rudimentary but it does the job.
This all sounds like a lot of work but it's surprisingly how few hours have been involved - just steady work and not too many setbacks, the way I like it. Cheers again...
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