Wenlock's Blog

Despite your current hindrance, the layout is really beginning to take shape, and the contours make a massive difference. Thanks for the plethora of photos, they help to get a feel for what you're doing, and it's looking superb.

 

All the best with the surgery;  I hope you get it sorted out quickly and with as little additional discomfort as possible.

Hi Dave, a very useful illustration as Buckjumper says. I'm looking around a bit for how to do the contour on my sidings (the gravity thing), so this is very interesting for me.

 

I do like how that rear siding dips down. I'm quite impressed that you can produce such smooth work with one arm not functioning properly. Good luck with the operation and recovery - and a good thing this was not the scheduled time for you to build the stock!

Despite your current hindrance, the layout is really beginning to take shape, and the contours make a massive difference. Thanks for the plethora of photos, they help to get a feel for what you're doing, and it's looking superb.

 

All the best with the surgery;  I hope you get it sorted out quickly and with as little additional discomfort as possible.

Hi Adrian, thanks for your good wishes regarding the surgery and glad you like the layout's progress. It is beginning to take shape, I was getting bored looking at acres of flat MDF!

Best wishes

Dave

 

Hi Dave, a very useful illustration as Buckjumper says. I'm looking around a bit for how to do the contour on my sidings (the gravity thing), so this is very interesting for me.

 

I do like how that rear siding dips down. I'm quite impressed that you can produce such smooth work with one arm not functioning properly. Good luck with the operation and recovery - and a good thing this was not the scheduled time for you to build the stock!

Hi Mikkel, thanks for your good wishes, I'm looking forward to being "fully functional" again! The sloping rear siding is an optical illusion I'm afraid, nothing clever on my part! The land on either side of the back siding rises slightly from baseboard height to be level with the platform tops and makes it appear as if the track is descending down an incline. All the trackwork on the layout, apart from the private siding is completely level. You're quite right about not being able to build stock at present, but I've got a rather lovely twin gas tank Corden to build as "physiotherapy" once the opp's been completed!

 

Best wishes

 

Dave

Best of luck DAve.  Its often said that 'Work is the curse of the modelling classes' - but health can have its issues too!  Must say it's looking very good - but when are you going to paint/stain/whatever the track?? Be a shame to spill anything on the scenics....

 

Regs

 

Ian

Hi Mikkel, thanks for your good wishes, I'm looking forward to being "fully functional" again! The sloping rear siding is an optical illusion I'm afraid, nothing clever on my part! The land on either side of the back siding rises slightly from baseboard height to be level with the platform tops and makes it appear as if the track is descending down an incline. All the trackwork on the layout, apart from the private siding is completely level. You're quite right about not being able to build stock at present, but I've got a rather lovely twin gas tank Corden to build as "physiotherapy" once the opp's been completed!

 

Best wishes

 

Dave

 

Ah that's interesting about the optical illusion. I did wonder that I hadn't noticed it before. I suppose the railway would have preferred a level siding where possible.

 

Model railways as physiotherapy. I think you might have a good marketing concept there. "Sorry I can't make it to the in-laws tonight, dear. Got to do my phyisotherapy. Ouch ouch!" :-)

That is a lot of progress especially with restricted movement in one arm. The series of photos shows the process very clearly. It was all beginning to get a bit white like winter had come early the coloured filler has brought it to life. That colour makes it look rather like East Devon with the red soil (which we also have here in Minehead). I think this is going to turn out really well.

You mention flexible filler over the foam. It is a bit late now but I think it is worthwhile putting something over the joins. I used to have some old plasterer's cotton scrim which would take the shape nicely the new plastic mesh stuff is not flexible enough. Perhaps it is not necessary . Incidently will this be permenantly erected so you dont need to worry about baseboard joins?

Scanman's point about the track occurred to me as well. You can get away without painting the far side of the rail but the goods shed road behind the platform may be a bit hard to paint.

Point rodding and signalling (wires as well?) that will slow you done I think.

Great stuff Don

Excellent progress, Dave - great to see it all starting to come together!

Looking forward to your next entry. This looks very promising. Just a nice country station in a wide environment.

Best wishes for the healing of your shoulder.

Best of luck DAve.  Its often said that 'Work is the curse of the modelling classes' - but health can have its issues too!  Must say it's looking very good - but when are you going to paint/stain/whatever the track?? Be a shame to spill anything on the scenics....

 

Regs

 

Ian

Hi Ian, thanks for your good wishes :-) I'm planing on painting the sleepers with some dark wood stain and rusting the rail sides once I've finished the point rodding. I figured that once I'd finished the trackwork and rodding I could paint them both at the same time, ballast the track and weather it all with my airbrush.

Well that's the plan, how well it will work out remains to be seen!

 

 

Model railways as physiotherapy. I think you might have a good marketing concept there. "Sorry I can't make it to the in-laws tonight, dear. Got to do my phyisotherapy. Ouch ouch!" :-)

Hi Mikkel,

Sounds a perfectly plausible excuse for modelling to me! Quite whether Mrs Wenlock will be convinced is an entirely different matter! :-)

 

That is a lot of progress especially with restricted movement in one arm. The series of photos shows the process very clearly. It was all beginning to get a bit white like winter had come early the coloured filler has brought it to life. That colour makes it look rather like East Devon with the red soil (which we also have here in Minehead). I think this is going to turn out really well.

You mention flexible filler over the foam. It is a bit late now but I think it is worthwhile putting something over the joins. I used to have some old plasterer's cotton scrim which would take the shape nicely the new plastic mesh stuff is not flexible enough. Perhaps it is not necessary . Incidently will this be permenantly erected so you dont need to worry about baseboard joins?

Scanman's point about the track occurred to me as well. You can get away without painting the far side of the rail but the goods shed road behind the platform may be a bit hard to paint.

Point rodding and signalling (wires as well?) that will slow you done I think.

Great stuff Don

Hi Don, glad you like the red brown soil colour. Sherton Abbas is supposed to be set in Dorset, so hopefully the colour is appropriate. It will all be covered in static grass and scenic dressing eventually, but I'm hoping the colour will help impart some warmth to the scene. The scenic section of the layout splits into 3 boards, it certainly doesn't come in the category of portable, but hopefully should at least be transportable! The backscene is still removable, so by pulling the layout away from the back wall I should be able to paint the rail and ballast the track without too many problems. I've never tried modelling point rodding properly before. I'm very much at the stage of reading all I can about the subject before making a start, so you're quite right in thinking that it will slow me down!

 

Excellent progress, Dave - great to see it all starting to come together!

Thanks Al, I think I'm heading in the right direction!

 

Looking forward to your next entry. This looks very promising. Just a nice country station in a wide environment.

Best wishes for the healing of your shoulder.

Thanks for your good wishes Job and I'm glad your enjoying the progress so far! I'm trying to keep it all looking very rural, lots of embankment grass and Rosebay Willow Herb:-) I've thoroughly enjoyed reading about your modelling projects, I'm quite partial to a bit of urban decayed brickwork myself, though it has no place on Sherton Abbas!

 

Best wishes to all.

 

Dave