In Praise of Praze
Having received my first order from Britannia Models, now having N-gauge track to go with the points I had left from my younger days, I set about laying the track for Praze station. As both my points were left‑handed this dictated modelling a later time period when the passing loop was converted to just a siding. With the track laid and glued in place, it was time to reacquaint myself with ballasting. Having viewed a number of various “tutorials” on‑line, time to get started. I am reasonably happy with the results, and was thankful that GWR was known to ballast up to and occasionally covering the sleepers. Still this is a learning model, I can only improve when move to OO‑gauge and the Helston station.
Having then set aside Praze station, it was time to try my hand at modelling buildings, so started with the Helston engine shed. The shell was cut from foam board (old company presentations with the printed surface peeled off). Although not purchased on purpose, I found that one of the craft knives I had purchased had a blade for cutting button‑holes, this was perfect for cutting the windows, done simply by pressing down the blade and getting a perfectly straight cut right into the corner.
Having assembled the shell I tried a new technique, at least for me, of applying a thin coat of air drying modelling clay and then scoring out the various stones. At this point I was again glad for one of my father’s “hobbies” when I was a teen, namely renovating a traditional Cornish farm labourer’s cottage only a couple of miles from Praze and Beeble. As a result I have had hands on experience, for more years than I care to remember, working with granite walls and slate roofs, taking them to bits, cleaning them up and rebuilding them. To my mind this experience makes it easier to model something you are intimately familiar with. Although, far from perfect, a very acceptable result, and again a great learning process.
Lastly, as I have had plenty of time being off work for two weeks over Christmas, I have been tiling the roof. Although I am aware of a number of other methods, I still prefer the process of cutting out thousands (about 2,400) tiles from index cards each 4 by 3 mm. Then individually gluing each on, with just a small overlap. In reality on the real building each slate would have been overlapped by about four tiles above. I very much like the effect created and was more than happy to see it taking on some of the profile characteristic profile of an older slate roofing that can never be purposely modelled! Painting next.
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