kirtleypete

Runny, B&Q own brand at £5 a bottle. It runs into the gaps and sticks almost at once, and once it's set it's like steel. Peter

I've completed and painted the trestle now ready to deliver on Monday. The track is Accucraft and is very stiff; I cut all the webs between the rails on the curved section. It is pinned in position just in case it needs to be altered when it's in place. I began painting by giving the whole structure a coat of grey primer...it took three cans. I then misted on random sprays of black, brown and finally white which blended the other colours together. Colour photo's show that trestles weathered to very light grey over time. The unpainted bits will be covered by the ground surface in due course. The structure is five feet long - it went in my car with half an inch to spare! The sides of the rails had a coat of Railmatch dark rust, brushed on. You needed a head for heights to work on these structures! Peter

I have been asked to build a model of the Ophir loop on the D&RGS narrow gauge in 1/20.3 scale as an indoor layout in an old coach house. I am sure you are all familiar with the location, but just in case anyone isn't here are a couple of pictures: It's just a single track with a viaduct at each end and one siding. The attraction is the spectacular location. This is where I am working; the baseboards were already in place. The black rectangle is the floor template for the depot building. I made up the bents for the two trestles at home, mainly from 15mm square stripwood. They are 885mm high on the larger trestle. The bridge was assembled in site as it curves at one end and getting that right was critical. Obviously the real thing was much longer but that's all we've got room for. The bridge is assembled using Superglue, believe it or not, and the joints are so strong that the only way to part them is the break the wood. It has to be strong because to paint the backscene and model the ground surface I have to lift it out, and in fact I have brought it home to finish off and paint. The backscene is being painted using artist's acrylics: I'm going back on Monday to finish it off and to begin laying in the ground cover, and then the trestle can be fixed in place and hopefully a K27 posed on it! Peter

Thanks chaps. I'm going back next Wednesday to finish off the other jobs around the station. Peter

Now the part my customer had done while I've been unable to visit. For the first time we have been able to run trains around the whole circuit which was hugely satisfying. Still work to do in this area, but the trains run through the crossing beautifully. The track in the loco yard is complete and the baseboard for the tracks in the foreground is in place. The area I did today is in the distance. This fiddle yard is temporary but it does allow trains to be run right round at last. I brought the lorry today, not perfect but the best I could find. A view along the station to the new fiddle yard at the far end. There's still a lot to do, but we're certainly making progress. I'll be back for more next week, Peter

I've finally been able to visit 'York' again and we've had a productive day. First the part I've done today; I delivered the terraced street and it slotted into place perfectly. The area in the foreground will be the end of the loco yard. I've begun filling the spaces with grass mat, stuck down with a hot glue gun. The facia of white faced hardboard has been added and an extension to the backscene using sheet aluminium and an ID Backscenes paper. I've begun adding the ground cover using static fibres and scatter. Woodland Scenics foliage has been added to complete the undergrowth. The completed scene. Double Deckers are banned! Peter

Unfortunately I won't be delivering the terraces tomorrow as my customer has tested positive for Covid. We'll have to rearrange everything once he's had the all clear. Peter

I'll get in trouble if I add any more road vehicles!! Peter

The stacks and pots come separately Jonathan so you can mix and match the different types. They seem to be resin castings and the pots are on a rectangular base that just sits on top with a spot of Superglue. Have a look at the modelrailwayscenes website, it's very useful. As for the shop window, it was simply the best I could find. Colour pictures of shops suitable for the 1950's are not thick on the ground! Peter

The chimneys arrived today; they needed reshaping to match the angle of my roofs but other than that they went straight on. I'm hugely impressed with them. The lead flashing was added from paper. They are not the easiest thing to take a picture of! I'm delivering the scene next Monday and I'll post pictures of it in place when i get home on Tuesday. Peter

That's there for a reason Michael, it was our family car when I was a child.....I clearly remember Dad constantly rubbing down the wood and varnishing it in a vain attempt to stop it rotting! Peter

The Co-op is busy with deliveries... Peter

A week on Monday Jonathan, I'm going down for two days to work on the scenery before the layout is photographed by BRM on the Wednesday. It's for a 'work on progress' article, there's still a lot to do. I've just heard that the chimneys are being posted today; they are from 'Model railway scenes' and look to be ideal for the job. Peter

Thanks David; I've really enjoyed doing this scene. The figures arrived today so I've been able to bring some life to Garfield terrace. If you look carefully you can see Nigel the black and white cat sitting on the shop step, as promised! That lamp post is about to get watered! The street is now named. I need to wait for the chimneys now, they are the last big job but it's likely to be next week before I have them. Peter

Sun....in York?!! The aluminium has arrived: The beauty of it is that once it's bent to shape it stays there. The height is 200mm. I glued on pieces of ID Backscenes sky paper - I use this a lot, it's excellent. It was easier to make the backscene in two pieces, it's unwieldy enough as it is. I need to fill gaps where the roads are, a job for tomorrow. As you may have noticed the first batch of vehicles has arrived. The Co-op van is following on, and hopefully the people and cats and dogs will arrive too. I'll take some close up pictures once they are in place. Peter

Well, the chimneys have arrived.....or they should have done. What I've actually got is some gravestones and benches ordered by a chap in Bristol. I'll send them on to him and hope that he does the same with mine. Peter

Apart from the chimneys the shop is about complete: It's been an interesting challenge because the ground plan is not a rectangle meaning that there are some very odd angles in there! I enjoy that, it makes the work more challenging. The road vehicles and the aluminium for the backscene are being delivered later on so I'll post more pictures this afternoon. Peter

I won't need to, it's going to be backing into the covered passage so you'll only see the front. The shop are having a delivery of clean uniforms! Peter

It's really nice knowing the brickwork is from the actual building, I must admit. I might need to colour a few bricks on the other wall which is a lot plainer, but not many. It's moved on again.... The shop windows are just printed paper, taken from some of my own photo's. I wonder if I can find a Co-op delivery lorry from somewhere. I should finish the shop model tomorrow, then it's a case of waiting for the items I've got on order to arrive. Added later - Look what I've found! Ignore the 'Home counties' and 'laundry' part!! Peter

These pictures show the sequence involved in modelling the Co-op shop: The shell was cut from 1mm plastic card. Internal walls and bracing have been added. The two openings on this side were doors with a hoist above them. I painted the shop frontage light blue and then began adding the brick paper and the lettering. When the glue was dry the windows were cut out. The window sills were added from 1mm strip and the red brick painted on around the openings. The windows are printed on paper and glued behind the openings with a piece of plastic card then added behind them for strength. The windows on the building now are modern replacements so I am using ones that I have to hand which hopefully look reasonable - they should be fairly unobtrusive. Peter

I've been rumbled! I'm sure doors and windows in Melton Mowbray were very similar to those in York! I hadn't thought about changing the registrations Ian but it wouldn't be difficult. We may as well get it right. Peter

I spent yesterday working on the terraced houses. The plan was to just use the ones with the darker brick but the space on the right wouldn't allow for that, whereas the others fitted perfectly so that's what I've used. There will be room for a little more of the dark brick one on the side road behind the Co-op. I don't like making chimneys so I've ordered some ready made ones. I will add the name 'Garfield Terrace' on the wall....given that we really need a ginger cat sitting below it! The pictures will look better when the backscene is in place; that's going to be a piece of 1mm aluminium which is on order. The road vehicles are arriving tomorrow which will add life to the scene. Peter

I've begun work on the terraced houses; I collected the base last week. The first job was to fix down the pavements which I have done in 2mm clear plastic so I could see through to the markings on the board. I have added the road markings using a white acrylic paint pen. I painted the pavement with Tamiya medium grey and then added the edging stones from paper. In one place the MDF had been joined and it wasn't quite smooth, so I added an inspection cover so it looks as though the road had been dug up and some point. The drains were done in the same way, just printed on paper and stuck in place. I just need to touch up the grey paint now. I've ordered some figures and vehicles, and by the time they arrive the houses should be in place all being well. Peter

Funny you should say that Graham; we've reached the same conclusion and it's going...the only reason it's still there is that I can't reach it until I take the boards down! Peter

I had an e-mail yesterday about the Peco slips we're waiting for; the single slip is due shortly but the double slip will be later in the year, whatever that means. Unfortunately I can't do much more to the layout until I have them both so work is going to be held up. There are only two baseboards left to do, but they have the complicated track on and I can't build the road bridge or dairy until I know how much space I've got. It's frustrating but that's life. I'll post again when I know any more, Peter