wiggoforgold

I've spent a couple of evenings this weeks working up the ground cover between the tracks in Diddington station. The area treated is next to the loco release opposite the platform end. The untreated area can be seen in post 178 above. I built up the grass area between the tracks with static grass - first applying pva followed by a light dusting of fine ash (not covering all the pva) covered with an application of static grass which was immediately vacuumed off in an attempt to get the effect of patchy grass growing through the surface - not too successful on this occasion, but I liked the finished effect anyway, so I left it. Further texture was built up by over spraying areas of static grass with hairspray, and applying further layers of grass. Bushes were added from teased out theatrical hair, stuck in place with hair spray and sprinkled with Carr's leaves. The water Crane (A Mikes models Midland type, wrong for the area I know) had been damaged when the boards were being moved, so the column was restored by drilling the column and base with a 1.5mm drill, and inserting a length of brass rod, before supergluing the parts together. The discharge bag was cut down as in the period modelled the column would be out of use. I've reinstated enough of the electrics to run trains, so here's a couple of pics of trains in Diddington station, by the newly treated area.

I've been taking a few pictures round Diddington while deciding what areas to tackle next (watch this space). First, here's a picture of a Brush type 2 hauling an excursion into Diddington. The coaches are on my "to do" list. They are Bachmann straight out of the box, and would benefit from a bit of weathering on the roofs. Next, a couple of Diddington regulars - typical 1960's East Anglian motive power. A Craven's DMU is on the passenger service, and a Brush type 2 on freight duty pauses on the loco release. The water crane is a reminder of an earlier era. Anyone know where I can source a GE water crane? A well known railway photographer has been driving round the area. Here's his Bentley in the goods yard. He's missing the Brush type 2 collecting a Prestwin silo wagon (a Dapol kit) Finally, a view of wagons in the coal yard.

Please stop now. I'm starting to dust off the Cornish branch idea.

I was hoping that by yesterday I would be able to post details of the latest completed project for Diddington. I wanted to make a loco men’s rest house, based on the building that stood next to the signal box by the down platform at Godmanchester. I used to feel I couldn’t start a model until I had a full set of drawings of the original. The boat house and the porters hut on the station are examples of that approach. These days I feel less constrained. In reality buildings are designed to fit their location, and this must be true of a model railway set in an imaginary location. Thus there is no compelling need to exactly copy an actual building from the same locality, only to parachute it in to a location where it didn’t actually exist. It’s just as good to create a building in a similar style to that of the modelled area, suitable for its location on the model. That is not so say that a lot of satisfaction cannot be obtained by modelling an actual building as accurately as possible; It’s just I realised I don’t need to do that for my own model. I try and start model buildings with the part I find most difficult – the windows. I find a set of windows suitable for the model under construction, and use that for the starting point of working out the proportions of the building. I count brick courses: Not religiously, but enough to give an idea of the size of the building. I then count out a similar number of courses on my chosen media for the building – these days I use Scalescenes papers, but the technique can be applied to any material. Suitable points for the apertures for the chosen windows can then be set out. I have found this approach liberating, as I am no longer hamstrung by the need to find suitable drawings before starting work. A photograph in a magazine or on the internet (the stables at Diddington were drawn from a Pathe news reel)is sufficient. Which brings me to the state of play with the rest house. I marked it out, cut out the window apertures, assembled the main shell and started the brick covering. Throughout these stages I had a growing feeling that all was not what I wished. At every stage I seemed to be tweaking it to get it right and there came a point when I realised that however much I fiddled with it, I was not going to be satisfied, so I stopped, and am currently thinking about starting again. The windows are salvageable though!

Thanks for the kind comments re the grass. I should say that some of the foreground grass is the work of John Farmer (RE6/6) and I learnt a bit from him. As for the tramway traffic, I haven't made a final decision as to what it is yet. I was inspired to some degree by Wissington, which is sugar beet, but the nearest would be the Wisbech and Upwell, which is fruit, and would fit in with the Kettering-Cambridge line.

A few scenes down by the river this evening, and its back to the 1960's for motive power! First some pictures of coal trains crossing the bridge on their way in to Diddington. The Brush type 2 (class 31) conjures up the era for me. This one is a Hornby model, slightly repainted and weathered. Some feel that the ends of the Hornby model don't quite capture the real thing, and I also have one (D5579) that uses an Airfix body which I feel captures the ends rather better. The 16t minerals forming the train are a mixture of Bachmann and Airfix/Dapol kits. There's not a lot to choose between them in my opinion. I tend to use what ever is to hand. (I've got a small supply of both) The class 24 is a Bachmann model, weathered, but otherwise straight out of the box. The bridge is a model of the bridge between Huntingdon East and Godmanchester, and is made of wood strips stuck in to place on a plan, rather like a model aircraft. The picture of the slipway rather presented itself when I was photographing the trains on the bridge. Its the area behind the boat house and in front of the approach to the bridge. The Austin van is a Classix model, sprayed with Vallejo matt varnish and weathered. I'm rather pleased with the fingerpost. It's a Dart Castings model, sprayed with white primer.The lettering was done by typing the various directions "church" "river" and "St Ives" in Word on the computer, reducing the font to about 4 point, printing out and cutting out the printed strips, which were stuck in place on the finger post. As the photo shows, you can't see the join! Finally, a picture on an EE type 3 (class 37) entering Diddington over Cow Lane crossing. The real Cow Lane crossing was between Godmanchester and Hemingford Abbots on the line from Huntingdon to St Ives, and I measured it up in about 1973. The crossing keepers hut is from Oakington, and there;s more details of how I made it in the carboard modelling forum. The loco itself is a heavily modified Lima body on a Bachmann chassis. The most significant modification to the Lima body was the creation of the tumblehome, which is virtually non-existent on the Lima model. Tomorrow I.m starting on a new modelling project for Diddington, so watch this space for further developments.

Here's a picture of locos in Diddington yard in busier times. Finally, here's another picture of Cranford. (The loco is 46444's work, but it poses nicely for a photograph) Here's a picture of locos in Diddington yard in busier times. Finally, here's another picture of Cranford. (The loco is 46444's work, but it poses nicely for a photograph)

Jonty Chambers has been getting about a bit. He spent a lot of time lurking round the yard at Juniper Hill, but he was warned off by the shed foreman/engine cleaner/shunter/tractor driver there, so hes been spending some time down at Diddington. While he was there he took this picture: I've been taking a few pictures round Diddington too, and in keeping with the recent retro steam them here's a few more. First up, the Bachmann/Hornby version of "Dignity and Impudence". I think the original was initiated by one of the big four, but I can't remember which.

I should just say re the above post that Mark (46444) kindly made the tractor for me. You can see how he did it in his blog.

Thanks Marcus. Take the plunge and weather them I say. Looking at photos of the period, they don't appear too grubby, more work stained. Remember, this is 1955 not 1967! The problem with the factory finish is it is an all over shade of black. Look at photographs of the real thing, even clean ones, and you will see that the black takes on different shades on different parts of the loco. Iain Rices Book "Detailing and Improving Ready to Run Locos" expounds on this. I painted different areas of the locos with different mixes of Humbrol matt black, dark earth and dark grey. The cab roofs are a mix of matt black and dark grey. The smoke box is a (very matt) mix of matt black, dark grey and dark earth, with a spot of red oxide added. The tender frames are a mix of matt black and dark earth, with the axle boxes picked out in a a matt black/dark grey mix and the foot plate and tender tops are another matt black/dark earth mix, this time with more black. This variation on the overall black greatly enhances the model, without any further treatment. I have weathered locos entirely with weathering powders, which have the advantage that they can be washed off if you don't get a result you like. I would say use whichever method suits you. I have used various methods, depending on what I have to hand .

Gosh! I've just realized its over six months since I last posted on this. My excuse is I've been taken up with "summer" activities. I've done the Prudential Ride London, Dartmoor Classic and cycled to spectate at the Tour De France. I have don a bit of modelling, and what follows is a bit about my recent efforts. This entry has a bit of a retro theme about it. We are going back to the Kettering-Cambridge line in 1955 (which is where some of the inspiration comes from. In those days the line was worked by Ivatt 2mts and J15's both of which are available in rtr form. I've done a bit of weathering to the models, but apart from that they are out of the box. They should really be renumbered, but my eyesight isn't up to that these days, so I've left well alone. The models are in their basic factory black, but Ive repainted areas of each model, such as the smoke box, cab roof and footplate, with various mixes of Humbrol enamel matt black, dark grey and dark earth. The boilers, cab and tender sides were left in their factory colour, and given a wash of dilute drawing ink. The boiler top and cab roof were then given a light spray of matt black, and the tender frames were given a spray of a dark earth/matt black mix. Heres some pictures of the finished results:

Bernard - you are right - I made the Morris "J" years ago and the Austin LD is still in its component parts. I had a feeling the manufacturer was in Cornwall, but I,m not sure. Alex

They look great Mark. Thanks ever so much for doing them. I'll take some more pics of them when they arrive in their new homes! I hadn't compared the Springside kit with the Oxford version, so was particularly interested in your observations.

Nice variation on the Wills hut. How did you do the roof?

Oh, I did a bit of a comparison of the FMR and WWScenics applicators in my layout thread if you haven't seen it. Buckden looking good btw. Brings back a few memories. From memory I'm not sure if there were any road markings, even in the 1970's Alex

Hi Marcus JH shows no sign of fibre loss. The one thing I have found with Diddington is that the fibres at the edge of the bard can be worn away by leaning over the layout, and this needs redoing from time to time. Alex

Thanks Andy. As indicated in my previous post, the time has come for an overhaul of the layout wiring, so some bits on that will appear in due course. study of the pictures above will reveal that there's a J15 and an Ivatt 2mt need finishing, and I really must address the lack of signals. So....lots to keep me occupied for a while. Alex

A little while ago we had a discussion on this thread about static grass applicators, and I was asked if I could find some “before” and “after” shots to compare the effects produced by the smaller “tea strainer” type applicators and the larger ones such as the Grassmaster. Between the farm and the river at Diddington is a small grassy area which required refurbishing, and provided an ideal area to compare the two types. The field was originally given a coating of static grass from a tea strainer type applicator, which provided a pleasant, if somewhat regular effect. Here is a picture of what it looked like: The area was sprayed with hairspray, and various lengths of static grass were applied using a ww scenics applicator. However, before the grass treatment started, the area was given some additional scenic treatment. I wanted to put a hedge round the field. Access to the road is by a gate, which has been removed to facilitate dredging operations in the nearby river, and there is currently a pile of silt being built up in the field. The first part of the refurbishment was to create the muddy gateway. Although the gate itself has been removed to facilitate dredging, the gateway was built up by scraping away the existing grass in the area, which was then painted with an earth coloured mix made up from Humbrol enamels, and sprinkled with fine ash. I wanted to create an area of patchy earth with grass growing up in places. Once the entrance was dry, it was overpainted with dilute pva, and sprinkled lightly with fine ash through a strainer. Not too much ash is required at this stage as the pva must be showing through in places. Once some ash had been sprinkled on, the area was then given a coating of static grass from the applicator. This was left to dry for about 5 minute before being hovered off. Don’t let the grass dry for too long, or there will be a fuller coating of grass than required. Once dry, this was worked over with a stiff brush. The bases of the hedge were created by painting the area of the hedge with pva, which was covered with a combination of sieved fine earth from the garden, and various shades of dead leaf scatter. Holes were drilled in the hedge base, into which short lengths of wooden cocktail stick were glued, to give something to stick the hedge to when it was installed. The next step was to build up the grass in the field. The hedgerow bases and surrounding buildings, road, paths and river were masked off with newspaper. The grass area was then sprayed with hair spray and covered with static grass from the mm scenics applicator. This process was repeated several times with different lengths and shades of static grass. Surplus grass was hoovered off between applications. Once dry, the masking was removed and the hedge installed. The hedgerow was made up of lengths of rubberised horsehair. These were sprayed with hairspray, and covered with 4mm grass fibres from the applicator. Once dry, this was sprayed with more hairspray and sprinkled with various shades or Carr’s leaves, mainly dark green colours. The completed sections were glued to the cocktail sticks. Additional undergrowth was built up at the base of the hedge, using Woodland Scenics clump foliage. Woodland Scenics long grass fibres were planted in clumps to provide additional texture, and brambles were created from theatrical hair, teased out, sprayed with hairspray and sprinkled with Carr’s leaves. This is how the field looks now: So far as the comparison of the two types of applicator goes, I think they both have their uses. The larger applicator is needed for larger areas, and its interchangeable end caps with different sizes of mesh mean it is able to cope with a wide variety of fibre lengths, while the smaller one is only suited to fibres up to about 5mm. The larger one is better for building up texture, while the smaller one is better for small spaces, so I find I have use for both of them. After all this fun scenic stuff, I’m going to concentrate on layout wiring for a while, so its out with the multi meter and on with the concentration.

That sounds like the old Impetus kit. Is it the same thing? There's some pics of my O4 tram made from the Impetus kit and the Airfix/Dapol kit in my layout thread and gallery - links below.Alex

Lovely looking layout. I particularly like the pictures of the vans standing on their own in the goods yard. The pictures are reminiscent of the pictures in Davis Gray's Western Region steam books. Makes me want to finish my 45xx and resurrect my Cornish branch idea. Alex

Wherever possible the turnouts were built as sections. For example the turnouts at the station throat were all built as one. I stuck templates (C&L I think) to a large sheet of melamine, before drawing in all the running lines and adjusting the sleeper spacings approriately. Double sided sellotape was used to hold the copperclad sleepers on the template, and the rails were soldered in place, usually starting with the crossing vees. Some of the wiring, such as jumper wires and feed wires was done at this stage. The completed trackwork was removed from the template by placing the whole thing in the bath and soaking it with water until the sellotape failed and the track could be removed.. The sleepers and rails were then painted, and the whole glued in place on the underlay, which is Exactoscale. Alex

Thanks Russ. There's a pic in my gallery (the one of D6723 crossing the bridge), with a bit of a description of how the water was done. Essentially, the river bed is a sheet of ply, which is covered with a thin layer of plaster or polyfiila to seal the grain. When dry, this is sanded smooth, and painted with some white emulsion to seal it. This is then painted with various mixes of green, blue grey and brown. On Diddington I used acryliics, but when I came to do Middle Fen (there's some pictures earlier in this thread) I had run out of acrylic and used some old artists oil colours I had been given. I used darker colours in the deeper water, and more brown in the shallower areas near the bank. Once dry this was given numerous coats of thinned gloss varnish. i have found Blakes/Hempel yacht varnish the best for this. If the water needs revitalizing, it can be gently rubbed down with wet and dry, and further coats of varnish added to restore the sheen. The ripples are the product of age. In places the varnish has lifted slightly from the ply backing, giving a rippled effect. This rippling process takes about ten years however, and a more immediate way might be to cover the ply with cartridge paper before painting, as the wet varnish will cause it to wrinkle slightly, giving a rippled effect. The reeds on Diddington are bunches of plumbers hemp, glued in place with balsa cement. I'm about to revisit the reeds however, so watch this thread for the results of my experiments. Alex

Hi James, thank you for the compliment. The buffer stops at the plattfom ends are from Lanarkshire models (LNWR ones I think), modified to make them a bit more Great Eastern. The ones in the goods yard are Peco, with scratchbuilt beams. The others are scratchbuilt from offcuts of rail, heated where necessary with a resistance soldering iron so the rail can be bent longitudinally. Alex