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pirouets

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Posts posted by pirouets

  1. Whilst I am fed up of working at home, the advantage is that I have spent a lot more time in the shed. I often spend a couple of hours in the shed after everyone else has gone to bed as I don't have to get up to commute anywhere. Over the last 5 weeks lots of trying things out has gone on on the Dinfield side of the layout.

     

    First up was to figure out how I want the yard area. I tried mocking up a few building ideas which in order were

    Small yard shed

    150221_1_small.jpg.e7d9d1ccbe01b75fd762f53059f810f7.jpg

     

    Larger yard building

    150221_2_small.jpg.35aff116d0b46be694c21426c5e283f9.jpg

     

    Or even have a go at making a provender store. I may have another go using thinner card for the concrete framing

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    But in the end I simply went for a concrete area. This has been extended since I took this phot so it fills the area up to the 2nd siding. I need to in fill a few small ballast gaps and then its time for weeding but in reverse so it doesn't look like they spray weed killer every week.


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    In an earlier post you may have seen an office building, but I decided I didn't think it worked so another warehouse building has appeared. I may actually redo this so I don't have the gaps in the brick framing of the building at the edges. However before I do bin this I will have a play around with the roof to look for something better that the scalescenes strips.

     

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    Looking down the layout, the warehouse has gained a canopy and I have started adding dirt to the ballast so it doesn't look so clean.

     

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    At the other end again playing about with ideas and wondering if a set of terraced houses will work better. The design I came up with should have a brick shed on the back of the building but I think in the space I have I will make 2 changes which are to add the missing upstairs window, then not fit the brick shed and put the back door below the window on the back of the house. There will then be a small yard area leading to the back wall. Again I will keep working on these though to get my head round mistakes I need to avoid. One of the changes I made is to wrap the brick paper rather than have each piece papered. This means there are no joins in the paper at the edges giving a cleaner build.

     

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    At some point I really much play trains. maybe later.

    • Like 5
  2. Whilst I haven't been on here for a while managed to spend a fair amount of time in the shed. When not binge watching Greys Anatomy or The Man in the High Castle on my tablet, I have managed to get most of the external work on the warehouse done. The roof has come out OK given its just a grey paint stippled on the card with a darker colour the dry brushed on to it.

     

    I've also fitted the last point motors which led to everyone's favourite task, BALLASTING. Only issue is I am a small amount short of being able to complete the job and I cannot remember which brand it actually is. Its been sitting in a tin labelled fine grey ballast. I'm pretty sure its Woodland Scenic's but is it the grey or light grey? Guess I need to order both bags.

     

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    • Like 1
  3. Before I type anything else, I just want to say I understand the challenges railway workers face dealing with the lovely public at the best of times and I cannot begin to understand what they face when people are stupid enough to trespass and the consequences that leads to in some cases.

     

    I think the key here though is 1 picture on the website and this thread being about the BBC is condoning this as a result. Having done a couple of searches I found Railway Trespass returns 26 pages worth of results, and a random click on links seems to be they are all pretty much articles about the stupidity of people and don't do it. Railway Photo as a search term also returns 7 pages of which some are about people doing daft things including the couple who decided to have wedding photo's on the line some where in Yorkshire.

     

    We live in a world these days where a single piece of information can be taken as being the statement of how things are. In this case I don't think the article means the BBC condones trespass and personally I am ok with the labelling as it states its a cycle route in France, but I do understand why some say that in a perfect world, the caption would be clearer.

     

    • Like 2
  4. Can I throw in the mix the idea of something that can grow in chunks such as stage 1 being fiddle yard and a station that on its own makes a complete layout, but the feeds in to further stages that can evolve over time.

     

    I think it was Little Long Drag by David Jenkinson that got torn up after 2 years as he had only run things once or twice. That as in 32 * 16 if my memory is correct.

  5. So had a google for 1970s industrial office buildings and found a picture of the Record Electrical Co in Altringham that gave me the idea for a simple building to fill the remaining space. The template was put together in good old powerpoint and below are a couple of sheets of card with the idea of the building.

     

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    That was then simply wrapped in brick paper and the windows which were also created in powerpoint added in. As its quite visible I do plan to start to fill the space and have some office furniture packs from Scale Model Scenery. What I don't have is people to sit at those desks but that can come later.

     

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    • Like 2
  6. Sorry, not an exhibition manager but I have always stopped to watch Beijiao when I have seen it because as Colin said, its an interesting prototype and 2004 still had steam hauling coal trains. I wonder if your challenge is because its not a UK layout so you have to up your game a bit to sell it to exhibition managers.

     

    So to any exhibition managers out there, if you have space, think this is a good layout to have as its not from the usual 4 of  UK, French, German or US layouts which tend to make up the most common.

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1
  7. Of all the things achieved in the last few weeks, the best is the fact I have a better way of heating the shed. I always ended up with cold feet so I now have 1 heater running under the controls and a 2nd heater when needed part way down the shed. Neither run above 50% power and as such I'm consuming less power than having 1 on full blast, but the shed heats up far quicker. Once at temp is up, then just leave the one at my feet to keep by toes warm.

     

    In the mean time been thinking about the fencing for Norton Rd and used some Scale Model Scenery 4ft wooded as I had it left over. Not fitted obviously as the debate now is how to paint it / weather it or do I just leave it as the card its made from already gives it a bit of a grimy worn look.

     

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    Over the other side there is now a bridge over the end of the layout. You'll notice the weird platform under the bridge but it needs to be that shape due to the radius of the curve. Its more to give the impression the platform runs under the bridge anyway. What I do with the space next to the station is still to be worked out. It will be a factory building of some sort but just not sure what.

    161220_2_small.jpg.c056ff4fed833f14fc7b27e54f2f8647.jpg

     

    The other building has come on quite nicely and it sits over the station platform well. What I really do need to do next though is stop making buildings and paint the baseboard brown. Nothing is fixed in place yet so no issue with that.

     

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    Looking forward to Christmas and getting more time out there.

    • Like 4
  8. Another week and more sticking and gluing. The centre and right hand end have been stuck together now and what you cannot see is the warehouse platform behind the VDA's. I have made a boo boo though. If you look closely you will see the centre section lintels look different. That's because I stuck the overlay layer on the wrong way up. Whilst I can't get the piece off again I can add extra of the brick lintel course so they match. 

     

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  9. Actually seeing where the old lights were I understand better now what you were seeing. I hadn't looked that closely at other images when I posted my cheeky comment and assumed they were higher up firing down the ceiling surface to defuse over a wider area rather than being so close and thus having dark areas because the coverage did not join up.

    • Friendly/supportive 1
  10. So as I said in the previous post, one of the reasons for the moment of megalomania and changing one of the stations was so I had far more options for buildings. been popping out the shed on and off today and you can see the progress. Interestingly the prints for these came out around 10% smaller that the spare sheets I had already but after figuring out why I decide to keep the reduction. Its still going to be big at 70cm in length (Nearly 200 ft)

     

    Pic 1 shows the idea that there will be a loading bay and the left hand part of the building will but up to the platform.

     

     

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    Pic 2 shows progress (but not the sore fingers) having cut out openings and starting to add the brick layers

     

     

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    Pic 3 is posed as it gives a better view of how I see the buildings sitting alongside the station. I need to work out whether there will be a ramp for the platform or have the siding butt right up to the end of the platform.

     

     

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    • Like 4
  11. 19 hours ago, gordon s said:

    A long, long time ago (cue Don McLean) when we had the room kitted out for ET, I thought half a dozen 50w down lights fitted in the sloping eaves would be more than enough to light up the layout and allow me to work in the evenings. How naive can you get......

    Well you were younger a long long time ago. :D

     

    Anyone seen my coat and i'll be off.

    • Agree 1
    • Funny 2
  12. So following on from the last few posts a bit of a change happened and Dinfield is now a through station. The key reason is one of the things I enjoy is making buildings and I just couldn't get my head round what went along the back. Having looked at Underhill Yard a few times I realised I had the right track formation so the changes are

     

    1. Add a road bridge across the end along that the platform runs through and model 1/2 the station

    2. Platform 2 now becomes a siding for a large warehouse/factory

    3. I will have room for another factory / warehouse behind the platform

    4. The industrial buildings I created can carry on as planned

    5. One of the sidings is then set a bit shorter than the other leaving room for a yard office by the road bridge. I'll take the kink out of the track in siding 1.

    6. I can still build the car yard at the opposite end of the layout

     

    Operationally the warehouse will take VDA's and box wagons whilst the other 2 sidings can take anything dropped off in them.

     

    Just need to work out if I should have a signal box somewhere.

     

    Hopefully my typing is clear enough for the 2 pictures.

     

     

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    • Like 2
  13. 2 hours ago, AY Mod said:

    We do think we maybe produced too much content as it was a constant deluge and I doubt anyone got to catch up with everything that was included

    Maybe you did but remember the content is there for us all to consume after the event which does not happen in real life. Whilst I am still working through the layouts I think people are getting much better at the interviews and I have watched a fair number of them properly rather than flicking through.

     

    As Jonny777 says, I am now starting to work through the layout features. Just got to try and remember to go and do some more work shortly.

     

     

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  14. Simon, having watched the Pete Waterman content on the virtual exhibition this weekend, he talks about a Ken Payne loco that took 1hr 53mins to crawl round Leamington Spa can I sow the seed of a daft idea.

     

    If you get bored one day, just how slow do you reckon a lap of Heaton Lodge would be? Maybe measure with a before and after picture of a piece of scenery you are working on.

     

    Look forward to seeing more develop and who knows one day as you say, see it for real when it makes it out on the road.

    • Like 3
  15. Nick, I think the advertising boards are a great idea so added these to the mock up. The big board represents what according to google is the most common size in the UK at 20*10. With the houses being increased in size it won't be to bad. Having a look around Reading and the line up to Paddington, where terraced roads end by the line scrub and bushes by the wall / fence seem to be the. most common.

     

    I am also wondering if your right about whether they do work by the station. That in turn has me wondering whether its the classic factory back by the station and model larger low relief terraces on the site where the industrial buildings are.

     

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  16. I've started playing around with ideas for Dinfield. It's not a huge board so I am adapting the Scalescenes industrial buildings to be low relief combined with the free low relief warehouse. The fencing will be set about 8ft from the track so there will be room for a van to have backed in to the space to pick up/drop off goods.

     

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    A bit further along I am thinking of having low relief terraced houses. These would be the ends as though the road runs down to the station. My initial mock up is a bit under sized it turns out but it helps me start to get a sense of the spacing as well as the gap between the line and the walls which again I am setting at around 8ft. The idea would be lots of rubbish and weed as you go from the line to the wall. Also with the article in BRM this month about graffiti, maybe some of that on the walls.

     

    The question I need to think about though is how close do the houses get to the station, or do I have a larger low relief by the station to represent shops or town buildings.

     

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  17. So the backscene came in just over £700 as a tyre was also needed to fix the car as well as the body work. Think my shed was only about £1000 when I had it put in 15 years ago. Oh well.

     

    So rather than fret about that, been back modelling and making the roof for the low relief cottages and station building. There are patches where I got glue on the printed tiles that has caused it to go green but happy with that as it could be sunshine / staining / moss, etc. On the low relief cottages though I got the chimney angle wrong so may slice the roof off and do it again.

     

    Now what to do for making chimneys? I could order some or find something around 3 to 4 mm that could be painted up.

     

    I've also made a hedge from rubberised horse hair. I got a simple pack from world war scenics plus added some longer grass to the riverside which gives it a bot more depth.

     

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    • Like 1
  18. 43 minutes ago, Barry O said:

    I may have to grow longer arms!

    Or are you just going to have to hurdle parts of the layout. With all the people offering to man tea & beer supplies you won't get thirsty jumping across the layout though there must be a few good reasons its not an ideal form of operating.

     

    Out of interest, are there routes on the plan that mean if you just want to set something running, watch trains go by and admire the world you have created, that can be done?

    • Like 2
  19. So the backscene and my claim to it possible being the most expensive on RMweb. Last Sunday I popped out to B&Q to pick up some light blue paint. Total cost £2.60. So far so good UNTIL...

     

    I had parked by one of the trolley parks with the barrier on the passenger side of the car. Only problem is as I pulled out I forgot it was there and turned left in to it (What a nincompoop / wally, ejit, :jester: :banghead:etc) and the picture below tells the story. So now I have to add the roughly £500 of body work repairs plus the tyre, the back scene should be well north of £600ish. And people complain about the price of rolling stock.

     

    1104431826_rearpassengerDoor2small.jpg.c46eb0065835c30f5436035f43c42a7d.jpg

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