Modbury

[drduncan]

22 hours ago, Ian Smith said:

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been adding the finishing touches to my Buffalo Saddle Tank.  It's not quite there yet as I've still got to add the brakes and sand pipes to the chassis but superficially its all done.

 A few shots of her posed on Modbury's embankment section :

 

 

 

 

The lining is Fox transfers except the rather poorer curved bits around the cab cut outs - they being hand painted with a fine brush because none of the curvy bits of transfer seemed to match the cut outs.  On the model it doesn't look too bad but seeing it blown up on a computer screen some 3 times the size of the model, I'll let you decide how successful I've been!

 

The ejectors under the saddle just forward of the cab were soldered up from bits of brass wire and tube, and are a representation of the early type - they seemed to get ever more complex as time went on.  The number plates are from my first attempt at drawing up artwork for etching, and were etched in 0.006" brass.

 

Looking at the last photo in particular, it looks like I need to loosen the bolt securing the safety valve cover and rotate it through 90 degrees.

 

Ian

I wish my 4mom one looked as good!

DrDuncan

[brianusa]

Lovely layout, don't know how you do it!  I once had an N layout but it was too small for me.  Gave it up for O!

         Brian.

[Ian Smith]

Over the last couple of weeks I've been trying to put together a few more wagons in readiness for Modbury's outing to the Warley MRC exhibition at the NEC in November.  The photos below show the progress - I do have another Cattle Wagon almost finished but I don't seem to have any wheels left to put under it!

 

The 6 wagons pretty well complete : Outside Framed Van in 1904 livery, a Foxcote Colliery wagon (in homage to Jerry who (re-)introduced me to 2FS about 7 years ago), a 3 Plank Open in 1904 livery (25" GW don't fit so largest possible used), a 4 Plank Open in 1904 livery (again 25" GW don't fit so largest possible used), Outside Framed Van in pre 1904 red livery, and finally a Large Cattle Wagon also in 1904 livery.

 

Outside Framed Van is one of my 3D printed ones in FUD from Shapeways, finished with Association parts for the underframe.  The Foxcote Colliery wagon is an Association kit on an 8'6" underframe.  The lettering is some very old Woodhead transfers for the little lettering, and some waterslide transfers of unknown manufacture for the FOXCOTE.  I hope that Jerry doesn't mind too much that his colliery is delivering its wares down in South Devon.

 

The two open wagons are from the Association O3 (5 plank) and O5 (4 plank) wagon kits sitting on Association 9' wheelbase underframes.  The 3 Plank wagon is a much butchered O3 kit - top 2 planks removed along with diagonal strapping, ends narrowed, etc.

 

Both these wagons are from 3D printed bodies (from my own artwork) in FUD by Shapeways.  Both still need the lettering completed (LARGE being applied to the ends of the Cattle wagon and L M & S applied to denote the size of the wagon with the partition in place.

 

All of the wagons need a little weight adding and DG couplings fitted, and all will receive further weathering too.

 

Ian

[queensquare]

They look great Ian, I'm sure the directors of the colliery will be delighted that coal from their pit is getting down to south Devon. Somerstecoal was certainly used at Exeter gasworks so perfectly feasable it got to Modbury and beyond.

 

Below is the batch of wagons I did when I rebuilt the colliery from Highbury to Foxcote.

 

Jerry

 

[Ian Smith]

19 hours ago, queensquare said:

They look great Ian, I'm sure the directors of the colliery will be delighted that coal from their pit is getting down to south Devon. Somerstecoal was certainly used at Exeter gasworks so perfectly feasable it got to Modbury and beyond.

 

Below is the batch of wagons I did when I rebuilt the colliery from Highbury to Foxcote.

 

Jerry

 

 

Jerry, when I looked at the transfer letters I had to make "FOXCOTE" I thought that the largest I had seemed too small to fill the wagon side, so I elected to add the word "Colliery" afterwards.  Looking at your wagons I think I could have got away with the wider spacing (especially if I'd added shading to the letters).  Oh well, next time :-)  Obviously my number 14 wagon is carrying an earlier version of the livery

 

Ian

[Ian Smith]

Modbury was at the Warley exhibition at the NEC last weekend.  I didn't manage to take any photos whilst there except a couple of quite dark ones just after setting up on Friday afternoon which really aren't suitable for sharing.  Therefore this afternoon I posed a few shots to capture the look of the layout in it's current state (i.e. the state it was in at the NEC).

 

"Buffalo" no. 1601 drawing a passenger train of 6 wheeled coaches and a low siphon slows to exchange tokens with the signalman at Modbury Signal Box.

 

"Buffalo" no. 1601 heads a down 6 wheeled coach passenger train (with low siphon) into the platform at Modbury.

 

As above looking back along the train.

 

A view across the platform ends to the Cattle Dock.  One of the recently added platform oil lamps can be seen at the top of the ramp.  One of my new 3 plank wagons can be seen on the mileage siding behind the dock.  It also appears that one of the cattle has become loose and is playing silly devils in the wagon!

 

A general view of the Goods Shed (now complete with sliding doors) and Cattle Dock.  The recently added platform oil lamps provide a little more interest to the sparse platforms I think.

 

"Buffalo" no. 1601 draws into the down platform, while Metro Tank no. 615 waits for the road to Newton Abbot with a train of 4 wheeled coaches.

 

A view across the station as the train of 6 wheeled coaches departs for Plymouth.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Ian

 

 

[Donw]

A great set of photos Ian. I was sorry not to make it it to the NEC.

 

Don

[Mikkel]

Superb views, Ian.

 

I studied the coaches in particular, the paintwork really is excellent. The small "GWR" lettering on the Siphon is a nice touch, and helps set the period.

[2mmKiwi]

Modbury has become a really nice atmospheric model and a valuable historical record of some special railway history. I especially like the second photo down taken at a prototypical level. Thanks for sharing Ian. 

[Ian Smith]

13 hours ago, 2mmKiwi said:

Modbury has become a really nice atmospheric model and a valuable historical record of some special railway history. I especially like the second photo down taken at a prototypical level. Thanks for sharing Ian. 

Steve,

The low down shot is a favourite of mine too. No one ever comments but I think that in that particular shot especially it is difficult to discern what scale the model is.

Ian

[2mmKiwi]

Ian, I agree that a lot of good 2mm scale modelling defies expectations and it is difficult to tell at times. Your exquisite coach painting in particular is an example.

On another note what is your overall philosophy for weathering on Modbury?

 

Steve

[Ian Smith]

2 hours ago, 2mmKiwi said:

Ian, I agree that a lot of good 2mm scale modelling defies expectations and it is difficult to tell at times. Your exquisite coach painting in particular is an example.

On another note what is your overall philosophy for weathering on Modbury?

 

Steve

Steve,

I tend to apply a little weathering to my wagons - generally overpainting the transfers in a wash of body colour as a minimum. I do want to try weathering the wagons and coach undetframe especially at some point.

 

Coach bodies and locos haven't really been weathered although again I have washed the loco lining with body colour to knock the lining back a bit.

 

Buildings have been mildly weathered with white,brown,black, and yellow ochre pastels (stiff brush used to pick up pigment from sticks of colour and dry brushed on). Again I want to tone things down a bit now I've finished all the buildings - wanted to apply similar weathering consistently across everything rather than weathering each as it was built.

 

Trackwork has again been weathered with pastels, dark areas added where locos would stand and where switches would be greased.

 

Ian

[Ian Smith]

Over the last couple of weeks I've been constructing a GWR delivery dray.  The dray itself is a P&D Marsh kit, purporting to be a GWR version (they also do another LMS version with a raised seat for the drayman).  I assembled the kit with superglue, but replaced the horse with one from Langley Models and replaced the drayman with a seated Andrew Stadden one.  The barrels are more P&D Marsh offerings and the crates are plasticard - a couple of laminations of 0.040" with some 0.010" strapping (sanded back a little).  The reins are narrow strips of thin paper (from a post-it note) glued in place and painted the same colour as the moulded on harness.  I'm afraid that I shied away from trying to replicate the "Great Western Railway" wording that should run along the side rail of the dray - I'm sure it will bug me though.

 

A couple of photos now of the finished model posed around Modbury :

 

On the flat area of the yard beyond the cattle dock

 

Climbing up the slope from the goods yard to the station forecourt

 

Finally, drawing into the station environs from what will one day be the A379

 

The final image shows one of the other things I've been doing recently - adding a few more trees.  Most have been added to the wood at the Newton Abbot end of the layout, but I did make the one at the station entrance specifically to site in the hedgerow to overhang the road.

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Ian

[CF MRC]

With the angle of the legs on the P&D Marsh horse Ian, the driver could be in front of it trying to coax it forward.  It looks like it’s laying back on it’s haunches; either that, or he has given it an almighty pull back on the reins. 

 

Tim

[Ian Smith]

6 hours ago, CF MRC said:

With the angle of the legs on the P&D Marsh horse Ian, the driver could be in front of it trying to coax it forward.  It looks like it’s laying back on it’s haunches; either that, or he has given it an almighty pull back on the reins. 

 

Tim

Tim, now you mention it, I can see what you mean - I might try tweaking the legs with a pair tweezers to get them a bit more vertical 

Ian

[Coal Tank]

Hi Ian 

 

 What colour static grass did you use 

John 

[Ian Smith]

2 hours ago, Coal Tank said:

Hi Ian 

 

 What colour static grass did you use 

John 

John,

I used a mix of 2mm Heki fibres roughly two parts mittelgrun and one part winterboden, mixed together before application. If I remember correctly on the bank behind the long back siding I used some Greenscene fibres instead of the mittelgrun as I'd run out.

Ian

[Lacathedrale]

Those last couple of shots are really effective. Seeing it at Stevenage last year, it keeps getting better and better.

[chrisveitch]

On 02/03/2020 at 08:17, Lacathedrale said:

Those last couple of shots are really effective. Seeing it at Stevenage last year, it keeps getting better and better.

Ian, does Modbury have any exhibition appearances in the North of England scheduled for this year? I tend to ration my exhibition trips nowadays (simply because I don't have the time) but would very much like to see it. 

[Ian Smith]

1 hour ago, chrisveitch said:

Ian, does Modbury have any exhibition appearances in the North of England scheduled for this year? I tend to ration my exhibition trips nowadays (simply because I don't have the time) but would very much like to see it. 

Chris, Modbury's exhibition outings this year are all down south - Railex (Aylesbury) in May, RailWells in August and Aldershot in October. The only exhibition I have booked for 2021 is Uckfield.

I hope to get invited to some exhibitions north of the Midlands (where I'm based) in the next couple of years.

Ian

[Lacathedrale]

The more I keep looking at that photos of the horse and dray (?) I keep thinking being reminded quite directly of the surroundings of Mortonhampstead - I'm not sure if that was deliberate or not, but it does feel very 'right'.

[Ian Smith]

3 hours ago, Lacathedrale said:

The more I keep looking at that photos of the horse and dray (?) I keep thinking being reminded quite directly of the surroundings of Mortonhampstead - I'm not sure if that was deliberate or not, but it does feel very 'right'.

I haven't tried to copy any particular location, although I did look at Ordnance Survey maps showing contours of the Modbury area when devising the lay of the land.

Mainly I have tried to give the impression of the rolling South Devon countryside - specifically making sure that the road isn't "level" over any great distance, and making the road so that it was higher than the station forecourt so that there could be believable elevation changes in the station approach.

Similarly at the other end of the layout I wanted the track work to be on an embankment (mainly for the photo opportunity that feature provides). This dictated ground lower than the line rising toward the backscene.

How effectively I've managed to capture the feel of South Devon is not for me to say, but I generally get positive comments from the general public at exhibitions (even those who know the area around Modbury) which is really satisfying.

Ian

[Mikkel]

Hi Ian, nice to see some more horsepower at Modbury. I especially liked the position of the dray in that last photo, under the trees and turning into the station approach. Maybe a good permanent position for it?

[Allegheny1600]

On 06/03/2020 at 16:36, Ian Smith said:

 

How effectively I've managed to capture the feel of South Devon is not for me to say, but I generally get positive comments from the general public at exhibitions (even those who know the area around Modbury) which is really satisfying.

Ian

Hi Ian,

I'm afraid I don't know the area you are modelling at all but I can say it looks like a wonderful slice of old England, of the sort that Pendon does so well.

It is all highly motivational and gives those of us working in other scales great inspiration that you can do this so well in such a tiny scale! (I once built some plastic wagon kits in N and that made my eyes hurt!).

Great work!

John.

[Donw]

Looks good for the South Hams to me. I drove around quite a bit when living in Brixham.

 

Don