Ropley - Mid Hants Railway in N Gauge

[jonas]

Thanks for taking the time to explain - it's really effective! Do you have to Matt varnish the kleer'd ground after? Or does it not dry shiny?

[TomE]

So far it has dried with a Matt finish. If you go back and add more Kleer over the top of the weathering powder it will dry with more of a sheen, and the more Kleer you add the glossier it gets. If you don't like it, just add more powder to matt it down again!

 

Cheers, 

 

Tom.  

[TomE]

Excitement!

 

A small box arrived from the Netherlands today containing 3 Palvan bodies. 

 

 

Here is one perched on a spare Farish chassis. 

 

These were printed in the FXD material, and whilst it appears finer than the FUD models I've seen elsewhere, there is still noticeable layering which will need attention before painting. The detail is very good though. 

 

Tom. 

 

 

[TomE]

Hi all. 

 

The first Palvan body has now been painted. This being the first time I have worked with a 3D print, I decided to start with the stationary one that is used for storage in the Yard. 

 

I have to admit that I am a little disappointed in the quality of the FXD print, there still being a lot of work to do to remove the visible layering. I still need to refine this process for the next 2 to be finished. 

 

Anyway, I think the finished body is passable for the yard.  

 

 

It is still perched on a Farish chassis, but will eventually be mounted on a 2mm SA chassis. Ironically the only genuine item of 2mm FS stock on the layout will never move on it! 

 

 

Cheers, 

 

Tom 

[Will J]

I think Tom's perception of troublesome visible layering is different to most of us... they look really excellent, nice paintwork too, knowing how tricky painting that material can be!

 

Looking forward to seeing more buildings and puddles. PS Thanks for all the help over the weekend Tom!

[andy stroud]

I would just like to echo the previous comments and say how brilliant the modelling is. The video at the beginning is lovely too. Nice smooth running and what looks like very closely coupled coaches. Altogether very nice indeed.

 

Andy

[Ian Morgan]

Coming back to your corrugated shed roofing, I created a corrugated iron shed model that was 3D printed by Shapeways in FUD.

 

https://www.shapeways.com/product/HRYNPVDBS/corrugated-iron-shed-2mm-ft-1-152-n-scale

 

There is not much in the way of commercially produced 2mm scale corrugated iron that is anywhere close to scale.

 

Shapeways FUD is, of course, not transparent, but is translucent, so it may pass as dirty transparent plastic sheeting.

 

If you would like to try it, let me have the dimensions and I can knock up a sheet for you to test.

 

Ian.

[TomE]

Hi Ian. 

 

The Iron shed looks great!

 

I'm only after enough to do a small section of roof so the ideal sheet size would be 80mm x 140mm. If you do have chance to create a sheet that would be a massive help, thank you!

 

Tom. 

[Ian Morgan]

I have created a sheet of corrugated iron cladding approx 14cm wide by 8cm high, corrugated on both sides and about 2mm thick, and is available on Shapeways now:

 

http://shpws.me/M8y9

 

However, it works out a bit more expensive than I had expected, at about £51 plus postage.

 

Ian

Edited May 2, 2016 by Ian Morgan

[Ian Morgan]

I will have another try later. I should be able to make it a bit thinner - that will reduce the cost.

 

Ian.

[TomE]

Thank for your efforts Ian. 

 

That is bit pricey as things stand! I think at 2mm it would also be too thick for the shed as constructed so if it can come in closer to 1mm without risking deformation and the cost be brought down it might then be worth a try! 

 

Tom.  

[Ian Morgan]

OK, I have thinned it down and halved the price, but that is as far as it can go, sorry.

 

Ian.

[Ian Morgan]

As an alternative, I have now created a set of 8 individual corrugated iron sheets that you could inset into a roof of cheaper, opaque, corrugated iron material to represent the 'glazing' panels.

 

http://shpws.me/M91Q

 

This is a much more affordable option, but will require more work to complete your roof.

 

Ian.

[TomE]

Hi Ian. 

 

Huge thanks for spending your time on this! I shall order a set of the individual panels to try out and post the results here. 

 

Tom. 

[scottystitch]

The eventual aim is to model the complete station area, so at some point the full length of the shed will be modelled. I suspect that's a few years away yet though!

 

The concrete floor is simply plastic sheet built up to the required height, the rails were fixed to this rather than trying to build it around sleapered track. It was sprayed using the now discontinued plasti-kote Tan suede effect paint to give it a bit of texture, then weathered using powders.

 

Cheers,

 

Tom.

 

Tom, I realise I'll probably come across quite thick here.......when you say you've attached the rails to the plastic, I'm assuming you mean you have de-slepeered the track. Any particular method you have used to ensure it stays in gauge, that being the case?

 

Many thanks

Scott

[TomE]

Hi Scott. 

 

That's correct, its just a length of rail glued directly to the plastic 'foundations'. Because it is essentially scenic, gauge wasn't that important so I simply drew a pencil line where I wanted the rail and then glued it down. When the time comes to do a full length version, I'll need to be a little more accurate, so will use a couple of track gauges to hold the rail in place. 

 

Hope this helps!

 

Tom.  

[TomE]

Hi All. 

 

Sometimes it feels like you've been working on the layout for ages, and have very little visible evidence of it! Work recently has included the yard lighting, the basic construction of which was covered in this blog entry. 

 

There are 4 of these 'towers' dotted around the yard, and they are all illuminated using SMD LEDs. It's difficult to get a decent photo so hopefully these do them justice:

 

 

 

The method has been refined slightly since the original blog entry and I'm much happier with these recent versions. Once all 4 are complete they'll be wired into their own lighting circuit along with one on the corner of the shed. 

 

In other news, it looks like the PW gang are putting some serious thought into their next job!

 

 

Cheers, 

 

Tom.  

 

 

[Ian Morgan]

Tom,

 

I have just uploaded all my photos taken on the Mid-Hants Railway over the years to a Flickr Album. There are quite a few at Ropley that might be of interest or use to you.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ianm42/albums/72157666001998044

 

Ian.

[TomE]

Thats a great collection of photos Ian, thanks for uploading them!

 

Canadian Pacific does look good in blue!

 

Tom. 

[Ian Morgan]

Thanks. A lot were scanned from my negatives, so I do not have accurate dates when they were taken, but some were back in the 1980's. I noticed one of the wheel drop before they built a shelter for it, and several locos no longer seen on the line.

 

The photos with people on the track were taken on an annual sponsored walk along the line, when nothing was running, but it did allow some useful details of pointwork and signalling to be photographed in safety.

 

The many photos of Alresford were taken as research for our 2mm scale layout we built around 1989ish.

 

Ian.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Ian Morgan

[TomE]

Hi all. 

 

Not much work on the layout recently what with a break down in Cornwall and then a busy spell at work. I haven't been totally idle however, and recent modelling has seen a Farish Mk.1 stripped and resprayed to represent the coach which is sometimes formed into the Watercress Belle set, RU 1973. There are a few differences over the out of the box coach, including fewer windows, one less door on the kitchen side and removal of the end steps, so these were also made to the model. 

 

The last time I saw this coach, it was looking a little faded and worn, so I decided to try and replicate this look by toning down the usually quite chocolatey brown used by the MHR on their 'Pullman' Mk.1s. This also gave me chance to practice my airbrushing, using a small compressor I bought a few years ago but have never really put to full use. 

 

The cream is Railmatch acrylic, mixed with a little white, whilst the umber is Humbrol Acrylic mixed with a little red and yellow to richen it up slightly. I was really impressed with the Railmatch paint, it giving a lovely smooth finish, but less so with the Humbrol, which seems a little grainier. It may be I need a little more practice! The roof is still to be modified (removal of the water pipes) and repainted, and lining applied then it can all be lightly weathered. 

 

Overall i'm quite pleased with the result, and leaves only one more Mk.1 FO to give the same treatment before I have a full Watercress Belle set. 

 

 

Whilst in Cornwall, I visited the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, a lovely little line and well worth a trip if you are ever down that way. The only problem now is I'm having bad thoughts about something GWR based!

 

 

Cheers, 

 

Tom.  

[Karhedron]

I was really impressed with the Railmatch paint, it giving a lovely smooth finish, but less so with the Humbrol, which seems a little grainier. It may be I need a little more practice!

I have found the same with the Humbrol. The finish is grainy and the covering power indifferent. Glad to hear that the Railmatch acrylics are better. Very impressed with your results too.

[TomE]

Hello all. 

 

Not a great deal happening at Ropley at the moment. This time of year is always a busy one work wise but a recent arrival has boosted the desire to crack on with things, not to mention that Ropley now has it's first confirmed exhibition booking for next year, but more on that another time. 

 

The new Dapol Schools class has recently arrived on shed, currently in the form of 929 'Malvern'. This will run in this form until I can source transfers and plates to convert it to 925 Cheltenham, currently a stalwart of the MHR. It's a fine looking model, and whilst the Malachite Green scheme is far from a favourite, it does add a splash of brighter green to the layout (as if it needed anymore green!) 

 

 

Cheers, 

 

Tom. 

[talisman56]

Hi all. 

 

Whilst in Cornwall, I visited the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, a lovely little line and well worth a trip if you are ever down that way. The only problem now is I'm having bad thoughts about something GWR based!

 

IMG_1375.jpg

 

Cheers, 

 

Tom.  

 

You should go lie down in a dark room until the urge goes away

 

Just from what I've seen here, a fantastic bit of modelling - one exhibition co-ordinator here just waiting for it to become available on the circuit...

 

I'll have a look at the blog later on - I can't believe I missed it...

[RBE]

Those lights look brilliant! How did you make the heads?