Offerston Quay - 7mm Inglenook Plus

[georgeT]

Looking good, like John l too have read with interest and will be adopting some of your tips...great stuff.

[Fastdax]

Just read through the whole topic here.  Excellent work.  And while I don't model in O, I was sorely tempted to having seen the wonderful Jinty a while ago.  Really looking forward to following the rest of the build.  

 

Many thanks William! I must get on with finishing and painting the Jinty. Little things like work and life keep getting in the way ...

 

As for hiding the uncouplers, what about a discarded newspaper for some of them?

 

Now that's a good idea and fits in well with the concept of a run-down goods yard.

 

And as regards the upper level trackplan, I like the idea of a bay platform being in there somewhere.

 

I do like the idea of a bay platform, but it probably means needing to find the width for three platforms and I was hoping to keep the station width to a minimum so that I still have some scenic area behind, in the corner.

 

Unless the rearmost track has a platform with a bay end but the front track platform continues inside a station building (and no platform between the tracks)? Is that what you had in mind?

 

Duncan

[Fastdax]

Looking good, like John l too have read with interest and will be adopting some of your tips...great stuff.

 

Thanks George. I usually go to your site for inspiration!

 

Duncan

[AireValley1962]

Unless the rearmost track has a platform with a bay end but the front track platform continues inside a station building (and no platform between the tracks)? Is that what you had in mind?

 

 

Yes, that's what I was thinking of - one track definitely having a end, and the other(front or rear) seeming to continue on.... 

[Fastdax]

Background and arches.

 

As you may remember, the wall behind the layout is VERY VERY BLUE, especially under the cool white LED lights above it.

 

As an experiment, I got some white lining paper:

 

 

... and clipped it up behind the layout. It's not a finished article but it does reduce the blueness a great deal. I'm sure that a backdrop is required.

 

 

I have the rest of the LCUT archway kits. After seeing various discussions in this parish about shellac, I thought I'd give it a go, to stabilise the fibreboard that the arches are cut from and to dissuade the fronts of the bricks from spalling off (which a couple have already done - but this looks OK).

 

 

Despite being an occasional woodworker, I've never used real shellac so I obtained (Ebay) 25g of orange shellac flakes and dissolved them in 100ml of meths as instructed. This proved just enough to prime all the archway parts, front and back.

 

It has certainly stiffened the card up and the shellac dries very quickly (as fast as meths can evaporate), but I'm not sure it's worth the faff and the stink. Next time I'll explore thinned polyurethane varnish or spirit-based wood primer.

 

 

Four arches, for the right-hand set, were glued to 6mm ply. These will be removable as a unit to allow access to the hidden sidings for cleaning. I allowed for the thickness of the arch infill, which is left loose for now. I may use the LCUT infills, suitably cut for doorways, or substitute embossed plasticard to simulate a later development in different brick bonds.

 

 

For the left-hand trio, the rightmost one crosses the board join so it too is removable with a ply backing. The other two will be glued permanently to their ply backing as the arch contents are accessible from the back.

 

 

I tried a bit of experimental weathering of the LCUT stretcher-bond brickwork, to see if there is enough relief.

 

This is a mix of bauxite, leather and black matt acrylic washes, followed by Polyfilla thinly smeared into the mortar courses by hand. You can enhance the mortar effect by scratching the filler with a ubiquitous cocktail stick. Make sure it's the ubiquitous variety, as other sorts don't work.

 

It needs a bit more variation in colour, I think, so I may experiment with colouring individual bricks with artists' pencils, but not too blatantly. Structures like this were probably built using a specially-baked batch of bricks which would all have been very similar in colour.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[Sun VI]

What an excellent thread, I've read it through this afternoon and am filled with admiration. Greatly looking forward to future instalments.

John

[Fastdax]

Narrow-gauge quayside trackway.

 

Before I can think about laying cobbles (or setts) around the quayside bits of track, I put in place a feature that I've been thinking of for a while.

 

I have a few lengths of EM Gauge track left over from my previous layout and plenty of wagons and wheelsets. So I thought, "What if there was a bit of narrow-gauge track along the quayside, for easy transport of goods to the under-arch lockups?". This could be done as dual-gauge track within the standard-gauge that's already there. I did briefly experiment with using EM Gauge code 75 rail as the third rail, but it got a bit complicated with needing packers to raise the rail to the same height as the standard gauge trackwork. I also read on these forums that dual-gauge would normally be laid using a single grade of rail, transitioning to a lighter section where it was exclusively narrow gauge.

 

So, having plenty of 3-bolt chairs left over from my C&L turnout kits, I planted a third rail on the existing sleepers to give 18.2mm EM gauge, which works out at about 2' 7" in 7mm scale. I only used a chair every other sleeper as this would provide plenty of support for what was probably hand-pushed (or horse-drawn) single trolleys.

 

 

This rail is fine for the two lengths of straight siding, but what about where there's a point in the way?

 

I didn't really want to disturb the laid and running trackwork so I came up with this little fable. The narrow-gauge track, long disused, developed a problem where it crossed the standard gauge track. Probably shoddy steel originally :-) So the Permanent Way gang did the minimum to fix the situation and simply cut out the offending common-crossing and grafted in a few bodged-together bits of plain rail.

 

To this end, I made up a common-crossing unit, to be discarded off to one side:

 

 

You can see here where the frog was and where it has now been chucked, in the nearest bit of four-foot. It needs some heavy rust weathering, of course.

 

 

I also extended the checkrails to cover the area where the removed common-crossing used to be.

 

 

This NG track won't be powered, but here's a 7-plank EM gauge wagon sitting next to a 7-plank O Gauge wagon, just to remind me how small 4mm looks to me nowadays ...

 

 

I intend to continue the NG track beyond the end of the working siding and towards the under-arch lock-ups. The whole area will be cobbled and the NG track will just sort of disappear into the layers of ground coverings towards the front of the board.

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[BG John]

I went the opposite way on Cheapside Yard, converting Peco OO track to O gauge, and mixed gauge with O-16.5. It's far cheaper and will all be hidden under paving, so no one except RMweb members will know!

[Fastdax]

Inset track.

 

Slow progress, but I've been chopping up bits of 5mm foamboard to fill in between the sleepers of the quayside track which will be inset.

 

 

This serves two purposes: it reduces the amount of DAS that I'll use to form a top surface and it gives something to attach checkrails to. I want to depict checkrails as they seem to be always present when you look at photos of inset track. I'll use up some more left-over EM Gauge rail (code 75) which will represent the lighter-than-bullhead checkrail.

 

The kickback siding will be totally inset:

 

 

... but the rest of the quayside siding will be cobbled only to the nearest rail.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[Fastdax]

Inset Narrow-Gauge Track

 

I started to add check-rails to the standard-gauge and narrow-gauge lines where they will be inset into setts/cobbles. This is just leftover EM Gauge code 75 bullhead rail and I simply superglued it to the foamboard packing pieces, using C&L track gauges to set the gap.

 

It sits just a British Standard Gnat's below the main standard gauge rails, which should help with smooth running and track cleaning.

 

Later, I'll daub on some more heavyweight glue before adding the DAS surface.

 

 

Before I can lay down some setts/cobbles in the area in front of the arches, I needed to install some (non-working) narrow gauge (18.2mm EM Gauge) track.

 

I packed the trackbed up with cork strip and cardboard until the rail tops were level with the existing track.

 

 

The NG track will originally have served several of the under-arch stores and may have wandered off to who knows where. On Offerston Quay, it will be long-disused but visible as far as the first working arch (the one to the left of this one has almost no depth due to the track just behind it). After the arch, the NG track will disappear under layers of later yard coverings.

 

 

A small wagon turntable serves the line into the arch, so I knocked up a simple representation using cardboard and wooden coffee stirrers.

 

 

It's stained with Colron Dark Jacobean Oak wood dye (the spirit-based stuff that you used to be able to buy) as a creosote base coat. More weathering will be needed.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[Fastdax]

Setts for Inset Track

 

Not a lot of progress on OQ lately, due to week-long activities like a trip to Malaysia on business, refurbing a flat for a new tenant and other life-maintenance events.

 

But I did find time, while my brother Jim was visiting, to  make up some test panels for the setts which will surround the inset track and provide the quayside edge.

 

Here's Jim rolling a thin layer of DAS white onto pre-glued plywood squares. We used a cheapo Wickes seam-roller to get the DAS layer about 2mm thick, which is the height of the rail head above the foamboard surround.

 

 

For stamping tools, I re-purposed a couple of old paintbrushes to be two different sizes of setts - one about 12 inches by 6 and the other 9 inches by 6. The round metal ferrules were tweaked into rectangular shapes with small pliers. I realised that if I didn't pull the bristles out, I could still use them for weathering powders (which is what I use these stiff white-bristled brushes for). I also have a dedicated sett-stamping tool from Giles of this parish, but as yet it's not made up.

 

 

We stamped a variety of patterns onto the wet DAS, both square ...

 

 

... and curved.

 

 

A bit of spare track was used to simulate the setts which butt up against the rail side. The rail head protrudes slightly above the surface of the setts to allow for cleaning.

 

 

Here's one bit of ply with 4 different patterns embossed.

 

 

When the DAS has dried thoroughly, I'll try some colour washes.

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[Joseph_Pestell]

I like the look of those laser-cut arches. But surely the brick bond is wrong.

[Fastdax]

I like the look of those laser-cut arches. But surely the brick bond is wrong.

 

Yes indeed. This topic has already been raised over on the LCUT Creative thread where, IIRC, the proprietor said that it allowed for finger-jointed ends. The backs of the parapet walls do have finger-jointed ends and can accurately be joined end-to-end, but probably the main front pieces should have English bond or something.

 

Duncan

[Fastdax]

Inset track

 

I applied a few washes of a black/grey/brown acrylic paint mix to the DAS once it had set hard.

 

Here's a few trials involving different numbers of washes, with and without wiping off the excess while still wet. I think the upper left patch is the effect I'm aiming for.

 

 

I also PVA'd on more 5mm foamboard to complete the base for the cobbled area. The round thing is the base for a Peco yard crane. I'll make this removable.

 

 

 

I also started making the canal basin walls using Slater's plasticard in Flemish bond bricks. I dunno if this is realistic (I suspect it varied from place to place) but it wouldn't have been stretcher bond.

 

 

Then adding DAS could start, in small patches. Here's the narrow-gauge track infilled with DAS and stamped while still wet.

 

 

This is the end of the dual-gauge siding, with the NG track continuing to the right. Some sort of buffer-stop will sit over the end of the standard gauge track, probably with plenty of weeds growing up between the cobbles!

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[Fastdax]

More inset track

 

If you thought ballasting was tedious, try cobbling! The picture below represents several sessions of smoothing out the DAS into one small area, then stamping with the home-made cobbler tool.

 

The slightly darker area is still damp.

 

 

I did inset some of the nice laser-cut drain grids by Giles of this parish. These will need priming and painting to represent old cast iron.

 

 

Also from Giles is the sett-stamper, although I've only used it along the back edge of the cobbled area, just for a bit of variety. It produces long, thin setts whereas my home-made stamper produces squarer ones, which are a bit more to my taste.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[Fastdax]

Brickwork for arches

 

I'm using the LCUT Creative arch kits, which I sprayed with Plasticote red oxide primer from a rattle can. To simulate the mortar, I'm using a tub of ashes from the log burner.

 

 

This is the primed brickwork:

 

 

Here with ash liberally rubbed in:

 

 

And with the excess ash wiped off:

 

 

I thought this was a bit too "new build" so I wiped off all the ash and started again with a coat of heavy black acrylic paint (a tester pot from B&Q), smeared on and wiped off with a finger. When dry, the ash was re-applied and the excess wiped off again. This is getting more like the weathered, sooty appearance that I want.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[Fastdax]

More Cobbling

 

It's been slow progress lately as life things got in the way, plus I've been adding to the cobbled area under the retaining wall arches. This is a slow job but the big area to the right of the quay is done:

 

 

The bit to the far right will be finished in either tarmac or concrete (I haven't decided yet) rather than setts, as if a later covering was applied in the heavier-traffic areas of this small industrial yard.

 

The setts are now working their way along the quayside towards the dock crane. When all the setts are in, I'll start the colouring process.

 

 

The kickback siding now has a buffer stop, made from a cut-down Peco item (I removed the rear-facing legs to make it shorter). I dug out the setts where it attaches to the rail.

 

For now it's removable but it will get bedded in with plenty of weeds and rust. I intend to put a red LED in the lamp as well.

 

 

More soon.

 

Duncan

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[Fastdax]

Retaining Wall

 

I found a better* way of weathering the LCUT arches than I was trying out previously. I abandoned the ash method of making brickwork grimy as it was very messy and didn't stick well enough.

 

They are still primed with Plasticote red oxide spray primer, but now have these steps applied on top:

 

1. Roughly paint with black emulsion (Wickes tester pot) and wipe off to leave black in the corners and in the mortar courses

2. Rub DAS White firmly into all the cracks and corners

3. Wipe off the DAS with a damp cloth, to leave it a bit patchy, adhering in some places but not others

4. Wash with dirty brown (diluted Jacobean Dark Oak wood stain) to take the brightness out of the remaining DAS.

 

*Well, better for me. I don't claim to be an expert on any of this! I'm making it up as I go along, with the invaluable help of postings and advice from other RMWebbers.

 

 

The DAS does want to create a "bloom" on the surface of the bricks, but downward wiping with a damp cloth removes as much of this as you want, leaving behind some surface efflorescence as on the right-hand arch here:

 

 

The two leftmost arches are quite shallow, so these will be British Railways secure stores, next to the goods facility. I glued in a Plastruct RSJ in each of these arches and filled in above with Slaters brick plasticard.

 

Under the RSJ will go some bars or fencing of some kind, with a gate for access to the stored goods. For now, all they contain are some nice resin barrels and crates from the Ten Commandments and Skytrex stands at the recent Peterborough exhibition.

 

The RSJs need some rusting and weathering.

 

 

I made a back board for the tunnel under the high-level area. This is just more Flemish-bond Slaters brick plasticard on a ply backing, with surplus LCUT brick columns to break up the run of brickwork. It's removable with a couple of hidden screws.

 

 

Where the high-level track is carried over the tunnel entrance, I made a bridge girder from a bigger bit of Plastuct I-beam with some Wills 4mm scale Vari-girder planted on top.

 

 

 

This is a separate unit which clips to the edge of the upper-level plywood. Some nice turned 10mm brass stanchions from a model boat supplier make good safety rail supports. 0.7mm brass rod completes the effect.

 

I'll prime this whole unit and then weather it.

 

 

Duncan

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[Fastdax]

Goods Yard

 

It's been a while since my last post, but work has been moving slowly forwards.

 

I have primed the goods yard trackwork black. This was a tester pot of "Liquorice" matt paint from Wickes, which is a useful dark grey rather a total black.

 

 

I edged the run of cobbles in the inset track with some 4" square timbers (matchsticks), well creosoted (Jacobean dark oak wood stain).

 

 

I started making a timbered crossing from the industrial under-arch units towards the goods shed. The bit in the centre of the track was already there, made from coffee stirrers. The ramp leading up to it is made of spare C&L plastic turnout timbers. They will be painted and weathered to match.

 

 

Cobbling also continues slowly. It's just about as tedious as watching DAS dry.

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[Fastdax]

Trackside

 

At bl**dy last the cobbling is complete!

 

 

With ballasting in mind, I'm trying to get any ground-level items in place first.

 

I extended the turnout timbers to 12 foot either side of the tiebar. I'll later put hand levers or cranks for rodding here.

 

 

When blended with a bit of filler and paint, I think the joint won't be obvious.

 

 

The ballast in the yard will be ash and cinders and will be almost level with the sleeper tops, so I'm sticking down card (1.5mm artist's mounting board, which is what I had to hand) to reduce the amount of ballast needed.

 

I'm using PVA glue for this, as anything with VOCs in will eat the foam underlay!

 

 

Duncan

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Fastdax
Reinstating photos.

[garethashenden]

The cobbles look very good. I've been using Wills setts, but I've been unhappy with their rigidity. Das looks like a better although slower method.

[Fastdax]

The cobbles look very good. I've been using Wills setts, but I've been unhappy with their rigidity. Das looks like a better although slower method.

 

Thanks Gareth. Now they have a bit of colour on them, they look more realistic (see next post).

 

Slower than Wills though. Definitely slower.

[Fastdax]

Colouring The Cobbles

 

I washed over all the DAS-printed cobbles with a mid-brown wash of Colron Wood Dye (American Walnut). This is the new water-based stuff, not the old (and much better) spirit-based stuff which soaks into wood and DAS a lot more easily.

 

Here are some before shots:

 

 

 

 

During:

 

 

 

And after:

 

 

 

 

I made up a small retaining board for the edge of the cobbles at the far left-hand end, out of spare C&L plastic turnout timbers. They were painted black, dry-brushed light grey and set in with PVA.

 

 

I think the setts are perhaps a bit too brown now. They are quite patchy as well. In one or two places (probably where I spilled some PVA!) the stain has not taken at all.

 

I'll address all this with a second coat of something.

 

Duncan

 

[KevinWalsh]

Fantastic modelling there, only thing I would mention re:- setts is I have found from my work on streetworks (curbing, setts and tarmacing) is that the setts in heavily trafficked areas would show more of the natural granite due to any road dirt and general muck being constantly rubbed off.

[Fastdax]

Fantastic modelling there, only thing I would mention re:- setts is I have found from my work on streetworks (curbing, setts and tarmacing) is that the setts in heavily trafficked areas would show more of the natural granite due to any road dirt and general muck being constantly rubbed off.

 

Thanks Kevin!

 

I will take your tip about wear on the setts. In your experience, does this make the worn setts lighter or darker? And more to the brown or the grey side?

 

Duncan