Beginners OO 1950's Banff

[aardvark]

On 03/09/2021 at 11:08, aardvark said:

Based on this success, I'm eyeing the areas beside the tracks (which probably have a name), and have started thinking about doing something to them, which might actually result in this looking like a model train set layout.

 

Well, what do we think.

 

 

Some thin (1.4mm) sheet, glued, painted an appropriate mid-grey, with some sort of grit (talcum? crushed ballast?) sprinkled into the wet paint to break up the monotony of the flat surface?

 

I'm trying for something like this

 

 

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by aardvark
manually restored lost images

[St Enodoc]

I use either fine sand or ash from the wood fire.

[Tim Dubya]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I use either fine sand or ash from the wood fire.

 

Texture is everything to my (good) eye, and less is definitely more in most cases.

Of course, once I get to that stage I'll let you know

 

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by Tim Dubya
iOS replaced one of my words back up there, so I changed it back to Windows 2000.

[aardvark]

3 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

I use either fine sand or ash from the wood fire.

 

Very good - I had forgotten about wood ash - thank you for reminding me.

 

I have several prototypical bucketfuls at hand, so I won't have to worry about saving the excess when I vacuum it off

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by aardvark
In fact, now that I think about it, I have some coal ash here somewheres.

[Ian Smeeton]

Be a little careful with ash.

 

I think that it is coal ash which is quite highly acidic, so may corrode metalwork.

 

I stand to be corrected on this, though.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[aardvark]

It is uncommon for Google to suggest something that is actually of interest, but last evening, it struck pay-dirt.

 

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/amp/features/railway-portraits-face-to-face-with-the-final-years-of-steam

 

Nothing to do with Banff, or even the UK, it presents the photography of Robert and Bruce Wheatley, who, as teenagers in the 1960's, toured New South Wales recording the final days of Australian steam.  Even though the few readers that happen by here are most likely uninterested in Australian railways, I thought their images were sufficiently outstanding to warrant distribution.

 

 

[26power]

On 12/09/2021 at 09:24, aardvark said:

It is uncommon for Google to suggest something that is actually of interest, but last evening, it struck pay-dirt.

 

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/amp/features/railway-portraits-face-to-face-with-the-final-years-of-steam

 

Nothing to do with Banff, or even the UK, it presents the photography of Robert and Bruce Wheatley, who, as teenagers in the 1960's, toured New South Wales recording the final days of Australian steam.  Even though the few readers that happen by here are most likely uninterested in Australian railways, I thought their images were sufficiently outstanding to warrant distribution.

 

 

Thanks for link, an interesting read.

[aardvark]

The sticking down of small bits of cork continues a pace, and the in-filling between tracks may be completed today.  It’s been a slow activity, driven by my OCD tendencies, but by-and-large I’m happy with the result which has very few gaps over 0.5mm.  I’m hoping these will just fill with paint.

I’m not entirely happy with the joint between the middle two baseboards, and my inclination is to dig it up and try again.  On the other hand, maybe I should just learn to not look so closely and move on.

 

 

I am encouraged onto the try-again path by the third and final baseboard join, where I tried a modified technique.  Better, but still not perfect: I guess that this is reality with baseboard joins

 

 

 

In the meantime, an important question is what colour I should use to paint the cork.  I’ve never been any good with colour, having failed art in kindergarten, and tend to use an engineering approach.  The following is a photo of the ballast used in indirect natural light. Drawn on the image is a swatch of the average colour of the image.

 

 

It looks good to me, but then, what would I know.  Comments and suggestions would be most welcome.

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by aardvark
manually restored lost images

[Ben Alder]

I infill any gaps in the cork with Polyfilla from a tube - hides them totally. As for the ground alongside and between the tracks I paint with Games Workshop Stormvermin Fur with a light scattering of fine builders sand to give a bit of texture. any gaps in the cork beside the racks gets a small bead of PVA and some ballast sprinkled on. This may take a few goes. especially when it is photographed, when things invisible to the eye become painfully obvious.....

 

[aardvark]

9 minutes ago, Ben Alder said:

I infill any gaps in the cork with Polyfilla from a tube - hides them totally. As for the ground alongside and between the tracks I paint with Games Workshop Stormvermin Fur with a light scattering of fine builders sand to give a bit of texture. any gaps in the cork beside the racks gets a small bead of PVA and some ballast sprinkled on. This may take a few goes. especially when it is photographed, when things invisible to the eye become painfully obvious.....

 

Thanks for the speedy reply, Richard.

 

I did notice Stormvermin Fur in your blog recently. Alas, I don't have any, and we're in lockdown again. However, I was surprised to see that it's identical to a Taubmans colour, so perhaps I can get a litre (or less) from the local hardware store.  Stormvermin Fur (736B65) is a bit darker than the average colour in my photo (85858F).

 

I was surprised by your use of PVA - I've been wondering about how to create a bead of the carpet glue I've been using.  PVA in a squirty bottle would be much more convenient.  Maybe I can pick up some fine sand from the local landscape suppliers, which is also open during lockdown.

[Ben Alder]

I only use a tiny bead of PVA with the ballast patted in when applied. I suppose I should try diluted Copydex but its one of those things I've never got round to.

 

[aardvark]

Last weekend, I bought a litre of Taubmans Beaver Creek, which is supposed to be identical to Games Workshop Stormvermin Fur, and applied some to a section of the in-fill cork, with a light sprinkle of fine sand.

 

 

I was not entirely enarmoured of the colour, so investigated a series of variations on a separate slip of cork as shown above. From left to right:

1. bare cork;
2. one coat of Beaver Creek;
3. two coats;
4. two coats plus a slop of half-strength GW Nuln Oil;
5. two coats plus a slop of full-strength Nuln Oil (looking remarkedly like 4.);
6. two coats (same a 3.);
7. two coats plus a ham-fisted application of black weathering pastel.

Excepting the fine sand, the background should be the same as 2., but seems to have aged to a more acceptable colour over the last week,  The variations were all painted today.

 

I think I'll go with the single coat plus sand, although I might sprinkle a little more generously in future.

 

Next will be painting the rail sides with Humbrol Track Colour.

 

Another near-future activity will be construction of the retaining wall, which separates road level at the front from track level.  With that in-place, I can in-fill between the wall and track with more cork.

 

 

The photo is a more normal viewing angle, and shows a piece of 5mm foamboard, temporarily held in place.  I hope to cover the foamboard with ScaleScenes stone paper, provided that the result retains sufficient flexibility to follow the required line.

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by aardvark
manually restored lost images

[aardvark]

I tried a little Track Colour on a spare bit of track.

 

 

I only did the front side of the front rail on the track at the back, temporarily placed for photographic purposes.  From this trial, the effort does seems worthwhile.  I'll probably do the backs of the rails too, while they're easy to access, to cover the possibility of forward-looking photos..

 

Between in-fill cork, painting rails and retaining walls, I may be busy for a while, especially at the pace that I normally manage.  Never-mind, this is a pastime, after all.

 

On the domestic front, I switched the labels on the spice jars in our kitchen. I’m not in trouble yet, but the thyme is cumin.

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by aardvark
manually restored lost images

[aardvark]

I've completed painting of the rail sides, but am wondering about painting the tops of the check and wing rails.  Looking at a few prototype photos suggests that these parts are far from shiny.

 

Here's an old picture of unifrog (upper) and electrofrog (lower) turnouts:

 

 

The electrofrog checkrails are plastic, while the unifrog checkrails are metal but isolated, so I think I'm comfortable that these can be painted without creating problems for myself.

 

The wingrails are more of a question.  The electrofrog doesn't have separate wingrails, while the unifrog does have separate wingrails which are electrically connected to the frog.  Even so, there is still has a short section that would be in the path of a wheel flange, and probably useful for good running.  Surely, Peco would have engineered these for a reason.

 

I'm thinking that it might be possible to paint the tails of the wingrails where they wouldn't come in contact with a wheel flange.

 

Can any one offer any advice?  I need someone to tell me whether I'm being a bit OCD to consider painting the checkrails and wingrails.

[St Enodoc]

2 hours ago, aardvark said:

I've completed painting of the rail sides, but am wondering about painting the tops of the check and wing rails.  Looking at a few prototype photos suggests that these parts are far from shiny.

 

Here's an old picture of unifrog (upper) and electrofrog (lower) turnouts:

 

 

The electrofrog checkrails are plastic, while the unifrog checkrails are metal but isolated, so I think I'm comfortable that these can be painted without creating problems for myself.

 

The wingrails are more of a question.  The electrofrog doesn't have separate wingrails, while the unifrog does have separate wingrails which are electrically connected to the frog.  Even so, there is still has a short section that would be in the path of a wheel flange, and probably useful for good running.  Surely, Peco would have engineered these for a reason.

 

I'm thinking that it might be possible to paint the tails of the wingrails where they wouldn't come in contact with a wheel flange.

 

Can any one offer any advice?  I need someone to tell me whether I'm being a bit OCD to consider painting the checkrails and wingrails.

They will look good but of course unless you are very careful when you clean your track you'll have to repaint them each time.

[aardvark]

35 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

They will look good but of course unless you are very careful when you clean your track you'll have to repaint them each time.

 

D'oh!

[298]

5 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

They will look good but of course unless you are very careful when you clean your track you'll have to repaint them each time.

 

I keep a rust colour Floquil paint pen in my toolbox when I go to shows, so there really isn't any excuse. If you've got time to clean the track then you've got time to touch up any unnecessary shiny bits after....

 

This link should show a similar item:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Zig-Acrylista-6mm-Chisel-Nib-Permanent-Paint-Chalk-Marker-Pen-Glass-Metal-Wood-/302283018479?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

[aardvark]

With cork planting and painting done for now, it’s time to turn thoughts in earnest to the retaining walls. As previously stated, these will (hopefully) be 5mm foam-board covered front-and-back with ScaleScenes stone paper.  Being the beginner that I am, this is all new territory.

 

The wall will only be 27mm in height, but will extended much of the length of the layout, across all four 1.2m baseboards. Unfortunately, prototype Banff doesn’t having anything in the way of buttresses, pipes or even greenery to help disguise the joins, but I have read that prototype stone walls have expansion joints every 100 to 125’ (400-500mm).  Of course, I have no choice but to model expansion joints at the baseboard joins, and there will probably two other expansion joints per baseboard, but that still leaves me with the need to attempt one seamless stone paper join between expansion joints.

 

I recall that to join stone papers, you cut around the stones, but now that I come to think about it, I’m not sure whether you cut one sheet and lay it over a second, or whether you cut through both joining sheets to make pieces that fit together like jigsaw pieces.  In either case, colouring the cut edges will probably be required.

 

I figure that I should attach the paper to the front of the wall and let the glue dry, before gluing the paper across the top and down the back of the wall, dry, cut off any excess, before moving onto the next section of paper.

 

This will mean that the stones on the back will be upside down, but only the very top of the back will be visible, and then only from the back of the layout, so I’m not too concerned.  Note to self: be careful not to mix up the front with the back.

 

Any suggestions will be well received; otherwise it will just be trial and error.

 

I’m good at the “error” part.

[Tim Dubya]

Rule one every time 

[aardvark]

I'm a little bit excited to see that pre-orders for the RTR D40/GNoSR V/F Class/SE&CR G Class 4-4-0 from CDC Design/Thanet loco works may open soon.

 

https://www.cdc-design.net/from-the-design-team

 

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by aardvark
manually restored lost images

[26power]

On 13/11/2021 at 05:19, aardvark said:

With cork planting and painting done for now, it’s time to turn thoughts in earnest to the retaining walls. As previously stated, these will (hopefully) be 5mm foam-board covered front-and-back with ScaleScenes stone paper.  Being the beginner that I am, this is all new territory.

 

The wall will only be 27mm in height, but will extended much of the length of the layout, across all four 1.2m baseboards. Unfortunately, prototype Banff doesn’t having anything in the way of buttresses, pipes or even greenery to help disguise the joins, but I have read that prototype stone walls have expansion joints every 100 to 125’ (400-500mm).  Of course, I have no choice but to model expansion joints at the baseboard joins, and there will probably two other expansion joints per baseboard, but that still leaves me with the need to attempt one seamless stone paper join between expansion joints.

 

I recall that to join stone papers, you cut around the stones, but now that I come to think about it, I’m not sure whether you cut one sheet and lay it over a second, or whether you cut through both joining sheets to make pieces that fit together like jigsaw pieces.  In either case, colouring the cut edges will probably be required.

 

I figure that I should attach the paper to the front of the wall and let the glue dry, before gluing the paper across the top and down the back of the wall, dry, cut off any excess, before moving onto the next section of paper.

 

This will mean that the stones on the back will be upside down, but only the very top of the back will be visible, and then only from the back of the layout, so I’m not too concerned.  Note to self: be careful not to mix up the front with the back.

 

Any suggestions will be well received; otherwise it will just be trial and error.

 

I’m good at the “error” part.

A few thoughts that may or may not help

 

I !think expansion gaps in lengths of wall is a modern “thing”.

 

Joining stone papers - watch out for shrinkage if you try and butt join.  If you overlap one piece over another think about viewing angles and light to try and avoid a visible step

 

A danger of sticking one side at a time is shrinkage pulling the wall out of alignment.  If I recall correctly this was probably using mounting board as the body and PVA as the glue; foam board might be more resistant to being pulled out of shape and there might be more appropriate glues.

 

[aardvark]

1 hour ago, 26power said:

A few thoughts that may or may not help

 

I !think expansion gaps in lengths of wall is a modern “thing”.

 

Joining stone papers - watch out for shrinkage if you try and butt join.  If you overlap one piece over another think about viewing angles and light to try and avoid a visible step

 

A danger of sticking one side at a time is shrinkage pulling the wall out of alignment.  If I recall correctly this was probably using mounting board as the body and PVA as the glue; foam board might be more resistant to being pulled out of shape and there might be more appropriate glues.

 

 

Thanks @26power, your thoughts are most welcome.  I will try to keep them in mind.

[aardvark]

The construction of stone walls continues: I've been building the sea wall (lower) and retaining wall (upper), as well as filling in between the retaining wall and track with cork sheet.  Between the two walls will be a roadway and footpath, one day, when I figure out how to make them.

 

 

It's only ScaleScenes texture papers, but it will do for me for a start, especially as the photo shows a baseboard join. Maybe one day I'll rip it up and replace it with something with real texture, but there is much else to do, so I wouldn't be holding your breath.

 

 

Unfortunately, I've come a gutser.

 

The next board along contains the loading platform - the angular area in the following photo, with the road sweeping around it.

 

 

The left-hand edge of this area, where the blue line is, will be a gate, allowing access from the road to the loading area. So, the plywood at that point has to be at the same level as the lower level, not the upper level.  I'm not sure how I missed that.  There is nothing for it but to grab a saw and hack into my "carefully" crafted baseboard

 

Writing this post is probably a form of procrastination.

 

At the right-hand end of this area, the loading platform will need to be 26mm above the plywood. Judging from photos, the platform was largely flat, only falling from the end of the siding to the gate and onto the road: a model fall of 42mm over ~300mm, or about 1:7.  This sounds steep, but some landscape engineering course notes says 1:4 is an absolute maximum for vehicular access, 1:6 for mowing and 1:12 for wheelchairs, so maybe 1:7 will be ok.

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by aardvark
manually restored lost images

[aardvark]

Borrowing  a phrase I read on another thread (more procrastination): it wasn't like a trip to the dentist after all!

 

Cut the top out, cut back the underframe, then re-attach the top at a jaunty but more prototypical angle.

 

 

 

 

I didn't think about protecting the trackwork from wood dust until afterwards , so I spent more time flicking small bits of wood off the ballast with a small brush than I did wielding the saw.

 

Construction of stone walls can now continue.  I can also start construction of the loading platform, at least through to the end of the siding, where the signalbox will go.

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by aardvark
manually restored lost images

[aardvark]

Here's a puzzlement for the pundits out there.

 

 

This crop shows part of the Banff loading bank.  Both ends of the bank is roughly at the height of the top of a buffer beam, which makes sense to me, but there's a section that is perhaps 18" higher.

 

Would anyone care to guess why this would be? I'm stumped.

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by aardvark
manually restored lost images