Tetbury

[Chris Chewter]

Trialling out a temporary backscene for size tonight. At the weekend I took my daily lockdown exercise at Tetbury with a tripod and camera. The photos from the only vantage point I could find have been stitched together using Hugin panorama stitcher, and the printout I think looks good for a first attempt on an elderly inkjet.

 

 

But there’s a hitch. There are so many trees, I’ve only managed to get enough photos for a 5ft section! I’ve got another 10ft to fill. Also, due to the perspective the photo was taken, the church is in totally the wrong location! Looks like I better get my head around some photoshop trickery!

[checkrail]

On 19/05/2020 at 22:06, Captainalbino said:

Trialling out a temporary backscene for size tonight.

Makes a massive difference already.

[CCSR]

On 11/04/2020 at 06:25, Captainalbino said:

Interesting how the little details make the layout come alive. Lamps fitted and the platform trolleys in position tonight. 
 

 

And I really like this one, although the lamp is too tall really.

 

 

I’ll attack it another night.

 

Looks excellent. Just wondering how you did the top of the platform, including the paving? 

[Chris Chewter]

The platform top and roads was painted in a textured paint from Green Scene. I used light tarmac. 
 

http://www.green-scene.co.uk/Paint.html

 

The paving slabs to the platform edges are from the Ratio platform kit 520, painted grey and a diluted wash of black to show up the cracks and crevices.

[Chris Chewter]

One of the captions in Randolph indicates that the slopes at the bottom of Gumstool Hill was used as allotments, some of which supplied the hospital behind where the prefab is. So using some Busch ploughed fields, which turned out to be corrugated card covered in brown scatter, some allotments have been made up to give a bit of interest to the hill and to create a few cameo scenes.

 

 

I also took delivery from Modelu for this pair, now chatting next to the splash.

 

 

If he’s a lucky bobby, one day I might buy him a bigger bicycle!

 

Im waiting for a delivery of socially distanced hardboard to form the backscenes. I’ve also created the backscene artwork and sent them off to the printers.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Captainalbino
Took a better photo that was in focus this time!

[GWR57xx]

Those two photos look very realistic. Had to look twice at the first one to check if it was real or model.

Really nicely done.

[Chris Chewter]

I’ve just tried the bobby with a 1/76 scale bike

 

Whilst that looks better, I now need to find something more suitable for the local constabulary.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Captainalbino

[Chris Chewter]

Let’s hope that the visit from the district nurse to the pre-fab isn’t anything to worry about.

 

[Harlequin]

It's all looking really atmospheric!

 

Have you thought about applying "focus stacking" to your photos to make them look even more realistic?

 

[Chris Chewter]

I tried focus stacking before, and the results weren’t pretty. However if I can get my head around making my own backscenes, then I should be able to work it out! Perhaps something to trial whilst waiting for that delivery of hardboard.

[Chris Chewter]

Been playing with focus stacking this evening.  After watching a few youtube clips and changing a few setting, below is this evenings attempt of the nurse cameo outside of the pre-fab. This is using the CombineZP software which seems more vibrant that the trail version of Zerene stacker.

 

 

I really must find that packet of Ratio guttering!

[Chris Chewter]

I found yesterday, the software would stack the images together, and you ended up wondering if it actually made a difference.  You then looked back at the original and you could see where the focus has been extended.  

 

Here's a stacked photo taken yesterday of the station building:

 

 

And one of the un-stacked photos to demonstrate the difference the software has made:

 

[Chris Chewter]

Managed to pull off a really nice focus stack tonight. 

 

 

Looking down from the cottage hospital, it looks like a 14xx is working the line today, and has just arrived with its service from Kemble.

 

If only I had remembered to take the front tension lock coupling off!

Edited May 27, 2020 by Captainalbino

[Chris Chewter]

Its early morning and the gardeners are hard at work keeping the allotments under control.

 

 

The plants were created by taking the tips from a Seafoam armature, and lightly covering the top with PVA. This is then lightly dipped in some Gaugemaster light green leaves before being glued into place. Tools are from Noch. The steel drum barrel is the collar from a pencil which holds the eraser in place, which has been sprayed in metallic colours. The figure is from the Modelu Pendon gardeners range.

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Captainalbino
Better photo used

[Chris Chewter]

Tonight's focus stack concentrate on a slightly unusual but not unheard of visit of a pannier to Tetbury as it takes a visit to the coal dock during the working day.

 

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Captainalbino
Spelling correction

[Chris Chewter]

Notification received earlier today that the backscenes have been dispatched from the printers.  Fingers crossed they've worked because without them, I'm struggling to photograph anything in the goods yard with a huge backdrop of out-of-scale brickwork!

 

Tonight's focus stacks aren't as photogenic as yesterdays.  I probably need to change the lighting.

 

5532 has just pulled its train into the platform, and has set forwards into the headshunt ready to run around the train.

 

 

 

Also, does anyone know a way of hiding baseboard gaps?  The layout was always built to breakdown into three sections in case of a house move.  however this photo of 3711 shows the inconvenience of one of the joins!  

 

 

To be honest, I think the only solution to this is Photoshop, but if anyone has an idea, then let me know.

Edited May 29, 2020 by Captainalbino

[Siberian Snooper]

Removable platform and building.

 

 

 

 

[Regularity]

If you are not planning to exhibit, then some off-white plasticine could be pushed into the gap, and painted over to match the surface (ideally, you do this before painting!) 

[Chris Chewter]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm not quite ready to rip the platforms off just yet.  However the layout does seem to be a treadmill of rebuilding as my modelling gets better, so no doubt the time will come when I'll be able to take that approach. I think filling might work. 

 

I've retouched the pannier photo to hide the gap and adjusted the brightness and contrast.

 

 

The fireman checks the injectors of 3711 before setting back to the goods yard.   I guess it must be 1958 and 3711 is allocated to the branch on test, as the loco was converted to oil burning by Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns in April that year.  It was then allocated to Swindon before moving to Old Oak Common where it sat at the back of Old Oak, rarely to turn a wheel.

 

A brief history and a photo of 3711 can be found on p32 of The Pannier Papers No. 2.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Captainalbino
Grammar edit

[Chris Chewter]

Tried to get a few more focus stacks today.  Set up the camera with the same light as the two focus stacks that turned out really well the other day.

 

 

Sadly not as good but still a passable result.  I had to retouch a few areas and get rid of some blurring caused by the focus stacking.

 

[Chris Chewter]

Backscenes and socially distanced hardboard arrived. I made my excuses and headed out to the garage. Three hours later, And here we are:

 

 

And I can now think about photographing the goods yard

 

 

But, they are currently held in place by spring clips, so they’re a bit all over the place at the moment.

 

 

 

I’m now a tad hot and bothered, so that’s enough for tonight, but if I can get them lined up, I think it looks promising.

 

[Chris Chewter]

I’ve lined up the backscenes. What’s odd is that the gaps seem to stick out a mile to me, but they don’t seem too bad in the photos.

 

(Taken from an iPhone so they may be blurry in places)

 

 

 

 

 

[Chris Chewter]

Now the backscenes are in place, I can now explore areas of the layout that I haven't been able to photograph previously, such as the iconic goodshed.

 

[Chris Chewter]

Not every angle on the layout needs the benefit of a backscene.  This is one of my favourite views of the layout.

 

[Oldddudders]

Even the iPhone pics are plenty sharp enough. Which is why camera sales are dropping off the graph, while we all carry a phone. I have a cupboard full of DSLRs and lenses, but they see less and less use.