Catford - PHOTOS RESTORED

[Rich Papper]

Good Evening Everyone.

 

Bricks, bricks, bricks. Some progress on lower level area that will be a DMU depot, but gone totally cross-eyed with bricks. Actually, it could be the MekPak. A few views.

 

 

 

 

33/1 in the middle shot is roughly along the line of where platform 1 will be on upper level station.

 

Like the shot under the bridge. Starting to think about angles I want for photography to make the stock look like it's in the right setting.

 

And on that level of pretentiousness I'm off to bed!

Rich

[Rich Papper]

Good Evening,

 

A small update of progress on the left hand side of the room this evening. First - Model Rail binders doing what they seem to spend most of their time in use doing - weighing down glued cork. Have decided it would make much more sense to get the track down on the bit that's hard to reach before putting something in front of it! The area where the earlier modified Y points will go is all ready, also have the switches, wire, DCC concepts decoders and frog juicer - but need to get the alignment of the front platform in place first. Struggling here slightly - aim is to make it look rationalised used to be two lines serving, now only one so track to this platform has to look like a junction has been removed and it's been slewed towards the front. Hopefully will make sense when I've done it.

 

 

Talking of Model Rail binders - what on earth am I going to do with them all? I have them all since issue 2. I'd love to spend the time to sit down and flick through them. I used to have time, now I have children.

 

Second. A bit of plywood fettled to make the control panel for this bit (will look neater when facia is on). On this layout I decided to try small local panels built in to the front of the layout itself. This means that everything is fairly self contained, there are no trailing umbilical wires for small people to swing on, and I can operate from pretty much anywhere. All the points will have decoders and I could use the NCE ProCab to set up 'macros' and programme set routes to change etc, but again that would rely on me having time to read the instructions. Also - might just be me - I like changing them myself!

 

 

And finally - more help.

 

 

'Help' perhaps not the right word.

 

Have a good evening.

 

Rich

[Tug002]

Good Evening,

 

A small update of progress on the left hand side of the room this evening. First - Model Rail binders doing what they seem to spend most of their time in use doing - weighing down glued cork. Have decided it would make much more sense to get the track down on the bit that's hard to reach before putting something in front of it! The area where the earlier modified Y points will go is all ready, also have the switches, wire, DCC concepts decoders and frog juicer - but need to get the alignment of the front platform in place first. Struggling here slightly - aim is to make it look rationalised used to be two lines serving, now only one so track to this platform has to look like a junction has been removed and it's been slewed towards the front. Hopefully will make sense when I've done it.

 

CA054.JPG

 

Talking of Model Rail binders - what on earth am I going to do with them all? I have them all since issue 2. I'd love to spend the time to sit down and flick through them. I used to have time, now I have children.

 

Second. A bit of plywood fettled to make the control panel for this bit (will look neater when facia is on). On this layout I decided to try small local panels built in to the front of the layout itself. This means that everything is fairly self contained, there are no trailing umbilical wires for small people to swing on, and I can operate from pretty much anywhere. All the points will have decoders and I could use the NCE ProCab to set up 'macros' and programme set routes to change etc, but again that would rely on me having time to read the instructions. Also - might just be me - I like changing them myself!

 

CA055.JPG

 

And finally - more help.

 

CA056.JPG

 

'Help' perhaps not the right word.

 

Have a good evening.

 

Rich

Point 1 - try and ignore your kids,just once.

Point 2 - keep the cat out of the model railway room.My brother keeps his layout in his bedroom,and our cats are forbidden to enter bedrooms - but they do try (naughty paws!)

[Rich Papper]

Point 1 - try and ignore your kids,just once.

Point 2 - keep the cat out of the model railway room.My brother keeps his layout in his bedroom,and our cats are forbidden to enter bedrooms - but they do try (naughty paws!)

 

Tried both of these - problem is they all know where I live!

[Rich Papper]

Good Evening,

 

Another small update this evening. Have just had the Camtruck back from repair (failed battery because I forgot to charge it for ages - excellent service with repair though) and thought I'd give it a quick go. Light was failing so quality isn't great but have tried to do same circuit as shown on first page of this adventure. I still have no idea how to embed the video window, so here's the link:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5z0cJI3w1M&feature=youtu.be

 

Shows more changes than I thought over the past couple of years, I suppose that happens when you just keep doing a little at a time. Nice to see progress though. Sorry about some of the tunnel sections being a bit dark, next time I'll contrive something in there with lights on. Should also mention the NR HST. Not quite in my time frame but I'd done one of the power cars about 15 years ago when it first appeared and it had just been sat in a box until my son discovered it and wouldn't let go of it for about three days. Supposed I needed a test train anyway so why not. Is relatively accurate - 43013 with buffers and 43062 without, only two trailers but he loves it as it has lights and moves like a scalded cat!

 

A picture of the upper level too. Foundations for the platform going in - 15 x 18mm stripwood (which annoyingly B&Q seem to have stopped doing).

 

 

Shows the relationship between the levels too. Both still look a bit flat, but DMU depot will be slightly higher than retaining wall at the peak of the roof and there will be low relief buildings behind the station on the upper level so it will hopefully give a bit of variation to an otherwise flat board.

 

Have a good evening.

Rich

[Tug002]

Tried both of these - problem is they all know where I live!

Keeping the cat out is easy - just shut the door,so unless your feline is ridiculously clever...

[Rich Papper]

Good Evening,

 

Small but significant update this evening - finally some evidence of platforms. Annoyingly, it did actually have platforms about four years ago. A 4 platform station with short parcels bay with Minories-esque points arrangement and could fit in a class 50+5 mk1s - but it just didn't look right whatever I did with it. Plan now is a terminus with a single island platform. Front line will fit a 4 car EMU in, the opposite platform will be extended slightly the basis of which is shown in tonight's photo. As seen in previous posts, the idea is that it was once served by two lines, one of which has since been lifted so this platform extension will cross the area that would have originally have begun the pointwork for the junction which has since been removed.

 

In theory. Lets see how it turns out!

 

 

Platform construction is going to be mainly 18 x 21mm stripwood faced with Peco concrete sides for the main, with Wills brick on the extension. For platform surface I plan to use some particularly good 2mm ply from local timber yard. Bought one sheet about 5 years ago and have been nibbling away at it for all sorts of things. Decided to start with this odd piece as all the rest will be relatively straight or very gently curved - simple but big. This bit has all the fiddly bits, and has concrete, brick and platform surface so I can experiment with all the paint colors I need on one small bit. Much of the past few evenings though has been spent trying to get three bits of B&Q stripwood that are labelled and sold as the same size, to be actually the same size. I know there are better sources of wood, but B&Q is on the way home from nursery so I can sneak bits in!

 

More soon I hope.

Rich

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper
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[Rich Papper]

Good Evening,

 

Another one picture update, but a significant one. Track is appearing on the upper level after some considerable absence. Nearly at the platform ends and two points in place. Slight hold up towards the front of the board as I can't seem to get hold of one of the points I need. Hopefully a trip to Cheltenham next week will put this right. Will only upend and do all the wiring when I've got all the track down as it is a pain to get to. Seep point motors, DCC Concepts decoders and a Hex Frog Juicer all ready and waiting.

 

Test coach Argus doing the clearance tests.

 

 

One thing I still can't visualise is the amount of empty space to the left hand side of this image. This is where the missing lines would once have come in. Looks a bit strange from this angle - apologies for terrible photo. Will mostly be empty ballast and weeds. Quite prototypical for a great many places, I'm just used to shoehorning all the track I can get in!

 

Have a good weekend.

Rich

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper

[Rich Papper]

Good Evening.

Still on the bricks. May be for a while yet. Apologies for the lack of updates. Been trying to come up with a suitable base colour for grotty London brown brick. Some experiments thus far:

 

1. Various offcuts of Wills sheet, various colours. Also got a few different colour paint pens to see if I could pick out some odd bricks with these, but the nibs are a bit too big and my hands not as steady as I'd like. May come back to them. Think one of these was an aerosol can from B&Q, two were Tamiya, one Humbrol.

 

2. But couldn't really decide. I know they will need the mortar adding, which changes the look, and heavy weathering as its urban grot. Eventually settled on Humbrol 29 at the kind suggestion of Pete75C.

 

3. But then the mortar. Good grief! When I did the walls for Oxford Road about 12 years ago I painted the mortar first and then dry brushed the red. I remember if taking forever and thinking there must be an easier way, and had seen someone using Humbrol washes to add mortar so thought I would try that. About a month of swearing at irregular intervals later, not got anywhere. Have tried enamel and acrylic, have tried varnishing wall first, have tried wide variety of paints and consistencies, have tried adding washing up liquid, IPA etc. but always seems to end up like picture below. A beige soup. Annoyingly - often looks good, then leave to dry, then looks terrible. Even more annoyingly, it looks worse in real life than this picture!

 

4. Then, while watching youtube videos (mostly American - many really interesting) very quietly over breakfast so as not to wake the family before going to work - saw a tip about using filler or chalk. Tried both. Filler seems to work better, get finest filler you can, small blob on brickwork, rub in with finger. Does seem a little bit bright - slightly concerned that I'll end up with weathered bricks and clean mortar. Might be a way of colouring it first. Other slight concern is that I can't see how I'd manage to get it in with the same technique around all the fiddly bits on Wills retaining arches. Big fingers.

 

5. Final one is dry brushed with mortar colour first. This is the only bit that has given me any confidence yet. Think I might do the next test bit by painting a range of mortar colors, then dry brushing the same brown over the top to see if I can create variation that way. I think darker mortar near the bottom of the wall, and where water would run would look right.

 

So still not that sure. Any and all suggestions welcomed.

 

Have a good evening.

Rich

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper
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[sp1]

I have in the past used emulsion paint (from ‘tester’ pots) for mortar: paint basic brick colour (in enamel), pick out random bricks in darker and lighter colour, then brush the emulsion on and quickly wipe off (you may need to use a damp cloth) - this mortar layer has the effect of toning down the brickwork and blending in the differently coloured bricks. The tester pot I used was a ‘mushroom ‘ colour- you could adjust the colour by adding eg black before painting it on if you wanted darker coloured mortar on parts of a wall.

 

Sorry I can’t add photos as I’m using phone.

[Rich Papper]

I have in the past used emulsion paint (from ‘tester’ pots) for mortar: paint basic brick colour (in enamel), pick out random bricks in darker and lighter colour, then brush the emulsion on and quickly wipe off (you may need to use a damp cloth) - this mortar layer has the effect of toning down the brickwork and blending in the differently coloured bricks. The tester pot I used was a ‘mushroom ‘ colour- you could adjust the colour by adding eg black before painting it on if you wanted darker coloured mortar on parts of a wall.

 

Sorry I can’t add photos as I’m using phone.

 

Thank you for that - have seen similar on a video somewhere too, but hasn't worked for me this time. Very good tip about emulsion pots though - hadn't thought of raiding them for colours other than the blue I use for the sky and the brown I use for the baseboard undercoat.

Rich

[Rich Papper]

Good Evening,

 

A small update. Been on holiday so no time in the man cave. Fed up with looking at bricks so thought I'd start on a bit more landscaping so I knew where I could attack more..err bricks.

 

 

Sidings going in too. Living nearby I'm looking for something of the effect of Gloucester Horton Road depot sidings in it's dilapidated 70s/80s look. More styrofoam in evidence.

 

 

Will definitely look like something.

 

More soon.

 

Rich

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper
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[Rich Papper]

Good Evening,

 

Apologies for the gap - life getting in the way (holiday, small people with chicken pox, exploding computer). Hope everyone is having a good summer. Managed to get an evening in the man cave, so back to the bricks. have now got the effect I was after (having failed at every other potentially quicker ,easier and cheaper method!!). As usual will preempt this with 'photos taken on phone camera' excuse. So am going with:

 

Stage 1: Whole wall two coats of mortar colour. Have varied this slightly so it is slightly darker at the bottom, but this can be further adjusted with washes in situ later. B&Q tester pots. Cheap.

 

Stage 2: Dry brush whole wall with basic Burnt Umber acrylic. Got it in the Works in local garden centre. Also cheap. going at it at a 45 degree angle seems to work well on the Wills sheets.

 

Stage 3: Pick out some individual bricks in different colours. Have found through trial and error that don't need to do too many, just enough to give variation close to. Think I did about 15-20 of each of 4 different colours on each arch. Regular readers will know that I don't have the skill or steady hand (or patience!) to do this with a tiny brush, so paint pens. Those with plastic style tip can easily colour one brick at a time even with my level of ham-fistedness, those that came with a fibre tip like a felt-tip pen just got carefully whittled with a scalpel to make the tip brick sized. Relatively cheap, as they will last a long time. They don't all show up brilliantly in the photo but:

 

Stage 4: Dry brush over with Tamiya XF-10 Flat Brown. Tones it all down and evens it up a bit, so from a distance looks uniform, but close to you can still tell there are variations in brick colour.

 

Just about what I wanted, and I think about as close as I am likely to get. Will also dry brush some streaks of black where particularly dirty, off-white where mortar is being leached out. Drainpipes last, and then foliage growing over any bit I've messed up! Have gone under the bridge already.

 

Only another 14 feet to go....

 

Put the kettle on.

Rich

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper
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[Rich Papper]

Good Afternoon.

Got fed up with brick painting, so decided to do some wiring. I do find wiring quite therapeutic after a long day at the monkey house, but the mess this has created taking apart multiple levels to tip up the boards is making my OCD itch!

 

 

 

Does afford the occasional glimpse of hidden bits though. These are the main lines beneath the station. There is a loop on the inner that will accommodate loco+4. Can't see entry or exit so have put some IRDOTs at one end so I know if there's anything there.

 

 

Hopefully a tidier update soon.

Rich

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper
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[Rich Papper]

Good Evening,

 

Finally things are starting to slot back together. Hopefully the mess will start to get sorted too.

 

First view today shows rare picture of what is holding everything up. Ikea Ivar legs attached together at the top by a pair of battens running the length of each side of the room. This means that I can use the Ikea shelves and cupboards underneath (to keep it tidy!!) and allows me to unbolt and shuffle the boards up and down and rotate them onto their backs at a sensible working height. There is also a gap where Oxford Road sits beneath.

 

 

Board two going back on. Connections for upper level visible. 

 

Two views in the other direction from roughly the same place, first with top off, then on. Second one really shows how terrible lighting is at the other end of the room. One day I will get this sorted.

 

 

 

Have had a quick test with a multimeter, all looks good. All points and Irdots responding correctly. May have to have a little test tomorrow.

 

Have a good evening.

Rich

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper
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[5BarVT]

I’m really glad you showed this. I have used spur shelving brackets for my past two layouts but that may not be possible next time. Ivar short legs will be excellent. I’m now wondering if I could use the full height legs on the fiddle Yard side and run the layout through the middle. Then what about the corners . . .

Many thanks for triggering the ideas.

Paul.

[Rich Papper]

On 10/09/2018 at 22:45, 5BarVT said:

I’m really glad you showed this. I have used spur shelving brackets for my past two layouts but that may not be possible next time. Ivar short legs will be excellent. I’m now wondering if I could use the full height legs on the fiddle Yard side and run the layout through the middle. Then what about the corners . . .

Many thanks for triggering the ideas.

Paul.

 

Hello

No problem at all. Funnily enough I have done that before. I have an exhibition layout (doesn't get exhibited much these days if anyone is interested!) which is on two levels: depot above and Underground below. I had originally built the Underground layer onto the Ikea shelves themselves, but there was just a little too much 'play' between them, even with latches to hold them together, so I rebuilt and slung the baseboards through the Ikea legs. Hopefully picture below is clear enough, note these are the narrower (30cm) width legs, my home one uses wider (50cm) ones.

 

 

Alignment dowels and latches were used to hold them together, and I just screwed a little wooden ledge (off-cuts of MDF I think) on the inside of the leg for it to rest on. Very stable when all attached together.

 

I'm sure you could do the same with a fiddle yard, although obviously your baseboard width would be limited by the gap between the legs. Don't see why you couldn't get round with one of the corner ones too.

 

Only possible issue is finding straight sets of legs in Ikea. Some in the shop will be distinctly banana shaped. I always take them down and lay them on the concrete floor, turning them over to all sides to make sure they don't rock. Sometimes you do have to go through about 10 before you find a good one, but the result is worth it and they are cheap.

 

Good luck!

Rich

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper
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[Rich Papper]

Good Evening All.

 

Expensive week. I may have to mortgage the cat. 50033 arrived, shortly followed by the Intercity HST pack.

 

 

Apologies for lack of lights on this one, DCC off as haven't chipped Glorious yet. Have waited for this one for a while. Slightly galling to be paying £50 more for a loco identical to the first Hornby 50 I bought about 15 years ago when there have been no improvements made to it whatsoever, but such is the world these days. First impressions were that the double arrows and NSE wording were quite large, but a quick Google showed that it carried this style and the smaller lettering at different points. In fact the first picture I found was of it pulling a vac-braked corridor Mk1 pretty much where I grew up so mustn't grumble.

 

 

The HST is very nice, despite the slightly flat cab profile and weird rear coupling. Rather glaringly it does have the latest style overhead warning flashes which I'm sure must be wrong. Have had a little play with the TTS sound, but can't give it the full beans as small people are asleep upstairs. Does sound a bit tinny, and does seem to have a continuous whistling sound which I'm not sure is supposed to be turbo scream or just the effect of really cheap speakers. One day I'll upgrade. Have a rake of Lima Mk3s to upgrade which I've had forever. Add to the list.

 

Looking at these I really should stick more pictures of trains on this thread. (and perhaps finish off another area enough so I can take pictures somewhere else!)

 

Rich

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper
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[Rich Papper]

Good Evening.

 

Just a small update tonight. Station area looking a bit better as have made some progress on platform tops.

 

 

Top is 1.5mm ply. Have used Peco concrete edging for the main part of the station - this ply is just the right thickness to top them - and have then made edging for the extension using Wills brickwork and scribed some plasticard strips for the edges. Small amount of swearing as the extension is on a gently curve, making ply cutting all manner of fun, but fits now. Hopefully will look a bit better painted up. Have decided not to fix ply top on just yet as will need to route wires for lights and work out how canopy will attach. Just strikes me this would be easier if I could do both nearer the front and lower down and then just drop it into place.

 

More soon.

Rich

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper
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[Rich Papper]

Good Evening,

 

A few bits of progress over the weekend. Upper level now has power throughout. Had a few gremlins with one of the points, but think I have it solved. DCC Concepts ADS8 controlling Seep point motors with a Hex Frog Juicer sorting the frog polarity. About one time in ten startups one of the point motors buzzes lightly as main power comes on, but stops if I move change it. Not sure why, possibly misaligned. Things can now run in and out of the platform lines though. Glorious and Iris doing the testing tonight. Only thing that seems to have trouble up there is the new TTS HST annoyingly. Still investigating.

 

 

Stabling area that kicks back from Platform 1. Runs parallel to the entry line but on the level. 50007 and 33207 parked up.

 

 

A long view. Apologies as usual for the terrible lighting. And we're entering the season where I'll only get to go in here in the dark.

 

 

Finally, local control panel. As mentioned somewhere earlier, I decided to go with small local control panels given that the PowerCab wire is long enough for me to stand anywhere in the room to operate. I prefer changing points this way, but might one day learn how to set routes so this lets me do either. Top row is the upper level, lower the lower. Holes at the top are for the two platform starter signals (won't go in until I've done enough of the surrounding scenery not to risk snagging them!), lower ones are for the pointwork on the way into the DMU depot. Not connected yet as haven't built it, and may have to shuffle some of the points slightly when I do.

 

 

Have a good evening.

Rich

Edited October 15, 2022 by Rich Papper
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[Rich Papper]

Hello All

Over the past couple of nights I've been brick-fiddling again. Trying to get the section complete around the tunnel mouth so I can get the track here ballasted and all painted in. I have a day coming up over half term where the little people will be in nursery and I'll be home so will be able to get the airbrush in just for this. Annoyingly I had already cut a piece for this section and done all the capping, but lost it when I lifted the board out to do the wiring. Will probably turn up down the back next time I get OR out. Have also hacked the blue stuff about to get the embankment shape. A bit unusual, but tailored so that a three year old can see the tunnel mouth from his favourite vantage point.

 

 

The picture below is a bit of an odd one, and apologies for the poor photo. This is looking back towards the front of the board, so not the angle one usually sees. I would like to make this photographable from all angles just for interest. In this the entrance lines to the DMU depot are top left, main lines centre going into the tunnel and then upper level bottom right.

 

 

Yes the tunnel is a bit shallow - hopefully not too noticable when all blended in. In the meantime looks like I have more brick painting to do.

 

Rich

Edited October 10, 2018 by Rich Papper

[Rich Papper]

Good Evening

A few update pictures. Managed to get into the cave a couple of times this week. Still angling towards sorting the area around this tunnel mouth so I can do some track painting and ballasting next week. Even if I just get the foot or so around the tunnel mouth sorted it means I can attach that in the right position.

 

A bit of filler.

 

Then some brick painting.

 

Then some capping painting and a base coat for the later addition of greenery.

 

All brickwork over here will get more weathering and greenery growing on it, over it and through it when in position. A few of trains too as promised.

 

50035 Ark Royal with NSE stock.

 

47602 Glorious Devon rumbling out of a tunnel.

 

Hopefully more progress next week. Half term.

Rich

Edited October 18, 2018 by Rich Papper

[Rich Papper]

Good Evening,

Track painting today. A massive amount of masking tape and making a horrible mess with the airbrush. Was spraying for about 45 minutes - fairly certain my compressor is not designed for this judging by the heat generated!

 

Tape off and a clean up later. Have used Humbrol 29 again. Will then get weathered, lineside bits and pieces added, point motors etc., then a final spray just to get everything looking consistent.

 

Hopefully more soon.

Rich

[Rich Papper]

Good Evening All,

 

Bricks, bricks, bricks. Getting there though. Made it to the corner of the room now, on one level at least. This is the only corner where the main lines visibly make the curve, the others are all in tunnel or behind something big in a cunning attempt to disguise the trainset style corners necessary to shoehorn this into a single garage conversion. This one only makes about 70 degrees. The front line coming off is R4, the others set wider using some track spacers (forget who makes them) so are the equivalent of what R5 and R6 would be I guess, so not too bad. Hopefully get some ballast on this section before Christmas. Cable trunking is in and painted.

 

 

And then finally - had to order this headboard. What a lovely idea - good work Fox.

 

 

 

Sleep well.

Rich

[Rich Papper]

Ballasting. Seems to have taken me forever to do about two feet. I spent some time over the past few evenings looking at the other side of the room trying to work out how I had done so much over there, and surprisingly well. Finally remembered it was before I had children. I often wondered what I used to do before.

 

 

Ballast is a mix of Woodland Scenics fine gray blend and brown. I tend to increase the ratio of brown towards the edges, but will mist it with airbrush afterwards anyway. Fixed in the usual way. Hopefully get to the corner over the weekend. Just hoping capillary action doesn't draw the glue up the brickwork.

 

Rich