Little Muddle

[Harlequin]

Please don't take this the wrong way (and at the risk of going off-topic), but...

 

Mr Johnster: Your vivid descriptions of life at Cwmdimbath remind me of Ivor the Engine. It must be a generational thing. ;-)

 

But hey, in my opinion comparison to the great Oliver Postgate is equally estimable - and I'm sure he was a nicer man than the Welsh bard!

 

Phil

[NHY 581]

I'm sure the third chap from the left is Alan Bennett...

I think it's his brother, Gordon.

 

Rob.

[KNP]

I think it's his brother, Gordon.

 

Rob.

 

That's two people named now!!!!

[The Johnster]

Yes, Oliver Postgate was a much less unpleasant person than Dylan Thomas!  Thank you for giving me the generational benefit of the doubt; sadly, I was a little old for Ivor the Engine, who appeared on tv when I was already in my early 20s.  

 

I still think that having a dragon in the firebox is cheating, though...

[Mulgabill]

Yes, Oliver Postgate was a much less unpleasant person than Dylan Thomas!  Thank you for giving me the generational benefit of the doubt; sadly, I was a little old for Ivor the Engine, who appeared on tv when I was already in my early 20s.  

 

I still think that having a dragon in the firebox is cheating, though...

Don't you think, had the dragon trials been more successful, we may still have had steam on todays railways. After all they wouldn't be reliant on (imported) coal or oil.

 

Pity they couldn't get consistent results or political interest...............

 

kept blowing Hot and Cold

[KNP]

Well, my recently painted figures have now been strategically placed around the layout in what I hope is some realistic poses.

 

The first, a Miss Gray is trying to get what appears to be her rather stroppy mother, Edna Gray, off on the 10.15 train to visit some long lost relatives.

 

 

 

I am please to say we have some authority at Little Muddle Station so things should run much smoother now and on time???

Mr Porter, the Station Master is checking his watch, whilst Stan Masters the porter has also got involved in what I believe is with a Mr A Bennett (not sure from this angle though as I can't see his face clearly) regarding the time of the next train.

 

 

 

Note to self - must fit station building better to platform to get rid of gap.

 

And finally, we have what appears to be a lonesome figure of Jim Riddle standing at the end of the up platform looking down the line for the next train to Bristol.

 

 

 

Edited March 9 by KNP

[The Johnster]

Sadly, dragons need to be fed, and are not all as economical to keep as Idris.  Even Idris ate coal, which of course had to be brought from the bottom right to the top left hand corner of Wales for him.  Worse, dragons of lesser breeding and coarser habits than Idris require, I am led to believe, to be fed virgins, which are uncommon these days even in the top left hand corner of Wales (everybody knows this is the Welshest bit), if indeed they ever were particularly common.  In the bottom left hand corner, round where I live, they are rarer than rocking horse s**t, and no dragon would survive more than a day or so...

 

Another problem that Postgate does not mention is their somewhat peptic digestive systems, which are extremely acidic and damaging to the interiors of fireboxes not very carefully protected against them.  This is why dragons' bones are never found; they dissolve very quickly when the creature dies, along with most of the rest of the vicinity.  

Edited September 28, 2017 by The Johnster

[Coombe Barton]

But do dragons not survive in computer software?

 

I refer, of course, to the practice of drag 'n' drop.

[The Johnster]

Those are only virtual dragons, and you can't run real engines on virtual dragons!

[Coombe Barton]

Those are only virtual dragons, and you can't run real engines on virtual dragons!

How about real dragons from Wales?

 

[Andrew P]

WOW            

 

Impressed of Swad.

[7TunnelShunter]

Railway fence lines and embankments: the missing scenery plant?

 

Having ventured back to the UK and travelling around for the last two weeks I've been reminded of the rosebay willowherb adorning roadsides and rail lines everywhere I've been so far (from Herts to Skye). As the RHS notes: The tall, pretty pink flower spikes of rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium) are a common sight on railway banks

 

It's a good sized plant (1.5m) and forms wide dense clumps, beautiful pink flowers which change gradually into graceful silvery white seeding heads. There are some comments on possible ways to model elsewhere on RMWeb

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/59968-railway-plants/

 

from Suzie's post in 2012

 

5936662832_c905013932.jpg

 

I've not seen any so far along the fence lines of LM, perhaps an opportunity to further add to the realism of the plantings there?

I'm going to have a stab at modelling it when I get home,

 

Colin

 

The alternative common name is in fact 'fire weed' after its propensity to rapidly grow on areas (of line side bank) burnt either deliberately as part of the vegetation control regime or by accidental fires set by locomotives.

 

It is on my list of characteristic species to include, so thanks very much for the link to the modelling notes.

 

Best wishes

 

Chris

[St Enodoc]

Sadly, dragons need to be fed, and are not all as economical to keep as Idris.  Even Idris ate coal, which of course had to be brought from the bottom right to the top left hand corner of Wales for him.  Worse, dragons of lesser breeding and coarser habits than Idris require, I am led to believe, to be fed virgins, which are uncommon these days even in the top left hand corner of Wales (everybody knows this is the Welshest bit), if indeed they ever were particularly common.  In the bottom left hand corner, round where I live, they are rarer than rocking horse s**t, and no dragon would survive more than a day or so...

 

Another problem that Postgate does not mention is their somewhat peptic digestive systems, which are extremely acidic and damaging to the interiors of fireboxes not very carefully protected against them.  This is why dragons' bones are never found; they dissolve very quickly when the creature dies, along with most of the rest of the vicinity.  

Perhaps that's why the dragons died out.

[NHY 581]

Well, my recently painted figures have now been strategically placed around the layout in what I hope is some realistic poses.

 

The first, a Miss Gray is trying to get what appears to be her rather stroppy mother, Edna Gray, off on the 10.15 train to visit some long lost relatives.

 

1036.JPG

 

I am please to say we have some authority at Little Muddle Station so things should run much smoother now and on time???

Mr Porter, the Station Master is checking his watch, whilst Stan Masters the porter has also got involved in what I believe is with a Mr A Bennett (not sure from this angle though as I can't see his face clearly) regarding the time of the next train.

 

1037.JPG

Note to self - must fit station building better to platform to get rid of gap.

 

And finally, we have what appears to be a lonesome figure of Jim Riddle standing at the end of the up platform looking down the line for the next train to Bristol.

 

1038.JPG

 

The painting of the figures is sublime,,Kevin. Top drawer.

 

 

Rob.

[Limpley Stoker]

Your figures are so credible and realistic. I’m glad to see they are interacting normally. Could you confirm that Mr Porter is holding a large pocket watch and not an iPhone 8 ?

[KNP]

Your figures are so credible and realistic. I’m glad to see they are interacting normally. Could you confirm that Mr Porter is holding a large pocket watch and not an iPhone 8 ?

 

Many thanks and as I said in the article I don't use figures in motion, just one of my pet concerns, so all my, now 28, figures dotted around the layout are in some form or other of a static pose.

I use the eye/head position to determine the siting of the figures.

 

For example on the station scene - Mr Porter is looking at Stan who is looking at Mr Bennett who in turn is looking at Mr Porter, this then gives the impression of them in conversation and I think it made the group look as one.

However Jim is on his own but his eye line is aimed at the end of the track as if looking for something - the next train. We all do when waiting for one to come along!

I tried something different with Miss Gray, she is looking at but slightly past her mother as if giving up and Edna is looking at her but won't make eye contact so hopefully giving the impression they are at odds with each other.

 

The same applies around the layout, I have tried to make the people look like they are in real life situations.

 

And I can confirm that it is a large pocket watch, I know I had the wrong loco's running around the layout for the era and with no lamps but an iPhone 8...........even I might spot that was wrong.

Just to check I will give him a ring and if he puts it to his ear then I am in trouble!!!!

Edited September 29, 2017 by KNP

[Bogie]

Great job on the dragons but I am not sure about the people in the background.

[Harlequin]

Folks,

 

I suggest that discussion of Ivor the Engine and dragons is a bit off-topic for this thread, which is supposed to be about Kevin's beautiful and bucolic layout.

 

I apologise for starting the Ivor sub-thread. Is there an "Ivor the Engine" topic? Maybe there should be!

 

Phil

[KNP]

On 29/09/2017 at 12:36, Harlequin said:

Folks,

 

I suggest that discussion of Ivor the Engine and dragons is a bit off-topic for this thread, which is supposed to be about Kevin's beautiful and bucolic layout.

 

I apologise for starting the Ivor sub-thread. Is there an "Ivor the Engine" topic? Maybe there should be!

 

Phil

 

Phil

 

Thanks for the kind words but I honestly don't mind where the topic meanders so long as it stays within the rules of this website of course.

You will have noticed that whilst all the dragon talk was about I was just plodding along with my posts, acknowledging with an 'I' tag of informative/useful where necessary, occasionally back on track but what the heck, as Rob said, 'it's only a bit of fun'.......

 

Though on the subject of dragons I did hear the two workers by signal box talking about them......

 

 

 

....then I realised they were talking about going to The George & Dragon public house for a drink after work???

 

Not the same thing at all I think........!

Incidentally these are Noch figures so they are at 1:87 which if placed clear of any 1:76/OO ones you can get away with - it's all about fooling the eye with distance and scale.

Edited March 9 by KNP

[Stubby47]

 

Incidentally these are Noch figures so they are at 1:87 which if placed clear of any 1:76/OO ones you can get away with - it's all about fooling the eye with distance and scale.

 

Why do we assume all figures should be the same size on a layout...

 

[KNP]

Why do we assume all figures should be the same size on a layout...

 

cbr.jpg

 

Now technically I agree with you but when putting two different scales together it becomes all about proportion.

Using your picture as an example, they are indeed different heights but if you look at their heads/hands/feet they are generally about the same size.

but

using a smaller scale like the Noch figures their head/hands/feet will have reduced accordingly so when putting the two together the proportions would be wrong.

 

 

You can see what I mean where I have painted the Noch and Dart figures on the same base.

When put in close proximity the difference becomes quite marked, so spaced well away from each type on the layout you can't spot this at all.

 

Obviously I'm generalising here and respectfully understand that this is not always the case.

[Darwinian]

It's not simply the height of model figures but the relative head size. Adult heads vary little in size, notice how Ronnie C. Still looks short even if you cover up the other two. I have some station staff figures who look short because their heads are sculpted rather over size. So a correctly proportioned 1:87 figure will look further away than a similar 1:72 one even if they are physically the same size.

[The Johnster]

Perhaps that's why the dragons died out.

 

 

Who says they've died out?

[Coombe Barton]

I really am not going to go on about Noch figures with small hands and a certain transatlantic person who rhymes with clump.

[autocoach]

I don't mix 3.5 mm and 4 mm figures in the same visual setting. 4 mm and 1/72 figures really look out of place in an HO setting even when shorter 4 mm figures are used. For instance I found a package of seated HO circus audience figures. There were at least 10 different poses with men, women and children. They did require painting.  They have made excellent passengers on my old GWR and now SR coaches.  In that setting the scale difference is not noticeable. 

 

The are going to be used again in HO with the immanent delivery of a set of plastic SP Harriman passenger cars (in North America, a coach is a specific type of passenger car. Basically a UK Third Open) from Sunset Models.