Black Drake Wharf

[vaughan45]

IMHO I'd keep it at 3 storeys, because you have two 2-storey buildings already, at front left and front right. A taller one will help break up the rooflines a bit.

 

Yep, I think you are probably right, as the taller version does seem to add another dimension and with the added an bonus that there is less sky to deal with,

​Cheers, Vaughan

[marc smith]

Really like the look of this fab little layout
I've not come accross Redutex sheets before. They do look good, and they seem to have a little bit of relief too
How do they respond to a bit of further weathering - i.e. can you wipe off any accidental additional paint etc or further dilute water based paints without effecting the surface?

Also, where do you get your supplies of Redutex from?
Looking forward to seeing this develop

[vaughan45]

Really like the look of this fab little layout

I've not come accross Redutex sheets before. They do look good, and they seem to have a little bit of relief too

How do they respond to a bit of further weathering - i.e. can you wipe off any accidental additional paint etc or further dilute water based paints without effecting the surface?

 

Also, where do you get your supplies of Redutex from?

Looking forward to seeing this develop

 

Many thanks Marc, I have been a long time admirer of the layouts that you have produced. 

 

Redutex does accept some weathering using water based paints, although this does soak in if left too long before being manipulated. The sheets don't seem to like solvent based paint, which appears to soak in rapidly, whilst both thinners and isoprol alcohol have a tendency to remove the surface colouring. I am still experimenting before weathering any structures. The sheets are best warmed a little before bending and my only criticism is that the sheet size is a little small at 134mm high x 335mm long, requiring a bit of 'cut & shut' on larger  structures. 

 

The UK distributor is DCC Supplies and for 2mm / 4mm they seem to keep a good range, but the 7mm range they stock appears more restricted. I have been buying direct from Newkit Model S.L at http://tienda.redutex.com/en/ in Spain, who also list sheets in non-railway scales, presumably for war gamers etc. Payment has been made using PayPal and despite the horror stories one hears about the Spanish postal service, my orders have all been well packed and arrived within 5 days of placing them.

 

Hope this info is useful,

Cheers, Vaughan

Edited December 8, 2017 by vaughan45

[vaughan45]

Quick update - The tiling on the front right warehouse has been completed and further grass is being applied. An ABS Ex LMS 3 plank open with LMS style vacuum brakes has been backdated from BR livery to post-1936 LMS Bauxite livery by removing the BR lettering along with the weathering covering them and then applying LMS Pressfix transfers and re-applying the weathering, simples!

 

Work has also begun on evaluating the wall and fencing combination to divide the raised siding serving the bakery / food processor from the running line. Initial thoughts, a low brick built wall capped with spear type fencing has be mocked-up in photo 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2017 by vaughan45

[vaughan45]

This week I has been doing mainly walls & wagons. The first sections of the wall dividing the private siding from the wharf line have been built, although the brick pillars still require capping stones. Unfortunately the camera has revealed the bricks on the pillar on the right are slightly out of alignment - think some creeping ivy is needed to disguise this. An LMS 'fitted' van built from one of the late Frank Titmus's 'Freightman' kits, has had the lettering completed. It is now awaiting some light weathering as it would have been comparatively new during the layouts mid-1930s period.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2017 by vaughan45

[vaughan45]

The loading bay canopy to act as a left hand view blocker has now been build from styrene sheet and section, although the roof still requires painting. It has been temporarily installed for clearance tests. Brick painting on the three storey factory continues and a section of 'sky' has been installed in an attempt to add some depth to this part of the scene.

 

Next stage is to formalise ideas for the centre rear of the layout.

 

 

[vaughan45]

Quick progress update showing the planned building arrangement across the rear of the layout.

 

The first photo shows the left hand side of the layout, with existing buildings slowly developing to completion.

 

 

The second photo shows the centre section of the layout with building fronts mocked up. The gap in the centre will be occupied by a chimney, which mindful of the comments by Iain Rice in 'Creating Cameo Layouts' will not extend above the height of the backscene.

 

 

The third photo shows the right hand end of the layout. The warehouse will have a Victorian wrought iron style canopy covering the siding for part of it's length with a full height brick wall at the end. The stone building is a water tower which is awaiting a top tank. Around the buildings will be glimpses of sky.

 

Edited January 14, 2018 by vaughan45

[vaughan45]

Couple of update photos. The brickwork on the left hand factory has been completed but still needs fittings such as drainpipes, vents etc. adding before weathering. The gap between to sky and right end of the building will be hidden by pipework.

 

Work has now started on the Northlight building, but having read Jas Millham's comments re building placement in the latest MRJ, which has highlighted concerns I already had, I have changed the angle to allow the inclusion of more roof and worked to restrict the viewpoints so it is not as obvious the building is only approx. 1" deep.

 

 

There has been some re-arrangement of the buildings in the centre of the layout and a chimney has now been incorporated, although the base will probably be raised so the chimney top is  above the roof line of the adjacent building.

 

Edited January 25, 2018 by vaughan45

[vaughan45]

I currently have a layout of two distinct halves. Progress has slowed as illness has put the use of solvent based paints and glues out of bounds for a while. So although brick painting using acrylic paints has continued at the left hand end, the right hand end which requires further construction has seen little change. I am hoping to get the remaining 'sky' fitted in the next few days and start work on the area in front of the water tower. 

 

[Osgood]

I've been trying to figure out for myself your process for producing such wonderful brickwork on the factory buildings, but -

 

 I think I'm going to have to ask you to run through this if you wouldn't mind, please!

 

Looks like a base coat of brick colour, followed by a light wash of Sandstone masonry paint for mortar, followed by brushing(?) a variety of ? onto each individual brick?

Edited February 23, 2018 by Osgood

[vaughan45]

I've been trying to figure out for myself your process for producing such wonderful brickwork on the factory buildings, but -

 

 I think I'm going to have to ask you to run through this if you wouldn't mind, please!

 

Looks like a base coat of brick colour, followed by a light wash of Sandstone masonry paint for mortar, followed by painting a variety of ? onto each individual brick?

 

I've actually used a couple of different methods. First the buildings are given a coat of good quality flat matt emulsion paint from testers brought in the usually DIY outlets, the sandstone paint in the picture is used for the stonework but is a bit too coarse for mortar, For the factories I have used either Laura Ashley Powder Grey or Craig & Rose Tintern Stone, previously I have also used colours from the Farrow & Ball range. I have tried the cheaper emulsions from Crown, Dulux etc., but they seem to flake off plastic or resin surfaces during the second stage of the process.

 

For the Northlight style factory the brick colour was added using pencil crayons in a limited range of reds & browns. The ones I have are from the Faber Castell range, these are rubbed across the surface of the bricks holding the crayon at an angle, so the colour goes on the face of the bricks, but doesn't go into the mortar courses. Talcum powder is then 'pounced' onto the surface using an old large brush and then brushed / blown off. This has the effect of blending the colours and also matting the surface. For a more weathered finish, weathering powders could replace the talc. The 'muck' on the windows is a mix of talc & grey weathering powder.

 

Initially I used this process on the larger factory building, but I wasn't entirely happy with the result, so some of the bricks were then overpainted with thinned Humbrol 70 Brick Red which darkens them, but still allows some of the original colour to shown through to provide some variation. I then went over the brickwork with some more talc. The brick arches above the windows were coloured using a grey crayon and the stonework is the smooth finish Weathershield sandstone.

 

For a building in the centre of the back scene I am experimenting with painting the bricks with brick red paint and then rubbing the crayons over them to add variety and depth of colour, before using the talc.

 

Hope this helps, let me know if you need any more info,

 

Edited February 23, 2018 by vaughan45

[Osgood]

That's great - many thanks.  Reckon I need to get some materials out and have a play myself

[vaughan45]

The bad weather has meant that further brick painting has been done and another building along the backscene completed. Gutters have been fitted, but downpipes etc. are still on the workbench. I can't claim to have produced the 'Princess Royal' wagon, it was purchased on Ebay for a very reasonable price. Currently in-build on my workbench is a JLTRT Cambrian / GWR 2 Plank Open.

 

[2ManySpams]

Those aren't the drainpipes I was promised over on SoSJ.  ;-p

 

Very nice work chap.

[vaughan45]

Those aren't the drainpipes I was promised over on SoSJ.  ;-p

 

Very nice work chap.

 

Possibly, but I'm afraid they were the wrong size! 

 

Edited March 4, 2018 by vaughan45

[vaughan45]

I seem to be building discontinued wagon kits at the moment. Just ready for the paint shop is an LNER fitted vent van built from a long discontinued Freightman kits to which additional brakegear detailing has been added. I had just started a Just Like The Real Thing (JLTRT) Cambrian 2 plank open kit, when Pete Waterman announced he was putting the business into receivership, so it has now become another discontinued kit! 

 

The plastic spacers on the inside of the open are to stop my fat fingers crushing the resin sides.

 

 

[vaughan45]

Planning has continued on the right hand side of the layout. The final section of 'sky' has been installed. At the end of the wall with iron railings will be a gate across the siding, which I may attempt to automate. From there will be a wall in a different style, possibly engineers blue brick (or as it says on the Redutex Spanish web site enginnery brick), which will stop short of the water tower to allow access to a barrow crossing over the 'main line'.

 

The large warehouse will have a Victorian style canopy for 2/3rds its length partly supported by a high wall at the end of the siding. Once this is done a variety of additional details will be used to dress the scene. I have received a supply of drainpipe fittings from ModelU, so part of today will be spent assembling & painting drainpipes made from these fittings and 2mm rod.

 

Edited March 18, 2018 by vaughan45

[Jwnewall]

I'm currently building a large warehouse almost identical to yours, however i'm puzzled on how to make the windows 'top brick curved arches'. Is there a template for the bricks? I'm just not sure how to go ahead and make it without ruining the large structure! If you need pics for what i'm saying my O gauge layout is linked below.

[vaughan45]

I'm currently building a large warehouse almost identical to yours, however i'm puzzled on how to make the windows 'top brick curved arches'. Is there a template for the bricks? I'm just not sure how to go ahead and make it without ruining the large structure! If you need pics for what i'm saying my O gauge layout is linked below.

 

The warehouse for this layout is kitbashed from parts from single storey engine shed & warehouse kits that were made in Denmark and sold here under the 'Toplink' brand. These kits were of modular construction which made altering them easier.

 

On previous layouts I have used the curved brick courses that are supplied as embossed plastic sheet by South Eastern Finecast and come as part of a sheet of curved brick courses and brick arch items. South Eastern Finecast do supply direct and the sheets are also listed on the Expo tools website. The two 7mm sheets are FBS707 & FBS708. In resin I believe Port Wynnstay do curved brick courses to match the range of industrial windows they produce.

 

Hope this helps, Vaughan

Edited March 18, 2018 by vaughan45

[vaughan45]

This week's activity has been limited to putting together and installing the siding gate. Whilst it may look a little over engineered for such a task, this is because in the interest of thrift the company used a cut down damaged level crossing gate. It is currently digitally powered - I push it open with one of my 10 digits (fingers).

 

The wall has been started using some surplus DPM modular wall panels, left over from a previous O scale USA layout. These have been clad to bring them up to the required size and will then be finished using Redutex Weathered red or blue brick.

 

[2ManySpams]

Looks the part. Nicely done.

[vaughan45]

Many thanks, I am still debating whether to fit a red warning disk to the front of the gate. I have seen photos both with & without although on on level crossings the red warning disks were usually on the road side of the gate to warn motorists, so perhaps not.

Edited March 24, 2018 by vaughan45

[Northroader]

Usually the red disc was fitted on the rail side if the crossing wasn’t protected by signals, this being for running lines. In GWR usage it could then form a stop signal in its own right. On a siding?? Can’t think of a good example, probably not, as you say.

[vaughan45]

Usually the red disc was fitted on the rail side if the crossing wasn’t protected by signals, this being for running lines. In GWR usage it could then form a stop signal in its own right. On a siding?? Can’t think of a good example, probably not, as you say.

 

Thanks, the only example I found was relatively modern, so I think that has clarified my thought that it wouldn't be appropriate,

Cheers, Vaughan

[vaughan45]

Today has been mainly about bodging. Firstly I decided that the brickwork on the side of the gable ended building didn't look right, as was too bright a red, so a replacement finish was overlaid. However this left a black line along the join with the northlight building, so a bit of plastic rod and square section were used to represent some cable conduit to disguise this.

 

Then I noticed that one of the corner joins on the main building were less than perfect, so Salmon & Ellens became 1930's eco-friendly as ducting was created from plastic tube and etched brass strip to recycle hot air from the ovens to heat the warehouse on the lower floor, hiding the offending join. A full compliment of drain pipes has also been installed on this building.