Jump to content
 

Kylestrome – 2mm scale 2FS


Kylestrome
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Premium

That looks exceedingly west coast / Hebridean, remember one just like it, they painted the tin roof bright post office red.  

Here is a bit of one on North Uist that I knew.

 

post-15969-0-29140100-1523253215.jpg

Edited by TheQ
  • Like 7
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I’ve been experimenting with various photographs, in an attempt to provide a convincing backscene for the layout, and I’ve printed out this version, which comes closest to what I had in mind. The main difficulty with this scene, apart from it being fictional, was getting the distant shore at just the right height in relation to the viewing angle, which itself is not fixed. 

 

The photos also show the new lighting, with 2800 lumens of diffused 6500K LED light, and the side screens that hide the extreme edges of the scene. If it proves to bright, it is dimmable.  :sungum:

 

David

 

 PS. The word ‘backscene’ seems to be another of those ‘model railwayisms’. According to the Oxford dictionary the word doesn’t exist, and in the theatre they call it a ‘back drop’.  :scratchhead:

 

 

Looks good, David. Although from the 'normal' viewing height (as presented here), I think the far shore is just a tad too high. Perhaps move in down a bit? A lower skyline usually conveys a greater sense of 'distance' than something that looms and dominates in the background (viz some layouts set in East Anglian). And with mountainous countryside I think one has to be careful that the back drop subjects remain a supporting element.

 

As for lighting, I'm intrigued by your set-up. More explanation please! The brightness (as percived through my laptop screen) is perhaps more reminiscent of the Med coast than northwest Scotland! Play with your dimmer... Coastal areas always have a certain quality of light - usually quite 'harsh' (beloved of painters), if not always strong. But you know the area better than me.

 

Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing this layout in the flesh. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Me, I think the backscene looks right, certainly there are places along the Kyle line or Oban line that have the mountains as dominating as that.

As for lighting, until you've finished the ground effects, covering all that white foamboard, There will be too much reflection to judge the correct level.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Looks good, David. Although from the 'normal' viewing height (as presented here), I think the far shore is just a tad too high. .................

 

As for lighting, I'm intrigued by your set-up. More explanation please! .............

 

Hi Phil,

 

I'd already come to the conclusion that the backdrop needs to go down another 7mm, so you're spot on there!

 

As for the lightning, the unit is from a German company called Müller (see link below) and it got my attention because it is a 'proper' lighting unit and sufficiently bright to illuminate the details in 2mm scale. I am no great fan of the LED strips, that seem to be so popular at the moment, most of which do not shed nearly enough light, in my opinion. I also prefer 'daylight' lighting (6500 Kelvin) which I have on my 4mm layout, "Kinlochmore", as flourescent tubes. It's almost literally the difference between night and day! Whether the light will prove to be too bright, or not, will depend on how the layout looks when it's finished. As it is at the moment, the backscene is too light, simply because it is an ink jet test print on plain paper.

 

http://www.mueller-licht.de/produktinformationen/artikel/20500072/

 

David

 

post-7014-0-89861800-1524293115_thumb.jpg

Edited by Kylestrome
  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Superb work David :good:

 

I like the way you have the full width ramp and then inserted some low relief buildings behind that and the station - really gives great depth.

 

Sounds like you have the backscene/backdrop sorted now ;)

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

The trick with LEDs is lots of them and a diffuser.  The lighting unit for An Clár has over 250 in an area 600mm by 200mm.  On "AC" I've used warm white as the scenery is colour to suit incandescents,which I'm thoroughly glad to see gone as the layout became like an oven.

 

Daylight balanced lighting makes a huge difference. Chris Nevard uses low energy daylight photo bulbs on his layouts and they really stand out at exhibitions.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Today I had a near disaster with damaged track but the robustness of 2mm Scale Association’s ’Easitrac’ saved the day. 

 

Let me explain. While I was constructing the lighting unit I let something fall on the layout. At the time it seemed as if there was no damage, but this morning I noticed a deep dent in one of the loop rails. At first I thought I would have to change the rail but that would have been a major job, especially as it’s a long one and runs through a turnout. So my first action was to try and remove the bend by pushing it upwards with pointed tweezers while pushing the rail down either side of it. I managed to get the rail almost level again but I still wasn’t quite happy with it, so I gave it one more tweak. That was when the rail finally had its way and popped out of the chairs. “Oh, bother!” I thought, or something along those lines. 

 

It looked as if I’d completely ruined things so, thinking that I couldn’t do much more damage now, I pressed the rail down with a flat metal bar and that is when the big surprise came. The rail snapped back into the chairs and, with a little more fettling, it now looks as good as new!

 

So the moral of this story is, that Easitrac is not as delicate as it looks and is not easily breakable.

 

David

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

!

 

So the moral of this story is, that Easitrac is not as delicate as it looks and is not easily breakable.

 

David

something I have been grateful for when the beast ( who is my owner  ie the Cat ) decides  its time to sleep on the layout

 

Nick

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

something I have been grateful for when the beast ( who is my owner  ie the Cat ) decides  its time to sleep on the layout

Pleased to see that you know your place, Nick.  Dogs have masters, cats have staff. :yes:

 

Jim

Link to post
Share on other sites

I’ve been experimenting with various photographs, in an attempt to provide a convincing backscene for the layout, and I’ve printed out this version, which comes closest to what I had in mind. The main difficulty with this scene, apart from it being fictional, was getting the distant shore at just the right height in relation to the viewing angle, which itself is not fixed. 

 

 David,

Looking good.

The golden rule about the level of the "backscene" relates to the horizon line and the design viewing eye level for the model. Typical viewing levels are in the range of 1.3 - 1.5m (note: these may of necessity be lower than normal height standing eye levels). The horizon level of the "backscene" should be at that level. The horizon line will be that of a flat landscape.(or seascape) and no point ishould the sky be lower than this. Of course, in your instance, the hills can be considerably higher than the horizon!

As an aside, general photographs are best taken at or slightly below this level.

I hope that this helps,

John

 

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Back in 1975/1976 when I was a student apprentice with Marconi, I did some work near Kyle, which involved the use of this RN Auxiliary ship, 'Glencoe', which I believe spent quite some time at Kyle. A model would look good on your layout, although it might dwarf your fishing boat.

 

glencoe3.JPG.c5ccc95f491aa737874c2ecf665c03b1.JPGglencoe2.JPG.fc0020d80d302c55c15ab486c1fd2e78.JPGglencoe1.JPG.b3153be1d8b91081e7580bbeed09c728.JPG

 

 

 

We also had a couple of these workman's huts delivered by rail. They were stood on the harbourside for a few weeks until the weather permitted us to move them onto Raasay (which was uninhabited at that time). Next spring, they had disappeared.

 

glencoe-hut.JPG.ee54493d8eff42c7d2d1aa861c371d9e.JPG

 

Hope this is near enough on topic, and that it might provide some inspiration for scenic cameos.

Edited by Ian Morgan
re-loaded images
  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Back in 1975/1976 when I was a student apprentice with Marconi, I did some work near Kyle, which involved the use of this RN Auxiliary ship, 'Glencoe', which I believe spent quite some time at Kyle. A model would look good on your layout, although it might dwarf your fishing boat.

 

Thanks Ian. Cats and dogs are nice, but that ship is much more interesting.  :)

 

I was planning to build a model a similar ship as I've seen them at Kyle many times. I have the hull of the 1:200 Revell "Smit" tug onto which I might build a generic sea-going tug to 2mm scale.

 

The main problem has been to find good reference photos of one in the right period. I'm setting the main period for rail operations at circa 1968/9, and the ships I've found so far have been built more recently. Tugs built in or before the sixties tended to be more 'rounded' and less angular than those from the seventies.

 

I'm also not clear what the purpose of these ships is or was. There seems to be some sort of base at Kyle just south of the railway pier. Have you any more information?

 

David

Link to post
Share on other sites

David,

 

Probably the wrong period for you, but the writer Gavin Maxwell ran his shark hunting venture between 1945 and 1948, based on the Isle of Soay, Skye. With its proximity to Kyle of Lochalsh I wondered if there might be some similar boats of interest?

 

post-33019-0-27866600-1524784980.jpeg

 

post-33019-0-14467500-1524785147.jpeg

 

Marlyn

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Kyle was taken over by the Military for both world wars and became a restricted zone. Any civilians in the area needed a special permit.

Many of the piers, slipways, buildings were altered for their use. So they've had a varying presence for over a century.

One wonders how much of the survival of the Kyle line (and the Wick line) is unofficially due to strategic considerations.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Today I had a near disaster with damaged track but the robustness of 2mm Scale Association’s ’Easitrac’ saved the day. 

 

Let me explain. While I was constructing the lighting unit I let something fall on the layout. At the time it seemed as if there was no damage, but this morning I noticed a deep dent in one of the loop rails. At first I thought I would have to change the rail but that would have been a major job, especially as it’s a long one and runs through a turnout. So my first action was to try and remove the bend by pushing it upwards with pointed tweezers while pushing the rail down either side of it. I managed to get the rail almost level again but I still wasn’t quite happy with it, so I gave it one more tweak. That was when the rail finally had its way and popped out of the chairs. “Oh, bother!” I thought, or something along those lines. 

 

It looked as if I’d completely ruined things so, thinking that I couldn’t do much more damage now, I pressed the rail down with a flat metal bar and that is when the big surprise came. The rail snapped back into the chairs and, with a little more fettling, it now looks as good as new!

 

So the moral of this story is, that Easitrac is not as delicate as it looks and is not easily breakable.

 

David

 

That vindicates the decision to use an engineering plastic (Acetal) for the Easitrac mouldings. It was hoped to use a plastic more amenable to solvent adhesives such as ABS but it didn't mould as well as Acetal. The Easitrac glue works well and many (very many!) yards of Easitrac have now gone down without any problem.

 

If anyone's considering the Association's steel bullhead rail, note that t's very malleable and probably would not have survived an event like this.

Edited by 2mmMark
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...
  • RMweb Premium

Like the backscene. Ben Damh from across Loch Torridon if I'm not mistaken. Great spot.

 

Loch Torridon could be a potential site for another Highland west coast terminus. Branch from Achnasheen thundering down Glen Docherty before swinging round above Kinlochewe towards Glen Torridon.

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Loch Torridon could be a potential site for another Highland west coast terminus. Branch from Achnasheen thundering down Glen Docherty before swinging round above Kinlochewe towards Glen Torridon.

 

Maybe that's just what I had in mind. Who knows?  :scratchhead:

 

David

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Things have moved on a little, since the last update, so here are a few photos of various bits of progress.

 

David

 

DSC03173.jpg.95afbc3ac78b61b17560ecbeb86fba31.jpg

Some bridge alterations were deemed necessary which make this area a lot less cramped.

 

DSC03190.jpg.62dbd00248ccfa7b97e2a76e64770153.jpg

A shed for the end of the platform. This is a shortened version of the one at Kyle of Lochalsh. The roof tiles are being applied using computer printed self-adhesive paper labels.

 

DSC03192.jpg.6b13d59016fe3c43814f4e90b8d9aa4d.jpg

This is the rainwater down pipe for the shed. Spot the obvious error!

 

DSC03196.jpg.caf975e6ba0cf3aec8919cbac42560fd.jpg

Some very minimalist scenery in the making using extruded polystyrene and a small bread knife.

 

DSC03200.jpg.2bb5ae1300251d68193df2f34199546e.jpg

5 (or so) shades of grey.

 

DSC03202.jpg.2268db7fc15f4d2f8ab7985dbf56473f.jpg

The shop and cottage finished (nearly).

 

DSC03204.jpg.8c026333855ebe64b6da4a7d1eb64de3.jpg

The shed finished. Maybe still a bit of weathering to do.

Edited by Kylestrome
  • Like 10
Link to post
Share on other sites

Very nice, the whole thing is coming along very nicely.  I've made down pipes like that too (including the error) :-)  For info, I clamp the pipe so that it is horizontal, that way gravity helps the fixings to hang perpendicular to the pipe while they are soldered in place.

 

Ian

Link to post
Share on other sites

Things have moved on a little, since the last update, so here are a few photos of various bits of progress.

 

David

 

Some bridge alterations were deemed necessary which make this area a lot less cramped.

 

A shed for the end of the platform. This is a shortened version of the one at Kyle of Lochalsh. The roof tiles are being applied using computer printed self-adhesive paper labels.

 

This is the rainwater down pipe for the shed. Spot the obvious error!

 

Some very minimalist scenery in the making using extruded polystyrene and a small bread knife.

 

5 (or so) shades of grey.

 

The shop and cottage finished.

 

The shed finished. Maybe still a bit of weathering to do.

Great detail! I’m still modelling in paper and card, David, which will never be as sharp as styrene sheet, but may try using it again for my next layout. Also, having to accept my eyesight is not as good as it once was!

 

Marlyn

Edited by Marly51
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...