Warren Branch

[chuffinghell]

I was messing about with a bit that fell off our artificial tree when we put it away

 

I did this just to take the proverbial, something light hearted to help raise a smile

 

Then I thought “I wonder?”

Cut in down and cut a tapered shape

Sprayed it with mounting adhesive and rolled it in flock

 

looks a bit like a conifer to me but I’m no horticultural expert

 

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

Doesn’t look too bad in it’s pot....I mean barrel

Just needs a bit of static grass around the base and the barrels painted, oh and raised off the floor on some plasticard....I mean bricks

[chuffinghell]

I’ve just attempted the one for now to see how it would turn out

 

Not too shabby

 

Now, can I replicate it three more times? 

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

Looks better on the platform

 

[sb67]

Chris that planter looks fantastic! Mind if I pinch your idea? I've just made some planters using some M4 nuts and they just don't look right.

[chuffinghell]

1 hour ago, sb67 said:

Chris that planter looks fantastic! Mind if I pinch your idea? I've just made some planters using some M4 nuts and they just don't look right.

Thanks Steve

 

I don’t mind at all, Pinch away.
 

However there’s a Patent Pending so you’ll have to be quick 
 

I think they are Bachmann barrels but don’t quote me on that

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

I’ve stuck a few stray flowers in to give a bit of colour (similar to the photo)

 

 

The conifer is a bit misshapen but ‘Topiary Terry’ is on holiday

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

Whilst Topiary Terry is on holiday I had the idea of trimming it myself with nail clippers

 

Percy, Patricia and Peter are waiting for their train only temporarily as I foresee a future order to Modelu

 

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

I’ve made a start on the point rodding.

 

Because of the baseboard join I cut the roller support in half so the rod would still be supported when the boards are separated

 

 

Unfortunately I’m out of the styrene strip I need to join the lengths together

 

I’ve ordered some but I imagine that won’t arrive till mid week

I’ve got many other things I can be getting on with but getting the rodding done and gluing down the platform would have been a bit of a milestone 

[chuffinghell]

Whilst waiting for my styrene strip to arrive I attempted to cut thin strips from a sheet of plasticard to join the lengths together (not ideal)

Not a patch on @KNP’s point rodding, mine is wibbly wobbly but it’s better than nowt  

 

No doubt I’ll get fed up with it and end up redoing it

 

Although Kevin’s ‘Little Muddle’ provided the inspiration to do the point rodding in the first place thankfully its not as complicated
 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

What an absolute pain in the ar.....

 

...se!

 

a single rod controls both points hence the strange looking take off, not sure if this is 100% correct but it looks feasible

 

and it looks like it’s done here?

 

[chuffinghell]

I’m not doing anymore I’m going to wait for my micro strip to arrive but I’ve got this far

 

 

Edited April 26, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

I’ve probably done the wrong thing but the colour of the point rodding I had already done was bothering me.

 

Looking at photos of both the real thing and what others have done I felt I’d painted mine far too dark

 

So I’ve repainted them as best as I can with a silver

 

and I’ll use powders to tone it down (I’ve just done the end at the moment as a test)

personally I think this looks more like weathered galvanised steel

 

For consistency I’m going to do all the rodding first in silver and weather it all in one go after ballasting.

 

I really hope this looks better and I’ve not ruined what I had already done

[Alister_G]

I think it looks really good so far, so no, you haven't ruined it.

 

Al

[chuffinghell]

3 hours ago, Alister_G said:

I think it looks really good so far, so no, you haven't ruined it.

 

Al

Thanks Al

 

As soon I a put the brush of silver paint on what I’d already done was a bit of an “oh sh*t” moment hence my apprehension

 

I've completed the first half

 

and terminated with a compensator, this means I can make up the second half and slide it into place (in theory) as I wasn’t comfortable making a 1.2m length in one go

 

The join at the baseboard joint doesnt look too bad (but could have been better)

 

The take off looks quite good and I’ve glued a tiny bit of round bar in the center to look like a clevis pin

 

As far as the first compensator position I’ve gotten it not far off 260mm each side

 

 

I actually come to prefer wiring to point rodding and I hate wiring 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by chuffinghell

[chuffinghell]

I’ve attempted to tone it down with a brown powder and black on the cranks

I’ve tried to get this kind of colour/effect

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by chuffinghell

[Alister_G]

Nailed it!

 

Al.

[chuffinghell]

3 minutes ago, Alister_G said:

Nailed it!

 

Al.

No, I used glue 

 

Thanks Al

[Andrew P]

49 minutes ago, Alister_G said:

Nailed it!

 

Al.

Wot E sed

[Fishplate]

Brilliant 

[MrWolf]

That's some deluxe looking greasy crud on those cranks, just as it should be.

A regular task I recall was checking fishplate bolts and coating the whole thing with used engine oil to prevent seizing.

[chuffinghell]

I’ve started on point rodding part II

 

Single to double

 

Layout for the ground lever shed (it’s not really a signal box is it)

 

Not sure if I’ve got this right though

[sb67]

That all looks superb Chris. Looks really fiddly but well worth the effort, now I know why I've built layouts that don't need rodding 

[chuffinghell]

10 minutes ago, sb67 said:

That all looks superb Chris. Looks really fiddly but well worth the effort, now I know why I've built layouts that don't need rodding 

Thanks Steve

 

I can honestly say I wish I’d not bothered with point rodding, it’s a proper pain in the rear....especially when you haven’t got a clue what you’re doing 

[Andrew P]

1 hour ago, chuffinghell said:

Thanks Steve

 

I can honestly say I wish I’d not bothered with point rodding, it’s a proper pain in the rear....especially when you haven’t got a clue what you’re doing 

It WILL be worth it in the end Chris, look at Kevin's Little Muddle, although having said that, I wouldn't do it in OO again, I would go for Al's and Sheep Man Rob's options of just levers, as that looks right in their Yards. Or for modern image, Electric Motors. 

That reminds me, I MUST fit some levers on Seven Mills..

Edited April 28, 2020 by Andrew P