Simon Reynolds Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Dear Firecracker - what a superb level of attention to detail you have! I live down the line near Kirkby Lonsdale and walk round the area often crossing under/over the old line and have started to study the lines history to the extent that I am seriously considering building a layout based upon Kirkby Lonsdale station, broadly set in c1960. I am "doing research" right now and am many weeks off commencing the layout (I need to insulate/dry line my big shed and get electricity to it first). I have Robert Weston's book on the line and the 1957 OS map which are really helpful, but need better track/station layout details - did you source anything else to help you scale/model the station and its buildings? Best, Simon R 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 18, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 18, 2020 The boards have been temporarily reconnected, a brief ‘testing and development’ session was run to check the work where required. Here’s some photos. Owain 9 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 18, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 18, 2020 5 hours ago, Simon Reynolds said: Dear Firecracker - what a superb level of attention to detail you have! I live down the line near Kirkby Lonsdale and walk round the area often crossing under/over the old line and have started to study the lines history to the extent that I am seriously considering building a layout based upon Kirkby Lonsdale station, broadly set in c1960. I am "doing research" right now and am many weeks off commencing the layout (I need to insulate/dry line my big shed and get electricity to it first). I have Robert Weston's book on the line and the 1957 OS map which are really helpful, but need better track/station layout details - did you source anything else to help you scale/model the station and its buildings? Best, Simon R Well, thank you very much! Weston’s book is pretty much my bible, there’s a link in this thread earlier to a superb collection of photos taken around the demolition of the line. Apart from the OS map and photos taken on a site visit that’s about all I have (this is why some of this is pure guesswork, like the office on the back of 5he goods shed, there’s several errors in the proportions of that, but I’ve not convinced myself where they all are yet), so if you find anything, please shout! When you start on yours let us know, always enjoy seeing someone else’s work. More power to your elbow! Owain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Corbs Posted May 19, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 19, 2020 I love this layout and thread. All the little details, the atmosphere, everything. So nice to see a 'what if' preserved railway done in this manner, and I know I'm repeating myself but I think it bears repeating. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northmoor Posted May 20, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 20, 2020 7 hours ago, Corbs said: I love this layout and thread. All the little details, the atmosphere, everything. So nice to see a 'what if' preserved railway done in this manner, and I know I'm repeating myself but I think it bears repeating. I totally agree, it looks like a real preserved railway because Owain has observed the prototype. Instead of just collecting a huge range of rolling stock and calling it a preserved line to justify it (and why does it always seem to be Gala Weekend on model "preserved" railways?), every item of rolling stock here is justified and presented realistically. More importantly, it's not overcrowded. The attention to detail with ground textures, e.g. tyre tracks is particularly impressive too. Keep it up Owain! 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 21, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 21, 2020 Steady on lads, you’re making me blush! Glad you like it! Anyway, here’s a few more bits. First up, a random whitemetal figure I’ve found in a bits box which I think will do nicely as a driver for the Ruston. So he needs repainting and the mould lines removing. A macaw H, from Hornby. Before anyone asks how that’s made it’s way to Cumbria, don’t forget the NYMR’s got one of these that survived as a crane runner at York carriageworks! So it’s been fitted with Kadees by the easy solution of gluing the tails of a pair of no 17’s to the existing coupler mount. Also a start’s been made on the chocolate brown deck, making it look more like weathered wood. Finally,the roof for the goods shed, foam core board with strip wood for representations of the roof trusses. Owain 10 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 22, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 22, 2020 And a bit more! Here’s matey repainted and installed in the Ruston. Also the macaw poses in the yard. Inspired by a YouTube video I’ve played with the wood finish a bit further than usual. Owain 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanchester Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 On 20/05/2020 at 07:38, Northmoor said: I totally agree, it looks like a real preserved railway because Owain has observed the prototype. Instead of just collecting a huge range of rolling stock and calling it a preserved line to justify it (and why does it always seem to be Gala Weekend on model "preserved" railways?), every item of rolling stock here is justified and presented realistically. More importantly, it's not overcrowded. The attention to detail with ground textures, e.g. tyre tracks is particularly impressive too. Keep it up Owain! No, it's better than that - it IS overcrowded, but in the right, cramped preservation site, way, plenty of junk but the appropriate junk. Very clever. 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 22, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 22, 2020 52 minutes ago, lanchester said: No, it's better than that - it IS overcrowded, but in the right, cramped preservation site, way, plenty of junk but the appropriate junk. Very clever. Thank you very much, that exactly the effect I’m aiming for! On that theme, I’ve revisited a few older weathering jobs. I finished the BDA and the Bobol-C a while back, but for some reason they developed a white bloom over the weathering (suspect Humbrol Matt varnish) so they’ve been breathed on a bit more, with Mig’s Wash for wood and a gentle scuffing with a fibreglass brush. The warflat I simply wasn’t happy with, so it got similar as well. Owain 4 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calidore Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Wow, Owain -- I'd missed some absolute treasure in the last couple of pages. The weathering on the provender store is sublime, it really is. The combination of the two buildings where it adjoins the goods shed looks just perfect as well but it's the colour which really sells it. The thread gets better and better. Adam 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 23, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 23, 2020 11 hours ago, Calidore said: Wow, Owain -- I'd missed some absolute treasure in the last couple of pages. The weathering on the provender store is sublime, it really is. The combination of the two buildings where it adjoins the goods shed looks just perfect as well but it's the colour which really sells it. The thread gets better and better. Adam Thank you very much! I criticise my own work harshly, you always do when it’s your own work. But even I’m impressed with what I achieved on the provendor store. Being honest decent paints that cover and reliably dry Matt (I’m looking at you, humbrol...) are what give results like that, I’m very taken with the Vallejo acrylics and the Mig washes. Owain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 24, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 24, 2020 (edited) Right, a bit more and another milestone! The last bit of bare baseboard has disappeared under the north end ramp of the rear platform. The ramp is mounting board card supported on offcuts of foam core board, stuck together with hot melt glue. Edging from scale model scenery is fitted, this has already been sprayed with grey primer. So here it is masked off, ready for a coat of plasticote ‘stone’ textured spray paint. And with the masking removed, with fences, gates (ratio) and anti trespass grids (SMS) added. Before the worlds’s much older that point rodding needs painting and a hoover running over the trackbed to remove those bits of stray ballast. There’s also more weathering, ballasting and detailing to do, but the basic form’s there. Also in the package from SMS were some field gates, one of which has been installed. Observant eyes may notice that one gatepost had to be shifted slightly to accommodate it. The gateway has gained a little more mud, rather pleased with this area now. Just needs the handrails fitting on the bridge walkways (they’ve also delivered from SMS). Another weathering job job has been revisited. I wasn’t happy with the work on the seacow fleet, so they’ve all been breathed on. First the EWS and Dutch examples gained a more ‘rustbucket’ look. Then the mainline example gained a bit more rust and the remnants of a load. The dogfish also gained a load at the same time, (for anyone of an operating/technical bent, I’m assuming the dogfish has gained through piping for air brakes, to allow the two to work together). Owain Edited May 24, 2020 by Firecracker 5 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 25, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 25, 2020 And now for something slightly different and a bit of progress. Observant eyes may have noticed the metalworking machines which appear in the background of several pictures of the layout and occasionally they are used for jobs related to it. Here’s one. The spraybooth seen earlier needed a little job to finish it off, an adaptor to convert the 2&1/2” diameter output on the fan to 4” diameter flexible trunking. So take a suitable lump of white nylon, roughly Mark the centre and set it up in the lathe (before anyone gets overexcited about the tea mug balanced on the headstock, it’s a running joke on a series of daily furlough photos I’m putting up on Facebook and was removed before any work was done). Machine an external register and bore a hole through the middle to fit the 2&1/2” fan output spigot. Reverse it, and hold it on the register. Support with a dolly and centre and turn the rest of the outside to 4” diameter. Add a split with the bandsaw and fit onto the spigot. Fit the trunking and secure with jubilee clips. The split ensures it nips onto the spigot and locks tight. Now for slightly more relevant progress, the station building. This has been glued to the batten base of the platform (g clamps and packing whilst the glue dries). The ramp is secured with hot melt glue Finally the ballast is touched up. Once that’s gone off, it’ll be touched up colour wise with the airbrush. Also the back scene base is being trial fitted. Owain 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 26, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2020 A bit more progress, this time it’s all modelling! Adjacent to the signalbox is an area I decided would be the pway overflow storage dumping ground. Work started with the bisectioning of a spare 40’ container to form a backdrop for this scene. This left half the container and whilst playing an idea formed. The unused half of the container yielded a low relief 20’ container, which then tagged onto the 40’er. A bit more posing and I decided to incorporate some more bits, including the Coopercraft ganger’s trolleys, some stacks of used sleepers and an example of the kitmaster/airfix/Dapol JCB 3C which has posed in various places on the layout. I decided to go for a more derelict look for the JCB, so this had its weathering breathed on. Finally, the scene is given a dry run. The point rodding needs glueing down and painting, plus the container backdrop needs weathering and a bit more palletised stuff (probably some dummy point motors) behind the JCB. Owain 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 27, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 27, 2020 And it’s changed already! Whilst rummaging for some bits, the remains of a second JCB came to light. This was missing it’s frount boom, so a gentle attack with a razor saw later, it lost its bonnet too. Idea is it’s going to get an engine sized lump in there, with a tarpaulin over it. Then, the scene’s rebuilt with the pair. Idea is they’re going to be buried in scrub and nettles. The static grass will be redone so the scrap heap at the end will grow in a bit. Owain 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 27, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 27, 2020 And it’s come on yet further! First up the containers suffered a lot of rusting. Then a start was made on the second JCB. First it gained an engine ‘shape’ from scrap styrene. Then an offcut of a small plastic bag was secured over this with plasti-weld and superglue. Finally the paintwork was touched up and the tarpaulin painted. Then, onto the scrap heap and the scrub. The existing static grass was removed. The area was coated in glue, the scrap located in the glue and ground foam added over the remainder. Then a second coat of glue went over the foam and a layer of static grass was added. A similar pattern followed for the rest, a layer of glue, the machines, tyres, scrap sleepers etc located, then a layer of static grass applied over the top. Still needs the point rodding glueing down, weathering, angle cranks adding and a bit more scrub, but rather pleased with the ‘rust in peace’ effect. Owain 9 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 28, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 28, 2020 Couple more shots - the angle cranks have been made up (the one for the trap point’s not quite in the right place) and th shrubbery has grown a bit. The pale grass tufts are Games Workshop I’m trialing. Little bit more to do, but it’s getting there. Owain 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted May 30, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 30, 2020 And nearly there! First up, the angle crank was shifted and the ballast shoulder touched up. Then the point rodding and the track had some work with the airbrush using Mig acrylics. The static grass was touched up to fill any gaps. Not too bad, a definite improvement. Very much ‘rust in peace’ (and this scene is a tribute to anyone who when restoring a vehicle fell down the ‘get another as a spares donor’ rabbit hole). Owain 9 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted June 7, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 7, 2020 Right. A brief update, showing some of what I’ve been up to. First up, got offered a new toy at a very good price, so decideded to spend some of the money that would have gone on fuel over the last 8 weeks on what I’ll call a bit of private economic stimulus. Efforts haven’t been all modelling, some eyesore storage in the garage finally got too much, so on a budget of nothing, using only stock material, offcuts, skipraided bits accumulated over the years and cabinets from the local car boot (£15 inc. contents) this trolley has emerged. That then over spilled into sorting the modelling bench, with a spare cabinet displaced by the above. Finally, some actual modelmaking. Tackling the road vehicles, to make them look a bit less toylike. Mix of Mig washes and games workshop paints with varying degrees of dirt. The camper has had windows blocked out, to suggest curtains. With the diamond T, I was aiming for a more weatherbeaten look, to suggest a vehicle that’s been out in the Cumbrian climate for a while. It’s a tribute to the one ex. Hudson’s of Arnside that was/is resident at Haverthwaite. Owain 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted June 9, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 9, 2020 A bit more of an update, attention has returned to the south end of the station. First up the point rodding and the bank by the water column were looked at, the rodding weathered and static grass applied (the demarcation between long and short marks where a fence will go). Then a bit more airbrushing was done on the track, including adding a patch of filth where anything that’s using the loop to run round it’s train will stand briefly, whilst the points are reset. Finally, the static grass was touched up. Owain 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted June 9, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 9, 2020 To add a brief addendum, I’ve also been playing with a pack of Games Workshop’s ‘Middenlands Tufts’. I’m very taken with these, very sticky, like the colour, their variation in size and shape. So some of these (along with a few Peco tufts for variety)have been added. The idea is that the track in the cutting has been recently relaid, hence the clean ballast. To create a nice effect, a little fresh ballast was added to give a ‘tail’ effect on the old, dirty, (and going by the weeds) badly draining ballast. More tufts have been added in the 4 foot of the shed road, which might get a little short static grass added as well in the ballast. Owain 6 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted June 19, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 19, 2020 Right, apologies for the delay, my services as a respite carer were required on the other side of the Pennines. Anyway.... Whilst on furlough, I’m taking the chance to get the house sorted. An outstanding job was blitzing the attic, however,this was waiting for a day with lousy weather. When the monsoon heralded the arrival of the British summer Wednesday two weeks back, the moment was grasped. Here’s the aftermath, the two black bags just out of shot are for the bin, the green thing with the mug on top and the tray in front are full of goodies to come downstairs, familiar boxes may bee seen in the under bed store adjacent and the items wrapped in clear plastic to the right are the boards of ‘Teesside coil’ the previous, unfinished layout, which one day I’ll decide what I’m doing with. They’ve only been up there eight years, no rush... Among the bits that arrived downstairs was this beast. Modified in 2002-ish for an earlier layout ‘Backbarrow’ (based on the idea of the Ulverston-Lakeside branch remaining open into privatisation) with the prototype entering preservation, I decided it had potential. So the chassis got its wheels cleaned and then spent a couple of hours on the rollers. Whilst the weathering on the body got breathed on. Finally reassembled with a Zimo decoder (my decoder of choice for Bachmann motors), she poses for photos. Other projects include one of the first Parkside kits I built, with some decidedly spurious writing removed, along with an aged load and the original tension lock couplers, now awaits a paint job (currently a toss up between the correct bauxite, incorrect unfitted grey and battered Dutch civil engineers), ballast (god knows where that’s going) and kadees. Also this project, which considering the shop it was bought in (O’Loughlins of Kendal) closed in 2008, has been in stock a while. Just got to decide if it’s going into the yellow or grey livery. Owain 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted June 23, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 23, 2020 Right, a bit more. First up, a problem that’s been bugging me for a while, but not necessarily modelling. That’s jars of wash, decal solution or anything else that’s messy, expensive and/or stinks getting knocked over on the bench. Now in the stocks of pack-ratted material I’ve accumulated over the years were a selection of offcuts of white nylon slab, so I wondered if this could be used. Following a bit of design, a modular system was developed, slabs were cut to size, marked out and suitable holes were drilled (a 35mm kitchen door hinge cutter makes a perfect hole for a bottle of MIG wash). And nested in the drawer Others were produced for the decal setting solutions and glues (a pocket was milled for the two tamya bottles and the drilled hole was opened out in the lathe for the plasti-weld bottle) Finally, I received news that my local was reopening! So off I trotted to Monk bar, to restock (paints, glue, static grass, foliage and all the other bits I’ve used up over the last three months). Then followed a bit of local economic stimulus. I’ve wanted one of these since they were released, but couldn’t justify it. I wrote it off as the money I’d have spent on fuel...so, the Lowgill, Sedbergh and Ingleton Railway now has its own breakdown crane, a 45t Ransomes and Rapier. It’s absolutely gorgeous. Fantastic model. Owain 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted June 25, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 25, 2020 A very brief update - the iron ore tipper seen above has been treated to a coat of grey primer and finished in bauxite. Then it and the fish van seen earlier have started to gain their transfers. The van is being finished as a tool van to run with the crane. Owain 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Firecracker Posted June 26, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 26, 2020 A bit more - the presflo project! In progress, basic chassis and body with lead ballast (scrap lead flashing, obtained from local builder in exchange for a bottle of alcoholic refreshment). And ready for primer. Ignoring an impressive amount of flash, considering this kit dates from 1961 it was a very satisfying build. A few small bits of filler needed on the body and in the sole bar/end floor unit joints, but nothing major. Owain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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