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So progress has slowed whilst I work on the buildings in the background. In the meantime I've been working on some of the baseline scenery in the background. This has involved the fake concrete and ballast. The fake concrete is all purpose filler spread liberally, sanded once dried then scored and painted with a light grey wash. Considering I've done fake concrete for a couple years I'm quite pleased how it's turned out. Ballast is woodland scenics fine light grey. The rails are also painted with humbrol no 29. Here's a pic of my current progress. IMG_20190312_195736172.jpg.6a8ef27efc59215b6483f99b77239751.jpg

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Some colour tonight. I've added static grass which is a mix of polak stuff. Instead of using any sort of applicator I made small clumps in my fingers then stuck those down onto pva glue.  Some scatters and some burnt grass fine turf followed leaving a semi rough grass are. I didn't want it to look too groomed or too wild so I think this is a nice middle ground. Below is a picture of how it's looking. IMG_20190313_205001637.jpg.91554ea34da15483ed2718dd14b56466.jpg The slow progress on the buildings us really holding me back from starting on the main bit of landscaping in the middle of the layout. 

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So full of motivation I've ploughed in by beginning the landscaping. This is just a load of polystyrene left overs that I keep in a tub. They're all just held in place by PVA glue. I'll probably get onto the paper mache tomorrow and maybe so rock stuff. The magazine entrances have also been glued in place but they await a weathering. IMG_20190314_182436000.jpg.f990b939957dfd1604a51fe721a10891.jpg

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Back with a bit more progress. Firstly I have done all the paper mache and the plaster rock areas. The rocks have just had a base coat wash and they need a fair bit more work doing to them to get them up to the standard that I'd like. IMG_20190319_212315607_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg.7eb3b0d8e0af8642c502f4e48b88a632.jpgI need to buy some brown paint to act as a base coat before I can do any of the grass work here. Also, there is a foamboard backscene now running the length of the layout. I'll need to sort out a backscene for that. I can't decide whether to airbrush one or buy a photographic one though. Today a delightful parcel arrived for me. Inside it was a set of peco skips (not prototypical but a must have for me) and some flatbeds which will be converted into RNAD wagons. I wasnt sure if they would manage the curves but they seem fine so I may order another pack. IMG_20190319_212330115.jpg.c95b351e6694cab830b17d6ebce95ebe.jpgIn the package there was also a Kato chassis but I'll share more about that another time as it is now part of its own little project to provide some more motive power to the layout. 

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Those skip wagons are absolutely perfect for an MOD layout. If you can get a look at Nick McCamley's book entitled "Disasters Underground" there's a picture taken at Fauld MOD site, before the massive disaster, where a short rake of near identical skip wagons is stabled in the background. Presumably these were to carry track ballast around on what were very extensive sites. They probably didn't venture into the magazines where the track was all inset into concrete but who cares - they look good and provide you with an alternative train to run. 

 

Looking forward to seeing the flat wagon conversion.

HC

 

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3 hours ago, happyChappy said:

Those skip wagons are absolutely perfect for an MOD layout. If you can get a look at Nick McCamley's book entitled "Disasters Underground" there's a picture taken at Fauld MOD site, before the massive disaster, where a short rake of near identical skip wagons is stabled in the background. Presumably these were to carry track ballast around on what were very extensive sites. They probably didn't venture into the magazines where the track was all inset into concrete but who cares - they look good and provide you with an alternative train to run. 

 

Looking forward to seeing the flat wagon conversion.

HC

 

Thanks HappyChappy I wasn’t aware of them being prototypical at all, a happy coincidence. But now you mention it, it does make perfect sense and maybe gives me an excuse to buy some more ;) If the flat beds go well then I think i might give scratch building a smal crew wagon a go to. Maybe to run with the skips as a place for th breaks. 

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19 hours ago, luke the train spotter said:

Thanks HappyChappy I wasn’t aware of them being prototypical at all, a happy coincidence. But now you mention it, it does make perfect sense and maybe gives me an excuse to buy some more ;) If the flat beds go well then I think i might give scratch building a smal crew wagon a go to. Maybe to run with the skips as a place for th breaks. 

I found the Peco flat beds are very convincing with the addition of ends. In the photo attached the 2 wagons at the rear are the flat beds but with scratchbuilt ends made using corrugated styrene sheet with microstrip verticals. The centre wagons are scatchbuilt bogie flats and use Peco wagon bogies available separately. The front 2 wagons are the CW Railways RNAD wagons mounted on the chassis from the flat beds. These latter wagons are excellent models but the ends are very fragile resin mouldings - take care when handling.

 

Crew wagon sounds good if you get round to it.

Hope this helps. HC

P1050254.JPG

Edited by happyChappy
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2 hours ago, happyChappy said:

I found the Peco flat beds are very convincing with the addition of ends. In the photo attached the 2 wagons at the rear are the flat beds but with scratchbuilt ends made using corrugated styrene sheet with microstrip verticals. The centre wagons are scatchbuilt bogie flats and use Peco wagon bogies available separately. The front 2 wagons are the CW Railways RNAD wagons mounted on the chassis from the flat beds. These latter wagons are excellent models but the ends are very fragile resin mouldings - take care when handling.

 

Crew wagon sounds good if you get round to it.

Hope this helps. HC

P1050254.JPG

That's very helpful and nice to see the variety of wagons. Your layout looks great by the way. May I ask about the different locos in that picture?

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34 minutes ago, luke the train spotter said:

That's very helpful and nice to see the variety of wagons. Your layout looks great by the way. May I ask about the different locos in that picture?

Thanks Luke. The layout is a very small  55cm x 70cm designed to fit in a 'Really Useful' storage box. The loco on the left is a repainted Minitrains Gmeinder diesel and that on the right is a Narrow Planet Baguley-Drewry diesel on a Kato chassis. The Baguley is the most prototypical but the Minitrains diesels run so reliably at low speed that they are my personal favourite.

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38 minutes ago, happyChappy said:

Thanks Luke. The layout is a very small  55cm x 70cm designed to fit in a 'Really Useful' storage box. The loco on the left is a repainted Minitrains Gmeinder diesel and that on the right is a Narrow Planet Baguley-Drewry diesel on a Kato chassis. The Baguley is the most prototypical but the Minitrains diesels run so reliably at low speed that they are my personal favourite.

I get what you mean about reliable runners. I'm half tempted to repaint my roco diesel into a more appropriate livery. Does your layout have a thread here? 

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6 hours ago, luke the train spotter said:

I get what you mean about reliable runners. I'm half tempted to repaint my roco diesel into a more appropriate livery. Does your layout have a thread here? 

Never really thought about a thread but I'm always happy to help where I can.

 

I also have a Roco diesel which is resprayed the same colour as the Minitrains diesel in the above photo. It's a tad on the drab side, (typical MOD style), but a yellow wasp-striped buffer beam brightens it up a little. It runs ok, although rather noisy, but lacks the motor flywheel that seems to make such a difference to the Minitrains reliable running.

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Not loads of progress today just getting some much needed jobs done. I'm currently working on another layout in the background ;) but I'll save that for another day as it will have its own thread no doubt. After sixth form I picked up a dead cheap (£3 reduced from Yorkshire Trading) of some light brown emulsion paint. I've used this as a base coat for the grass which will be applied tomorrow all going well. IMG_20190321_205800988.jpg.72ba35b51cdab1633acb02888eb3674d.jpg I also did a bit more to the rocks by adding some more thin acrylic washes to them. So far so good and Im quite pleased to see how this layout is turning out. Any name suggestions are welcome. 

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Managed to get some more done with the layout. The rough grass is mostly sorted now. I'm quite happy with how this has come out. I wanted to give the impression of grass that wasn't as well kept as the grass on the front of the layout so added in some 7mm woodland scenics grass. Instead of using a static grass applicator I bunch the grass into small clumps then dab them on pva glue. Fibres then stick up right and you don't get a uniform look. After that some different scatters and fine turfs were pushed into place. Here's a picture:IMG_20190322_142459740.jpg.a0e5cdf953da671ef547434e9dd9b57f.jpgI think it looks much more like a layout now. Next up is the backscene needs sorting out as well as some small shrubs and trees and then I can do a bit more to the rolling stock.

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Firstly, I'd give full marks to the graphite pencil. It's well worth the couple of pounds that I paid for it. This post is more about my rolling stock than the layout. For quite some time I had wanted to build a rail mounted land rover and I'm a big fan of unusual prototypes and when I saw one online I just had to try and model it. There are 2 key components, an Oxford diecast model and a kato 11-104 chassis. Looking back it would've been better if I could have found a plastic kit to work with because cutting through all the diecast metal was hard work, even with the Dremel. The results have paid off though. IMG_20190323_185531390.jpg.4e931e95979317547604a69db7331120.jpgThe make.shift coupling is just a bit of steel wire bent and glued to shape. There are still a few bits which need adding and tidying up but all in all I'm very happy with how it's turned out. It's not a 100% accurate model and definitely shouldn't be running on a RNAD layout but to me it looks quite smart heading up a train of skips. You never know, it might find a more appropriate home on a future layout. 

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On 20/03/2019 at 05:47, happyChappy said:

Those skip wagons are absolutely perfect for an MOD layout. If you can get a look at Nick McCamley's book entitled "Disasters Underground" there's a picture taken at Fauld MOD site, before the massive disaster, where a short rake of near identical skip wagons is stabled in the background. Presumably these were to carry track ballast around on what were very extensive sites. They probably didn't venture into the magazines where the track was all inset into concrete but who cares - they look good and provide you with an alternative train to run. 

 

Looking forward to seeing the flat wagon conversion.

HC

 

The Explosives Store Houses were not built with inset track in older ammo depots, that came along later during refurb or rebuilding to allow use of mechanical handling equipment (MHE)... fork lift trucks and the like, so ballast would be prototypical.

 

Most of the ammo depots where rail served the shed directly were designed and built before the general use of pallets (from 60s onwards) and boxes or loose shells were hand carried and stacked on dunnage blocks or chocked. Trolleys were dragged on designated walkways for small amounts but anything more than about 250lbs would get a rail trip. Bombs had simple solid wheel dolleys and were carts on flat trucks in the depots but vans on the mainlines.

 

Depots built as late as the 1950s still had ESH rail served  only with no roadways leading to them.  A change in the calculations for building construction and it's affect on the safety distances in the 60s brought the sheds closer together at about the same time as MHE rendered rail movement (with all its personnel) rather inefficient. One of the remaining ESH at Nesscliff has a faded notice barring any engine from entering the building... ropes and poles or reach trucks I guess for the wagon too far in!

 

Land Rover trialled the Rail Rover in the 50s (on a Series 2) and there are wartime pics of Royal Signals Willys  Geeps rolling on rail wheels, so not far from real life.

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56 minutes ago, daveyb said:

The Explosives Store Houses were not built with inset track in older ammo depots, that came along later during refurb or rebuilding to allow use of mechanical handling equipment (MHE)... fork lift trucks and the like, so ballast would be prototypical.

 

Most of the ammo depots where rail served the shed directly were designed and built before the general use of pallets (from 60s onwards) and boxes or loose shells were hand carried and stacked on dunnage blocks or chocked. Trolleys were dragged on designated walkways for small amounts but anything more than about 250lbs would get a rail trip. Bombs had simple solid wheel dolleys and were carts on flat trucks in the depots but vans on the mainlines.

 

Depots built as late as the 1950s still had ESH rail served  only with no roadways leading to them.  A change in the calculations for building construction and it's affect on the safety distances in the 60s brought the sheds closer together at about the same time as MHE rendered rail movement (with all its personnel) rather inefficient. One of the remaining ESH at Nesscliff has a faded notice barring any engine from entering the building... ropes and poles or reach trucks I guess for the wagon too far in!

 

Land Rover trialled the Rail Rover in the 50s (on a Series 2) and there are wartime pics of Royal Signals Willys  Geeps rolling on rail wheels, so not far from real life.

Wow thank you! That is very helpful information. So now I have a slight hope of prototype for the landrover. :)

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At Dean Hill the tracks into the bunkers were inset into concrete to allow forklifts to enter, and there was a short ramp up onto the storage area. Also the rails in the storage areas were phosphor bronze to mitigate sparks between steel wheels on steel rails. Possibly similar arrangements existed at other depots. But away from the inset track and aprons the track was well-ballasted and maintained to a very high standard. 

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