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Arrow Paints - OO in two shoeboxes


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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks @Spotlc, I totally agree. My dad does a lot of electronics, and hand-built over 30 LED lampposts for the home layout, and at least 30 more on/in buildings. My solution for this layout with the battery-powered christmas lights is a little simpler to set up, but much more restrictive in where you can place the lights.

 

In the mean time, I spent much of this wet, locked-down Saturday finally shooting and editing a video!

 

 

Things I learnt about my relatively new Google Pixel 3a phone's camera: it's got pretty good resolution, but doesn't always like the lighting or stay in focus. However, my laptop was much faster editing and uploading this video than some previous ones, so some recent cleaning must have helped. All in all, a day well spent.

Edited by TechnicArrow
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  • 2 months later...

That crane I bodged over in the Green Lane Wharf topic has finally found it's proper place on Arrow Paints...

 

1323484462_42.Cranereplaced(8).jpg.4a3b8a63b3734793fcef06bb4a37c787.jpg

 

It seems to fill the space much better than the Fuchs did, probably because it's actually OO scale not HO. It also looks more appropriate being a UK protoype, and feels more capable when handling some of the larger freight items on the layout...

 

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The higher mounted job makes it a lot easier to lift tall items in and out of open wagons, but does have slightly less horizontal range meaning the wagons need to be shunted a little more to reach both ends. And the crane is far too clean - it needs to have a light weathering at some point. But if I find the time amongst my revision this weekend, I should be able to present a video of it in action soon!

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Thank you all for the reactions. And hey, I actually managed to do what I said I would on time for once!

 

This short video ended up focused more on the shunting than the crane, since although the crane is very fun to operate there's a lot of fiddling back and forth which doesn't look good on video - this short shot took about 10 takes to get right! Still, I'm reasonably happy with it, so I hope you enjoy.

 

 

Maybe I'll do another more focused video in the future, but don't hold your breath because (online) exam season is upon us again so I'll be pretty busy for the next 3 weeks.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 02/01/2021 at 22:58, sleepyrider said:

Great video of a lovely little layout!

 

Thanks for your kind words!

 

I've been doing a little more playing operating of the crane. Until it stopped working, and I opened it up to find this mess...

1547283403_43.Cranemaintenance.jpg.05645a969fb7a9963826b2526c7b24ca.jpg

 

I'm not sure how clear it is in the photo, but to the left of the spindle protruding from the base is a twisted mass of thread... at some point the boom cable, which is supposed to spool around the black tube, must have slipped off - and got thoroughly twisted around the main winch cable, which emerges from the middle of the tube. I tried untangling it, but in the end it was easier to cut off and replace the boom cable. I also took the opportunity to properly anchor it to the outside of the tube, since it would slip occasionally before.

 

With the crane suitably fixed and with a slightly increased loading capacity, I decided to attempt lifting the largest item of freight on the layout - a BR container.

1270430428_43.Liftingcontainer(1).jpg.2a60698733bff61954b3343166dca672.jpg

 

The old crane couldn't do that!

 

The container is the standard Bachmann one that came with the Conflat. I drilled a tiny hole through each of the shackles moulded on top, passed a couple of threads through (each one joining diagonally opposite holes), and tied them to a paperclip inside the container. Pretty simple yet effective, and the weight of the paperclip pulls the threads flat against the roof of the container when it's not being lifted.

577884261_43.Liftingcontainer(2).jpg.71b3aaace78e0b8566fd5a7d90ee6c5d.jpg

 

Of course, what the photos hide is how much is swings and spins when it's being moved... but I'm happy that this crane has enough reach, stability and strength to move it.

The layout's getting plenty of use by the way - it makes for an excellent relaxing break between exams and revision!

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2 hours ago, Wrenn said:

Arrow paints layout is a smashing little layout with plenty going on. BTW love the video, Thanks for sharing.:D

 

Thanks a lot, I'm glad you enjoy it too. When I was young I always thought more than just the trains on model railways should work; I'm now getting the hang of creating what I would have enjoyed to play with then, and it's still great fun!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been here a few times, but it's only after shuffling points around a pair of shoeboxes for an hour or more that I've realised how good this layout is. I very simply cannot improve on the track plan in the space. I doff my cap to thee sir, for thou art a fine modeller.

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On 21/01/2021 at 12:38, DK123GWR said:

I've been here a few times, but it's only after shuffling points around a pair of shoeboxes for an hour or more that I've realised how good this layout is. I very simply cannot improve on the track plan in the space. I doff my cap to thee sir, for thou art a fine modeller.

 

Thank you very much! I must say that it was evolved rather than planned; the first single-box iteration had no points at all, but the track was carefully laid at 11.25 degrees to allow the y-point expansion. When I decided to build the second box I played around with AnyRail for a bit, and realised I could get something quite interesting.

 

Overall I am very happy with this layout - the ability to run-round wagons offers much more interest than an inglenook, and the short headshunt for the front siding makes some moves an interesting challenge.

 

In other news I finished my last of five (online) 3rd year exams yesterday, so I've got a completely free weekend to spend mostly on modelling!

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Things have indeed been happening!

 

First up, I've been building a Peco/Parkside GWR 10-ton open wagon kit.

636352335_GWR10-tonwagon(1).jpg.79b75ffa5c10adb64ab573fcd9f3bfa9.jpg

 

It surprised me just how many separately fitted bits there are underneath! All went together very well though.

1645534235_GWR10-tonwagon(2).jpg.4002f5b0ce9d6cdfbdeb06b81107e574.jpg

 

It's mainly intended for the home layout, so I've painted in (approximately) GWR grey.

1960382970_44.CraneandGWR10-tonpainted(6).jpg.db24f5488bef86bfe902e0182c35d3d9.jpg

 

Although the kit includes transfers, it only comes with those for BR ownership - as I'm aiming to match it to a handful of other post-1937 GWR stock I have, I've ordered a sheet of transfers originally intended for a GWR Mink D which should look about right.

 

Whilst I had the paints out for the wagon, I painted the front of the the crane mechanism unit to tidy up the layout's presentation, and then set about grubbing up the crane itself. It didn't go as well as planned, since when I wiped it down the paint decided to come out of the crevices but stay on the flat bits - exactly the opposite of what I wanted! I might try washing it off and re-doing it at some point; some areas look alright, but others just look off to me. More successfully I gave the treatment to the grounded van body, which has been far too clean for too long.

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Whilst I was ordering the transfers, I ordered a few more bits; namely more ratio pallets/sacks/barrels, and a set of replacement axles for the 04, which will hopefully stop the wheels from de-quartering themselves and jamming up the cranks occasionally. It's time the loco had a clean out anyway, it's been the sole worker on this layout for a while.

Finally, I bought a new spare Hornby 0-4-0 chassis. I've not had much luck with these so far, but I think most of the ones I've played with are the pre-2010 version. I'm interested to see what a brand-new one makes of the layout, and then what locos I can build on top of it!

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I decided this morning that I really wasn't happy with the crane weathering, so I had another stab.

Yesterday's paint came off quite easily with some soapy water and a tiny piece of wet-n-dry type sandpaper. I then re-applied some black to the various crevices with a cocktail stick, before dabbing away most of it with wet paper towel. There's still grub all over the side panels, but most of it is where it should be now.

1897573953_45.CraneweatheringV2(2).jpg.da4aed7425caaa751d7daeaeca17a804.jpg

 

I also gave the Marshalls lorry a light going-over, making sure to take most of it off again as it's probably kept a bit cleaner by it's owners.

168789312_45.CraneweatheringV2(3).jpg.630429c2e38e34b5a00fc6185778eec3.jpg

 

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Then whilst I had the layout running, I decided to take a few more photos. I couldn't quite get my phone's camera lens low and level enough for the shot under the bridge, but it's close enough. Enjoy!

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945024804_45.Unusualangles(8).jpg.48951ccc6362c91e06211141caf345c6.jpg

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Occasionally, this thread dips into loco-bashing rather than layout building. Today is another one of those days.

 

I've had a bit of history with Hornby 0-4-0s now. I tried adding gears to one of them to reduce the speed, which sort of worked... but it was incredibly loud and unreliable, and the resulting motor mount was very tall making it difficult to conceal. I also tried buying a new (post-2010) one since they're supposed to be better, only to realise it was actually from 2001 and no better than the ones I already had. It was sold on soon after.

 

However, a recent order from Peter's Spares included a brand-new grey 0-4-0 chassis. I'm pretty sure the grey ones were only ever used under the red Bagnall shunter that Hornby released a few years ago, and hence is one of the newest, up-to-date version.

1712187546_Hornby0-4-0chassis.jpg.112336c8d748bcf215b835815c6c170c.jpg

 

I can confirm that even straight out of the box these chassis are far, far better now! This one happily trundles all over the layout at a pretty low speed, although it does sometimes stall on my dirty track and insulfrog points if it's going too slow.

 

Next up then is bodywork. I've tried making a bodyshell myself before, although I was so unimpressed with it I never shared it:

955912039_DieselShunter-4-betterpaintandwindows(3).JPG.96bee0cdfb3d8a76046d32f86918cf71.JPG

 

It's made of card (of course!), and was built around the cast-metal running plate from the Caledonian Pugs to give it some decent weight. In my opinion the main problems are:

> It isn't square, so doesn't sit flush on the running plate
> Compared to the original I was basing it on it's proportions are horrendously off

> The paint has no consistent texture; some bits are shiny, whilst others blobby

 

This time, I've set out to correct all of the above. First up was to pick a suitable prototype. Whilst I'm not hoping for an exact replica, I took most of my inspiration from Barclay 0-4-0s, such as Kingswood at the Avon Valley Railway or 441 at Swanwick. I quite liked the lack of grilles on the sides of these engines, and the little "bunker" protrusion at the rear of the cab that gives it a slight steam-age feel.

 

So onto the build! First up, the cab. Each wall was cut from cereal box card with a fresh, sharp blade to keep the window openings clean. The walls were then glued to eachother whilst sat on the chassis, to make sure it all matches up with no gaps.

1818407457_BarclayShunter-1-Cab(1).jpg.93bc4307c93de46c595cfef88d516a1d.jpg

 

1768131577_BarclayShunter-1-Cab(2).jpg.035089c48e39b4e0a8c637a93ce6f497.jpg

 

Then a rough idea of the bonnet; just the walls and bracing for now. I also added a square brace to the inside of the cab just under the actual roof, and gently folded some thinner card (from some Ratio packaging!) to form the curve of the rear "bunker".

1293431648_BarclayShunter-2-Nose(1).jpg.a550c00c6601bfea9cdf003461fa043c.jpg

 

1659805425_BarclayShunter-2-Nose(2).jpg.ab7f7a25c66d1c5d56f6b6e675e3574f.jpg

 

And then it was mostly detailing! From here onwards I carried on using the thinner card, rather than cereal boxes. Starting with the compound curves of the cab roof and bonnet, then some door panels for the side of the bonnet, topped off with thin strips to represent door hinges, ribbing and the rainwater gutters on the cab roof.

246877014_BarclayShunter-3-Details(2).jpg.06c930c88b3b547a19cc8f2b0a8af481.jpg

 

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The only non-card bits on this body are the front grille, made from the plasticy netting garlic tends to come in from the supermarket, a bit of plastic sprue for an air tank in front of the cab, and another plastic bit from the bits box for an exhaust/cap/thing.

 

Now I have a well-proportioned, snug-fitting bodyshell, I just need to paint it. My instinct is just to get the acrylics and brushes out as usual, but if I want to achieve a more uniform finish I might have to investigate my housemate's spray paints. I'll need a dry, non-windy day for that though...  unlikely in south Wales! April maybe?

 

Edited by TechnicArrow
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Ingenious! Yes, those new 0-4-0 chassis are so much better. It might be possible to construct a makeshift spray booth out of a large cardboard box and an old curtain gaffer taped to it. Go 'inside' to spray (wearing a mask of course) then quickly retract and let the curtain fall until the paint dust particles have settled after about 10 mins. Then go in to turn it and do another side. It might be a faff and probably only good for the primer coat, but it might save a long wait. 

 

Wind-free days are pretty non-existent here. I still have oxide-coloured stains on my utility floor from spraying in a box without the curtain :-/ It's times like that I'm glad I live on my own! :D

 

 

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On 28/01/2021 at 12:20, Andrew D said:

Ingenious! Yes, those new 0-4-0 chassis are so much better. It might be possible to construct a makeshift spray booth out of a large cardboard box and an old curtain gaffer taped to it. Go 'inside' to spray (wearing a mask of course) then quickly retract and let the curtain fall until the paint dust particles have settled after about 10 mins. Then go in to turn it and do another side. It might be a faff and probably only good for the primer coat, but it might save a long wait. 

 

Wind-free days are pretty non-existent here. I still have oxide-coloured stains on my utility floor from spraying in a box without the curtain :-/ It's times like that I'm glad I live on my own! :D

 

Interesting idea. Looking at the forecast I might have to do something like that if I want to get this painted anytime soon!

 

Not that there's anywhere to run it at the moment. This evening I started out by replacing the split axles on the Bachmann 04 with freshly bought spares. During testing I decided the track needed a proper clean, and then I thought I might as well try re-packing the layout to get it level (wagons have an annoying habit of rolling back occasionally). I took out the old packing material, to find it was a bit damp... so everything had to come apart.

PXL_20210129_172734134.jpg.3ab6af6ff05383e68c272a6057fdd996.jpg

 

Assessment revealed the likely culprit is condensation from the windows, which runs down and collects at the base. The sealant along the windowsill wasn't a pretty colour, so I'm going to mention that to the landlord; this house was only converted to a student house this year, so it should all be clean.

Luckily the layout itself is dry, it's only the packing material that's properly moist. The layout's staying in this state for now; I'm going to have a proper attempt at cleaning it tomorrow, and then reassemble everything. Certainly one project I hadn't anticipated!

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Thanks for sharing your loco construction; it's a good effort and I think it will look even better when it's finished. 

Using card is such a cheap and simple idea, but are you confident that just painting it will ensure its robustness? I'm sure I've read another post about using shellac to harden it off. What's your thoughts? 

Edited by Multigauge
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17 hours ago, Andrew D said:

I was looking for a face palm reaction, but in its absence this will have to do! :blink: Hope you get it sorted soon 

 

:lol: All is now back to normal. I cleaned the windowsill as best I could, and then put the layout back together with an opened-out plastic bag to prevent any future condensation damaging the layout - not that it's been affected yet, but just in case. I would like to say the layout is also closer to level now, although the front-right siding/headshunt still causes some runaways occasionally.

 

14 minutes ago, Multigauge said:

Thanks for sharing your loco construction; it's a good effort and I think it will look even better when it's finished. 

Using card is such a cheap and simple idea, but are you confident that just painting it will ensure its robustness? I'm sure I've read another post about using shellac to harden it off. What's your thoughts? 

 

Thank you! As for hardening off the shell; not a bad idea, and if I was aiming for a more long-term model i probably would. As it is I still consider this to be a bit of an experiment, so I'll leave it for now. But maybe the next one I build!

 

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Just a few small updates and a handful more photos.

 

First off, I should probably say that the Barclay-ish shunter is still yet to be painted. Mainly because of the weather, but also procrastination!

 

Secondly, I spent far too long last night applying waterslide decals to a couple of wagons. The first was the GWR 10-ton open I built recently. For this I mostly used decals intended for a "Mink D" long-wheelbase van wagon, since the Parkside kit only comes with BR-era labels and I was aiming for 1937 livery. The GW, LOAD 10T and running numbers look about right, although the Tare is a little off since it's from the wrong type of wagon - but you don't notice if you don't actually read it! Also, due to many breakages, the wagon is numbered differently on each side. Not that it really matters, since you can never read both sides at once!

1573940516_46.Decals(4).jpg.99900ab7764d9bdcf5ef02f966c4c01d.jpg

 

I doubt this wagon will appear much on Arrow Paints. It's the wrong era for the layout since it's mainly intended for the layout at home, so it often sits on the quayside of Alexandra Wharf instead.

 

The other I wagon I decorated was the Vanwide. I tried to get the paint vaguely closer to BR bauxite - it's still off thanks to the base brown colour being too red, but with the "weathering" on top it doesn't look awful. I also attacked the air brake gear, taking off the extra peripherals to return it to vacuum-brake form.

And then once again using the Mink D decals, the van has the same running number applied to the left-hand door on both sides, and an XP and wheelbase label to the right-hand end. Given it's from an 18' wheelbase van it looks a bit off if you read it, but it's only on one side - the other side the open door covers it, so I didn't have to put one on!

 

1944357874_46.Decals(7).jpg.69f16dfe6306d4440f03fec825359aef.jpg

 

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Other work includes pulling up the front track leading to the sector plate; there was a bit of a "ski jump" gap! It was levelled off by taking out some of the card packing material underneath to bring it back down to the sector plate level, and now all is smooth again.

 

Finally, one more photo for luck - D2280 and the Coles crane posing together.734854311_46.Decals(2).jpg.d86e4f3a026f1942bb8c23f748354de3.jpg

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  • RMweb Gold

Good stuff. I'd not worry a bit about the colour being 'too light.' If you look at colour pics of 60s freight trains, you'll see all shades of brown because of fading and bleaching by the sun. Uniformity would NOT look right - so you're spot on there! :good_mini:

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23 hours ago, TechnicArrow said:

Mainly because of the weather, but also procrastination!

 

Looking really good, and don't worry it's not just you procrastinating, most of my modelling time goes that way :(


Ralf

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On 04/02/2021 at 22:27, Andrew D said:

Good stuff. I'd not worry a bit about the colour being 'too light.' If you look at colour pics of 60s freight trains, you'll see all shades of brown because of fading and bleaching by the sun. Uniformity would NOT look right - so you're spot on there! :good_mini:

 

Thank you! I know the real thing is never the same colour, and certainly where I've seen these wagons in preservation they're all sort of shades. But this one's been annoying me for a while now; especially since much of the layout is orangeish-brownish-reddish, with the brick buildings, Peco backscene and sand "ballast". I don't think the wagon's pitch black roof helped it's appearance either, but that's weathered grey now which looks a bit better.

 

18 minutes ago, Ralf said:

Looking really good, and don't worry it's not just you procrastinating, most of my modelling time goes that way :(


Ralf

 

I'm very good at using the railway as procrastination from my Uni work, but simultaneously good at procrastinating actually doing what I need to on the railway... and it's not even 4ft long! I can't imagine how I'd do with a "proper" layout...

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Yet more changes are afoot...

 

The recent box shuffles during my attempts to sort the damp issue (still ongoing, looking like a project for this weekend now) made me realise just how unhappy I was with the right-hand end warehouse I built as an extension in July last year. The corner where I cut the wall to fold it back was getting tatty, and the corrugated pitched roof is way overscale. So I started again.

 

Since the main Arrow Paints factory is the Scalescenes Low Relief Dairy that came free with Hornby magazine a few years ago, I looked to the Scalescenes Modellers Facebook Group for inspiration. There I saw Pickwick Lane's excellent model that features an extension "wing" to the dairy in the same style, and decided I had to try it myself.

 

To start with I took the old warehouse back to the original shoebox wall, being careful not to damage the sliding door. The front folding bit was completely discarded, and a fresh wall built from (you guessed it!) cereal box card and brick paper. A matching segment was built to fill the remaining gap to the endscene the kickback along it. The join between the two segments is concealed by the pillar behind the bufferstop.

 

1655227849_47A-Warehouserevamp-walls(1).jpg.f033e2fbe879f589343574a38f1b9a3e.jpg

 

Then a roof was cut from thick card; a flat one this time. Most of the roof fits just within the walls, and a lip sits over the top. A ledge was also added to one side to cover part of the low relief dairy factory, to begin tying the two structures together.

 

1007715956_47B-Warehouserevamp-roofanddoors(1).jpg.fc1c62c47a39ed334c7f7eb1aab73089.jpg

 

A low parapet was added all the way around the roof, including the section along the existing building. A number of sprues where selected from the bits box, which with most of the fixing points trimmed off make for excellent, free pipes; some of the blibs where left on to represent valves or mounting brackets. These were glued to the roof, painted dark grey. A small brick plant hut was built for some of these to connect to, as well as some thread for electrical or comms cables.

Finally the bare card surfaces on the entire structure were painted with a variety of grey paints, with a bit of brownish yellow for corrosion under the pipes. And 'tis done!

 

2048265136_47D-Warehouserevamp-roofdetails(2).jpg.ab0622f3b98c5abf453e8ca3d2f063da.jpg

 

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I'm much happier with this building now. Even though I've lost some of the variety in brickwork and roof shapes, this warehouse looks far more integral both structurally and aesthetically with the existing low relief factory, not to mention all in the correct scale!

There is, of course, still work to be done; the parapet should really carry on the no-relief section of wall right at the front, and I (still!) want to do with this building is fit a proper interior. Even though the door is tiny, I'd like to give a suggestion of internal works, rather than bare track and card everywhere.

 

But now my thoughts have turned to the other end of the layout, whre I wonder what I can do to that warehouse... endless fun!

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1 hour ago, Andrew D said:

That looks utterly brilliant! I love the use of sprues etc making up the pipework on the roof - that looks absolutely excellent. :good:

Me too. I'm always keeping sprues for paint stirring, but now I shall consider them for pipes as well. 

Edited by Multigauge
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