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Mallaig and the Road To The Isles


mallaig1983
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On 10/01/2021 at 15:07, mallaig1983 said:

 I'm not sure if they are a little bit to light tho or whether they just look so because of the stark contrast with the brown poster painted hillside. I'd value your opinions on this.

 

Andy

 

 

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Hello Andy,

 

My ìnitial reaction on seeing your photos yesterday was "yes, they look a bit light"  but having just visited Mallaig 3 times this afternoon in a time machine (courtesy of You Tube) seeing the whole line in 1964, 1985 and 2009 and in most lighting conditions I'd have to say that you've probably got them about right although I was surprised to realise just how much brown there was in the mix.

 

I'd always got the impression that I would use various greys darkening towards black with a few lighter highlights for the lichen patches but I think that you're correct in that burnt sienna should be definately in the mix. Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

Ian.

PS - I also came across two interesting programmes that I've not seen before; firstly a 20 min one made by STV around 1985-87 called Distant Signals - West Highland Line in the 1980's and another a 5min BBC news clip about the Resignalling at Corrour from 1987 .... I do love these 'time machines !'

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Your rocks are looking very good, but I too feel that they may be a bit light.  However, I would be tempted to get rid of the brown hillside by doing whatever ‘shrubbery’ you are going to do before making a final decision.

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Thanks to those who have commented on the shade of the rocks. I'm going to dabble on a test casting that I have that had had exactly the same treatment as the ones on the layout. I wasn't actually going to use the leopard spotting method as my initial thoughts ered towards the Luke Towen method first seen by me when demonstrated by Charlie at Chadwick on YouTube. However once one investigates painting rocks it doesn't take long for the leopard spotting to come to the fore. So my current thinking is to have a dabble on the test piece and see what can be done. I should explain that I have already sealed the rocks with scenic cement and don't yet know whether the darker pigment will adhere. If not I will see if I'm happy with them as they are, and I am about 90% and as a last resort I will paint them bassalt grey, give a black wash then highlight the details by dry brushing. I would have a bash on my test piece before work but it's not raining today so the log pile is beckoning.

 

Andy

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Ian,

I too seem to have the same model of time machine as yourself. A recent discovery over the weekend will find you hanging out of the window of the 9th coach (yes 9th) of a train from FW to Mallaig in 1981. If you type "Fort William to Mallaig - 18/04/81" into the destination module, charge up your flux capacitor and hit go you should enjoy the ride. Sadly you will be transported back to the present before getting the chance to observe the shunt and run round at Mallaig.

Enjoy

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1 hour ago, mallaig1983 said:

Just a couple of photos of BCK 21246. Since my mate led it's restoration it would be a shame not to have this vehicle modelled on my layout. 

Andy

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Such an atmospheric shot of of an early 80's extension train, and a good reference to boot. Good to know the coach has been preserved. 

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18 minutes ago, slow8dirty said:

Such an atmospheric shot of of an early 80's extension train, and a good reference to boot. Good to know the coach has been preserved. 

I can't claim to have taken the photo, I just screen shot it from another thread on here but you're absolutely right, it literally oozes atmosphere.

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Hi, 

before dabbling with painting your rocks again I would suggest having a good look at any photographs of the rock formations around Mallaig to get the colours correct.  I believe that the rocks around Mallaig are granite with some basalt intrusions, gneiss and schists.  Each on has a unique mineral and crystalline structure which means each has different colour combinations and weathers differently.  It's one of the reasons granite is used building work and basalt is not.  Also take note of fractures and possible fold lines in the rocks; due to geological forces what appears to be solid rock can be bent and folded like plastic and this can be seen in even small rock outcrops.  

 

And, as previously mentioned, the weather conditions, season of the year and type and angle of the light have an effect on how the rocks look.  Wet granite on a dull, winters afternoon looks very different from the same piece when dry in early morning sunshine at mid-summer.  Also granite can appear to have a sparkle to it, caused by mica crystals, which is another reason it is used for building and monumental work.

 

The best advise I can give is, as ever, study any photographs of the area as closely as you can and decide what season of the year, weather and type and direction of light before committing paint to model.  

 

Roja

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On 09/12/2020 at 21:36, young37215 said:

The 1984 picture below shows point rodding continued to mechanically control the point following closure of the signal box. I suspect a locking mechanisim will have been added to the ground frame that I am guessing the Mallaig section token would unlock. Otherwise it looks like the ground frame was unaffected by the signal box closure. 

 

37014 takes on water at at Mallaig with the 1222 to Fort William on 24th February 1984

 

 

 

Is that one of the rarely-photo'd experimental coal-fired Class 37s?

Edited by KeithMacdonald
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For some time now I have been frustrated over the choices for platform lighting. I had purchased a pack that I thought would have to do but the lenses were spherical and just wouldn't of looked right. Recently I have been to a lot of model railway exhibitions courtesy of YouTube and came across a layout called Seven Ash which is heavily based on Old Oak Common during the 70s. I noticed the lamps on this layout would be almost perfect for Mallaig so I contacted Steve who owns the layout to ask what he'd used. They were from kits but he advised that they were absolute pigs to put together so that idea was put on the back burner for a while. I'm still cutting my teeth in railway modelling and my skills are improving with every weekend I spend on the layout but I think pig to build kits are just ahead of my skillset for now but I may well revisit that idea in time. 

However I'm pretty pleased with what I have since found at Layouts4U. They are not 100% accurate but they are by far the closest I've come across that are (almost) ready to plant. The pillar is to thin and will require some plastic tube as a sheath but I'm really happy with the lenses which although not identical are in my opinion close enough (for now at least) I must point out that the top photo is the prototype n case anyone was fooled.

 

 

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Edited by mallaig1983
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We no have darker rocks. I’m much happier with this shade. I went over them again but this time incorporated some umber and put less water in the mix. I did it on a test piece first, was happy with the results so set to on the layout. Still needs some detailing with dry brushing but I’m quite a happy highland bunny this evening.

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This wanton waste of good modelling time is entirely down to Rob :D

Well you have to have a play don’t you? The Kaydee couplers do sit slightly to high on the TTAs. They couple up to the loco and the coaches but it’s 50/50 whether they uncouple over the magnets due to the metal pins sitting a tad higher than they’re supposed to. I’ll fine tune over time.

 

Andy

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On 17/01/2021 at 17:44, mallaig1983 said:

This wanton waste of good modelling time is entirely down to Rob :D

Well you have to have a play don’t you?

 

It's good to have some balance, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. I like the rocks, a combination of your carving and the latest painting means that you have captured the feel of the location very effectively. 

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Thanks Rob, I’m pleased with how they look at this stage. Some dry brushing to be added and later to cover a lot of the area with grass and weeds. AND the exciting but daunting next instalment of rocks for the Atlantic coast all along the front of the layout. So as all good cliff hangers say, ‘To be continued.......’

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On 12/01/2021 at 10:38, mallaig1983 said:

Just a couple of photos of BCK 21246. Since my mate led it's restoration it would be a shame not to have this vehicle modelled on my layout. 

Andy

 

Screenshot_20210111-234818~2.png

 

If the question is "What's the most interesting 80s loco hauled passenger train that you've seen a picture of" the answer is....

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Does anybody know if there is any significance to the two different colours of TTA tanks, ie one black, one grey, or are they just the remnants of old BP liveries, the grey one maybe having carried both Shell and BP emblems. Would they both be carrying the same type of fuel ?

 

Regards,

Ian.

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1 hour ago, 03060 said:

Does anybody know if there is any significance to the two different colours of TTA tanks, ie one black, one grey, or are they just the remnants of old BP liveries, the grey one maybe having carried both Shell and BP emblems. Would they both be carrying the same type of fuel ?

 

Regards,

Ian.


I believe it to be do with the different flash points of oils being carried.  One is for light oils and the other for heavier oils although there is, I’m sure, more to it than that because you have the hazard panels too and the regulations were relaxed at some point too.

 

 

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4 hours ago, 03060 said:

Does anybody know if there is any significance to the two different colours of TTA tanks, ie one black, one grey, or are they just the remnants of old BP liveries, the grey one maybe having carried both Shell and BP emblems. Would they both be carrying the same type of fuel ?

 

Regards,

Ian.


A very good question and one I need to find the answer to. I had assumed it was an era thing. I’ve seen photos of grey TTAs in the early 80s and black TTAs later in the decade. I could be putting 2 and 2 together and be coming up with 11 and a half but research points at this but to homest it’s something that I do need to prove or disprove. My TTAs are black so I am expecting to repaint them anyway. However the photo included  on this thread earlier clearly shows one grey and one black tank in the consist. So I’d love to hear from anyone in the know. 

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5 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

 

If the question is "What's the most interesting 80s loco hauled passenger train that you've seen a picture of" the answer is....


Or possibly........

 

 

image.jpg

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