Durrington Central. A fictional town somewhere in The North West of England (more than just a station).

[newbryford]

10 minutes ago, Powerhaul 70 Pey said:

Good evening.  A little more progress after work.  Modrocked the bank up to the footpath.  

Some Noch figures arrived for the seaside.  Here are a family having a great time! 

I will definitely order a few more sets of figures for various scenes around the layout.

 

 

Just make sure you don't order one of the animated sets.

(Probably featuring the couple on the beach towel back in the seaside flat..........)

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

 

24 minutes ago, newbryford said:

 

Just make sure you don't order one of the animated sets.

(Probably featuring the couple on the beach towel back in the seaside flat..........)

Ha!  Thanks Mick, now there's a little cameo scene that I've not seen done before!  Thanks for the comment and having a look at Durrington Central.  Much appreciated!

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good evening.  The modrock has dried so I've given it a base coat of paint.  The white you can still see is polyfiller.  As this part is quite steep I am trying a new technique by making rocks with horizontal layers of polyfiller squeezed out of a tube.  When it dries tomorrow I will paint it.

I've installed a wall between the railway and the sea wall footpath.  Where it ends it will turn to black spear fencing which I cant seem to get hold of at the minute.

Some busch boat kits have arrived so I've glued them together.  The seaside is starting to look a bit less bland and is coming to life.

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Here is a video of my Bachmann Colas Rail 70805 on a rail tour around some of the scenic areas in progress so far.

Thanks for watching.

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good evening everyone.  Some more Preiser figures have arrived so I've made a little scene at the church.  I have put the figures on plastic stands as my 7 year old daughter often comes in the garage and plays games with the figures!  The church still needs some nice fencing and more gravestones.

I've done a bit more on the footpath which now seems to be rising from the prom to a hilltop zoo.  When I saw some Preiser Tigers I couldn't resist but get some and try to incorporate them into the layout somehow.  If I had seen them alot earlier and that you can also get other animals i would have set room aside for a more expansive safari park or zoo.  As it is i can only fit in a low relief Tiger enclosure.

The tiger bottom left is as they come from Preiser, a stereotypical orange cat with black stripes but the one on the platform and on the right I have added paint and hopefully made them a bit more detailed.  The white will be water, at the moment it is polyfiller and is drying.  

 

Lots more to be done but very little room to do it.

[Graham108]

I trust you plan to put railings round the tiger enclosure!

 

Graham

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

5 hours ago, bartram108 said:

I trust you plan to put railings round the tiger enclosure!

 

Graham

Yes for sure!  All in progress at the minute.  Don't want anyone being mauled to death by a Siberian Tiger!

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good afternoon.  Since my last update I have had little chance to do much on the layout.

I have done a bit more ballasting - takes days to dry.

Static grassed the incline to the tigers - needs excess hoovering off when dried.

Had a go at painting the sea.  Looks better in my opinion although that blue was always temporary.  Even this paint is not permanent, I intend to do some kind of wave texture then paint over it.

I've done more on the tiger enclosure.  I apologise for this as the tiger idea is pure self indulgent.  The pond needs some realistic water pouring in then the weather is warmer.  Made 2d rocks for the rear, bushes and rocks and a tree trunk added spanning the stream that feeds the pond.

Roarsome creatures.  This photo was taken by one of the people who visited the zoo.

I am making a fence/wall for the enclosure.  It is a wall, mesh fence with a glass viewing point.

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good evening.  A good friend of mine who is a member of this forum gave me a TTS sound class 31 decoder and I have made full use of it by buying Hornby 31102.  It was so tempting to get 31602 in network rail yellow but I went for BR blue as that would look good on a short rake of maroon coaches on a rail tour or on a Network Rail test train.

I also ordered a Network Rail coach, only have 1 so far so I've tried to disguise that in the photos.  I intend to get a rake of 3, maybe 4 max Network Rail coaches.  I can also use my DRS 37 or 68 on the Network Rail test train.

 

I've not done any scenics this week but I have pulled up the 2 sidings and altered it which pushes the aggregate terminal back towards a corner of the layout which I think will look better.  Plus it does not trap a loco in the Siding with a train.  It will come off the main line to a head shunt then reverse in where it can detach and then leave light engine if needed.  

 

Also many thanks to another forum member Jack374 who has gave some sound advice recently!

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Here is my latest video of Durrington Central with my latest arrivals Hornby 31102 and Network Rail coach getting a run plus some other trains seen running.

 

[LongRail]

Interesting layout one comment is that the fence at the end of platforms should have a gate and set of steps down for passenger escape in an emergency 

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

8 hours ago, LongRail said:

Interesting layout one comment is that the fence at the end of platforms should have a gate and set of steps down for passenger escape in an emergency 

Thanks for the comment.  I will try to modify this in the future by either buying a suitable pack of fencing and gates or by somehow making my own gate.  I have used the same fencing by the sea wall and it is very hard to get hold of on the internet.  Plus local model shops are shut.  I did have a gate but no steps on the signal box platform (far platform by billboards) but it was made from security fencing and I didn't like it so changed it to the back  fencing.

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good evening.  Only managed 1 hour after work tonight working on the layout since my last update.

The tiger enclosure wall/viewing glass/metal fence is glued in place.  I've made 2 flower beds either side of the viewing glass for some added interest which you may just be able to make out in the photo.  Also started  add bushes and ground cover on the grassy slope.

I will try to carry on tomorrow night.

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

So this is the front of the tiger enclosure.  I'm glad I added the flower beds and fence supports as it gives slightly more detail and interest.  I will put some benches down too.

Below are a few photos of 31102 on a Branchline Society Railtour on a rake of 4 maroon coaches.

Too cold to do anything else today!

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good evening everyone.  I've been spending some more hard earned cash and snapped up 2 more Network Rail coaches.  So I now have a rake of 3 which I think will be enough.  Here is the rake below.

As I've said before I can probably get away with running my DRS 37 and 68 on the front too.

[Charlie75]

I have just read through this thread, and what a great journey it is by train. 

I feel like I’ve travelled from the mill towns of the North, through the countryside of central England, down to the coast of Devon. I love the scene of the railway running past the sea. It reminds me of Dawlish.

 

It’s a lovely model railway, inspirational, and full of character. I shall be following this thread, to see how it evolves further.

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

10 hours ago, Charlie75 said:

I have just read through this thread, and what a great journey it is by train. 

I feel like I’ve travelled from the mill towns of the North, through the countryside of central England, down to the coast of Devon. I love the scene of the railway running past the sea. It reminds me of Dawlish.

 

It’s a lovely model railway, inspirational, and full of character. I shall be following this thread, to see how it evolves further.

Thank you very much for your comment Charlie75!  I am delighted that my layout has given you "a journey".  My whole aim for this layout was to try and capture different aspects of places I've been to without the pressure of trying to model the real locations.  You are quite right, the seaside coast area is roughly based on Dawlish!  I think I should change the layouts title as I believe it is now more than just a station in a northern town.

 

Once again many thanks for your kind comments, you have completely summed up what I am trying to achieve.

 

[Charlie75]

You’re welcome. It’s a lovely model railway.

 

I agree with your comment regarding the pressure of modelling a real location. As amazing as that can be, creating a model railway such as yours, which incorporates your favourite places, and i guess memories too, can also be very special. 
 

Best of luck on your modelling journey.

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good evening.  This weekend I finally did the ground cover in the Network Rail compound and the lane leading to it.  I also applied chopped lichen and glued it to the banking dropping down to the factory yard.

I also finally got some Woodland Scenics fine leaf foliage so i have made a few more trees with the plastic armature i have left and placed them in the same area.  Strategically positioned to try and block off the blank blue backboard between buildings etc.

[LongRail]

I have a couple of skips on my layout and over the years as I modify kits and models any little offcuts and unused pieces are put in the skips so over time they fill up with a nice selection of shapes and sizes 

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

2 hours ago, LongRail said:

I have a couple of skips on my layout and over the years as I modify kits and models any little offcuts and unused pieces are put in the skips so over time they fill up with a nice selection of shapes and sizes 

I will do the same!  I used that trick on my skips some years ago and poured watered down PVA over the items but over time the moulds fell out and I lost the skip loads.  I will get round to it again.  

Thanks for the tip and comment.

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good evening.  Had a hour or so on the layout tonight.  Ive done a small section of ballasting.  With my final 2 tree armatures I've added some Woodland Scenics fine leaf foliage.  I cut off some of the low branches on 1 armature and made some saplings with them.

A comment/suggestions  recently was to add a load to each skip in the old mill yard so I trawled through my box of plastic bits and cut a load of bits and bobs and glued them in.

It all adds to the scene!  Other things I can still do in this area are:-

Some Network Rail site compound signs.

Bits of pallets or other items.

More vegetation.

Some tonne bags of ballast in Network Rail bags which would look great.

I've seen some 00 gauge litter too!

 

Any other suggestions welcome.

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good evening.  The tiger enclosure left me with a isolated pontoon of land sticking up so I had to think of a way of carrying it on.  So I carried on the retaining wall and added some tall bushes with the vision that behind the bushes the small zoo continues behind them.  

The class 56 is in the head shunt for the aggregate terminal.

So jobs on the layout done this weekend are:-

More retaining wall.

More ballasting in this area done.

Filled the gap between 2 backboards (needs painting when dry).

 

To the left of the tall bushes I think I may have enough room for another small animal enclosure to slightly extend the zoo.

 

That weekend went too quick, back to work tomorrow.

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good evening.  It's been a busy week at work once again so limited time on the layout.  So below is the seaside area.  Here I have put in some extra vegetation mainly to block the backboard between the tigers and shops.  I've done the curb for the footpath by the shops.

I also turned my attention  to the canal.  The main job here is to raise the bed of the canal as the narrow boat sits too low.  

Jobs done:-

Canal walling.  Decided to use stone as the canal around Wigan Pier is stone and not piling.

Made a Wigan Pier - an old set of tracks.

Made a wooden pier which extends over the water.

Below are some different views.

 

[Powerhaul 70 Pey]

Good evening here is a little video of some freights featuring class 60, 70, 37 and 31.