A return to Nantford Spinney

[AndyB]

Hi Keith. Absolutely!

My starter for 10 was to get the plan view how I wanted it to hopefully give a pleasing layout to the town plan with roads darting off at oblique angles and avoiding hitting the backscene at 90deg.

The current height of the outline buildings was a very rough first approximation. Taller than needed so I didn't have to go back and re-do them, but with some spare height to cut back and give variety to the roof lines. 

At present the effect is a bit canyon-like because they include an allowance for a roof.

As you suggest it may be wise to also artificially lower the buildings still further provided they stay in proportion. 

 

Best. Andy

 

[Keith Addenbrooke]

2 hours ago, AndyB said:

Hi Keith. Absolutely!

My starter for 10 was to get the plan view how I wanted it to hopefully give a pleasing layout to the town plan with roads darting off at oblique angles and avoiding hitting the backscene at 90deg.

The current height of the outline buildings was a very rough first approximation. Taller than needed so I didn't have to go back and re-do them, but with some spare height to cut back and give variety to the roof lines. 

At present the effect is a bit canyon-like because they include an allowance for a roof.

As you suggest it may be wise to also artificially lower the buildings still further provided they stay in proportion. 

 

Best. Andy

 

Hi Andy, I thought about a couple of books I have that describe ways to compress city / uptown scenes, but both are American books and assume buildings have flat roofs, with lower buildings also likely to have front-facing facades hiding the roof anyway.

 

One thing you can work out / test is your usual line of sight: at what angle do you look down on your model world?  My guess is it’s likely to be more of a factor with N scale models than larger scales.  Keith.

[AndyB]

Thanks Keith. 

As suggested I've taken a look at sight lines from roughly where I'd operate this part of the layout. 

Overall its quite an oblique view down in the layout.

One day I may clear enough space to operate it from my office chair, making it more of a lineside view 

 

Some photos to show the various views...

 

In the first shot you can't see any detail of the road that heads from the centre upwards and to the left. However, I'd be reluctant to get rid of this. Also when I trim the building heights down it'll bring some of into view, I think.

 

In this view ( above) the point where the road meets the backscene is mostly blocked. Not so much though in the view below. So perhaps a Tudor-style building with first-floor overhang would help.

 

Since taking the photo (above) I've tried a replacing the "flatiron-shaped building with a view blocker half the height. Definitely opens up the view of the road behind.

 

Lastly a couple of sight-line shots of the low relief & 2d buildings. Not too bad imho.

 

 

Next steps. Think a bit more about what each building will represent in terms of style, adjust their heights, & mock up some rooves.

[AndyB]

Hi all,

Its been a couple of months since my last post. That's mainly been down to lack of progress; the town scene was something of a blocker.

So, to get back into the swing of things I did a small improvement to a couple of other parts of the layout.

 

First of all whilst clearing up the garage I discovered a small treasure trove of seafoam trees from a previous layout. Rejuvenated with some fresh scatter I decided to use them to make the planting a bit denser where the track disappears through the backscene.

 

 

Next I fancied making a start on the harbour for which I'd long ago provided a rectangular cut out (cliche!).

Now, where I grew up, harbours weren't neat with fishing boats tied up alongside harbour walls. Rather, there was a creek, mudflats and massive piles of cockleshells; the bi-product of the local seafood industry. It was this that I wanted to portray, albeit only a tiny section. I appreciate this is different than perhaps how harbours look where the layout is notionally set in the south west. And I'm not sure mounds of cockleshells would feature either!

Anyway, I've tried to model it either as a flood tide with the water just lapping over the mud flat. I've implied some depth to the creek by using a mix of clay coloured paint with a dab of black mixed in. 

 

 

 

As I type the second layer of varnish has been applied and is drying.

 

Now, back to that town scene....

Edited April 19, 2021 by AndyB

[AndyB]

My intention was to disguise my wire in tube "actuators" under some kind of scenery, or building. That left the question of how to operate them. Luckily the freezer underneath the layout held the answer- in the form of "Mini Magnuns";  I'll need to eat a couple more to complete the work, but I'm happy to throw myself at that challenge.

 

The idea is to fix them to the central choc block and leaving some of the stick proud of the layout so I can slide the thing forwards and backwards. 

 

 

Another recent develop has been to make some town walls. I used a couple of sheets of Metcalfe stone paper for this. In spite of being careful to line the joins up I'll need to add some cosmetic reinforcing features to disguise the joins. 

 

I keep moving the Scenecraft folly around to see where it will give the best effect. I think of it as some kind of toll gate that would sit at the entrance to a medieval town. So based on that it should probably be positioned somewhere else. That said it might hint to a larger part of the town "off scene".

 

 

Now for the less positive news.

I've been tidying up my ballasting. Originally I used Ballast Magic which was OK, but it didn't seem to hold the ballast firmly enough to allow me to weather it. Perhaps i should have used a higher ratio of the powder to ballast. So I reverted to a PVA/water mix and did some infilling where the ballast was missing. This has caused quite a lot of added work to get back to reliable running. My Fowler 4f with tender pickups works OK, but the pannier tanks still don't. I think this may be down to the level of ballast ive ended up either slightly raising their wheels off the track. So a bit of scrapping back is needed.

On the layout extension I'll definitely use Gaugemaster ballasted foam underlay. Definitely worth the added expense and ease. 

 

Anyway. Onwards and upwards. Hopefully. 

Andy

 

 

[Andrew D]

I shared your pain when I ballasted my N gauge layout. It took a lot of fettling to get back to smooth running, but we got there in the end - as I am sure you will too. 

[AndyB]

As a break - or therapy (?) from ballasting -  I've been tidying up one of the un-loved corners of the layout. 

 

Thanks to a find of a carrier bag of seafoam and assorted foliage I've built up this part of the layout to disguise where the lane goes into the backscene. To avoid shadows I glued the foliage to the backscene and worked forwards.

 

The folly was destined to sit as a tollgate in the town, but I wonder if it might look better here?

 

I quite like it as it draws the eye to a part of the layout that would otherwise lack interest. I've popped a red car there to catch the eye and draw people into looking at that scene a bit more. 

 

If the folly stays here I'll need to do something about the right angle in the backscene and bed the folly in properly. 

 

 

I'm tempted to add a bit more foliage on the backscene above the car to further disguise where the lane disappears.

 

[AndyB]

Today I'm after a bit of advice. Hopefully someone may find a few moments to pitch in.

 

I've been putting telegraph poles on the layout but none of the books covering the correct positioning of them has covered what happens at a long-span bridge such as the one on my layout. 

My understanding is that telegraph poles should be around 55yds apart. However, my bridge spans 500mm, or 83yds in scale.

 

So how would telegraph wires be made to span the gap? 

 

Options seem to be to:

assume they run down from leader poles at each end and in a cable conduit on the bridge deck - I suspect this is the right answer;

provide a pole midway across the bridge, or; 

have poles follow the bank down to the river and then up the other side.

 

Any thoughts, anyone?

 

On the short span bridge  I've assumed the wires would span the river. However, if a cable run along the girder bridge would be more likely I can easily move these two poles. 

 

Fences next, I think. Those cattle aren't going to stay away from the track voluntarily! 

 

Anyway, thanks for reading and if anyone knows the answer - then thanks in advance. 

 

[AndyB]

I was recently given a couple of packs of these N-Scenic fence posts. Essentially they are laser-cut card with 4 tiny holes in each post. 110 posts per pack. 

 

You'll appreciate threading wires through the holes is quite a challenge. I had a go using strands stripped out of the wire I use to wire up the track. 

 

Having done a length with about 20 posts it became obvious that it wasn't going to be possible to tension the wires up; I think without the wires being perfectly straight it would have just looked messy.

Also the wires were barely visible - certainly they'd not show up in any of the photos I take. 

So, plan B was to use a dark cotton glued to the back of the posts. I'm a bit sceptical about this as I don't want lumps of glue everywhere. 

 

 

For now I've simply done without any wires at all. At normal viewing distances this seems to work OK. 

 

I've also placed the posts quite close together to help with the illusion of distance.

 

Next up I'll need to add more grass on the railway side of the fence where it doesn't get grazed down. 

[AndyB]

About a month since my last post as I've had a lot on my plate which has taken me away from any time for hobbies.

 

I received a number of Bilteezi kits recently as a gift, including the goods shed and wanted to use it as a focal point way for goods yard scene. I picked this kit to start on as it seemed the simplest of the ones I was given...a good way to get my eye in!

 

I'd previously built kits from this range but not reinforced them with any backing card. And the end results were a bit flimsy.

 

So this time I used mount card to make the structure something that would last.  

 

Slightly unexpected was how little clearance there was to allow a wagon, van, or loco to get pass through.

TBH the pannier tank's bunker got stuck. An open wagon squeezed through. But a closed can was unlikely to be able to access the shed.

Drat.

 

 

 

 

[AndyB]

Summer holidays have rather slowed the pace down a bit recently. But as a "quick win" I've worked on one of my favourite parts of the layout - the big bridge scene, adding a Scout camp.

 

This is something of an homage to Cub and Scout leaders past and present.

 

In my case Scout camps were at Lamarsh in Suffolk where a farmer let us use his field that had a early embankment on one side and the river Stour on the other. The regular DMU passing by was a highlightvfor ne. We constructed an aerial runway and had fun on canoes in the river. A pill box also provided a point if interest. 

 

 

I made the patrol tents using a small blob of air drying clay, shaping it into a prism. Guy ropes were a challenge in 2mm scale! Certainly not as neat as out Scout leaders would have expected working in 12":1'.

 

In reality patrol areas would have been marked out so that each patrol could be inspected each day for tidiness etc. This might all sound quite OTT in today's world but I like to think it taught us some useful life skills

 

The camp fire has a flickering LED at its base, recycled from Old Chestnut Lane.

 

I've included a wood pile to feed the camp fire. Whilst writing this post it's made me think that a dead tree trunk would look well there, too. If memory serves the farmer lent us his field on the proviso that we got rid of a dead tree for him.

 

A feature of our scout camps was a church parade around the flagpole; I've included our "green and yellllaaa" troop colour. A bit of tissue paper and highlighter pen sorted the flag.

 

 

One of the skills we were taught was all sorts of knots, including the St Andrews knot to secure two poles together. I cheated this time and used a blob of glue!

 

I've not shown how anyone using the aerial runway or how theywould have got back from the island. I like to think they'd have swum. I did put a rickety bridge in but it didn't look right and at scale 30' would have needed all sorts of bracing to work, thereby dominating this scene. 

 

 

Likely this would be frowned on these days. But initiation rites were a thing in those days. I got away lightly by bring dragged through a large patch of mud. But I remember one particularly gobby lad got tied to the middle of the pill box till he was less of a pain! 

 

Next job is to paint some Langley figures for the scene to bring it to life. This particular set of figures has quite a few leaders and few cubs/scouts. As far as I can tell these are the only ones on the market though. 

 

Anyway, if you've read this far then thank you. 

[Keith Addenbrooke]

26 minutes ago, AndyB said:

 

Hi Andy, nice to see the progress - I particularly like this picture: could easily pass as real, and when I think how small the rowing boat and bushes are in this scale it’s very impressive.

[AndyB]

2 minutes ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Hi Andy, nice to see the progress - I particularly like this picture: could easily pass as real, and when I think how small the rowing boat and bushes are in this scale it’s very impressive.

 

Thank you, Keith. Kind words, indeed.

Hope all is well with you, and you're finding time to progress your own endeavours. 

Andy.

[AndyB]

By way of a bit of fun, and to channel the memories of 1970s camps at Lamarsh, an out-of-era DMU is seen running through the scene. 

 

 

 

Psst.

It's probably not the right class of DMU but I'm back there as a 12-year-old, smelling wood smoke from the patrol's fire and thinking "bangers and beans" for lunch. But first I better take a felling axe to some of that wood pile.

 

Oggy oggy oggy!!!

[AndyB]

Back in January I described my point control method on this thread which uses a series of linked choc boxes to actuate a traditional wire in tube attached to the point tie bar.

 

As I intend to cover these choc boxes with scenery - either a building or a low grass-covered bank - I needed a way of moving the central choc block to and fro. 

 

Some mini Magnum ice lolly sticks were to hand and make nice, attractive handles. Perfect. 

 

 

I fixed these with hot glue and then boxed it all in with card.

 

Once the scenery is on it'll be hard to access should any finessing or fixing be necessary. So if you're trying this best to test everything thoroughly first!

 

Edited August 30, 2021 by AndyB

[AndyB]

Hello again.

Life is pretty busy at the moment

So instead of tackling any of the remaining big bits of the model, I'm focusing on smaller, achievable jobs.

 

For some time the half-timbered building has been shuffling round the layout trying to find a home. It's actually quite a small structure.  So by placing it in the corner it helps force the perspective.

 

Decision made.

 

So all that was needed was to level the ground with some air drying clay and gently seat the building in place so there'd be no gaps at the base (my personal bete noire).

A few dabs of PVA were brushed on so that some scatter would cover the clay and...voila!

 

 

30 mins plus drying time. Nothing challenging about this at all but keeps the momentum going. 

 

Thanks for reading. 

 

[AndyB]

Continuing the theme of small jobs that make a difference I decided to "finish off" the setting for my imposing detached house. Again, to avoid gaps I potted it in using air-drying clay.

 

I envisaged that this would once have been one of the more impressive residences in the town, so thought it deserved a long driveway,  lined with rhododendrons. 

 

A few years ago the children bought me a large bag of poppy flower scatter. Very kind, but there was enough to have modelled Flanders fields!  What I've done, therefore, was to scrunch up some smaller bits of seagrass, dob on a bit of PVA and apply a sprinkling of poppy flowers, fixed with hairspray.

 

For other colours I've used a grater on some frozen crayons. I can't take credit for this idea which very much needs to go to another contributor on RMweb; sorry, can't remember who came up with this but its great.

 

Hedges are scouring pad covered in grass mix. 

 

 

As an aside I bought this RTP building  having spotted it on a society secondhand stall (Medway Queen?) at the Alton show back in 2020 when I was wandering around the show with Mike @The Stationmaster. Hesitating as to whether it would look right or, with that turret, too Scottish. I had to go back to the show later once I'd thought about it.

 

Rather glad I did, now. But I think it needs a classic car outside the front door. 

 

Anyway, thanks for reading. 

Andy

 

 

[AndyB]

I found myself with half an hour to spare before work this morning so figured I'd tackle one of Metcalfe Models mini kits - the picnic benches, which will populate the pub's beer garden on the harbour front in due course. 

 

A perfect spot for a pint of prawns and a pint of beer on a Sunday afternoon. Some happy memories of that from my youth! 

 

This is a smashing little kit comprising a number of laser-cut parts to make up the benches and a printed sheet of umbrellas. 

A pair of curved-blade scissors is ideal to cut these out. And then you just need a short length of thin wire or plastic rod to finish the job.  

 

I just need to build the pub now!

 

 

 

 

As ever, thanks for reading my thread. 

Andy

[AndyB]

Hi all,

I've been toying with an idea about the scenic treatment in the station area of the layout recently.

 

Excuse the pun but I'm inclined to avoid an expanse of flat baseboard in front of the station.

 

So I'd value any thoughts on this idea, where I'm proposing to have ground slope down towards the tracks, implying a hint of headland beyond the layout perhaps? 

 

I'm also thinking of simplifying the town scene behind the station - a bit too fussy for my taste at the moment. 

 

 

 

 

A minor edit to add some measurements. 

As presented at the moment the "hill" would be about 30' scale with a 50% gradient towards the run round loop. That gradient seems a bit steep to me unless it was a deep, precipitous cutting. 

Edited September 10, 2021 by AndyB
Approximate incline gradient added

[stivesnick]

Hi Andy 

 

I am not a geography expert in any sense, but I am not sure a small hill would feel right. If there was a headland, then I think it would have a more rocky edge to match the rocky edge of the town that you are thinking about. 

 

As I think I suggested before, your best bet is to look at some aerial photos around the coast to find something that you would like to model. 

 

Regards 

 

Nick 

 

 

[AndyB]

Hi @stivesnick Nick, thanks for responding. If I've followed your train of thought, are you envisaging the front of the scene being something like Ventnor? I may have the wrong end of the stick though. 

 

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/v/ventnor/

 

"Old Station Road, Ventnor" for anyone wanting to see this on Google maps.

[CameronL]

On 10/09/2021 at 16:50, AndyB said:

As presented at the moment the "hill" would be about 30' scale with a 50% gradient towards the run round loop. That gradient seems a bit steep to me unless it was a deep, precipitous cutting. 

Hi Andy

 

The town's retaining wall behind the station suggests that the whole station is on levelled ground cut out of the coastal slopes. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that the coastline included a headland, which was cut through to form the station area. In this case it would be a cutting rather than a slope.   The advantage of a cutting is that it would then give you a flat scenic area at the top of the headland which could be the home of a feature building such as a lighthouse, linked to the town by a narrow bridge. This would also give you an interesting scenic break on the station area.

 

Best wishes

 

Cam

[AndyB]

1 hour ago, CameronL said:

Hi Andy

 

The town's retaining wall behind the station suggests that the whole station is on levelled ground cut out of the coastal slopes. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility that the coastline included a headland, which was cut through to form the station area. In this case it would be a cutting rather than a slope.   The advantage of a cutting is that it would then give you a flat scenic area at the top of the headland which could be the home of a feature building such as a lighthouse, linked to the town by a narrow bridge. This would also give you an interesting scenic break on the station area.

 

Best wishes

 

Cam

 

Hi Cam,

Thanks for your thoughts. I think you are right...and I believe it may be what Nick was getting at also.

Something like this?

 

 

I'd envisage a rock treatment on the cutting. And doing the same on the other side of the station and throat.

Interesting idea about a lighthouse. 

Andy

[CameronL]

Hi again Andy.

 

That profile really seems to fit the bill. 

As far as Lighthouses go, Langley models do a nice N scale one but it's 20 cm tall and might be a bit big for the location. However, their picture shows it standing on a jetty. Because of its raised location a headland lighthouse could be shorter and seen from a distance.

 

All the best

 

Cam

[AndyB]

I've extrapolated the idea and this is where I've got to so far with a gap left for a lighthouse. I'm certainly no expert on these but I sort of associate them with rocky coasts rather than the mud-flats I've modelled. However, as they say, there's a prototype for everything. 

 

The Langley models 200mm one would be too tall. But this could be a nice subject for a smaller scratch build in the future. 

 

Some interesting examples here:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lighthouses_in_England

 

 

N.B. I used the packaging from a box of Fuller's London Pride on this hill. Technically this has left a couple of bottles of beer lying around and I feel I should probably find a home for these right now. 

 

Edited September 12, 2021 by AndyB