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Gill Head: Kirkby Luneside's neighbour


Physicsman
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45 minutes ago, Physicsman said:

Further update.

 

The viaduct has now had 12 washes and it's taking longer for each one, so I'm hoping another 2 will finish the job.

 

I'll put some pics on here tomorrow showing the "grey" state of affairs. This won't be the end as accentuating coats of white and black (separately!!) will be added afterwards.

 

I suppose 20 hours of painting is pretty insignificant in the overall scheme of viaduct things!

 

Jeff

 

Btw, Andy - if you look in - your images today in "Show me yours" are excellent.

I do look in most days to see and read what's new.

 

Excellent work.

 

I have loads of photos, (about 100 or so now) and another 15 Videos for when it goes.

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It certainly looks a very similar colour/shade to the goods shed, Jeff so if that's what you're aiming for then you're not too far away from what I assume is your base colour?

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4 minutes ago, Rowsley17D said:

It certainly looks a very similar colour/shade to the goods shed, Jeff so if that's what you're aiming for then you're not too far away from what I assume is your base colour?

 

Hi Jonathan.

 

We had a long conversation earlier in this thread about grey tones. My aim was to get close to the "real thing" (ha ha, as discussed, all depends on the lighting) and to the goods shed - which I'd linked to the prototype in 2017.

 

So all I've been doing is applying the grey mix I made up over 3 months ago, building up the washes until it got close to the shed. I'm happy with the result, so now it's time to apply some "weathering".

 

It is possible to go on FOREVER with the grey conundrum, so once consistency within the layout is achieved it seems a good place to stop. Besides, I'm fed up with painting the damn thing!!!!

 

Jeff

 

 

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5 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

Excellent work Jeff, it's all been worth the man hours for the results achieved.

 

Cheers, Andy. But be careful what you say - the strident feminists will be after you..... "people hours", surely, not MAN hours!

 

 The world has gone bl**dy barmy!

 

Btw, RIP Murray Walker.

 

Jeff

 

 

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1 hour ago, Physicsman said:

I've attached some pics showing what's been done over the last week.

 

Bear in mind the following points....

 

  • DAS stones are a bu99er to paint with dilute washes (yes, you could take the atomic blast viewpoint and smear the surface with thick gunge - no thanks). Even with the surface slightly roughened there is a "reluctance" to take and hold paint. As a result, it's taken 14 grey washes to get to the point shown below.
  • I want to keep the grey tone fairly light, in keeping with some limestones. I've also been guided by the underview of Arten Gill (pic attached) and by trying to keep the tone in line with the main body of the goods shed, built in 2017, for consistency.
  • The arch liners and parapet areas require several more treatments.
  • A dilute "pointing" white wash will be applied tomorrow, followed by a wipe over with a darker mix to add in some "crud" (Alan Downes used to recommend black ink applied to a cloth and rubbed-in). 

First pic shows the viaduct pre-grey washes, the second onwards after 14 grey washes, with the goods shed sat as a "reference". The final pic is the underview of the real thing. Lighting is a major variable in taking these pics. The viaduct looks VERY grey to the eye, but very light to the camera if pointed left or grey-ER if pointed right, as in these pics.

 

Jeff

 

20210313_180852 rs.jpg

 

That photo looks spot on to me for colour.  Maybe you need to photograph it outside in natural light on a dull day for the best effect.

Superb job you have done so far.

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1 hour ago, Physicsman said:

I've attached some pics showing what's been done over the last week.

 

Bear in mind the following points....

 

  • DAS stones are a bu99er to paint with dilute washes (yes, you could take the atomic blast viewpoint and smear the surface with thick gunge - no thanks). Even with the surface slightly roughened there is a "reluctance" to take and hold paint. As a result, it's taken 14 grey washes to get to the point shown below

Fantastic stuff Jeff. I am not at all familiar with the DAS material you are using but is there not a primer of some sort that would have served?

Regards, 

Brian 

Edited by Brian D
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2 hours ago, Brian D said:

Fantastic stuff Jeff. I am not at all familiar with the DAS material you are using but is there not a primer of some sort that would have served?

Regards, 

Brian 

 

Hi Brian.

 

I could probably have used any number of primers but my concern with any of them is their tendency to fill in detail, such as small gaps in the blocks, smooth out surface texture etc.

 

So I stuck with my own version of a primer - dilute water based emulsion. It maintains surface detail and provides a (very small) key for the grey acrylic washes. Someone wiser than me will know a short cut, but I just used repeated washes to build the colour. Ironically, I'd say it was harder to paint the clay DAS surface than to put coatings of similar acrylics onto plastikard - despite the clay being porous. Yes, residual PVA from the gluing will have an effect but it took a while! Still, nothing compared to all those enjoyable, intellectually stimulating hours fitting stone blocks!! :laugh:

 

Jeff

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It looks great Jeff, it matches the goods shed vey well. I wouldn’t worry about comparing it to pics of the real thing. As has been discussed before, each of the prototype pics are different anyway...

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1 hour ago, Neilgue said:

It looks great Jeff, it matches the goods shed vey well. I wouldn’t worry about comparing it to pics of the real thing. As has been discussed before, each of the prototype pics are different anyway...

 

Neil, thanks for that very sensible, no-nonsense summary.

 

One of the problems with projects of this nature is a tendency to get so immersed in what you're doing that you sometimes DO miss seeing the "wood for the trees"!!

 

Jeff

 

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Evening Jeff,

The work that you have done on that is just stunning, pure stunning.  It might just be me, but does it need any more weathering???

 

I hope you are very proud of that achievement .. you should be!

 

Rich

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3 hours ago, lambiedg said:

It’s looking superb, Jeff.

The subtle tones are spot on.

I also think it’s an excellent idea to defer any further work until it’s in situ.

With that in mind what’s next on your agenda?

 

Hi David.

 

I still need to add a couple of additional light grey coats onto the arch liners. I could keep on with these forever, as they are difficult to cover - with their faces pointing downwards. However, the coverage will be more than adequate and it'll only ever be me (or my brother) who is likely to grovel at ground level staring up at them. And the camera, of course, for "that" picture.

 

At that point the viaduct can be shifted from the position it's been in, astride the room, since early November. I will position it in its final resting place and fix it there.

 

I need to sort out the rail-linkage at the far end - the bit where track is already fitted - and fix cork underlay and track onto the viaduct, connect up some electrics and make sure all of that is in order.

 

THEN the FUN really starts. A ply backboard (for behind the viaduct), a couple of 8' x 4' insulation boards (to build up hillsides), a couple of dozen rolls of mod-roc and some plaster.....and the landscape around the viaduct can take shape. This is my favourite bit of railway modelling, and unlike Kirkby Luneside 2, once this starts progress to at least a flock base (pre-static grass) should be swift. I can also plan out and build some new walling and rocks for the gill.

 

I always knew that building the viaduct would be a large bottleneck in the layout build, but without the viaduct my motivation to build yet another S&C job might not have been there. 

 

Time scale for having a base landscape in place, as above? Provided my builder's merchant has stuff in stock, 4-6 weeks, though new walling will go on and on and on.

 

No doubt I'll think of something else, but that's the general plan.

 

Oh, by the way, I'm sure some readers will find it puzzling/be bemused by my almost total LACK of reference to the railway in all of this. Regulars will understand by now that I only use the railway as an EXCUSE to create the landscapes.

 

Jeff

 

 

Edited by Physicsman
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3 hours ago, MarshLane said:

Evening Jeff,

The work that you have done on that is just stunning, pure stunning.  It might just be me, but does it need any more weathering???

 

I hope you are very proud of that achievement .. you should be!

 

Rich

 

Thanks Rich.

 

I am a VERY self-critical person and nothing is ever quite good enough or finished to me. So I need you gang to keep kicking me up the pants to keep me moving. No false praise, though, that's what I don't want. At which point, I noticed Jason had looked in earlier....

 

And yes, I have to admit that I am TOTALLY amazed at how well the viaduct has worked out!

 

Jeff

 

 

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Hi Jeff;

 

Okay, so I won't win any popularity contests with this...  but I also know you appreciate being pushed to do better, if it's done constructively.

 

Take a look at your prototype photos.  In fact, don't stop with those.  Take a careful look at stone viaducts in a half a dozen different places. 

 

What you will see is that the stone is less-than-homogeneous - there are inevitably lighter stones, and darker stones, that flavour the overall tone.  These differences do start to disappear with aging, and weathering, but they are there.

 

Your technique so far is great... but, and this is where it is subjective... you're almost hiding all that intricate handwork by washing with a single colour.  If you were to take a bit of time to pick out a few individual blocks, it would lift the textures, and really show of that craftsmanship.  (and yes, you'd need to re-wash over the top to to tone the differences down, but it would be worth it, when you look back in years to come...)

 

Also, with regard weathering: having a think about how those washes lie - they drip with gravity, so it *may* be easier to do some of those off layout before you place it in situ.   It depends how hard you are going to go with the lime runs and staining...

 

As always, just some thoughts from the other side...

 

Cheers

 

Scott

Edited by jukebox
typo
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Scott, great to hear from you. I hope things in Western Oz have improved since I last looked, and that you are well.

 

I really like the idea of highlighting a number of individual blocks and I'll probably give that a try - with a dummy run on the back of one of the piers. The viaduct won't be moving for a couple of weeks, so there's no problem there.

 

As you well know, I'm always game to try a good suggestion and a bit of thinking "outside the box". In my defence, the stone variation on the prototype is not especially apparent, but 2 or 3 blocks per pier might be worth looking at.

 

 Irrespective, thanks for the continued input.

 

Jeff

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I've just done a bit more arch-liner painting and rubbed the piers down with a very slightly damp cloth. Having dried, here's how it looks - in NATURAL lighting (admittedly, it's a bit indirect with the sun reflecting off the door into the Bunker).

 

 

20210316_142908.jpg

20210316_143050.jpg

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52 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

I've not commented before , i've just looked on in awe. That now is looking absolutely brilliant, a masterpiece of modelling.

 

Thank you, kind sir. Your comments are much appreciated.

 

Jeff

 

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I went into the Bunker to have a tidy-up, which was duly completed.

 

Then decided to move the viaduct onto it's L-frame to see how it looked....

 

.....then decided to cut some ply to serve as a base for a large, behind-the-viaduct backscene board.....

 

The pics show the "frame", made from surplus 12mm ply that was littering the place. So sticking it onto the wall is one way of getting rid of it! A sheet of 5mm ply will be ordered along with the insulation board ( for hillside building) and the 5mm will be cut to shape and fitted on top of the stuff you see today. Since the sheets come as 8' x 4', I'll be able to have a backscene board that fits almost to the ceiling, ideal for some of those low-Gill shots etc.

 

The viaduct is NOT in its final position. No point in that - I'm going to start fitting cork onto the road deck tomorrow so I can get some track down over the weekend.

 

 

20210318_160531.jpg

20210318_160551 rs.jpg

20210318_160613 rs.jpg

20210318_160426.jpg

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55 minutes ago, Rowsley17D said:

You're going to need a lot of sky paper!

 

May be true, but for the immediate future it'll be a board painted blue.

 

Problem I've had, and still have an issue with, is that paper backscenes - especially with sky areas - never match up, so best avoided.

 

 

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Looks good in its final position Jeff, just a shame that you can't get some distance between the far end of the viaduct and the back scene, so that looking through the arches gives some reality before the painted back scene hits.  Still modelling is all compromise isn't it and we can't have everything ... oh but if we could!! :)

 

Looking forward to seeing the first working over it?  Are you going to have a EM gauge early railways 1840s locomotive for the first move so you have the historic old glass plate negative for the Gill Head Museum?

 

Rich

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