Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, Regularity said:

Because hand brakes do not exert as much force onto the wheels as “power brakes” (even vacuum).

It’s not just about photos of the prototype, but understanding the prototype where possible.

 

Definitely. I wouldn't want to pick a fight with a shunter who could bend the W irons apart by swinging on the handbrake lever!

[MrWolf]

On 16/09/2021 at 18:49, chuffinghell said:

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/8FWCD_MMD_M
 

 

Thanks Chris, I have watched and absorbed that video, been out and bought a PP9 battery, found some 1mm flock and a bit of old cardboard, so prepare yourselves for some proper swearing....

 

BTW, Miss R saw the ear stretchers that the presenter was wearing and thinks it would be a hilarious prank to stick a padlock and chain through it and round a farm gate in the middle of nowhere.

 

 

[chuffinghell]

11 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Thanks Chris, I have watched and absorbed that video, been out and bought a PP9 battery, found some 1mm flock and a bit of old cardboard, so prepare yourselves for some proper swearing....

I think you’ll surprise yourself

 

14 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

BTW, Miss R saw the ear stretchers that the presenter was wearing and thinks it would be a hilarious prank to stick a padlock and chain through it and round a farm gate in the middle of nowhere.

 

 

 

I admit that he’s really good at what he does and I’ve watch several of his videos but I struggle to look at the ears without feeling a little queasy

 

[chuffinghell]

I found this very interesting

 

 

 

 

[MrWolf]

On 18/09/2021 at 16:19, chuffinghell said:

I think you’ll surprise yourself

 

You were right:

 

First attempt:

 

 

 

Lesson - the basing glue is very thin compared to PVA and dries very quickly. Have everything ready and don't spread the glue out too far. 

Please ignore the colour, it's some stuff that came with the applicator and isn't from WWS.

 

Second attempt:

 

 

 

Lesson - Don't bother with the tiny bags of static grass unless it's for detailing a specific area. It's all used up on about 12x6 inches.

 

I've ordered something considerably less bright as my base colour and will lighten it with layers and clumps.

 

More practice needed!

 

On 18/09/2021 at 16:19, chuffinghell said:

 

I admit that he’s really good at what he does and I’ve watch several of his videos but I struggle to look at the ears without feeling a little queasy

 

 

I'm not a big fan of piercings, with the traditional exception of ears, let alone body modification, it can make one rather vulnerable. A friend of mine still regrets having an eyebrow pierced in the morning and then play fighting with an ex RAF Doberman in the afternoon...

I got into an altercation with a chap who had one of those curved bars through his nose that looks like someone chrome plated a head cold. He was apparently offended by a badge on my leather jacket and decided to take me to task over it.

A little jab with the heel of my hand under the septum changed his mind.

 

Please don't try this at home... 

Edited August 20, 2022 by MrWolf

[JustinDean]

31 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

You were right:

 

First attempt:

 

 

Lesson - the basing glue is very thin compared to PVA and dries very quickly. Have everything ready and don't spread the glue out too far. 

Please ignore the colour, it's some stuff that came with the applicator and isn't from WWS.

 

Second attempt:

 

 

Lesson - Don't bother with the tiny bags of static grass unless it's for detailing a specific area. It's all used up on about 12x6 inches.

 

I've ordered something considerably less bright as my base colour and will lighten it with layers and clumps.

 

More practice needed!

 

 

I'm not a big fan of piercings, with the traditional exception of ears, let alone body modification, it can make one rather vulnerable. A friend of mine still regrets having an eyebrow pierced in the morning and then play fighting with an ex RAF Doberman in the afternoon...

I got into an altercation with a chap who had one of those curved bars through his nose that looks like someone chrome plated a head cold. He was apparently offended by a badge on my leather jacket and decided to take me to task over it.

A little jab with the heel of my hand under the septum changed his mind.

 

Please don't try this at home... 

Good start! I don’t think the colour looks too bad, at least it’s not some of the glow in the dark looking stuff I’ve seen about. 
 

Jay

[Rowsley17D]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

 

Lesson - Don't bother with the tiny bags of static grass unless it's for detailing a specific area. It's all used up on about 12x6 inches.

 

 

I hope it's not teaching grandma (what big teeth you've got)  but did you hoover off the excess with a pop sock over the tube?

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, chuffinghell said:

I found this very interesting

 

 

 

 

 

So did I. Ended up flattening my battery watching more of his videos, very knowledgeable bloke, as for the railway, this is why most of us are not allowed to win the lottery, we'd get all carried away!

[MrWolf]

5 minutes ago, Rowsley17D said:

 

I hope it's not teaching grandma (what big teeth

you've got)  but did you hoover off the excess with a pop sock over the tube?

 

I did not! 

 

Instead I was going to huff..... and puff..... and.....

[MrWolf]

56 minutes ago, JustinDean said:

Good start! I don’t think the colour looks too bad, at least it’s not some of the glow in the dark looking stuff I’ve seen about. 
 

Jay

 

Thanks Jay, I'm taking the advice of the ears bloke in the video and starting with the darkest and shortest fibres, working upwards with longer and lighter fibres. 

I will be defining the railway property with a coarser finish to indicate where it's taken down with a scythe rather than a four legged mower.

You were right, it's good putting in the grass when you get going. The people in the videos make it look easy and it is! 

 

Now the big question....

 

Do I need to put in the fences first? Particularly the wire railway boundary?

Edited September 18, 2021 by MrWolf

[JustinDean]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

 

Thanks Jay, I'm taking the advice of the ears bloke in the video and starting with the darkest and shortest fibres, working upwards with longer and lighter fibres. 

I will be defining the railway property with a coarser finish to indicate where it's taken down with a scythe rather than a four legged mower.

You were right, it's good putting in the grass when you get going. The people in the videos make it look easy and it is! 

 

Now the big question....

 

Do I need to put in the fences first? Particularly the wire railway boundary?

Good to hear this! 
I’ve had the same question with dry stone walls. On the first Middleton Top board I grassed first and walled second. I’ll be trying the other way round on the second board. I can’t see any obvious advantages either way but I stand to be corrected. 
 

Jay

[MrWolf]

The master of overgrown railway fencing on here, (complete with correctly spaced wires) would be @KNP. Maybe he can give us some pointers as to which came first, the grass or the fence?

 

[Graham T]

My money's on grass first

[MrWolf]

On reflection, I think that you're right. It would be impossible to use the layering sprays and not get the fencing all hairy.

[chuffinghell]

Because I use the layering spray I put my fence in afterwards

 

I put masking tape on the top of bridge retaining walls and I held a piece of card up against the drystone wall it to stop getting the layering spray on it

 

 

 

[MrWolf]

That undergrowth looks so natural Chris. It's also good to see that you have put the fencing wire on the right side of the posts.

The wire is always stapled to the field side of the posts, it's almost unbreakable. If it was stapled to the railway side, a half ton cow pushing against the wire would soon pull the staples out of the wooden posts.

[chuffinghell]

7 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

That undergrowth looks so natural

it’s just bits of leftover seafoam and a flock sprinkled on the static grass

 

10 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

It's also good to see that you have put the fencing wire on the right side of the posts.

it also hides the mess made when using superglue 

[MrWolf]

I'm not looking forward to wiring up all that fencing. Did you use the wire supplied with the fencing kits?

[chuffinghell]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

I'm not looking forward to wiring up all that fencing. Did you use the wire supplied with the fencing kits?

I didn’t use wire I glued the posts to nickel silver rod that way it stayed rigid so I didn’t have to try an tension the wire

[MrWolf]

That.... really is cheating... I like the idea!

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, MrWolf said:

one of those curved bars through his nose that looks like someone chrome plated a head cold.

I wish I'd said that!

 

O. Wilde

[St Enodoc]

8 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

So did I. Ended up flattening my battery watching more of his videos, very knowledgeable bloke, as for the railway, this is why most of us are not allowed to win the lottery, we'd get all carried away!

I'm sure you've all see this topic:

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/110677-heaton-lodge-junction/

[KNP]

In answer to MrWolf's question in what came first, in actual fact both!!!

 

The Ratio fence was constructed using lightweight fishing line on the workbench using a jig, angles of slopes measured and constructed to using a template.

Static grass applied to form the base layer and then pre-built fencing installed.

Generally every other post cut to ground level to reduce the amount of hole drilling, this could very depending on the ground slope, lumps, bumps etc.

As fishing line used it could be tensioned and the picture shows how any thing and everything used to get the post vertical and in line.

Super glue used, liquid version so it could run into the post holes.

 

 

 

 

Yellow clip gathers and holds all seven strands together and then tensioned then the pliers resting on the pencil rubber to hold it all in place.

The piece from the bridge to the pliers was about the longest length I would use, the bit by the bridge was glued the previous night and left to set.

I always left about 150 to 200mm excess at the ends so there was something to grab hold of when tensioning, the next fence would start at the next post and when finished one side would be trimmed and other sides strands used to fill the gap gluing individually with super glue and accelerator, any odds joints would be hidden behind a plant or something.

 

Typical piece of fencing constructed

 

 

Jig

 

 

And that is how I got the strands so straight......

 

Once all glued then additional static grass, clumps of grass matting, horsehair, added to what you see now, a multi stage operation.

 

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by KNP

[Andrew P]

15 hours ago, chuffinghell said:

I found this very interesting

 

 

 

 

 

 

14 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

So did I. Ended up flattening my battery watching more of his videos, very knowledgeable bloke, as for the railway, this is why most of us are not allowed to win the lottery, we'd get all carried away!

I was supposed to be going to see it with a mate of mine who was doing the weathering on the Coal Wagons for him, but with Covid, and then the move to the WRONG end of the Country, it never happened.

I still do the Lottery though.

[KNP]

In addition, if you look at the far bank you can see the additional small clumps of grass matting cut and trimmed to different lengths to give that overgrown feel and was layed in and around the fencing to start making it look like it was part of the scenery.

 

 

As I said multi layers of which the static grass was the first.