RMweb Premium Popular Post corneliuslundie Posted March 1, 2021 RMweb Premium Popular Post Share Posted March 1, 2021 (edited) I was spurred on to start this thread, to which I hope others will contribute, partly by receiving for Christmas the book “Unconsidered trifles” by Geoff Kent (Wild Swan, 2020); but also by our daily walks in the country near Newtown during the last year, when I have begun seeing details of the landscape I had never previously noticed. And the title? Well, one of the most famous sayings of St David seems to be “Look after the little things” – though I hope he was saying something more profound on the occasion when he was preaching and the ground is reported to raised up in a hill under him so that everyone could hear and see him. So an appropriate title for a thread initiated on St David’s Day. I hope it will spur readers to think about the apparently insignificant and easily forgotten details they can add to their models outside the railway boundary. A specific item spotted which prompted me to start was this gate. Now we all know that farmers never waste anything, and this exemplifies it: it has been turned upside down when the bottom was too corroded and bent to keep lambs in the field, and it has long lost its hinges and catch, their replacements being the standard issue baler twine. To be fair, soon after we spotted it we saw the farmer discussing its replacement with a colleague. Other gates which are past their sell by date have other uses. This looks as thought it was a weak point in the hedge or fence which needed reinforcing. Not all gates are so decrepit. Here are two which are still relatively new and not too bent. There are many different styles, but the two main different ways can be seen here of making them proof against young animals: either closer rails at the bottom or mesh welded over the lower part. I chose this, admittedly unusual, example, because it demonstrates that for gate posts you can use almost anything from your spare bits box: one of round timber on the right (they are often hollow), one cut from an RSJ and a second steel one of U section. The centre post is removeable. Of course some gates have passed their use-by dates not because they are falling apart but because farming methods or land ownership has changed, making them redundant. It is noticeable that whereas there are still many timber gates in garden walls, fences and hedges, all the farm gates are now galvanised steel, whatever the material used for the gateposts and fences. I’ll come back to gates another time, but for the future I intend looking at manholes, fire hydrant points etc and their signing; stiles and pedestrian gates; drain covers; and the often surprising paraphernalia one finds in fields. As my offerings will inevitably be rural, it would be good to have some contributions of the ephemera one finds in urban areas. And of course even rural things will be different in other parts of the country. Jonathan Edited April 6, 2022 by corneliuslundie replace pics 16 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir douglas Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 farmers bridge made from concrete sleepers cast iron coal hole in a wall drive way gate disappearing into ivy fence made of rail at Crofton depot 17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Bird Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 All good stuff. The little, apparently insignificant, details can make a world of difference to the overall scene when included. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
watfordtmc Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Something a little more urban... ... complete with my unpolished toecaps! Plenty of Post Office Telephones access lids about but tbis is something a little more unusual. Image taken 28/02/2021, five minutes walk from Watford Junction. Regards TMc 01/02/2021 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted March 1, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 1, 2021 6 hours ago, sir douglas said: armers bridge made from concrete sleepers Which neatly seques into another tale of Dewi Sant; apparently he was in the habit of standing up to his waist in a freezing stream for hours at a time in order to, as he put it, 'subdue the demons of the flesh'. Two thoughts occur, firstly, what an idiot. Secondly, hours?. What a Man!!! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted March 1, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 1, 2021 An old gate (post) complete with associated pedestrian access. This was an entrance to a mine site. There is a second near identical gate site about 200m further down the track that this is on. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 (edited) From Suburbia... A load of bollards: Tubular steel gate on common ground: From the seaside, a severely weathered storage box: Edited March 2, 2021 by Ray Von 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted March 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2021 There's a little hairy chap that seems to be a feature of most of those photos; does he (of course he may be a she for all I know) count as a little thing? 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted March 3, 2021 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2021 Animated model dogs. Now there's a thought. Well, those little ones certainly don't stay still long. Jonathan 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted March 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2021 Taliesin the cat at Cwmdimbath has been dozing on the top of the same pile of goods on the loading platform for over 4 years now, no point in attempting to animate him. He's almost as slow as a British Leyland assembly line worker! He's on the payroll, the station has a budget for his healthcare and food, as a ratter, but I cant honestly say he's much use; may have been a mistake giving him the vetinary diet that made him two stones lighter! That said, I've never seen a rat at Cwmdimbath. Sheepses, sometimes flying midgeses in summer pretending to be 4mm sparrowses, but not ratses. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted March 3, 2021 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2021 There is a cat sleeping in the sun outside the farmhouse on Sarn. It ignores the local sheepdogs (which I still have to obtain!). Jonathan 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted March 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2021 Some more photos of the mundane from my walk today. 1st up a modern bike rack. Next, a village pump. just as appropriate for layouts set in the past as those set in current times. Finally an old style cattle grid on an ancient track heading into a tin streaming works. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted March 3, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 3, 2021 How many textures can you see on the harbours breakwater wall? Model it like that and just how quickly will you be told that it is wrong. 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 16 hours ago, The Johnster said: There's a little hairy chap that seems to be a feature of most of those photos; does he (of course he may be a she for all I know) count as a little thing? I think the kids nowadays call it "Photo-bombing"(?) He's a he by the way and kept on walking into shot! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold simonmcp Posted March 3, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 3, 2021 3 hours ago, Kris said: How many textures can you see on the harbours breakwater wall? Model it like that and just how quickly will you be told that it is wrong. Pity we can't go in the pub that's behind you in that shot. Of course the inner harbour used to have an extensive rail network accesed from the incline. It's Portreath in Cornwall for those that don't know, I'm sat at home about 1 and a half miles away. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDR Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 On 01/03/2021 at 16:04, The Johnster said: Which neatly seques into another tale of Dewi Sant; apparently he was in the habit of standing up to his waist in a freezing stream for hours at a time in order to, as he put it, 'subdue the demons of the flesh'. Two thoughts occur, firstly, what an idiot. Secondly, hours?. What a Man!!! ...and on his grave they wrote but one word. PILLOCK. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted March 5, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 5, 2021 And then they built a cathedral over it to keep the rain off. An epitaph suitable for more than one of the early christian hardliners, but it’s probably unfair to judge them by the mores of our time. Even by the standards of those days, though, some of them seem to have been a bit, er, odd, and ready to believe in miracles. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM42 Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 One for the industrial areas This wall is in fact the parapet of a bridge over a branch of a relatively small river that runs through town. The square infills were once red painted steel plates. Being a town with many factories the purpose was to allow the fire brigade to easily access the river below with their pumps Andy 5 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium figworthy Posted March 7, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 7, 2021 20 hours ago, SM42 said: One for the industrial areas This wall is in fact the parapet of a bridge over a branch of a relatively small river that runs through town. The square infills were once red painted steel plates. Being a town with many factories the purpose was to allow the fire brigade to easily access the river below with their pumps Andy There were (are ?) quite a lot of them in Birmingham and Black Country giving access to the canals for the same reason. Adrian 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold phil_sutters Posted March 8, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) A few little things from this neck of the woods. I have included the bizarre bird - one of series that mysteriously and anonymously were installed around Seaford a few years back - because not many bits of public artwork appear in model railway layouts. Roots of a fallen tree - A protective cage around a tree - A weathered ply fence at the back of West Quay - Newhaven A fairly modern wicket gate which has replaced the brick-built stile which has been worn away over the years - Edited March 8, 2021 by phil_sutters 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted March 8, 2021 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) Brilliant posts. One things I have realised in the past year is that even minor roads and lanes have surprisingly complicated drainage and water supply systems buried under them. The drains are often inadequate in very wet weather, but in normal times take not only rainfall from the roads but also run-off from the adjacent fields. And if our local area is anything to go by the drain covers are even more varied than the farm gates. These two examples are on opposite sides of the same lane: while this one is a little further down the lane – and there are at least four other sizes and styles. Presumably the variation is a result of either changes to the drainage over the years or replacement of damaged drain covers. An interesting feature is that in three places along the lane field drains from the “uphill” side of the road, run under the road by a culvert and then produce a stream running down a small valley which is lined with trees – around here it is easy to spot streams from along away off by their associated trees. This would be a good way to “lose” a stream into the background of a layout. This, incidentally, is the “parapet” of the “bridge” across the first of those streams. The stream issues just below the road. Obviously not a priority for repair by the council. In itself it might make a nice little set piece. While adding drain covers to a model may be a bit over the top in 4 mm and certainly a job only for masochists in 2 mm, they would be worth the effort in 7 mm. On the other hand, a stream like those shown here would be a rather large feature in 7 mm but possibly in 4 mm and a very nice feature in 2 mm. Jonathan Edited April 6, 2022 by corneliuslundie Replacing photos 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold simonmcp Posted March 8, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 8, 2021 8 hours ago, corneliuslundie said: Brilliant posts. One things I have realised in the past year is that even minor roads and lanes have surprisingly complicated drainage and water supply systems buried under them. The drains are often inadequate in very wet weather, but in normal times take not only rainfall from the roads but also run-off from the adjacent fields. And if our local area is anything to go by the drain covers are even more varied than the farm gates. These two examples are on opposite sides of the same lane: while this one is a little further down the lane – and there are at least four other sizes and styles. Presumably the variation is a result of either changes to the drainage over the years or replacement of damaged drain covers. An interesting feature is that in three places along the lane field drains from the “uphill” side of the road, run under the road by a culvert and then produce a stream running down a small valley which is lined with trees – around here it is easy to spot streams from along away off by their associated trees. This would be a good way to “lose” a stream into the background of a layout. This, incidentally, is the “parapet” of the “bridge” across the first of those streams. The stream issues just below the road. Obviously not a priority for repair by the colucil. In itself it might make a nice little set piece. While adding drain covers to a model may be a bit over the top in 4 mm and certianly a job only for masochists in 2 mm, they would be worth the effort in 7 mm. On the other hand, a stream like those shown here would be a rather large feature in 7 mm but possibly in 4 mm and a very nice feature in 2 mm. Jonathan Faller, Noch, Langley and Scale model Scenery do etched or laser cut drain covers in a variety of sizes and shapes. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Prize for least likely to be modelled? - Outlet on a Wastewater Treatment Plant... 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted March 15, 2021 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 15, 2021 (edited) Please keep them coming. More watery things this week. It is surprising how many fire hydrant and other markers there are in the countryside. Some are concrete, and may be painted all over, like this. Others also concrete may be blue. I have not worked out why, but perhaps someone here knows. Others just have the plate yellow; and they can be pretty unobtrusive. And they don’t necessarily come alone. Again, not very conspicuous. There are also places where the plate is fixed to a fence. I am not sure why we have both here. Sometimes, but by no means always, the manhole or cover is also painted so one can find it in the undergrowth. Any why have one when you can have four! Note that two have SV and two have WO. And if you can’t get hold of castings for these things, and don’t feel up to scratch building, then a bit of blue paint will suffice. Next time, things seen in fields. Jonathan PS Not surer why some are rotated. The originals are the right way up and they were when originally posted. I'll sort when I work out how. Edited April 6, 2022 by corneliuslundie Replacing photos 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Back of a local church noticeboard. I have tried to replicate this for the back of a sign on my layout . steve 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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