AndrewG Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Finally plucked up the courage to share progress on a small diorama I've been working on since the Autumn, intended as a way of reintroducing myself to the hobby. So here goes.... The Prototype Broomhope Siding was located near Reedsmouth, Northumberland, on the Morpeth to Bellingham "Wanney" line. The siding supplied an armaments testing facility in the Broomhope valley below. The siding didn't see regular traffic, and main line locomotives ( J27's, J25's, J21's) would usually disappear down the siding and return with a solitary box van before heading on to Reedsmouth with a goods pickup. The operators of the site Vickers Armstrong had small shunting engines down in the valley but as far as I am aware, no records have been found as to what locomotives these were. The Diorama I have chosen to model a small section of single track, somewhere between the mainline junction and the actual testing facility down in the valley bottom. Artistic licence has been applied (a soon to be modified Dapol water tower to act as a view blocker and the relocation of the siding gates a few hundred metres towards the valley) but the scene is based around an ungated road crossing which did exist on the approach to the facility. I have also recreated the gradient, with a gradient of about 1 in 55 (15mm over about 2ft 6" ish) rising from right to left as you view the scene. I don't have a vast collection of locomotives or rolling stock to call upon, so part of the appeal of this location was that I could run prototypically short trains and as such, the fiddle yards are only 330mm long, which will give me just enough scope to run a larger locomotive plus one /van wagon, or a shunter plus two vans/wagons. Construction The idea behind this Diorama was partly to test my skills in layout building on something small, rather than biting off more than I can chew, and also partly the result of living in a very small house! The cabinetry is all home made, with a 3" x 1" base frame and 6mm MDF sides, ends, and fascia. The total footprint of the unit is 3ft 8" x 1ft 5", with a scenic run of around 2ft 11". Fiddle yards are a bit of an experiment, and are built in to the unit on hinges so that they fold down and cantilever on hooks/chain. The landscape is extruded foam, shaped as required and then covered in paper mache. If there is anything I have missed, or you'd like to know, then please just ask. Cheers. 17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Andrew D Posted March 8, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 8, 2021 This looks really interesting! Looking forward to following your progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcanman Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 (edited) Nice work. Looks like an interesting little project. Good to see a model of a Northumberland backwater, an area rarely modelled. The forthcoming Oxford Rail J27 will look great on your layout . Edited March 9, 2021 by Alcanman error 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewG Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 Absolutely Alcanman, I've been waiting patiently for a release date for the J27! Anyway, a couple more shots to show the experimental fiddle yard setup....(The lid/fascia are a work in progress) 11 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Sweet pea Posted March 9, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 9, 2021 Andrew I like your baseboard design and the fiddle yard setup. The scenic structure flows nicely and I'm looking forward to seeing this layout progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcanman Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 That's a really neat, compact set up. I can just imagine a J27 with a single van trundling past. The J27 would probably be supplied by South Blyth (52F) shed. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lincolnshire Poacher Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 This is shaping up nicely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enfys_Rainbow Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Really nice, I like the presentation - top notch! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ighten Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 Like the whole idea of the fiddle yard set up 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewG Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 Thanks for all the kind comments everyone. Yeah I'm pretty pleased with how the baseboard design has worked out, the challenge now is to do it justice with some half-decent modelling..... Big plans for this weekend......painting and weathering about 5 feet of fencing.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewG Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 Evening All. Thought I'd share an update of progress since I last posted an update. The styrene strip fencing has now been painted (two thinly applied coats of Humbrol 173 Track) and weathered using powders (white, yellow and a muddy green colours). I'm reasonably happy with how its turned out, although on reflection I could have used slightly finer styrene - its possibly slightly over scale. Anyway, all in all, the fencing took about 10 hours, attacked in 30 minute bursts to stop me from losing the will.... Siding gates have been added to the fencing, based on photographs of the prototype gates. A combination of ratio spear fencing and styrene strip doing the trick. And finally, the road surface is just about finished, save for a few minor pothole repairs that I've noticed this evening. I'm sure other people on here could have achieved the same surface finish in a much easier fashion, but my convoluted approach was as follows.....Initial road surface of 2mm grey card glued on top of the extruded foam, grey card painted with gloss black and sprinkled with sieved chinchilla dust whilst still wet (technique borrowed from Gordon Gravett). Once dry, and the excess removed, the messy process of using dust from artists pastels (grey, black, brown, white) to achieve the desired colour. The road is probably a touch too wide, but the grass verge will eat in to the width when it comes to that time. After all that, a quick running session was enjoyed. A J15 trundling through, a long way from home.... Finally, thanks again for all the encouraging comments! 9 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernBlue80s Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 Looking good. Nice neat methodical modeling. I bet you are glad you have that fencing finished! Not sure what your plans are. But perhaps consider a tree or two or a low building or whatever to hide the entrance and exit holes. Cheers Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Solo Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2021 Really liking this so far - great sense of 'space' in a small space; have always found the idea of a lonely single track in the landscape quite irresistible. Those gates look particularly good, looking forward to further updates Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Sweet pea Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 19, 2021 This is looking really nice, will be interesting watching the foliage come together. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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