Upbech St Mary, Upbech Drove and Pott Row a journey through 00 and then into EM and 009.

[sp1]

Sleepers: grey black, silver; a random mix with around 10-12 sleepers painted at a time then dusted with talc to mat the finish. The talc gives a finish quite difficult to describe as well as instantly drying the paint. The Halfords primer gives a good key to paint over.

 

Side of the rails: raw umber, burnt siena and yet more talc.

 

All paints are acrylic, either Daler Rowney system 3 or Crafters bottles picked up cheap in our local Works shop.

 

The sleeper colour had been applied without being too fussy about going up onto the rails. |This creates a natural variation in the rail side colour.

 

I always try to paint in a similar light to which the layout will be viewed. My style of painting is very free (firing from the hip!) with relevant paints on a disposable artists palette. I tend to use fairly stiff chisel ended brushes. Talc is applied using quite a large brush in this case quite a soft one. All brushes are cheap as I tend to wreck them quickly. Brushes are brought from places like The Works and in the past the Early learning Centre provided good brushes. I don't have a decent model shop within 90 minutes drive so scenically I tend to use a lot of things I can source locally. I do have a local Toymaster for a few things but haven't been in there for about a year and there is a very good art shop in Dorchester I use on occasion.

 

I used reference photos from 'Steam in East Anglia' by R.C. Riley for both track and ballast colouring.

 

Ballast is literally a small amount poured from the packet into a small tub and then mixed with a tiny amount of artists charcoal to get the weathered colour using a spoon then laid dry.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Martyn

Thank you!

An excellent description- will have a practice when I have a day off work

[NXEA!]

No problem, ask away.  I always use grey DAS mixed with PVA, which I read somewhere stops it cracking at a later date, and in this case revived with a little bit of water as it was older clay. Applied with the fingers and coloured once dry.

 

Martyn

 

Thank you Martyn, however I was referring to what colour you used paint/weather/blend the DAS clay, if you'd be willing to divulge your method - my apologies, my request wasn't clear! 

Edited August 26, 2018 by NXEA!

[mullie]

Thank you Martyn, however I was referring to what colour you used paint/weather/blend the DAS clay, if you'd be willing to divulge your method - my apologies, my request wasn't clear! 

 

No problem.

 

Leave it to dry and paint with a mixture of acrylics and talc, a mixture of raw umber and burnt sienna. This is a very basic colour at present and will get some highlights etc before static grass etc is applied.

 

Upbech is on the edge of the fens so the blackish soil is not needed and season wise we will be in early autumn as the leaf colour is turning, the beginning of the sugar beet season.

[mullie]

Experiments with couplings.

 

I wanted something a little less obtrusive so decided to experiment with something I saw at Expo EM. Apparently there was an article in MRJ but I didn't see it so made this up as I went along. Should have asked whilst at Expo but the idea of trying this didn't occur to me at the time.

 

A 3mm mk1 S&W coupling has a very short piece of 0.45 handrail wire soldered to it allowing for delayed uncoupling, an S&W coupling bass is soldered up as normal. The pictures should explain things and these couplings are a much lower profile than the 4mm version, the added wire is not as long as it appears in the photo being no higher than the coupling hook

 

 

 

 

The couplings will be blackened later.

Edited September 1, 2018 by mullie

[mullie]

Running trials tonight. Not having run for around six months the trams do need a bit of s service and the track has had a thorough clean after all the work to ballast and paint it.

 

 

 

Everything in the photos is either kit or scratch built.

[Edwardian]

Nice to see, Mullie

[south_tyne]

Good to see the GER trams stretching their legs again Mullie. Pleased you are making progress

[mullie]

Apart from a small gap in the early 90s I have taken the Railway Modeller since 1978. After a lot of thought however, I decided not to renew my subscription this year. To be honest, I don't always get time to read it so from now on will be an occasional purchaser Now I've moved into EM it is also less relevant some months to be honest.

 

I like to have a magazine to read each month so whilst in Bournemouth last week scanned the shelves of Smiths to see what else there was of interest. Unusually none of the modelling or prototype railway magazines took my fancy so I picked up this:

 

 

It is a really interesting read demonstrating quite a different approach that is more appropriate now I am building such a small layout and I will certainly be using some of the ideas in it. I will also be doing some diorama modelling as part of the Portland Railway project.

 

There has been other progress on rolling stock, more details soon.

[mullie]

This shows the modified mark 1 S&W coupling fitted to an LMS open still in pre war livery (rule 1 anybody).

 

The couplings are blackened using a method I've tried but had not heard of before. I bought a pen version of gun touch up paint but this one is black. It is really good for quickly coloring couplings and seems to stick on etched brass. Found the pen on Ebay.

 

 

I have a gun blue pen as well that I have used for toning down valve gear.

[mullie]

Not much time again the week, but a small amount of progress as the J72 chassis is now chipped.

 

 

The body offers challenges as the steps foul the EM chassis. I do have some Comet generic steps so I will probably use those as a basis for something close to a J72. At the moment I'm currently expanding the wagon fleet so this will have to wait a few weeks.

[Alex TM]

Apart from a small gap in the early 90s I have taken the Railway Modeller since 1978. After a lot of thought however, I decided not to renew my subscription this year. To be honest, I don't always get time to read it so from now on will be an occasional purchaser Now I've moved into EM it is also less relevant some months to be honest.

 

I like to have a magazine to read each month so whilst in Bournemouth last week scanned the shelves of Smiths to see what else there was of interest. Unusually none of the modelling or prototype railway magazines took my fancy so I picked up this:

 

Modelling mag.jpg

 

It is a really interesting read demonstrating quite a different approach that is more appropriate now I am building such a small layout and I will certainly be using some of the ideas in it. I will also be doing some diorama modelling as part of the Portland Railway project.

 

There has been other progress on rolling stock, more details soon.

HI,

 

Having dabbled in military modelling over the years I have often found much in those magazines that is directly applicable to model railways.  Perhaps the most obvious is with small or cameo layouts, however railway modellers could learn a great deal from the figure painting techniques of the military and wargaming fraternity.

 

Anyway, looking forward to seeing more developments with this.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[mullie]

This layout will be used for freight traffic only, the station buildings being saved for when Pott Row is rebuilt. Therefore I'm digging through boxes of buildings looking for possibilities. This is loosely based on the goods shed at Walton on the Naze and could work once bedded in and the doors detailed properly. It was built in the mid 90s.

 

 

I don't want to use any kits so scratch built things it will have to be!

Edited October 8, 2018 by mullie

[mullie]

I wasn't happy with the fiddle yard approach as it seemed to have a slight slope in it so up it came to be relaid.

 

 

The layout is proving to be what I want it to be, something I can simply switch on and operate. Using the layout suggested the need for a fiddle yard cassette with no sides for shunting purposes, perfectly adequate when stock does not need to be removed, this can be seen in the following photo:

 

 

The cassette with sides can also be seen in this photo. The track was undercoated tonight, painting and ballasting will follow then the last piece of back scene wood can be put in before I create a simple back scene painted onto artists mounting card.

 

I have also made a small amount of progress with the J72. Photos of 69012 and 69013 are scarce in their days at Ipswich.

 

 

[mullie]

Although very small the layout allows for some interesting shunting. The kick back siding holds three wagons.

 

 

J70 is staple motive power at the moment. After a lot of wheel cleaning having not been used for some time this one is running well. Some time in the future crew, lamp irons etc will be added.

 

 

The other also seems to have acquired dirty wheels in its final days on Pott Row.

 

The final piece of the back scene will be glued in place this weekend then the mount board should be cut out and painted this week, most likely using water colours. The J72 body is still being detailed.

 

No new photos family matters and decorating are taking priority at the moment.

 

 

[mullie]

Bit more progress tonight. I wanted a simple back scene so out came the water colour paint box. I wanted something warmer than the Pott Row back scene so there is less grey and more blue, a nice autumn day. The photo doesn't really do it justice as it is too long to photograph properly. I will start fitting it tomorrow, but sadly I can't curve it as I usually do so the corner joins will need careful disguising.

 

[mullie]

Layout now has a back scene. First photo shows a tram entering past a potential view blocker, this is the scratch built water tower from Pott Row. There is a water crane to go with it that will be added later.

 

 

The other end shows the good shed and a Langley gate that will provide access to the yard.

 

 

It wasn't possible to curve the back scene due to the layout already being so small so measures will be taken to hide the joins at the corners.

 

The layout will represent a bright autumn day of the type we have had recently, scenery will depict the changing colours of the vegetation at this time of year. Bit of a change from the gloom of Pott Row.

Edited October 20, 2018 by mullie

[mullie]

My own thread had fallen to page two of my own content reflecting how little time I've had recently for modelling. The goods shed  now has guttering and a drainpipe is being prepared. The J72 chassis worked well last week under DC so a chip can now be fitted and detailing begin on the body. Photos to follow.

 

However, I have used my time to purchase scenic items to represent autumn. Various packs of foliage, grasses and floral wire to make trees .

 

 

You can already see that Upbech will not be as bleak as Pott Row!

 

[mullie]

Bit of time this week so fencing and an entrance gate has been put in as a first stage in scenic development. I have attempted to decorate the goods lock up in pre war LNER colours as Tollesbury station was still in such colours around 1950. I used the Station colours web site for information.

 

 

 

I will put the station building and hut back for a trial before making a final decision. The join in the back scene will be disguised.

 

There has also been further developments on the J72 but nothing worth posting photos of.

[mullie]

I think I prefer this version.

 

[wiggoforgold]

I think I'd go for the two wooden huts.

Alex

[sb67]

I like the two huts as well Mullie.

Steve.

[NHY 581]

Yep. Huts.

 

 

Rob.

[wamwig]

Those two wooden huts look as though they have been lifted straight off the Buntingford branch, the larger one could almost be the waiting room at Mardock!

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

I'd go with the two huts, looks very GE rural.

 

manna

[mullie]

That'

 

Those two wooden huts look as though they have been lifted straight off the Buntingford branch, the larger one could almost be the waiting room at Mardock!

That's because they are. The station building was built from plans in the Oxford Publishing book (1980), the other hut was bashed from a Wills ground level signal box kit.