The ?100 Project ? A complete layout build described in 9 days

[carlw]

 

 

P.S. when this is over and you've eventually got your breath back, would you mind showing me how you weathered your rolling stock ? Would love to have a bash.

 

Second that

[Jon020]

Blimey! What a compelling read. Totally amazed by the techniques and straightforward way that all of this is explained in. Superb Dave. I also have to hand it to you for managing to pick up an Airfix 2D for £6 which I think is very good... given their rarety. However, alternatiev stock can easily be picked up for less and I've managed to pick up some old (Lima and Hornby I think) Mk1s for no more than £5 at collectors fairs so I think that the pricing is still totally valid.

This is a wonderful thread Dave... and I agree with Pete, and although I never subscribed to the "24" hype, I'm hooked on this one. Good luck with the rest of the project.

Jon

[edcayton]

Can we have a Thread of the Year" Award, and give it to this one please?

 

Ed

[Dave777]

Such kind comments - thanks everyone.

 

7 - Scenery

 

So it’s time to transform the Martian landscape. There’s an enormous range of scatters, turfs and static grasses out there to help the modeller create the ideal greenery on a layout. I use quite a few of them myself, but my main product I use is the one I’m going to apply here – hanging basket liner. You can buy this in a variety of formats (I use a big roll of the stuff), but the limited amount I need for this layout means a mere £1.49 at Homebase will secure you a suitably sized circle.

 

 

 

 

There’s two ways that modellers use this – some stick it directly to the layout, backing side down, whereas others like me prefer to stick it ‘hairy’ side down with the backing facing up.

 

One problem with PVA glue is that it creates a ‘shine’ when dry, so a tip I leant off a fellow RMwebber (and I can't remember who it was ) is to add ordinary talcum powder. Sounds weird, I know, but trust me – it does work. So here I’ve applied a PVA:water (+ talc) mix to the landscape and stuck the hanging basket down.

 

 

 

 

Next morning, give the backing material a careful but firm tug and away it comes, leaving the hairy grass on the baseboard.

 

 

 

 

Couple of tips – firstly, don’t throw away the liner you removed as typically it’ll have lots of grass still on it. You should definitely be able to get a second application out of it, and I’ve even managed a third on occasion (this is also one advantage over the method of sticking the liner directly to the baseboard, backing side down, as with the method I’ve employed you effectively double the area you can cover).

 

 

 

Secondly, improve the finished look by removing any oddities as there’s typically some strange pieces of string, rope and plastic all mixed in there.

 

 

 

 

At this stage it will be really hairy...

 

 

 

...so give it a bit of a trim with some kitchen scissors.

 

 

 

You’ll see in these photos that to add some texture to the ground I covered any remaining exposed parts with more PVA:water (with talc) and then sprinkled on some earth from the garden. To obtain this, I simply took a few plastic cupfulls of earth straight out of the flower bed, sieved it, and then washed it in a bowl with soap & water (washing dirt to remove dirt – too weird). Then drain off the water and leave the sludge to dry on newspaper and soon you’ll have free, earthy scatter material.

 

 

 

 

You can use a kitchen bowl and sieve for this, so I’ve not costed either of these up, but it’s probably a better idea purchasing a cheap bowl and sieve specifically for modelling purchases (you may be able to make out my ‘no food’ writing on my only-for-modelling-purposes bowl). I have also read of people microwaving their earth obtained in this way to kill off anything that may be present in it, which sounds sensible.

Sprinkle this liberally onto the glue and once dry your ground should have a decent texture and colour to it. Vacuum off any remaining or loose material and you’re done.

 

 

 

 

 

To add a bit of variety to the embankments I decided to make my own ‘ground foam’ or ‘turf’. I purchased some ‘value’ scourers from the local supermarket for 14p. Taking off the scourer part I cut up the foam underneath into small pieces, continually cutting and cutting again until they were the right size (with hindsight, I should have gone smaller). To colour them I mixed them up with some green enamel from my eBay-purchased collection, left them to dry, and then stuck them in place using PVA.

 

 

 

 

It’s not going to give Woodland Scenics any sleepless nights but for the small outlay it adds some additional texture to the grassy areas.

 

 

 

 

My fuel depot needed to go in next. The fuel tank itself is a toilet paper roll that's had the circumference reduced a bit by cutting it lengthways, rolling it tighter and then gluing. The ends were made from card. I then covered the tank with masking tape and scored some sections into it.

 

 

 

The box structure next to it is made from card, with plastic drinking straws and card scraps used for the pipework and pumping controlling box thingy (this is the back, showing how I just shoved the straw through)

 

 

 

A coating of primer, weathering and finally some dials printed out from the interweb provided the finishing touches.

 

 

 

I've no idea how the entire contraption is meant to work, and there's an air of cliché about it. I’d recommend referencing some prototype photos to anyone else attempting this - there were plenty of straws left over which I could have used to add additional pipework. But like many other aspects of this layout - given the time restraints - this is about suggesting what can be done.

 

Spends:

Hanging basket liner - £1.49

Scourers - £0.14

Straws - £0.18

Earth scatter material - free

 

 

Nearing the end now, next up it’s time to add some details.

[Jon020]

Really good Dave. I used the hanging basket liner on my boys layout but didn't add it this way, and I like the idea and will give it a try on some of the other bits that are left to do. The speed of the project is really encouraging too. Superb. Roll on instalment 8

Jon

[The Evil Bus Driver]

Excellent Dave! I love that tank, Really effective!

[mjcampbell]

Great stuff. The hanging basket liner is very effective - I must try that - and the earth is a neat trick.

 

The tank looks very good, the masking tape sections worked well. I don't know much about such installations but I do have a few suggestions:

- The supports need to be much, much fatter (6-8mm), and you'd need 3 or 4 for that tank. There's no visual reference for size but if it were say 3m diameter by 10m long it would weigh something like 60 tonnes...

- The tank needs to be inside a walled area - a "bund" - which will catch any leak. I can't remember the exact rule but the volume of the bund should be more than that of the tank, so it would probably need to be 10-12mm tall.

- An inspection hatch would be provided, usually a round "manhole" on the top. There might be a ladder or walkway too.

 

In addition the ends of such tanks are usually domed or reinforced, but they look OK (just say it is a cover over a domed end!). Also no I'm sure the pipework wouldn't look like that, but it is better than no pipework! Anyway I hope those tips are useful.

 

Looking forward to tomorrow!

[46444]

_{Really brilliant stuff Dave.}

 

_{A brilliant read and inspirational to boot!}

 

_{As Pete as mentioned-on par with 24. Cue 24 'ticking' music!}

 

_{Look forwards to the next instalment.}

 

_Cheers,

 

_Mark

[Donw]

I like the scenic cover and once you have the basic done you can spend ages adding odd bits and pieces. Just wish I had your painting skills that tank is just right.

Don

[JohnR]

This layout is one of the most inspirational layouts on RMWeb... Its a bit depressing though when I realise I already have most of the expensie bits sitting in boxes...

[SNCF stephen]

The progress you have made is spectacular. How much time did this take? I know you have been working on it every day but was it an hour or two here and there or were you going like the clappers?

[JohnR]

 

- The tank needs to be inside a walled area - a "bund" - which will catch any leak. I can't remember the exact rule but the volume of the bund should be more than that of the tank, so it would probably need to be 10-12mm tall.

 

 

The Oil storage regulations came into force 2001 - I'm not sure if there was anything prior to that. Presuming that this layout is in the 1970s (BR Blue) then different regs may apply - but even the Health & Safety at work act was only 1974.

[edcayton]

The Oil storage regulations came into force 2001 - I'm not sure if there was anything prior to that. Presuming that this layout is in the 1970s (BR Blue) then different regs may apply - but even the Health & Safety at work act was only 1974.

 

I was doing my HNC in motor vehicle engineering and management in the early to mid 1970's (I looked out of the window of Watford College on to the WCML and saw a fantastic variety of trains including the APT), and bunds were a requirement for oil and fuel storage tanks-petrol tanks had to be underground with much more rigorous requirements which was one reason why many fleets were deisel (another was that hardly anyone ran a diesel car by choice so there was little theft!)

 

Ed

[RBE]

Really impressed with this. As a miserly sort myself I shall follow this with interest!!

 

Cav

[edcayton]

Just out of interest, how much could DIY track and points be built for with the same approach?

 

Ed

[Sir Madog]

This thread is a lot better than any H2 book there is about building a layout!

[DavidLong]

Just out of interest, how much could DIY track and points be built for with the same approach?

 

Ed

 

With PCB sleepers and bullhead rail probably pretty cheaply but with a big trade off in terms of time spent.

 

David

[dave_long]

With PCB sleepers and bullhead rail probably pretty cheaply but with a big trade off in terms of time spent.

 

David

 

The other thing to think about is if its your first time building trackwork you'll need track gauges, they can be costly at first plus tools to file rail, split the copper clad and soldering supplies.

[lordhinton]

this is brilliant!, well done on the layout!, makes me wonder how i managed to spend so much on my layout when it can be done for alot less!, i know mine is still 4x yours but it costs up to alot more!, keep up the good work

 

thanks

 

dan

[Pugsley]

I have also read of people microwaving their earth obtained in this way to kill off anything that may be present in it, which sounds sensible.

Personally, I'd dry the sludge by baking it in the oven - it dries faster and you'll also kill off anything that might be present, such as slime moulds that you really don't want on your layout. Heating it to over 63 degrees C for 30 minutes will kill any organisms.

 

BTW - This is top stuff Dave!

Edited September 1, 2012 by Pugsley

[devondynosoar118]

Still as interesting as day 1 and I must applaud the quality too, cheap does not have to mean poor! Ground cover is great, I have some hanging basket liner like that and it's also good for making hedges, brambles and if you are careful the finer branches of wire framed trees.

The use of earth to represent earth is really obvious now I think about it! Are dried tea leaves going to make an appearance for foliage or scatter? What about fine sawdust too, that can de got free as well.

The cheapest method for tree making is multi core household cable, off cuts from skips are rare now copper is so valuable, but can be got from dead household appliance cables. The downside is you have to add strength to the trunk, either with tape or solder. I also use beading wire, which is about £1.50 a reel.

[m mcdermott]

fantastic read all the way through well done in your creation it will look good anywhere .

[moorlander]

Aye, very well done.

Can we please have some more threads like this !

[steve1]

Good thread this. Some very interesting and useful ideas.

 

steve

[Dave777]

The progress you have made is spectacular. How much time did this take? I know you have been working on it every day but was it an hour or two here and there or were you going like the clappers?

 

Hi Stephen, way back on the first post I mentioned that the layout is actually complete, so what we're seeing here isn't strictly a day by day account as such - more of a retrospective