The Diddington project

[46444]

A scene like this Mark?

J15 Bridge #1.jpg

J15 Bridge #2.jpg

 

That's the one...

 

Looks superb!  

 

Think you need to invest in some Hornby Gresley/Thompson suburban stock to complement this gem of a loco as well.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[lmsforever]

I like the way your trackwork blends in with the scenery the shots of the class 31 are very nice ,that gold colour always looked good pity they did not use it instead of blue.Must be good fun operating the layout in a leisurely manner so typical of east Anglia in the sixties I always liked that part of the world it seemed a good few years behind the rest of the country and had some brilliant branches.

[A1X]

Hi Alex , lovely looking layout. 

 

can i ask as to who makes the buffer stops you have used on the layout? 

[russ p]

A scene like this Mark?

J15 Bridge #1.jpg

J15 Bridge #2.jpg

What have you used for water on here,it looks superb

[wiggoforgold]

Hi Alex , lovely looking layout. 

 

can i ask as to who makes the buffer stops you have used on the layout? 

Hi James, thank you for the compliment.

The buffer stops at the plattfom ends are from Lanarkshire models (LNWR ones I think), modified to make them a bit more Great Eastern. The ones in the goods yard are Peco, with scratchbuilt beams. The others are scratchbuilt from offcuts of rail, heated where necessary with a resistance soldering iron so the rail can be bent longitudinally.

 

Alex

Edited February 23, 2015 by wiggoforgold

[wiggoforgold]

What have you used for water on here,it looks superb

Thanks Russ.

There's a pic in my gallery (the one of D6723 crossing the bridge), with a bit of a description of how the water was done. Essentially, the river bed is a sheet of ply, which is covered with a thin layer of plaster or polyfiila to seal the grain. When dry, this is sanded smooth, and painted with some white emulsion to seal it. This is then painted with various mixes of green, blue grey and brown. On Diddington I used acryliics, but when I came to do Middle Fen (there's some pictures earlier in this thread) I had run out of acrylic and used some old artists oil colours I had been given.  I used darker colours in the deeper water, and more brown in the shallower areas near the bank.  Once dry this was given numerous coats of thinned gloss varnish. i have found Blakes/Hempel yacht varnish the best for this. If the water needs revitalizing, it can be gently rubbed down with wet and dry, and further coats of varnish added to restore the sheen.

The ripples are the product of age. In places the varnish has lifted slightly from the ply backing, giving a rippled effect. This rippling process takes about ten years however, and a more immediate way might be to cover the ply with cartridge paper before painting, as the wet varnish will cause it to wrinkle slightly, giving a rippled effect.

The reeds on Diddington are bunches of plumbers hemp, glued in place with balsa cement. I'm about to revisit the reeds however, so watch this thread for the results of my experiments.

Alex

[wiggoforgold]

I like the way your trackwork blends in with the scenery

 

Wherever possible the turnouts were built as sections. For example the turnouts at the station throat were all built as one. I stuck templates (C&L I think) to a large sheet of melamine, before drawing in all the running lines and adjusting the sleeper spacings approriately. Double sided sellotape was used to hold the copperclad sleepers on the template, and the rails were soldered in place, usually starting with the crossing vees. Some of the wiring, such as jumper wires and feed wires was done at this stage.  The completed trackwork was removed from the template by placing the whole thing in the bath and soaking it with water until the sellotape failed and the track could be removed.. The sleepers and rails were then painted, and the whole glued in place on the underlay, which is Exactoscale.

 

Alex

Edited February 23, 2015 by wiggoforgold

[wiggoforgold]

A little while ago we had a discussion on this thread about static grass applicators, and I was asked if I could find some “before” and “after” shots to compare the effects produced by the smaller “tea strainer” type applicators and the larger ones such as the Grassmaster. Between the farm and the river at Diddington is a small grassy area which required refurbishing, and provided an ideal area to compare the two types.

The field was originally given a coating of static grass from a tea strainer type applicator, which provided a pleasant, if somewhat regular effect. Here is a picture of what it looked like:

The area was sprayed with hairspray, and various lengths of static grass were applied using a ww scenics applicator. However, before the grass treatment started, the area was given some additional scenic treatment.  I wanted to put a hedge round the field. Access to the road is by a gate, which has been removed to facilitate dredging operations in the nearby river, and there is currently a pile of silt being built up in the field.

The first part of the refurbishment was to create the muddy gateway. Although the gate itself has been removed to facilitate dredging, the gateway was built up by scraping away the existing grass in the area, which was then painted with an earth coloured mix made up from Humbrol enamels, and sprinkled with fine ash.

I wanted to create an area of patchy earth with grass growing up in places. Once the entrance was dry, it was overpainted with dilute pva, and sprinkled lightly with fine ash through a strainer. Not too much ash is required at this stage as the pva must be showing through in places. Once some ash had been sprinkled on, the area was then given a coating of static grass from the applicator. This was left to dry for about 5 minute before being hovered off.   Don’t let the grass dry for too long, or there will be a fuller coating of grass than required.  Once dry, this was worked over with a stiff brush.

The bases of the hedge were created by painting the area of the hedge with pva, which was covered with a combination of sieved fine earth from the garden, and various shades of dead leaf scatter.  Holes were drilled in the hedge base, into which short lengths of wooden cocktail stick were glued, to give something to stick the hedge to when it was installed.

The next step was to build up the grass in the field. The hedgerow bases and surrounding buildings, road, paths and river were masked off with newspaper. The grass area was then sprayed with hair spray and covered with static grass from the mm scenics applicator. This process was repeated several times with different lengths and shades of static grass. Surplus grass was hoovered off between applications. Once dry, the masking was removed and the hedge installed.

The hedgerow was made up of lengths of rubberised horsehair.  These were sprayed with hairspray, and covered with 4mm grass fibres from the applicator. Once dry, this was sprayed with more hairspray and sprinkled with various shades or Carr’s leaves, mainly dark green colours.  The completed sections were glued to the cocktail sticks. Additional undergrowth was built up at the base of the hedge, using Woodland Scenics clump foliage. Woodland Scenics long grass fibres were planted in clumps to provide additional texture, and brambles were created from  theatrical hair, teased out, sprayed with hairspray and sprinkled with Carr’s leaves.  This is how the field looks now:

So far as the comparison of the two types of applicator goes, I think they both have their uses.  The larger applicator is needed for larger areas, and its interchangeable end caps with different sizes of mesh mean it is able to cope with a wide variety of fibre lengths, while the smaller one is only suited to fibres up to about 5mm. The larger one is better for building up texture, while the smaller one is better for small spaces, so I find I have use for both of them.

After all this fun scenic stuff, I’m going to concentrate on layout wiring for a while, so its out with the multi meter and on with the concentration.

 

[Andy R]

The tutorials on water, grass and hedges etc are wonderfully informative for us all developing our layouts and just a good reminder of the simple techniques that can be applied if we take things step by step.

 

My thanks for doing the excellent work and describing it also.

 

This is a lovely scenic layout - thanks Andy R

[wiggoforgold]

Thanks Andy.

As indicated in my previous post, the time has come for an overhaul of the layout wiring, so some bits on that will appear in due course. study of the pictures above will reveal that there's a J15 and an Ivatt 2mt need finishing, and I really must address the lack of signals.

So....lots to keep me occupied for a while.

Alex

[wiggoforgold]

Gosh! I've just realized its over six months since I last posted on this. My excuse is I've been taken up with "summer" activities. I've done the Prudential Ride London, Dartmoor Classic and cycled to spectate at the Tour De France. I have don a bit of modelling, and what follows is a bit about my recent efforts.  This entry has a bit of a retro theme about it. We are going back to the Kettering-Cambridge line in 1955 (which is where some of the inspiration comes from.  In those days the line was worked by Ivatt 2mts and J15's both of which are available in rtr form. I've done a bit of weathering to the models, but apart from that they are out of the box. They should really be renumbered, but my eyesight isn't up to that these days, so I've left well alone.  The models are in their basic factory black, but Ive repainted areas of each model, such as the smoke box, cab roof and footplate, with various mixes of Humbrol enamel matt black, dark grey and dark earth.  The boilers, cab and tender sides were left in their factory colour, and given a wash of dilute drawing ink.  The boiler top and cab roof were then given a light spray of matt black, and the tender frames were given a spray of a dark earth/matt black mix.  Heres some pictures of the finished results:

[Ivatt46403]

Lovely subtle weathering here Alex, I've so far been afraid to touch my little stable.

 

Marcus.

[wiggoforgold]

Thanks Marcus.

Take the plunge and weather them I say.  Looking at photos of the period, they don't appear too grubby, more work

stained. Remember, this is 1955 not 1967!

 The problem with the factory finish is it is an all over shade of black. Look at photographs of the real thing, even clean ones, and you will see that the black takes on different shades on different parts of the loco.  Iain Rices Book "Detailing and Improving Ready to Run Locos" expounds on this.  I painted different areas of the locos with different mixes of Humbrol matt black, dark earth and dark grey. The cab roofs are a mix of matt black and dark grey. The smoke box is a (very matt) mix of matt black, dark grey and dark earth, with a spot of red oxide added. The tender frames are a mix of matt black and dark earth, with the axle boxes picked out in a a matt black/dark grey mix and the foot plate and tender tops are another matt black/dark earth mix, this time with more black.  This variation on the overall black greatly enhances the model, without any further treatment. 

I have weathered locos entirely with weathering powders, which have the advantage that they can be washed off if you don't get a result you like. I would say use whichever method suits you. I have used various methods, depending on what I have to hand

.

[DLT]

Very effective weathering Alex,

Thanks for sharing your techniques.

Dave.

[46444]

Hi Alex,

 

Great to see photos of Diddington once more.  Long time coming but well worth the wait.

 

I love the photos. There's a few references in there from prototype photographs we've both probably seen.  Very atmospheric and the locomotive weathering is just right.  Lovely and subtle and brings the models to life nicely.

 

With the J15 with us I do think an E4 will come one day......

 

I believe there's a newish Fergie tractor on Diddington somewhere?! 

 

Be good to see some more steam based shots as well.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

 

Will we be seeing a D16/3?

Edited October 4, 2015 by 46444

[DLT]

Some lovely atmospheric photos as well.

Dave.

[wiggoforgold]

Hi Alex,

 

I believe there's a newish Fergie tractor on Diddington somewhere?! 

 

This one?

 

Will we be seeing a D16/3?

I have a cunning plan....

[wiggoforgold]

I should just say re the above post that Mark (46444) kindly made the tractor for me. You can see how he did it in his blog.

[wiggoforgold]

Jonty Chambers has been getting about a bit. He spent a lot of time lurking round the yard at Juniper Hill, but he was warned off by the shed foreman/engine cleaner/shunter/tractor driver there, so hes been spending some time down at Diddington. While he was there he took this picture:

 

I've been taking a few pictures round Diddington too, and in keeping with the recent retro steam them here's a few more. First up, the Bachmann/Hornby version of "Dignity and Impudence". I think the original was initiated by one of the big four, but I can't remember which.

 

 

[wiggoforgold]

Here's a picture of locos in Diddington yard in busier times.

 

 

 

Finally, here's another picture of Cranford. (The loco is 46444's work, but it poses nicely for a photograph)

 

 

 

Here's a picture of locos in Diddington yard in busier times.

 

 

 

Finally, here's another picture of Cranford. (The loco is 46444's work, but it poses nicely for a photograph)

 

 

 

[HAL 'O THE WYND]

Just playing catch up following my somewhat precarious return to RMweb. 

 

Everything looks excellent, particularly your light weathering. Bunging on loads of clarts is easier in my view.

 

Otherwise, regarding the grass - and I'm serious here - there's no one better as far as I'm concerned.

 

Tony.

 

EDIT: Thanks for the support guys (jrg1 and Bedders), but - believe it or not - my original praise has been bothering me for days, it was just a little bit too much...

So I've re-phrased it. Not much, some might think, but I'm more comfortable with it. Hope that doesn't annoy anyone.

 

Tony.

Edited October 24, 2015 by HAL 'O THE WYND

[46444]

Hi Alex,

 

Some great shots there.

 

Love the Terrier and Cranford together. I believe Islip got moved to Diddington too?

 

Some real atmosphere created by the excellent scenics on Diddington.  Always a pleasure to see and certainly warrants some more shots especially around the bridge.

 

Glad JC and his friend with the Bentley have been busy shooting some film!

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[wiggoforgold]

A few scenes down by the river this evening, and its back to the 1960's for motive power!

First some pictures of coal trains crossing the bridge on their way in to Diddington. The Brush type 2 (class 31) conjures up the era for me. This one is a Hornby model, slightly repainted and weathered. Some feel that the ends of the Hornby model don't quite capture the real thing, and I also have one (D5579) that uses an Airfix body which I feel captures the ends rather better.  The 16t minerals forming the train are a mixture of Bachmann and Airfix/Dapol kits. There's not a lot to choose between them in my opinion. I tend to use what ever is to hand. (I've got a small supply of both)  The class 24 is a Bachmann model, weathered, but otherwise straight out of the box.  The bridge is a model of the bridge between Huntingdon East and Godmanchester, and is made of wood strips stuck in to place on a plan, rather like a model aircraft.

 

The picture of the slipway rather presented itself when I was photographing the trains on the bridge.  Its the area behind the boat house and in front of the approach to the bridge.  The Austin van is a Classix model, sprayed with Vallejo matt varnish and weathered. I'm rather pleased with the fingerpost. It's a Dart Castings model, sprayed with white primer.The lettering was done by typing the various directions "church" "river" and "St Ives" in Word on the computer, reducing the font to about 4 point, printing out and cutting out the printed strips, which were stuck in place on the finger post. As the photo shows, you can't see the join!

 

Finally, a picture on an EE type 3 (class 37) entering Diddington over Cow Lane crossing.  The real Cow Lane crossing was between Godmanchester and Hemingford Abbots on the line from Huntingdon to St Ives, and I measured it up in about 1973. The crossing keepers hut is from Oakington, and there;s more details of how I made it in the carboard modelling forum. The loco itself is a heavily modified Lima body on a Bachmann chassis. The most significant modification to the Lima body was the creation of the tumblehome, which is virtually non-existent on the Lima model.

 

Tomorrow I.m starting on a new modelling project for Diddington, so watch this space for further developments.

[rockershovel]

The tramway/light railway would surely be for fruit, handling local produce going to Chivers at Cambridge?

 

The river really has that dark, rather menacing look of fenland rivers, with their peaty water, minimal surface ripples and low, crumbling banks.

Edited October 19, 2015 by rockershovel

[Bedders]

Otherwise - and I'm serious here - you've the best grassland of anyone. 

 

I think you've nailed it, convincing large areas of grass land are very hard to get right.