Traeth Mawr -Building Mr Price's house , (mostly)

[ChrisN]

As nothing else is happening I will do as I intended a while ago and begin to add workbench material here as well.  I was going to start a 'Workbench' thread but there are workbench threads for structures, and others for painting and, well, I want to include them all so I will do it here.  Most of it is for this layout although some may be used on my future 009 one but that is not even on the horizon yet.

 

This is not the topic I wanted to start with but I am working with the images I have.  I backed up my laptop before I lost the power to it but I do not wish to connect up my back up to my wife's laptop so it is images that are on my camera since then I am using.

 

This is a representation of the cottage in North Wales where I went on honeymoon.   I say representation as the original sort of backed into the hillside a little and had casement windows.  As it has to be back dated to 1895 I have used sash windows and not casements.  I also saw on the original the lack of wall paint where the shutters had been so I put in downstairs shutters.

 

It has been built from Wills Limewash sheets and the windows are from York Modelling.  The upstairs ones were made especially for me but are available at their usual price if requested again quoting the order number

 

 

 

The first one is a little embarrassing as it needed a dust before I took its picture.  Also the planking and detailing on the shutters has not come out.  I am not sure if that is how I took the photo or the quality of my camera.  If it is the latter then things will not improve as it was a birthday present and not likely to be replaced in the near future.

 

 

The holes for the windows were marked out and then filed to fit the windows.  They have quite an overhang, if that is the right word, around the hole.  You will see one of them is wonky.  You will notice that I have not painted the backs mainly because I want whatever glazing I use to stick.  The York windows are not polystyrene so I will have to see what sticks to it.  The top windows are square and of the same width as the bottom ones.  The door is I think Wills and needs its furniture painting.

 

I have not added glazing yet as the outside needs to be weathered.  I am not sure if I will glaze before weathering or weather before glazing.  I think it would be easier to glaze before I glue the sides together and I will need to fill any gaps and then paint and weather after that so I think I have answered my own question.

 

 

This is the back.  There is a scoured line in the door to indicate a top opening part but I am not sure it shows up.  You will also notice that they are held together by the York Models magnetic squares.

 

 

Hopefully on this one you can see the DAS along the top of the door which I have had to use as filler as  the opening was too big.  Measure twice, cut once.  Check against door/window.  Too small.  File carefully, check.  Too small.  File carefully, check TOO BIG!

 

 

This is one of the ends.  I had to stick two pieces of the Wills sheets together so that I could get the height.  I had originally thought that all I needed to do was turn the sheet around, then I thought about it.  The pattern is horizontal so I could not turn it.  I have had to put a support of 0.010" plastikard to keep them together.  

 

I have just realised that I do not have a picture of the other side of the end which shows how the sheets have not matched up, one piece is going in as the other is going out.  Judicious filing followed by painting hopefully will cover it up.

 

Well, need to get on and make dinner although F-i-L has prepared the vegetables.  The next post may be something completely different as I tend to jump about depending on time available, light available and mood.

 

Thanks for reading to the end of the post.

 

PS.  Yes I will use a different colour background next time.

Edited March 21, 2014 by ChrisN

[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]

ZAP Formula 56 Canopy Glue will stick your glazing, dries clear and doesnt affect your clear poly

[ChrisN]

ZAP Formula 56 Canopy Glue will stick your glazing, dries clear and doesnt affect your clear poly

 

Terry,

Thank you I will have to get some.  Does it stick the glazing to Rowmark which is the material the windows are made out of do you know?  York Modelmaking suggest Plastic Weld rather than Mek Pak for sticking the windows to the walls as it has more 'grab'.

[ChrisN]

It would appear that my Father-in-Law will be with us for at least another week and while he is with us I will not be able to get on with building the baseboards.  It also makes modelling slightly more difficult as I have to keep clearing the table every time we want to eat.

 

However, I have not been completely idle and here is what I put together one night last week, the leaning bookcase of Pisa, or rather Traeth Mawr.  I cut it out a number of months ago and folded it up but only scored the marker lines and did not cut them out into a V properly.  (Learning curve).  I tried to rescue it by opening it up and adding new shelves and the doors.  It was not leaning before I started.  I shall keep it as a reminder and it will hidden in a corner somewhere so it will not be obvious.

 

It is standing in front of the wall that will be part of the front hall to the school on the layout.  The door is the Head’s office.  I have placed it here as I am looking for advice about the colouring of dark wood and how to represent it.  The door is Humbrol 10, which is gloss service brown, (it will get a coat of matt varnish once it has had its door furniture added), and the bookcase is Humbrol 160, German Camouflage Matt Red/Brown.  Which do you think is best?  Or do you have other ideas.

 

I have put the young lady there as a size guide.  I do not believe that I have introduced you as I should have done, it being 1895 and all that, but suffice it to say for now she owns the Sportsman’s Cottage which you saw in the last post and wishes to ask the Head if she can purchase the bookcase for the cottage which she is about to let out to a young couple.

 

If you are a lady and wish to talk to her I am sure that you will not mention the recent operation on her neck to remove excess tissue, (well whitemetal), but you could compliment her, if you wanted to, on her new hairstyle which includes a bun.  The view of the bun in DAS is not helped by the lack of paint on her hat, which I know is too big towards the front.  The DAS is superglued on and so is stuck fast although I may be able to file it a little.  What I have found is that whereas Milliput is not so easy to work with it dries rock hard, DAS is easier to work with but is more fragile.  Not sure if I am on an upward learning curve or a downward spiral.

 

Edited March 25, 2014 by ChrisN

[aberdare]

Hi Chris

 

Ah the old learning curve hey, Iv'e experienced that a few times and now seem to steer pretty clear of it, it does ensure you get it right next time though.

 

At least you have made a start and the only way is up, the problem then is looking back and thinking that you can do better and then remaking something all over again which I sometimes do.

 

A good sensible approach so far in getting on with a few smaller bits. 

 

I'm looking forward to seeing more figure painting too.

[ChrisN]

Thanks Jim.

 

Ah yes figure painting.  I have two groups of 8 figures nearly the same which I am painting in two different ways.  One is your way and one by someone else whose name escapes me.  I have started and have photos  The only problem is that they are on my laptop which is still waiting for its power supply which is on route somewhere from Singapore on the back of a posties push bike, well it seems like that it is taking so long.  I am not impressed with the results so far, but most of that is me.  Watch this space.

[ChrisN]

My Father-in-Law is again in residence so work on the baseboards is not happening this week.  I am still progressing with other things but not at the moment the cottage as I need too order the Zap 560 Canopy.  I would put up now my attempts at figure painting using two different methods, both at present showing my skills are fairly poor but most of the images are on my laptop which is waiting for the power supply.  (I interrogated the actual Singapore Post Office site not the tracking site I was given and they had a record f it and agreed that it was in some posties sack on a bike somewhere on route from the Far East.)  I am therefore going to wait until it arrives to put up that one.

 

 One project I have been doing is converting a Hornby 4 wheel coach into a Cambrian First Class coach.  I remembered I had found a picture in Cambrian Railways Album Vol 1 of a three compartment first class coach and had hurriedly bought a Hornby 4 wheeler off Ebay.  I then joined RMWeb and saw this thread:-

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=35643&hilit=Hornby+4+wheel+coach

 

It is on the old site and I thought I was wasting my time.  Three quarters of the way down is a post by Young Fido, (sorry I cannot post exact posts from the old forum), saying the track maintenance vehicle was the correct height and how to convert it into something useful.  This is how far I had got to, oh two years ago.

 

 

I now need something to run apart from completely non prototypical stock so I got it out again and looked for the picture of it.  Looking again I found the picture to be useless as it was of an almost wreck at least 100 years old.  Never mind.

 

I set about putting compartments in and from the information I have gleaned first class compartments were completely divided.  I measured out the internal dimensions and used a paper template to check the sizes which was useful as it showed the coach was slightly narrower at the bottom.  I then cut plastikard dividers and Ratio coach seats.  Half way through it looked like this:-

 

 

If I did it again, which I probably never will as these coaches were rare to start with and quite old in 1895, I would cut off the top of the seat at the indentation as they are quite tall.  I then gave it a spray with Halford's grey primer to cover the bright yellow.

 

 

You can just see the piece of plastkard that I put in the cover the hole in the floor after it was primed.  (I do think of these things but not necessarily in the right order.  Here is a better view.

 

 

Next time painting.

Edited March 27, 2014 by ChrisN

[ChrisN]

As I threatened here is my painting of the coach, but first here is a 009 coach that probably looked more like the original than the Hornby one.  It is nearly 20 years old which is why it looks a little worse for wear.

 

 

I have to thank Mike Morely and his thread in Pre-Grouping, 'Which colour Green for Cambrian Coaches' which sent me in the direction of Revel Bronze Green, otherwise I probably would have gone for the Hornby Green Black.

 

 

I then decided to do the inside.  I decided to do the floor in Humbrol gloss brown, no 10.  I assumed that the floor would be polished wood and therefore fairly dark.

 

In Rex Christianson's book The Cambrian Railway Vol 1 he states that the upholstery was blue plush.  I chose Humbrol blue gloss, no 14 which may be a little dark.  

 

He also states that above the seats it was 'Drab Rep' which is a light brown and the ceiling was panelled sycamore.  I thought that for the ceiling I would use Humbrol 29 Dark Earth Matt, with a black wash, and probably a darker brown for the drab rep.  I am not at all sure what to do the side in though although I will probably make it drab rep as well.

 

Here is a picture with passengers.  The painting is shiny but it will have a coat of matt varnish before I finish.

 

 

and one from the other end

 

 

All the people here are a bit disgruntled as they were waiting to be painted to go in a third class coach up the line from Traeth Mawr to Twill Ddu on the narrow gauge railway and now they have been commandeered to go first class to somewhere else.  Mr Travis in the top hat, (Langley figure), complained loudly that it was TWO  first class tickets that HE would have to buy.  His wife, (Model Railway Developments), just smiles sweetly.  Mrs Jones, (again MRD), has just got on reading her book.  The Bevans, (Langley), looked grumpy but said nothing.  

 

The only one who is happy is Guardsman Morgan who is on his way home on leave and is 'bunking' a first class ride.  I know there are some on the forum who have a military background, would a Welsh Guardsman at the end of the 19th Century had a cap when off duty?

 

Guardsman Morgan does not realise that there is an Hofficer in the next compartment, even if he has fallen through a time warp.  He is an MMS model  He was so good I had to have him and he is being painted as part of my experiment of two painting methods.

 

Just to finish here is the inside of the 009 coach

 

 

It looks a little dusty because it does not have a lid roof, well it does but it is not attached.  You will notice that the seats, being first class, have red felt to imitate upholstery.  Perhaps I should have done that this time.

 

Roof next.

Edited August 8, 2014 by ChrisN

[ChrisN]

I am back on my own laptop.  Hurray!

 

The power supply landed at Heathrow at 11:53 yesterday and arrived at my house at about 9:30.  Less than 22 hours.  It left Singapore, presumably in the back of a Singapore Post Office van on 8th March, twenty days.

 

Still, we got so fed up I have ordered a new laptop,  That will come next week.  This means I can transfer the final few days of files, I had baked up the week before, and begin again to follow when I like, not when my wife is not on hers, and to post my painting project.

 

Don't hold your breath, next week sometime, hopefully.

[ChrisN]

I was reading the other night in the 'New History of the Cambrian Railway' that in 1868 there was a flood which was a long section of the embankment away, mainly because it was poorly built.  They were not able to run trains for a while so they............

 

 

 

 

 

ran a replacement bus service!

 

Ho hum.

 

At least there are no embankments on my layout.

[Jaz]

To my shame...I had quite forgotten your thread. I am liking the honeymoon cottage. Shall look forward to developments.

Make sure you don't accidenlty lop the head off of the white metal lady......we don't want any accidents before you do me!!!!

[aberdare]

I have a few days off Chris and you have a mini posting frenzy.

 

Glad to see you have your computer issue is sorted now. The coaches you have done so far are looking good and despite the age of the 009 one it is a lovely little model, I like the fact that you went to the trouble of getting the seat colours right too even if a lot of people would not notice. All those little details give a wonderful sense of satisfaction.

 

 

In your last post I think you meant Coach rather than Bus service for 1868 didn't you , interesting little fact though. I like things like that.

[Jaz]

Glad to hear  you are getting a new laptop and now have a back up as well....bonus.

[ChrisN]

I have a few days off Chris and you have a mini posting frenzy.

 

Glad to see you have your computer issue is sorted now. The coaches you have done so far are looking good and despite the age of the 009 one it is a lovely little model, I like the fact that you went to the trouble of getting the seat colours right too even if a lot of people would not notice. All those little details give a wonderful sense of satisfaction.

 

 

In your last post I think you meant Coach rather than Bus service for 1868 didn't you , interesting little fact though. I like things like that.

 

Jim,

I have lots of stuff to post but I only really looked at the 'Image Editor' at the end of last week properly and realised it was Photoshop 6 and then investigated how to resize my images.  I will work on what I have and post them up.  Once I have caught up it will slow down again.  Mind you I am out for the next two days so don't hold your breath.

 

I think the colour of the seat is too dark.  The colour is probably right but because it is cloth it is woven with white so I may give it a white wash.  I have the colour of 'Drab Rep' which is probably near to Beige although I may do a brown and a white wash.  (I make it sound as though I know what I am doing!)  I will enjoy painting the people although using my old way which is acceptable but not great.  I read in a mag about converting a coach and they said, 'my coaches are for a layout so I do not put people in them, they would look silly in the sidings anyway'.  Well,  I prefer that my railway makes money!

 

The book says 'bus' not 'coach'.  I thought of these horse buses but it probably was a coach.  I can be certain though there were no Oiks steelling the signal cables. 

 

Glad you had a good time away.

[aberdare]

 

 

The book says 'bus' not 'coach'.  I thought of these horse buses but it probably was a coach.  I can be certain though there were no Oiks steelling the signal cables. 

 

 

 

How strange, I always think of bus as a more modern term when transport became motorised, coach & horses sounds and rolls of the tongue easier than bus and horses. Mind you I now seem to recall the double decker ones being called a horsebus, not that I was around then though to confirm it. Being a simple country lad I should be happy with 'Wagon & hoss'

 

As for figures in coaches my coaches will either be out of sight in storage loops or somewhere on the line where people would be seen inside. 

 

Looking forward to seeing more.when you get time.

[ChrisN]

To my shame...I had quite forgotten your thread. I am liking the honeymoon cottage. Shall look forward to developments.

Make sure you don't accidenlty lop the head off of the white metal lady......we don't want any accidents before you do me!!!!

 

Jaz,

Not a problem, thanks for popping in. 

 

I will post a picture of the actual cottage next time I do something on it.  I want to do the inside although I will have to think about that. (A DAS aga in the kitchen?)  Thinking about it it will take ages to build anything on the layout.  Once the ground floor of buildings in done I may have removable roofs and top floors.  (My youngest son, he's 25, is a wargammer and wants to 'use them as firing platforms'.)

 

I bought some Zap 560 Canopy yesterday so I am all excited about getting on with it, although there is the coach and the painting project(s).  Still, that is how I do things, lots on the go at once.

 

I have reprimed the ladies neck but it could do with a little more off but I think I shall leave it.  I think your lady will be fine as I will use her as she is.

 

Glad to hear  you are getting a new laptop and now have a back up as well....bonus.

 

Thanks, all things should be go now.

[ChrisN]

I have not finished the paintwork but I have sorted the roof, well sort of.

 

I measured it up and cut it out of plastikard.  I cannot tell you how thick as I bought a pack of Slaters mixed sizes.  I can say it was not too thick, or too thin.  I then secured it to a bottle of the right size and diameter using elastic bands.  Ok, it was a whisky bottle.

 

 

I filled the bottle with boiling water, left it until the water cooled, took it off and it looked like this:-

 

 

Yes it is the old learning curve.  The attachment was noy uniform enough.  I am sure that was the way I did it previously, once about 20 years ago!  The roof in question was on a guards van in 009 so was quite small.  Ok, I have an iron and a licence to use it.

 

 

Too much heat concentrated in one place.  The plastikard shrunk.  I had a similar experience trying to heat up Preiser models to make them bendable.  Ended up with Neandertalls.

 

I cut out some more plastikard.  Try again and try and get the pressure equal.  To do this I put card around the bottle over the roof and put elastic bands around those.

 

 

I filled the bottle with boiling water again and waited.

 

 

Well it worked for the formers.

 

 

And almost worked for the roof.  It will work if it glued down.  However, I may not glue it I may put formers inside the roof and push fit it.  Well, what is the point of going to all the trouble of painting the inside and putting people in there if you can never see them?

 

Next time.  Well I herad there may be a recruiting parade for the Royal Welsh Fusilliers in Traeth Mawr so there may be a news story about that.

 

[Jaz]

Use of everyday bits and pieces are always clever....finding an excuse to empty your whisky bottle so you can put hot water in.....pure genius...    

[ChrisN]

Use of everyday bits and pieces are always clever....finding an excuse to empty your whisky bottle so you can put hot water in.....pure genius...    

 

Jaz,

Thank you.  I have one which is triangular which is more difficult to justify. 

[ChrisN]

Here for continuing interest is a small competition.  The prize is…… the satisfaction that you were right.

 

Here are two young ladies.  On the left is Emily Griffiths who lives in one of the big houses opposite the station, and on the right is a cousin of her husband, Henrietta Griffiths who attends the Gwyneth Eldin Academy for Young Ladies and stays with them during the week.  Emily thinks Henrietta is rather a strange young lady but does not like to say anything for fear of upsetting her husband.

As you can see, Emily is hiding under her hat and Henrietta is hiding behind her scarf, just to make things easy.

 

So, do you recognise these two and if so where from?  You will notice that I have not learned about cleaning up my models before I photograph them, and yes, the ladies are only half way through their paint job.  Mind you, I think they are waiting for a parade.

 

 

[Jaz]

Well I am sure to be wrong, but victorian clothes and a parade....makes me thing k of

[ChrisN]

Well I am sure to be wrong, but victorian clothes and a parade....makes me thing k of

 

Jaz,

Er, not quite

[ChrisN]

As threatened, here is the parade.  You may wonder what this is about but it is my next painting project.  Also, it is another opportunity to photograph models and hopefully learn something.  Although it was a case of having a few minutes and plonking them down and snapping away as otherwise it would not have got done.

 

So the parade.  It is a recruiting parade for the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.  It is led by none other than Lieutenant-Colonel Viscount Dydreth, who is the elder brother of the Headmistress at the local girl's school.  In the parade he is followed by a bugler and then an Ensign, a Second-Lieutenant, with the flag.  (An Ensign, and he is wearing red.  Umm dangerous.)  He is followed by four sergeants, then another two bandsmen, this time carrying rifles, and finally two more sergeants.  I am not sure as yet how many will be sergeants, lance- sergeants or if we will have a colour sergeant.  The sergeants all have the chevrons on their arms.

 

 

Another view.  Yes, you have noticed why the picture is so narrow.  There is no roof on the station building.  It is in limbo as it will be the station for the narrow gauge line and there is no rush to finish it.

 

 

Ah, the Ensign has turned to look at us.  He is definitely and officer as he carries a sword and a pistol on his chest.  I am a bit worried as they all have their trousers tucked into their leggings which I think is battle order.  Showing off I suppose.  Hello, what's the man at the back pointing at?

 

 

 

Ah, two possible recruits.

"You lads, you would look good in scarlet, three square meals a day and lots of travel to sunny places in foreign parts."

First lad, "Nah, not me cock.  We're only 'ere on 'oliday.  Me Muvver would never forgive me if I turned up at home all dressed up like you."

Second lad, "Any ole ways, you all talk funny 'ere.  Proppa 'urts me lugoles it does.  Not like what we talks in Lundun.  You just keep on marching down the ole frog and we won't trouble ya to stop any more."

 

 

Opps, oh dear that looks like Jaz.  She doesn't look to pleased.

"When Kal left this morning and said see you in town later, I thought he meant he was taking me to the dress shop not expecting me to wave as he walked by."

 

I see Mrs Griffiths has been joined by her husband.  She looks a little sheepish, I wonder what has happened?

 

 

The soldiers are from HaT and are quite excellent with an amount of detail considered normal in wargamming circles, (yes, I know there are some dreadful ones as well).  I thought they looked small but from the soles of their boots to the tips of their pith helmets they are a scale 6ft 3".  When they are finally fixed in position they will have their bases removed otherwise they are likely to be sent on patrol to fight the 'fuzzy wuzzies'

 

I would also like to point out that the silver figures are from A C Stadden and are all standing on their own feet/bases without being stuck there with blue tack or anything else.  Impressive.

 

The parade will reappear in due course but I shall post the painting of the figures.  They have already been given a spray of primer.

 

 

 

[aberdare]

Hi Chris

 

Quite a few posts since my last visit again which has kept me entertained for a while.

 

With your roof sections bent around the bottle it does look to be a bit on the thin side, I usually use 20thou at least and if using thinner I laminate it, the second set look much better and using formers to hold the shape is certainly the way to go. Just a last note on this and that's when I secure plastic to a bottle or whatever I use masking tape as it seems to keep the sheet flatter but I like your idea of card too.

 

Love the little tale around the figures and look forward to seeing how they turn out, comparisons of the Stadden figures will be made.

 

 

Keep up the good work.

[ChrisN]

Hi Chris

 

Quite a few posts since my last visit again which has kept me entertained for a while.

 

With your roof sections bent around the bottle it does look to be a bit on the thin side, I usually use 20thou at least and if using thinner I laminate it, the second set look much better and using formers to hold the shape is certainly the way to go. Just a last note on this and that's when I secure plastic to a bottle or whatever I use masking tape as it seems to keep the sheet flatter but I like your idea of card too.

 

Love the little tale around the figures and look forward to seeing how they turn out, comparisons of the Stadden figures will be made.

 

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Jim,

20 thou? Oh ' ' this thick, not '' this thick.  This is the problem of using multipacks as I do not know the size.  I will try it again with double the thickness, I am sure I must have some and put them up side by side.  You can then get your micrometre out and advise me.

 

After I had carried out my trial I read on 'Wainfleet' I think about using masking tape and I might try that next time.  It is getting the right pressure and even distribution.

 

I will not only be painting the soldiers but also the Stadden figures.  I have been doing a trial of your method and someone else's which I will put up but and about half way through.  I want to finish it before I put it up and I also wanted to finish it before I painted anything else.  However, it has taken too long for lots of reasons and I am finding that it is giving me more questions than answers and I really want to get on and paint these.  Umm, yes well.

 

Have you seen in the Edwardian 4mm thread that someone has used H0 figures alongside the 00 ones to make short people?

 

I might even get a baseboard built this week but don't hold your breath.