Irishrailwaymodeller Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Pete, another thought - given the sunny/Iberian aspect to your prototype, have you considered using some of the palm or other exotic tree types to accentuate the atmosphere further? Gerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Pete, another thought - given the sunny/Iberian aspect to your prototype, have you considered using some of the palm or other exotic tree types to accentuate the atmosphere further? Gerry Hi Gerry. There are usually a couple of palms on the approaches to the level crossing (a pic from earlier in the build, below) but as I'm often a bit ham-fisted, they've been removed for now so I don't damage them! They're probably not the right "type" of palm but my knowledge of these things is on a par with my understanding of astrophysics (zilch). They're by Woodland Scenics and have had a repaint to dull down the factory finish. I have seen worse (Chinese seller on ebay) and I have seen better (hand-made metal stem). I would like more but the road is the only place I can think to put them, and there's not much road. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 The better ones (to my eye) mentioned above are these that appear on ebay from time to time. Hand-made and painted, metal stem with etched leaves. They have fruit as well (is it fruit?)... but at about £12 a tree, my wallet has always said "No". I guess if I only need two, the financial shock wouldn't be too bad. Certainly beyond my ability to even consider making something like that. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus 37 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Hi Pete The planks coming on a treat now mate. Great work on the buildings, they look superb. If your short of Lego and your in the Birmingham area there's loads of the bl**dy stuff here. The lads past playing with it now so it's just sat here doing nothing. If I had seen your thread sooner I could have saved a fortune in foam board. HaHa. Cheers Marcus 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Well, we've got the builders in soon for about 10-14 days. One last look at "The Plank" before it disappears under a dust sheet for a while. Good chance to play with the stock, too. I don't have much, but I do like what I have. The two vans, Amstel and San Miguel, are a recent purchase. Highly detailed Electrotren items, they were £2.99 each brand new from ebay. I don't think the seller knew anything about them and they went for the starting bid. Not really my thing, but I do like a bargain. They may get a repaint and some weathering in the future. Looking at the pictures reminds me of a few jobs still to do... the roof of the station building is exhibiting a slight bow, so needs fixing in place. The level crossing barrier arms won't stay in place for more than about a minute before falling to the floor etc etc. I also sucked the Renault Twingo up the hoover. I didn't realise these Wiking vehicles were made from so many component parts! I found everything except the back axle... bummer. Also, looking at the available footprint for the second apartment block, I don't have a lot of space to play with. This needs to be the "view blocker", so has to be taller than the existing block. Not quite sure how I'm going to pull that one off... I'll worry about it later. Still loads to do, but it's come on a fair way since the "bare boards" stage back in September. No rush. Once the builders have finished (various jobs beyond my ability) and the house is properly on the market, we're treating ourselves to another trip to Spain. House-hunting will now need to get serious. 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted January 12, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 12, 2017 Use Lego to determine the height of the view blocker. I don't think it needs to be any higher than the trains, plus a bit. You could add a bill board on the roof if it you decide it needs to be higher, but a lot depends on your viewing position. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Use Lego to determine the height of the view blocker. I don't think it needs to be any higher than the trains, plus a bit. You're absolutely right. I don't know why I thought it needs to be higher than the other apartment block... it's the trains I need to hide, not the other building. I guess we're looking at something of a similar height. Anything smaller would look odd for a major road and I think anything much taller would look "top heavy" bearing in mind the small footprint. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavyDuty Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Pete, how does your Electrotren 594 run? I've seen the Heljan IC3 version before, but it's a bit of a coffee grinder. I've always had a thing for these DMUs... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus 37 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Very nice pictures Pete. Lovely detailing on the buildings on the close up pictures. Close ups are normally very unsympathetic and pick out any blemishes. As I can't see any it just goes to show the quality of the modelling. Really nice work. By the way you must have one hell of a Hoover to suck up a Renault Twingo. HaHa. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Pete, how does your Electrotren 594 run? I've seen the Heljan IC3 version before, but it's a bit of a coffee grinder. I've always had a thing for these DMUs... Really well, Ken. It got a good running in on an oval and the mechanism is whisper-quiet. I didn't know the Heljan version existed, but I did know that the RENFE unit was based on a Danish one. After "Googling" the prototype, it looks like the Danish version is identical apart from the the intermediate coach ends sharing a bogie. I don't know how old the Heljan version is, but in the photos I've seen, it looks a little crude compared to the Electrotren one. Andy (McGomez) pointed out to me that the RENFE 594 wouldn't have been seen in the part of Spain "The Plank" is supposed to represent, but I've always liked the unusual look of these units, so it was a "must-have" purchase. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavyDuty Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Thanks for that, Pete - we had a three car demonstrator set here in Chicago for a short while back in the 90s, they really caught my eye at the time. And I certainly see the appeal of Spanish railways! I'm really enjoying what you're doing with this project. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devonbelle Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 (edited) Lovely, really superb. Will be following with interest - just the crossing and the building, with palm trees, tells me Spain - without trains present. Edited February 12, 2017 by Devonbelle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Thanks for that. There's a giant blue dust sheet over "The Plank" at the moment. We have builders in from tomorrow and the only "creative" thing I've been doing for the last couple of weeks is to splash about 30 litres of magnolia emulsion around the house. Progress will resume at some point, but my dear wife is insisting that the modelling room gets carpeted before the house is sold. That's quite annoying, as I'll need to be extra careful with the glue, paint and weathering powders...! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted February 13, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 13, 2017 Thanks for that. There's a giant blue dust sheet over "The Plank" at the moment. We have builders in from tomorrow and the only "creative" thing I've been doing for the last couple of weeks is to splash about 30 litres of magnolia emulsion around the house. Progress will resume at some point, but my dear wife is insisting that the modelling room gets carpeted before the house is sold. That's quite annoying, as I'll need to be extra careful with the glue, paint and weathering powders...! It's one last fling with the carpets Pete, there's none of that over here! Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 There's a giant blue dust sheet over "The Plank" at the moment. Future note to self. Remove delicate items like lamp posts before throwing giant blue dust sheet over model. ######. It's one last fling with the carpets Pete, there's none of that over here! Indeed, Mike. Carpets I won't miss. I have noticed an alarming trend for wooden floors in mainly new-build villas with "posh" aspirations. They make a big thing of it in the sales blurb. Now, if it's a decent engineered hardwood floor, I can live with that. If it's that cheap B&Q-type laminate rubbish, not so impressed. I'm much more of a "mop-clean" tiled floor kinda guy. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2975 Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I'm much more of a "mop-clean" tiled floor kinda guy. Snap. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 It lives. Well, a quick peek under the dust covers comfirms that The Plank actually slumbers for now. As I'm not in a position to do any proper modelling right now... this house is on the market with a second viewing booked for this afternoon, I had recently turned my attention to the favourite pastime of armchair modellers the world over - layout planning. After a good "think", I've come to the conclusion that as I'm so fond of The Plank, or "Cap Llevant" as it will become known, that planning anything else is plain daft... A recent online chat with Andy (McGomez) produced a photo of a recent acquisition of his, an Electrotren Class 252 ac electric. I've long been a fan of these, so as has been discussed previously, The Plank is now likely to get some overhead wires. Having been rather pleased with the way the station building (shamelessly copied and then altered from the real thing at Benidorm) and small apartment block turned out, the remainder of the structures will definitely be scratch-built. When the layout moves with me to Spain, I'm harbouring thoughts of joining the two ends and making a roundy out of it all. A fiddle yard at either end just doesn't really do it for me. So, plenty to think about. Thinking is all that I'm likely to be able to do for a few months yet, so I'll let it slumber for now and then hopefully wake it up in a few months. I certainly haven't forgotten about it! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 A new loco arrived this week. Possible proof that The Plank is due for some wires in the future. This is a Class 252 by Electrotren and having had it for a few days, I seem to be having a bit of a love-hate relationship with it. I love the price, the look, and the fact that it's a very sweet runner. What I don't like so much is the 73 and a half thousand detail parts that are supplied for the purchaser to add. OK, the quantity may be an exaggeration! Harking back to Vitrains 37s and 47s of maybe a decade or so ago, the number of bits to add is quite staggering and not something I'm used to. I went to the optician last week and came back with a stronger prescription for reading glasses, but my fingers will always have the dexterity of pork sausages rather than delicate surgical instruments. Buffers - easy. Roof insulators and wiring - easy. Cab front handrails - nope. Plenty of swearing involved and I had to make a fresh pot of coffee. Now there is no way I can get hold of something smaller than an ant with my thumb and forefinger, so tweezers were called for. The tweezers took all of the paint off the handrails. Bugger. Not a huge big deal, as they can get a repaint and probably some weathering in the future. Next came the cab roof aerial. That "pinged" off and landed in the computer keyboard. No amount of shaking the keyboard upside down encouraged it to make a reappearance, so it's still in there somewhere. I'd already decided to leave all of the buffer beam detail for another day, but thought I'd finish off by fitting the cab steps and speedo drives. That went well. Not. The cab steps are a loose fit and will need to be glued and the less said about the speedo drives the better... Ah, model railways... fun and frustration in equal measure! At least this week I managed to repaint the backscenes, cut and paint a new end section to the backscene, complete with cut-out for track exit. I also extended the platform surface a little further along and managed to straighten out a couple of badly warped roof sections (station building and apartment block) that I should have glued in place ages ago. At this rate, I reckon the whole thing will be finished in about 2024! 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted May 1, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 1, 2017 Try these Pete to prevent scraping paint off. http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/plastic-tweezers Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Try these Pete to prevent scraping paint off. http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/plastic-tweezers Thanks Mike. They definitely fall into the "why didn't I think of that?" category! I won't even attempt to fit the rest of the detail to the 252 until I've got myself a pair of those. Rather than try and touch up the paintwork to the handrails once they're fitted, I might give them a quick blast of white etch primer and then a very thin coat of matt varnish before refitting them. I think the holes on the cab front could do with being enlarged just a little and a dab of glue might be needed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dullsteamer Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 (edited) Pete, I've had similar experiences fitting detail parts to my Japanese HO models. I use plastic tweezers, which I find very effective. I also have two methods for preventing parts from flying away and getting lost. One is to put the model in a clear plastic sandwich bag big enough to accomodate the model and my fat little hands. The other is to use a thing my darling wife made me out of white linen. It's like a cross between a bib and an apron. One end ties around my neck, and the other, wider end attaches to the edge of my workbench with Velcro. Looks daft, but it stops me losing tiny parts on the floor. The plank looks great, by the way! Cheers, Mark. Edited May 1, 2017 by dullsteamer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 (edited) Having set up The Plank to take a picture of the Electrotren 252, I may actually have done a little bit of work on it... That'll be a first for months! I've surfaced the main platform as far along as the baseboard joint and have cut and fitted the canopy supports. Roofing the canopy will be tricky as towards the station building, the platform curves a little. I've already made a template cut to the correct curve and will cover the canopy supports with sheet styrene cut to the template pattern. I'll then cut and fit individual thin rectangular styrene sections to this, having painted and weathered them individually. I'm also planning to add a gutter strip to the centreline. This whole operation is likely to be a complete pain-in-the-@rse, so may take some time! As trains will (usually) stop only at the higher part of the main platform, a guard rail has been added to the lower section. Finally, I've added a fence and gates up against the backscene. Next job is to finish surfacing the platforms, including the low-level island platform. I've also printed out the "Cap Llevant" station name boards both with and without the "Cercanias" branding. I'm tempted to use the plain name boards as this will give a more generic look. They will only be tacky-waxed in place, so can be changed at will. Finally, thanks again to Mike for the heads-up about the plastic tweezers. I picked up a dozen pairs on ebay for a couple of quid and can see them becoming indispensable. They certainly grip tiny items like loco grab rails well and are less likely to rub off the factory paint finish than metal tweezers. More soon, but I'm still handicapped by lack of permanent space and having strangers poke about all over the house during viewings! No rush, I guess, and I hope when the layout is finally finished, it will be beamed to RMWeb direct from a basement in Spain... In fact, if I have the room, this will become a "roundie" with lower level storage accessed by a couple of spirals. Edited May 7, 2017 by Pete 75C 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Managed to grab an hour working on the canopy. As half of the canopy is on a shallow curve, I could only think of anchoring a section of Evergreen H beam direct to the backscene. I really couldn't think of any other solution. As each section of canopy roof is cut, painted and weathered, it will be glued onto a plasticard base and "hooked" into the H beam to keep it at the same height from the platform all the way along. Time will tell if this was a good idea or a bad one! The guttering centre section is also in place, as is another canopy support part-way along the station building This was an afterthought, as it should be more aesthetically pleasing not to have the canopy stop dead at the corner of the station building. Much cutting, painting, glueing and no doubt swearing to follow... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Work progresses on the canopy. Scratchbuilding this was the only way to go due to the curve. It's proving fiddly cutting all the little roof panels but strangely therapeutic and not as maddening as I thought... I'll put up a picture when it's done. In other news, if I'm honest, I like model road vehicles as much as model trains. My only issue with The Plank is that I haven't allowed myself much road! I recently purchased a couple of little Kibri kits from their "deco-set" range, costing only about a fiver each. The shelter with the pointy roof is destined for the part of the main platform that isn't covered by the canopy. The one with the curved roof is designed as a bus shelter. The sun doesn't always shine in Spain, so similar bus shelters do exist and it's a nice little kit. Problem is, I don't quite have enough room for it. I've hatched a plan to extend the width of the baseboard at the road end by just 4 or 5 inches. I can then butcher the roadway and add a bus lane and hey presto, room for the shelter. The extended road will allow a few more vehicles to be displayed on the layout and also has the bonus of giving me a little more room for the "view-blocking" 2nd apartment building. The layout fascia is only 2mm MDF which is very bendy, so I may go for a curved front edge to the layout as opposed to the angled one shown on the plan. These are the Kibri shelters which should suit contemporary British 4mm layouts too. I've often thought there was a distinct lack of modern waiting shelters available... Finally, this is the model that made me want a little more roadway on the layout... It's by Rietze and is a model of a hybrid citybus in Barcelona colours. Very nice it is too. I know I'm not modelling Barcelona, but I'm not aware of any other 1:87 Spanish buses! There seems to be very little on the market that isn't specific to a certain city such as Barcelona or Madrid. If anyone knows of any 1:87 contemporary buses in a plain or generic livery, do please let me know, or I shall have to purchase the hybrid. Enough planning and wishlisting... I should crack on with the canopy when I get some free time. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McGomez Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 Looking good Pete. For Spanish buses have a look at Otero Scale Models. https://oteroscalemodels.com/ Available from your favourite shop in Santander amongst others. https://www.eltallerdelmodelista.com/advanced_search_result.php?search_in_description=1&buscar=otero&osCsid=ftt8bjbctruqonf258u3ij9fg3&escala=-1 The bus in the Alsa colours can be seen in the majority of cities in Spain. Saludos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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