Crofton - an N Gauge Modern Image layout

[DJTrains]

Bridge Part 2   -  Brick bridge coming along nicely on the approach to the station.    Still have the capping,  road bed, paving and weathering to do -  and it's going to remain loose / removeable for the time being.     Foamboard,  ply and brick paper construction.  

 

 

[Adamphillip]

this is looking awesome, with I had the space to do something like this [and the money]

[Revolution Mike B]

This is WS fine used on my Burton on Trent layout with code 40 track. I think that WS fine looks good, comparing it to pictures of the real track I took while visiting site it seems pretty much the same size.

 

I also used 2 x 1 styrene for my MAS trunking!

To be fair Cav, you've made that WS fine look spot on and I wonder if it's the finescale track that's helped? It always seems to look too big with code 55!

[njee20]

Surely finescale track would have the opposite effect? Yours is looking great, love the station building. Will look great with the Pendos streaming through.

[DJTrains]

I thought it might help with a full photo tour of Crofton.    (and if anyone can tell me why the pictures keep turning sideways even tho they were taken and saved 'portrait'  I'd love to know -  because it is bugging the hell out of me !!! )

 

Anyway -  starting with the end of the lift out bridge.  This corner starts the end of the layout which curves back towards the station.  It will have a TMD as a corner filler   (yet to be laid).

 

 

Flowing round under the bridge into the station

 

 

Start of the Station

 

 

Exit station heading over the raised track area (which has a road dropping down at the front and going under)

 

 

 

Showing the road under the raised track area

 

 

 

Into the other end -  four storage loops at this end,  and the twin branch line at the back will be hidden.

 

 

 

 

Back round to enter the Viaduct section (which lifts out)

 

 

 

Viaduct section which leads back to where we started ;

 

Edited August 12, 2017 by DJTrains

[RBE]

To be fair Cav, you've made that WS fine look spot on and I wonder if it's the finescale track that's helped? It always seems to look too big with code 55!

Surely finescale track would have the opposite effect? Yours is looking great, love the station building. Will look great with the Pendos streaming through.

That was my thought. The ballast would look even smaller against the rails with code 55.

 

As I said though i think WS fine looks great in N. We only need superfine ballast in loco depots etc or steam sheds where the ballast was either very tiny chips or ash. Mainline stuff is generally bigger (over 80% 38mm to 50mm) which is what you see at the top as the fines settle through it. The 50mm is of course the seive that it passes through so only need be 50mm in one direction. The stones can of course be a bit bigger than that the other way. WS maybe a bit course on the top end but not beyond the possible for size. I also find that if the ballast is brushed into place and lightly flattened before being fixed then the smoother surface makes the ballast appear finer in any case rather than having stone chips poking up.

Edited August 12, 2017 by RBE

[Revolution Ben]

 

Hi DJ,

 

I really like the work you have done on the civil engineering. Everything looks very neat, square and solid!

 

Thanks for taking the time to post these updates.

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

[DJTrains]

Hi DJ,

 

I really like the work you have done on the civil engineering. Everything looks very neat, square and solid!

 

Thanks for taking the time to post these updates.

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

Thanks Ben !!

[Revolution Mike B]

Hi DJ,

 

I really like the work you have done on the civil engineering. Everything looks very neat, square and solid!

 

Thanks for taking the time to post these updates.

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

 

To be fair Ben, Dave would never get away with it being wrong.....I'd stop laying his track for him!   

Edited August 13, 2017 by scoobyra

[DJTrains]

 

 

 

 

This is WS fine used on my Burton on Trent layout with code 40 track. I think that WS fine looks good, comparing it to pictures of the real track I took while visiting site it seems pretty much the same size.

 

I also used 2 x 1 styrene for my MAS trunking!

 

Thanks RBE   That WS ballast looks really good.   THe trunking looks much better at 2x1 ,  but the hundreds ( maybe thousands)  of score lines are taking a while !!!  

[RBE]

Yes it took me a fair while with a triangular section needle file and you have got a lot lot more than me to do thats for sure. I certainly don't envy you that task!

[DJTrains]

So after trying countless blends and mixes,   the decision has been made to go with Woodland Scenics Fine Ballast,   which I will be mixing 4 parts light grey to 1 part Buff for the main part,   and will have variations on this in places to show newer areas etc.      Although Mike will forever be shaking his head,      we have struggled to come up with a viable alternative (Sand, Chinchilla Dust etc,  etc.)   that still gives the texture that your eye expects to see.  I will be sieving the WS Ballast first as there are some bigger pieces that should be capable of being removed -  which will help.

 

The next monumental task has been prepping the track.     As good as Peco concrete track is,  it just doesn't look like concrete !!!   So I've been going through a huge multi-step process to colour the track prior to ballasting with various enamels  -  with help and great advice from Mike ...

 

First job was to spray the lot with a mix of light grey and railmatch concrete -  roughly 25% grey, 25% Railmatch concrete and 50% thinners  ;

 

 

Next cover this with a very fine random mist of Railmatch concrete mixed with white (about 50/50) and thinned right down ;

 

 

Next dry brush very lightly with dark chocolate brown (Humbrol 98)  and then with black,  then white.   This is real trial and error,  some places you can hardly see the difference,  some are a little heavier,  but the objective is to give it the really dirty look and the texture of concrete sleepers.  

 

 

Next hand paint the rail sides with Chocolate brown (Humbrol 98).    This looks a lot worse at this stage than it will in the end,   as the ballast will cover any tiny overpainting and make it look much more uniform.    Also bear in mind the level of magnification we are at !! 

 

 

 

Next comes the ballast -  and a lot of it !!!   and once down I will be adding a lightly brushed wash of acrylics on brown and blacks to give it the final touch -  but I will cover that in future posts,  along with how I deal with the wooden parts and points.

 

Just to show how mad I am,  as I was hand painting some rail sides today,  I thought I'd have a quick measure up of how much track there is to do.   I wish I hadn't !!  

 

It came out at 87m,   or just over 8 scale miles !!    Just made me shiver again thinking about it !!  

 

 

 

 

[deltic9014]

 

 

 

 

This is WS fine used on my Burton on Trent layout with code 40 track. I think that WS fine looks good, comparing it to pictures of the real track I took while visiting site it seems pretty much the same size.

 

I also used 2 x 1 styrene for my MAS trunking!

 

 

RBE,

Stop posting pictures of the real railway and passing them off as your model!

   

[DJTrains]

I defy anyone to come up with a more tedious job than hand painting all four rail sides on nearly 90m of track !!    I'm actually looking forward to ballasting after this lot.

 

[DJTrains]

But to break the monotony I finished the two road bridges with coping stones,  so just the weathering to do now,  but will leave that for after the track and ballast.

 

 

 

 

[pompeydave]

Cracking layout. Are you sure its N? I was really jealous of the space you have but having seen what your doing with the rail sides I'm quite glad I only have room for a small layout. Keep up the good work.

 

Dave.

[Revolution Ben]

 

Hi DJTrains,

 

That is looking really good, and I am very impressed with your techniques for replicating concrete.

 

I have found that Mig weathering powders - especially in dark greys and, sparingly, green - can be very effective too.

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

[87023Velocity]

Hi DJ,

 

Brilliant work on the bridge, you have my sympathy with painting 90m of track sides, I only had roughly 25m to do and that was bad enough!

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[Revolution Mike B]

Hi DJTrains,

 

That is looking really good, and I am very impressed with your techniques for replicating concrete.

 

I have found that Mig weathering powders - especially in dark greys and, sparingly, green - can be very effective too.

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

I taught him well Ben!   

Edited September 24, 2017 by scoobyra

[Leeb]

What a great size layout looks awesome

 

Lee

[DJTrains]

Hi DJTrains,

 

That is looking really good, and I am very impressed with your techniques for replicating concrete.

 

I have found that Mig weathering powders - especially in dark greys and, sparingly, green - can be very effective too.

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

 

Thanks Ben,    As Mike has already taken the credit I can't really say its all my own work.  ..   Ok,  well I did the work,   but have been well mentored by Mike !!

[DJTrains]

Cracking layout. Are you sure its N? I was really jealous of the space you have but having seen what your doing with the rail sides I'm quite glad I only have room for a small layout. Keep up the good work.

 

Dave.

 

Thanks Dave.  Sometimes the extra space can be a curse -  especially when your mentor (Mike) keeps coming up with cunning new ways of adding more track and points to the design     !! 

[DJTrains]

Hi DJ,

 

Brilliant work on the bridge, you have my sympathy with painting 90m of track sides, I only had roughly 25m to do and that was bad enough!

 

Cheers

 

Simon

 

Thanks Simon,   I'm nearly there ....   well at least I keep having to tell myself that to keep me sane.   

[Leeb]

That's a nice size layout there, can't wait to see this develope .

 

Lee

[MarshLane]

Hi,

Just spent an enjoyable 20 minutes reading this thread - what a wonderful layout, those smooth curves already make it look fantastic.  N Gauge has moved on a huge way since I was modelling (not all that seriously it has to be said) in it about 20 years back!  I've never understood why Peco make concrete flexi-track but not concrete sleepered points however, I'm sure the ECML/WCML pointwork is not laid on wooden sleepers .... is it? Whats your thoughts for weathering those?

 

Well done, it really does look great, and I am full of admiration for anyone who can hand paint the rail sides in 2mm!  Now you've got some running under your belt, how do you find the trackwork and lack of track joiners.  Is it working well, or does it cause any problems?

 

Rich