Deliberately Old-Fashioned 0 Scale - Chapter 1

[Simond]

Oh, I do apologise, being more of a "slap it on all over, Henry" type, I didn't realise the magnitude of my inappropriate suggestion. Mrs Groggins, I trust, is nonetheless permitted?

 

"Plastic" is clearly inappropriate, but perhaps celluloid glazing might be a solution?

 

Best

Simon

[Nearholmer]

Perhaps I was being a tiny bit puritanical ........... it's the reformed sinner thing, I guess.

 

You know, twenty years spent trying to make plastic look like well-rusted steel, or rotting timber, then 'seeing the light'.

 

Celluloid? Hmmm ....... yes, I've got some BL Coaches with celluloid glazing, and it's a curse, because it shrinks over time.

 

Mrs Groggins: does she have her feet properly affixed to a thin, oval-shaped, piece of lead? If so, she is welcome. What we don't want is any of those flighty, modern, women who go about without a lead oval.

Edited July 11, 2017 by Nearholmer

[Simond]

I'm sure ovals of lead are available, I wonder whether Mrs Groggins (and little Jimmy) may have to undergo surgery to have one soldered to her lower extremities. A whole new area of endeavour!

 

Although not directly relevant, Alan Buttler of Modelu fame, 3D-prints some exquisitely detailed figures. For some obscure reason, they all seem to be standing on milk bottles...

 

Perhaps microscope slides?

 

Best

Simon

[Donw]

Amazing, craftsmen painters needed to do that; a bit like stumbling on metal panels to make them look vaguely like wood. A real triumph, of course, would be to anti-shade corrugations, to make them look flat .......

 

I assume you meant scumbling.  Smell chucker?

 

I remember my Grandfather doing it on some French Doors very effective.

 

The shading effects to imply layers works well when the viewpoint for something is restricted. It works well along the back.

 

I think 2mm glass is available as used for picture framing probably still too heavy though. Microscpe slides are thinner closer to 1mm but would they be large enough?

 

I agree no one normally would weather such models but wear and tear from careless use of them is perfectly respectable.

 

Looking very good.

 

Don

[unravelled]

Weathering is a SIN on deliberately old fashioned layouts. The Revered Beal as good as says so in one of his books, where he makes a narrow exception for a bit of soot rubbed under bridges.

 

And, the structure of the canopy is so weedy that if I added 1/8" picture glass, the approved material before plastic, it would collapse.

 

The stairs are much more satisfactory, being effectively a solid lump of wood, made up from oddles of slices of 1/4" x 1 3/4" beading glued together.

 

K

It looks good to me.

 

My father built hardboard engine shed walls with plastic (celluloid?) windows, in the 50s. Window bars were scribed or painted, (or both). Perhaps the plastic should be thin and slightly wavy to look authentically old...

Something like OHP transparency sheet might be good.

 

Thanks

 

Dave

[Nearholmer]

Microscope slides are a good idea - need to seek some out to compare with picture glass.

 

K

Edited July 12, 2017 by Nearholmer

[Donw]

Microscope slides are a good idea - need to seek some out to compare with picture glass.

 

K

 

Quick google offered this

http://www.ukge.com/en-GB/Microscopy/Slides-and-Coverslips__c-p-0-0-12-202.aspx?gclid=CI_H48Xig9UCFYkp0woda5wNQg

 

gives you a quick check on sizes at least.

 

Don

[Simond]

I have a packet of OHP slides, you're welcome to a few A4 sheets if that would help. Of course, they're plastic of some sort!

 

Best

Simon

[Nearholmer]

Well ...... I investigated my late 1940s Bassett Lowke austerity station earlier, and that seems to have plastic glazing! I think it is Perspex, about 1/8" thick, and the glazing bars look as if they were bow-penned on, possibly over finely scribed lines.

 

So, how old fashioned do I want to be? Pre-war glass, or post-war Perspex?

 

The kind offer of OHP slides might be a step too far, but 3mm acrylic is the same thing as Perspex, isn't it?

[Northroader]

The modern acrylic sheet would be less delicate than the glass slides, and come in bigger pieces, but needs care when handling, as it does show scratches more easily.

[Metropolitan H]

Nearholmer,

 

I have a A4+ sized piece of 2mm picture glass in the car ready to give you tomorrow lunchtime. Found in a cupboard at Mother's today - thought you might be able to use it?

 

Regards

Chris H

[Nearholmer]

A view from the top deck of the 'bus on the bridge.

[Nearholmer]

And, a reprise of three pictures from the beginning of this essay: one of the 1910 mini layouts by Greenly, plus two concept sketches. For once, I haven't strayed a million miles from original intent.

[Guest Isambarduk]

"... acrylic is the same thing as Perspex, isn't it?"

 

Perspex, Plexiglas, Acrylite, Lucite, and so on are all trade names for Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), also known as acrylic or acrylic glass.  So, yes.   David

[Nearholmer]

For Simon.

 

Mrs Goggins, and her luggage, miss the 2:37pm to The Country.

[Nearholmer]

And, for Mr Holmes, a picture of his engine performing valuable service.

[BG John]

For Simon.

 

Mrs Goggins, and her luggage, miss the 2:37pm to The Country.

Not surprising. How's she supposed to move when her feet are set in a concrete block?

[Nearholmer]

Refer to post 227.

[Northroader]

Behold, I bring you a mystery. When you used to step outside the front of Milton Keynes Central station, there was a "Large Bloomer" stuffed and mounted. Was it placed there to reassure travellers they hadn't landed on the Planet Zog? Today it's gone, what happened?

Anyway, what was I doing there? Well, I'd gone to a model show, to meet the man, and see the layout. Thanks, Kevin, for making me feel so welcome and having such a long, interesting chinwag. Not only that, folks, he popped off for a tinkle and a cuppa, and left me IN CHARGE TO PLAY WITH PALTRY CIRCUS!!!! Calloo, callay, oh frabjous day!! It is a really nice line to work, really smooth, and there is enough variety for interesting operation. Good look at the well done track construction and alignment, nifty point levers, and the station looks really good. Variety of locos and trains to move and shunt, although I spent my time with a really pretty LSWR set with a M7 tank and six wheelers which wanted to stay on the road, beautiful slow running, up and down, running round, really privileged. I had fun with the controller, mine has centre off, his has separate direction switch, and then the line is wired as one solid piece, and the locos can be isolated by a small built in switch, a third rail trick (some time back I bought an American 460 with a switch on the roof, I see now what that was about) you can see it was well worth the visit, thanks again, Kevin.

Back home in time for tea thanks to London Midland and Great Western trains, like they never went away.

[F-UnitMad]

And, for Mr Holmes, a picture of his engine performing valuable service.

Do have to say, it really would be a sin to weather such a nice looking train.

Somehow these sort of models generate their own sort of 'atmosphere' - it's different sort of realism to that of scale models, but it's atmosphere all the same, & proof that atmosphere is an elusive quality, that cannot be glued on, & isn't dependant on absolute scale fidelity.

[BG John]

Not surprising. How's she supposed to move when her feet are set in a concrete block?

 

 

Refer to post 227.

OK, a lead block then, but it still prevents her getting on the train .

[Nearholmer]

It was a pleasure to welcome The Squire of Washbourne to the TCS "do" today; many thanks for making the long trek, and thank you for kind words.

 

As to the Bloomer, which is actually a non-working, but cosmetically, and in terms of materials, very accurate replica, it is due to move to an expanded "hall of transport" at the local museum, and I think is currently stored at Wolverton Works. It was removed from the front of the station when the area was reconfigured to improve the bus and taxi access. I was always impressed that it stood there for a decade or more, unmolested, because I always feared that it would attract the wrong kind of attention.

 

Kevin

[Northroader]

..and I forgot to ask about things like broom cupboards, too. You must think me totally uncaring. So little time...

[Nearholmer]

R&R needed this evening, because both offspring had a friend stay for the weekend, which meant loads of excitement and staying up waaay past normal bedtime. SWMBO collapsed exhausted into bed at the same time as the children this evening, and I went and played trains.

 

1) A Bobigny to Binns Road special, which must have come across on the train ferry. All French Hornby wagons from c1960 ....... the French might be good at wine, cheese, poster-art etc, but by goodness were they rubbish at consistent scale! The van nearest the camera, for instance, is probably nearer S than 0.

 

2) a picture of an atmospheric railway ( to borrow from an old Bluebell Railway poster).

Edited July 16, 2017 by Nearholmer

[brianusa]

<<  1) A Bobigny to Binns Road special, which must have come across on the train ferry. All French Hornby wagons from c1960 ....... the French might be good at wine, cheese, poster-art etc, but by goodness were they rubbish at consistent scale! The van nearest the camera, for instance, is probably nearer S than 0. >>

 

Having no French stock, I had no idea that some Bobigny trains were off scale.

 

 

Brian