west highland Mallaig and the Road To The Isles

[03060]

4 hours ago, mallaig1983 said:

for some reason this photo will either not attach or attaches upside down. I probably need to heed Fishplate and Kylestrome’s advice and actually use the pc for posting in future.

 

 

I've found that any problem with photo orientation taken via my phone has been down to which way up the camera symbol is displaying on the phone at the moment I've taken it, particularly easy to get wrong when say trying to take a picture of a book or magazine article and I'm looking down onto it. I've never then been able to correct this on the phone and end up having to retake the shot.

 

Hope this is of help.

Regards,

Ian.

Edited December 12, 2022 by 03060

[mallaig1983]

4 hours ago, 03060 said:

 

I've found that any problem with photo orientation taken via my phone has been down to which way up the camera symbol is displaying on the phone at the moment I've taken it, particularly easy to get wrong when say trying to take a picture of a book or magazine article and I'm looking down onto it. I've never then been able to correct this on the phone and end up having to retake the shot.

 

Hope this is of help.

Regards,

Ian.

The photo is the correct orientation in the album on my phone in this instance though. Just one of the quirks of technology I guess. Yes the same often happens here when taking similar photos to what you mention above and as you say you do eventually get the desired result.

[Nick C]

Sometimes it can help to open the photo in an editor, rotate it 4 times (so it's back up the same way) and then save it again - which over-writes the orientation information.

 

Either that or just insist it's a special for any Australian viewers...

[mallaig1983]

37 minutes ago, Nick C said:

Sometimes it can help to open the photo in an editor, rotate it 4 times (so it's back up the same way) and then save it again - which over-writes the orientation information.

 

Either that or just insist it's a special for any Australian viewers...

Or for those who prefer to read RMweb whilst standing on their heads. 🤣

[03060]

If it's any consolation, you're not the only one having issues with orientation at the moment, somebody has tried posting a photo of the new N gauge Rapido Conflat P but could only get it display the correct way up if it was in 'mirror image' !! (Only really the Private Owner wagon next to it that gave this away.)

 

Regards,

Ian.

[DavidBird]

15 hours ago, mallaig1983 said:

A couple of angles I don’t normally view the layout from. 37039 pops through the mouse hole and enters stage right and a view through the mouse hole taken from the off scene end of Mallaig. There is a 90 degree 4th radius turn here behind the camera which will lead to a non station scenic section between Mallaig and Glenfinnan. This section will be above the fiddle yard and will hopefully be a nice dramatic view to watch the trains pass through. Currently only at the imagination/sketching/casting rocks stage.

 

 

 

 

Have you considered using a bit of compression here, and hiding  the mousehole under the occupation bridge that's actually a bit further out?

[mallaig1983]

34 minutes ago, DavidBird said:

 

 

Have you considered using a bit of compression here, and hiding  the mousehole under the occupation bridge that's actually a bit further out?

I have actually considered that David so great minds think alike. I have dismissed the idea though on each occasion. To be honest I don’t really mind the mouse hole as from normal viewing angles it’s not really seen as it’s set back into the cutting and also hidden slightly by the boat workshop building. But yes the thought has cropped up a couple of times. The curve that sits behind the backscene is also sufficiently far back to allow the trains to straighten out before coming on scene. It would seriously mess with my state of mind if I could see them curving onto the scene. It only takes a few inches of straight section but on my opinion makes a huge difference.

Thanks for your input.

[mallaig1983]

Not a great deal of activity on the layout recently but I did get a visit from Mark a couple of weeks ago as he wanted to have a look at the layout and bring some of his own stock for a play. I thought I had got the lighting about right but on watching this video I realised it was way to bright so has since been turned down. I hadn’t shared the link to the video until now as I felt that the lighting made everything look a bit arid and desert like. It knocked my confidence a bit and this had a negative result on my mojo. However it has highlighted areas that do need improvement such as I need to add darker shades of grass and probably give the rocks another dark wash. As I’ve mentioned earlier the ballast needs weathering but that will have to wait until I’m in possession of an air brush and I definitely have to get the sea poured this year. The concrete above the culvert also needs addressing but I’m a bit stuck there as  what you see was the 3rd attempt and I haven’t learnt anything new since I applied it. The main thing to fix was the easiest and I just dimmed the lighting. Perhaps once the darker shades are applied it will need to go a bit lighter again, we’ll see.

 

Anyway I hope you enjoy the video. 
 

 

[BoD]

Yep, thoroughly enjoyed it, thank you.

[Kylestrome]

Having watched the video I don‘t think your lighting is too bright at all. You are still at quite an early stage with the scenic work and you probably should start introducing some darker shades of green, as you say.
 

So far, I think you‘ve done a brilliant job!

 

David

 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Kylestrome

[slow8dirty]

Coming on fantastically, I think you're  being your own worst critic(which can be a good thing.) Thanks for posting.

[CameronL]

1 hour ago, mallaig1983 said:

Anyway I hope you enjoy the video. 
 

Certainly did. Very atmospheric. As well as the locos I'm sure I heard seagulls.

[mallaig1983]

Thank you for the kind comments and advice folks. I think once I remedy the areas I’ve identified I’ll be happier. To be fair I hadn’t really noticed until I watched the video that things weren't quite right and it’s only really the clip that shows the loco running in to the station again after running round that made me think ‘Oo that looks like Iraq or somewhere. Darker greens will be introduced in due course. 
 

Bit of a running session earlier and an opportunity to take a few pics of 37039 now it’s gained it’s white stripe, terrier and snow ploughs. The stripe is a fox transfer for coach lining. 4 attempts on one side and 2 on the other. I’m still not 100% happy with it but it was such a pain to do I’ll see how I feel about it over time. There’s still plenty left on the sheet.

 

 

[meanach]

I think a lot of people don’t realise that for a large percentage of the year the wilds of the west highlands have quite muted colours. I think the colours look great and I wouldn’t be tempted to go for the bright greens that some folk employ on their highland layouts . I stumbled across your vid elsewhere and thought the layout was looking great! 

[mallaig1983]

1 minute ago, meanach said:

I think a lot of people don’t realise that for a large percentage of the year the wilds of the west highlands have quite muted colours. I think the colours look great and I wouldn’t be tempted to go for the bright greens that some folk employ on their highland layouts . I stumbled across your vid elsewhere and thought the layout was looking great! 

Thanks Ian. 
Ive realised that the mistake I made is I put the scenics down before I lit the layout. I know that’s a schoolboy error that others can learn from. To be fair it’s all easy enough to remedy. Perhaps not necessarily using to much darker grass but looking and seeing where darker grass can go that will look natural and bring the scene more to life. 
 

I appreciate your input, thank you.

 

This screen grab is what made me notice it the most. 
 

 

[Kylestrome]

10 minutes ago, meanach said:

... for a large percentage of the year the wilds of the west highlands have quite muted colours.

 

Of course, it also depends on what season you want to portray and how much rain has been falling recently (not an uncommon event in the highlands 😉). As usual, personal experience and/or good photos are helpful.

 

David

[David Bell]

I think you are  being a bit hard on yourself. The video looks great and whole scene captures Mallaig to a tee.

Well done.Cheers David

[mallaig1983]

8 minutes ago, David Bell said:

I think you are  being a bit hard on yourself. The video looks great and whole scene captures Mallaig to a tee.

Well done.Cheers David

Thanks David.

Perhaps I’m being a bit over critical then. That’s maybe not such a bad thing tho. In that screen grab photo the area to the left of the signal box looks particularly pale. I’m grateful for the feedback from you guys and realise I might be being a bit hard on myself but there is definitely room for improvement and I realise what I can do so that’s good. 
 

A note on that signal box. It was a little project I started and abandoned many years ago. It’s rough and incomplete but it’s placed there to represent the box. There will be a new, smart and completed version there in the coming weeks. 

[61656]

Video definitely looks great and the lighting looks fine to me!

 

I’d be over the moon with something that looked half that good. 

[young37215]

As others have said, it all looks pretty good to me. The suggestion of finding good reference pictures makes a lot of sense, it is what I try to do. My only question on the grass is have you blends of the various colours and textures available? Using just one colour or texture does not reflect reality very well and creates a montone appearance whereas most landscape is multi coloured and of varying heights when analysed closely. The addition of trees and bushes also helps break up an area.

[young37215]

I suggest that you look again at the contrasts in ground covering from the latest pictures on Forsinard. I think they are very well done and emphasise my point about mixing colours and textures. 

[thegreenhowards]

The video looks pretty good to me and I wouldn’t have noticed any issues if you hadn’t pointed them out. I think you could achieve a lot my adding foliage on top of your base as Rob says. Shouldn’t there be heather and gorse over much of the grass?

 

Andy

[mallaig1983]

Thanks to everyone who has left constructive comments and encouragement. Both the area up behind the oil tanks and the area on the hill below the white tenement block I’m really happy with. These are rough areas and a variety of products were used to create them. It’s the area around the grey Dapol semi that is bothering me. Although hardly manicured the grass here was shorter and tidier but i agree, it is a bit to monotone. Also I think the white houses look a bit stark and will benefit from some weathering to tone them down. Add in the only partially weathered ballast and I think all 3 together just stood out all at the same time. 
I know where I need to be going now.

 

Thanks again.

[DavidBird]

Looks pretty good to me, Andy.

Of course, today everything is a lot paler with a dusting of snow.

[mallaig1983]

Mallaig Extension 😀

 

I can’t call it a fiddle yard but the temporary off scene run round loop and siding has been moved further round and now sits in another temporary location where Glenfinnan will eventually be. This is because I’ve been itching to have an extended run. The old storage loop was lifted and relaid and the board was cut so as the line runs on a slight arc. The plan at one time was to model about half of the Loch Nan Uamh viaduct where the train would emerge from a tunnel through the rock and cross 4 of the 8 arches. However now the plan is to put the fiddle yard below this scenic section I don’t have the height for the viaduct. So sticking with the tunnel theme the train will enter through the portal, run on a curved embankment and into another tunnel before doing an off scene 4th radius 90 and will then enter Glenfinnan. It was just something that I needed to potter with today. You know, sometimes a guy just needs to lay track. So board is cut and supported, cork glued down, droppers attached to the track and the track laid. Model railway tokens are a bit thin on the ground this month so I used materials already to hand. I had forgotten what an absolute tooth ache fitting those bullhead rail joiners is. I do remember it gets easier once you get the knack but after almost 3 years I’ve completely forgotten what the knack is. Not really a great deal to look at but piccies are enclosed.