F-UnitMad Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 4 hours ago, SonOfMike said: Amazing!! And highly entertaining, too!! Reminds me of years ago when I drove some old lorries that didn't have power steering. If they'd stayed like that, in 25 years of driving I'd have had biceps on my biceps by now! ....as opposed to being a 14 stone weakling.... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted September 4, 2021 Author Share Posted September 4, 2021 An update….Turpentine. Things are still being built. I always forget to take photos during construction, but I may get around to taking some soon so I can show what I have been up to. I lost a bit of momentum a couple of weeks ago by managing to take a slice out of my finger. It’s nearly completely mended now and I’ve been able to get on with things again. Anyway, the theme of the new module, as one may have guessed from the last couple of updates, is logging. I have long had a fascination for logging railroads, but I wanted to do something that suggested the lumber industry whilst being a bit different. What I’m trying to do (without any real reference to reality) is create a couple of scenes in a very small space that represent activity at the periphery of the main logging operation. So far, I have a sort of camp office, the abandoned log hauler and another structure of undetermined use (again, I don’t know what goes on there but boxcars come in and boxcars come out). The whole module is only about 2 foot 6 long but I’m hoping that I can create 3 or 4 scenes that when photographed look like they are much further apart but still make sense when viewed in reality. The thing I am working on currently is a turpentine still. I have fancied building such a thing for a few years and am finally getting on with it. Basically (in the interests of keeping things simple) it’s a brick kiln housing a “kettle” in which resin is heated and a large wooden water tank inside which is a coiled tube which condenses the vapours to produce turpentine. Everything will be housed in a rough and ready wood and corrugated iron two-story shed. I don’t believe such things were really in operation by the 50’s and I haven’t found any which were rail-served, but hey it’s my train set! The model is based on a variety of prototypes; I doubt anyone is going to pull me up on such a thing being inaccurate but I’m doing the best I can whilst working with what materials I have. https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEB_enGB909GB909&sxsrf=AOaemvKQm47pWOPQDYeEb_lOdDXIGt4B7A:1630765960276&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=turpentine+still&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjz_pfOxOXyAhWWl2oFHaUvCf4QjJkEegQIBxAC&biw=1163&bih=525 This has led to me referring to the new module as “Turpentine”. It’s as good a name as any and I quite like it. Geographical location is a bit vague – In my imagination it could be anywhere between a few and a couple of hundred miles from Apocrypha but in the real world it’s just separated by a hole in the backscene. I’ll post some photos of the still as soon as I have progressed enough to have something to show. At the moment all I have is a number of small sub-assemblies in various degrees of construction. TTFN. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 I'm still at it... (see what I did there?). I have made some progress with the superstructure / shed for the turpentine still but I have had to knock it on the head today because it's so flippin' dark and I just can't see what I'm doing, let alone take any photographs. I'll try and take a few snaps to upload as soon as the light is a bit better within the next few days. 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, SonOfMike said: I have had to knock it on the head today because it's so flippin' dark and I just can't see what I'm doing, Here you are, this might be of interest.... Edit - just noticed it can help cut down on how many servants you need, too!! Splendid!! Edited September 12, 2021 by F-UnitMad 1 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 Electric light??? What trickery is this???? It is the devil's work!!!! 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted September 16, 2021 Author Share Posted September 16, 2021 (edited) A gap in the clouds during my lunch break has allowed me to grab a few snaps of the still plonked roughly in place on the baseboard. There is still (no pun intended) much to do including the construction of a second floor inside the shed and additional bracing etc. around the legs that hold up the roof. I will probably need to do some of these once the structure is finally fixed in place as the "building" needs to be constructed around the still and kettle inside, as per the prototype. If I do too much now then I think I will have difficulty in moving the thing in its entirety. Currently it's all in 3 parts, the roof, the still and the kiln. The still and the kettle are fairly crude representations but they are hidden by the superstructure when everything is put together. Firstly a couple of pics of the whole - one of the legs looks rather wonky but shouldn't be when the structure is glued in place. The same for one of the brick pillars under the still. Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted September 16, 2021 Author Share Posted September 16, 2021 (edited) A couple of snaps of the still and the kettle, inside its kiln. Crude, as I say, but they won't be that visible once all is in place. The chimney does indeed extend through the rear of the roof, although it's not apparent from the previous pictures. Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike extra detail added Replaced missing pics 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted September 16, 2021 Author Share Posted September 16, 2021 (edited) Finally a couple of pics that I also happened to take at the same time. Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 8 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted October 29, 2021 Author Share Posted October 29, 2021 (edited) Time for an update, not that much has happened. I haven't had many occasions recently during which I have had both the time and the inclination to work on the layout simultaneously. I have, however, managed to get at least some stuff done over the last few weeks. Firstly, ballasting has occurred. Not only that, but the layout still works afterwards, which is nice. I have also built a few "impressionistic" coniferous-ish trees. I have purposely made them fairly "dense" - the idea being that they will help to hide the hole in the backscene where the Turpentine module connects to Apocrypha. I intend to try and do a couple of more detailed ones to place at the front, space permitting. Here are a couple of pictures, not especially exciting, but proof that progress is still being made. I find it quite surprising how small the module looks without the backscene in place. I suppose that just proves that the backscene is doing its job. Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted December 20, 2021 Author Share Posted December 20, 2021 (edited) I've still been suffering from not finding time to make progress on the new module but I'm hoping that I can get some modelling done during the Christmas break; maybe during those strange days that exist between Boxing Day and New Years' Eve. In the meantime... Happy Holidays From the Town of Apocrypha Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike typo 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted December 29, 2021 Author Share Posted December 29, 2021 (edited) Progress is occurring! Nothing too exciting so far but over the last couple of days I have at least managed to get the base layers of ground cover onto the new module. Firstly, some reddish brown paint in some areas, followed by some finely sifted sterilised soil from my garden. Next some Woodland Scenics fine turf and then some static grass. The different areas of cover should hopefully make more sense once the structures and are in place and the backscene reattached. These two jobs are next on the list once all the glue for the grass has completely set. Then the next round of ground cover will go down: grass tufts, weeds, bushes, shrubs, vines, trees etc. before starting on all of the various details I still hope to add. Please excuse the rather poor low-light photos and the assortment of festive / all-year drinks in the background... Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 (edited) What a difference a day makes... All that has happened since yesterday is that I have temporarily reattached the backscene and stuck some buildings down (the "shed" part of the turpentine still isn't stuck down yet as I still need to work on the interior) . Nevertheless, I can now feel the scene starting to take shape. Once the glue has dried I can start bedding the structures in and continue with the ground cover. Oh for some decent natural light to take photos in... Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 (edited) A few more... Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 5 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 (edited) I managed to add a few bits and bobs yesterday in terms of some small details, weeds and undergrowth etc. I took the module outside this morning to get some photos and it immediately started raining! I tried taking a few indoors but the light wasn't great so I'll have to try again another day. Of the few I managed to take, these are the two I was happiest with. Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 (edited) One of the little details that I didn't manage to photograph earlier, but with which I'm quite pleased, is this home-made (albeit rather crude / impressionistic) switch stand. I think it technically counts as a kitbash; the majority of it is cobbled together from some butchered HO scale window mouldings, the lever is a bit of guitar string and the "target" is cut from the end of a ball point pen lid. Apologies for the blurred pic - it looked perfectly fine until I put my glasses on . Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 3 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) Jemima & Gulf #22 emerges from the trees into the late afternoon sun and pulls pulls into Turpentine with a train from Apocrypha. Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted January 16, 2022 Author Share Posted January 16, 2022 (edited) The fruits of last weekend's labours can be seen at the bottom right of this photo: a scratch-built steam donkey engine (or at least something that approximates one when seen from 12 feet away without one's spectacles - which will do for me). I couldn't seem to get a decent close up picture that was in focus. I'll try again another day. Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted January 16, 2022 Author Share Posted January 16, 2022 (edited) In other news, back in November ago my Dad (@Mike) and I went to a small show in Solihull, where I managed to pick up a couple of things for just a few quid each. The first was an old MDC Roundhouse ventilated refrigerator car kit which was complete apart from the box. I had originally intended to paint it rather than leaving it in the pre-painted yellow V&T livery but I had a couple of MDC V&T cars back in the 80's and building the kit gave me a bit of a warm nostalgic glow, so I decided to leave it. I replaced the couplers with Kadees and replaced the plastic trucks with some metal ones that I had in stock. Here it is, sat in the morning sun on the team track at Turpentine, where nobody seems inclined to start unloading it just yet... Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted January 16, 2022 Author Share Posted January 16, 2022 (edited) The other item I picked up was this caboose (as I didn't have one) ,which someone has previously attempted to weather - it looks better in the photograph than it does in real life. I do intend to repaint this one; I need some stock that is actually painted and lettered for my imaginary Jemima & Gulf railroad. I don't want to repaint the MoPac and UP diesels that my Dad gave me for fear of spoiling them and my Shay is staying as it was when I built it aged 16. I do have the two tender locos to apply lettering to still, as well as some other stock to build so I'll order some decals at some point in the near future. In the meantime, I am in the process of adding some figures and other small details before finishing the turpentine still. Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted February 9, 2022 Author Share Posted February 9, 2022 (edited) Le Vieux Bancal Fiction (I know it’s all true because I made it up myself): Lamy Lumber #12, often referred to as “le vieux bancal” (loosely translated as “The old wonky / wobbly / rickety One”) was commonly seen switching the spurs in and around Turpentine. Originally built sometime in the early 1900s by an unknown maker, by the 1950s this small locomotive had been patched up and rebuilt so many times that nobody was even certain how much of the original engine was left. Nevertheless, she just kept going and continued to haul cars as far as Apocrypha. Fact: One drawback of building a USA-themed micro layout is the length of locomotives and rolling stock compared to their British counterparts. I therefore wanted to build something that was more along the lines of a sort of American version of a Peckett and would take up less space on the layout’s spurs. I also wanted to build, rather than buy, because I am a cheapskate and I always prefer to have something I made myself, no matter how rough and ready, than something I have bought. My problem, however, is that I am incapable of cutting in a straight line or gluing two items together perpendicular to each other. My usual M.O. is something like: “Measure three times, realise each measurement is different, oh well.. best out of five then, that’ll do, cut once, cut again, buggrit!, why is there blood?, apply glue, realise small part is stuck to my finger, try again, realise there are bits of my finger stuck to the small part, that now looks vertical, glue dries and everything is now wonky, never mind it will do for me.” This means that I am happy producing models of gravity defying rustic shacks but tend to steer clear of locomotives and stock. Nevertheless, this time I decided to have a go. I wanted to create a kind of caricature of a logging locomotive – something with the charm of a narrow gauge loco but in standard gauge, so that’s what I tried to achieve. The loco features: A saddle tank from a Dapol pug kit with handrails and knobs made from guitar string A smokebox made from some sort of wall-fixing, a bit cut from a Calpol syringe and a pug buffer Brass dome, smokestack and headlight castings from the spares box Air tanks made from old fuses and tape A bell made from sprue and a staple A generator made from a cable tidy and some wire, on a bracket made from the seat from an Airfix half-track kit An air tank made from bits of rawlplug and some sprue (purposely oversize to add to the charm, honest gov) A cab from an old Mantua loco A bunker made from the end of a hopper from a cheap battery powered trainset A rear headlamp made from a coupling from above hopper A chassis that my Dad gave me Various bits of scrap plasticard and other tat And the saddle is filled to the brim with Liquid Gravity. The numbers were cut from the decals supplied with the pug kit. Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 5 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfMike Posted February 9, 2022 Author Share Posted February 9, 2022 (edited) . Edited April 9, 2022 by SonOfMike Replaced missing pics 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 Bostin job 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Regularity Posted February 9, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 9, 2022 1 hour ago, Mike said: Bostin job No nepotism was involved in that statement. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 That's one heck of a bunker!! Almost looks like it could do with a pony truck underneath to stop the loco pulling wheelies down the track!! I do like 'backwoods' locos modelled with 'clutter' on them, like the oil drum & bits of lumber on yours. It gives them even more unkempt character. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 4 hours ago, Regularity said: No nepotism was involved in that statement. Like father, like son. They're both at it, as I'm sure you're well aware - muckin' about with American engines at the moment... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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