pre-grouping and never-grouped narrow gauge

[cornamuse]

The grey castle walls were too grim, so a more Bamburgh colour is being aimed at. Too dark at the moment, but will be heavily dry-brushed until a nice pale brown.. 

 

the grey version was painted in minutes. This is taking a while as each stone needs painting individually. 

 

 

 

[cornamuse]

And so Fort Campagnol grows…

 

Gun platform, Oriel window, lots more stonework

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by cornamuse

[Edwardian]

Love that oriel in particular. 

 

Seeing this project come togather gives me joy.

[cornamuse]

1 hour ago, Edwardian said:

Love that oriel in particular. 

 

Seeing this project come togather gives me joy.

 

 

Thank you- I’m so glad it does. It’s a long way from any serious modelling I may have done, more a sort of 3D doodling. Like doodling, it lets my mind wander nicely… 

 

however, I can confirm that the fishing village will be predominantly whitewashed plaster walls. I need a break from painting stones! 

[Edwardian]

8 minutes ago, cornamuse said:

 

 

Thank you- I’m so glad it does. It’s a long way from any serious modelling I may have done, more a sort of 3D doodling. Like doodling, it lets my mind wander nicely… 

 

however, I can confirm that the fishing village will be predominantly whitewashed plaster walls. I need a break from painting stones! 

 

[cornamuse]

well ok, some stone houses, but enough white ones to give me a break 😂

[cornamuse]

There is a Society for Creative Anachronism. I’m applying it to an imaginary narrow gauge railway in an imaginary island… and seeing if I can still create something believable. I think mentally giving it a backstory helps. The story isn’t fully formed, but there are elements already. 
 

 

 

[cornamuse]

More progress on the fort. There will be stained glass and a light in the oriel window, a lot of dry brushing to make it all very much paler and some very unmilitary ivy. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nearholmer]

It all reminds me a bit of Portmeirion, which is the nearest thing I’ve ever experienced to being inside an artfully designed model railway diorama.

 

 

[cornamuse]

14 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

It all reminds me a bit of Portmeirion, which is the nearest thing I’ve ever experienced to being inside an artfully designed model railway diorama.

 

 

Thank you, kind of the effect I’m going for. That or a live action version of Trumpton :) 

[cornamuse]

I’m getting a bit bored of castle walls, so I thought I would do a little tentative planning for the village of Molehaven. Any suggestions? There will be steps and levels built in as I go, to make it feel more like Staithes, but cliffs behind it looked just awful. 

 

The exit to the mission hall, which will of course be a glorious tin tabernacle, will be moved to the end to save the padre from falling down the cliff… 
 

[cornamuse]

Slow progress, and the troops on parade while I work out some lighting. I’d like C20 style floodlighting for nighttime 

 

 

just the left wing to dry brush, then ivy and other details. Fancy a few gargoyles and a statue or two like on York city gates. 
 

 

[cornamuse]

Other than flags, Fort Campagnol is about done, replete with a very diverse selection of troops. 
 

 
 

 

WW1 troops, guards in bearskins, napoleonic troops in shakoes, 1700s tricornes. To be honest, a Roman galleon wouldn’t be much more surprising. Funnily enough… 

 

 

The oriel window is lit from within, but needs a much brighter lamp to be any good. I’m wondering if a cheap set of battery fairy lights can be repurposed to provide lighting, including some spotlights on the front of the fort. I have decided to do without pointy roofs, they looked too Disney, even for me! Two do need floors dropping in for sentries, though. 

 

The left hand tower is due to get a ton of ivy, a couple of flags, then maybe the quayside or, if I’m feeling brave the hillside at the other end of the layout. Or worse, the 4ft girder bridge. 
 

I’ve a Staithes style village to work on, too, but that is likely to be fun, so I’m leaving it until I’ve completed at least one job I know I've been putting off! 
 

 

 

[Nearholmer]

I’m intrigued by the name: Fort Campagnol. Is it a reference to French voles???

[cornamuse]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

I’m intrigued by the name: Fort Campagnol. Is it a reference to French voles???

It is indeed. We have Rattersby, Molehaven, Fort Campagnol and Volehenge. 
 

Partly in reference to the size of the dwellings, but mostly because of an ongoing bit of family silliness regarding our dog’s imaginary best mate, Dead Vole… bet you are glad you asked 🤪

[Nearholmer]

Glad your dog has a dead vole as a best mate. Ours has a complex about being pursued by a squirrel - she thinks it’s the same one that taunts her in the garden, sits laughing at the top of each tree in the wood, tempts her into chasing it, then zooms to the top of the hedge etc. She tore the stuffed toy one she had into a million shreds in seconds.

[cornamuse]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

Glad your dog has a dead vole as a best mate. Ours has a complex about being pursued by a squirrel - she thinks it’s the same one that taunts her in the garden, sits laughing at the top of each tree in the wood, tempts her into chasing it, then zooms to the top of the hedge etc. She tore the stuffed toy one she had into a million shreds in seconds.

it’s pigeons with our dog. Al Capigeon and his mates keep taunting him from the structure at the bottom of the garden. However he is only any good at catching dead stuff… 

[cornamuse]

You know how you start the New Year with the intention of finishing jobs… well, here is one I have been avoiding for months. The little petrol railcar, from a bashed about IP Engineering kit. 

 

Agnes, the driver, must have seen something in the line… 
 

 

 

 

loco was made around the time of the coronation, hence the cypher. 
 

 

 

 

[cornamuse]

Some advice please…

 

I’m playing with forced perspective. 16mm scale in the front, the dark grey Saxon church is 10mm ish and then the lighter church and white pub are 4mm. There will be trees in between, to blur the joins. It’s pretty brutal, but do we think it works? 

 

the Saxon church is of very flexible scale and is included for emotional reasons; built it with my son for a Y3 school project… 

 

the white pub is the Tower Bank Arms in the Lake District, from his old model railway. 
 

[Nearholmer]

I think if you put the smaller items higher up, as well as further back, it might work better.

[cornamuse]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

I think if you put the smaller items higher up, as well as further back, it might work better.

certainly worth a try, the village is just resting on another layout at the moment, so could easily be raised 6”.  I’ll need to work out how to blend the ground levels properly as the 4mm stuff is not actually joined, and will be remaining a separate module. 

[Edwardian]

3 hours ago, cornamuse said:

Some advice please…

 

I’m playing with forced perspective. 16mm scale in the front, the dark grey Saxon church is 10mm ish and then the lighter church and white pub are 4mm. There will be trees in between, to blur the joins. It’s pretty brutal, but do we think it works? 

 

the Saxon church is of very flexible scale and is included for emotional reasons; built it with my son for a Y3 school project… 

 

the white pub is the Tower Bank Arms in the Lake District, from his old model railway. 
 

 

Yes, Brother Nearholmer has the right of it; the smallest things are the highest things. Something to do with perspective and horizons. I reckon. 

 

I find this helps

 

 

[Nearholmer]

Of course, I don’t know what is behind the mysterious curtain, but if it is something solid (rather than, say, a comfortably appointed Bedouin tent), maybe you could fix a little bracketed shelf to that to hold the 4mm/ft scene, then use a flat hill between that and the next size up, and trees between that and 16mm/ft-land.

[cornamuse]

2 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Of course, I don’t know what is behind the mysterious curtain, but if it is something solid (rather than, say, a comfortably appointed Bedouin tent), maybe you could fix a little bracketed shelf to that to hold the 4mm/ft scene, then use a flat hill between that and the next size up, and trees between that and 16mm/ft-land.

A garage door, I’m afraid, but I’ve brackets in the wall behind the sky, so that is very feasible - actually preferable, it will allow better access to the O scale layout below. 
 

I can hide any edges with a green curtain to imply a bit of a slope. 
 

The mysterious curtain is waiting for me to find some blue curtains to go in front. 

[cornamuse]

Work progressing on the girder bridge to make it look less like a lump of wood. 

 

 

The railcar trying the bridge out… 

 

 

View of Molehaven harbour and the fort 

 

 

Looking down the shed, getting a nice feeling of distance. The layout is being restyled as a preserved railway, so all the shunting action is now centred on the main station, with just a halt at the town.