Dinfield and Norton Rd - Will Pwllheli solve all my problems?

[pirouets]

So overcame my fear and applied the dirt wash to the station. and withthe windows in quite happy with it so far. I need to figure out how to either kit out the interior or dull it down as being made from white card its quite visible. The new fence is also in and far happier with that compared to the old one.

 

 

I've started placing the overgrowth back behind the fence and I do like this shot. I'm going to have to work out how to do field depth in the photo's though. Taking this picture got me thinking about how to make the station signs and where to place them.

 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by pirouets

[pirouets]

Found a set of ferns at Scale Model Scenary and have plonked the 1st few on to the layout. One of those things that will be hard to pick out unless you look closely but I know its there. Will probably need another pack if I create some decent clumps.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by pirouets

[pirouets]

So 3 months ago my wife ordered me a gas storage holder kit but it has never turned up. I have emailed and rung the firm numerous times. At one point they did say they were making it, but since then I have heard nothing despite my best attempts so I am going to try and get a refund via Paypal which the supplier used. It wasn't via my paypal account so my wife will need to phone up to lodge the complaint. The space it was going in is shown below

 

 

 

 

I went to the Basingstoke show and got an idea off Sundown Lane for a building like this. Its a bit different to the other buildings. My thinking is reverse of what is seen below without a loading platform so an HGV can reverse up.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by pirouets

[pirouets]

So the last couple of weeks have seen a second set of white cottages coming together and I think it completes the space at that end of Norton Rd nicely. The plan is to have grass or flower beds in front of each cottage.

 

In the bottom right of the picture you can see the garden at the back of some other cottages have been growing sunflowers.

 

 

In other news, my thanks to Graham108 who offered up a Gaugemaster hand held unit for free. This is now installed and I have swapped from the Hornby HM6000 Bluetooth controller as I just prefer the size of this than holding a mobile phone. Also I can operate the controller without looking at it which makes things far easier.

[pirouets]

I forgot I had a more complete picture of the cottages with the roof completed and chimney stacks on. The tiles are from Scale Model Scenery.

 

 

The other thing I am playing around with is options for station signs. Lapford actually had them on lamp posts but I quite like this set-up. What I do need to find is a decent lamp model for the platforms as my thinking is each bench will be located by or under the lamp. Whether they will be working is also a question as that does mean drilling holes through the platform.

 

[pirouets]

So following on from the post after Ally Pally about the type of building that could fill the last empty spot on Dinfield, may I present......

 

 

Still lots to do but I am prepared to go out on a limb and say "By Jove, I think he's got it".

 

If that is in fact the case it does mean the only remaining build is the station building for Norton Rd which means its time to start figuring out the detailing of the layout. Often this has been the point I tear things up and start again, but not this time.

[pirouets]

Poxy Tesco bags get everywhere. Actually turns out to be a useful trick to cover the wire feeds to the track. Lots left on the sheet i have including coke cans and crisp packets.

 

Whilst I am happy for Dinfield to be a mess, will have Norton Rd some what tidier with more of a smattering of litter, but that's for another day.

 

[pirouets]

So there are times I do look at modelling in card and paper and think there is the odd glitch that creeps in, plus you are limited to the paper you can wrap the card in. Having started on a couple of Airfix kits I thought I would try plasticard for the 1st time.

 

At the moment I am simply just copying something from an article I found on the web so the frame is card still with the brickwork layer UHU'd on top. I haven't quite got the edges matching but for a 1st effort its OK. I need to have a think about painting options but there is a fair amount to do before I get to that such as paint the flat roof.

 

Not sure if this will go on the layout but one of my aims with this layout is to try new techniques out.

 

 

 

[pirouets]

Its been a while since I posted. Not sure why but been browsing the site without logging in. However its not a lack of mojo and various things have been happening over the last 6 months

 

1st up we have the lift out flap. As it previously was a board fixed in place it was far from perfect. However the simple addition of the bolt means it now sits flat quite happily so I have also added and wired in the other storage road with the good news that my Class 08 will go over the joins, which means every loco will. Just need to find a better 6 way connector.

 

Next up is my 1st attempts at weathering. I have a set of MIG Oilbrusher paints having seen these used on the McKinley railway videos so following that. These are old cheap lima CCTs that that were the 1st attempt

 

 

The other is a couple of ebay Gulf wagons.  for which I give myself 5/10 for a 1st attempt. I used the Paul Bartlett wagon website as reference if my memory is correct. I need to learn to be more subtle with the dark colours

 

Station building is finished. This is not fixed in place yet as I am still toying with the idea of lighting all buildings and having working street lights. You can also see i haven't had the guts to try weathering one of the Bachmann oil wagons #totalchicken

 

Gardening has been a theme this summer. In the real garden I've dug new flower beds since the fencing went in and shifted about 3/4 of a tonne of stones. In the shed work has been much lighter, just a bit more taxing on the eyes.

 

Cruel close up of the back wall but a view you won't see from the front of the layout

 

 

 

Finally for now, over at Dinfield the shops have been coming on. The benches on the station are from Scale Model Scenery and a great little kit.

 

Cruel picture below of the paving slabs but quite happy with the fact the little people can do their washing.

 

 

[pirouets]

So one of my problems is I get to about 80% on a layout and am naff at the little details. Whilst the Norton Rd part of the layout doesn't need a huge amount more doing I am struggling to work out the detail of Dinfield round the factories. I have no instant plans to get the demolition team in, but maybe July time next year. I'm an IT contractor and my current role is likely to finish then so might take a short break before getting another contract which would give me 4 to 8 weeks where I could crack on with making the changes.

 

I've also been plowing though various back issues I have access to and 2 idea's are stuck in my head. The first takes its inspiration from Rhosnewydd Junction by Ken Gibbons. Its in Railway Modeller (Mar 2004) and would give me a more mail line feel and I can picture going back to pre-tops with Warships, Westerns and Hymeks. It then has a modular area where I can make different scenes, whether be Minories, a freight only industrial yard or any other idea I come up with.

 

 

The 2nd idea is to have part of station with a branch off. That would climb round the shed outside the layout and sit about 6 to 7 inches above the fiddle yard. The scenic boards would be 18 inches wide with 2 to 3 inches allowed outside that for the climb to the high level station. It would also be possible for this to be a junction on the mainline and have it as a double track junction and then go single line off scene until it gets to the high level station.

 

Anyway, we shall see. At the moment the workbench has a spitfire kit in the way which I really should try and finish.

[pirouets]

So bit more detailing whilst thinking about the future. I'd been watching a couple of Everard Junction videos and took the hint that I need some weeds on my sidings.

 

 

I've also been trawling through the quaint goods yard thread and came across this picture which has a couple of presflo's in a siding that can be unloaded direct to vehicle which got me thinking I could do that in the scene above. My presflo's are away at the moment but will dig them out. Just need to find the right cement lorry to be collecting for the nearby building site. Photo originally posted up by Monty Burns 

 

 

 

[pirouets]

I don't have a cement wagon yet but got the presflo's out. I think given the layout is set in the early 80's maybe these should be PCA wagons but that's a question for another day.

 

[pirouets]

Nuts, we have a leak. The building and platform shown below sit exactly in the middle of the length of the shed and water has got in and run down the seam of the join for the roof and dripped. Need to get up and have a look and if its like the previous leak it will be around one of the clout nails so shouldn't be an issue to fix.

 

 

However it does mean I need to address how to fix. I know I have idea's of possibly changing the layout and this has given me a 3rd idea - How about just change the Dinfield scene?I've always liked Albion Yard by Paul Marshall-Potter (@PMP on here). 

 

That would then mean I have a pure freight only scene and possible the ability to add another fiddle yard track if I compress to around 13 inches wide. (Albion yard is 21 inches wide) The main changes are the loss of a siding that sits by some industrial units at the back of the layout and no run round for the pair of sidings at the front of the board but I think it would still given plenty of scope for operation as well as buildings to create.

 

Back of layout

Front of layout

 

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by pirouets
Cos it didn't like the 1st word I wrote which was Bug&er

[pirouets]

Hmm, I think I could recover from this if needed 🤪

 

[pirouets]

So have track down and now to figure out precisely which idea's i am going to steal from other layouts

 

First up at this end of the layout I have 2 ideas

- A set of terraced houses with fence by the line. They would be house fronts rather than the backs seen here. Place of theft - Albion Yard by Paul Marshall-Potter

- A set of shops and bridge over the line and then a set of terraced houses running down the line - The bridge and terraced houses idea stolen from Callow Lan by Captain Kernow

 

On the left it will most likely be a siding for concrete wagons, possible with a wood merchants against the backscene

 

 

Next up, we go back to Albion Yard and the end to the right of the tracks would have a couple of terraced houses along with the gated entrance to the yard. As you can see the otherside will be the station building. The hole in the backscene will be filled in.

 

 

Third up I have 3 ideas I could plagiarise 

- A simple low level factory at the edge of the line as per Callow lane. This would make it a 2 platform station

- Some low relief units as seen at the back of Albion Yard

- A really low relief factory with a platform & unloading shed, as seen at the back of drabford. This would make it a single platform station so the platform will have fencing at the back of it

 

 

Finally there are any number of layouts with a yard siding like this, but it was Albion Yard that gave me the idea rather than having a parcels bay as seen on Drabford. I do wonder if I need to move the siding closer to the baseboard edge though plus there is the odd kink in the track to fix.

 

 

 

[pirouets]

Found a couple of pics on my phone, one of which I am putting up for no other reason that I quite like it. First up though been adding a drain and a fire hydrant sign.

Picture is way to cruel on the roof of this kit and I do wonder whether to rip it off and replace with Scale Model Scenery tiles. At some point the building will be fixed in place.

 

 

And found on the phone and thought I quite like that. Think their should be a dog somewhere in the grass though having a good sniff about so time to go looking for that.

 

[pirouets]

Amazing how much modelling mojo I get back when I get a blank canvas to play with. I really need to see if I can keep this going when it comes to the little details.

 

Anyway, what we have below is the framework of the bridge for the end of the layout. You can see the idea of houses or shops either side of the bridge. The buildings at the left and right edges will need to be trimmed to fit the space so their is a 1 meter path running down the side of the buildings either side of the bridge. The gap behind the bridge is deliberate to allow the shops to fit so I will need to think about how to fill that in even though unless I take a picture straight down it will never be seem.

 

Thinking for the lower left side of the bridge is it will be a brick retaining wall given where the end of the siding is.

 

[pirouets]

Another day, and another branch of a tree consumed in the name of a model railway. Basic wall structure in place at the front. Apart from putting the walls in the cutting time to move on to the houses so I can get the pavements laid out.

 

[pirouets]

Progress with the houses. These are Scalescenes T008a low relief houses but I have reduced them in size by around 8%. Having lived in terraced houses in the past these are still coming out at 13ft wide each whereas the 1st terraced I lived in was around 12ft across the front. Doing that also meant I only trimmed a few mm off the left hand house as it hits the edge of the scene.

 

To help mock up how the housing will the run down the main back scene I have cut up a cereal packet. The house on the street will be around 15cm including the yard, so once that is ready I will start trimming the cereal packet further to represent the slope. Not sure whether I will have low relief fronts accessed by a path or will it be a pair terraced houses side on representing another road. probably a while before I get to working that out.

 

The other question though is does that brick retaining wall to the left of the bridge need supporting pillars as most retaining wall images I have seen do have a slope or extra support in the brick structure. The only place I can think of with vertical walls is on the approaches to Birmingham New Street.

 

[Lowlander]

On 19/12/2022 at 18:37, pirouets said:

So bit more detailing whilst thinking about the future. I'd been watching a couple of Everard Junction videos and took the hint that I need some weeds on my sidings.

 

 

I've also been trawling through the quaint goods yard thread and came across this picture which has a couple of presflo's in a siding that can be unloaded direct to vehicle which got me thinking I could do that in the scene above. My presflo's are away at the moment but will dig them out. Just need to find the right cement lorry to be collecting for the nearby building site. Photo originally posted up by Monty Burns 

 

 

 

Try Road Transport Images for your trucks. They have a great selection of cabs and trailers etc. So you can mix and match. 

[pirouets]

13 hours ago, Lowlander said:

Try Road Transport Images for your trucks. They have a great selection of cabs and trailers etc. So you can mix and match

Thanks. Had a look today and whilst pricy a definite option. I need to do a bit of research in to exactly what unit would be used in tne early 80s.

[pirouets]

Good thing I made an error in a card order in Amazon a while back. I think this build will get through a fair bit.

 

Another shell knocked up. I love rocket glue and why had I not tried it before. The land for this house is at the same level as the road but the tail that can be seen in the bottom right will slope down to the next building which will be set about 1.2cm lower, and by the time the path passes both houses it will drop between 2 & 2.4 cm. 

 

For the 1st time this means creating buildings with sub-bases and a framework below ground level.

 

 

And this is the street view over the bridge. One thing I have notice is the low relief kits are really shallow so I think they will be redone with a depth of about 4cm, which brings the front of the houses nearly in line with the bridge. I was going to have small walled area's in front of the houses but happy to lose that to get the perspective right.

 

[pirouets]

Been a little while since I last did anything as I ran out of card. I got the order pretty soon after the last post but just not had much interest in doing anything till yesterday but a few hours in the shed (plus a few episodes of Burn Notice) have out paid to that.

 

The shells of the houses as they step down the hill are put together and have cut out the frame pieces of the card on which the pathway will sit. There will be a 2mm card top on that which brings it up to the doorsteps.

 

At the end of the row my current thinking is a grassy slope with a couple of big trees.

 

This all comes apart at the moment which is good as the next job will be to put the brick paper on.

 

[pirouets]

Did somebody say brick paper? I think this was about 3 more episodes of Burn Notice and the pathway in front of the houses is now attached to the piece with the house on the street.

 

Been spending quite some time looking at pictures of terraced houses as one of the things I have never quite got right is doorsteps, window sills and lintels. Still got a few other buildings that need wrapping though first.

 

[pirouets]

3 years and i haven't ripped it all up yet. Ok the Dinfield side is on its 4th design but its all part of the same evolution. 😄

 

The entry to the layout continues to evolve. For now I am focusing on this area rather than jumping all over the layout and who knows, that may just be the way this side evolves properly. Not sure how long i have been doing my own buildings but it only recently occurred to me to use powerpoint to create a window sill template that means I have consistent width and height. Slowly working through adding these at the moment and you can also see the building in the corner has windows.

 

 

As well as that another side project has been a Hurricane kit picked up cheap a while back. The moulds leave a bit to be desired compared to the couple of Airfix kits I have made but a bit of gentle rubbing down got rid of all the extra flashing. Now for the fun of painting. I say fund as the Hawk and Spitfire both used Tamyia acrylics but there were a few issues. 1st job though will be to prime it. Hmm, thinking I need a bigger workshop these days.