A return to Nantford Spinney

[AndyB]

1 hour ago, CameronL said:

Fast work! 

 

Best wishes

 

Cam

 

Working to a bit of a deadline at the moment! 😱

[AndyB]

I can't remember how many times I've nearly knocked the fishing boats flying whilst reaching over to the back of the layout. Doh!

 

But having added all the swtsil at the back that I wanted it seemed OK to settle the boats into place. 

 

Earlier in the week I was able to visit the fishing village of my mis-spent youth and reaquaint myself with the clutter that abounds there. 

 

As a first step I've added anchor lines and barge boards that the guys use to get across the mud. 

 

 

I also toned down the shiny paintwork of the Harburn Hamlets boat using powders to give it a bit of a care-worn appearance.

 

The next job I need to start is making fishing nets and maybe some lobster pots. And of course source some fishermen to man the boats. 

 

Cheers. Andy

 

Edited September 3, 2022 by AndyB

[AndyB]

Three more bits finished off.

The woodyard has a wall and gate framed by overhanging trees to disguise where the backscene meets the baseboard. The lorry's roof needs a dust off though! And a load of plantks from the woodyard. Got to give the road a brush down of scatter too. 

 

And I've added a small market as another point of interest. 

 

 

I've finished off the area in front of the pub with a beer garden. TBH I think this is more reminiscent of a country village pub rather than one hard up next a harbour. In my experience these places tend to be quite compact with buildings cheek by jowl. But it did "use up" the excess space between the pub and the road. Just needs a pub sign now. 

 

 

Edited September 4, 2022 by AndyB

[stivesnick]

Hi Andy 

 

The layout is looking good, I like the recent additions.

 

One issue I had with using the Metcalfe pub benches, is that many of the seated figures you can buy will not work with these benches, especially if they are cross-legged. You may have to cut some legs off and hope no one notices or calls the police!

 

Nick 

 

 

[Keith Addenbrooke]

4 minutes ago, stivesnick said:

Hi Andy 

 

The layout is looking good, I like the recent additions.

 

One issue I had with using the Metcalfe pub benches, is that many of the seated figures you can buy will not work with these benches, especially if they are cross-legged. You may have to cut some legs off and hope no one notices or calls the police!

 

Nick 

 

 

Afraid there is a rather obvious “legless at the pub” gag in there just waiting for someone who can’t resist…

[AndyB]

1 hour ago, stivesnick said:

Hi Andy 

 

The layout is looking good, I like the recent additions.

 

One issue I had with using the Metcalfe pub benches, is that many of the seated figures you can buy will not work with these benches, especially if they are cross-legged. You may have to cut some legs off and hope no one notices or calls the police!

 

Nick 

 

 

 

Thanks Nick.

And you're not wrong about the benches.

That's why I chose clientele with crossed legs. 

Or perhaps the loo in the pub is out of order! 😬

 

 

 

 

 

[AndyB]

1 hour ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

Afraid there is a rather obvious “legless at the pub” gag in there just waiting for someone who can’t resist…

 

Resistance is useless! 

[AndyB]

Seeking some ideas if I may?

 

I'm thinking of adding this P&D Marsh water crane to the platform.

 

However, as you can see it comes with a baseplate which would sit proud of the platform surface. 

 

I'm a bit reluctant to carve a hole in the platform as I'd likely make a bit of a hash of it. But could perhaps put a series of pin holes around the outline and then carefully cut along the line?

 

Or would it be OK to have it sit proud?

 

The over-riding thing at this stage is to not hash it up. 

 

[AndyB]

So all things considered I decided to blend the base of the water crane in with a mix of paint and weathering powders.

 

I don't think it looks too bad. 

But, my goodness, the track looks so shiny! 

 

[AndyB]

I was very pleased to have a visit from @Andrew P yesterday evening. Always nice to host a fellow modeller. And we might just have tried some of the less "branch line-y" locos out, too.

 

Andy made a couple of very astute observations which I've started to put into practice. 

 

First off a view blocker where the road meets the backscene next to the market.

 

 

The observant among you will recognise this as a Southern horse box; it'll go nicely on my next layout.

Whilst I was buying the horse box I thought this Walls ice cream trailer would get a bit of trade from the holiday makers.

 

 

It just happens to fill a gap, too!

 

Thanks Andy for your sage advice. 👍

 

Andy

[Andrew P]

A lovely visit Andy, so thanks for that, and a couple of excellent purchases already. PLUS it was nice to see the variety of Stock running. 

Cheers, and I'm looking forward to another visit once the NEW project gets under way.👍.

[AndyB]

Another bit of advice from  @Andrew P was "don't mix your greens". 

 

Dare I say this was Sage advice?

(I'll get me coat).

 

Andy was referring to particular areas of marsh grass I'd painted which were too vivid compared to other nearby vegetation.

 

 

Andy, I've started to tone it down and hopefully it's starting to get closer to what you had in mind?

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2022 by AndyB

[Andrew P]

5 minutes ago, AndyB said:

Another bit of advice from  @Andrew P was "don't mix your greens". 

 

Dare I say this was Sage advice?

(I'll get me coat).

 

Andy was referring to particular areas of marsh grass I'd painted which were too vivid compared to other nearby vegetation.

 

 

Andy, I've started to tone it down and hopefully it's starting to get closer to what you had in mind?

 

So much better Andy, hope you like it still.

[AndyB]

44 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

So much better Andy, hope you like it still.

 

TBH even I could see it didn't look right before. So, yep. Much better now. 

 

Just started to paint the cub & scout figures and improve the woodwork on the halt's platform. 

[Andrew P]

5 minutes ago, AndyB said:

 

TBH even I could see it didn't look right before. So, yep. Much better now. 

 

Just started to paint the cub & scout figures and improve the woodwork on the halt's platform. 

Are the Cub and Scout figures those tiny blobs that I couldn't really see Andy?🤣

[AndyB]

13 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

Are the Cub and Scout figures those tiny blobs that I couldn't really see Andy?🤣

 

That's them. 

 

Painting their woggles on is going to be tricky! 🤪

 

 

 

 

[AndyB]

Final touches...

 

 

And finally the scout troop move into their camp...

 

 

Including this scene in the layout is a bit of a homage to scout camps of my youth. I hope that by including it in the layout my old scout leaders will look down on it from the great Jamboree in the sky and smile. 😇

 

51.987402,0.759030

 

 

 

[AndyB]

It's quite autumnal outside tonight.

 

So I thought you might like to see a photo from a summer's afternoon as the down freight trundles past Nantford Spinney halt on its way to Nantford Quay.

 

 

 

[lmsforever]

On 23/10/2022 at 11:11, AndyB said:

Final touches...

 

 

And finally the scout troop move into their camp...

 

 

Including this scene in the layout is a bit of a homage to scout camps of my youth. I hope that by including it in the layout my old scout leaders will look down on it from the great Jamboree in the sky and smile. 😇

 

51.987402,0.759030

 

 

 

Oh the memories of scout camps  dib dib dob dob

[AndyB]

 

A very  care worn Q1 marshalling vans in the yard.

 

Weathering was dry brushing and powders.

It was pristine shiny black before I got my hands on it!

 

It's obviously something of a stranger on this west country branchline. But it'll be right at home on my next layout which will be Southern based.

 

 

 

[The Stationmaster]

21 hours ago, AndyB said:

 

A very  care worn Q1 marshalling vans in the yard.

 

Weathering was dry brushing and powders.

It was pristine shiny black before I got my hands on it!

 

It's obviously something of a stranger on this west country branchline. But it'll be right at home on my next layout which will be Southern based.

 

 

 

You really need sound to go with a Q1 - they used to make a noise all of their own, best described as 'clonk..bonk', as they moved past at slow speed on the centre road (Up Main Through Line) at Reading with almost no exhaust noise.

[AndyB]

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

You really need sound to go with a Q1 - they used to make a noise all of their own, best described as 'clonk..bonk', as they moved past at slow speed on the centre road (Up Main Through Line) at Reading with almost no exhaust noise.

 

Mike, my track laying prowess achieves that sound effect already. 🤣

 

 

But on the new layout, where perfection will obviously be attained, I'll ask the layout operators to stand behind the backscene making the appropriate Clonk-Bonking sounds! 

 

[AndyB]

OK. So this next bit is exciting. 

You may wish to sit down.

 

The original OO-gauge Nantford Spinney had a home-made running in board... 

 

 

And so the current incarnation also needed one. Well, two actually. 

 

 

Not homemade this time but produced by Osborne Models of Bideford (£3 per pair). These customised running in boards were ordered on Sunday evening and arrived in the post this morning (Thursday). That's what I call excellent customer service. 

 

For the halt I'm thinking to place the osrd behind the platform. I think the length of legs would make it look a bit strange if placed on top of the platform.

 

 

I'm thinking that the terminus, Nantford Quay, needs one about here...

 

But not sure if it would need a second one here as well...?

 

Or potentially one at the station throat? 

 

I've had a look at a number of books,  scouring them for examples of what would be expected at a branch terminus and drawn a blank. So if anyone has insight (Mike? @The Stationmaster) then it'd be good to hear what'd be normal?

 

Anyway it was genuinely a pleasure to get these little items in the post that are going to add a bit of extra detail to the layout. 

 

Thanks for reading and tsking an interest in my layout.

Cheers. Andy. 

 

 

[AndyB]

I've been working through my locomotives and rolling stock making them progressively less "straight out of the box" shiny.

 

My preferred weapons of weathering are dry brushing and weathering powders.

 

Where I can't find a specific colour photo to base it on I make the assumption that steam trains make things grubby. And that towards the end of steam, and with branch lines being axed, locos *, coaches and wagons would look fairly care-worn.

 

Before...

 

 

After...

 

 

 

* the exceptions are my lovely green express trains. I'm not weathering those anytime soon! 😛

[AndyB]

Hopefully they look OK now.