Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[MrWolf]

Having been woken earlier than usual by that question men have been asking for millennia: "How can something so small and apparently fragile take up so much bed and defend that territory so well whilst apparently asleep?" 

I have been up for a few hours and quietly getting on with the crossing keepers house. 

I have put in a wall to support the central chimney stack, added bracings from scrap, window cills and at the third attempt, soldier arches out of 5 thou plasticard. (To be honest, I am quite pleased with the result, considering that I can't even trim my sideburns level...)

The ink markings are where I will score in the mortar lines once the joint is set. I find that 5 thou tends to end up like a fruit bowl if unsupported when scored in a curve.

 

The bits in front are the makings of two chimney stacks, much bevelling of plastic sheet on an 8" file. I have bevelled my finger nails somewhat too, who needs manicures? 

 

I have been brought an offering of breakfast. I suppose that means I better go and do some actual work!

 

 

[88C]

I can also see that you are working on your stash of wagon kits.

 

Brian

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, 88C said:

I can also see that you are working on your stash of wagon kits.

 

Brian

 

Some are repairs to old wagons, such as fitting metal buffers, but I am getting into the kit stash slowly. If I don't start now....

[Rowsley17D]

I like the way you're making the chimney go through the roof rather than sticking one on top. Nice neat corner joints by the way, I just cannot get on with that thick Wills stuff.

[MrWolf]

Thanks, I learned a long while ago that chimneys fixed onto the roof are very vulnerable and difficult to disguise unless you go to the trouble of fitting flashing. 

I have been busy putting chimneys together over lunch. Not tidied up yet but looking okay. 

The trick with Wills sheets is not to fear getting a bit brutal. Small model makers files are useless on it when making bevelled joints as they tend to cut grooves, clog up and are difficult to control. 

Much better is to use an eight inch medium fine cut engineer's file, which can be bought from any DIY or tool shop. It will bevel the edges far quicker and more accurately than anything in the modelmakers armoury and probably change your mind about the material.

Small, fiddly bits can be clamped or simply run up and down the file ( hence the hillbilly manicure ) 

 

Below is a shot of the lunchtime progress, there's a single string of brick to go around the top, but that will be cut out of a bit of Slater's brick embossed plasticard. 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2022 by MrWolf
Stupid autocorrect

[chuffinghell]

4 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

........difficult to disguise unless you go to the trouble of fitting flashing.

 

Who on earth would be daft enough to do that 

[Gopher]

7 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

Thanks, I learned a long while ago that chimneys fixed onto the roof are very vulnerable and difficult to disguise unless you go to the trouble of fitting flashing. 

I have been busy putting chimneys together over lunch. Not tidied up yet but looking okay. 

The trick with Wills sheets is not to fear getting a bit brutal. Small model makers files are useless on it when making bevelled joints as they tend to cut grooves, clog up and are difficult to control. 

Much better is to use an eight inch medium fine cut engineer's file, which can be bought from an DIY or tool shop. It will bevel the edges far quicker and more accurately than anything in the modelmakers armoury and probably change your mind about the material.

Small, fiddly bits can be clamped or simply run up and down the file ( hence the hillbilly manicure ) 

 

Below is a shot of the lunchtime progress, there's a single string of brick to go around the top, but that will be cut out of a bit of Slater's brick embossed plasticard. 

That is looking good Mr Wolf, can't wait to see the finished article.  

[bgman]

2 hours ago, chuffinghell said:

 

Who on earth would be daft enough to do that 

 

Me !  

 

 

It's just as hard in 7mm !!! 

Edited December 9, 2020 by bgman
Forgot to attach the photograph !

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, Gopher said:

That is looking good Mr Wolf, can't wait to see the finished article.  

 

Thanks, but rest assured, there's plenty of hurdles to fall at before the finish line! 

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, chuffinghell said:

 

Who on earth would be daft enough to do that 

 

Me. Just like the real thing, it will be taking care of gaps...

[bgman]

1 minute ago, MrWolf said:

it will be taking care of gaps

 

Yep, I would wholeheartedly agree its a good way to do it !

 

G

[chuffinghell]

52 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

Me. Just like the real thing, it will be taking care of gaps...

Sorry Rob when I said “who on earth would be daft enough to do that” I was referring to myself 

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by chuffinghell

[MrWolf]

10 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

Sorry Rob when I said “who on earth would be daft enough to do that” I was referring to myself 

 

 

I know that you were, like you, once I know that something should be there on a model, it has to go in! 

 

I am drawing the line at putting an interior in the building though, as all the windows face the backscene! 

[chuffinghell]

16 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

I know that you were....

That’s okay then. I would never refer to anyone as daft other than myself (well not out load) 

[MrWolf]

36 minutes ago, chuffinghell said:

That’s okay then. I would never refer to anyone as daft other than myself (well not out load) 

 

I AM daft. I have been told by many people that I am, delusional even. Apparently I am about 19 in my head and I am in for a rude awakening one day when I have to grow up. Stop roaring about on old motorbikes, dress this way, cut your hair that way, take up a "normal" hobby (like football or golf) get a proper job, being an artist is kids stuff, get a girlfriend your own age, blah blah blah...

I'm too old to change now. I like being daft, it's much better than getting up at 6am every day using my skills, time and energy to make someone else a millionaire. Daft is good. The doubters can go #### themselves.    

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by MrWolf
Expletive Control Measures!

[Captain Kernow]

23 hours ago, MrWolf said:

You mean something like this?

Exactly so. And like Blue Anchor and Gara Bridge.

 

[MrWolf]

Tempting. I have been looking hard at the idea.

Pros:

*I can run extra trains out of the east (Craven Arms) fiddle yard.

*Passing trains is more plausible.

*It's a typically GW track layout.

*I will need to extend the station board by 150mm to 750mm wide, but that will make the goods yard bigger.

*Better excuse for a signal box and mechanical level crossing.

 

Cons:

*The only spare points I have are right handed.

*The west (Clun) fiddle yard will need an extra siding or two. 

*I will need to extend the scenic area on the station board by 150mm.

*I will need to make sure that the level crossing I have is big enough!

[MrWolf]

It's been a very productive night, I have finished the chimneys, made a porch, fitted flashing around it and the extension and got as far as I can without painting. It has been pointed out however that I drop or lose something roughly every nine minutes and do a very passable impression of Muttley the dog.

I have been serenaded via clarinet tonight as SWMBO practices a thirties jazz piece. She drops a note about every nine minutes and it sounds like Joyce Grenfell with road rage....

I have managed to take the part finished model down to the workshop (Roman name Klangatorium ) and waft a coat of primer over it to pick out any rough bits. I went a bit mad and double skinned the porch because you can see the brickwork inside. 

 

[Gopher]

14 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

Thanks, but rest assured, there's plenty of hurdles to fall at before the finish line! 

I am sure you will make a great job of it looking at your progress to date.  Always remember we are not at home to Mr Cock Up.  Actually not true in my case where Mr Cock Up gets fed and watered regularly.

[MrWolf]

I find that if a job is worth doing, it's worth doing wrong and several times.

That Halfords white primer certainly possesses a pungent effluvium. I got up this morning and I could smell it upstairs.

C'est la vie.

[MrWolf]

A bit of pre breakfast bodging again today, I wasn't going down to the workshop to bring the house back yet.

My attention was drawn to something else in the pile of dreck on my workbench. A Wills goods yard store. As supplied it makes a nice little model, but I fancied detailing it, putting the sliding doors on the outside, building a brick base out of two left over pieces of platform walling, which is the same height as the wooden goods shed base ( so evidently too high for a standard GWR passenger platform, something that I need to attend to) I also wanted an access door and steps in one end, plus I want to leave the doors open, which of course means adding details to the interior......

 

 

As supplied, I like it already...

 

 

Bodging under way...

 

Also, if you take one end and part of the front from the wayside halt kit, cut the end in half, hack a door into the front, use part of the front wall for the side....

You end up with something that looks a bit like the lean to at the left-hand end of Vowchurch station....

 

Which should give you an idea of how things are going to unfold.

 

 

[MrWolf]

Lunchtime's bodging session resulted in getting this far, still a lot to do to the outside and I will have to find the necessary crates sacks etc to detail the inside with.

 

 

 

Outside needs steps, door frame and means of hanging the sliding doors externally - I thought it would be likely on a small building to save internal space. There's plenty of real world examples.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by MrWolf
Attack of the grammar nazis

[MrWolf]

Doors hung, extra woodwork to hang them externally and a set of steps under construction.

 

Can anyone recommend a source of decent boxes, sacks etc? 

 

 

[Captain Kernow]

2 hours ago, MrWolf said:

Can anyone recommend a source of decent boxes, sacks etc? 

I think Langley do some whitemetal boxes and other items of 'goods'.

 

Peco do pallets (I think they used to be in the Merit range).

 

Hornby (Skaledale) certainly used to do some painted resin crates.

 

I believe Slaters did some plastic sacks.

 

[Alister_G]

3 hours ago, MrWolf said:

Can anyone recommend a source of decent boxes, sacks etc? 

 

Hi Rob, as CK says, Langley do a whole range of boxes, sacks etc, and so do Dart-Castings, however it would be a lot cheaper to make your own.

 

I did this when I was building Bakewell, take a look here:

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/64977-bakewell-peak-district-line-br-layout-views/page/66/

 

Examples:

 

Crates from Styrene Square Tube:

 

Sacks from DAS Clay

 

Barrels / Drums from Styrene Round Tube

 

Sack Barrow from Styrene sheet and tube

 

A comparison of costs is here:

 

Quote

It's a liitle hard to quantify but to give some idea, the total cost of the Dart-Castings items (parcels, sacks, suitcases, mik churns etc) was £20.51

 

The cost of the raw materials was:

 

10 x 30 strip                  £3.90 (50 300mm lengths)

10 x 20 strip                  £3.90 (50 300mm lengths)

10mm square tube       £2.90 (3 300mm lengths)

3.2mm round tube        £3.90 (5 300mm lengths)

 

Total                            £17.50

 

However, if you look at the volume of raw materials that you get for the money, then you will see I have used a miniscule amount of that purchased - particularly of the 3.2mm tube (two 1mm slivers for wheels) so I could have made at least a hundred crates (even with using the strip all over) for that amount of materials so the saving would be quite extensive.

 

 

Hope this helps,

 

Al.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Alister_G
Examples