Ingle Rigg - first attempt at scratchbuilding...

[Off Tackle]

 

After 3 house moves in less than 3 years my plan for re-acquainting myself with the hobby after 3 decades away was repeatedly iced, and I found myself without the space to build the modest layout I had been planning. Then came the lockdowns, and being in a high risk group I decided that another house move would be best left until the virus has been significantly suppressed. But I just had to build something, as simply acquiring bits and pieces, planning, and reading RMWeb just wasn't cutting it anymore. So I decided that I'd have a go at building an inglenook that both would fit in the bedroom (now also my covid homeworking office) and be self contained without always requiring a storage yard or headshunt stick.

 

The epic larger layout that I had planned (all 8 feet of it!) was to be the terminus of an imaginary mineral line, squeezed into an extremely narrow river valley high on the moors, set in the mid '20s. There would be an interchange with a narrow gauge tramway which was imagined to carry on further up the valley and onto the moor tops via an incline and serve several sandstone quarries. It would be nominally set in the Forest of Bowland AONB, with the inspiration originally coming from a fantastic walk with my late dad which culminated on high narrow path along the extremely narrow upper Dunsop Valley. Therefore this would be an ex L&Y LMS line. However I also love the North Yorkshire Moors, and find the pictures of NER/LNER tender locos up at Rosedale irresistible. So maybe it could double as there. Or maybe my stomping ground, the Lakes. And The Island at St.Ives is perhaps my favourite place on earth (plus I'm partial to a 45xx shuffling a toad) so maybe it could be in GWR territory. Equally I'm transfixed by quarry lines such as the early 20th century Horrocksford Branch and those around the Rossendale Valley. Too many choices!!! Therefore I want to keep away from any company or era identity, so if I want I can run anything from pre-grouping to grimy '70s blue diesels and 16t minerals.

 

30 years ago I got as far as laying a single curved point before sex, drugs, and rock and roll took over, so pretty much everything to do with actually building a working layout is totally new to me and I'm on a giant, enjoyable learning curve. Equally 4 months ago I had no modelling equipment so there has been a tsunami of mail order, and the service I've received from multiple suppliers and their delivery agents has been nothing short of remarkable.

 

I want the project to be a test bed for techniques I can use in the larger layout, so Ingle Rigg will be a cut down version of this vision. A key part of the layout was having the foreground drop away, with the feeling of a cramped site perched on a shelf. As its a shunting puzzle smooth, slow operation is a priority.

 

 

The plan is the classic 5-3-3 with a spur for the release loco.

 

The 'main line' (used as the headshunt) will just accommodate my largest loco (the beautiful LNER Hornby J36) and 3 wagons as per the rules. I used a double slip both to save space and because I like 'em. I know its not prototypical but I had one to hand so therefore didn't have to buy more track, plus rule 1 and all that. The far siding is the reception siding and is designed for the J36 plus 5 wagons and a brake van. Testing has proved that the incoming puzzle is as hard as the outgoing one – taking off the brake van, shunting wagons into the other two sidings to release the loco and replace the brake van at the buffers of the reception siding ready for the outgoing train while still maintaining the loco + 3 rule is tricky.

 

The nearest siding can comfortably accommodate 4 wagons, so during the inglenook puzzle a wagon or two that is not 'part' of the puzzle will sit within the goods shed at the end of the siding.

 

The layout is set on a hot autumn day in late September – the bracken is beginning to die but the heather is still in bloom. I'm aiming for a colour palette something like this from the Duddon Valley:

 

I also quite liked this feel of a river low next to the trackbed:

 

 

I don't have any woodworking tools, workbench/working space, skill, or experience, so I went for a quick option and purchased an excellent 1350mm x 450mm baseboard kit from White Rose Modelworks. The guys there couldn't have been more helpful and I'd recommend them to anyone (usual disclaimer).

 

 

As the plan was to have the track nestling on a shelf between the valley side and the small river, I needed some way of elevating the track. As I wanted to keep costs down by not purchasing more ply, saws/a jigsaw, a workbench, drill etc I decided I would use Woodland Scenics 4 inch foam blocks instead, which I now realise was a giant false economy. However with the pricey foam at my door, I could now cut out an access slot in the baseboard for the point motors, with the removed wood acting as the trackbed for the pointwork. 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by Off Tackle
General stupidty

[Off Tackle]

It became apparent that I needed to think about a backscene, and that it would be doing a lot would be doing a lot of work in this composition. My local timber merchant cut me some 9mm ply and I ended up buying a drill. I wanted a nice high backscene to get that feel of both verticality and distance, and I'm hoping that when the 'lid' and proscenium arch is on the layout and it is viewed at the correct height (with the track just below eye level) the height of the backscene will pay dividends. Its quite sturdy, although the light, easy to move baseboard has now been replaced with something that could sink the Bismark.

 

I used 1mm Palfoam for the curved backscene. I'm actually quite evangelical about this material and I'm surprised it isn't used more by railway modellers. It is a delight to work with, is cheap, and incredibly pliable. It was attached to the ply with superglue (the only thing that bonds Palfoam) while being pegged in place.

 

 

I used an ID self adhesive backscene, applied in situ. (I must thank Horsehay Railway Modeller for his video regarding ID backscenes and how physics will affect bending them if applied flat). The first sheet went on ok but I just could not get the second sheet to attach without a really obvious seam. Equally, once it had been in place for a while and I had track and stock on the layout, it seemed that the horizon level was just too high and didn't make visual sense, mainly due to how I had arranged the heights of various things. Therefore I got another piece of Palfoam, and with much apprehension sprayed it as close to the blue of the ID backscene sky. This was done with a couple of coats of Kobra acrylic spray paint (designed for graffiti artists). The Kobra paint went on superbly. After 24 hours to cure I placed the new backscene over the top of the previous one.

 

 

 

From a second self adhesive ID Backscene pack, I cut out the hills from a single sheet with a sharp craft knife to the dimensions I wanted, losing about 1.6 inches from the bottom. This applied like a dream in a few minutes and I'm really quite chuffed with how its turned out, with the distant fell almost blending into the blue azure. Additionally there is a very slight sense of 3d-ness to it now. The horizon feels more natural and it feels like the line is high on the moor rather than in a deep valley.

 

 

After much research I took the DCC plunge and purchased an NCE PowerCab and 3 Cobalt Digital point motors. I'm glad I took the plunge as I'm really enjoying driving my locos anywhere I want, and while I don't currently use sound I'd like to move into that realm in the future (alongside some natural moorland sounds being played via a bluetooth speaker mounted under the board). 

 

Kadees are used for hands free shunting. To ease the installation of the undertrack Kadee magnets, I laid 6mm cork on top of the trackbed so I didn't have to cut into the foam. I'd already amassed some Peco bullhead track and points in the last few years along with the aforementioned Code 75 electrofrog slip, but the very nice bullhead points were just too big for the small board so the lads at Derails supplied a small radius LH point back in September when track was very hard to get hold of. I modified this for DCC, removed the centre springs, and cut away some of the excess tiebar plastic. I had brought a couple of bottles of Copydex for glueing the track, but having read on Rmweb that the absolutely rank smell can linger in warm rooms I decided against using it as its in a bedroom where I also have to work, so I'm in here for a minimum of 16 hours a day and I like it toasty!

 

Instead the track was glued down with thinly spread PVA and weighted, which did cause some tarnishing during drying under weights but didn't seem to unduly affect running and cleans up without problems.

[Off Tackle]

Kadees with British short wheelbase wagons

 

My immediate reaction to my initial experiments with Kadees and the 308 undertrack magnets was disappointment. The magnetised wheels dragged and swung over the magnets horribly, making shunting unrealistic at worst and nigh impossible at best. However after some searching around the forum I found threads describing cutting down the magnets to reduce the magnetic pull. I cut the magnets down to 20mm, and was surprised that the magnets cut relatively easily with a very sharp craft knife, being a sort of intriguing soft rubbery material. As the magnets are 50mm long I'm sure 25mm would be equally useable, but I got much improved behaviour with the smaller magnets and I could move them around on the baseplate as I tested. Additionally, the smaller magnet size meant that I could them on gentle curvature and still get reliable uncoupling. The smaller footprint works well with short wheelbase wagons, as a full Kadee 308 magnet is not far off the length of a standard wagon, and I've found I don't have to be hyper accurate with positioning the train. As I don't have an angle grinder but still required the steel plate for effective operation, I used the trusty Palfoam as spacers as shown below.

 

 

The next major step was de-magnetising the wagons by removing any weights and replacing the wheelsets with brass ones from Peter's Spares (no connection etc). While these add £3 a pop to each wagon, the difference in Kadee performance is night and day. Interestingly, Oxford Rail use non magnetic wheelsets unlike all other RTR manufacturers. Broadly speaking, with a bit of effort and a lot of testing I've been able to get pretty good hands free shunting with Kadees, although occasionally those trucks will be a bit troublesome and need to be straightened out away from the magnet to remind them to uncouple once over the magnet.

 

In the next round of testing, I'm going to be experimenting with weighting the wagons with DCC lead shot. Currently the uncoupling is fine and doesn't require weight, but I do wonder if weighting to 35-50g will improve the smoothness of running and prevent jerking when running over rail joints/pointwork.

Edited February 3, 2021 by Off Tackle

[Off Tackle]

 

Currently I'm in the process of testing out scenic composition with cardboard formers. Once I'm happy with a section I'll use the formers as a framework for a plaster bandage and Sculptamold covering. This started out as a way to make the rear scenery away from the layout in order to protect the backscene, but as I've been boshing stuff together has been quite useful for visualising potential scenery. I like working with it, and while crude, is quite forgiving. Also, I have a shed load of cardboard due to ordering railway stuff equivalent to half of Dubai's GDP, and I have to recycle it the best I can!

 

The above picture shows what will be a small stream, cascading down under a plate girder bridge, which is in the process of being scratch built. The rather shonky track joins on the main running line is due to not catering for heat expansion. The track join to the rest of the world is affixed to an excellent ModelTech aligner, and the track popped itself out of the slip's insulated fishplates about a week into testing, so I had to cut and replace. 

 

 

 

In the foreground will be the river, which goes to a small waterfall just where the edge of the cardboard is. The goods shed is waayyy to high and slightly too narrow, but gives the idea of the sort of structure I'm going for. The loading wharf will have narrow gauge track inlaid along the rear edge (next to the reception/loading siding) and at least one wagon turntable to allow the tramway to access the short siding, plus a crane for unloading the sandstone blocks and transferring goods.  

 

For operating interest, I envisage a normal working day at Ingle Rigg to consist of the following (unrealistic) timetable:

 

Morning workers train

Morning mixed goods (incoming shunting puzzle)

Morning mineral train (empties inbound, loaded outbound)

Outbound empty mixed goods (the inglenook shunting puzzle)

Afternoon mineral train (empties inbound, loaded outbound)

Evening workers train

 

Every now and again I could chuck in a special train (either horses for one of the quarries which uses a horse drawn tramway, a heavy load of quarry machinery/narrow gauge stock, or a PW train)

 

This does mean I really need to start planning and building a storage stick though.....

Edited February 3, 2021 by Off Tackle

[Off Tackle]

I've spent some time experimenting with track painting. Unwilling to pull the trigger on a half decent airbrush just yet (although its probably an excellent investment), I'll be brush painting with Vallejo Model Colour. My first attempts were way too rusty, and I applied too much paint leading to some peeling when I wiped the rail head (even when the paint was wet) as can be seen below.

 

 

 

 

 

My next attempts at multiple thin layers were a bit hit and miss regarding even coverage so I got some black Vallejo Primer, which self levels reasonably well.

 

 

I've settled on something like this, with a couple of thin coats of Burnt Umber and a single coat of Saddle Brown, and the rail sides/head are a lot smoother.

 

The sleepers have been dry brushed with Saddle Brown, and then the sleepers and chairs where given a wash with Sepia Game Wash. Finally I very lightly highlighted the chairs with Rust weathering powder and used a little Slate Grey and White weathering powder over the sleepers, amounts of which I'm still experimenting with. I'm not sure if the rust on the chairs is appropriate, although I quite like the effect.

 

 

 

 

To be honest I'm kind of dreading painting the track. I spent my free time at Christmas playing thoroughly testing the layout and managed to achieve reliable slow speed running, which I'm a bit worried about b*ggering up.

Edited February 3, 2021 by Off Tackle

[sb67]

Just layed  and ballasted track in my layout. I painted the track first and used acrylic paint, I found the paint didn't stick to the plastic too well and some of it lifted when I ballasted. 

Next time I'd probably spray the track using an airbrush or track coloured rattle can as a base for other weathering. 

I like the bottom pic, don't think the chairs look too rusty, look at some prototype photo's and there's wide variations in colour. 

All looks good so far 

[Off Tackle]

Thanks for the feedback Steve. As a long time lurker I've enjoyed your builds! 

 

I found the same issue with paint lifting until I used the Vallejo primer, which so far has seemed to be a decent key. I allowed the primer on one test piece to cure for 48 hours and it only came off with a sharp edge and a decent amount of pressure.

 

I reckon halfway through painting the track I'll start to wish I dumped 200 quid on an airbrush, or failing that, a 7 pound rattle can....

 

 

 

[Off Tackle]

My first attempt at scratchbuilding.....it took a bajillion hours to get to this point but important construction and painting lessons were learnt, and while there's quite a lot I'd like to redo I'm fairly happy with it for a first go. I feel lucky that I was researching prototypes at the same time as @chuffinghell was, so I benefited somewhat from the deep discussion that was being conducted in the Warren Branch thread (although my effort is nowhere the same level of fidelity).

 

The main doors are currently just held in place by gravity, and the glazing needs to be installed for the front facing windows, bit I'm pretty much calling it done.

 

[chuffinghell]

Absolutely fantastic!

 

What did you use for the stone work?

[Off Tackle]

Cheers Chris! 

 

I used Slaters Stone Courses (for 4mm) over a 1mm Palfoam shell, but in retrospect I might have been better using the 7mm version for a chunkier look.  In an act of either pure zen or insanity I elected to paint each stone individually, and then drybrush with a sort of sandstone-y colour in an attempt to blend it together (Vallejo Bone White). Its still quite lairy to be honest in comparison to the buildings in the Forest of Bowland area I was basing the colours on, but at a certain point my inherent laziness kicked in and I just let it be 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Off Tackle
Corrected Palfoam thickness

[ManofKent]

Impressive work - that's very nice scratch building.

 

Where do you source Palfoam, and did you have it cut to size for the background? I've been using Foamex which is similar, but only goes down to 3mm.

[Ighten]

Beautiful stone work - would suit my setting perfectly

[Off Tackle]

@ManofKent - thanks for the kind words.

 

I sourced the Palfoam from Bay Plastics, which I believe is up in the north-east (usual disclaimer, no connection etc). It was easy to request a custom size on their website and get dynamic quotes, and in my opinion Palfoam is very good value for money. I ordered 2 sheets matt finish white custom cut sheets 2440x390mm costing £19.02 with VAT. I did order the sheets a bit longer than necessary to enable me to mess around with the corner curvature. Delivery was another tenner, and in retrospect I should have ordered a third sheet as it's a very cheap and beautifully easy to work with material. The custom cuts were spot on - the sheets only needed a simple wipe down to get rid of warehouse dust and I was good to go.

Edited May 4, 2021 by Off Tackle

[Gedward]

Excellent work and you'd never think this was a first. Looking forward to seeing the second...

[Off Tackle]

Thanks George, that's very kind. Actually, you are to thank/blame for the individually painted stones - after 3 attempts at painting the basic shell I just couldn't get the look I was going for, then saw the results you were achieving and thought 'what have I got to lose?' As it turned out, my hair, my job, my house, my sanity... 

 

Currently working on the mineral loading wharf with inset narrow gauge track....finding it more complicated than I thought I would.