Dalmunach (ex Cromdale Goods)

[luke the train spotter]

1 hour ago, TechnicArrow said:

That greenery is superb - it really has brought the place to life! The treeline masks the low-relief station incredibly well, definitely something I will have to try for Watchford.

 

Can I ask where you got the sea foam, and any other tips for making trees? I've never made any before, but I think it's hight time I do!

Thanks! I bought the seafoam from Gaugemaster but my experience with other retailers is that it's all the same stuff really. A box certainly goes a long way, I used about 1/3 the box for all the trees on Dalmunach and plenty of smaller ones for shrubs. The WWS tree spray is fantastic and makes the process super smooth and fast even if it is a bit more expensive than a can of hairspray which some others use. I'd say just go for it and experiment, WWS do some good YouTube videos I've used for reference in the past.

[SouthernBlue80s]

That looks really good Luke.

I very much like the trees.

 

(My tip to improve it, would be to make the grass a bit patchier. So for example instead of two big clumps in the forground also add a few smaller ones, as weeds and grass are often a bit random in the way they grow)

[luke the train spotter]

1 hour ago, SouthernBlue80s said:

That looks really good Luke.

I very much like the trees.

 

(My tip to improve it, would be to make the grass a bit patchier. So for example instead of two big clumps in the forground also add a few smaller ones, as weeds and grass are often a bit random in the way they grow)

I agree! I'm planning on picking up some static grass tufts at York and getting some of the scatter out too.

[luke the train spotter]

With some time off for Easter I can look forward to progressing with the layout. The most recent progress has been with the signal box, making a basic interior leaver frame from plasticard and bits of wire and painting up a Modelu figure having a tab on the balcony part of the box. I imagine that on a station which only has a few years left in it there's plenty of time for breaks. 

 

 

 

And then onto the layout with a couple drops of wood glue. I'm quite proud of how this signal box saga has turned out so it would be nice to repurpose it on a future layout.

 

 

You can only just make out the levers but it's certainly better that they're than not. The roof is still loose so I may add some lighting at some point, if I can get over my fear of having interior lights on when the layout is clearly operated in the day. 

 

Today I made the trip to York Model Railway Show, which is nice to continue an Easter tradition after covid. A really nice show, not much in the way of anything Scottish but a great mix of layouts/trade/etc, I managed to pick up plenty of detailing bits for Dalmunach but the highlight was seeing Port Pennan again, although non operational as it was incredibly inspirational to me and you can probably spot a few similarities with it and Dalmunach! Sadly this was under morbid circumstances as Ken Gibbons ,the layout builder, has passed on but his creative influences live on.

 

 

 

 

An original classic Scottish micro!

[Ian Blenk]

'Having a tab', you've been in Newcastle too long!

[luke the train spotter]

'Sputnik' aka the local railbus service pauses at Dalmunach before running back down the branch. I don't suppose anyone has replaced the destination blinds and made their own?

 

[luke the train spotter]

With the bits I picked up from the York show last weekend I've made a start on the platform detailing. Looking at pictures and videos of the Speyside line of in the 60s it's clear that the platforms were very minimalistic. John Boyes even documents a class 20 running a service removing platform furniture so some later photos show essentially barren platforms. I wanted to try and mimic this sparseness which requires a lot of restraint. 

 

 

I've settled for a basic sign, couple of empty casks (Skytrex) and a couple benches (York Models). I've got a couple of Modelu figures to paint up but I think I'll place these at the goods shed end of the platform so they are only visible from a couple angles, after all it's a station with dwindling passengers. 

 

Whilst I was at my parents over Easter I picked up my 4mt standard tank, numbered as 80126 which regularly ran the Killin line, perhaps it transferred to the Speyside once the Killin line closed. Here it is on its first passenger service to Dalmunach.

 

 

The 2 coach train just squeezes into the platform and runaround loop. Another unusual visitor to the Speyside line, a class 17, also makes an appearance as a recent purchase being run in and chipped to add a bit of variety to the freight traffic. Since these locos struggled on larger freight trains I imagine that it's fairly plausible that one was transferred to the Speyside area to work the much less demanding freight trains, especially since the trains to Dalmunach aren't longer than 6 wagons. 

 

 

[Sweet pea]

Hi Luke your layout is looking really nice. The foliage and greenery looks spot on.👍

[MartinWales]

Nice to know that you were inspired by Ken, who I was fortunate to know. Indeed my exGNSR EM layout 'Kinmundy' used a slightly modified trackplan from his co-authored  Santona book

[luke the train spotter]

After a pretty full on week back after Easter some modelling time was definitely required, so a Saturday running session was in order. I'm currently working on a small class 20 project, weathering and converting my current 20s to suit a more Speyside-ish condition. So far D8101 has only had a weathering treatment but may get renumbered at some point. My other 20 will be going into D8032 in 1966 condition as photographed by John Boyes, once a new body arrives from Bachmann spares. 

 

Anyways, here's D8101 shunting the yard at Dalmunach before heading down the branch with a very short pick up goods. 

 

 

[TechnicArrow]

Those shots are fantastic - the sense of space and depth in your scene is great! The half-relief station, and especially the trees along the backscene, all work really well.

 

The 20 is looking right at home, with plenty of space to run without being cramped. Top work!

[luke the train spotter]

A couple more of the 20 during yesterday's running session, I think the low angles work really well to make this small space more immersive.

 

 

 

[Sweet pea]

Luke I agree the low angled shots work really well 👌 

[1722]

Lovely shots Luke. 
 

Am I the only person who misread one of the vans as ‘The Maltesers Association of Great Britain’ ? Now that’s an association I’d join in a shot!

 

Great work, enjoying your progress. 

[DK123GWR]

5 hours ago, 1722 said:

‘The Maltesers Association of Great Britain’ ? Now that’s an association I’d join in a shot!

I managed to do it with the latest post, despite realising my error after the previous one!

[Salop Lad]

Hi Luke.

 

I’m new to this site and this is my first post,hopefully one of many.I’m planning to build a similar,if slightly larger version of a station on the Speyside Line,early 60s just before closure to passengers ,so this topic really caught my eye.I have already collected a few books on the line and may visit the area at some point.

 

Apart from saying what a wonderful layout this is turning out to be,I wanted to ask whether  the brown and cream paintwork on buildings is similar to Western Region colours of the same period or are the colours different? Pictures seem to be superficially similar but I’d like to get it right.

 

Keep up the great work and I look forward to your progress.

[luke the train spotter]

53 minutes ago, Salop Lad said:

Hi Luke.

 

I’m new to this site and this is my first post,hopefully one of many.I’m planning to build a similar,if slightly larger version of a station on the Speyside Line,early 60s just before closure to passengers ,so this topic really caught my eye.I have already collected a few books on the line and may visit the area at some point.

 

Apart from saying what a wonderful layout this is turning out to be,I wanted to ask whether  the brown and cream paintwork on buildings is similar to Western Region colours of the same period or are the colours different? Pictures seem to be superficially similar but I’d like to get it right.

 

Keep up the great work and I look forward to your progress.

 

Thank you. I'm not an expert at all when it comes to Western Region but looking at photos I'd suggest that the GNSR colour scheme used on the Speyside line is a slightly more muted and undersaturated. I think the warm white lighting on the layout makes my buildings look on the more yellow side of cream in photos when in reality they're slightly tinted off white. For all the buildings the brown is Vallejo flat earth and the white is Vallejo off white with a tiny amount of Vallejo light sand mixed in. I found this closely matched the contrasting look of the Speyside buildings especially at Ballindalloch, Carron and Knockando, see below. 

 

 

However, some of the buildings at Craigellachie have a much warmer hue much similar to the Western Region colours. I imagine that frequency of repainting and small tonal differences between paint tins means that as long as it is close enough it is probably accurate. 

 

 

I think the levels of light taken at the different stations probably don't help either but worth knowing that there was variety along the line. 

 

[Northroader]

Hi, Salop Lad, good luck with your idea. There’s a most useful site for station colours, pregroup onwards to nationalisation. 
 

https://www.stationcolours.info/18-2/

 

if you click on “railways”, then click on “ Caledonian”, then scroll down, you’ll get to GNSR, including samples of the BR Scottish Region colours youre after.

[Salop Lad]

Thanks Luke for your reply.I guess paint jobs vary within areas quite considerably depending on the individual mixing the paint at the time.I only wondered as I have got some chocolate and cream paint left over from a previous layout so thought I could save a few quid.

 

I will make a note of the Vallejo paints.

[Salop Lad]

Thanks Northroader I will go and have a look now!

[Salop Lad]

Looks like I will get away with my chocolate and cream after all.

 

Thanks for the replies.