RMweb Premium Kris Posted January 7, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 7, 2011 That's very good. Where have the drain covers come from? I see there are lots of taxi's but no drivers, all off having a fag and a cuppa? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernboy Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Thanks for your kind comments gentlemen, really very much appreciated indeed Kris: The drain covers (and manholes) are Langley Models item A54. As for the cab drivers (along with passengers on trains and buses etc): Funny you should ask as for Christmas I had a box of Preiser unpainted seated figures ... so they're on the cards. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahame Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Superb modelling, wonderful stuff. Proof that N gauge has really come of age and is the scale to emulate. G. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted January 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 8, 2011 I love the shiny new "Southern electric" world depicted here and it's superbly executed. I've added grass ... I particularly wanted that scraggy look, where erosion / overhanging trees leave bare patches. There's a footpath worn in the grass where children cut across to watch trains go by ... To be *really* picky the path is perhaps a little wide. Maybe a narrower worn path surrounded by lower intensity "trample" would be more the thing. Trees will come much later, as will bushes (I'm thinking gorse bushes, with yellow buds, and rhododendrons - I'll have to do some research on what plants grow where etc). I suspect rather few if any on what is clearly a recently reconstructed cutting in the era of traditional management. A few goodies arrived at Frankland this Christmas ... Keeping up appearances: It seems the neighbours both bought the same model of car - two Jaguar SS saloons. They must be quite well off, these are the top of the range 2.5 litre models which cost £385.00! Beauties aren't they? They've got twenty years' happy motoring ahead of them - or have they? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Hudson Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I never thought I would be fascinated by the production of concrete blocks but the bridge and cutting scene is a marvellously understated gem. Keep it up; posting this layout is a form of public service! Andrew 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted January 8, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 8, 2011 Mark, Another tremendous update - I do like the way you present your thread too. The work around the cutting is really compelling - some great observations...the cabling, pipes etc....all captured very nicely. As much as I would like to see more, I do recall in our conversations that you prefer to do your updates after a significant amount of modelling rather than post regularly, so I respect this, as we each have our own way of doing things. That said....I am already looking forward to the next one Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernboy Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 Thanks Andrew Simon: Yes, I think the path could be narrower - it's one of those things which you see differently in the light of a new day/gain a different perspective when you look at the photographs I'm undecided on one or two trees, or none. I'll wait until I've painted more of a broader picture in this area and then revisit sight-lines. Just for interest, there's a marvelously evocative double-page picture-spread in Southern Electric vol.1 pp68-69 of construction of the 1938 Chessington branch bridge over the Epsom-Kingston dual-carriageway. It shows mature trees standing amongst the earthworks, although I'm sure retained for aesthetic reasons rather than any environmental concern. Great 'Public Improvement' clip Pete: Thankyou. You're right, I do prefer to present my work in stages. I read the forum frequently, but find I can be too easily distracted if I engage in regular piecemeal updates - time better spent focusing on work in hand. Like you say, we all have our way of doing things Thanks again for your feedback gents, always of value and encouragement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Claude_Dreyfus Posted January 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 8, 2011 I'm interested in how you created the concrete effect on the bridge and retaining walls. You say you used a 2mm roller...is this the same as the small paint rollers you can obtain from a craft or DIY shop, or is it something a little more specialist? Our club's layout - 21st century Japan - has a lot of concrete walling on it...and the effect you have come up with is exactly what I am after. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernboy Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 Yes, it's a small foam roller from an art store. Actually it's about one-and-a-half inches across (but they come in different sizes). For broad and flat areas a roller is fine - but where you have more detail (like the top section of my bridge) a roller doesn't get into the nooks and crannies - so I stippled the paint with a small hog hair brush. I then sanded the paint back almost to the undercoat with a very fine wet n dry type paper. I hope that helps and I'll look forward to seeing an update to Yamanouchi Oshika Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernboy Posted April 10, 2011 Author Share Posted April 10, 2011 Frankland update No. 5 Hello everyone and welcome to another in our series of occasional broadcasts from Frankland ... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The South Western Circle: I recently joined the South Western Circle, chiefly to find out which LSWR stock would still be running in earlier Southern Railway days. From my Membership two good things immediately presented themselves. The first was the following booklet which turned up completely out-of-the-blue. To say I was excited is an understatement. This book was a fascinating read for me and has greatly enhanced my learning about the LSWR EMU programme. The second pleasant surprise was I could order books which I thought were no longer available. In the booklet 'Waterloo Station circa 1900' I was delighted to find an original plan of the station from 1848. Waterloo was originally designed as a through station en-route to a terminus nearer London Bridge / The City - and I hope to include a semblance of this history in a future layout. I've redrawn that plan of Waterloo here in simplified form (copyright reasons) - showing passenger lines, but omitting goods and engine facilities. I really like the top bay and in particular the loop (?) platform - I can see that working with EMUs / off-peak short workings / as layover platforms. Either way I think it's quite an interesting arrangement and one I'd quite like to model one day. Any comments on this plan? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parade of Shops: Since my last post I've been mainly working on a parade of shops. These were based on a couple of pictures in the London Transport photographic archive: Section of a parade of shops, in Station Road, Edgware 1 One of the aspects which drew me to this particular building was the little bow window to the shop on the left, which you can see in the linked picture above. Section of a parade of shops, in Station Road, Edgware 2 I didn't set out to reproduce the building precisely - but to use it as a guideline to style, detail and proportion. I started by drawing up a plan, although quickly realised the photos weren't clear enough to count bricks and tiles so used multiples of approximate door heights to guestimate dimensions. And I had to make allowance for the shops being on a hill. I made a basic shell and gradually added the larger structural elements. Roof part 1 Roof part 2 Tiling: I cut the front and rear roof sections each in one piece to ensure the tiles lined up all around On one day during construction a blue taxi arrived. It was Mrs Lopsided coming to visit her sister who is considering buying a flat above the shops. I did an internet search for various original shop signs, period packaging, advertising and window displays. My plan was to print them out on the office printer, but on close inspection found that reproduction wasn't that hot. In the picture below the top image is the original, the lower image is how it printed out. I thought of reproducing them in a page layout / design package, but found that in small scale close-up you can still see the 'dots' of the print-head. So using Photoshop and InDesign I made an 8" x 6" sheet of everything I would need And printed it out at a shop that has a photographic print machine. The quality was much better. I made four sheets, each with variations in tone and saturation to see how they turned out. At 75p each it was an inexpensive experiment. Next I moved on to the more detailed sections of the building. I thought it would be easier to make the various minor sections as separate pieces, paint them up, and then fit them onto the main structure at the end - rather than make the whole thing and then try and paint those awkward-to-reach / very small parts and in the process damage something I'd already done. This is the first time I've used etched window frames. They're remarkably fine and crisp - although multiplying the cost of retail etchings by the number of windows I'll need across all the buildings I plan for Frankland gets a bit frightening. For future projects I was thinking about using a Rotring pen on acetate to draw my own window frames, does anyone have any views / experience on this? I also made the shop windows / displays as separate 'slot-in' sections, again, because I thought this would be easier than trying to fix all these fiddly bits into a larger ongoing whole... Also in this picture are the lamps that sit atop the building, simply because I was painting them at the same time. So here are the shop windows before and after assembly. In each window I've used a floor-to-ceiling background image and a lower foreground image to try and create some depth to the displays. These window frames are strips of very fine microstrip glued with Humbrol Clearfix. So that's the construction of my first 'proper' building 100% from scratch and I'm very pleased. Of course there are a number of things I can see which could have been better, but it's all part of life's learning curve :-) -------------------------------- Well today (Sunday 10 April) the sun is shining and the skies are clear and blue: Ladies and gentlemen we welcome you to ... Parade of Shops: The Grand Opening Here's the back of the shops. You won't see the ground floor because the building is positioned so close to the viaduct. I may go back at some point and add drain pipes for bathrooms/kitchens etc. The ground floor windows and door have frosted glass. I figured the rooms at the back could well be 'cold' rooms or large larders (which is why they also have the ventilators in the windows) This is the back of the advertising hoarding, all properly boarded with planks at the back. The chimneys are made from cocktail sticks. Weathering powders over the whole structure would enhance texture, but that's something for another time. But all-in-all this is a brand spanking shiny and new parade of shops, just opened today - so there will be no 'weathering' as such. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Travels around London: On a recent stroll to Tooting I photographed these wonderful gas lamps - and thought I'd share. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other news: This picture is the proposed Oxford Diecast RD001 King George V Royal Daimler (Sandringham). I may have to get one when they are released. They're expensive at around £24.00, but I very rarely indulge myself ... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More EMUs coming to Frankland: When I made my 3-SUB from Farish generic stock someone commented that the compartments were too far apart. Also, in my mind, the whole thing looked a bit chunky. I wasn't worried in the context of it being my first go at anything like this ... but at the same time both thoughts stuck in my mind as something to deal with next time around, although I wasn't sure how ... ... until a few weeks ago browsing the pages for 00 kits on the Worsley Works site I chanced across the following notice: "We can produce any of the Southern Electric Multiple Units shown in the Brian Golding Book." I contacted Mr Doherty who confirmed he would also produce any EMU in N gauge - so I ordered etches for three 3-SUBs - and here they are For anyone interested, these are: DMBT, 49' TC, DMBC, which are on pages 34, 37 and 35 of the book respectively. Here's the driving car. Notice lower right the cab front. Below the window are what look like grills. It took me a while to realise these are actually to allow the lower half of the cab front to curve in to match the tumblehome on the carriage sides. It's going to be interesting getting that perfectly formed - but neat thinking too! And here's the trailer. The panelling is just perfect. The one thing I notice is that door frames are not represented. What tool would people suggest is best to use should I choose to represent door frames? Anyway, the bigger picture is that the availability of EMU etchings has overcome the main stumbling block Frankland had always faced - how to get/make stock. I am so happy! I'll probably motorise two sets and have one unmotorised so I can run a six-car set. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And finally: There's nothing the people of Frankland like better than to tune-in their wireless at 5.15 to hear Henry Hall and the BBC Dance Orchestra. So whilst this news broadcast now concludes, listeners can continue to soak up some entertainment Frankland-style. Please turn up the volume on your radio and click on the link below as we say: Goodbye everyone, and . 16 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted April 10, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 10, 2011 Another stunning contribution about a very fine layout. Looking at the pics, I always have to remind myself this is in 2mm scale, which says it all. That block of flats at the bottom of the hill reminds me of Du Cane Court, near Balham station, which when it was built (1926?) was the largest block of flats in Europe, so I was told. Anybody who has watched Poirot on tv in recent years will know it's gorgeous inside too - they often film there because the interior is still very much art deco. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted April 10, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 10, 2011 Hi, The parade of shops looks excellent - love the details in the stone work! Love a good Frankland update! Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted April 10, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 10, 2011 The shops are fantastic, and those etches look very nice. They should be fun to build. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassett Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Those shops are fantastic ,shops are what i was stuck on after seeing these im off down the shops to get some materials great work . Bassett Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted April 10, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 10, 2011 Another fascinating, intriguing and enjoyable update on progress Mark. Really terrific modeling - those shops sit so well in the context of your layout. In terms of the etch you could try a scribing tool - Jim s w alerted me to this - I can PM you a link if you are interested? Best, Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markaccy Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Superb Modelling. I like how things are spaced out and have their own grounds rather than just Modelling the front of a building and cramming a lot into a small space. I like that it's all there. I suppose the advantage of n gauge is the ability to fit a lot more in. Very good indeed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahame Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Great development, great modelling, great layout. Thanks for sharing. G. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernboy Posted April 10, 2011 Author Share Posted April 10, 2011 Thank for your kind comments everyone Oldddudders: Du Cane Court is 10 minutes down the road from me and I took some photographs on that same walk I pictured the gas lamps. It really is an outstanding building and still today a very desirable address. I did look into modelling it for Frankland, but even a 'compromise' version would have overpowered the layout (check it on Google Earth or similar to get an idea of the scale of the place). It was opened in 1937 and apparently is still the largest privately owned block of flats in Europe (676 apartments). Instead my block of flats will be based on Hartington Court, Chiswick, which was built in 1938. Pete: Thanks, I'll take you up on that offer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 If someone had shown me the completed shops I would have guessed it was a kit from one of the European manufacturers like Faller or Kibri. Very nice indeed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave ottney Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 The shops building is great. I'm going to study the construction carefully and hopefully use some of your techniques. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Nth Degree Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Absolutely wonderful. You've captured period London suburbs so well, I actually feel quite at home. I live in a north London suburb, on the Northern Line and used to work in Soho - I also work in the design industry. I'll watch this with pleasure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Great modelling! Those shops are just so familiar. OK, maybe not any one exactly like that, but they just ooze that just pre-war new suburbs style. To a minor degree I can even remember old shop fronts like that before the dreadful shutters went up (or is that down? ) Shops you would want to go back to when they were open, not something that just reflects anger back onto the street. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the new EMU etches either. They will really look the part. The N Gauge Society are looking to produce the Southern 8' bogie as a one-piece moulding which could be useful. As for the door lines, perhaps scoring with a sharp knife after painting and running in a thin wash of dark grey might be a solution. Pressing deeper scores in could cause all kinds of distortion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernboy Posted April 10, 2011 Author Share Posted April 10, 2011 Thank you for further comments gents - as always really much appreciated BernardTPM: Ah, Bernard, it was your comment on my previous attempt at a 3-SUB that stuck in my mind: inter alia " ... While the old Farish coaches do have a reasonable semblance they are a little tall in the body and the compartments rather too long for typical SR units. If you can get them, the 4-wheel coach bodies have usefully lower windows and can be further reduced in height by taking a little off the wide eaves above the doors ... " I did think about using the four wheelers, but the hassle and cost of getting them off eBay (etc) and all that cutting and shutting made me think 'there must be a better way of achieving this' ... so thanks for making that comment because it was largely instrumental in sending me off on the search that led me to where I am now with the Worsley Works kit So a big thanks to you. I'm also interested in your comment: 'The N Gauge Society are looking to produce the Southern 8' bogie as a one-piece moulding' I'm a Member - but don't recall reading about this - any details you can share on this subject? Do you know if this is something coming soon or is it a more long-term project? Well, thanks to one and all again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Those Worsley LSWR EMU etches look very nice - I'm looking forward to doing some of his 4mm Southern coaches. Looks like you'll have fun curving the ends to shape You could always cheat and draw the door lines on..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted April 11, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 11, 2011 Hi there, Great work on the layout. To answer the question about the 8' Southern bogie... The NGS has a bogie tool that produces two bogies simultaneously - one with an 8' wheelbase, and the other 5'6. We need to tool the 5'6 diamond frame bogie, since this is used in numerous kits and is no longer available as a spare from Farish. And we have decided that the other 8' bogie should be the SR version. This has been mentioned in the Committee section of the journal. These should be ready by the end of the year, if not well before. cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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