Rannoch Moor

[Grimleygrid]

Superb modelling Mark, your station really is a work of art. Top job Sir.

 

I can just imagine one of your 37s pulling away after a stop, clagging like mad!

[Trainsrgr8]

Absolutly outstanding Mark! This is a really good layout! Can't wait to see you do more on it

 

Danny

[MRDBLUE17]

Hi Everyone,

 

Have managed to get a few more jobs done on Rannoch so here is the updates and photos of progress.

 

Alex - funny you should mention a 37 as I have transplanted one of the first sound decoders I ever bought the early Howes 37 as this sounds great and is very drivable with lots of thraash at starting into 37 406 - must get on and finish the weathering at some point but it does sound good - only issue the cab lights are not working now and the connections are good do any CV's need changing? Any help appreciated.

 

I have built and painted the brick sections for the inner platform face - I used a different technique to the one I normally use of painting a brick shade then adding water and a dab of cement to fill the mortar lines to painting the motar first and then dry brushing the brick shades on and I am really pleased with how these have turned out - they took a bit longer to do but the colour is stronger. Still stuck to my preffered brick colours:

Revell - matt 37 red shade used as the main base for brickwork. matt 83 brown colour which is good to age brick work and for darker patches and Humbrol 62 a brown/orange shade for highlight colours on bricks. I use railatch acrylic cement shade for the mortar. Weathering will be done later but browns, greens and blacks get mixed into washes to do this and work well.

 

As you will see from the photos the brick sections have been built up and painted and laid out to best match the sections together. These are assembled into 2's using plastic weld and then superglue has been used on the back and also on the card platform structure before joining as this gives a strong fixing especially to create the curved faces. A little plastic weld in the joints between sections once in place just help to hide the joins.

 

The final job on the roof section was to add the lead flashing aroud the base of the chimneys. A simple job but a little tricky due to the size and shapes to fit them into. I did these over a couple of evenings to get them right. I use tamiya masking tape 6mm wide. This is laid on my cutting mat and cut in half along it to make two long strips. Railmatch oily steel acrylic is a good shade as gives a nice dirty weathered look but still with enough shine and this is painted onto the strips and left to dry. Next it is just a case of cutting the strips into smaller sections and sticking to the roof around each chimney stack. With a bit of time and a little extra glue on some corners to keep everything in place they make a realistic looking lead flashing. A final touch up with paint may be needed to cover any glue and trimmed edges but they add that finishing touch to the model.

 

I have also worked out how the platform top will be finished. Eventually a base layer of art card will go in place once all the wiring for lights is in place. I have found some suitable sheets in Harburn Hobbies - I think slaters or wills that come in A4 sized sheets. The larger block slabs will form the edge stones and will have 3 lines scored in them like the real ones. The yellow square slabs with the raised dimples are created by using a sheet of tiny raised squares to create the effect and are at least small enough to keep the scale of things looking right. Brick sheet is then used to create the walkways which isn't the correct pattern but I can't find anything else suitable so this is the best compromise I can find to make all the textured levels work. Pink granite is used on the rest of the surface which will have some square strip edges holding it all in place. I have taken a couple of pictures to show the effect and welcome any comments on this before it gets done.

 

Thanks for looking and hope you like the update.

 

Thanks,

Mark

[bcnPete]

Nice work Mark,

 

The platform sides and edges look good to me as is - those chimneys are fantastically detailed too - I can't wait to see some pics of some rolling stock passing through the completed station - Hellfire!

 

Pete

[James Hilton]

Mark this is looking lovely - a really great attention to detail

[Pete Harvey]

Mark

 

As the others have said it is all looking great.

 

But how are you going to get the platform edging to follow the platform shape?

 

Pete

[Arpleymodeller]

Its been great seeing the layout develop and the pictures to show what is happening.Rannoch moor looks set to become a great! :D

Regards

Lewis

[MRDBLUE17]

Hi everyone,

 

Thanks for your comments and feedback it is very welcome.

 

Good question Pete! Fortunately a lot of the edge sections will be fairly straight or will be cut into short straight sections to follow the platform faces. The small squares are quite flexible so will be able to be glued in position and bent to shape without to much trouble the edge slabs will be cut out on the curved bits with little notches. This will take a bit of trial and error to get them to flow and also to create the illusion that they are all still square. I no longer work in Kirkcaldy but the platforms there are on a gentle curve and I use to study the slabs in detail whilst waiting for my train home so long as it looks right then it will be right is my theory but only time will tell if I can achieve this!

 

Lewis glad you like the updates and detail - I am no expert on anything but I always try and pick up what I can from other people at exhibitions, model rail, model shops etc and to be honest through chatting with everyone on here and looking at others layouts and techniques has been of great use as well and really helps my layout along. Still lots to do until I get it where I want it to be!

 

Thanks,

Mark

[Waverley West]

It's looking great, Mark. I like the latest updates, especially the view down the station. The curves look very natural and your attention to detail is as good as ever. Makes me think I rushed Waverley a bit at times! Still there's plenty of detailing to be done.

 

I certainly wouldn't mind coming to photograph Rannoch when it's finished if I'm up near you sometime if the offer's still there!

 

Cheers,

Dave

Waverley West

[MRDBLUE17]

Hi Everyone,

 

Not been updating much lately but have been making slow progress on the layout. I have painted the interior window frames of the station white ready for glazing to go in and then I will look at some interior details - quite basic but I need to do some so I can add some lighting later on. I have transplanted 2 sound chips from factory fitted sound models into 66 068 in EWS livery and 66 725 First GBRF as part of my ongoing plans to get lights and sound into the core Rannoch fleet although I have already stretched the time frame a little. I have got all the platform brick facings built and fitted now and have made a start on the top sections. I have had to compromise on the brickwork on the top as there isn't a suitable source and just started playing with colours but thought you would like to see a cruel close up of how it is starting to look. The edge slabs look ok and the representation of the square textured slabs are not too bad either. the close up shows the gaps to be quite large in the brickwork but once weathered and some weeds added you won't see this - I hope. I have been able to start running trains again since the DCC wiring has taken shape and 66725 appeared at Rannoch with the sleeper coaches. Although not run in practice it looks really good on it and is seen Yinging at Rannoch.

 

Photos to follow below.

 

Dave just let me know when you are up here again and if I am around you can come and play!

 

Thanks,

Mark

[MRDBLUE17]

66725 Yings at Rannoch with the sleeper and close up detail of the platform tops

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

Mark

 

 

[sixoh8sixoh]

Sacrilege putting those Scottie dogs on Sunderland!

[45157]

Sacrilege putting those Scottie dogs on Sunderland!

 

 

It's OK, they're Westies

 

regards

Stewart

[Waverley West]

 

 

Dave just let me know when you are up here again and if I am around you can come and play!

 

Thanks,

Mark

 

Will do, Mark!

 

The platforms are looking good. I love the level of detail you're putting into it all.

 

Cheers,

Dave

[MRDBLUE17]

Hi Everyone,

 

I am trying to get on with Rannoch as and when I can although the hot weather, football and now tennis are all having an impact. I have started to make post it notes of sections of the layout using reseach shots found on the internet to get the details right as much as possible. These are very basic scribbles to show positions of things with little notes to show what each dash or dot is meant to be. This will save me some time as I can just get on and do some modelling when I have the chance.

 

I have finished painting the south end section of platform. I did this section first as it has the tightest curves around it and also being a small section would allow me to get the look of it right using the materials available to me. I have finished painting the plastic sections and added some pink granite chips in the centre as the real thing. I am pleased with how it has come out but on the rest of it I will be adding the thin concrete slabs painted white that edge the ballast sections from the brickwork. The colours used for the purple shades in the brickwork used for the paving are a base of railmatch acrylic - West Coast Railway Maroon with some red brick humbrol dry brushed over the top and I am quite pleased with that. The narrow row of yellow nobbly slabs was painted using railmatch brake dust with concret for the edge slabs with the whit edge picked out. To be honest this small section has taken ages to get to this and I am not looking forward to doing the rest of the platform but I want it to look right so it has to be done.

 

 

 

I did enjoy adding the fence along the rear of the cottage that will appear at the North end of the station. This is by ten commandments and you get some nice drilled cast posts and some very fine nylon wire. I used my hand drill to add some small holes for the posts to go in and fixed them in place with some superglue. I had marked out a line for these first and put the posts in at 1 and a 1/4 inch gaps. The posts were painted with 2 coats of railmatch concrete. The wire was then threaded along the top row, then back along the next and so on before being cut at each end and superglued to set the right tension. I have also added a pack of there cable trunking as well to suit based on photos of the real thing at the North end of the station - I must get more of this at Perth. This still needs to be painted but I am pleased with how it looks so far. I also altered a wills shed kit by cutting it shorter before assembly and have distressed the door slightly to make it more weather beaten, still more work to do but it will sit in the cottage garden.

 

 

 

If anyone is going to Perth exhibiton on Saturday I will be taking the station building from Rannoch to display on the DEMU stand so you can get a close up look it then. Although it still has a lot of fine details to be added before it is complete you will be able to see how it has been built so far.

 

Hope you like these little details and will hopefully meet some of you at Perth if you can make it. Any questions or comments welcome.

 

Thanks,

Mark

[P.C.M]

Hi Mark,

I can't make it to Perth, so will have to keep watching your thread. The latest detailing looks good, I like what you have done to the shed. It's all the extra little details that make the difference.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Dunmar]

Hi Mark,

It is my intention to attend Perth on the Sunday at some point I will certainly take up your invite to come to the DEMU stand and have a look at the station building.

Cheers,

Bill.

[Grimleygrid]

Hi Mark,

 

Platform end looks really good, although it takes you a long time to paint it, it will be worth it in the end. As Grimley Senior says “you get out what you put in†and your work is backs up that statement. Thanks for sharing your methods as I need to experiment on brickwork for Boxenby, very helpful.

 

The cable trunking looks really good in position. Enjoy the footy later, hopefully they won’t disappoint!

[carl1967]

Hi Everyone,

 

If anyone is going to Perth exhibiton on Saturday I will be taking the station building from Rannoch to display on the DEMU stand so you can get a close up look it then. Although it still has a lot of fine details to be added before it is complete you will be able to see how it has been built so far.

 

Hope you like these little details and will hopefully meet some of you at Perth if you can make it. Any questions or comments welcome.

 

Thanks,

Mark

 

 

hi mark

 

i will be at perth saturday and sunday, i will come say hello! would off loved to have displayed the ferry there but do not know any of the stand holders. its not far from finnished.

 

carl

[MRDBLUE17]

Hi Everyone,

 

Been a while since the last update! The buildings had there outing to Perth show at the end of June on the DEMU stand and it was great to meet and talk to so many of you that had seen my thread on here and thanks for all the kind comments as well! Perth show also meant I could get some more items needed for Rannoch and thanks to Charlie at DC kits I was able to get hold of 3 Lenz 150 accessory decoders for controlling the points. I should have got the 4th one to complete my whole layout! I also got some more bits from ten commandments to allow some more scenic work to take place at some point. Anyway the wiring work for the points has been progressing well and all connections to the storage yard area are wired although will need to be soldered together and tidied up a bit when I get some more parts but was keen to get it completed for operating. The points are peco motors and I have an old gaugemaster transformer with 2 16v AC supplies used to power them - this will also be used to power some other lighting features in the future once some other components are made and wired in. This unit is well over 25 years old and came off my old N-guage layout that I had aged 7 which was included in the house we were moving too as the owner could'nt take it with him and was going to scrap it til my mother said I would like it. The viewing we were taken to included a special operating session so I could work everything when I moved in!

 

 

 

Anyway the photos show some of the work involved and also some trains at Rannoch with 37401 North bound to Mallaig with some TTA's in tow. 66068 was in the south bound loop with the empty Alcan train from Fort William and I was suprised to see 60026 crossing the viaduct with an empty ballast working. I have added sound to 66068 by swapping the Bachmann decoder from another loco and 60026 is my only sound fitted 60 using an early Howes chip that appeared in Model Rail as part of the class 60 masterclass a while back and is too much fun to just sit in its box!

 

Once all the wiring is done I will be able to get on with the scenic work and ballasting at some point in the future!

 

thanks for looking any questions or comments welcome,

 

Mark

[Pete Harvey]

Mark

 

The layout is looking very good, how do you intend to paint or add a back scene now that you have added the grass?

 

Pete

[JackBlack]

Lookin nice.

[P.C.M]

Hi Mark,

Always good to see your updates, your wiring looks neater than mine. The 37 looks nice and grimey, and it looks like you have some wagons to weather.

 

Cheers Peter.

[carl1967]

Hi mark

 

nice job m8

 

and i must say the station looks even better in the flesh, plus!! can not wait to see the xxx seen in the waiting room toilets....lol

[Scott B]

Hi Mark,

 

All looking good.

Not so sure about having the transformer with 240v mains attached to the board though.

Would be more inclined to build a box around it and have as freestanding with only the low voltage wires running to the board itself.

Just food for thought, no point in risking anything on the board becoming live with mains after all, no matter how small the risk ;-)

 

Keep up the good work

 

Regards

Scott