Concrete Pad

[Clifford Road]

After years of indecision, and several false starts, I'm finally pushing on with a layout! It will be a small diesel depot (Clifford Road TMD) and fueling point in 7mm. My plan is to put a small concrete area directly in front of the depot building - like many depots, with the rails 'appearing' to be set into the concrete. Has anyone any thoughts or suggestions on how to model such a feature in 7mm?

 

All help, thoughts and advice welcome.

 

Cheers

CR

[Pete Harvey]

Model Board/Foam Board is by far the easiest way to create a hard standing two layers of 3mm and you can get it in A3 sheets which means that you can cover a large area.

 

You have one layer either side of the sleepers and cut it to the shape that you want,

 

 

 

 

The next layer goes on top of the sleepers and up to the rail side the height of rail top to sleeper bottom is actually 7.22 mm using Peco 7mm track so the two layers of 3mm w0rks out really well as it means you can clean the track without damaging the hard standing, it is all glued together with PVA, one of the best things is there is no mess as with a filler or paste and it's easy to change if you want.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you are happy with with what you have then you can paint and weather it.

 

I hope this helps

 

The pictures are of John Humphries (Digital) 7mm layout Willaston Road.

 

Pete

[Clifford Road]

Pete,

Thats great - nice and simple!! I'm not sure whether John Humpries layout is demoralising or inspirational!!! If I can get mine looking anywhere near as good as his, I will be well chuffed!!!! I presume Foam Board/Model Board, can be obtained from craft or model shops quite easily?

 

Regards

Richard

[Pete Harvey]

Richard

 

Yes the Foam Board can be obtained from model shops or you can buy it online in loads of different sizes and thickness's, It can be used to make the cores of buildings as well the core of the depot shed on John's layout is built using it and then covered in embossed plasticard, if that helps you with the building.

 

Pete

[Pint of Adnams]

Don't forget that expansion joints will be needed, as will falls to drainage channels/gullies. In this situation these will lead to a underground tank system with access manholes to intercept any spilt contaminants . No concrete slab is laid level, it will always have a slope in at least one direction for drainage.

[Clifford Road]

Thanks for that Pete and Pint,

 

 

I'd not thought about manhole covers etc...!

 

 

I'm giving thought to the depot building - I know what I want to do, which is based loosely (i.e. not an exactly replica!) on Shirebrook. But I know i don't I have the skill to get it to where i'd want it. That may yet end up being the only bit of the layout that is built by somebody else ... assuming I can find someone!

 

Richard

[Clifford Road]

Richard

 

Yes the Foam Board can be obtained from model shops or you can buy it online in loads of different sizes and thickness's, It can be used to make the cores of buildings as well the core of the depot shed on John's layout is built using it and then covered in embossed plasticard, if that helps you with the building.

 

Pete

 

Pete,

Can I ask what type of plasticard was used for the building? Was there a specific make or manufacturer?

 

Regards

Richard

[Pete Harvey]

Richard

 

I have no particular favourite just what ever my local shop has in stock at the time, I have been using Plasticard for at least 20 years now for Military Modelling as well as scratch building for railways and have never had any problems.

 

 

1:48th Scale a Revel CH53 Jolly Green Giant re modelled into a special ops CH53 of the 1st Gulf War

 

 

1:24th Scale a Modified Tamiya Centurion

 

 

 

A scratch built trailer and an Italier truck kit.

 

These are scans of 35mm film negatives from a long while ago I still have the models, I will have to dig them out in the better weather and take some digital pictures

 

Pete

[Deltic Man]

Richard

 

Yes the Foam Board can be obtained from model shops or you can buy it online in loads of different sizes and thickness's, It can be used to make the cores of buildings as well the core of the depot shed on John's layout is built using it and then covered in embossed plasticard, if that helps you with the building.

 

Pete

 

Hi Pete

 

Do you know the thickness which is best for OO trackwork

 

nik

[Pete Harvey]

Nik

for Peco track I would use two layers of 2mm thick to the same Idea as shown above and use a Back to Back gauge to give you the width with a little removed from each side to give you the centre section between the rails.

 

Pete

[Clifford Road]

Richard

 

I have no particular favourite just what ever my local shop has in stock at the time, I have been using Plasticard for at least 20 years now for Military Modelling as well as scratch building for railways and have never had any problems.

 

 

Thanks Pete. I'm going to give the shed a try and just see how c**p my building skills are!!! Sorry for all the questions, but thanks for the help.

 

As a matter of interest, what colour(s)/type of paint did you use to get the concrete look to the model board? Its got that uneven look to it that makes it right! Also, one final question so i can put things in perspective ..... how high was the depot building on Willaston Road?

 

Cheers

Rich

[Pete Harvey]

Rich

 

I don't get fed up of answering questions cause if we don't ask we don't find out things.

 

For concrete I use Phoenix Precision P989 (Concrete New) applied with an airbrush Phoenix also can supply it in a Spray Can.

 

If you want to put a tar joint use a rule and a Black Biro before you paint and the black will show through and a channel for the joint.

 

As for the depot building I cut the second layer of model board around the inside and out side of the depot building so that it would lock the building into place every time and it looks better than seeing the very bottom of the building.

 

 

 

 

Pete

[johnteal]

Agree with Pete'e Method 100% but would also suggest trying self adhesive vinyl floor tiles, B&Q do a vast range these are called something like "stone" cut to create expansion gaps.

 

 

 

Being laid

 

 

Any edges sitting up to rails need a chamfer underneath to clear the chairs

 

 

 

It pretty much the same as using foamboard but they are self coloured - just add a bit of extra concrete colour along any edges.

 

John

[Clifford Road]

Rich

 

I don't get fed up of answering questions cause if we don't ask we don't find out things.

 

For concrete I use Phoenix Precision P989 (Concrete New) applied with an airbrush Phoenix also can supply it in a Spray Can.

 

If you want to put a tar joint use a rule and a Black Biro before you paint and the black will show through and a channel for the joint.

 

As for the depot building I cut the second layer of model board around the inside and out side of the depot building so that it would lock the building into place every time and it looks better than seeing the very bottom of the building.

 

 

 

Pete,

Thanks for that. Wow I didn't realise until I saw the last shot of the shed lit up, that you'd detailed the interior!! Looks really good!

 

Rich

 

 

[Clifford Road]

Agree with Pete'e Method 100% but would also suggest trying self adhesive vinyl floor tiles, B&Q do a vast range these are called something like "stone" cut to create expansion gaps.

It pretty much the same as using foamboard but they are self coloured - just add a bit of extra concrete colour along any edges.

 

John

 

 

Hi John,

Thanks for the tip - how big are these B&W tiles?

 

I'll probably go with the foamboard option to start with as at least I can change it easily if it goes wrong!

 

 

Ta

Rich

[Clifford Road]

Rich

 

I don't get fed up of answering questions cause if we don't ask we don't find out things.

 

For concrete I use Phoenix Precision P989 (Concrete New) applied with an airbrush Phoenix also can supply it in a Spray Can.

 

As for the depot building I cut the second layer of model board around the inside and out side of the depot building so that it would lock the building into place every time and it looks better than seeing the very bottom of the building.

 

Pete

 

Thanks - may seem another silly question - but what type of glue do you use for glueing modelboard when constructing buildings?? Do you use any form of plastic angle where corners meet at 90 degress, or just glue end to end so to speak.

 

Rich

[Pete Harvey]

Rich

 

The all purpose PVA glue I feel is the best to fix Model Board together you can cut a Model Board triangle and fix it at the top of the corner where it is out of site.

 

Pete

[johnteal]

How big are they ?

 

B&Q vinyl tiles are 300mm x 300mm approx 2mm thick, score the front with a knife and fold back to snap, very easy to use and self adhesive.

[Clifford Road]

 

 

 

 

If you don't mind me asking, what lights did you use to for the interior and exterior? I'm guessing the interior, going by the brightness, are pure white LEDs down the middle of the shed?

 

Cheers

Rich

 

 

[Pete Harvey]

Rich

 

I bought a strip of 36 Led from maplins and split the strip up into 4 units of 9 then I scratch built shades for each out of plasticard wired them made up a resistor board.

 

 

 

Pete

[Clifford Road]

Rich

 

I bought a strip of 36 Led from maplins and split the strip up into 4 units of 9 then I scratch built shades for each out of plasticard wired them made up a resistor board.

 

Pete

 

Thanks Pete, I didn't know things like that existed! Do they get hot at all? I'm being cheeky, but how about the exterior lights? They look a little like modified street lighting?

 

Rich

[Pete Harvey]

Rich

 

The street lights were made from etchings for the lamp top cover and the rest of the lamp are brass tubing and the led have one leg soldered to the lamp cover and the other leg is soldered to some wire and that run down through the tubing and the same for the lamps on the side of the depot building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pete

[bobster]

 

 

Hi Pete.

 

Very nice Diesel Shed - Are the Roof Vents scratch built or avaliable to buy from a supplier.

 

Cheers.

Bob.