RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted August 11, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 11, 2011 Lookin' mighty fine WC. Whilst I was away, I was checking up on progress but my iPhone doesn't let me comment anymore so I had to observe instead. Thanks for the reminder that time is running out too Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Lookin' mighty fine WC. Whilst I was away, I was checking up on progress but my iPhone doesn't let me comment anymore so I had to observe instead. Thanks for the reminder that time is running out too I wondered why it was so quiet Looking forward to hearing more about progress on your magnum opus, now you are back home - only 7 weeks to go Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 I made more progress last night, doing the wiring on the replacement track I laid a few weeks ago around the turntable. I also started to assemble and detail the loco shed. Here is the wiring, less tidy than before, but still not as bad as my worst efforts! The 2 green wires will eventually link the turntable with the DCC current reverser. Here is an overall view of the diorama as it now stands. The book on the right will be replaced with a view blocker of a more permanent kind in due course. I have finished off the coping on the top of the cutting walls by cutting narrow slots to represent the joints between the stones. The loco shed now has a pin that fits in a hole in the cutting side, just above where the loco is parked in the photo. I have also stuck the side and end walls of the loco shed (but not yet the accumulator tower) to a plastic base. A few other details have also been added. The shed is not yet stuck to the baseboard, as I need to work on it for a while yet. I will do a lot more this evening, so if I get far enough, I may add more photos before I finish tonight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 Over dinner, I was wondering what colour the mess building should be painted. Looking closely at the picture I posted a few weeks ago, much of the brickwork looks very pale. Being from a poor black & white image, I originally assumed it might be the sun shining on damp brickwork. Closer inspection suggests things may not be that simple - particularly as many bricks appear much darker. In the end, I played around in Photoshop with a few colour images I found on the web of LNWR buildings with different colour brickwork. The nearest match I could get by far was part of Crewe station, which is predominantly creamy yellow brick. By altering the contrast, to make it more like old-fashioned black & white film, the I ended up with the comparison below .... ... I have now almost convinced myself that the mess building should be creamy yellow - though very dirty. Does anyone know different, I wonder? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 I managed to get a bit more detail done on the accumulator tower base this evening and built the basic shell for the water tank. Here is a head-on shot with the water tank shell temporarily in position above the loco shed. The Humbrol paint can seen in the shadows is an improvised way of supporting the back of the tank for the photo. On the second photo, we see more of the side of the loco shed and accumulator tower base (the right hand portion of the building). As you can see, I didn't get the tank quite horizontal for the photo! There is an outside layer to be added to the tank, once the basic shell has set properly, so the large gap in the nearside corner will soon disappear. I used offcuts from the Wills stone sheets for its construction. Tomorrow, I hope to have time to build the top half of the accumulator tower, amongst other things. If I can get the building construction finished over the weekend I will be very pleased. Apart from the loco shed and accumulator tower, I still have the chimney to finish on the mess building and the coping along the top of the ash bin. I also have to do the stonework for St Vincent Street bridge, seen in outline on the right of the photos. Then, I can start thinking about the ground cover. Some details, like a lamp on the outside of the accumulator tower and the water gauge on the water tank will be added much later, in the final stages of constructing the diorama. Going back to the history of the mess building in an earlier posting, it occurred to me that the Lime Street end might have suffered bomb damage during the war. This might explain why that end was demolished. Certainly the main girder of the station roof was damaged in this way - it is still slightly twisted to this day, apparently. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartM Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Lots of angles to marry up, lots of detail, only 6 weeks to go, But it's going to look good when it's finished, keep up the good work. It's a shame all us 2mm entry's can't join each diorama together, so far there'd be two depots and a nuclear loading facility accessed by a Cornish viaduct, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted August 13, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 13, 2011 It's a shame all us 2mm entry's can't join each diorama together, so far there'd be two depots and a nuclear loading facility accessed by a Cornish viaduct, LoL - better to use my freight only line beneath the viaduct as we might have some height alignment issues between us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
clecklewyke Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 When you've finished this can you please take it to a rapid prototyping company and get it blown up in 3D to 4mm scale, so I can use it as a showcase for all the lovely LRM LNWR kits that I would love to build. Day-dreaming and still wishing I had built it years ago from Jack Nelson's drawings! Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 StuartM, on 13 August 2011 - 12:50 , said: It's a shame all us 2mm entry's can't join each diorama together, so far there'd be two depots and a nuclear loading facility accessed by a Cornish viaduct, LoL - better to use my freight only line beneath the viaduct as we might have some height alignment issues between us Interestingly, that was Jack Nelson's objective when he built all his later dioramas - to build everything new in P4 and put them in sequence so trains could run through from one to the next, with a view blocker between each. That way height and scenic differences wouldn't matter. John Le Frayssinet (of County Gate fame) was proposing something similar for OO9 last year, but it seems to have died a death. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 When you've finished this can you please take it to a rapid prototyping company and get it blown up in 3D to 4mm scale, so I can use it as a showcase for all the lovely LRM LNWR kits that I would love to build. Day-dreaming and still wishing I had built it years ago from Jack Nelson's drawings! Ian Sounds a good idea to me..... I too wish I had done this years ago. I have had the book for a very long time! I am just glad this little competition came along to bring it back to my attention! The good thing about doing it now, rather than 10 or 20 years ago is that I suspect so much more information is available - though Jack Nelson's own researches are not accessible, as far as I know. I wonder what happened to all his research notes and photographs? He claimed in his book to have had information on St Simon's church, for example, which does not seem to be easily available from any other source. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 13, 2011 Author Share Posted August 13, 2011 I had a relatively easy day working today, so even got a little bit of modelling done this morning before I left. The water tank now has a support girder epoxied to the rock face at the back of the engine shed. This serves a dual purpose of supporting the back of the tank and stopping any light getting down the back wall into the interior of the shed. I also got some shopping done on my travels - so i now have the plasticard wooden planking for the top of the water tank. I also bought some Wills OO Concrete Blocks sheets to do the Pier for the St Vincent Street Bridge. This is made from large, smooth-faced stonework. These sheets are almost the perfect size. I finished off my shopping spree by buying some paints in various colours for the stonework, brickwork and other bits and pieces. I even managed to find the time to take a few photographs of brickwork and stone walls to use for reference. After a nice, large evening meal to make up for missing lunch, I will get a bit more modelling done tonight. In the meantime, here is a photo of everything I have done so far, taken in decent daylight..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 A busy modelling day today, with more progress so far on the water tank. Last night, I added an extra layer of plastic sheet around the outside of the tank to bring it out to its full size. This morning, I made a small tool out of PCB sheet to cut the rounded edges. I decided to try this as an experiment, thinking it would give me a more consistent curve then by filing. Amazingly. it has worked really well. The curves just need a small bit of filing in the corners to finish them off - but that is about it. I made the tool by drilling a 3mm hole in the PCB and then cutting a right angle from the edge of the PCB to the hole with a piercing saw. The photo below doesn't show the shape very well - it is a right angle with a 3mm diameter curve at the angle. The PCB is tough enough to scrape the excess plastic away with just a few quick runs along the edge of the tank. I have also painted the back support for the tank this morning. I hope to do a lot more work on the diorama this afternoon and evening. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 I managed to get the upper storey of the accumulator tower started this afternoon - though it was a slow job! The semi-circular tops of the ventilator cavities had to be carefully drilled up to 8mm diameter, using drills at 1/2mm intervals, starting around 2mm. Including the back, which is hidden in the view below, that is nine holes x 13 drill sizes. I then cut through the plastic sheet at the centre line of the holes and discarded the lower half of the holes, leaving semi-circular openings. I then cut other bits of stone sheet to make the rest of the walling. I stuck it all together on a plain Plasticard backing sheet. The roof for the accumulator tower will be added at a later date. I am now waiting for the solvent to dry a bit before adding the stone arches at the top of the ventilator openings. Once this is complete, then all the stonework apart from the bridge abutment will be complete - apart from a bit of filler on the corners and a touch-up with a file, anyway. With luck, I will get all that done this evening. I have also filled in a few imperfections in the face of the water tank, as the surface you see here will be quite prominent in views of the diorama. I used plastic diluted with solvent, which I am finding quite a useful technique. I still have to scribe the panel lines when the filler has set fully. The tank is not a priority though - it will remain removable for the foreseeable future, so I can paint and detail it separately from the rest of the loco shed building. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 After dinner, I restarted the modelling. Firstly, I noticed that the front of the loco shed was not aligned correctly. This has now been altered so that the front wall is parallel with the rock face behind. It was only by inserting the water tank that the discrepancy became obvious. It was only 1-2mm out, but it ought to be correct! Instead of doing more work on the tower tonight, I decided to try a few other things. Firstly, I added Plasticard planking to the top of the water tower. I also started work on the bridge. Regarding the bridge, I realised that mating it up to the rock face and loco shed was not going to be straightforward. To make room for the hidden sector plate in the fiddle yard, my design involved swinging the bridge round about 30 degrees, so it is more or less at right angles to the baseboard front. This changed the relationship with everything else around it. I think I have just about sussed out the best solution now. I have also done a fair bit of work on building the bridge abutment. The girders on this bridge will be about 45mm deep, stretching from the top of the grey walling more or less to the top of the brown walling above.. The road surface is only about 20mm from the top of the girders at this end of the bridge. The large cut-out under the abutment is to allow the sector plate to swing round from the fiddle yard sidings to the tracks leading onto the diorama. I am not sure if this is the best solution, but nothing else has occurred to me yet - other than just modelling the left hand part of the abutment and ignoring the rest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 A dramatic change to the appearance of the diorama.... the ground surface behind the loco shed has been added. Having sorted the best angle for the bridge last night, I got on this afternoon with cutting a piece of Styrofoam to shape for the ground behind the engine shed. This also includes the road leading over the bridge. The photo below shows the view from above. The Styrofoam was bent slightly in the middle, as the ground rises from the back of the layout, then falls fairly steeply across the bridge to the junction with Copperas Hill. The photo also shows the end board for this end of the diorama, temporarily in place. This will be trimmed a bit before permanent installation. Whether I do the scenery here before the Challenge closes is an interesting question. I could just add a temporary backdrop just behind the loco shed if I run out of time. Apart from the road surfaces, there is just one building to construct here, so it might just be possible to get it all done. One other thing I have done is to start of the roof for the tower. This also shows in the photo. I made it out of thick card. i will use strips of paper for the tiles. I have also more or less finished the ash bin. Unfortunately, the filler I used for indentations in the water tank has not set properly yet. I will have to leave it at least another 24 hours before filing everything smooth. Hopefully, I will get a bit more done tonight... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share Posted August 16, 2011 A very busy morning saw me clear up all my outstanding urgent workload, so I have the rest of the day free to do some modelling Here is a photo of where we are at start of play. The bridge abutment is temporarily in place - I have a gap to fill between it and the cutting wall behind. I have decided to experiment with a Wills OO scale vari-girder kit for the bridge girders themselves. This will hopefully save me a bit of time, as well as providing a ready-made girder with lots of nice crisp detailing. It will not be quite right for Lime Street, but a bit of detailing work should disguise its origins. The row of terraced houses is off an old layout. They aren't really up to the standard I want for this diorama, but they do fit, so if I get desperate....? The water tank has now been smoothed down ready for scribing on the panels. This can take a back seat for the moment, as it will be removable for some time yet. The plywood board at the far end of the diorama is also off an old layout. This will be cleaned up and repainted in due course. I will put a piece of ply in front of the sector plate to hide the fiddle yard. Once this is in place, I will cut off the bottom part of the plywood on the far end to give me proper access to operate the fiddle yard. So - on with the modelling! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 16, 2011 Author Share Posted August 16, 2011 Lots of bits done this evening, but it is very fiddly waiting for one thing to set before you can get on with the next stage! I was working on at least 5 different things at the same time to try and get around the problem. Firstly, I extended the rock face a little behind where the bridge abutment will go. I build a base out of short sections of Styrofoam and covered it with wood filler to match the rest of the rock face. Secondly, I built up the chimney of the mess building with a wider top and base. I used brick Plasticard for this. Part has now been touched up with wood filler, which will be filed down when dry to form the slopes at the top of each wide section. I also cut slots into the cutting wall so that the mess building can fit snugly against the rock face. I have started doing the more elaborate stonework on the bridge abutment, but have a way to go with this yet before it is finished. For something else to do, I had a go at the road surface for St Vincent Street. I used a base of spare Wills stone walling and stuck some Wills N gauge brick sheets on top to represent cobbles. These sheets are curved to represent the camber of the road and supported in the middle by a narrow strip of stone walling. A gutter has been made out of spare Wills OO gauge concrete blocks. The experiment has been reasonably successful. I hope to try the concrete blocks to represent kerb stones - and perhaps even the flags on the pavement too. I wasn't very happy with the photos I took. The flash on my only camera with a macro lens is way too strong for close-ups, unfortunately. I will do some more pictures tomorrow. So, I just have to finish off the chimney, scribe the panelling on the water tank, tile the roof of the tower and finish the bridge abutment. Then, all the stonework and buildings on the railway part of the diorama are more or less ready for painting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 As promised, I have now photographed yesterday's progress in daylight - and am much happier with the images. The only camera I have with a macro lens is about 10 years old - but stilll produces good results in general - just not when using flash on very close objects. Firstly, here is the fattened-out chimney, complete with filler for the sloping bits.... Slots have been excavated in the cutting wall so that the building can be mounted snugly against the rock face. Second photo - shows progress on the bridge abutment. Still quite a lot to do, but at least everything fits together - though the roof of the tower is perilously close to the stonework of the abutment. Thirdly, the road surface for St Vincent Street. This is an experiment, but seems to be working quite well, so I shall probably carry on. A description of the materials used was in my last post. And finally, the obligatory view of everything! The piece of upright plywood behind the roadway s a representation of the size of the building that should go here - a 1940s or early 1950s brick office building with a flat roof. I really will have to do something about the plywood backscene - it does my head in just to look at it as it is now This evening I hope to do a bit more... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted August 17, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 17, 2011 WoW That's really taking shape nicely...Nice work... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 WoW That's really taking shape nicely...Nice work... Many thanks Pete - I think the top 3 "hot topic" 2mm dioramas are all really looking good now - though I fear I still have rather more to do than most What I need is a time machine Aren't these new emoticons great Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Aren't these new emoticons great This one is great but... I really really like this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 Have a look what some of the emoticon file names are though - I think someone was taking the p*ss when they designed them - particularly the one you like Rich! Anyway, on with the modelling................ This evening has been a bitsa modelling occasion again with lots of bits started or continued, but little finished. I am really clearing up all the odd jobs that need doing before buildings and stonework can be painted. The structures need to be painted and in-situ before I do the groundwork, as I will build it up around them. Firstly, the road is making good progress. The basic road surface has now been stuck to the underlying plastic base. The gaps between the sheets will be filled in tomorrow. I still have some guttering and the pavements to add. I could do with some etched drain covers really. I looked on the Internet but can't find any 2mm scale or N gauge ones. Does anyone still do them, I wonder? In between the stages of the road laying I started tiling the roof of the tower. I am using the age-old idea of scribed paper strips, which I still think is the best way for something in the foreground of a diorama or layout.The strips are glued on with PVA adhesive - the main reason why I used thick card as the basic structure of the roof. I have also started the more elaborate stonework on the bridge abutment. This bit is very experimental, so I am doing just a small section to start with. I have to file this to a rounded profile once the solvent has set. I have also done a few other minor jobs, too small to bother photographing really. I will do a little more tonight - then modelling will probably have to wait at least until tomorrow evening as I have a very busy day ahead tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 One of the nice things about working a lot from home is that you can do odd little bits of modelling in between the work projects without upsetting anyone. The tower roof is now tiled on all 4 sides. I have trimmed back the paper strips now ready to add the corner tiles and the finial on top. I am also making progress on the road. The gutters, kerb stones and the foundations for the pathways are going down bit by bit. The whole assembly is still loose, but I have placed it in the correct position on the diorama so that the bits I add follow the gradients on the roadway. That way, hopefully, everything will fit like a glove when fully assembled, without any need for reshaping. I am just doing a little bit at a time to make sure that all is OK before I do the next piece. The bridge abutment is also progressing slowly, layer by layer. I have now started on the stonework at the top of the abutment side walls Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartM Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 wow that's really coming on, this is such a neat idea and packs so much into such a small space, should be quite something when it's finished only 6 weeks to go Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekday Cross Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 wow that's really coming on, this is such a neat idea and packs so much into such a small space, should be quite something when it's finished only 6 weeks to go Thanks Stuart - both for the nice comments and the reminder about how little time we have left. How long can something 20" x 11" x 11" take? It all seemed so easy when I started Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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