RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted November 27, 2009 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 27, 2009 Over the last year or so, I seem to have spent a lot of time building cottages for Callow Lane. Last year, I built this row of four, using the excellent ScaleScenes kit as a basis (sorry the 08 seems to keep getting in the way!): A few months ago, I built this row (seen to the right of the road bridge), from the lovely Howard Scenics range: I've been doing some checking on the layout tonight, and have now confirmed that there is room on the left hand side of the road bridge, to the left of the chip shop (as viewed in the above photo), for more part-relief cottages. I will again use a Howard Scenics kit as the basis (I really like the warm, orangy colour of the brickwork), but this time it will be a row of four cottage backs, with back yards and outside toilets etc., backing onto a narrow lane, which will run along the top of the retaining wall, with railings and the railway down below. Haven't done much yet other than to cut out a floor plan template, to help me when cutting the end walls to size, but it's a start... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady_Ava_Hay Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 I have to say Cap'n that I am glad that I don't live in that end cottage!! An 08 rumbling past with squeaky wagons that close to what could very well be a single brick wall and an early diesel bus rumbling away outside the front door.......let alone the fumes!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Sidecar Racer Posted November 28, 2009 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 28, 2009 and an early diesel bus rumbling away outside the front door....... Which looks like it must be hopelessly lost looking at the destination panel and operating company !!! But great work as always . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 3, 2009 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2009 I've finally begun marking out card and cutting it out for the new cottage backs in part-relief. It's been a bit of a challenge, because the amount of space available is tight, yet I wanted to show 'back yards' and also a narrow alley/footpath running along the back of the cottages, right above the retaining wall. I've had to modify the Howard Scenics design and essentially simplify it, to give me enough room to provide sufficient depth for the main body of the cottages. As with the previous Howard Scenics cottages (in the photo above), one end has more depth than the other, because they will be positioned at an angle compared with the backscene. Photos to follow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 6, 2009 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 6, 2009 Here are some photos taken last night, showing the four main end walls and side walls leant against each other, not yet glued: The 'ground floor only' parts of the buildings have yet to be added. The reason that the printed brickpaper doesn't extend over the whole of the upstairs area is that the kit is designed to have the rear extensions on two floors. Due to the limited space available, I have had to fairly seriously trim the extent of the rear 'outhouses', with the result that the rear wall of the ground floor extensions will also form the rear boundary wall, beyond which will be the narrow alley path, right on top of the retaining wall. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 6, 2009 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 6, 2009 Here are a couple more photos: These views show the way that I've had to reduce the width of the buildings progressively, to make them fit the 'wedge of cheese' shape available on the baseboard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 6, 2009 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 6, 2009 More work was done this afternoon, and the main structural walls have been glued together. I am also starting to cut out and fit bits of printed brickpaper from redundant parts of the kit to fit the areas that need them: The right hand pair of cottages will be 5mm or so higher than the left hand pair, to reflect the topography of that part of the layout. I have scored the rear face of the brickpaper on either side of the window opening, so that it can be wrapped around when the glue holding it to the main structure has set. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 Good work on the new houses. I was in Neath on Friday and found a terrace with concrete dividers as per the Scalescenes kit although the dividers were between each pair of houses and some fronts were rendered. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 7, 2009 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 7, 2009 Good work on the new houses. I was in Neath on Friday and found a terrace with concrete dividers as per the Scalescenes kit although the dividers were between each pair of houses and some fronts were rendered. Interestingly there is also a terrace on the upside as you approach Exeter St Davids, very similar in appearance to the way you describe the Neath terrace. I've now glued the two pairs together, and the drop is circa 9mm rather than the 5mm that the previous row of cottages had. This is because the fall on the retaining wall is steeper. Should make for some interesting topography. I find this really satisfying - I'm planning to build a complete sub-structure from card to abut the retaining wall, which will incorporate the cottages, their back yards, the back alley and also a side alley between the cottages and the back of the chip shop... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 15, 2009 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 15, 2009 Work continues on the cottages. Progress is quite slow, due to the need to constantly stop to let the PVA dry thoroughly, or to let small components that have been painted with enamels also dry properly, before the next stage. I'll put some more photos up soon, but am a bit tired tonight, so I'll leave it for now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gravy Train Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Hi Captain, You have done a nice job on those cottages, really look the part, i think Howard scenics Architectural's are the most convincing of ready coloured brickwork in my opinion. What have you used for the slates? cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 16, 2009 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 16, 2009 What have you used for the slates? Hi Gravy Train, The slates on each of the rows of cottages are from the respective kits, so the Scalescenes ones have used their slates (very easy to print more!) and the Howard Scenics ones have used theirs. Not sure which I prefer, the HS ones are printed on thicker paper, so the Scalescenes ones (on ordinary printer paper) are probably of a more scale thickness, but somehow the HS ones seem to show up slightly better in photos..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastworld Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I liked the look of the Howard Scenics cottages, but couldn't see them on their website - am I missing something? Stu Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 17, 2009 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2009 I liked the look of the Howard Scenics cottages, but couldn't see them on their website - am I missing something? Stu Howard Scenics are now marketed by Freestone Model Accessories (try http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/shops/472-Freestone_Model_Accessories) - they don't seem to have a website of their own, but other contact details are: Freestone Model Accessories (Jerry Freestone) 28 Newland Mill Witney Oxon OX8 6HH tel: 01993 775 979 fax: 01993 709 578 e-mail: jerryfreestone@live.co.uk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 19, 2009 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 19, 2009 Just done three quarters of the window frames for the cottages. Mind numbing! Anyway, apologies but am too tired again to get camera out, hopefully tomorrow when I've done a bit more to them... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted January 3, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 3, 2010 Finally, finally, I've finished the windows - bearing in mind that each window frame has 6 components and each sash window has two panes, then there's the net curtains and the main curtains, choosing fabric, what colour, will it go with the wallpaper etc. etc.... I've now started some of the structural card support, that will eventually see this group of cottages as a self-supporting scenic unit, to be slotted in behind one of the sloping retaining walls on Callow Lane: Still lots of work to do, mainly roof level, guttering, detailing the 'back yard' etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold pirouets Posted January 3, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 3, 2010 A fine piece of work if I may say so. How long have you been working on these do you think so far? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted January 3, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 3, 2010 How long have you been working on these do you think so far? So far, it's taken most of my available modelling since the end of November, judging from when I started this thread! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted January 3, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 3, 2010 One thing that I'm not sure about is whether to put a fence down the middle of each 'back yard' - probably just a larch lap type garden fence - because each yard is technically for two properties, and the kit provides material to make a fence. I have, however, made the yards somewhat smaller (shorter) than as per the kit (due to space considerations), so I'm not sure whether this would look right or not. What would they have been like in reality - surely people back then, as now, would want a fence to properly demarcate their property? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil C Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 One thing that I'm not sure about is whether to put a fence down the middle of each 'back yard' - probably just a larch lap type garden fence - because each yard is technically for two properties, and the kit provides material to make a fence. I have, however, made the yards somewhat smaller (shorter) than as per the kit (due to space considerations), so I'm not sure whether this would look right or not. What would they have been like in reality - surely people back then, as now, would want a fence to properly demarcate their property? I'd say wooden fences of varying heights and constructional quality, and perhaps the odd brick wall would be about right, from very vague memories of elderly relatives' similar properties. Excellent work, by the way. What sort of colour printer do you use? Is it laser or inkjet? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted January 4, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 4, 2010 I'd say wooden fences of varying heights and constructional quality, and perhaps the odd brick wall would be about right, from very vague memories of elderly relatives' similar properties. Excellent work, by the way. What sort of colour printer do you use? Is it laser or inkjet? Thanks for the comments, Neil. These are actually pre-printed on thick paper - Howard Scenics kits are of a conventional 'buy the kit from a supplier and build it' type, rather than downloadable, like Scalescenes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold pirouets Posted January 4, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 4, 2010 Captain Kernow said So far, it's taken most of my available modelling since the end of November I've always wondered what patience looks like. One other question I mean't to ask was about the window frames. Did they come as part of the kit or is that your own design to fit the kit? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 One thing that I'm not sure about is whether to put a fence down the middle of each 'back yard' ... ...What would they have been like in reality - surely people back then, as now, would want a fence to properly demarcate their property? When built, they may not have had a dividing fence, but they usually acquired one eventually, thus Neil's comment about different types is spot on. Just looking back at the photos, I've realised that the houses have through passages from the front giving access to the back yards. Often these passages were shared between the two houses but, where the houses were built as short terraces of four, they were sometimes to provide access for the inner houses only. In such cases, the outer (end terrace) houses had side access passages. For these cases, fences when inserted were sometimes kinked at the building end to give access from the passage to one half of the back yard. For shared passages, the fence would often only start about four feet back from the house wall to allow access between the passage and both yards.. Something else to think about is that, whilst many passages were originally open, most have acquired some sort of gate over time, usually at the front but, often, at both front and back. Another point that worries me is that I would expect the dividing wall between the houses normally to be the continuation of one or other side of the through passage. This leads to an internal assymmetry, and possibly an extra window over the passage. Structurally, this makes much better sense than putting a brick wall over the centre of the passage. This may also relate to the passage ownership question, e.g. the inner pair have the passage, but the outer pair have the larger space upstairs. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos or plans of examples to hand and it's a while since I've been inside both halves of such a pair. Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted January 5, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2010 One other question I mean't to ask was about the window frames. Did they come as part of the kit or is that your own design to fit the kit? The windows with these kits is a bit of a bone of contention with me. Originally, when first marketed, the Howard Scenics kits came with some very nice etched windows, which I have used in a much earlier pair of terraced cottage fronts on another layout (Engine Wood). Since then, ownership has transferred to Freestone Model Accessories, who were experiencing some kind of difficulties in getting new etches produced, once the original stock ran out. They have had stocks of etched windows for one size of aperture, but not all. When I bought the kits about a year or so ago, they came with a somewhat one-dimensional set of printed acetate windows. What I have done here, is produce my own sash windows, to fit the apertures of the kit, plus the new windows that I have had to create on the first floor of each cottage, due to the fact that I have made the rear extensions single storey only. The sashes themselves are 15 thou Evergreen clear sheet, with the framing 'drawn' on using Humbrol paint through a Bob Moore lining pen. The window frames proper are also 15 thou plasticard, painted prior to installation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted January 10, 2010 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted January 10, 2010 Bit more done since the last posting - the back wall is now in place and the roofs on the four outhouses are done. The cobbles are done in the back yards and weathered. There's still lots of work to do on these, notably detailing the back yard, installing dividing walls and back gates, plus the remaining work on the chimneys, then the main roof sections and guttering/drainpipes etc. Some of the photos show how close the residents of these dwellings live in relation to the railway below... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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