Bacup - Mills in the hills

[The Stationmaster]

In earlier years if white had been used at all it would probably have been white lead and that has a tendency to discolour a bit overtime but is an excellent wood preservative.  I understood from my dad that Duradio 5 year enamel appeared before  WWII as he used to paint the exterior woodwork of his dad's house before he left home in c.1937.

 

But the thing to remember is that in many cases houses were not painted as frequently as they are today and that lots of the colours which were used did not weather at all well tending to go dull and lose their 'shine'.

[Brass0four]

Tony,

I do not wish to cause thread drift but it may be helpful for the answer to the question to be public but I am happy if it goes into PMs.

 

I know that 'Brilliant White' did not appear until the 60s but there was white paint before, so how often was it used?  When did the habit of painting window frames white start.  In my council house in the fifties they were definately white.

 

At the turn of the century was it used a little or not at all on woodwork?  I have pictures of white stonework around windows, and what appears to be a white frame from the mid 1800s.  I am scurrying around looking for more pictures.

 

Although again of an earlier period to when Bacup was modelled but not built I found out last week that Disraeli used a commode in his country manor.

Hi for the thread's sake. I discussed my views on this on Downes and Robinson's thread: #1094393. Interesting about the council house, though; upon reflection I recall the same. I think they are an exceptional example of regular maintenance combined with mass purchase of paint, etc., Many, I remember, were metal-framed.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Brass0four

[Jason T]

One final point on the colour of window frames; I know that they are wrong (e.g. too white) on many of the houses but would you go and paint all those windows, all made from 10 thou by 20 thou Microstrip to the correct colours? Thought not

 

Anyway, I treated myself to an early xmas present yesterday. Still working out how to use the damned thing but here are the first results:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I bought a decent camera. A Canon EOS 600D.

[d winpenny]

Looking absolutely superb

 

David

[P.C.M]

Pics look great Jason,

I am still working out how the get decent pics from my Canon. If you play with the apeture setting you can get better depth of field. Hope that helps.

 

Cheers Peter.

[Brass0four]

One final point on the colour of window frames; I know that they are wrong (e.g. too white) on many of the houses but would you go and paint all those windows, all made from 10 thou by 20 thou Microstrip to the correct colours? Thought not

 

Anyway, I treated myself to an early xmas present yesterday. Still working out how to use the damned thing but here are the first results:

 

 

 

Yes, I bought a decent camera. A Canon EOS 600D.

One final point on the colour of window frames; I know that they are wrong (e.g. too white) on many of the houses but would you go and paint all those windows, all made from 10 thou by 20 thou Microstrip to the correct colours? Thought not

 

Anyway, I treated myself to an early xmas present yesterday. Still working out how to use the damned thing but here are the first results:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I bought a decent camera. A Canon EOS 600D.

 

 

Now I'll make a hypocrite and a sycophant of myself by saying yours look excellent!

 

I wasn't even thinking of your models when I bumped my gums. In fact, not having checked your photos at the time, if asked I would

have said they were painted in muted tones as necessary. Ultimately it is the reflected light EFFECT that matters and yours

are fine - the most correct and atmospheric work of its type on RMweb as far as I'm concerned.

 

At the end of the day it is the work that matters rather than the verbiage, and - habitually digging holes for myself as I do - I've

got nowt to show for myself which says it all. lol

 

Tony.

 

EDIT: Somehow each set of pics were posted three times. If this isn't correct now...

Edited November 25, 2013 by Brass0four

[westerner]

To be honest a vast improvement on earlier efforts with your old camera. Really shows up the quality of your modelling.

[bluebottle]

I've said it before:

 

You keep apologising about your photography, Jason. All I can say is that I shake my head in wonder that not only are you producing a layout we all admire, but you somehow find the time to write such detailed and informative reports on the building of it! I'm sure that as Bacup (is it still to be called Bacup?) nears completion, if you turn your energies to serious photography the results will knock our eyes out.

 

Gordon

 

And I'll say it again: another giant leap for Bacup! And just wait 'til Jason really masters that excellent camera!

[Jason T]

Just been back up clicking on the Thanks button for the kind replies on this page but realise that I could be doing so forever if I carried on working my way backwards.

 

So, may I say to all of you for your kind words of encouragement, advice, passing on of knowledge, friendliness and creosote information (),  THANKS 

 

Jason

[LNER4479]

Hi Jason,

 

You'll probably get lots of photographic advice but, for what it's worth...

 

I have an older Canon 350D, but I guess it'll be quite similar. Assuming you have a tripod (if not, get one! In the meantime, balance the camera on something solid), set the camera to 'P' setting - that should switch the flash OFF (which is generally what you want). Then fiddle with the rotating wheel just behind the shutter release button and watch the numbers change in the display. You're looking for an aperture setting ('f' number) of about 29 or 32. At the same time, the shutter should go to anything between 8-30seconds. Try that, and see the difference with your looking-down-the-street view.

 

Another useful tip is to find the timer setting, which means that the camera will count down 10 seconds before taking the picture - that avoids any camera shake as you press the shutter. Also, try and avoid pointing the camera towards open windows where the natural light is coming in (the light meter in the camera will over-compensate and it'll all be too dark). Finally, if you have a spot lamp or any bright light, you can hold that above the subject and even move it around whilst the shutter is open to burn in some detail.

 

Hope that helps (apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs!), and look forward to seeing better and better and pictures so that we can enjoy your modelling revealed in all its glory

[Jason T]

All tips are more than welcome. I have been using cheap point-and-shoot cameras for years now and the instruction book for this one is as large as the camera I was using previously

[Sasquatch]

A cheap tripod is worth the investment!

That second image is awsome. It shows just how good you have captured the atmosphere of the area. 

Could you take another pic of that view with your nicely weathered Black 5, all 60s train spotter style please?

 

Regards Shaun.

[Jason T]

I'll see what I can do Shaun but it may be Wednesday as I am working away tomorrow

[Andrew P]

Hi Jason you are a hard act to follow but I tried my best, Jeff and I had a great day, he is such a nice guy and so easy going, I did get him to air brush some wagons, a coach and my 4F, I will post the pics an KL soon.

 

PM to follow.

 

Bodge

[Donw]

Nice Pictures Jason. I have a Canon ES450 which is not quite as good as yours I think. I usually set it for appature priority when taking pictures of the layout rather than manually setting each photo. Of course if you want to capture a moving train it is no good. In 0 gauge I can often find room to rest the camera on the track. However it does help to have plenty of good light on the subject. People like Tony Wright use extra light sources to get their photos. The alternative with a portable layout is to take it outside. The main thing is to takes lots of shots and experiment we only post the good ones.

Don

[Blandford1969]

Hi Jason,

 

What really makes this an amazing layout is that it is not just the railway, you have put the railway into the landscape as it were. I've really enjoyed watching you develop this, it should really be appearing in the mags as its the kind of layout that I'm sure inspires others.

 

Regards

Duncan

[Jaz]

edit = Sandside / post 1704

You say the windows are too white, but I still have relatives who go on about how people aren't house proud any more, how they or their mums used to be out with a bucket and scrubbing brushing cleaning the front step. I think that cleaning the downstairs windows and paying a window cleaner with his ladder was not uncommon. So clean windows existed it is just whether they photographed so well. Newspaper (if it wasn't used in the loo) and vinegar was very popular for cleaning windows. Poor maybe, but dirty???andmas.co.uk/scarpbook

In the 50's one of the biggest sins was to have a dirty door step. First thing every morning women would be out cleaning and polishing!? The polish was called 'Cardinal Red'.

fishfingerbutty:blogspot.co.uk/northern soul

Women in Leeds clean and polish their doorsteps with sandstone. Having a clean doorstep and polished windowsills showed the rest of the community's womenfolk that the housewife kept a pristine home. 'She keeps a lovely front' was the ultimate accolade for the houseproud woman.

Edited November 30, 2013 by Jaz

[Brass0four]

You say the windows are too white, but I still have relatives who go on about how people aren't house proud any more, how they or their mums used to be out with a bucket and scrubbing brushing cleaning the front step. I think that cleaning the downstairs windows and paying a window cleaner with his ladder was not uncommon. So clean windows existed it is just whether they photographed so well. Newspaper (if it wasn't used in the loo) and vinegar was very popular for cleaning windows. Poor maybe, but dirty???

If by "you" you mean me (nobody else has been labouring the point) As I said to a gentleman - ChrisN - earlier: Downes and Robinson's thread: #1094393.

 

Industrial filth was not a matter of choice. White paint was expensive and impractical. The "Midwives" thingy was by far the best TV concerning urban squalor in the fifties. Just keeping body and soul together was enough for the poor. You had to have been there.

 

Sorry Jason.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Brass0four

[jon_1066]

Nice choice of camera.

 

I would second the idea of shooting with Aperture priority (the little A on the dial).  You want the highest aperture you can possibly get which equals the smallest hole (don't ask - all hobbies have their own secret codes and language - its the size of the hole in a fraction of an inch).  This gives the maximum depth of field.

 

Because of this though to get enough light in your camera then needs a long exposure.  This will result in camera shake unless you can keep it still using a tripod.  A good idea is use a small bean bag to position and rest the camera on the layout.  This would be good for on the track type shots.  

 

Another alternative is to up the ISO.  This is how quickly the detector reacts to light.  Setting it to 6400 will give a more grainy look but a faster shutter speed so you may be able to get a hand held shot from an impossible to rest location.

 

You can also take charge of the focus yourself.  By switching to manual you can set where the focus is using the front ring on the lens.  This is also useful if it hunts around when taking a picture. Gently depress the shutter to get it to focus then switch the lens to manual (MF/AF switch on the RHS usually) and when the picture is taken it will stop that hunting about.

Edited November 26, 2013 by jon_1066

[Grimleygrid]

Hi Jason, what a lovely set of photos. Always enjoy looking at photos of your layout, especially all the houses!

 

How good does the DMU look in the station?, quality!

[unclebobkt]

 ... .  So clean windows existed,  ... .   Newspaper (if it wasn't used in the loo) and vinegar was very popular for cleaning windows.   ... .

 

 -- While I served my time at sea, (1967-'76.),,  we were forbidden to use any proprietary products to clean windows - just fresh water & newspaper;  worked very well: no smears etc. etc..

 - As for door-steps and suchlike - I remember reading that during the Depression, late 1920s. to early 30s., many a northern housewife still took pride in her doorstep, scrubbed to a dazzling whlte;  so much so that a favorite comment would be: 'Aye, Mrs. so-and-so,  she keeps a good door-step.'.

  But possibly after the end of the 1939-'45. war standards had slipped?  Although I can't write that I used to wander amongst the more squalid streets of Rugby, walking to and from the Midland Station took me through some of the poorer districts;  even then one might see an elderly housewife out with her scrubbing brush and bucket - still making an effort to maintain standards of her youth.

  --  :-)

Edited November 27, 2013 by unclebobkt

[Black Sheep]

Another alternative is to up the ISO.  This is how quickly the detector reacts to light.  Setting it to 6400 will give a more grainy look but a faster shutter speed so you may be able to get a hand held shot from an impossible to rest location.

 

You can also take charge of the focus yourself.  By switching to manual you can set where the focus is using the front ring on the lens.  This is also useful if it hunts around when taking a picture. Gently depress the shutter to get it to focus then switch the lens to manual (MF/AF switch on the RHS usually) and when the picture is taken it will stop that hunting about.

upping the ISO can add 'noise' to the photo making it grainy which could compromise a detail shot.

 

It could be worth looking into lighting, even holding a white sheet of A4 in the right place can really brighten up a shot!

 

Its possible to 'focus-drag' this is the practice of pointing your camera at the subject you wish to have in focus, holding the shutter slightly to maintain focus and then re-positioning the shot as you wish it to be.

[Jason T]

I've not really progressed with the camera settings yet, as I'm awaiting the tripod and without it, keeping the camera steady whilst the aperture settings are set higher is a nightmare. However, I did get one shot of the Black Five and although the lamp posts are blurred, I quite like it (may remove the platform and take it again at some point - or just wait for the Tripod to turn up !!!!)

 

and one of the signalbox, still awaiting fitting of the stove pipe and the drainpipes

 

and the cottages at the back

 

But what I have been working on over the last couple of days is yet more Parkside kits and also sorting out the height difference between the setts in the goods yard and the ash ballast adjacent to it, as there was one almighty step down from one to the other, which jarred rather too much. This has sort of been an ongoing process as some of you may have seen, with the white patches in the yard in recent photos. I used the Daler Rowney Texture Paste to build up the ground level and whilst it may be a swine to spread evenly, even after setting completely, it still retains an element of flexibility, to the point where I could shave the surface of it with a scalpel blade before covering it with textured paint and then ash ballast. The ash ballast itself all needs toning down at some point but I want to wait until it is all down and to the required depth before I tackle that.

 

The difference to earlier shots may look insignificant (as in, maybe people hadn't noticed the height difference) but up close it improves things no end, to an area that grated on me - it really, REALLY annoyed me having that stupid height difference as there is no way it would be there in reality.

 

[freebs]

Wow, Jason that track work looks gorgeous with this new camera

[Andrew P]

WOWSEE J that new camera works a treat, looking good, the houses, the flow of the track, all brilliant mate, inspiration for Jeff and I to try and follow your lead.

 

You and Al really do bring out the best of modeling standards.

 

Bodgit