Ben Alder Posted June 24, 2012 Author Share Posted June 24, 2012 First coating of surfaces has continued this week, but ran out of cork and dressed stone, so progress has been stalled until they arrived, so contented myself by trying out some photographs-as above. Here is one of the branch train arriving-from where?- I'll provide an alternative history sometime Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 OK, some more photographic musings from the terminus, again just more trials, but a pleasant change from construction- I have been doing more painting work, preparing cobble sheets and the Wills stone sheets, but they are not finished yet so I played around with the camera later tonight to see the fruit of my labours, and these are one or two that survived the digital cull. Please ignore all the obvious things yet to be done Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 That shot of the Caley tank is super - very evocative indeed. I think the C&L bullhead track adds a huge amount to the 'feel' of the scene, as well as the naturalistic lighting and the believable angle you've taken the pic from. Definitely on my 'too aspire to' list... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted July 1, 2012 Author Share Posted July 1, 2012 The C&L track certainly puts Peco into the shade- no matter what you do to it, it can't look anything like bullhead rail track. We'll stay silent on the point situation for now though . I have been picking away at tidy-up jobs this week, mainly on the ballasting side, and deciding what to do about the cattle dock at Thurso, which is a real one-off as far as the Highland is concerned with regard to facilities- outside Inverness, it had the most up to date loading system of the lot- not surprising considering the volume of the August lamb sales- and I am going to proceed using my usual hideous compromise between actuality and availability- more of this anon.The main scenic progress has been the painting of the terminus engine shed track bed, and this got its first coat tonight, seen here in all its primal glory. It's a bit in your face with regard to subtlety, but will get further drybrushes of shades to tone it all down- the overall shots do accentuate colour differences that are not so obvious with low level pictures, and some more trials are needed to strike a balance between the differing demands of the camera and the eye. Anyway, one for now, and perhaps some more tomorrow once I look through tonight's snappings. The shed isn't bedded down, and there is much work to be done to it all, but the borders of the scene are expanding bit-by-bit, with only the goods yard approach needing to be made presentable- hopefully in a day or so.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted July 1, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 1, 2012 Excellent, Richard! The landscape looks like it's been there "forever" instead of just a matter of days. It's easy to imagine a couple of generations of steamers using the well-worn turntable. Very impressive - more photos, please! Cheers, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.C.M Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Hi Richard, Super stuff, the greenary and ballast really have brought the scene to life. Cheers Peter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Hi Richard, yes very impressive indeed, I am considering Markway / SMP track on my Last Great Project to quote Ken Paynes famous layout, Kendale, All the best Andy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted July 1, 2012 Author Share Posted July 1, 2012 OK, some more from last night- there might be others later as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Rannoch Moor Posted July 1, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 1, 2012 Richard, Haven't had a lot of time to RMWeb of late but now I'm off for summer leave I have enjoyed spending a couple of hours reading through your thread and catching up. I am sorry that Kylesku has departed but loving this. Really enjoyed the Helmsdale loco shed in particular (and all your buildings)and I am so impressed that you have continued to sprinkle that magic ingredient - atmosphere - over everything as you did on the old layout, Gus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted July 1, 2012 Author Share Posted July 1, 2012 The last from my photographic exploration of the newly covered work at Thurso- now I'll get back to further weathering/detailing. I tried out different exposures and light settings, along with adjusting the backlight in some cases, hence the variety of colour levels in the images, and I think my decision to scrap Kylesku has resulted in better use of the space- giving a more open feel to the new terminus and a bit less of trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot, that was too much a feature of the old model. Thanks for all the likes, BTW- appreciated, but I've a way to go yet before I should be posting pics - mustn't get distracted....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Bear Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 With the rate and quality of the progress, a bit of a break is well earned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 I took advantage of my day off yesterday to upgrade the lighting in the railway room- I have always used natural daylight tubes- from FSL-, both at home and work, and find it does the job for me. The more tubes that can be fitted into a space the better, so I added two 2' tubes above the stations. One of the photo drawbacks of Kylesku was the washed out effect I kept getting, abetted by the fact that there was no greenery at that station, and adding a bit extra lighting was one of those jobs I never got around to, but this has now been remedied, and the light levels are noticeably greater in the attic.Just for the record here are two fuzzy shots showing them in place- hardly the most riveting pics., but its one of those behind the scenes things that have a continual benefit. The main light source is provided by two 4' fittings, which might seem excessive for a 12x10 attic, but the more the merrier is the thing with these lights.Of course, I fired off some shots last night to see what happened ,despite saying I was going to do some modelling work, and two or three came out OK; at least they counteract the dreadful qualities of the two above Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher24 Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I took advantage of my day off yesterday to upgrade the lighting in the railway room- I have always used natural daylight tubes- from FSL-, both at home and work, and find it does the job for me. The more tubes that can be fitted into a space the better, so I added two 2' tubes above the stations. One of the photo drawbacks of Kylesku was the washed out effect I kept getting, abetted by the fact that there was no greenery at that station, and adding a bit extra lighting was one of those jobs I never got around to, but this has now been remedied, and the light levels are noticeably greater in the attic.Just for the record here are two fuzzy shots showing them in place- hardly the most riveting pics., but its one of those behind the scenes things that have a continual benefit. it certainly seems to be coming together rather nicely. now that i am more or less immobile (if thats the correct term of phrase) i have had time to think up a basic trackplan and put it on paper but that is as far as it has gone so far. a house-move in a few weeks time will give me some decent space to make a start. i have three 4'x2'6'' boards made up for a start and the layout is designed to be portable - that much i have decided and made already, the rest is in my head where there is plenty storage space, and the mrs agrees and thats a first! gary patterson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 Some perimeter fencing has been added to both stations, and thirty gates have been put onto the cattle dock- they should have been scratch built, but Ratio came to the rescue, and I will look at this once some more painting has been to them in the next day or two. Once again, some look and see shots were taken, this time with Ben Alder, to see the effect of ground weathering. It looks a bit heavy to the eye from above, but images don't seem to reflect this. On the other hand, the platform fencing at Helmsdale has been drybrushed to show weathered creosote fencing, but comes out as if nothing has been done to it .... Anyway, some shots- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artizen Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Isn't it always such a nice day in Scotland! I was last in Scotland in the 70s and the weather was fantastic even back then. Keep up the great work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted July 14, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 14, 2012 More lovely photos Richard! The curves around the signal box, in your last but one post, blend beautifully with the background. And does't Ben Alder look grand? I think you are being optimistic about the weather, Ian. 2012 could well be the most miserable summer we've had, even in Scotland! Oh well, the Brits and the weather, what would life be without the two together! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted July 14, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 14, 2012 More lovely photos Richard! The curves around the signal box, in your last but one post, blend beautifully with the background. Spot on, Jeff! That picture simply knocked my socks off! Not a train in sight - yet totally convincing as a model. The Ben Alder magic is alive and well and living in the far north! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 Cheers, chaps- your attentions are flattering, but appreciated- it's starting to come together now, and the amount of greenery is the next project bubbling away in my head ATM. I was suprisingly pleased at the effect of the first coat of ground cover- this was done merely to get rid of the white, but it has worked well as a starter. The Thurso backscene is perhaps not the default weather position for here, but I thought it would make a change from the Hills and Dales that I have used elsewhere- I did toy with just using the sky portion of that one, but there is not enough to give a sufficient depth for me. Actually, the northern parts of the Highlands have had the best summer weather of the British Isles so far- our June rainfall according to the local weather station was a mere 14.5mm, and for that beautiful six or seven weeks May& June we had almost 20 hours daylight. Attached is a photo I took around 2am mid June- its things like this that make the winters bearable! Also another one of Ben Alder- that's the library stock used up for now..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted July 14, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 14, 2012 Hi Richard, I certainly wouldn't even consider changing the background. It works very well and a pure sky background might be a bit "empty". However, I'm envious of the view at 2am. And I bet you've had a few aurorae up there too - there's some forecast for the next night or so due to a large coronal mass ejection on the sun (sorry about all the Physicsy stuff!!). Cheers, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted July 14, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 14, 2012 Some beautiful pictures in the last few posts. Regarding the lights 2 4ft and 2 2ft tubes is nowhere near excessive in a 12x10ft room in my opinion. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher24 Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Some perimeter fencing has been added to both stations, and thirty gates have been put onto the cattle dock- they should have been scratch built, but Ratio came to the rescue, and I will look at this once some more painting has been to them in the next day or two. Once again, some look and see shots were taken, this time with Ben Alder, to see the effect of ground weathering. It looks a bit heavy to the eye from above, but images don't seem to reflect this. On the other hand, the platform fencing at Helmsdale has been drybrushed to show weathered creosote fencing, but comes out as if nothing has been done to it .... Anyway, some shots- things are certainly coming on, i particularly like the helmsdale part of the layout, keep up the good work. gary Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 I have been beavering away at the cattle dock for the last whiles, and it is now at a semi-presentable state. Cattle facilities on the Highland were hit and miss- some stations had pens- Dingwall, Kyle, and Wick are three that had some of varying size, wheras the ones that handled the largest quantities of, mainly, sheep- Forsinard, Kinbrace, Rogart and Lairg used sidings , but there was little in the way of platform pens- they were herded onto cattle wagons with a mixture of the stick, dogs and hand held gating.Inverness had a large cattle dock, and Thurso, during the war, had an extra siding installed to cope with the vastly expanded traffic generally and also had a loading bank for animals incorporated into it. Live stock traffic was seasonal and large when it occured, but for most of the year the Thurso siding was given to the coal merchants of the town. The gate arrangement was unusual in that there was a continual row of gates with a passage behind it that livestock could be fed into from the many pens at the mart site. I have attached a couple of pics showing this set-up. The gates I used are Ratio- I just couldn't face making them all from scratch, but its something I might come back to when the basic building work is over. Perhaps a resin casting or a laser-cut version might be the answer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 The other area of attention has been the approach to the goods yard. It was a mixture of granite cobbles and the usual nondescript surface that could be found in most yards, but the road between the two furthest sidings was a slightly raised cobble surface, and the main raised goods platform was cobbled to begin with and then petered out into what ,even by the early seventies,became an overgrown grass covered semi-meadow. I decided to continue the cobbling on this platform to avoid trying to recreate this and for this I used SE Finecast sheets. I am not happy with the overall effect ATM, but again it is something that can be re-visited later. The perimeter fence is the Ratio one, and is a bit of overkill, I think, with the sloped top- there is awire one at Thurso, but without the overhang, and I might remove this yet- I'll let it be for a while to see what I decide, and the stone wall behind it is a photograph of the actual wall of the lane behind the station. For the moment, it is just cut out and leaning against the backscene, but it is going to be pasted onto it . The entrance arrangement is to allow for the station shed loop line to run through the back of the shed to give me storage for two coaches inside the shed, which is going to be useful- I'll plonk a hut or old van there to hide this. The Bachmann provender store is waiting attention to make it more local, and the greenery is a bit too tidy- the static grass shaker will sort that out sometime..... The brick hut is the start of the weighbridge- shifted a bit from the prototype to hide a point motor- there's a lot of that around due to my fitting them on the surface- I'm having to think about disguising two at the engine shed side by side. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham R Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 ... the approach to the goods yard ...a mixture of granite cobbles and the usual nondescript surface ... I am not happy with the overall effect ATM... Hi Richard, I think the overall effect is pretty good! here's the spot you're talking about, in July 1975: I wonder if someone knocked down the yard lamp with the Coles crane, or if it was "under maintenance" ? Please keep posting your photos, they are highly nostalgic! regards Graham Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheeltapper&shunter Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I am at the early research stage of my layout based on the HR/LMS Looking at Aviemore Forres maybe making a loop back to Aviemore via the GNoS to Boat of Garten. Your pictures are a big help, thanks..and hope to see more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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