Double Yard

[Job's Modelling]

Don't worry Armin, I'm sure it can be recovered. We've all had similar disasters. The layout is looking good so it is worth taking the time to correct the mistake and it may look better for your efforts in the end.

 

I agree with Mullie. This could be a good startint point to get the yard right. Now you have a nice dark underground.

 

Good luck with your efforts on this one.

 

Job

[CourthsVeil]

Relief !

 

 

 

Well, the repair seems to work…

[CourthsVeil]

Job's Modelling and Mullie: thank you very much. Such support is helpful.

 

 

Not much to report today.

 

After I had given the whole area its fresh charge of chinchilla dust ("bathing powder" it is called) and the PVA had dried, I mixed a new coloring. Much lighter than the previous one, believe me! Much more water! With this I gave the sandy surface a generous wash – and now it looked much better.

 

Credit is due to Andrew P for his advice to sprinkle parts of the still wet (!) area with white powder – however, I use an artist’s pastel, not talc. In the corners I added some light green chalk – very cautiously!

 

Looks pretty good so far. Pheww!

 

Photo will follow when it’s dry – now it is too dark due to wetness.

 

Armin

[CourthsVeil]

Eleven shades of Grey… Tried the right concoction of Black+Sienna+Water on my testbed:

 

As promised: here the recent status:

 

In reality the green patches are not as prominent as this photo suggests, looks more like the big patch in the first picture. Hope you like it.
Even if not: waiting for your comments and/or suggestions.

 

Armin

 

.

[CourthsVeil]

Thank you … !

 

May well be that another phase of procrastination hit me? I’m about to ballast the track in the l/h yard in ashen fashion, but this has to include the piece of flextrack that I use as a sector plate. Ballast track to be bent? You understand that I’m reluctant to get to grips with this task…

 

Then you also will understand that I turned to another subject:

Again I nicked a Shortliner-proposal (thanks Jack once again for another fine idea): in order to allow better switching through the aforementioned exit from/ into the RoW I quite quickly put together a TRAIN STICK:

 

A wooden stick, two pieces acrylic glass to the sides (leftovers from a previous project), two sheets of corrugated card (instead of foam rubber) plus a suitable length of flex track, all glued/screwed together – ready is my 50cm (20in) “train lift”. It uses the same bronze L-channels for electric contact I described in my build thread for the 2012 Challenge – looks like these:

 

And works a treat!

 

The corrugated card is stiff enough to prevent locos from falling out, yet forgiving when I finger stock in or out.

 

 

When we talk about corrugated card, now an idea that is REALLY my own (at least I’ve never seen it elsewhere before): I got two sheets of corrugated card and glued them together. The salient point is that – like plywood – the “grain” (the runnings) in the two sheets is oriented at right angles to each other:

 

Mind you: I took this shot in front of a mirror to show both sides simultaneously.

 

This composition is surprisingly rigid and incredibly light, very easy to work with, too – knife, scissors… Only drawback encountered so far: it’s a bit pressure sensitive – just like foamcore.

 

Could have entered it in the 2012 Innovation Challenge – just a year too late!

 

 

Á propos 2012 Innovation Challenge: I did contribute, I did vote, but I’m unable to find any trace of the outcome of this contest. Am I blind or dumb or what …?

Could somebody please help to satisfy my curiosity…?

 

Thank you for your help!

 

I’m wondering when I will return to my two yards and the ash ballast…

 

Armin

 

.

[CourthsVeil]

This time a short instalment:

 

I bodged another small building together, to be located in the left yard:

 

 

And then I made a photo of the five trees I had done during the last days and weeks:

 

 

Hope you enjoy… Your opinions, comments and suggestions are appreciated.

 

Armin

 

PS: I’m still wondering when I will return to the ash ballast in my two yards, the higher and the lower, or: the "finer" and the "bottom" one…

[Removed a/c]

Very nice, the trees look really great. Are they made of wire? 

[CourthsVeil]

Thank you for the kind words, Scott.

Yes, they're made of florists wires – plus cocos fibres for the little twigs. Maybe I will later detail what I'm doing.

Cheers

Armin

[john flann]

Jolly good Armin. Thank you.

[Job's Modelling]

Nice trees and building.

[CourthsVeil]

Thank you for your comments!

 

 

 

Silly ideas I have – sometimes…

 

Have you ever thought of ballasting a piece of flexible track so that it can be bent after laying it down – and that not only once, but multiple times. If possible, even several times a day… ?

 

Why that?

 

From the very beginning of this project it was sure that I would use the “Flextrack Sector” mentioned in the opening post AND that it – contrary to most sector plates – would not be hidden from view within some hollow structure (warehouse, depot, backdrop…). Now the question is how to make this flexible part of track presentable?

 

My solution was quite simple: use ash ballast as shown by Chris Nevard in his fine Brewhouse Quay layout ( see here and there). (Not that I would say that I master things like the Master, but I can strive to approach…)

For this I didn’t use DAS clay (never seen here in Germany…) and nothing else like this stuff. Instead I decided to use acryl caulk – light grey and permanently elastic, as the label says.

 

This stuff being new to me I experimented several times with scrap pieces of track:
 

 

 

To the left it's already dried, right with much less stuff and still wet. Fingers well wetted help very much to spread the caulk evenly. The red arrow points to masking tape that prevents the caulk to splay too wide. This tape has to be ripped off before the caulk starts to dry. And then a thorough cleaning of the track is due!

 

Didn’t look too bad after drying, I think.

 

Next step was that I tried my luck at a leftover piece of flextrack to see whether it would remain flexible after covering it with the acryl stuff. To prevent it from sticking to the base board it got an intermediate layer of newpaper. The result after drying:

 

 

The paper had curled up, everything else was o.k. The salient point, however, was the flexibility: much reduced but still apt for the purpose intended: to serve two approaching tracks like a real sector plate – as can be seen above (uppermost track).

 

To make bending easier I made several cuts into the underside – much like the gaps already made in the webbing of the track by the manufacturer:

 

So much regarding my experiments. The picture above is not the test piece but rather the flextrack finally to be put onto the layout; therefore you don’t see curled newspaper but better stuff (120gr/sqm).

The same from above (here only the portion to be bent covered with acryl caulk):

 

Then the final jump into cold water (in the hope it is deep enough not to break my neck…). A thick bead of “clay” laid out (1), spread with a fine toothed trowel (2), the track lightly pressed into the stuff (3), and finally (4) somewhat equalized with wetted fingers:

 

 

Now I'm waiting for the stuff to dry…

 

And for your comments…

 

Watch this topic, more to follow soon.

Armin

[cklammer]

Armin,

 

I have only just caught up with the thread.

 

I consider myself duly impressed with the workmanship displayed in your layout.

 

I really do hope your traverser flex works as planned.

 

Best of Luck,

Christian

 

P.S.: What is the brand name of the acryl caulk used?

[CourthsVeil]

Christian, thank you for such a kind remark!

And a warm WELCOME to RMweb – you will find a lot of information re. the most diverse fields here. Plus friendly people…

 

 

.. What is the brand name of the acryl caulk used?

 

The brand name is CMI, but tbh I didn’t care for it, I just bought the least expensive cartridge I found at the local OBI store… Good enough for this purpose, me thinks.

 

Well, the acryl stuff is dry now and the track works as planned – a bit stiff it is, I must confess, but quite doable.

 

Now a bit blending the ash-soil-border etc., reposition the (now) missing office building, then we may go ahead.

 

Watch this space, more to follow soon

 

Armin

 

 

.

[CourthsVeil]

Keeping the theme of minor progress:

 

Just a bit adding bathing dust to blend the ash-soil border, a bit toning down the light acryl (oil, brake dust), a bit of grass flecks – that’s it, I think:

 

 

Sun is shining today, so I have relatively good lighting in my basement, so I did some photographing. 

Please don't forget: depending on the stock I use, the layout can represent various periods from pre-WW1 onwards. That’s another way of saying I was so keen to get going that my initial engine and freight car purchases were pretty random, and based on very little (a.k.a. none at all) research.

So here some of my rolling stock as they may appear from time to time in the (nearly) finished yard:

 

First a Prussian plant loco (class T.3), in this yard however in Italian livery: Porto di Savona, EA11:

 

A BR 70 quietly waiting for the next shift:

 

Ahh, those lovely pizza cutters – but this rather old Fleischmann loco (BR 70) is one of my best runners (with a new coreless, of course), so I like it despite her wheels:

 

 

Here a nice Mallet loco (austrian livery), first with a Bavarian sixwheeler, then with a rather longish goods van:

 

 

Now a small diesel shunter – a Roco Köf, very fine runner too (with such locos you don't want DCC, believe me):

 

This is an Austrian Dampftriebwagen – not so often seen:

 

And last but not least the Werklok Anna (plant loco called "Anna"); that she hasn’t got a prototype, doesn’t bother me at all! In addition, she is a not so nice runner. Still, despite her short wheelbase she manages all my points (no wonder: there is only one and it sports a juiced frog) and after a bit of running in (every day she needs it) she behaves quite well as a shunter.

She belongs to the kind of rolling stock we like despite all its drawbacks:

 

 

This is some of my H0 rolling stock, continental type – in the cabinet hidden are some nice OO as well as American H0 thingies…

 

Hope you enjoy! Again any comments and encouragements welcomed.

 

Regards Armin

[CourthsVeil]

Found another motiv to do something else – completely unrelated to this topic and seemingly very urgent .

 

 

By way of this thread I came across this site of the german cardmodel-designer Godwin T. Petermann. Where the seventh item cought my interest: the station building of Marienfelde (now part of Berlin) and its accompanying structures – condition around 1890.

 

Sure, it’s very continental, in a design not uncommon in the period before WW1. But it’s also very rarely modelled by German modellers – they are more fond of romantic looking structures, not this rather cold looking building. Yet it was – and still is – very appealing to me.

No wonder that I couldn’t resist and downloaded from this site (last entry "Kartonmodelle Berlin-Marienfelde") the relevant .PDF-files, printed the main building and bodged it together – a mock up of plain paper, quite wonky and dented:

 

Only then I discovered that this cardmodel was 1:120 (2.5mm/foot) – a scale not uncommon in the former GDR, but sure not my cuppa.

However, this ensemble intrigued me and after some experimenting with various ‘pooter programs I managed to obtain printouts in the scale I’m using: H0 = 1:87 or 3.5mm/ft.

And then nothing was able to stop me! The prints served as “base layer” (in Scalescenes parlance) to cut out the walls and roofs of 1½ mm (1/16 in) artists card:

 

 

Then there came the lovely task of cutting out quite a lot of window and door openings. All provisionally put together looked already rather promising (and sturdy):

 

Some internal strengthening was provided by brackets – here pieces of foamcore in the turret part to keep the thing square:

 

As “cover layer” I got a sheet of .8-mm (32thou) balsa wood; before I cut the panes I stained it with a light silvery grey (black water color) and scored the planks with a well sharpened hard pencil:

 

Now just the windows and doors were missing. No problem, since I have the “base layer” as a .gif-file. I need only to redraw the relevant lines of the windows (outlines and mullions/transoms) in a second layer in my paint program and then print this layer only (i.e. less the base layer) to an overhead projection sheet.

Unfortunately the white felt pen I had used for the transoms/mullions as explained in post #46 above this time didn’t work as expected, so I had to leave them black as they came out of the printer.

 

Partly assembled. Backlighted by the sun it looks a bit like a gothic cathedral – typical for the period in which the prototype was designed: ~1880! See here:

(Sorry for the wrong focusing!)

 

The doors are simply cutouts from the above “base layer” glued on light card. All glued together made this appearance – the edges and the turret head still waiting for fitting planks and the roofs being provisional:

 

Next stage: the prototype's roofs had been covered with tar paper; my model got pieces of masking tape, blackened with a thick felt pencil (still to be toned lighter with a wash of white water color and perhaps light grey artist’s pastel chalk):

 

At the l/h side the goods shed will be attached:

 

As usual, some details are missing – will follow later. Still much to do here… Possibly this structure together with the goods shed, a passengers room, a gents etc. – being quite a nice ensemble – will form the centre of a new micro layout I have in mind - who knows?

 

Hope you enjoy.

 

Armin

 

PS: I never would have thought that this humble project would attract more than 7,500 views. Amazing!

[Removed a/c]

It has turned out really nice. 

[cklammer]

Well done. I always why we do not see more "Prussian Normal Standard' buildings on layouts.

 

So how has your fiddle-flex worked out?

[CourthsVeil]

Hi britfarmer and Christian: thank you for the compliments! It's always nice to get feedback that my ham-fisted effort isn't as bad as I feared it might be when building it.

 

 

So how has your fiddle-flex worked out?

 

As already stated: "…the acryl stuff is dry now and the track works as planned – a bit stiff it is, I must admit, but quite doable".

 

Regards

  Armin.

[cklammer]

Thank you, Armin - as I am reading RMWeb on the mobile I must have overlooked it.

[CourthsVeil]

Christian: yes, German modelers like more romantic looking buildings (e.g. black forest like or timber framed) or the “good old fifties” minus industial/MPD thingies, i.e. kind of modern biedermeier gemuetlichkeit – this is quite distinct from British or American layout styles (and distinct from my taste, if I may say…).

 

 

 

To continue the theme of digressions:

 

The Marienfelde station building got a bit of toning down/weathering of the roofs, horizontal bands, lintels & sills (cruel those cameras, aren’t they?):

 

(In the flesh its roof is not as shiny as in this late minute desktop picture – see the following pics.)

Gutters & rainpipes to be added when brought by he postman, then some high-rising greenery (vines), finalize the door steps…Still quite something to do!
 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Bahnhof Marienfelde is an ensemble of no less than five buildings, the second being the goods shed. This structure is not covered with wooden planks but made of timber-framed bricks, again the roof tar-papered. Rather easy to do: the brick/timber-paper directly glued on 1.5mm cardboard, window openings cut out, windows (already printed on the same o/h projection sheet as above) glued behind, then the walls folded, a bracket added to the open side (facing the main building) to keep all square, wood covered platforms with respective piers added:

Then the roof – also as above.

 

Both together:

 

 

 

I like it,      I like it,           I like it ! ! !

 

 

 

Apart from that, I tried my luck again with a deciduous tree – this too not related to 'Double Yard'.

 

I choose a London planetree (aka Sycamore). Its significant outline and bark make it easier to recognize (like birch or poplar) than “ordinary” trees. Here we are:

 

I think now I’ve done well – at least I’m quite satisfied how it came out. May well be shown to polite company, says The Good Lady. Sure also to be inserted into a new micro layout (the tree, not TGL!)…

 

Next may be a poplar…

 

Hope you like it…

 

Armin

 

 

 

 

PS: it may well be that this topic “Double Yard” will have to hibernate. The reason: due to a health problem it is not advisable for me (tell me The Better Half and the physician) to do much work in the basement (where the layout is located together with all my tools, materials, etc.).

If possible, I will continue with work like the above, i.e. make buildings or trees in my (warm) room at the ground floor… Maybe I then will report from time to time.

[cklammer]

Hallo, Armin,

 

I am sorry to read about your health problem. Gute Besserung!

 

So go and build card models, weather your stock and build trees ...

 

Best Wishes, Christian

[Job's Modelling]

Hallo Armin,

 

It's always a challenge to do the things you like when your health is in question.

Try to make a small work shelf for your (kitchen) table and keep modeling.

Take your time. I will keep following your thread.

 

Best greetings,

Job

[CourthsVeil]

Christian, Job, thank you for such kind words.

 

 

Whilst the layout is goin to hibernate, not me! Some things can be done even with limited resources – just a bit slower than usual.

 

A few words about my method of “ballasting” with acryl caulk: when I ripped off a piece of track from my testbed, I found that it adheres well to last, but still separates easily when lifted with a sharp trowel. In contrast to the usual cork/PVA combo which glues quite solid, this acryl stuff remains flexible; so it suppresses resonation through the baseboard. As all foamboards are quite good resonators, the use of any permanently supple material should be of benefit.

Im my case, however, the running quality may be better, but not really noticeable – because mine is a mini layout. Rolling stock is small, lightweight, and I don’t let it run with more than a cyclist’s speed – it still is a shunting yard, not thought for HSTs. So there’s no chance for noise to develop ugly manners!

 

Another benefit is the ease with which I do the ballasting – much less boring than the usual PVA method.

 –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –

 

 

So here we have my latest adventure with trees, a poplar (stem bettered in the meantime):

 

 

And two small additions to my station building: door steps and a chimney:

 

 

Hope you enjoy.

 

 

 

Last weekend I paid a visit to an exhibition: the 4. US-Modellbahn-Convention in Nieder-Roden near Frankfurt am Main. A lot of interesting layouts could be seen (smallish like mine up to big [60*60foot] constructions), but also several training desks. Quite a lot to learn! See this post!

 

And I found a small loco there: an EMD SW9/1200, plus a 40’ tank wagon (used). Both quite nicely complementing my stock.

Already weathered.

And they didn't cost too much (in fact, my wallet wasn't really filled * )…

May need these for a really very compact Timesaver layout - well, time will tell…

 

Watch this space!

 

Cheers

  Armin

 

 

* Don't lead me into temptation, I will find the way alone.

[Job's Modelling]

Thanks for sharing that link to the American layouts.

Nice to see some small shunting layouts and some Fremo module layouts.

Al thought I do something totally different at the moment I still have very good memories of my time within Fremo. 

Enjoyed the "real" railway practice.

 

So keep modelling and posting.

 

Greetings,

Job

[CourthsVeil]

Hi again everyone, and thanks for your continued interest.

 

 

Not a progress report, just an overview of what has been made until now:

 

 

Still quite a lot of details and repairs to do – will have to wait until a warmer season!

 

Regards
  Armin