Daddy & Charlie build a railway!

[dseagull]

Over the last couple of days, I have been mostly concentrating on the front of the layout - the road is now fixed in place, and both road and dock have had a coat of suitably concrete coloured paint (Wickes 'Stone' emulsion).

 

I have also added a fascia, following the ground contour, to the front of the layout. This resulted in a gap/cavity between the dock and the fascia, which has been filled with balls of newspaper and a good amount of cheap PVA, and topped off (to form a base for ground cover) with strips of kitchen roll. Once this has dried further, I will be giving it a coat of brown paint, to cover any gaps that might show through, then adding the first grassy area to the layout. 

 

Also on the cards today/tonight is some very careful ballasting around the 'new' point - l'll use neat PVA brushed between the sleepers and ballast gently brushed into place  this time(!), rather than risk another soaking for the board. 

 

Photos to follow later.

[dseagull]

4 - Starting with Scenics

 

 

Over the last couple of days I have been moving on with the scenics - now that the road and dock is in place if not finished, things are starting to come together.

 

You can also see how the lockup hides the 'hole in the sky'.

 

 

 

The first run of Static Grass went on this morning using the 'Hairy Cigar' method ( 

) - or my variation on it anyway, which just involves using pinches of static grass. I've used a mix of Noch field grass and Woodland scenics straw, chopped finely with the old scissors and mixed in. These pics were taken on the garden table, and I think the road behind has fooled the white balance in the camera, as it isn't quite this 'vivid' in reality! - I will likely to over again with some darker grass in any case, the next time I get the chance to go and buy some.

 

 

 

 

[JCL]

Hairy cigars! This looks like a great project.

[ess1uk]

that's pretty much how i do my grass.

nice little project you have going on there

[dseagull]

Cheers both - I'm certainlty having fun with it. Charlie hasn't been overly involved so far, aside from a bit of painting, mostly because I've been getting the basics in place. A new (well, 1993!) controller arrived courtesy of eBay this morning, The benefit of this one, rather than the one I have been using, is that it is a 'twisty knob' variable speed type - which should certainly make for smoother running!, rather than the 'normalrunning speed/too fast/dangerous' I have with the current one!

 

A busy day today has seen little time spent on the layout - though I have started to put in the cutting on the opposite side of the loading dock.

[dseagull]

The cutting on the opposite side of the track from the loading bank is now in place, painted, and has had static grass applied - though I'm not overly happy with it, as it looks very 'patchy'. Current favourite is to cover the patchiness, which is mostly at the top, with a hedge.

 

Talking of hedges - and indeed trees - I have recently picked up the brilliant Gordon Gravett tome on Modelling Broadleaf Trees for the grand sum of 60p - which is what it cost to have it reserved and sent from another library to work. It really does show some very impressive modelling, and as I now have a week (and hopefully three, should Little Miss decide to put in her appearance...) off, hopefully there will be time to make the most of it.

 

I've also begun work on the platform. I'd never been overly happy with using my cobbled together Wills Halt kits, mostly because the length wasn't quite long enough for the two coaches, and also because it left a large and unslightly gap behind the platform, which, given the layout of the road, I couldn't realistically fill. 

 

Finally for now, I must say a massive thanks to Kevin Walsh of this parish, who arrived on Wednesday night (and temporarily nicked my parking space!) with a bag full of bits - four Ratio Vans, with the difficult bit of the conversion to Poultry Vans already done, that now need building - and three other wagons for Charlie to practice his modelling on. He's been chomping at the bit to get on with something today, but it has not been possible (I struggled with building a cot all morning, then we went to watch the mighty Stringers concede twice in the opening 3 minutes on the way to a 4-2 home defeat to Arundel)

[dseagull]

Whilst I've long been happy with the arrangement (it's not finished though!) of the 'Loading Dock' end, I've always been less satisfied with the other end of the layout. 

 

Over the last few days though I've been working to change that - and what you see below is the work so far.

 

 

 

 

Apologies for these snapshots, taken last night. Basically, I've extended the siding 'across the road' to serve a factory of some kind (card mockup), which also conveniently hides the stage exit on this end. This will allow for a longer headshunt into the yard, as well as 'two way traffic' - so trains leaving from the factory as well as the loading bank.

 

Whilst this solves a problem (how to hide the scenic break), it introduces another one - what to do about the level crossing. As you can see, the previously narrow road now becomes a single track lane, at best. Should I put in a level crossing, on this basis, or find something else for the 'other side of the tracks'?

[dseagull]

Whilst still throwing ideas around for the 'other side of the tracks', I've been playing with a scan of the mockup factory building. This is the frontage - I couldn't find a way to scan the 'track side', as I have put on a canopy.

 

I also can't work out how to type directly on top of the brickwork on Paint.Net, so cut and paste the sign in from elsewhere. This mockup just uses bits from CGTextures and PaperBrick ( http://www.cgtextures.com & http://paperbrick.co.uk )

 

 

Whilst in no way accurate or indeed usable on the final version, , it still gives me something to work with - I like the idea of big, arched industrial windows at 'street level', with offices at a higher level, so that management can keep an eye on proceedings in the station yard. 

[KevinWalsh]

When are you going to start Charlie on the building, painting and weathering or the rolling stock (and naturally posting pics of his progress)?

[dseagull]

When are you going to start Charlie on the building, painting and weathering or the rolling stock (and naturally posting pics of his progress)?

 

He is at the grandparents for the next day or so - so hopefully later this week. Those three wagons are all 00, by the way (but will need new wheelsets to go through finescale points!) 

[KevinWalsh]

He is at the grandparents for the next day or so - so hopefully later this week. Those three wagons are all 00, by the way (but will need new wheelsets to go through finescale points!) 

 

I'll have a look through my spares box at some point and see if I still have some 00 wheelsets for you.

[dseagull]

I'll have a look through my spares box at some point and see if I still have some 00 wheelsets for you.

 

Thanks - I've got some I think, so no need unless you want to have a real clearout. Sure I've still got some N bits kicking around in the parents loft, not sure if you'll be able to do anything with them, but they are yours the next time you come round.

[dseagull]

Despite what I said yesterday, I did print out the paint.net mockup of the factory building, to stick on the card shell. Only printed it out on fast draft, but it does seem to 'fit' nicely - so it's on to the next stage.

 

With that in mind, a trip up to Uckfield today saw some various bits purchased - a Wills level crossing, static grass and scatter, polyfibre for trees/hedges and some Ratio Windows & Wills materials sheets for not only the factory, but also the station building. A while back I built a version of the Platform Shelter which used to reside at Hailsham - however it was only a quickie, using hand-scribed plasticard (With the resultant wandering blade at times). I now have the materials (and the plans!) to produce a better version, although it will be slightly less than half-relief, so that it can sit on the platform without looking ridiculous. 

 

We are also about to find out if Mr Tescos cheapo hairspray can do the same job as the spray glue with pinches of static grass.... - whilst very good, the spray glue I have tends to stink the house out! (I'll test it on some scrap card first before coating the layout in it though ) 

[dseagull]

 

So yesterday we had a mockup

 

Today, we have the real thing (Wills sheets, some old windows I had kicking about and a door made from an offcut of clapboarding, with a bay floor of plasticard sprayed with Plastikote Suede)

 

 

 

The door was sprayed Sleeper Grime, then drybrushed with red enamel (someone's favourite colour). Also note the change of business - yesterday he wanted to be a builder when he grows up, today its a gardener. Usually it's a superhero - such is the life of a 6 year old )

 

Apologies for the poor quality of these pictures - by the time I thought to do it, the natural light had gone. Charlie wasn't able to help a lot with this one, but he did help build a hedge this morning, using copper wire as a framework, with Woodland Scenics Poly Fibre, and (his favourite part!) using the old* sieve to sprinkle Woodland Scenics grass over following a blast of hairspray. 

 

(*well, it will be the old one when I replace it...!)

 

 

 

[dseagull]

It's been a busy few days...

 

 

(No, I'm not some kind of deity, the sun was streaming through the window behind )

 

I have managed a little time with the layout though - taking up the sidings in order to solder the track feed properly, rather than relying on the wires being held by taking advantage of the slight height difference between Peco points and SMP flexi - it was a bodge too far, and obviously, far fewer 'prods' are now needed to ensure the loco gets across the point....

 

The static grass at the front has also been treated to some additional texture (Woodlands Scenics scatter & hairspray), which has improved it no end, and also the Signal Box has been replaced with the freebie from Railway Modeller (courtesy of Kev, and with assistance from Charlie). 

 

 

At the other end, I've been playing with Paint.net...

 

 

Really does need a backscene soon... - certainly before I can really crack on with things like the platform building.

 

 

[KevinWalsh]

Just a suggestion Stu,

 

How about calling it "Flint Halt" on the C&LR (Charlie & Leah Railway)?

 

Kev

[dseagull]

Nice idea Kev - I was thinking 'Charleah' perhaps?

 

A trip out to Uckfield on Tuesday saw a Gaugemaster Small Sky backscene purchased, and this has now been installed. I'm reasonably pleased with it - I also bought MRJ 222 at the same time, and got home to find it had good advice on painting backscenes with watercolour. Next time around....

 

The backscene itself is just plain sky with clouds, and certainly improves the look no end though. The next priority will be to sort the station building and start fixing down - once this has been done, I'll be able to install the Ratio Concrete fencing which I have already built and painted. 

 

Thoughts too turning to motive power - I'm keeping an eye on eBay for a couple of the Bachmann starter locos (preferably both the same!), which will get a repaint/light detailing - and then be renamed (no prizes for guessing the names!)

[CourthsVeil]

Hi dseagull, just looking if there is any update on this layout. Have been looking out for news for a while. Hope everything is still going all right.
Armin

[KevinWalsh]

Hiya Stu,

 

Any progress on this layout?

 

Kev