Bakewell - Peak District Line BR - Layout Views

[bescotbeast]

Just caught up Al after being absent for a while, really impressed with your use of Plasticard and Humbrol paints. Plenty to keep me inspired.

                                                         Simon

[Alister_G]

Cheers Simon, thanks for looking in.

 

I'm glad to be of help! Not much call for pan scrubber undergrowth on Pendleford

 

Al.

[Alister_G]

Dear Deidre,

 

I'm getting worried about cheap pan scourers.

 

I think they have magical properties unknown to mere mortals, and I'm concerned that I may be turning to the dark side...

 

 

 

For instance, this afternoon, I took a perfectly innocent pan scourer, and cut a strip off it, like this:

 

 

Then I siezed it from both sides, and brutally tore the sides apart:

 

 

 

Then, as if that wasn't enough, I doused it in a dilute wash of artists acrylic Burnt Umber:

 

 

I prepared a pile of Medium Green blended Turf:

 

 

and then, I used this can of extra-hold hairspray (pro-vitamin B5 optional):

 

 

I sprayed each side of the pan scourer and viciously dunked it in the blended Turf.

 

Look what happened

 

 

 

 

After all that torture, it became a hedge!

 

(I wonder if it's the pro-vitamins that does it?)

 

Not content with that, I then took another pan scourer, and tore it completely apart, splitting it into two layers.

 

 

But, before I did anything else to it, it became a lawn!

 

 

Please tell me that it's not too late, and I can resist the temptations of these spawns of the devil... :devil:

 

 

 

No, no, I'm fine, honestly... :crazy:

 

Al.

Edited August 1, 2014 by acg_mr

[Andrew P]

Any spare scrubbers for me mate, hahhahahhaaa.

 

Cracking job, I was looking at Adrian's and you have both got it spot on, just brilliant mate, well done.

 

Bodge.

[Alister_G]

Cheers Bodge, how you doing?

 

Thanks mate, means a lot coming from you, your scenics has always been awesome.

 

The hedge looks a bit too neat at the moment - fine for someone's well kept garden, but not for being stuck on the side of a railway.

 

I'll do some more pics in a bit when I've carved it about a bit...

 

 

Al.

[Andrew P]

Cheers Bodge, how you doing?

 

Thanks mate, means a lot coming from you, your scenics has always been awesome.

 

The hedge looks a bit too neat at the moment - fine for someone's well kept garden, but not for being stuck on the side of a railway.

 

I'll do some more pics in a bit when I've carved it about a bit...

 

 

Al.

Hi Al, much better thanks, back to ALMOST normal vision, i.e. back to normal when sitting still but a little wobbley when walking still.

 

Bodge,

I will feel confident with a Stanley Knife again soon. hahhahah

[Alister_G]

As promised, some more pics now I've made the hedge look more ragged and natural:

 

 

 

So, I've attached the hedge where I want it on the layout (there will be more added, not just a single piece in isolation)

 

 

and then added some static-grass around it to begin to bed it in:

 

 

So here's some shots of the hedge in-situ:

 

 

 

 

I liked that one so much, I photoshopped it a bit to get this:

 

 

 

I've also been adding some scenic elements in other places around the layout.

 

Here at the end of the Up platform, I've started to add undergrowth, static grass and fencing to make it all look better.

 

I put down some tape over the track, to save having to pick grass stems out of the ballast

 

 

 

I need to add another section of fencing here, as there's an obvious gap at the moment. Better paint some more then!

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Al.

 

[Sasquatch]

Dear Deidre,

 

I'm getting worried about cheap pan scourers.

 

I think they have magical properties unknown to mere mortals, and I'm concerned that I may be turning to the dark side...

 

 

 

Al.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing my friend".

 Concerned?

You will be. You will be. 

[Sasquatch]

I tried to bring Mrs. S. over to the dark side too, with dog bed stuffing, tree roots etc. But she drew the line at putting real leaves in our blender!

Nice work Al. It's great to see Bakewell coming to life.

 

Regards Squatch  

[Classsix T]

Great work Al, the hedge is excellent.

 

C6T.

[Rowsley17D]

Hi Al, it's these little things that take up so much time but really make a layout come to life. I'm going to take out shares in pan scrubber producers. I think all of us regulars are ready for another video shoot please.

Edited August 2, 2014 by Rowsley17D

[bescotbeast]

Cheers Simon, thanks for looking in.

 

I'm glad to be of help! Not much call for pan scrubber undergrowth on Pendleford

 

Al.

I wouldn't say no Al I could do with some brambles on the overgrown parts of the layout so you've given me another great idea.

                                       Simon

[Rowsley17D]

I wouldn't say no Al I could do with some brambles on the overgrown parts of the layout so you've given me another great idea.

                                       Simon

My stock has gone up already!!

[Alister_G]

Hi Al, it's these little things that take up so much time but really make a layout come to life. I'm going to take out shares in pan scrubber producers. I think all of us regulars are ready for another video shoot please.

 

Hi Jonathan, yes, it's beginning to look good now. Adrian and I have cornered the market in Pan scrubbers, I'm expecting a visit from the Monopolies Commission any day now...

 

I can't do any video for a bit (well not of trains running, anyway), as various bits of the track have got things plonked on them whilst scenery in various locations dries out.

 

Cheers,

 

Al.

[Andrew P]

Hi Al, I'm with Jonathan, when you get the track cleared PLEASE PLEASE can we have some more Videos.

 

Bodge

[Alister_G]

A bit of an experiment this afternoon.

 

I took a spare piece of polystyrene packaging, and dug a trench in it.

 

 

 

Then, I took a piece of cling film and layed it in the trench.

 

 

I then took some of this:

 

 

 

and  laid in the bottom of the trench, followed by a layer of PVA glue:

 

 

I continued to alternate layers of cat litter and glue, until the trench was full.

 

 

Then I folded over the cling film, and pressed it all down firmly:

 

 

After leaving it to set for half an hour, I pulled the whole thing out of the trench in the polystyrene, and unwrapped it:

 

 

 

Hopefully you can see what I'm aiming to produce: a dry-stone wall.

 

I'll let it dry a bit, and then try it on the layout.

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Al.

 

 

[Sasquatch]

That's going to be the dogs dodahs when you paint it and add some moss etc.

It's a clever idea, as you can make any shape you want!

Just make sure you lock the cat flap to out only if and when you have used up all their litter supply  

[ChrisN]

Al,

Brilliant idea.  The Co-op cat litter looks flatter than the Sainsbury's sort so this seems a good idea.  it is much more random than the wall Jeff did but I think he said that the walls in Cumbria are more uniform.

 

Do you actually need to lay the litter in so that it is all horizontal? 

 

I think Welsh walls are more like this and I may need some, although maybe not on my present layout, so I shall be wathing with interest.  (Just off to look at my cat litter.)

Edited August 2, 2014 by ChrisN

[Alister_G]

Thanks both.

 

Chris, Derbyshire dry-stone walls are normally built from odd shaped multi-sized pieces of limestone, and therefore look quite haphazard, even when newly built.:

 

 

And so this particular method works quite well.

 

Jeff's  Cumbrian walls are built from shaped stone, and are therefore much more regular.

 

Here's the latest batch fresh out of the mold:

 

 

and here are the ones I've done so far, on the layout:

 

 

 

 

This evening, I've been doing more scenic additions, a bit more undergrowth, the walls, and some fencing.

 

Here's a new stretch of fence, with the beginnings of the undergrowth added (it helps hold the fence up):

 

 

 

and here it is hairsprayed and flockaged...

 

 

 

 

 

I still can't give you any video, but here's plenty of shots of the area I've mostly been working on:

 

 

 

 

 

And a few more shots, just 'cos I can

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, an overview of the goods yard area:

 

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Al.

[Classsix T]

Outstanding. For reasons I can't put my finger on, this one especially appeals:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/uploads/monthly_08_2014/post-17302-0-20054400-1407018298.jpg

 

...and the lighting really lends itself to photography, no deep shadows, like a slightly overcast day, more great work Al.

 

C6T.

[ChrisN]

Al,

I am much more familiar with the type of stone wall you are depicting than the Cumbrian ones, and I think it works really well.  My comment came from a couple of thin slabs that were vertical but appeared to have nothing to support them.

 

I have checked my cat litter and it is of a size that compares to a rather large boulder, so I will need to shop around and do an in depth study of it and Welsh stone walls.

[Alister_G]

Hi Chris, ah, yes, I think I remember that bit, I removed it, as you're right that wouldn't be correct for any wall.

 

I'm not a cat owner, but I read somewhere about using cat litter for walls, so I went and bought the cheapest bag I could find. It sounds as though I was quite lucky in my choice!

 

I've also heard that 4mm coarse ballast would do, but I would think that's likely to be more regular in size, and again I don't have any - I've used 2mm ballast for all of the layout.

 

Cheers,

 

Al.

[ChrisN]

Hi Chris, ah, yes, I think I remember that bit, I removed it, as you're right that wouldn't be correct for any wall.

 

I'm not a cat owner, but I read somewhere about using cat litter for walls, so I went and bought the cheapest bag I could find. It sounds as though I was quite lucky in my choice!

 

I've also heard that 4mm coarse ballast would do, but I would think that's likely to be more regular in size, and again I don't have any - I've used 2mm ballast for all of the layout.

 

Cheers,

 

Al.

 

Al,

Now you have the cat litter, it would be a shame to waste it.  I have two you can have, I'll pop them in the post to you1 

[Rowsley17D]

Hi Al, that Derbyshire dry stone wall looks the business especially from a distance. If you get it out of the mould soon enough is it flexible to follow contours?

[Alister_G]

Hi Jonathan, thank you. Yes, it is flexible in all directions for quite some time, although bits tend to drop off