freebs Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 More like waiting for pay day I'll make do with what I have to hand until I definitely need to visit the model shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&WR Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Luckily the small package I needed didn't require too much outlay so I'm keeping fingers crossed it arrives soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebs Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Time for a bit of midnight photography I've spent the best part of this evening tiling the main roof, having finished the office roof and loading canopy roof last night. Since the last update, I've finished off the crane and packing crates etc and glued them in place: I'm particularly fond of the roof off shots as I'm really pleased with the way the beams have come out.... pity they'll hardly be seen... I've also made and painted a set of steps up to the office door which finishes that bit off nicely: again, made from pieces of 2mm foamex and scribed to match the main building. The office roof was first to be slated, and for this I printed out a piece of my own made graph paper, set up on the computer, to ensure I followed a straight line when laying the slates. These have all been individually hand laid. The slates are made from pieces of normal copier paper, punched in a binding machine which produces 4mm x 8mm chads - a little too long really, but nothing a bit of extra overlapping doesn't hide. The punch also rounds off the edges a little, which I think, whilst not 100% accurate gives an effective edge. The loading canopy was obviously the easiest and quickest to slate: then too the enjoyable, therapeutic, if slightly tedious task of slating the main roof: I don't know how Iain Robinson does it As I said, it's taken me about 4 hours this evening to slate half way up the main roof... I just kept telling myself - "just one more row" but I wanted to get some pictures done, and of course, I'd like some sleep tonight - got to be up in 6 hours for work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 What's the one word I'm looking for? Awesome!!!! Duncan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JCL Posted January 8, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 8, 2014 That looks great Lee! Here you go, something to listen to while you're up the ladder finishing the roof 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Alister_G Posted January 8, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 8, 2014 Freebs, that's looking great! I agree, your beams are a lovely thing, and it's a great shame that they will be all but hidden, but the interior shots a superb. As for your roofing, well, you've given me a target to aim for! It's looking amazing. Well done mate. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted January 8, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 8, 2014 Hi Lee, I hope you made it up for work :-) It all looks great and the roof is fantastic, really worth the effort. I think it's that determination and refusal to accept compromises that makes your buildings so excellent. More, please :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alderson.eric.j Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Wow ! Those roofs really looks great ! I know that's tedious work as I used to cover my roofs with wood shingles (I cut strips from thin cherry tree wood sheets used in wood furniture building, then cut them in individual shingles that I glued one by one on the roofs of a station and a freight house I scratchbuilt for a diorama more than ten years ago... It took me about 8 hours to do the small station's roof, and the double to do the freight house's one ! But when it's finished, the final result is as great a reward as it can be for the hard work ! Can't wait to see it finished... Eric. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted January 8, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 8, 2014 Hi Lee, that really is a superb build, as you say it's a pity some of the lovely detailing will be hidden, but we all know that it is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebs Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Thanks a lot for the encouragement guys. I normally use the paper strips method for roofing, but, whilst it does produce good results, I find that the vertical slate gaps get filled in by the paint and aren't too feel defined. I can't wait to get started on painting the roof um, but I think there's another 8 hours' or so worth of tiling to do yet, not to mention making the chimney stack. My usual ridge tile technique is to cut a 4mm strip of 10thou, scoring it in half to fold into a V and then gluing strips of microstrip along the length at intervals, but I'm all out of microstrip at the moment.. so my debate is whether to wait and stock up on styrene when I get paid and can next get to my almost local model shop, or to try the packeto cornflako method…or in my case out of the recycle bin Boxo Weetabi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alant Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Hi Lee, The individual tiles look great, you've got more patience than I have! Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain C Robinson Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I think Mikkel puts it best. It's your "determination and refusal to accept compromises that makes your buildings so excellent". The small canopy over the door, the roof beams..the stonework, the windows...all these are exquisite. I love the slates...and your use of the word "chad", with respect and a nod to old Downesey...the punch produces such beautiful little slates. But it's no mean task laying them, I should know. And you have done an amazing job so far. You are actually the Eddy Merckx of modelmakers....brilliant stuff, mate. chapeau! cheers, Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&WR Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 These aren't quite up to your standards, freebs, but have you thought of trying this method, from John Ahern? In short take a piece of decent-quality notepaper (I used Conqueror as we had a stock from my Mother's old company, I wouldn't waste mine!) and make a firm fold down the middle. Decide how tall you want the tiles to be, then fold away from the first fold on both sides. Then having decided how far down the roof on either side the tiles should extend and cut the paper off on both sides. Next draw a series of pencil lines on the paper across the short dimension to represent the division between the tiles. Now glue the first fold firmly & leave to dry. Here's the fun bit! With a punch (I use a leather punch/eyelet former I found in a box of bits & bobs in the garage) punch out the fancy shapes. I think the idea of these was they prevented the Devil sitting on roofs! The left-hand ones in this picture are based on some I used to see on my drive to work & after I had punched out the holes I then went round the outsides with a pair of curved nail-scissors to get the shape. Finally paint up with the tile colour of choice! I mentioned elsewhere I had found an excellent selection of brick colours and grotty stuff in a childs watercolour box which belonged to me and then my sister - naturally we'd used all the bright stuff so I'm glad it wasn't chucked away! I haven't found any particularly good pictures of these in situ, but here are a couple: Only thing to notice is they are quite delicate... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebs Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 A bit more tiling was done last night, but alas no time to take photos. I've been reading The Kirkby Luneside thread and now have a strange yearning to build a viaduct… I've nowhere to put one, mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebs Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Grindingly slow progress on the Shed, snatching a few hours here and there. Tiling is now completed, bar the ridge tiles on the main roof. As excellent as the cardboard technique demonstrated by C&WR above, I've decided to stick with my styrene method, but seeing as I can't get to the model shop, I've decided to trim my own pieces from my last remaining piece of 10 thou *gasp* *shock* *horror* Also, excitingly I've been experimenting with ash ballasting on a piece of track to go in the shed - hopefully pictures to follow tonight The more I've been reading the Kirkby Luneside thread, the more I've been inspired to get out into the garage and revisit my layout. I've added a few more legs to the layout board for added strength, and having watched Physicsman's track work progress (I'm only still on page 85 of 460 odd!!!) I've become more disheartened with my code 100 Peco … I've now gone and done a "Coachmann" and pulled up the station track and the curve leading out of it… I'm still in the beginner stage of railway modelling, so I won't be throwing it away and going SMP (although I'm definitely going that route for my next layout in 10/20 years' time) but as I'd made a right royal pigs ear out of the track spacing on the curve in a bid to ensure comfortable carriage clearance, I'm going to relay it neater. I also realised that the straight through the station wasn't... Just as well the missus was well immersed in her laptop, or I might start being accused of abandoning her Just a pity I'm at work now - I'd much rather be in the garage relaying track!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 (edited) You could always do, what I have done with the un-natural curves.... hide them in hillsides Edited January 14, 2014 by Kal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebs Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Hmm - that is a good point - I'd completely forgotten I intended a tunnel through the hills at that point - I guess I've got carried away with looking at lovely flowing track work… Right - it still needs sorting out at the exit, BUT I'll place my tunnel portals this evening and see if I can save myself some effort. Cheers Kal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&WR Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Sometimes it's too easy to forget you have a railway as well, freebs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Alister_G Posted January 14, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 14, 2014 Sometimes it's too easy to forget you have a railway as well, freebs This! Exactly. I can't remember the last time I actually went into the cellar and looked at the layout... :nono: Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&WR Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 This! Exactly. I can't remember the last time I actually went into the cellar and looked at the layout... :nono: Al. My last operating session (apart from some track laid on the floor of the playroom of my new home) ended at approximately 15:35 on 5th January. It's a pig being so far away from my railway after spending so much time with and on it since January 2012! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebs Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 This! Exactly. I can't remember the last time I actually went into the cellar and looked at the layout... :nono: Al. Hmm, yes, I'm looking forward to getting on with some scenery this year, after so much time messing about with track layout. So many times I've seen brilliant inspiration both on here and in the magazines that I've pulled up track and started again. It's all a bit bare in the garage since I had the condensation rain issue a few months back and I stripped off everything not glued down. I've just about finished a new roof covering that will stop that now Like you I've also been caught with in the building modelling bug. I wasn't even planning on having a goods yard on the layout until I thought it might be kind of fun to build a goods shed. You wouldn't believe the nightmare I've had with the roof though - and then I went and knocked the crane out of the interior! Must remember to glue that back in place before I stick the thing to a base... Oh, and after gluing the roof on, I remembered I was going to put an interior light in the main shed. No say way to fit one in unobtrusively now the roof is superglued on now, so I'll have to make do with a solitary office lamp 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebs Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 I mentioned earlier I'd been ballasting the track for the goods shed.... well here it is: First of all I painted the track bed with grey emulsion, then I glued the track in place - yes I'm sorry - it's Hornby Set track - shoot me The track was then treated with a coat of the same emulsion Then, when dry, I went outside to the Ash bin (we have a coal fire), ladled some ash into an old Chinese takeaway pot, then drove to Morrisons to buy a Tea strainer... ...once I'd returned the tea strainer (it's OK, I called there on the way to pick up the Brownie from watching the Pantomine - wasn't a special trip just for a tea strainer) I seived the ash to obtain a fine powder. I first of all painted pva around the sleepers and then added ash, tipping the excess back into the tray, then once this had dried, I spread more ash around the sleepers, this time deeper layer and dropped on a dilute mix of water/pva. The results aren't exactly tidy, but for a first go, I'm reasonably happy. I think with a bit of refinement, it will prove to be a good technique for the yard area. I'm hoping to achieve a more realistic track appearance to hide the non-finescale appearance of the track. Next up is a quick and bad shot of the roof to show I've finished tiling: And the canopy roof section is finished: Painted up with grey emulsion, followed with a wash of diilute black acrylic, then dry brushed with a mix of the grey with Cerulean blue and then a slightly lighter version of the same mixed with white: I've actually applied the ridge tiles to the office building, and made a start on the main roof as you might or might not be able to see on the photo. Unfortunately I couldn't seem to get a good photo of the office roof. As for the track... I've been out into the garage and stared at it for a while, but then came back in because it was too cold.. I've experimented with sticking two sheets of 3mm foamex together with pva - more of that later when I get back into the Garage Cheers Lee 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alderson.eric.j Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Wow. I really like the roofs, and the weathering you've done on the painted one is quite good. Eric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JCL Posted January 15, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 15, 2014 That really looks great Lee! I really think you're in the wrong job. If you haven't got fed up with tiling, how about one of these? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gol_Stave_Church.jpg A bit out of area, but they look great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Lee That roof looks spot on. Amazing detailing. Duncan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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