Speke East Sidings - Minimum Space Modern N Gauge

[Timmy84]

[porkie]

Stunning bit of kit

 

I Keep having a butchers at the little 08 in that livery

Edited February 11, 2018 by porkie

[Psiborg]

IMG_1917.JPG

Superb photo, oozes atmosphere!

 

Simon

[jonas]

That really is a great advert for n gauge :-)

[Timmy84]

[Timmy84]

Hi all,

 

It's been a hot and busy summer so not a huge amount of modelling has got done. However there has been some progress on Speke East Sidings as can be seen in this pic. Block of flats is now in place and quite a bit of fencing and foliage is now complete. The one big project left is scratch building a low relief industrial building for the other corner and I am currently sketching out some plans.

 

 

Starring in the picture is 66952 with some brand new Dapol MJA wagons.I originally wanted these wagons to form the Burngullow sand train that ran in the mid 2000s on my old layout Powderham, which has been sold for 5 years! A very nice model indeed but these were first announced in about 2011 and it has taken a crazy amount of time for them to be released. I don't know of any other industry where lead times are as long and Dapol seem to be particularly slow. Hopefully the Freightliner HIAs will follow soon. No doubt some light weathering will be needed but these were new wagons in the time period I am modelling so no need to go mad.

 

Tim.

[jonas]

Great to see this one is still coming along, a cracking layout! Those MJAs look very nice indeed.

[Timmy84]

So unfortunately the 10 new MJAs wont pay for themselves, so there's a few bits and bobs from my collection on the world's largest online auction site. If you want to take a look you should be able to follow this link. Some weathered stuff and some pristine that I'm never going to get too...!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/egglad7/m.html?item=132721273902&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

 

 

 

Tim.

[Timmy84]

Hi,

 

Work on the layout has been progressing steadily. More scenic work around the back of the layout has been completed including greenery and some palaside fencing. The main step forward has been the new scratch built low relief warehouse/factory. It needs a bit of weathering and detailing to properly blend it in but here's some long overdue photos of the current state of affairs.

 

Tim.

 

 

 

 

[shanks522]

Hi Tim, 

 

 Some great photos, really like this one with the Loadhaul seacow.

 

 

Graham.

 

 

 

[DavidMcKenzie]

Hi Tim,

 

I've just stumbled across this layout. Consider it followed. I really like how much interest you have fitted into a relatively small space and the last set of photos are spectacular.

 

 

All the best

 

Dave

 

[Timmy84]

Hi Tim,

 

I've just stumbled across this layout. Consider it followed. I really like how much interest you have fitted into a relatively small space and the last set of photos are spectacular.

 

 

 

All the best

 

Dave

 

Funny that Dave because I rather like Maid's Morton. I wish I had the space....

[Timmy84]

A couple more pics of the current state of play...

 

 

Here 66098 is unusually routed through the yard with a tank train to avoid steel wagons being shunted on the reception line. Meanwhile a pair of 67s take on fuel before running light engine back to Halewood.

 

 

Mainline blue 60078, no doubt having been borrowed from the Fiddlers Ferry pool for the weekend, trundles in to the yard with a spoil train fresh from a local work site.

 

 

Some attention has switched to getting a bit of stock done this weekend and will hopefully post some more stuff soon.

 

Tim

 

 

[jonas]

Keep the updates coming! It’s a stunning layout you have.

[Timmy84]

 

66098 and classmate stabled on the servicing road.

[DavidMcKenzie]

Some great shots there Tim. The tanker train snaking through the yard looks superb and I had to take a second look at the stabled 66s. At a first glance I thought it was a photo of real life. I especially like the effect you've managed on the hardstanding. I'm finding it hard to make it look as realistic as that with my efforts so far.

 

Thanks for sharing the photos.

 

All the best

Dave

[Timmy84]

Some great shots there Tim. The tanker train snaking through the yard looks superb and I had to take a second look at the stabled 66s. At a first glance I thought it was a photo of real life. I especially like the effect you've managed on the hardstanding. I'm finding it hard to make it look as realistic as that with my efforts so far.

 

Thanks for sharing the photos.

 

All the best

Dave

 

Thanks Dave.

 

It was a bit of a try it and see technique. I built up layers of cork underlay to the correct height and then basically skimmed humbrol model filler across the top and in the gaps between the cork and the rails. For the bit in between the rails I used Polyfilla and then ran a scrap wagon through it whilst wet to make the wheel grooves. That created a nice realistic texture compared to using card or plastic sheet as the surface. I then sprayed it with Railmatch acrylic "weathered tarmac". I was quite pleasantly surprised that it worked! Even the edges look OK.

 

Tim.

[DavidMcKenzie]

Thanks for the tip Tim. I seem to spend every spare modelling moment twisting wires for tree's right now, but when I get back to giving the yard some attention I think I will give that a go. At the moment the plastic sheet I've used still looks too 'plastic' if that makes any sense.

 

Thanks again for the tip and I look forward to the next set of pictures from your superb layout sometime in the future.

 

All the best

Dave

[Timmy84]

I'm perhaps guilty of only showing finished stuff on this thread, particularly when it comes to stock so here's a fit bits currently on the workbench.

 

Firstly something that you wont see appearing on Speke East in the future! My previous layout represented the Great Western mainline in Devon and I recently got round to getting the last couple of coaches I needed to make my 2+8 HST set prototypically correct so that weathering could commence. The "next" layout will also be based in this area, watch out for it around 2025! 

 

I don't normally go too mad with passenger stock and this will be no exception. So far the plastic black underframes have been airbrushed with Railmatch weathered black (the most useful paint in the world) to make a base for the underframe weathering. Tonight, following some observations at Reading waiting for a train the other day, I picked out the springs in faded yellow and the orange boxes that appear on the bogies at one end. I was amazed to see all the detail I observed was there! The Dapol HST really is a good model.

 

 

I'm pleased with the effect which brings out otherwise overlooked detail and it was a simple job.

 

The MJAs have also been treated with trusty weathered black on the bogies, but also the underframe tanks and pipes which are green on the models when new. It was quite tough to get a decent shot but the overall appearance has been improved and these are now also ready for some underframe dirt whilst I decide what to do with the inside of the wagons and whether to load them.

 

 

 

Finally I am working on some older MBAs which form part of a scrap train. As such I am trying to present some of them in a pretty battered condition. The characteristic scarring on this wagon (caused in real life by the scraping of mechanical grabs removing scrap and stone) was created using the end of a pointed file before working in Tamiya weathering powders to tone them down.

 

 

This wagon is one of a batch that I very simply weathered some years ago and I have removed a lot of the basic coat of sleeper grime that was applied at the time. I will use this as a base for something more subtle. We spend hours trying to represent a build up of layers of grime over the years and in this case, that's exactly what there will be!

 

 

Tim.

[Duncan.]

Hi,

I have enjoyed looking through your thread. I like some of your weathering. please can you post a full side on shot of the 'dutch' seacow?

[Timmy84]

Hi,

I have enjoyed looking through your thread. I like some of your weathering. please can you post a full side on shot of the 'dutch' seacow?

 

Thanks Duncan.

 

I've got 4 Dutch ones so here's some photos from the archive. If you have any questions about the techniques used let me know.

 

Tim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[87023Velocity]

Hi Tim,

 

Nice weathering job on those Secows, they really look the part.

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[DavidMcKenzie]

Hi Tim,

 

You've done a great job on the seacows. how did you managed to make the peeled paint effect? It looks brilliant.

 

Regards

Dave

[Timmy84]

Hi Tim,

 

You've done a great job on the seacows. how did you managed to make the peeled paint effect? It looks brilliant.

 

Regards

Dave

 

These are probably the most complex weathering jobs I have undertaken, they are basically complete resprays.

 

The rust is a mixture of enamel paint and weathering powders in various rust shades, dabbed on to create the texture. The areas of "rust" were then masked with masking fluid and the liveries re-sprayed over the top. You'll note that the top one is a totally different shade of grey, to add variation and the effect of fading, and the yellow bands are different widths. Once the top coat is dry you can pick at the areas over the masking fluid and peel areas of paint off. If you're lucky it crumbles at the edges adding more texture. I then added flecks of paint back on to the rusted areas to represent remnants of paint.

 

Transfers were then reapplied before I did my normal weathering routine on the outside, weathered the insides and added partloads.

 

As they were total resprays I was able to do a couple of liveries not available in N at the same time. I've got a rake of 10 that run with a bogie bolster loaded with scrap rail and it is my favourite train!

 

Tim.

 

 

 

 

 

[rob D2]

I don’t much like N gauge these days, but with your attention to detail, this all looks great