RMweb Gold nest Posted May 5, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 5, 2014 Hi everyone Hope you're all having a wonderful bank holiday As promised, here are some photos of the original plan and some plans for the station building and the goods shed both based on those at Hawkhurst. The original plan was changed slightly when I started track laying due to space/not quite looking right. My original idea for a timetable before the actual one from the Hawkhurst line became available to me Some ideas for names before I decided to go with a name of an actual village Some drawings of the station building and the goods shed, both in 3mm to foot. I probably shouldn't be reproducing them here though... Whilst I'll use the same dimensions for the station, I'm going to make it a wood construction rather than corrugated iron, as wood is somewhat easier to model and I kind of know what I'm doing The goods shed will remain unchanged as much as possible Till next time Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 6, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 6, 2014 Evening guys Work continued on the scenery today with the fun fun world of papier mache! It always makes me feel like a 7 year old again getting glue literally everywhere. First thing was to cover all the track Then away with the newspaper and old magazines. I find it's best to do several layers to get a really good solid finish. It also makes it easier to get it looking smoother than just a couple of layers. Nest stage will be to paint it... Till next time Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted May 7, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 7, 2014 Hi Nest, the best thing about working with newspaper is that you can read while you work, and it's good when you can start to see the landscape starting to take shape. Looking forward to your next post. all the best Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiveandNine Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Hi Nest, Thanks for posting the sketches. Lots of scenery with a railway in - just what I like to see (and no longer have the space to model! ). Can I take it you have the Middleton Press book 'Branch Line to Hawkhurst'? If you haven't, there's a few double page aerial shots in there that really give a good guide to the relationship between the station and its environs, as well as lots of rail level shots taken during the last season that show positions of point rodding runs, ground signal, how the real thing managed to stuff three sets of passenger stock into every available space on hop-pickers weekends... Keep meaning to use mine when planning a model but the urge to 'get the knives out and crack on' always takes over for me. All the best, Al Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 9, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 9, 2014 Hi Al I have got that book, those shots you mentioned are very good particularly the ones where, as you say, they manage to fit a hop pickers train into every available siding. I also currently have on a loan the rather brilliant book The Hawkhurst Branch by Brian Hart. It is now out of print unfortunately, hence why I have it on loan. This is where I've managed to get all my timetables and also a better idea of what stock was used. It's a pity I can't get my hands on my own copy but I am fortunate in being able to borrow one and photocopy the relevant parts. If you can find a copy, I recommend giving it a read, it's pretty thorough in the information it provides. My aim today is to get on with painting the hill a good earthy colour so that's it is ready for field making and the like. Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 9, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 9, 2014 Evening guys As said, I had a go at painting the base colour for the hill. It looks a lot less red in 'real life'...promise. This is only a thing layer as it will (hopefully) be mostly covered and is there merely to give the impression of mud. I also prepared some teddy bear for a meadow scene. More to follow on this... Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium lash Posted May 10, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 10, 2014 Very nice Nest I love your low tec non computer pencil and slightly creased bit of paper but utterly effective layout planning I do have a worry , are your baseboards braced? Your scenic modelling is so good I hate to think of it all warping Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 10, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 10, 2014 Hi lash No need to worry, they are braced. My layout planning is often done when there isn't a computer to hand, hence the paper. I am also not yet in possession of any track planning software. I spend a fair amount of time do sketches of never to be made layouts in similar style, sort of a little side thing...the old 'dream layout'. Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 10, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 10, 2014 Evening all Today, I've started laying some grass. Firstly using hanging basket liner (painted green prior to laying) on the embankment and secondly teddy bear fur (also painted green) for one of the fields. Both will be cut back, the teddy bear fur more so, once the glue has dried and the backs have been removed. I just hope I have used enough glue otherwise it'll be back to square one. I also want to have a go a modelling a corn field, however this is probably not start to take shape till at least next weekend as I want to finish what I've started today first. Nestor P.S. yes that is the startings of a tree... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 11, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 11, 2014 Morning guys So, the scenery has taken a step back as things haven't quite gone to plan with things not sticking in quite the way they should etc. However, this is only a mild set back as it can be recovered without too much hassle. I'll post some photos later of it were I'm at... Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 12, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 12, 2014 Hi guys So here are some photos of the somewhat failed attempt at hanging basket liner grass. Not quite sure how it ended up like this seen as when I've used this material in the past it's come out alright. Some bits have come out better than others however. My current line of thought is to give it all a trim and then either fill in the gaps with static grass/scatter material or give it all a trim and then fill in the gaps with more of the hanging basket liner. Not sure just yet and any other suggestion are very welcome Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted May 12, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 12, 2014 Hi Nest, It's annoying when something you have done before doesn't work out second time round, your idea of trimming and filling with static grass and scatter seems like a good way to go as it will make the scenery a bit more random. look forward to see how it all goes with what ever solution you go with, all the best Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 13, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 13, 2014 Afternoon guys Whilst I still try and decide a course of action for the embankments, I've filled my allotted modelling time with other small scenic bits. I've done two hedges which will (naturally) mark the boundaries of fields. Another thing I'm bringing over from previous efforts is to do the hedges before the fields they are surrounding as I find it easier to model up to the hedge as it were. Meaning you can build grass up to a hedge as it often does in real life. One of the hedges will also act as a cover for the gap between the boards (which have temporarily been moved apart). More to follow hopefully... Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wainwright1 Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Hi Nest. I came across your blog yesterday and it is of interest as I have a layout of Hawkhurst. I take it that your layout will be for domestic use. Mine is an exhibition layout and is therefore built more substantially to withstand the rigours of transport etc. I note your use of newspaper over a light-weight frame. Mine was done with filter paper from a redundant coffee machine over a chicken wire frame. I am not sure about the teddy bear fur, as I do not how flexible this will be over an undulating surface, although I have seen this used successfully on the Gresley Beat layout. I note your experiments with the scenery and might suggest the following procedures which I have used successfully after trail and error on my layout: 1. Cover your basic landscape with a paster mix containing ready made children's water based paint (red, yellow and black) and a little white PVA glue. This will allow you to smooth the surface and fill any cracks and gaps. You may need several coats, but let it dry thoroughly between each coat. As this is coloured it will not show up white if it gets chipped later. 2. Apply a good coat of earthy brown paint over the whole surface and take this up to the edge of the sleepers of you track. This will prevent any white or wood colour showing through after you ballast your track. 3. To start your textured finish use a cheap scatter material such as those made by Javis, which is basically died sawdust and not colour fast, applied over diluted white PVA glue or a green gloss paint. When doing this make sure the whole area to be covered is wet with glue or paint without being too heavy then smoother it with the powder and press it down with a piece of paper and leave for a day to thoroughly dry. Once dry you can lift the board and shake and brush of the majority of the powder leaving a good textured surface to which better quality materials can be added. 4. I see that you have already started adding hedges. I like to use lichen for this job and first sort and select the best round shaped lumps out of a bag of naturally coloured brown or green material. Avoid some of the darker greens as they look too blue to me and not natural colours. I then cut some lengths of wire to suit the branches of the bushes, plot the course of the hedge and drill suitable sized holes for the wires and glue them with UHU in to the holes. Once set in place, paint the wires with Humbrol brown paint. Now leave to later. 5. Using good quality colour fast materials such as Woodland Scenics, apply a coat of diluted PVA glue and build up the surface of the field or embankment. Depending on how rough you want this to be, you can start with the largest first such as under brush or course turf and work down to the blended turf which is available in green or brown. Use a mixture of colours and blend them together to get a realistic effect. Again, push all this down on the glue with a piece of paper and leave over night to dry. Brush off the loose material again and keep this mixed blend to fill in any odd weedy corners of the layout. You may need a couple of coats to get a good cover, but avoid doing patch cover as this can leave a tide mark between the two areas. 6. Returning to the bushes or trees, I normally apply glue to the base area where the lichen will go and apply some Woodland Scenics Rotting Leaves. Leave this to dry. Next is the really messy bit. Choose the colours you want the bushes to be matching the material to the shade of lichen and place the loose material in a bowl. Dilute some white PVA on a small plate or saucer. Take your shaped pieces of lichen and roll them in the PVA giving them a good coating without soaking them, then roll them in the scatter. Put some PVA over the wires you have stuck down on the layout and push the lichen onto the wires trying to make a realistic shape. Repeat this along the hedge using different shades of lichen/scatter to achieve a varied effect. The lichen does not always stay down at first as the PVA takes time to become sticky, but persevere. This will initially look terrible, but leave over night to dry and the wet PVA will disappear and next morning it look pretty good. You can then touch in any bare patches. I hope that these suggestions are of interest. P.S. My old Hawkhurst layout will be appearing at the Faversham (Shepheard Neame) exhibition 7th June and Chatham (Gillingham) exhibition 14th/15th June. You can see it before I get to work refurbishing the scenics. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 16, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 16, 2014 Afternoon everyone First of all, thank you Wainwright1 for the tips on scenic, I may well use some of them. I will also try to get up to Faversham however this may be difficult as I don't drive but we'll see... Anyway, on with the layout. I've started on improving on the embankments and so far I'm pleased with the progress, the test will be what it looks like once the glue (those white blobs) has dried I have also been working on the beginnings of a meadow. This is where the teddy bear fur did not go quite as planned. However, what did stick has left quite a nice effect of giving the scatter a more 3D look. This is still a work in progress... Finally, a shot from a distance. I think, although there is quite obviously a long way to go yet, just the little bit of green is already starting to bring the layout to life somewhat. More to follow... Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 16, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 16, 2014 Evening all Two updates in one day! The excitement doesn't stop in Brighton... I've had a go at populating the top of the now dry embankment with another hedge, this time made from a mixture of lichen, scatter and various other bits collected over the years. I've always been of the opinion that if one is to use lichen then it should be mixed with other materials as I never found convincing on its own. I've only put this one along one bit of the top as I want to mix up the edge of the railway line (as it was and still is in reality). These shots also give a view of the dry embankment. I've also continued work on the meadow, moving on to the area near the edges. Here the grass is less well kept so I have started building it up to the hedges. Still a lot more to do with this part yet. All for now Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
freebs Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 I've just caught up with this thread having followed you over from Westerham Station. Nice work mate, it's all coming together nicely Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 23, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 23, 2014 Evening all Work is continuing albeit at a slightly slower pace due to some other commitments this week. I'm continuing with the embankment (essentially filling in the gaps) and am hoping this will soon be in a position to be called finished. I'm also continuing with the top of the landscapey bit which so far includes adding more bushes and the next field. Pictures of this will follow at some point over the weekend. I think I may have also managed to persuade a friend to do my wiring (due to my total non-understanding of the subject) in return for doing some ballasting...hopefully more to follow on this soon... Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 25, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 25, 2014 Evening guys Progress progress progress. I've been continuing with the scenery and feel I can now safely say I've got into the swing of things... The next bit is a somewhat underused small field. This is where the teddy bear fur has been put to best use. It has been trimmed and spray painted. I then cut it into some pretty uneven shapes. The lines between the different sections where covered with scatter and the whole thing was then given a light coating of various scatter materials. The bushes are a mixture of lichen and woodland scenic. These need extra detail added. Still a lot to do but I'm enjoying it immensely so no complaints here. I also this week made quite a big decision about my future and will now no longer be heading off to uni in September and will be giving a lot more time to the layout (and also being a session musician which is beginning to lift off for me but what has that got to do with modelling... ) More to follow... Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold westerhamstation Posted May 26, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hi Nest, best of luck with your new decision. Layout is coming together nicely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 26, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2014 Afternoon guys Made a trip over the Engine Shed in Ford today. This week should see the beginnings of some trees as I purchased a large box of sea foam. I've also got some more static grass arriving at some point which is all good as I've so far been using materials from previous layouts which are running out very fast. More to follow... Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted May 26, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hello again guys Following on from my previous post, here is the beginnings of some trees. These will be used to create quite a solid clump of trees at the back of the layout so are being done altogether as one unit. Hope you all don't mind, but here's a kind of step by step thing of what I did. Fist I opened the box and picked the bits I liked best for this area I then placed them in a separate bit of cut up box They were then sprayed with spray on glue and given a covering of scatter, then another layer of spray on glue They will be painted with a darker green aerosol to give them a darker edge as they are too bright at the moment for my liking. I also carried on with the lichen bushes. Theses, like the sea foam, were given coverings of both scatter and spray on glue. The scatter on the teddy bear fur was also given a spray as it had not stuck properly The spray on glue dries very quickly and has worked pretty well. More to follow when I have painted the trees... Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted June 2, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 2, 2014 Hi guys Been a little quiet here with other commitments taking priority last week. However, this week I should have some more time on my hands. Updates this week will hopefully include further work with trees and more fields... more to follow... Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted June 5, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 5, 2014 Hi guys Whilst I have actually done some work on the layout this week, I don't have access to my normal computer. Unfortunately the one I'm using is struggling to upload photos from my iphone to the computer system. Instead, you'll just have to take my word that I'm progressing with the trees at a pretty steady rate and that I'm continuing work on the fields. I will post photos as soon as I can. Not sure when that'll be at the moment but I'LL LET YOU KNOW....... Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold nest Posted June 6, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 6, 2014 Still no acess to my usual computer so just a descriptive update again. I've had a go at weathering some coaches and my M7 which is something I've not some before and am pleased with the results. Due to the time period I'm modelling it is only very ligh weathering to time down the out of the box look. Work continues on the scenically with the first trees planted (although more work is needed with those) and the fields growing more grass. I am also quite keen to begin to look into the placement of a back scene and am currently leaning towards painting my own due to placement of certain scenic bits. BUT WE SHALL SEE. It is a pity I can't upload photos straight from my phone (unless there is something I've missed....?) More to follow Nestor Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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