andyram Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 (edited) With just over a week to go until the Weston on Trent show I have found some time to tackle some more scenic tasks. Firstly some Woodland Scenics "Scenic Water" has been added to the river bed. This has been left to dry before the final scenic additions are made to the water area. Last year, the area around the new tunnel was presented in half finished form. The brown undercoat was visible in large areas. Tonight I have treated some of it to some great acrylic paint in the hope it will represent a rocky outcrop. I am not sure it really works so I may have to turn to the Woodland Scenics Rock kit. Edited November 3, 2016 by andyram 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 (edited) With just over a week to go until the Weston on Trent show I have found some time to tackle some more scenic tasks. Firstly some Woodland Scenics "Scenic Water" has been added to the river bed. This has been left to dry before the final scenic additions are made to the water area. image.jpeg Last year, the area around the new tunnel was presented in half finished form. The brown undercoat was visible in large areas. Tonight I have treated some of it to some great acrylic paint in the hope it will represent a rocky outcrop. I am not sure it really works so I may have to turn to the Woodland Scenics Rock kit. image.jpeg Andy, try a bit of DAS, the cream coloured one, just push it on and then use a stiff old Paint Brush and grey paint to rough it up to Rock shapes. A lot cheaper than the Woodlands Scenics Kits. Then flock all around it. Edited November 3, 2016 by Andrew P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 Thanks Andy. I will give it a try. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Thanks Andy. I will give it a try. Don't forget a bit of PVA with it to help it stick. Good luck mate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 3, 2016 Author Share Posted November 3, 2016 Will pick some DAS up over the weekend. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 The first coat of scenic water dried quite thin in parts so a second coat has been added this evening. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 After an hour and a half and a lot of cursing the under board alterations have been completed. It appears that the original board now matches the height of the extension board. The Standard 4 has just tested the reconnected track with a brake van run. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 More work this evening has added some further scenic details. I decided that I liked the gents toilet block in its temporary position so it will remain. It has been weathered and glued in place, complete with a member of station staff. The river area has had some further flock,moment flowers and an additional tree. The signal box has been weathered too. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Looking great Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 Looking great Thanks. Hopefully it will look ok on the day. As it was my first attempt at an exhibition layout I know that I made mistakes and it has its limitations, but I do have a soft spot for it. Even when I progress to developing the next layout I hope to keep this one running. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 (edited) Another day, another pre exhibition update. After attending the Andy.P school of modelling I set to work with the DAS modelling clay this evening to try and create a rocky outcrop and cliff effect to hide the bare brown paint at the front of the bridge end tunnel. This was applied, with a touch of PVA glue and roughed up using a paint brush and some rock moulds from the Woodland Scenics kit. This has been left to dry before painting. The following pictures show the progress thus far. Meanwhile a short freight arrived at Skaleby West behind the Standard 3. This is loaded with the new Bachmann wagon loads, purchased from Burton Rail-ex today. I am hoping these can be used in the mineral wagons to allow loaded wagons to arrive at the coal merchants, and then depart empty later in the sequence. I think I still have some small "sticky magnets" doing nothing in a classroom drawer. I am hoping that, if attached under the load, I can lift them out with a small magnet for easier unloading. Edited November 6, 2016 by andyram 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 9, 2016 Author Share Posted November 9, 2016 A quick update. The clay rock face has now dried and tonight I attempted painting. I used the paint materials from a Woodland Scenics kit, building up the colours in layers as instructed. Here is the current state of the scene. Personally I think it needs lightening down a bit more. In some areas the black is far too prominent. I may need to give it another coat of paint. Time is rapidly running out though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 10, 2016 Author Share Posted November 10, 2016 I found a few minutes this afternoon to add a second coat to the rock face which has toned down the black areas. No pictures I am afraid. Tomorrow is the last chance to prepare the layout for the show. I doubt very much that I will get much done as I will need to clear my modelling materials from in front of the layout just to get it out of the room. The fiddle yard board also needs clearing of stored locos whilst the stock needs to be boxed up. A busy night beckons. This year Skaleby West will be displayed as a terminus with only one fiddle yard. This is due to space issues. It will represent how it is operated at home. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightengine Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Good luck with your preparation and the show Andy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 11, 2016 Author Share Posted November 11, 2016 I had hoped that I would be able to add some more detail to the rock face to make it more presentable for tomorrow's show. Unfortunately my daughter decided not to drift off to sleep until very late this evening. As a result I have struggled to even dismantle the layout ready. There will be lots to do in the early hours of the morning. Hopefully all will go well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 13, 2016 Author Share Posted November 13, 2016 Skaleby West is now safely back in position in the spare bedroom after its latest exhibition outing. This year it was displayed in the school corridor and at a slightly taller height. For ease of set up I had borrowed a few of our school's stage blocks and set them up on the Friday night. This meant that, when busy with organising the show, I was able to just place the layout on top of the blocks and set up took just five minutes. The layout ran smoothly straight from set up with the trusty Jinty (47279) running light engine over all the track. Throughout the morning the layout ran well with my weathered Standard 4 (80120) hauling the passenger trains. A weathered Standard 3 (82001) worked the van train and a weathered Ivatt tank (41250) worked the coal train. With room for only one fiddle yard, Skaleby West regressed to its first exhibition format as a terminus on a truncated branch. The Standard 4 opened the show with the passenger train, shunting the parcels van into the good yard before returning. The three trains then worked in turns with the freight wagons swapped over each time. Unfortunately the parcels van had lost its rear coupling and so was confined to the yard for much of the day until a spare could be refitted during a quiet time. The layout worked well until lunch time. Then the heat in the school started to take effect and some of the point blades stopped making accurate contacts, making shunting the goods yard difficult. The Ivatt 2 tank seemed to struggle and was taken out of service with the Jinty replacing it. Fellow RMWeb member, Andy Sharpe, took over operating duties for part of the morning and the son of a church friend ran it for most of the afternoon. It was quite nice to see the layout from a visitors point of view. I am pleased with how it has developed over the first five years of its life. It is my first attempt so I know I have made mistakes. The scenery received plenty of positive comments with the ballasting and the blend of the modelling to the backscene being particularly praised. I know there are parts that are a bit rough. The more natural light picked out some longer strands of hanging basket liner that had not been trimmed back on the grassed areas, the rock face remains unfinished and I am still unconvinced by the grave yard above the tunnel. The river area also needs completing. Perhaps this is why it failed to receive a vote in the best in show poll. Against more established models it just does not compete. This, and the lack of lighting, count against it and is probably why it attracted no interest from the assorted exhibition managers who visited yesterday. Despite all of this I am happy enough with the progress thus far. Even with the one fiddle yard it was enjoyable to operate. The gremlins disappeared in the latter part of the afternoon and the goods yard worked fine again. A loco change kept things interesting with my second Ivatt tank (41324) taking over some of the freight duties and the passenger train was handled by my purchase from the show, Ivatt 4 (43018). An enjoyable day has reignited my motivation for the layout. Hopefully I can continue to improve it. I have plenty of photos to download from my camera and will share them at some point. For now, here is an IPad shot of the Standard 3 shunting the yard early in the day. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 13, 2016 Author Share Posted November 13, 2016 Ivatt 4 number 43018 debuted on passenger trains, shortly after being purchased at the Weston show. It is seen here preparing to depart with one of its first trains. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 A busy, and very self challenging, time at work had meant Skaleby West has gone quiet again since the last show outing. The last action was a works train, carrying items for repair. This was worked by J94 number 68080 which is seen here stabled in the goods yard. Over Christmas family illness gas disrupted our plans. The spare room has also been used for storage so the layout is difficult to reach. However I have started a new project. A thread can be found in the micro layouts section should anyone be interested in it. No project name yet. Here is a taster. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted January 14, 2017 Author Share Posted January 14, 2017 A cold winter Saturday afternoon and the peace of Skaleby West is disturbed. The J94 reawakens to shunt the goods yard and awaits departure as the railbus arrives with a rare passenger train. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 A cold winter Saturday afternoon and the peace of Skaleby West is disturbed. The J94 reawakens to shunt the goods yard and awaits departure as the railbus arrives with a rare passenger train.image.jpegimage.jpeg Morning Andy, I gave you a LIKE , but that's for the J94 NOT the Cucumber in the background mate, good pics anyway, layouts looking rather good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 Morning Andy, I gave you a LIKE , but that's for the J94 NOT the Cucumber in the background mate, good pics anyway, layouts looking rather good. Thanks Andy. The layout needs a bit of tidying at present and the extension board needs finishing off but it's not too bad for a first attempt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 Andy P had better look away now. The winter Sunday service on Skaleby West is in the hands of the German railbus. Here it is seen shortly after arrival. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 The railbus has come and gone. Now a more attractive arrival at Skaleby West. The Peckett has arrived with a short works train. Here it shunts the goods yard. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CourthsVeil Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Please don't call a Cucumber a "German" railbus. Regards Armin 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 (edited) Please don't call a Cucumber a "German" railbus. Regards Armin Was it not made by a German company? In fact I rest my case! Edited January 16, 2017 by andyram Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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