RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted June 10, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 10, 2015 Looking god Duncan, don't forget to paint it first as its easier that way. Hi Bodge You took the words out of my mouth. When painting rail have a look at the real thing (or pictures) it is surprising how two sets of rails can differ in colour. At some locations the inside faces can be a different colour to the outer ones. For some reason moss tends to start to attach itself to the outside giving a greenie-rusty hue where the inside gets all the crap from the trains and is just rusty. It is also worth looking at ballast colouring, where locos stand it seems to go black from oils and ash, where heavy braking takes place a brake dust covering etc. Up and down lines can be different ballast colours, this can be due to the distribution of dirt in the direction of travel and sidings are never the same colour as main lines. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Hi Bodge You took the words out of my mouth. When painting rail have a look at the real thing (or pictures) it is surprising how two sets of rails can differ in colour. At some locations the inside faces can be a different colour to the outer ones. For some reason moss tends to start to attach itself to the outside giving a greenie-rusty hue where the inside gets all the crap from the trains and is just rusty. It is also worth looking at ballast colouring, where locos stand it seems to go black from oils and ash, where heavy braking takes place a brake dust covering etc. Up and down lines can be different ballast colours, this can be due to the distribution of dirt in the direction of travel and sidings are never the same colour as main lines. Well said Young Man, and to bear in mind you to find the right colouring for Steel, Wood and Minerals / Ballast, so three totally different materials that weather and age totally differently. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Thanks guys. I've got a couple of books with colour photos that include track in the general area for reference. Having had a good look at them I may need to invest in some more colours. As I've said, the next part is a series of new ideas to try out and test in the hope that they work first time. The terrain idea is something from a conversation with Andy Y and some of the others from BCB to make it as light as possible but strong enough to allow it to be portable without doing any damage. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ChrisN Posted June 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2015 Duncan, That looks good. Did you put cork under it first to add a shoulder? It looks as though you did. What ballast is it and what colour as it seems to be the colour I want, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Duncan, That looks good. Did you put cork under it first to add a shoulder? It looks as though you did. What ballast is it and what colour as it seems to be the colour I want, I think. Funnily enough, there isn't any cork under the track. Just a case of taking my time and going over the area twice. I painted PVA on, even between the sleepers, poured the ballast, tamped it with the back of a teaspoon and used an eye dropper for the PVA/water/washing up liquid mix. I don't know if I was just lucky but it didn't clump together at all. The ballast is Green Scene light grey for N gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ChrisN Posted June 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2015 Funnily enough, there isn't any cork under the track. Just a case of taking my time and going over the area twice. I painted PVA on, even between the sleepers, poured the ballast, tamped it with the back of a teaspoon and used an eye dropper for the PVA/water/washing up liquid mix. I don't know if I was just lucky but it didn't clump together at all. The ballast is Green Scene light grey for N gauge. Duncan, I have read somewhere recently, maybe even on my own thread about the ballast not clumping. One said about using a scent bottle spay and the other added it from the side I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Duncan, I have read somewhere recently, maybe even on my own thread about the ballast not clumping. One said about using a scent bottle spay and the other added it from the side I think. It seems to be a case of many different methods working for different people. It's possible that it depends on the ballast being used and possibly the PVA/water/ washing up liquid mix. I wasn't scientific about mine but it probably worked out at 65% water 30% PVA and 5% washing up liquid 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 More work on the test track done this evening. Photos to follow tomorrow when everything is dry. However, a few lessons have been learnt. 1. Paint track and sleepers once the track is in place and tested 2. Mount buffer stops after painting but before ballasting 3. Make sure that the ballast is done last 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ChrisN Posted June 11, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2015 More work on the test track done this evening. Photos to follow tomorrow when everything is dry. However, a few lessons have been learnt. 1. Paint track and sleepers once the track is in place and tested 2. Mount buffer stops after painting but before ballasting 3. Make sure that the ballast is done last Duncan, That is very interesting as it is not the way that Coachman does it or recommends. I will report on how my testing goes, I have four methods, including Coachman's and the ballast magic. You have made me realise I have no idea what a Cambrian buffer stop looks like. More trawling through the books! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Duncan, That is very interesting as it is not the way that Coachman does it or recommends. I will report on how my testing goes, I have four methods, including Coachman's and the ballast magic. You have made me realise I have no idea what a Cambrian buffer stop looks like. More trawling through the books! Chris, I've had a look at so many ways of achieving the right result. For some reason, this is the one that seems to work for me. I'm certainly glad that I decided to do a test piece first. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Hi Duncan, Now I think I need to test some different idea, yours looks so neat, well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Thanks Andy I'm now going to wait to see your experiments to see if I need to change what I've done. I've found it interesting just how many different ways are used. The dilemma I have now, is do I use something to lift the track a millimetre or so (like cork) or just ballast on a flat surface 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I went to a relatively minor exhibition 2-3 years ago, specifically to see Rowlands Castle. It was well worth the trip to see it in the flesh, furthermore, Peter Goss was an absolute gentleman, giving of his time to answer questions and delightful to meet. It is a beautiful model, and what I can only describe as a consistency in the way it is finished makes it very convincing. One of my favourites, without a doubt. Anyway, Hinton Ampner is a great concept and I look forward to seeing it 'emerge'. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgeT Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Track sample looks good, there are so many ways to master this, and we all have our own way of doing it, most boring part of the hobby in my view... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Thanks guys. I'm going to have to try to re-arrange my life to get some proper modelling done. I just want to get on with starting the layout building but work and the other parts of real life are taking up far too much time. I must keep reminding myself that it is a hobby before Andy P throws that one back at me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Alister_G Posted July 19, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 19, 2015 A nice neat bit of ballasting there Duncan, far better than my efforts. I hope you manage to find some time to start modelling in earnest, because when you do, it's going to be a cracking layout. Al. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ChrisN Posted July 19, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 19, 2015 Thanks guys. I'm going to have to try to re-arrange my life to get some proper modelling done. I just want to get on with starting the layout building but work and the other parts of real life are taking up far too much time. I must keep reminding myself that it is a hobby before Andy P throws that one back at me. Duncan, Before we moved I had a tray on which I had my modelling stuff, or at least the project I was working on. It was then not a problem to move it somewhere for storage and back again for working on. I know this has its own frustrations but at least it is something. I do realise that even this may not be possible but by having everything you want on the tray it takes no time to get out or put away. All the best. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Hi Chris I have a couple of projects on trays at the moment and find it really useful. The problem at the moment is the lack of time. Work is extremely bust at the moment and the majority of my free time is either spent with urgent admin tasks or general life issues. I'm planning, although if it happens we'll have to wait and see, to have at least one day next weekend building a couple of the base boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Duncan, Hang on in there! I swore that, by a certain age, I would stop putting things off and take up modelling. I would make time. In fact, I vowed to do something worthwhile every day, even if that was research rather than hands on, because it would still be a necessary contribution to a given project. I did start, one year late, and it worked for a few weeks this spring, then a house move became necessary and every spare moment since has been devoted to getting the house ready for market. This, on top of a full time job, 2 young children and 4 dogs, has really done for the modelling, so I feel your pain. The good news is that, thankfully, the house received an offer almost immediately. We are making final preparations for the surveyor's visit tomorrow. Fingers crossed it passes muster. Wherever we go next will be a lot smaller, and, probably, a rental. It certainly won't have the 33' x 16' Games Room that could have hosted a model railway! If things go to plan, the next several weeks will be spent packing, not modelling! BUT, at the end of the process, at some point, I will have a large shed and time to do something in it. Goodness it's a job getting there, and I hope that you, too, can arrange things so that at some time in the not too distance future, you have the time to put Hinton Ampner together! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 To quote the words of Robert Burns in the poem 'To a Mouse', The best laid schemes o' mice an' men. I'm now having to work Saturday, a few drinks Saturday night and a few bits of admin and chores on Sunday. I won't even have time to pick up the timber tomorrow either as it looks like an early start and late finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 With a bit of free time for modelling available today things should have gone well. But, today hasn't gone according to plan. Went to the garage to retrieve the timber to start construction of the base boards only to find that the weather had caused problems. The garage had developed a leak right over the timber which is now soaked after the rain at the end of the week. With the first plan blown out of the water, I went to build a few more wagons to find that some muppet (me) hadn't put the lid on the solvent properly last time I used it and had therefore evaporated. Plan C - Do some more research. At least that bit was successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ChrisN Posted August 16, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 16, 2015 Duncan, Sorry to hear about your day. I know too well about lids on/off things that evaporate, but glad your research went well. Hope everything else is going ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Hi Duncan, sorry to hear your woes mate, tomorrow may be a better day, well I hope so for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Sasquatch Posted August 25, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 25, 2015 Hi Duncan. You can dry your timber out. Lay it flat with sticks placed between each piece in a stack to allow the air to circulate. A covered outside location, out of direct sun light would be the most suitable. I once placed some wagon builds in a box with a bottle of solvent which wasn't sealed properly. Needless to say they all got ruined. It's very frustrating to say the least when you find the solvent evaporated or a tin of paint dry. Keep focused on that light at the end of the tunnel mate. Regards Shaun 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 Hi Shaun The real problem is the ply that was absolutely soaked. Also, the weather at the moment really isn't conducive to drying it out. As long as work allows, I'll be picking up some more to work on this bank holiday weekend as long as the weather behaves. I'm getting desperate to get this started now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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