Virney Junction - Scenery ongoing

[Ray H]

Bob, the wagons are all R-T-R although I don't know if they're still in production.

 

I have just realised that there is only one visible place on the layout with private sidings, all the others are "hidden". Consequently, although I can't have some of the more esoteric wagons - like a coke wagon - in the normal allocation I don't need to worry too much about what I tag for the private sidings because the wagons will all end up in a fiddle yard if their destination code (D) doesn't translate to Buckinhum. That way I shouldn't need a dedicated code for Banbury

Bob, the wagons are all R-T-R although I don't know if they're still in production.

 

I have just realised that there is only one visible place on the layout with private sidings, all the others are "hidden". Consequently, although I can't have some of the more esoteric wagons - like a coke wagon - in the normal allocation I don't need to worry too much about what I tag for the private sidings because the wagons will all end up in a fiddle yard if their destination code (D) doesn't translate to Buckinhum. That way I shouldn't need a dedicated code for Banbury

[Ray H]

My colleague was due to pay me a visit this morning to airbrush the rail sides and do a little weathering for me. Consequently I had to remove all the stock from the scenic part of the layout and utilised the Class 03 (as it was to become) to shift everything that was at Buckinhum - the loco is normally limited to moving 3 wagons and a brake van between Buckinhum and Banbury.


 
There's also been some ground work around the bridge at the far end of the junction station. Unfortunately the following image doesn't do justice to the rail painting and track weathering (sorry Jim).

 

You can also see the result of the track realignment in the Goods Yard. Wagons will now be (un)loaded to the right of the right hand (yard) track. There is a vehicle turning area just out of shot at bottom right and the white area towards top right of the image is the base for the vehicular access track up to the road that has just crossed the bridge.

[Ray H]

This picture was taken to show my colleague how I'd got on so far with his suggestion of using domestic plaster for building up the ground level in the goods yard at the junction station. The plaster had been down just a couple of hours when the picture was taken and was far from dry. It will be left until tomorrow at the earliest before it receives a coat of diluted PVA to seal it before paint goes anywhere near it.

 

The white card at top right will be covered with a thin layer of modelling clay because any attempt to use runny plaster would fail because it is on a slope.

 

Also visible at top left (but not the subject of the picture) is my first attempt with my new WW Scenics Pro Grass Micro Applicator. The embankment was largely covered using one of the suggestions that they demonstrate on their website. 

 

 

I've been helping the same colleague with his O gauge layout garden extension and my next task was to make the control panel for his new station area. Then I suddenly realised that the NCE Mini-Panel that I planned to use for the control panel was still in use on my layout!

 

I'm planning to convert point & signal operation to (MERG) CBUS which will release the Mini-Panel but I need to work out where the various MERG kits need to be fitted before I can do this. Consequently I had to re-visit the signalling arrangements sooner than expected.

 

I'm convinced that something similar to the following has appeared before but I can't find the artwork. It is my attempt at a prototypical numbering of the lever frame for the station.

 

I know that points/crossovers 10, 11 & 12 would normally be hand worked and thus not a feature of the frame. I'm still inclined to paint them black though rather than leave them white.

 

Signal 1 will be off scene but is shown for completeness. It would have been provided to allow a train to approach from Banbry whilst a train arrives at the other end of the station because signal No. 2 is on the side of the bridge which marks the scenic boundary and on a downward slope towards the station. A lever will be provided but won't operate anything.

 

The trap points behind the signal box aren't numbered because I forgot to fit working ones  . I shall add a dummy set in due course

 

I shall probably use the S.H.A.G. lever frame kits again. They come in multiples of 5 levers so four kits will give me the 20 levers that the plan indicates without any actual spares. As a consequence I'm tempted to have signals 13 & 14 worked off the same lever to give me at least one spare lever as a reserve (or in case I decide to actually fit a working set of trap points instead of the dummy set). However, I'm not sure whether there is an example of this arrangement anywhere.

 

 

There may now be a (longish) interlude whilst I update the electronics; a non-photogenic activity if ever there was one!

 

Edited to add - I've just realised that the numbering of signals 19 & 20 should be reversed. Bah!

Edited November 29, 2016 by Ray H

[Ray H]

Belated festive greetings and a Happy New Year to all.

 

The control equipment conversion went smoother than expected and was completed long before Santa started loading his sleigh. Subsequent fun with one of the points in the fiddle yard managed to keep me busy for a while when for some reason said point refused to throw completely when reversed no matter what I tried. I'm not sure exactly how I finally managed to fix it - it seems to have been a combination of several minor adjustments - but it does seem to be functioning OK now.

 

Attention then turned to an O gauge wagon build for a colleague, a task that kept me amused for a few days.

 

A trip to the local refuse tip on Saturday had an unexpected result when I happened to glance down at the garage floor upon my return and "found" the missing lever number plate for lever 9 on the Junction frame. This was re-affixed to the said lever. I have no idea how long I've spent looking for that wee number plate nor how many times I've swept and vacuumed the floor since it initially went missing. I can but assume that it fell out of some of the rubbish that went to the tip!

 

I've had a re-think about the bridge at the "Banbury" end of Buckinhum. The rough corrugated card version has now been replaced by a (possibly rough) foamboard version that may see brick paper in the near future.

 

It was whilst I was working on this bridge - using the goods yard at Virney Junction as a bench - that my elbow inadvertently reversed into the lever frame there. Much swearing resulted as can no doubt be guessed when the following image of the resultant damage is viewed.

 

 

A day and some not too precision engineering later and all is well again. The handle of lever 15 also had to be repaired (and the number plate of lever 13 became dislodged during the work and had to be re-affixed). The repair was achieved by drilling out the severed "stud" from each handle - the "stud" being part of the nickel silver lever assembly. The top of the (now shortened) lever was also drilled out and a short length of 1mm diameter brass rod soldered into the place into the top of the lever and then into the handle.

 

 

I have also managed to work on some of the scenery at the fiddle yard end of the junction station. The station access road now sports a wire and post fence, the "embankments" up to the road have been grassed and a few home made (sea moss) trees randomly planted with the following result.

 

 

I need to add some greenery around the buffer stops and add the coal merchant's name to the sign on his office roof not to mention building and installing the signals at this end of the station.

[Richard Mawer]

Looking good Ray.

 

Can you explain how the ground surface of the goods yard worked? I can see it was plaster, but how did it dry? How did you paint it? Did it crack at all? I like the look you achieved.

[Andrew P]

That's looking lovely Ray, Glad you sorted your Point and found your No 9.

 

All the best for 2017.

 

I've started my new thread Bristol Victoria in OO and Beale Street Sidings in the O Gauge Section.

[Ray H]

It's amazing what the camera reveals even at a distance. I thought I'd picked up or covered all the bits of white - either plaster or slivers of foamboard - before I took the picture. It looks like I still have work to do judging by the fact that I can still see several white specks and the birds haven't been around yet.

 

Looking good Ray.

Can you explain how the ground surface of the goods yard worked? I can see it was plaster, but how did it dry? How did you paint it? Did it crack at all? I like the look you achieved.

 

Richard

 

Thanks for that. The yard covering was a fairly thin and creamy mix of plaster and PVA which I ended up apply with a paint brush. It is probably a bit too thin as it does seem to crack without too much persuasion. That said, the fact that it is laid on a 3mm thick foam base probably doesn't held either. I can claim little credit for the overall finish as my colleague did most of the artwork. He used a couple of different rattle cans initially but I thought the result looked a bit too dark so he set to work with some powders to tone it down. Since then I've been around with some dark grey household emulsion - who uses dark grey in a house? - and touched up the various bits of white where the plaster had cracked. I finished off with some ground down black pastel chalk to blend the grey slightly.

 

That's looking lovely Ray, Glad you sorted your Point and found your No 9.

 

All the best for 2017.

 

I've started my new thread Bristol Victoria in OO and Beale Street Sidings in the O Gauge Section.

 

Thanks Andy.

 

I've been following both your current threads with interest. They both look as though they'll produce results up to your usual standard (which as everyone knows is excellent).

Edited January 9, 2017 by Ray H

[Ray H]

I made a long overdue start this afternoon on the Wills Goods Shed kit that I bought for the junction station a few weeks ago.

 

The original idea had been to have an enclosed shed but that meant I couldn't see the labels on the wagons inside so I looked around for different ideas and hit on the Wills kit.

 

I was beavering away today when I suddenly realised that the completed article was deeper than the space I had available, totally forgetting the the mock-up of the closed shed that I'd previously made also had to have the depth reduced to fit the available space. So I made a mock up of the Wills kit in card so that I could ascertain how the various plastic parts need to be modified.

 

 

Please excuse the weird angle of the signal arm. This aged (non-working) Ratio signal was placed on the layout prior to having some friends around at the weekend for an operating session. It will be replaced in due course by a working model made from an MSE kit.

 

 

The above image shows the closeness of the building to the siding track at present. This seems too close (although it will rarely if ever be viewed from this angle). I've no idea how close the wagon needs to be - its currently about a scale foot away from the edge of the loading area within the shed. Any greater gap seems a bit unsafe to me. (The sky bound greenery will disappear in due course as will the gap under the end of the platform ramp!)

 

 

This is a poorly PaintShopped image - to remove the junk from the background! The intention is to have a fence at the back of the platform.

 

The kit comes with an additional external loading platform but there aren't any end doors in the building to transfer items on a level between the platform and the inside of the shed. Placing the loading platform adjacent to and this side of the shed would help fill the gap between the end of the shed and the domestic gas pipe that is visible in the first two images.

 

The shed (kit) will sit firmly on baseboard once built and not float a couple of scale feet above the ground as the mock-up does! 

[Ray H]

I decided to reduce the depth of the goods shed by a couple of millimetres and have started assembling the kit.

 

 

 

Meanwhile back in the goods yard - on the other side of the running line - I've been playing around with static grass using a Noch puffer bottle. Attempts yesterday with an empty washing-up liquid bottle didn't seem to work. The static grass could be blown out of the bottle but the static effect wasn't there and the grass just fell flat onto the ground.

 

 

 

I applied glue over yesterday's grass and then blew three different colours and lengths of grass around the buffer stops. I didn't take the pictures until the glue had dried.

 

I think I've gone over the top on the sides of the buffer stops and possibly behind as well. I'm not sure whether to remove everything that isn't between the rails or to leave a couple of millimetres on the outside of the rails. There is some "dried" grass in the mix but it still looks a bit too bright especially when compared to what I've put around the coal "bins" and the office.

[BobM]

I decided to reduce the depth of the goods shed by a couple of millimetres and have started assembling the kit.

 

100117_3.jpg

 

100117_4.jpg

 

Meanwhile back in the goods yard - on the other side of the running line - I've been playing around with static grass using a Noch puffer bottle. Attempts yesterday with an empty washing-up liquid bottle didn't seem to work. The static grass could be blown out of the bottle but the static effect wasn't there and the grass just fell flat onto the ground.

 

100117_1.jpg

 

100117_2.jpg

 

I applied glue over yesterday's grass and then blew three different colours and lengths of grass around the buffer stops. I didn't take the pictures until the glue had dried.

 

I think I've gone over the top on the sides of the buffer stops and possibly behind as well. I'm not sure whether to remove everything that isn't between the rails or to leave a couple of millimetres on the outside of the rails. There is some "dried" grass in the mix but it still looks a bit too bright especially when compared to what I've put around the coal "bins" and the office.

Hi....I do so prefer to see coal bins utilised in this fashion, which I believe is more proto-typical rather than wagons positioned on a siding adjacent to the rear of the bins....

Regards Bob

[Andrew P]

I decided to reduce the depth of the goods shed by a couple of millimetres and have started assembling the kit.

 

100117_3.jpg

 

100117_4.jpg

 

Meanwhile back in the goods yard - on the other side of the running line - I've been playing around with static grass using a Noch puffer bottle. Attempts yesterday with an empty washing-up liquid bottle didn't seem to work. The static grass could be blown out of the bottle but the static effect wasn't there and the grass just fell flat onto the ground.

 

100117_1.jpg

 

100117_2.jpg

 

I applied glue over yesterday's grass and then blew three different colours and lengths of grass around the buffer stops. I didn't take the pictures until the glue had dried.

 

I think I've gone over the top on the sides of the buffer stops and possibly behind as well. I'm not sure whether to remove everything that isn't between the rails or to leave a couple of millimetres on the outside of the rails. There is some "dried" grass in the mix but it still looks a bit too bright especially when compared to what I've put around the coal "bins" and the office.

Hi Ray, the Shed looks much better now with the gap, and as for the Grass, try dabbing on some darker Green or very thin Brown paint and see if it tones it down a bit first.

 

Otherwise looking excellent mate.

[Ray H]

 

I've darkened the grass as suggested and managed to trim it back a little. I'm still not convinced that it should be that wide at the sides of the buffer stops but I can't seem to shift it. I've used a combination of hairspray as well as WWS bottle glue and their rattle can. I'll try a bit of IPA to see if that dissolves the glue.

 

 

This is the finished shed (save for the addition of a few items inside). I need to grass the area to the right of the loading platform although there isn't more than a couple of centimetres to do as the domestic gas pipe is in the way  .

 

 

The "grassed" area this side of the shed has yet to see the static grass device. I shall probably drop the grass down to the ballast shoulder to hide the gap under the shed end and gradually introduce the cess by the end of the platform ramp, possibly with a foot crossing over the siding track to get between platform and cess.

 

Interestingly, the space between wagon side and shed and between wagon side and the rear of the platform is very narrow. I wonder how the shunter would gain access to couple/uncouple.

[Ray H]

Attention turned to the rest of the station area once I had "finished" building the Peco Station Building (which is dwarfed by the Ratio Goods Shed).

 

That r*ddy gas pipe!

 

 

 

The straight white line nearest the backscene shows the original alignment of the fence. The station building has been positioned so that the edge of the awning just overhangs the platform edge which is how I remember them to be. This meant discarding the pillars to support the awning because they'd be too close to the platform edge.

 

I had the fence in stock so worked out where each length ended or where there was a fence post where the fence could be cut and adjusted the position of the various buildings accordingly. I also moved the fence between the station building and the platform end forward and left a gap adjacent to the station building as a means of entry to the platform when the station building was closed. It also avoided having to cut the fence and add an artificial post.

 

The station furniture is a mix of (very) badly painted Airfix from the year dot - when the kits were 2/- (10p) each - and a couple of the pieces from a Wills station accessory kit that were hastily put together just before the picture was taken.

 

 

I've been experimenting with the station cottages since the third picture was taken. These are currently likely to be variants of the Scalescene models. I had hoped to have them in half relief but that leaves very little space between their front doors and the station fence - they'll abut the gas pipe. I've tried gradually reducing their depth and they still seem too close to the fence for a vehicle to turn - given that this is a rural rather than an urban location and (real) space isn't so critical. I am beginning to think that they'll either have to go or their fronts will simply be stuck to the backscene.

[Chimer]

Re the gas pipe - couldn't you put a small low-relief factory round the bottom of it, brick paper the next few inches to turn it into a chimney, then have a black collar as the chimney top, with everything above that sky coloured?

 

Just a mad thought .....

 

Cheers

 

Chris

[Ray H]

Chris

 

Thanks for your input/suggestion.

 

I've considered and received a number of considered ideas by fellow RMwebbers for ways to disguise the device which by its very existence has insured we haven't frozen to death over the last few days (and for more than thirty years before that)! But first . . . . .

 

 

Here's where I currently am with the four railway cottages - one each for the early and late turn signalman and porter. I've gradually trimmed their depth back until I have arrived at that which the image shows. I don't think I can realistically go any shallower nor do I think that I need to. The front face of the chimneys will come a little further forward than that shown and encroach slightly on the roof.

 

I also played around with the linear position of the cottages. They were originally hard-up against my beloved gas pipe which left a large open area this side which I wasn't too sure how to fill given that my artistic talent is as close to non existent as it can be. Discussions with the domestic manager ensued for she is more artistic than I and the cottages have ended up where they are. They'll have hedges, trees and bushes either side. Which nicely or otherwise brings me back to. . . . . . .

 

Although I have been dabbling on the so called dark side (7mm for the uninitiated) where a chimney the diameter of the said gas pipe might not be too over scale, I fear I would need something more akin to a power station cooling tower in 4mm to do realistic justice to trying to disguise the pipe. Furthermore, (the real) Verney Junction was and still is a fairly isolated place with few houses. (My model of) Virney Junction whilst not pretending to be anything like a copy of its namesake is also seen as a sleepy backwater where a factory would not be appropriate - there will be enough factories elsewhere on the layout! The closeness of the Goods Shed would also be difficult to justify as the end of its loading bay is but a few centimetres away from the edge of the pipe - that closeness is hidden by the signal box in earlier pictures.

 

What I think I want is a fairly large drooping willow or similar in low relief. That would disguise the pipe at ground level and also hide the fact that the roadway past the cottages ends rather abruptly at the pipe and is about 12mm higher than the ground area around the loading bay a mere 3cms - or eight scale feet - away. That said I haven't completely ruled out dropping the roadway level on a very slight slope towards the gas pipe to overcome this giant step for mankind. That might also take away some of the uniformity of the cottages and help draw ones eye away from their low relief nature.

[Andrew P]

The Cottages should look really good Ray, and the whole area is coming together nicely.

[Ray H]

One of the reasons for remodelling the junction station's Goods Shed - to provide an open side nearest the operator - was to make it easier for the operator to see the wagons tags that I currently intend to use as part of my freight movement scheme. These tags which are only 2mm high will be positioned in the bottom left hand corner of the wagon body.

 

It wan't until I put the fence at the back of the platform in place that I realised that it will completely hide those tags.

 

I could replace the current fence with one of either wire or wooden rails and posts to open up the scene or - and this idea is only formulating in my head as I type - lay the fence on the platform and "dig" holes in the platform surface for the posts and pretend that the fence is in the process of being erected. At least that way I won't have to weather it!

[Chimer]

Yes, it would obviously have to be a bloomin' big chimney when seen from that angle - it's got to be trees, hasn't it, which will lose the low relief end of the cottages too.  Presumably the road access to the goods shed is behind the cottages ....

 

Funny, isn't it, how another 6 inches would always be plenty enough to sort out these scenic dilemmas .....

 

Cheers

 

Chris

[Ray H]

"What did you do today Daddy?"

 

 

I made a poor attempt at producing a part built fence to see if such a fence would allow me to see the tags on any wagon behind.

 

Unfortunately in the modelled state of unfinishedness it won't let me see the tag as the bottom arris rail still blocks the view of the tag.

 

I suspect that the arris rails fitted into slots in the posts and all four rails had to be fitted before the post was fixed in place, so even if the removal of bottom arris rail did provide a good view of the tag - which I'm not convinced about - it wouldn't be correct to model it thus.

 

I looks as though I shall have to revert to crane shunting at the start of a session to see what the tags indicate. This is something that I need to do at Buckinhum anyway as the body of the Goods Shed will hide the tags from view there.

[jcarta]

One idea.....

 

How about cutting one or two of the planks away from the posts and have some workmen repairing the fence..... That way you can see the wagon ID's and it has another dimension of platform furniture / workers.

 

Just a thought.......

 

Jim

[Ray H]

One idea.....

 

How about cutting one or two of the planks away from the posts and have some workmen repairing the fence..... That way you can see the wagon ID's and it has another dimension of platform furniture / workers.

 

Just a thought.......

 

Jim

 

Thanks. I'll try removing some tomorrow and see what I can see through the gap.

 

The state of the (handbuilt) fence is that it is part way through renewal - the rest of the fences on the platform are further adorned with diagonals. My intention was to have the fence in the state shown with a pile of short "timbers" (for the diagonals) awaiting fitting to the structure as shown.

 

I suppose another idea might be to just have the verticals in place and have a collection of long "timbers" (for the arris rails) and short "timbers" (for the diagonals) laying on the platform - i.e. the installation hasn't got as far as is currently shown. This would probably look better than the dry glue laden structure that I built today.

[Andrew P]

Thanks. I'll try removing some tomorrow and see what I can see through the gap.

 

The state of the (handbuilt) fence is that it is part way through renewal - the rest of the fences on the platform are further adorned with diagonals. My intention was to have the fence in the state shown with a pile of short "timbers" (for the diagonals) awaiting fitting to the structure as shown.

 

I suppose another idea might be to just have the verticals in place and have a collection of long "timbers" (for the arris rails) and short "timbers" (for the diagonals) laying on the platform - i.e. the installation hasn't got as far as is currently shown. This would probably look better than the dry glue laden structure that I built today.

That sounds like a very good solution Ray, and a couple of Guys sitting down with a Mug of Tea.

[Ray H]

That sounds like a very good solution Ray, and a couple of Guys sitting down with a Mug of Tea.

 

Yes, thanks. I thought of something similar but then realised that it would be hard to justify workmen being at work there when the first or last train of the day went through ! The real station - Verney Junction - is so remote that I suspect (once the Metropolitan line service was withdrawn) two workmen would oft outnumber the total number of originating passengers during the whole day

 

A night's sleep and another idea. Have a post and wire fence - there's evidence of that style at some stations in the books - with some timber on the platform ready for the completion of the station's fence renewal.

[Anotheran]

A thought on the gas pipe... 25 miles from the real Verney Junction is this... http://www.coleshill.org/history/buildings/landmarks/76-water-tower.html

It's in a fairly rural position, not quite as isolated as Verney Junction, but still away from any real urban area. Just a thought, maybe Virney needed such a structure...

 

Kind regards, Neil

[Ray H]

Thanks for that idea Neil.
 
On the same subject there is another much closer tower at Mursley. Mind you, that looks a lot more difficult to model!