Somewhere out west

[Dbr1295]

4573 on shed

 

 

 

 

 

[Highlandman]

I love the photoshopped sky in your last post, especially for your first attempt.

Coloured pencils can have a useful place in modelling. From buildings to weathering stock and back scenes. The beauty fo of colouring buildings with them is that provided you have not finally sealed the colour you can wash it of off and start again. Probably not so on a card model but definitely so on plasticard.

 

 

The warehouse above was coloured with pencils after a bottom coat of cream enamel was painted on for mortar, and it was washed at least twice before I was happy with the result. After which I sealed it by spraying on a pencil and pastel sealer available from most good art shops.

 

The layout is looking super so keep up the great work.

 

[edited for grammatical errors]

Edited May 3, 2015 by Highlandman

[Dbr1295]

Hi Andy, Thanks for the feedback. Also thanks for the tip about the pencil & pastel sealer, I was wondering how to do that.

 

I have read articles in Model Railroader about using pencils for weathering buildings and rolling stock so might give it a go.

 

Love the effect that you've achieved on your chandlers building.

 

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

Hi All

 

Progress on the layout has been slowly coming along. Jobs done last week include;

- Warehouse primed and ready for painting.

- Some land forms underway at the end of the siding that serves it

- Weathered another wagon

- Blackened the shiny chrome wheels of my Mainline 43xx

- Cut up some planks for the coal cells. Found some supersized ice block sticks in a bargain shop that where about 1mm thick, which I cut into "planks" 3mm wide using a razor blade.

 

No pictures yet of the work done, but here are a couple more photo shopped ones taken earlier.

 

 

 

Cheers, Les

 

 

 

 

[Dbr1295]

Looks like the crew of 5328 have gone to lunch...

This afternoons project, weathered Mainline 43xx. Still a bit more to do, but coming along.

 

[Dbr1295]

Some pictures taken today of 5328 on the afternoon goods.

 

Drawing into the yard.

 

Running around.

 

Shunting its wagons

 

 

Weathering done using Humbrol enamels, weathering powders and washes.

 

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

Hi all,

An update on the warehouse construction. Walls & interior floor painted. I beam with pulley block fitted. This was fabricated from I section styrene and styrene offcuts. It will be rusted up to represent an unused condition. Top floor doors in position. The bottom floor doors will be in an open position so will need to fit some interior detail. There is a piece of black card to try to give the illusion of depth. Gutters still to be fitted and roof painted.

 

 

Cheers, Les

[AireValley1962]

Looking good, Les.  I must say that the weathering on the loco and wagons a post or two above is very convincing.

[Andy R]

Les I agree on the weathering. Nice work. I cant bring myself yet to paint/powder my pristine GWR locos at yet.

 

Andy R

[Dbr1295]

Looking good, Les.  I must say that the weathering on the loco and wagons a post or two above is very convincing.

Thanks William. There's lots of good stuff written about weathering, on here and in print. There's also a wide range of products out there now to make things easier.

When weathering I think the trick is to observe the real thing and also to think about where dirt, wear and rust would accumulate.

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

Les I agree on the weathering. Nice work. I cant bring myself yet to paint/powder my pristine GWR locos at yet.

 

Andy R

Andy, I would think that your locos would only need a light weather as they would have been kept in pretty good condition in your era. With this loco I am trying to replicate something that is approaching the end of its life. The model itself I brought second hand nearly 20 years ago and it runs like a 3 legged dog, so I wasn't too hesitant taking to it with paint and powders. Since the pictures were taken I've weathered the red on the buffer beams with a bit of dry brushing. I also "wafted" some matt varnish over it and that has toned it down a little.

 

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

It's been a while since I've posted anything about my little project. Lots on at the moment so not a lot of time to get out in the train room to make any headway. A little work has been done though, and here's a few pictures to show what.

 

Firstly, new location for coal yard. The idea is that\at the coal is unloaded on the hard surface about where the over turned barrow is and then is sorted into the appropriate cells. Would appreciate any feedback whether or not this is a plausible scenario.

 

The cells themselves are made, as I think I have mentioned before, from oversize ice block sticks sold for crafting cut up into planking with a razor blade. After gluing together with PVA, they were stained with dark oak wood dye.

 

Other progress I've made has been on starting the platform top. This is made from 2mm thick card. The platform edging is from drawing paper strips, cut partly through along its length and folded over the edge. Still to fix the platforms down and to paint, as yet to find a suitable shade of paint.

 

 

The station building shown in the pictures is just there to give me an idea how it will fit together. This is one I made many, many years ago when I was about 15, from Weetbix boxes, Superquick brick papers and wall paper roof tiles. Hopefully my skills will have improved when it comes to the actual station building, which will be based on plans of (I think) Westbay published in Railway Modeller some years back.

 

Finally a view which shows the station area roughly looking as how I originally envisioned it when I started. Slowly coming together....

 

Cheers, Les

 

 

[john flann]

Les, little really to disagree with there. Double handling of the coal is required to get it into the different bins-they, of course, are for different grades. This is avoided if the pens are adjacent the siding and into which the coal can be shoveled directly.

 

Coal is or was stockpiled and the separate pens served that purpose. This was usually done in slack times as summer, when demand was less. It kept the men employed too.

[Dbr1295]

Les, little really to disagree with there. Double handling of the coal is required to get it into the different bins-they, of course, are for different grades. This is avoided if the pens are adjacent the siding and into which the coal can be shoveled directly.

 

Coal is or was stockpiled and the separate pens served that purpose. This was usually done in slack times as summer, when demand was less. It kept the men employed too.

Thanks for this John, useful information like this helps us to create, hopefully, a reasonable representation of the real thing. Living on the other side of the world and never having seen the real thing the information available on forums such as this is a real boon.

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

5328 trundles in with a train of empty mineral wagons, it will run around then travel back up the branch to a shot quarry branch for loading with stone.

 

 

 

Close up of the cab. The fireman's jacket collar needs a bit of a touch up. He's got a bit of the stunned look on his face too, could be because the bluetack holding him up is about to let go and he's going to tumble over backwards...

 

 

Cheers,

Les

[Andy R]

Really nice modelling Les. The Monty's crew are a treat,  although in doing mine my eyesight is making painting a little challenging.

 

regards, Andy R

[Dbr1295]

A couple of B&W shots taken of 5328 drawing wagons away from the warehouse as she makes up the afternoons goods.

 

 

 

 

[justin1985]

Really nice layout, the atmosphere feels really well captured. I especially like the buildings and the trees/plants, very nicely done.

 

I do wonder if the 43xx weathering is a bit heavy toward the rust though? It strikes me as a little too monotone "rust", perhaps building up some darker shades of rust to add variation, and other weathering effects might help balance the appearance? E.g. Lime/water staining from the washout plugs, and very matte blistered black on the smoke box. I also wonder how much the tender sides would have rusted, especially at the top sections?

 

I like the NZ stock too - would be great to see more of that too!

[Dbr1295]

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I've posted anything on here. Not much has been done on the layout in that time, seems to be other things getting in the way. Though I have made a little progress with the coal yard recently, I've decided on its permanent home at the start of the far goods siding, as seen in one of the pics above. Hut still to be finished off and coal added to the cells. But I'm happy with the way it is looking so far. Anyhow, here's some pictures...

 

View to coal yard from loco shed

 

New cells waiting for first load of coal

 

 

"'ere Bert, how many more of them tha' pot 'oles 'ave we got to fill?"

 

 

 

 

[Andrew P]

Morning Les, Thanks for more superb pics and information, this really is a cracking little Layout, please keep the pics and inspiration coming.

 

Cheers.

[Dbr1295]

Morning Les, Thanks for more superb pics and information, this really is a cracking little Layout, please keep the pics and inspiration coming.

 

Cheers.

Many thanks for your supportive feedback on my humble effort Andy. There are so many great models on this forum that bring me so much enjoyment to read about and look at, that I am glad to share my work and hopefully other others can enjoy.

Certainly there will be more photo's, as this is a part of the hobby I am now beginning to enjoy, and taking  pictures also encourages me to get on and get things done as well as helping me to improve my standards.

 

Cheers, Les

[Andy R]

Les- nice to see you back with some more stunning photos of your modelling progress. Keep at it as the character is really emerging now as a lovely little BLT... One day I hope we can arrange to see it in the flesh.

 

Maybe see you at Hamilton Gardens in October which is pencilled in for further O gauge layout workings- the GWR one, not Lymbridge which is getting and extension of the wharf scene to support more operating variety.

 

regards, Andy R

[Dbr1295]

Les- nice to see you back with some more stunning photos of your modelling progress. Keep at it as the character is really emerging now as a lovely little BLT... One day I hope we can arrange to see it in the flesh.

 

Maybe see you at Hamilton Gardens in October which is pencilled in for further O gauge layout workings- the GWR one, not Lymbridge which is getting and extension of the wharf scene to support more operating variety.

 

regards, Andy R

Thanks Andy.

I am definitely planning on going to the October show so now doubt see you there.

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

A quiet Sunday afternoon, so some pictures of the goods as it comes in, shuffles its wagons around, picks up some more and trundles back up the branch.

 

 

 

[Dbr1295]

Hi all,

A month has gone by without any post, but we have been doing some work on the layout.

A building flat has been constructed to sit up against the back-scene on the rear siding. This represents some form of warehouse, possibly an agricultural supplier, and has a loading dock.

This gives an extra spot to place wagons during operating on this siding. It now has 2 warehouses, a coal yard and a space where general goods can be loaded/unloaded.

For a simple structure, it actually took a while to build. The walls are Wills brick sheets, primed with white, then the mortar is Humbrol light stone brush on and finally the bricks are coloured using various coloured pencils.

The loading platform was fabricated with Evergreen plastic sheets and strip. Wood effect is by various Humbrol enamels applied thinly using a coarse bristled brush. First pint the gaps between the timbers with gun metal using a fine brush. Then using the coarse brush paint each individual plank. First light grey, then light buff and finally dark earth. The coarse brush gives a nice grain texture.

Rest of the detail was done using Evergreen strip.

 

Anyway, here's some pictures..

 

 

Cheers,

Les