Somewhere out west

[Andy R]

Gidday Les...nice little set of photos and looking good. I agree with you about using the coloured pencil approach on plasticard, and I thank you for putting me onto this with your earlier posts. It worked well with my recent warehouse.

 

Sadly, I cannot make Hamilton show afterall. I have started my part time work with tourists from the cruise ships and this will cut down modelling time for the next six months or so. I am looking forward to doing something completely different!

 

So, enjoy the show Les. I do know that they will be short of operators on the O gauge layout in the weekend so maybe you might ask for some time operating that?

 

regards, Andy R

[Dbr1295]

Gidday Les...nice little set of photos and looking good. I agree with you about using the coloured pencil approach on plasticard, and I thank you for putting me onto this with your earlier posts. It worked well with my recent warehouse.

 

Sadly, I cannot make Hamilton show afterall. I have started my part time work with tourists from the cruise ships and this will cut down modelling time for the next six months or so. I am looking forward to doing something completely different!

 

So, enjoy the show Les. I do know that they will be short of operators on the O gauge layout in the weekend so maybe you might ask for some time operating that?

 

regards, Andy R

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the comment. Enjoy your new venture with the cruise ships! I hope it goes well, there's certainly plenty of things to do & see for them in the BOP, and I'm sure you'll meet plenty of interesting people.

[Dbr1295]

Hi All,

For those that are interested I thought I would show how I'm mounting structures to the layout. Using this method I can situate buildings without using glue, so I can remove them if necessary, but still ensure that they are held firm and are located accurately.

This isn't my idea, I saw it some years back in Model Railroader. However, I did modify it slightly, the original article used brass rod, but I'm using nails.

 

Firstly I take some small nails, such as panel pins or brads, and cut the head off.

I then glue 2 of these into the corners of the structure. Normally diametrically opposite, but as this building was going up against the back-scene I glued them to the front corners. I find using super glue to first locate the nails first, then applying araldite works best.

 

 

Next I mark out where the building is going on the layout by using the sharp end of the nail to put a little indent. I then drill the holes approx. 0.1 bigger than the nail diameter. If necessary, these can be opened up if the building doesn't fit first time. It helps if you ensure you drill the holes perpendicular. A small block of wood with the right size hole drilled in it using a drill press aids this.

 

Marking hole centres.

 

Holes drilled.

 

Building fixed in place.

 

The building in the picture still isn't quite finished, so by using this method I can easily remove and replace it as necessary. Once I'm fully happy with it and don't need to move it again I can do the scenery around it to bed it in, yet if necessary it won't be too much effort if I need to remove it in the future.

 

Hopefully this will be of use to someone, it certainly has worked for me so far.

 

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

Hi All,

 

This weekends little project. A weathered steel mineral wagon. The weathering was done using oils, washes and powders.

The load was made by gluing a piece of card the same dimensions as the wagon interior to a block of MDF, then I spooned in some coarse sand as if it as loaded by a conveyor or similar. Once the shape looked right I applied iso-propyl alcohol with a pipet and then dripped on watered down PVA.

The coarse sand I think represents small stone quite well, it's still wet so will look better when dry. The sand came from a corner of our section and was shifted down to varying sizes using cheap kitchen shifts.

 

 

And a couple of pic's showing it in a train about to depart.

 

 

The last picture taken from the top of the water tower shows about half of the (incomplete) scenic section of the layout.

 

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

Spent the day lineside and up trees to bring you the following photo's.

 

 

 

 

[Andy R]

hi Les- hope you enjoyed the Hamilton show, which I am sorry to have missed. Back from an exhausting 12 day south island tour with 17 passengers, and the cruise ship season starts next Friday in earnest.

 

Like the progress you are making Les, more than I can say for me at Hawkinsfield.

 

Regards, Andy R

[Dbr1295]

hi Les- hope you enjoyed the Hamilton show, which I am sorry to have missed. Back from an exhausting 12 day south island tour with 17 passengers, and the cruise ship season starts next Friday in earnest.

 

Like the progress you are making Les, more than I can say for me at Hawkinsfield.

 

Regards, Andy R

Hi Andy,

Yes, the show was pretty good, spent a bit of money! The Hamilton 9mm boys Hamilton to Claudelands layout was mighty impressive.

Good luck with the cruisers!

 

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

Albert Walter, the coal merchant finally has got some stock of coal in. All he needs now is some shovels, scales and coal sacks, and maybe some staff to do the heavy work.

 

 

Hut and wall by Wills, shelter and cells mainly from large ice-block sticks.

 

Cheers,

Les

[wigancg]

Hi Les,

 

I've been following your layout topic for some time now and felt the need to say how lovely it is! Well done on the detail. I very much like your countryside shots and your road over bridge to the fiddle yard has given me plenty of ideas and inspiration in the past. Superb!

 

Chris

[Dbr1295]

Hi Les,

 

I've been following your layout topic for some time now and felt the need to say how lovely it is! Well done on the detail. I very much like your countryside shots and your road over bridge to the fiddle yard has given me plenty of ideas and inspiration in the past. Superb!

 

Chris

Hi Chris,

Many thanks for your most generous comments.

 

When I originally designed the layout and did the bench work some 15 years back, there were 3 boards 4' long and the intention was to have 2 as scenic boards and the third as the fiddle yard. So the over bridge would have been immediately behind the loco shed. When I started work on it again I decided to shorten the fiddle yard to 3' using a traverser, which is ample long enough for the short trains I run, and have another foot of scenery. I'm really pleased I did this as it's enabled a short run before entering the storage yard and this has really added to the layout, operationally and aesthetically, as well as for photos.

 

Cheers, Les

[wigancg]

Hi Les,

 

That's great! I prefer smaller layouts as I can concentrate heavily on more of the detail, especially on branch lines. Plus, having some countryside for the trains to run through before disappearing off scene is a bonus!

 

I shall continue to watch your thread with interest. I like your weathered 43xx mogul too!

Chris

[Dbr1295]

Hi all,

 

Not much progress on the layout this past week, but I did get in for a play this afternoon.

 

A couple of photos of 7754, an elderly Bachmann model, snorting and shuffling wagons around.

 

 

 

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

Another shot of 7754. Arriving with the afternoon goods.

 

[Andy R]

Les- another lovely set of photos. Looking good. Simple, uncluttered BLT that's is deservedly popular with members and getting good feedback.

 

Andy R

[wigancg]

Hi Les,

 

Any GWR layout with a pannier tank on is an instant "like" for me! Super photos and lovely weathering on the loco.

 

Chris

[Dbr1295]

Hi Andy and Chris,

 

Many thanks for your nice words. Also thanks to others who "like" my posts.

 

The pannier was weathered based on a picture in a book, can't remember off hand which one. It was done just using powders and pastels. In a couple of places, like the tank sides I gave it a light "burnish" using a cotton bud.

 

Here's a picture of a pannier and a prairie. Not often there's two trains in at once.

 

 

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

Hi all,

 

Todays project was to put some scenics down between the paved area and the warehouse. First I painted the ground brown then added shifted dirt and ash where appropriate. I then planted some patches of longer grass using Woodland Scenics strands and then put on a static grass blend using a puffer bottle. A few flowers were planted and then a couple of small Woodland Scenics trees. The shrub like plant up against the corner of the building is from teased out scrubber pad sprayed with varnish and green tea leaves sprinkled on (don't tell the wife I raided her green tea!).

 

 

Compare this to post 150.

 

 

Cheers, Les

[Mikkel]

Just been catching up. These are such great scenes. The colours work really well together and it all blends in so nicely.  Those views over the cobbles  give a much greater sense of space than is actually there, I think. Very clever use of space. The shrubs are very effective - a  much more sensible use of green tea than drinking it! 

[Dbr1295]

Just been catching up. These are such great scenes. The colours work really well together and it all blends in so nicely.  Those views over the cobbles  give a much greater sense of space than is actually there, I think. Very clever use of space. The shrubs are very effective - a  much more sensible use of green tea than drinking it! 

Thanks Mikkel.

Yes the distance between the two wagons on the siding in the second photo is only 700mm. I think the low camera angle also helps the illusion.

Cheers,

Les

[Dbr1295]

Hi all,

Here's a few more pictures taken from yesterdays session.

 

 

 

 

I really need to paint that corrugated hut...

 

Cheers, Les

[Bogie]

I am a bit ignorant - but can you elaborate on why you need to paint the corrugated hut.

[john flann]

Les, I haven't recently given your thread the attention it deserves. But I think, i have caught up.

 

I like your style, ideas and partiularly your emphasis on short trains that add to the illusion of space. Somehow too, a pannier, a prairie or the larger classes you run look to my eye more appealing with a short, rather than a long train.

 

My regards,

[Dbr1295]

I am a bit ignorant - but can you elaborate on why you need to paint the corrugated hut.

Hi Bogie, thanks for your interest. Simple answer, the bronze coloured hinges really annoy me!

 

Cheers, Les

[Dbr1295]

Les, I haven't recently given your thread the attention it deserves. But I think, i have caught up.

 

I like your style, ideas and partiularly your emphasis on short trains that add to the illusion of space. Somehow too, a pannier, a prairie or the larger classes you run look to my eye more appealing with a short, rather than a long train.

 

My regards,

Hi John,

Thanks for the positive comments.

I definitely think with a smaller layout you need to give the impression of more space, especially with rural stations. I have to admit I like small trains, and as you say, they add to the illusion. I designed the layout for a maximum train length of 6 wagons plus loco and van. Even at this length there is still space on the run around. Also I made the platform long enough for 3 coaches and a loco but run a two coach max passenger. Though saying that, a recent arrival of the new Bachmann auto coach means that the 2 coach set will probably be made redundant. Unfortunately this is a branch that is in decline.

 

Cheers, Les

[Andy R]

Les/John F;

 

All good points between two fine modellers.

 

Les, the latest pictures again capture the small rural branch well. Nice work.

 

In my own efforts I have been reworking the wiring of the Peco points in the storage yard after I had not correctly wired them, according to my electrical friend John G. So, points pulled up and DCC retrofitted as per PECO instructions and off to Greerton (Tauranga) model shop for Peco accessory switches for underneath point motors. I probably should have committed to better point motors but I had so many Peco motors from past layout efforts that I wanted to 'recycle'..hence the wiring problems for my DCC. Slow but steady...!

 

regards Andy R