West Riding Terminus- Halifax Powell Street

[BurscoughCurves]

Perfect, thanks gents I'll go with the smaller- they do look more appropriate.

 

David; hope the office is treating you well!

 

More updates soon,

 

Pete

[Branwell]

It is at the moment, Pete - two weeks holiday! Managing to get some modelling done myself.

 

If I've missed it I apologise, but how do you do your walls in terms of colours and textures?

[BurscoughCurves]

Nice one David, hope you are enjoying a nice break. If you have a look at page 4 (or follow the link below), I mention how I finish stone walls. It was rather hit and miss but I couldn't get a satisfactory finish with just paint alone, and I do like the texture the powder adds also.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/94960-west-riding-terminus-halifax-powell-street/?p=1876978

 

I've got two days off at the end of the month- I've never been to the East Lancashire railway. Does anyone know if much will be running then?

 

I've decided on 5 of the smaller I-beam pillars and will bed them in tomorrow night (hopefully);

 

 

 

On the end wall I will be placing a very low relief 'suggested' station building and will (hopefully) weather it in a way where you can make out the outline of the canopy. I also intend to show where some other pillars would have been along the centre of the 2 main platforms. All in good time!

 

I have done a little more of the retaining wall scenics;

 

 

 

Thanks again,

 

Pete

 

[Branwell]

Thanks Pete - will give your technique a go. I'm working on a 2mm scale model of Lightcliffe at the moment and I'm not totally happy with how the walls have come out so far. Part of it might be down to lighting - this is the same building, one in daylight (on my front doorstep) and one indoors under artificial lighting - looks OK in daylight but not sure about indoors.

 

 

[BurscoughCurves]

I like it a lot- it's a wonderful model. Do you have a layout thread?

 

I know what you mean about the natural light but I don't think it will need much tinkering. One thing I struggle with is the scaling of colours- I think i'm making things too dark- ok compared to colour images but too dark for the scale... If you know what I mean! I presume this could be even more of an issue in 2mm?

Edited October 12, 2015 by BurscoughCurves

[Branwell]

I like it a lot- it's a wonderful model. Do you have a layout thread?

 

I know what you mean about the natural light but I don't think it will need much tinkering. One thing I struggle with is the scaling of colours- I think i'm making things too dark- ok compared to colour images but too dark for the scale... If you know what I mean! I presume this could be even more of an issue in 2mm?

 

Pete,

 

I know exactly what you mean and it's something I struggle with as well. Personally I always think colours on models are too bright but I suspect that I'm in the minority. Maybe comes of having been brought up in the West Riding - dark satanic mills and all that!

 

Consistency's the key I suppose - that and good lighting. I'm experimenting with a new (or at least new to me) range of pastel colours at the moment - http://www.panpastel.com/colors.html- four different shades for each colour and having fun with them, which is of course what it's all about.

 

Thanks for the comments on the building - still got a lot to do on it. No thread as such, but the group have a blog at http://pennine2mm.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Look forward to watching your layout develop.

 

David

[Jock67B]

Afternoon Pete,

This post is by way of an apology for losing touch with you since we had a dialogue on your engine shed blog, it seems like years ago now! I didn't find your thread until recently and hope to make time to read back over it when I can. Truth is that I've been trying to follow too many lately, and my terminal illness has meant that any layout aspirations remain on the drawing board. I have however built a few wagon kits to keep my interest going. I shall continue to follow your thread as very few modellers have been able to produce such a convincing loco shed as you, and you might recall, that is my particular interest! Thanks for sharing with us,

Kind regards,

Jock.

[BurscoughCurves]

Hi Jock,

 

Good to hear from you, no need to apologise at all! Thanks for the positive comments.

 

I hope your kit building is going well- feel free to upload some pics if you fancy. I was reading about Hurlford MPD last week and was thinking of you.

 

Hope you are keeping well,

 

Sending all my positive thoughts,

 

Pete 

[BurscoughCurves]

Hi people,

 

I saw an excellent demo at the Wigan show on colouring embossed brick using watercolour pencils and thought i'd give it a go. I have just tried it on a small hut which I am using for the carriage cleaning staff to shelter from the elements in. It may look small and damp but they tell me it's paradise during the winter months! The technique worked pretty well although the final step using a sealing spray made the whole building look soaking wet. To dull this I ended up dabbing on some of my classic black weathering powder so it has pretty much ended up like everything else on the layout- filthy dirty! 

 

Before;

 

 

After;

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will definitely use this technique again, I think part of my station building will have brick sections. I have bedded in the cut down canopy pillars and i'm quite happy with how they look;

 

 

 

 

Last pick is my 4F which is only part-weathered. I have started on the frames with powder and will finish it when I have my airbrush out.

 

 

Thanks folks,

 

Pete

[Jock67B]

Pete,

That looks like a very effective method on the hut, and it's set me thinking that I could make a start on the Bothy adjacent to the ash pits and coaling stage at Hurlford. I'll have to scale up (counting bricks!) from a couple of photographs but the method you mentioned needn't be too expensive as I've got most of the materials already. I assume the water colour goes on relatively dry?

Kind regards,

Jock.

[BurscoughCurves]

Hi Jock,

 

The watercolour pencils are applied completely dry. The first Step is to paint the brick with the mortar colour and when it's dry rub it with fine wet & dry to remove some colour and provide a key for the pencil. The next step is to colour the whole area with a base brick colour and then scribble patches of a second brick colour, and then the odd brick or area with a black colour. When you are happy with the finish it needs to be sealed with a clear spray- although this is the step that left me with a very wet looking building! I got a detailed sheet with instructions and colours to use- I can send you a copy I you'd like.

 

It seems like a quick, odour free method which I will try to use again.

 

Pete

[Jock67B]

Thanks Pete, that would be very kind,

Regards,

Jock.

[BurscoughCurves]

Hi all,

 

After a busy few weeks I have managed to get a couple of jobs done that had been bugging me for a while. This included adding plastikard sides to platforms 3 & 4, painting and weathering them and also adding the coping stones. This then led me to model large timber buffers at the end of platforms 2 & 3;

 

 

After painting and the addition of some steps;

 

 

I will add some general platform clutter to this area eventually, and some hand rails. Although it may be based on a L&Y design, I have mocked up a platform water column from a Peco kit. This was a later addition, installed by the LMS in the early 1920's.

 

 

I have just added some more weathering to my 4F, it's starting to look better now it isn't pristine! My only issue with the use of an airbrush is I am reluctant to get it out and set it up for a small project or session. So this has just been done with enamels and powders, plus some real coal;

 

 

 

I need to start thinking more about signals- both positions and control. I am thinking wire-in-tube again but will need some help with positioning. I also want to start producing a timetable to operate to. I should start work on the MPD area soon, which I am looking forward to.

 

A couple more images;

 

 

 

All the best,

 

Pete

 

 

[Snofi]

Very evocative feel you're getting

[gismorail]

Excellent progress been going on here this layout is starting to really look the part. Love you attention to detail like the steps at the end of the platforms. the retaining walls are looking very convincing which is an important part of this layout . Keep up the good work 

[Jock67B]

Evening Pete,

I'm with the lads above, it really is coming on well. I've sent you a short PM.

Kind regards,

Jock.

[BurscoughCurves]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm getting to a stage were I really want to lay the final track in the MPD area. I plan to build the back-scene low relief buildings at my bench and just plonk them in place on top of some wooden support strips located behind the retaining wall. Before I start the final track-laying I need to finish the platform surface- a task I am pretty nervous about to be honest!

 

Nerves aside, I have made some progress with the surface of platform 1 & 2. As the plastic edging is fixed in place, I planned to fill the centre area with fine filler and then scribe the flags into this. I have roughly cut some thin card and glued it in place to reduce the amount of filling needed;

 

 

 

The filling was messy! When dry I gave it a rub with sand paper;

 

 

Now the fun has started! As the platform is fixed in place, the scribing is in a rather uncomfortable position! Still it is good for core strength! It took me about an hour to do around 2/3 of the longest platform;

 

 

 

I am pleased with the cracked effect of the filler where I am trying to represent a slightly run-down station;

 

 

I have quite a bit to do before I colour the surfaces- I am very nervous about this! But plenty of scribing to be on with first...!

 

Thanks,

 

Pete

[Jock67B]

Pete,

Although a painstaking method, I fully believe the final result will be well worth the effort! What filler material did you use, and does the cracking stop once it's fully set, as if so, it should be possible to fill any that are too big?

Great workmanship as usual my friend,

Kind regards,

Jock.

[BurscoughCurves]

Hi People,

 

Thanks for the kind comments as always Jock- the filler is just fine plaster filler from the local DIY superstore. I didn't actually get any cracking whilst drying, just as I was scribing the thinly spread areas. As mentioned I like the cracked appearance though and will try to recreate this on the other platforms. Yes- I'm sure you could fill any you feel are too large though.  

 

I almost feel as though I wasted time scribing over a thousand flags as I almost filled them all with paint trying to achieve a decent colour today! Although it didn't go quite as I imagined it, I am quite pleased with the finish so far.

 

A few pics of my progress so far;

 

After scribing, I gave the surface a coat of dark grey which I intended to show through like the mortar colour on brickwork;

 

 

I then gave the plaster area a coat of mid-stone enamel (the relief was too fine to not fill in the scribed gaps- even with dry brushing);

 

 

My next step was to add a random selection of brown and rust coloured weathering powders:

 

 

 

I then gave the whole area a dusting with talc;

 

 

The next step was to do a similar job on the edging stones. I tried to make them a slightly different shade to the central flags as this is something I've noticed in photos. Finally, I ran a rag with a drop of turps on it along the edge to uncover the white underneath;

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am considering a black wash to highlight the flags better but don't really want to risk it just yet, i'll see how I feel later!

 

I'm currently motivating myself for the second platform!!

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Pete 

 

[HAL 'O THE WYND]

Hi folks,

 

So I've finally made a start on my layout located in a spare room (I have a very understanding partner!) and i'm quite pleased with my progress so far. This is my first real layout after returning to the hobby since being a young teenager. I decided on a theme, and built an engine shed as a starting project before moving into my recently purchased house:

 

Ext1.JPG

 

Int1.JPG

 

The layout is a secondary mainline urban terminus in a fictitious West Riding location, think Bradford area with LNWR and GNR origins, set during the mid 1950's. The layout is OO gauge, and the trackplan is as follows;

 

Plan1.JPG

 

There are three passenger platform faces, and a parcels platform (the shortest, which will be without a catch point) and also acts as a headshunt for an off-scene goods yard. There are two sidings for coaching stock at the top of the plan. The back-drop of the layout will be the backs of commercial buildings and factories above quite large retaining walls; the station and MPD located in a cutting.

 

I can't decide on a name! Haigmoor, Bramley, Crossley, Garsford, Garsfield, Drewton, Horton... Which sounds most appropriately West Riding?! Help please!

 

As for the actual build; I decided on making 'T' sections out of 2" x 1" timber, pinned and glued for strength and rigidity, and 9mm ply for the tops;

 

BB1.JPG

 

BB2.JPG

 

I'm certainly no joiner but it is all level and a little over-engineered so it won't collapse! I have covered the entire baseboard with 3mm cork as i am using wire-in-tube in conjunction with SPDT switches for polarity changing on pointwork. The trackwork and points are all Peco code 75, but I will be spacing the sleepers out as I think it really does improve the overall look. I'm not quite ready to build track and point-work yet.

 

I have installed the point control in the small fiddle yard area and tested it, and it thankfully works well. The layout is DCC, something which I had read an awful lot about but until very recently had not used. I purchased a NCE Powercab and have one loco with a decoder to play with, a lovely Fairburn tank from the late and great Dave Shakespeare. The area works well as I have just connected the track droppers and frogs and finally got something running! I located the fiddle yard switches into a small plate which I milled out and screwed into a cutout in the fiddle yard baseboard;

 

Fiddle yard early on:

 

FY1.JPG

 

Fiddle yard points:

 

Points1.JPG

 

Points2.JPG

 

Another topic I had read a great deal about and have recently experimented with is the use of Kadee couplers. I will never use tension locks again! It is a common theme but why can't Hornby or Bachmann get their NEM pockets consistent!? I will be spending some time re-adjusting stock coupling heights;

 

Kadee1.JPG

 

Kadee2.JPG

 

The Bachmann MkI's seem to require quite a bit of filing and fettling to 'free-up' the close couple mechanism- anyone had much joy with this? The NEM pocket also seems to sag, it seems a shame as they are such a quality product. Is this the case with the majority of UK manufacturers? 

 

Underside of the fiddleyard pannel;

 

BB3.JPG

 

Messy already...

BB4.JPG

 

I'm really pleased to have made a start, and just hope I can find the time outside of work and life to crack on!

 

Int1.JPG

 

Hi Pete,

 

Please forgive me for posting on your first entry before I've even had time to properly read your thread. (I only found it following your kind post on mine, minutes ago!)

 

But I just love industrial squalor - and you seem to be heading that way.

 

For the time being, just one more comment: As someone who learned draughtsmanship the hard way, when Rotring Pens were wonderfully cutting-edge, one of my favourite books is Jack Nelson's LNWR Portrayed. It's an absolute masterpiece, of drawings made the hard way, so wonderful it almost dragged me away from the ECML - just so I could try and build from his detailed works. My point is,I bet his book isn't far away from you at any time, yeah?

 

I'd be surprised if the book wasn't mentioned on your topic, so put me down to speedy ignorance.

 

I'm glad to follow. I'd be glad if my layout could develop such a flavour - given I'm modelling 60's- but I remember it all as wonderfully... squalid! LOL

 

Regards,

 

Tony

[danstercivicman]

Looks really good.  A very good setup and amazing detail!

[HAL 'O THE WYND]

I should apologise again for the harvest of "likes", etc. Better pull my horns in.

 

But seriously, I've a great love for blackened stonework. In my neck of the woods - Tynemouth, Newcastle Central being my central -such stonework was everywhere. In fact Heaton Junction - with it's brick retaining wall - was a north Tyne exception. So, again, it's my flavour. Looking at my own, by comparison, toy train-set, it's time I quit the easy mock-ups and got down to some disciplined creation.

 

Thanks for the inspiration.

 

Tony.

[BurscoughCurves]

Thanks gents, I really appreciate the encouragement you've shown. Unfortunately I haven't been anywhere near the railway room for over a week due to a busy work schedule- I'm hoping to make some serious progress over Christmas.

 

Tony- your layout is a particular favourite. You've made me fall in love with class 40's- I'm starting to worry myself with such strong feelings for a diesel of all things!

 

Thanks again guys,

 

Pete

[leopardml2341]

You've made me fall in love with class 40's- I'm starting to worry myself with such strong feelings for a diesel of all things!

 

Pete

Pete, at least it's a decent diesel. ☺

[leopardml2341]

Any update Pete, this must be my favourite followed topic, wot wi it bein' mucky and northern - SWMBO would say a bit like me!