sparky

Well here we are again with the latest batch of photos.............. The bridge stonework is slowly being worked up whilst grass, weeds and other greenery is starting to grow, well it is the season for it after all. A few changes have been made around the lime kilns which have been reduced in height so they are level with the top of the retaining wall. The next photo will explain my thinking behind that................. The kilns should hopefully look something like this once I have carved the stonework and worked up the scenery. The hut roof might be corrugated iron or covered in slate, as for the door and window they will be rather weather beaten. Before I forget the track in front of the kilns has been buried in DAS, which I feel makes the area look more spacious. Windows have now been fitted to the cottage and the roof is slowly being covered with strips of postcard slates....... The perimeter wall around the cottage yard has since been built up to include some outhouses, and the whole lot is now covered in DAS........ Finally the 03 will soon become D2139 and is currently on test with a conical exhaust rather than the flower pot type. Geoff

Oi get your facts right matey, I've got three Panniers! :-) I admit to having considered a 'Teddy Bear' but my better half collects them and there are far too many in the house as it is😛 Geoff

I hope you enjoyed dipping into my blog, which covers the whole Lugg Valley saga in more detail. Moving up a scale has been a step learning curve Don, I have lost count of the number of times when I have had to check and double check certain measurements. Trees and backscenes can be a problem depending on how we view our models. I favour low shots myself and operate the layout from eye level, both of which make the backscene look far more effective, well it is to my eye but others will no doubt disagree. Texture is another area where ideas vary, some folk are perfectly happy with foam clumping, being happy to let their imagination fill in the gaps, whereas others prefer more detail, we all see things differently and the same applies to colour. When I first started my 7mm journey I was advised to keep buildings on the small size, and to avoid large trees, following that advise has made the layout look far bigger than it actually is to date. We spend a lot of time in the Welsh Borders so it has always been a case of modelling what I see, it is good to know that you feel my efforts capture the look of the area, thank you. If it hadn't been for my son the thread would probably been left as it was, but he took it onto himself to restore all the photos. I doubt that I would have bothered because it would have taken up some valuable modelling time. Thanks to you both for your comments, Moving on, the Diag E147 coach is now nearing completion, in case you are wondering what I am doing with half a 'B' set read on. Introduced in 1936 and last withdrawn in 1961 numbers 6207-10, 6822/23/27/37/38/50 had buffers at both ends and ran as individual coaches, rather than close coupled ‘B’ Sets. At a scale 57ft long, the E147 is ideal for small layouts, I also find them rather attractive to boot. Just a few details to add now such as door hinges, steam and vacuum pipes, lamp irons, alarm gear and jumper cables. Screw couplings, door handles and grab rails will be fitted after painting the model. These lovely castings were supplied by CPL Products, whose service is second to none.......... Meanwhile there is a new kid on the block............ Geoff

Whilst the old man has been busy relaxing in Wales I've took it upon myself to replace the photos that were lost during the forums near meltdown. I've also taken the liberty of uploading some of his latest snaps of Bleddfa Road for test purposes.😀.......... Well the old man has returned from Wales and will do his best to provide a few captions, not that the first two photos need any really. So scrolling down to the cottage I will attempt to explain what is going on. The rear of the cottage is in a sorry state of repair, having been patched up with brick infills and rough cast render. The door lintel is being modelled to represent a piece of seasoned oak, as for the wall around the yard, for now it is just a simple mock up. But I see an outside loo, a wash house and perhaps a coal house being built into it. I found the inspiration for this idea from a beer garden which overlooks a similar property in Wales. The front of the building is in better repair, the window frames will be painted in a weathered white, and the door will be a simple rustic planked affair. This Westdale Diag. E147 coach kit has been gathering dust since September 2019, I started it whilst waiting for some bits and pieces for the cottage. It was always meant to be a long term project and once completed it will replace my Dapol autocoach. At the moment I am working on the bogies Finally thanks to Mr. York for saving the forum and to my son Simon for uploading my photos again. Geoff

Thank you Jay, I was worried that I might struggle to create a feeling of place and atmosphere in such a small area. Thank you too Mr Wolf for your kind words:-) Moving on and returning to the question of G(WR) number plates this might prove to be of interest.... http://www.trainweb.org/rcn_uk/gwcabs.html Geoff

Most '8750' Class Panniers are believed to have been fitted with cast iron plates. I requested brass plates with a black background so if they are wrong then it is my fault. The 74XX Class had a mix of cast iron and brass plates, so it is a bit of a minefield. It isn't something that worries me, for once the plates have been weathered down they will look different again:-) Geoff

Morning, Here's a selection of the latest photos to bring things up to date ................... Hereford (85C) Pannier 4600 approaches Bleddfa Road with a short train of empties for the limestone quarry that lies beyond the road bridge. This Dapol model has been renumbered with the excellent 'Railtec' 3D transfers and is currently awaiting a late crest and weathering. I think the days of etched plates are over for me now, for these plates are superb and ever so easy to apply. Journeys end as 4660 pulls into Bledffa Road on a cold, bleak winters morning................ Work is also well underway on the former crossing keepers cottage, the stonework started life as a Slater's embossed sheet which was cut into random strips, sanded down and covered in plaster. The plaster was then sanded down to reveal the mortar courses, some of which are flush with the stones just like some buildings in these parts. I'll be letting some brickwork repairs into the walls, and covering other areas with a roughcast render, well that's the plan but whether my idea works remains to be seen? Time for a spot of shunting, something that rarely interested me in my 4mm days when I used auto couplings. In those days 3 links weren't an option because I could hardly see the damn things, but working in the senior scale makes their use so much easier, and enjoyable. As for the hand in the sky, I don't give a hoot! 🙂 From time to time a Peckett from the quarry trundles down into the goods yard to top up her tanks, at other times she can be seen fussing around on the siding leading to the old lime kiln. Fresh from a recent overhaul she is still waiting for her cab window shields and works plates to be refitted. Geoff

I'm sorry that I wasn't around to join in this discussion about scenery, alas I wasn't feeling too good at the time. Anyway now I'm well on the road to recovery I'll add my pennyworth............ . There is certainly plenty of opportunity to include more detail in the larger scale Tim, in fact I think it is essential when it comes to the foreground scenery. Yep, you certainly can get away with more in the smaller scales, I used to find it relatively easy to make hedgerows from plain horsehair and teased foliage. Whereas in the larger scale I feel it necessary to model some of the hedgerows structure. In the above photo I have used a mix of methods, the structure of the saplings and bushes behind the platform fence being visible and more open than those nearer the backscene, which are more impressionistic. That is very true, I used ash ballast labelled for 4mm and 2mm scales on Bleddfa Road, and feel that I could have used something even finer in places. Moving on I haven't really done any practical modelling apart from detailing and weathering a Dapol van, which can be seen here at the crossing behind 1455. I have decided to move the cottage further forward toward the cart track, and in doing so I have removed the fence in front of it. To my eye the scene looks slightly better? Over the coming days I hope to start work on the cottage and the lime kiln, but I'm not setting myself any targets. Before I sign off here's a few more photos................... Geoff

Thanks Angus, I am pleased that you have enjoyed the journey so far, and have often wondered who has been following my blog. Thank you Martin :-) Cheers Jay and all the best to you. Sorry wrong forum Have a Merry Christmas everyone' Geoff

A few more photos showing the area in and around the goods yard. The water tower started life as a 'Palight' foamboard shell which was the covered in DAS modelling clay. Once the clay had dried the walls were tidied up and stones were scribed into the surface. I used castings from Invertrains for the water tank, and the ladder is Peco. A Ragstone models water crane was then assembled, painted and planted in place on an etched grid. The layout is 22" inches wide at this point, unkempt hedgerows are slowly being added and follow Gordon Gravatts methods. The small building towards the end of the platform is a combined lamp room and gents. Hedgerows are also being added between the water tower and backscene, groundcover is a mix of static grasses and homemade tufts. The lane serving the goods yard drops down and bears right to disappear off scene amongst the trees. Finally a view of the goods shed from the opposite direction, and that concludes the journey from the level crossing down to the goods yard. Merry Christmas, Geoff

Thanks Ray, some areas are a little more advanced than others as I experiment with different materials and techniques I've used a mix of homemade grass tufts and mating, with Silflor and Greenscenes static grasses. I use a Warpainter Flockbox 'Fusion' static grass applicator, which is a very versatile piece of kit. You can make your own small grass mats and tufts which are built up on silicon paper, far right. Or apply the fibres directly through a tea strainer, taking care to insulate the handle unless you want a shock There are plenty of videos circulating, and an instructional DVD come with the kit. Geoff

Once I have the basic ground cover down I hope to improve on it, Messer's Gravatt and Welch have really set the bar high. I always knew it would be a challenge to create decent scenery in 7mm scale, but I will be giving it my best shot.

Bleddfa Road’s station building was two years in the making, I liked the idea of model something cheap and cheerful, the sort of structure that might have been provided as a temporary measure. A corrugated iron structure like the one which once stood Llanrhaiadr Mochnant on the ‘Tanat Valley Railway’ appealed to me, but I was unsure if it would fit into the scene that I planned to model. The real building underwent many changes over the years, following the withdrawal of passenger services the ladies WC was replaced by an office. It is believed that an extra door was added to the main building at the same time. Liking a bit of artistic freedom I decided that my version of the building would feature the ladies WC, and the extra door. The ground frame was built from the MSE etch and set into a brick platform. Rainwater goods are from the Modelu range, the poster boards are scratch built, with posters by Tiny Signs. The platform was also built from 'Palight', then covered in DAS modelling clay which was scribed to represent individual stone. The shell of the building was made from 3mm 'Palight' foamboard, then clad in Slater's corrugated sheet. Finally a couple of photos of the pick up goods arriving at Bleddfa Road............... Geoff

Here you go Tim hardly surprising that you don't remember this exchange that we had over on Western Thunder, seeing as it took place over 5 years ago! I suppose it stuck in my mind due the amount I spent on 7mm goodies over the following weeks Geoff said: Certain people here on the forum have been trying to lead me down the 7mm path, and might yet succeed. So I thought it best if I got back to work on my current trainset, before the temptation proved too much. "Why not try to do some 7mm in parallel with 4mm stuff, which is what I'm going to be trying to do, in due course". Captain Kernow, 4 November 2016 ThreadmarkReportBookmark #727Unlike+ QuoteReply

Thank you Tim, I often wonder where my modelling would be now had you not suggested that I have a dabble in 7mm scale Cheers Ade. Only having a spot of fun, but seriously 1455 and 7416 were frequent visitors to the Kington Railways and I wanted to continue with the same feeling of time and place. It is indeed, what shall we call it 'house style' ? Oh I don't think you have been lazy at all, your hut looks great. I wondered who else visited my blog from RMweb, hope you enjoy looking around. I'm pleased that you find the place inspirational and are building your own Welsh layout. Anyway I will leave you with this view, I'll explain what is what next time Thanks for taking an interest and for your kind comments. Geoff