Phill Dyson (onslaught832) Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Weather it! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 Weather it! Hi Phill, As I said, the underframes will be weathered and a few streaks added to the sides. I shall go to town on the Corporate Blue version when it gets here, my two MTH, LMS Full BG's too ATVB CME Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) Hi All, Just a quick update. Not much time for model-making as still running the gauntlet of hospital tests with my partner and I have had a minor operation myself - amongst other health challenges - all a bit exhausting to be honest and a few sleepless nights too. Out of the blue, I had to revisit a couple of models to re-photograph them for, hopefully, fingers-crossed, publication in a popular model-railway magazine. So as I was asked for a couple of specific photos of my Shoc Vans, I decided to review the models (I often, when working on a model, will, when substantially complete, put it away for awhile and then view again a few months later, especially in terms of weathering and weathering effects, to see if I am still happy with it) and I decided that one was fine but I wasnt happy with the other and that the chassis needed a wash of Gouache (Lamp Black). I also rediscovered my part finished Toad and decided to tone down the rust hues on the chassis with the Lamp Black at the same time. I have also decided to upgrade the drop-down vac pipes with CPL products on the Toad, one Shoc Van and some other vehicles too. I also had a few moments to look out three '00' locos for sale, to help fund one or two other 7mm scale purchases. Hopefully photos to follow in due course - thanks for your forbearance - thanks for looking. Kindest regards to one and all, CME Edited April 14, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Sorry to hear about your health challenges but nice to see that you are moving forward again albeit in a small way. Am looking forward to seeing your pics in due course. Rod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) Sorry to hear about your health challenges but nice to see that you are moving forward again albeit in a small way. Am looking forward to seeing your pics in due course. Rod Hi Rod, Many thanks - yes onwards and upwards a little at a time. We are trying to make some spaces for the contractors for the new back fence (access is awkward and the whole thing a little fraught), then, with help, after that's up, we can re-lay the trackbed and finalise the track laying in the garden too. Whenever I do any modelling or we make progress in the garden then I will take photos to add some interest to the Thread. Thanks for the kind words and thoughts, all of you, very much appreciated. Kindest, CME Edited April 16, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnaby Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Yes this time of the year the garden does rather get in the way of modelling. Just had 6 tree stumps ground out yesterday now got some more fencing to do. Oh joy. Been playing paper trains lately beer mats and all. Go steady with the health issues. Best regards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 Yes this time of the year the garden does rather get in the way of modelling. Just had 6 tree stumps ground out yesterday now got some more fencing to do. Oh joy. Been playing paper trains lately beer mats and all. Go steady with the health issues. Best regards. Hi Barnaby, Thanks. I know how that feels we seem to have had years of it in the back garden here, nearly there now though. Thanks for the kind words. Kindest, in haste, CME Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 (edited) Hi All, A quick update. Not much time - still - for modelling but... Managed to get some weathering on the loco shed roof, some land gull and pigeon guano and some vivid lichen (from the Lifecolor <sic> Stains packs) on and around where the guano has been, I may add some 'moss' at a later date, not sure at the moment (if I do it'll be from weathering powders and scenic materials), not sure about the weathering at the mo. so I shall leave it awhile as I dont want to over-work it. It needs a varnish sealer/tie-in coat though. The weathering highlights the wavy-daviness of the roof moulding (this highlighting has been both better and worse, dependant on which stage of weathering is ongoing), which I have a love/hate relationship with, sometimes I think that it looks good (after all most sheds by the late 1960s and early 1970's had the roof missing or they had been demolished - my excuse is that the RAF/MOD share in the costs of it's upkeep as part of the BR 'provision of motive power' contract) and at other times Im not so sure. But looking at, dare I say it, Pendon's roofs, which are perfectly executed decrepitude, then perhaps I am worrying too much? I may also, model a false brick base, so that for later BR Corporate era operations the model shed can be removed leaving a brick plinth behind and thus becoming a loco stabling point with limited - an oil drum or two - facilities (still pondering that ruse though). The Shoc van article is at the publishers for approval - so fingers crossed. I did note that when viewing photos of the prototype that a lot of the time the Shoc stripes were kept well painted, perhaps I toned them down a little too much (with the encouragement of others - you know who you are, you weathering fiends ) , yet the fox transfers looked a yellowy colour so I dry brushed them with grey/white anyway, then weathered the whole model accordingly. Suffice to say in reality the stripes, for obvious, reasons stick out like a sore thumb most of the time. But as they're a bu$$er to apply and/or paint over the - Wolverton? - corrugated ends, I wont be doing any more just yet, but these vans will look good as a cut in a rake of mixed/pick up goods. I have all the door parts cut up for the Engine shed and the Brake Tender bogies are ready for their brakes and modified cosmetic springs. I now have my full compliment - nearly - of Dogfish, to be used in my works train of Grampus and other misc Pt Way stock. I also have three Heljan Tank Wagons, not sure if RAF Down Ampney can justify such traffic, but they look quite nice and as the RAF Branch can be any branch I want it to be (as it's 'off stage') I can just about get away with it. Hope to get back to work on baseboards (after new fence is up) and coaches soon (mods to the MTH BG's and my MK1 BG's et al.). Ive been selling off some 'OO' stock, still a bit more to go yet so as to fund this 'less is more' O gauge obsession! Sorry no photos as yet - they are a bit of a phaff at the moment, but I promise I will post - a flurry of them I suspect - ASAP. Thanks for looking and for bearing with me. Kindest to all, CME Edited April 30, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Keep up the good work CME your efforts are appreciated. Looking forward to some more pics. Rod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 (edited) Hi all, Photos to follow soon. Had a flying visit to Reading with Dad, a nice respite from life's challenges and very inspirational, it also allowed me to pick up lots of nice spares, in LWB mainly, so costly but well worth it. A little set back, I caught one of my Dogfish with my sleeve and now its in pieces (it went for a fly across the room and onto the floor) and will require a great deal of care to effect 'invisible' repairs. That's the second one in five years, not sure if thats a good hit rate or not - especially as none has turned a wheel in anger We were to have the new fence erected this week. A slightly bigger set back, had a telephone call Saturday evening at 21.30 hrs and it was the fencing contractor, he'd only just arrived in from a project in Essex - he'd had a week of hassle there and his project still wasnt finished (he was heading back there, after a week away from home, at 03.00 hrs on Monday!), he told me that he wouldnt be able to get to us until Friday - which will, ultimately delay railway works. After all things considered, with health problems of two family members, and myself plus a myriad of appointments still pending, we chose to put back the fencing works by about three weeks. Such is life, no use getting stressed over it As BR used to say, and to coin a phrase, we are getting there! Kindest to you all, CME Edited May 12, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 (edited) Hi All, Still facing health challenges yet some progress has been made in the garden at last which means the railway can progress too. ??The new fence is up - what a couple of days for it, the first, meteorological days of summer and it blew a gale, lashed down with rain and turned our clay garden into the Somme . In addition if both garage doors are open, in high winds, we get a wind tunnel effect coupled with vortices, over, round and through the garage, worse when the doors are open. And just next to the garage door is our family of blue tits who were just about to fledge. They have gotten used to us and the workmen and the birds 'told us off' a few times if we were in the way - they fledged in the early hours of this morning and hid in the bushes. I have been fending off magpies all week for them, then tonight a ginger cat came over the back fence heading straight for them, we hissed and shouted at it and it soon cleared off. I love all animals yet we have way too many cats locally and the bird population is falling - although the birds love all the new bushes in our garden and having the back fence removed threw them all for a day or two, within an hour of everyone leaving the garden, with the new fence up, I looked out of the kitchen window to see a pair of black birds, a pigeon, the blue tits and a sparrow all walking up and down the new fence - as if trying it on for size - hilarious. Yet despite all of the mud the workmen were very careful around the railway and our small and relatively fragile garden, challenging in the conditions and with heavy concrete posts and gravel boards, we looked after them though with plenty of tea and biscuits etc. They are used to all wood construction putting up 15-20m a day, the boss said to me, with a chuckle 'the way that you have specified this fence if everyone did the same, we'd be short of work', I grinned and said; 'I know'. I wasnt a big fan of vertical/closed-board/feather edge capped fencing, we nicknamed it 'motorway fencing', yet with timber quality falling, costs rising and many suppliers' inability to produced decent larch lap panels, I was won over by this industrial type fencing - which now matches the rest of the neighbour (well almost). So here are some photos of the railway in a before and after style, a little like your neighbours' holiday photos I know, but it will give you a feel for what's involved. Firstly a few views of the railway thus far and the lifted trackbed with the posts painted white so as to highlight them for health and safety purposes - the rest should be self explanatory. It also shows how the planting is coming on. Hope that you like them - thanks for looking. Kindest regards, CME All photos are copyright of the author/photographer 2015 etc. Edited June 3, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnaby Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Thank god for box hedge. All coming along nicely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Dyson (onslaught832) Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Thank god for box hedge. All coming along nicely. Box is not that good really Barnaby, it is very expensive takes forever to grow & can be wiped out by blight, I think CME is using the same small leaved evergreen as me for his garden railway Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Dyson (onslaught832) Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Brilliant to see some track down CME, your garden line is looking great! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 (edited) Thank god for box hedge. All coming along nicely. Hi Barnaby, Thanks Sort of - the only Box present is along the sides of the path. I had one or two die, so replaced them with a nearly identical substitute (as I was concerned about Box Blight) and that was worse, and is slower growing and seems, to my mind, best suited in pots (Japanese Holy). It was expensive too, more expensive than Box, I purchased it on line, TBF, the nursery said if I could write a report and send photos, they would replace it and as most who know me, know I champion consumer rights, it didnt seem worth the effort - especially with everything else happening in our lives. I then purchased some cheap, but healthy, plants, from a trusted local garden centre (without Box Blight present). 75% of the Box along the path was from cuttings from a friends garden, so FOC. Our Box is pretty good I have been using a special feed for them. Hope that helps. Kindest, CME Box is not that good really Barnaby, it is very expensive takes forever to grow & can be wiped out by blight, I think CME is using the same small leaved evergreen as me for his garden railway Yes I am using the same as you Phill, weve grown most of it from just a few cheap plants and it was planted up 14 years ago for dad's H&BLR. With the Box hedge I have been told that watering the plants with a seaweed based feed - all over the leaves and roots - helps keep it away, our garden is very breezy too, which helps dry the plants quickly, but only time will tell. Brilliant to see some track down CME, your garden line is looking great! Thanks Phill, it is, makes me feel happier. With stock, locos, boards etc. we are about 80% of the way there, having to replace the failed timber for the baseboards and then the fence held up proceedings in terms of time, effort and cost. But the old fence was, in parts, 25 years old, in others 15, so it had done well and the latest storms did for it as all of the posts were rotted out at the base. In a way it was good that the track bed wasnt in the way of size 12 boots. Patio and path has to be re-done next year, so I shall, if up, 'protect' the viaduct, but the rest of the railway should be okay by then. ATVB CME Edited June 3, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jintyman Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 A lovely read through, sorry for the numerous likes!!! Midland and Western mixed and an encroachment into the garden. Pretty much the same with mine. I'll look forward to following and seeing the first trains on the garden line. The weathering of that 16t mineral on page 1 is brilliant, the pitting is just sublime. Jinty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 A lovely read through, sorry for the numerous likes!!! Midland and Western mixed and an encroachment into the garden. Pretty much the same with mine. I'll look forward to following and seeing the first trains on the garden line. The weathering of that 16t mineral on page 1 is brilliant, the pitting is just sublime. Jinty Hi Jinty, Likewise, I have just started reading through your wonderful Thread too - our Posts must have crossed as I have sent a loada 'likes' your way too! Thanks so much for the kind words, your work is excellent too, loving the 4F build, that looks a cracking kit and you work at a great pace too Kindest regards, CME Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alant Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Looking good, ideal weather for garden railways for a the next few days I think. Alan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 (edited) Looking good, ideal weather for garden railways for a the next few days I think. Alan. Hi Alan, Thanks - yes I think it will be. We need to finish painting the LHS of the garage floor - whilst some of the floor space is clear (cleared to get the fencing materials through). We had a clear out which is ongoing, yet the materials for the railway's construction seem to take up a lot of space. Although there was a major clean up after the builders had gone - mud and clay everywhere - we couldnt finish the garage and the floor/mud has had to be left to dry, so that needs clearing next too. By painting the two sides and a foot up the wall (on breeze block's worth) it seals the floor, when the baseboards are up, a roller on a stick will then complete the task down the middle of the garage. Most of the floor paint has stayed put to date, except a small area around the back-door/step. Weve cleaned the area, painted the floor paint on neat, it lifted in places after a year, then we cleaned it again and sealed with SBR/PBR (as since new and although a DPC is fitted, there has always been some damp present on the interior faces of the step bricks) and still its lifted. I now think that its due to wet shoes with salt on them from the winter when, due to black ice, we salt the patio/path next to the house - the manufacturers have almost admitted that such will affect the paint. If it lifting in this small area really cheeses me off then I might try G4 sealer. My dad used to use the industrialised version of G4 before/when he would perform specialist repairs to industrial tanks and swimming pools et al. - it seems more heavy duty than SBR/PBR. Bob Symes always used to say how much railway modelling teaches us, I bet he never thought of floor paint and sealers (although the groundworks for his garden railway where epic!) - god bless his soul As BR used to say - we are getting there. Kindest regards, CME Edited June 4, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railwayrod Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 The pictures look great. I assume there will be a lift out bridge across the path, or does your stock fly? Perhaps the van you had problems with was doing a practise run? It saw your sleeve and said here goes!! Rod Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 (edited) The pictures look great. I assume there will be a lift out bridge across the path, or does your stock fly? Perhaps the van you had problems with was doing a practise run? It saw your sleeve and said here goes!! Rod Hi Rod, Thanks - thought that the photos would help sum up the latest progress. Mmm the wagon is a sore point a fiddly fix if ever there was one - very funny re the bridge! You cud be right though! That's why there is lots of soft planting around just in case - I could board the sides, but I think that would look awful - with DCC and RC I can also govern the speed of the loco/train. The young labourer thought an electronically operated lifting bridge would be great - the only problem with that I said, is that I am not clever enough. He had a remarkable amount of imagination and was intrigued by the whole model railway idea ( I suspect that most people outside of the hobby think that I am a mad nerd! ). If you look at the Link below (Post # 52) the bridge is there in its unpainted glory - it will have the viaduct either side of it. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/77273-down-ampney/page-3 Kindest regards, thanks for Posting, its good to hear from you CME Edited June 5, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancer1027 Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Hi CME, Dont know whats happen hear. But i have missed your thread since you had "issues" with your board and were in the process of re-fitting new ones. Crickey you have been busy, or have i lost a few months. Its looking amazing now. I hope the new stuff gives you plenty of running time. Rob 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 Hi CME, Dont know whats happen hear. But i have missed your thread since you had "issues" with your board and were in the process of re-fitting new ones. Crickey you have been busy, or have i lost a few months. Its looking amazing now. I hope the new stuff gives you plenty of running time. Rob Hi Rob, Thanks - great to hear from you. Im glad that you can see progress as sometimes I wondered if we were going around in circles In reality, as I mentioned, we have a lot of things, boards, buildings (some of which will end up surplus to requirements, me thinks), locos and stock that are 75% of the way - or more - there, so in reality weve made a lot of progress, despite the trials and tribs. But when I look at Brian Daniels', Chris' and 'Jinty's' progress and speed of progress I feel like a slow coach - but everyone keeps telling me that its the journey and not the destination that matters! Mind you if I had a lottery win and could have Messrs Solomon, Downes et al to build it all for me then I wouldnt have a problem with that Kindest, CME Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jintyman Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Hi CME, Hey you are quite right in what you have heard, it is the journey and not the destination that is more important. The only reason I'm cracking on a pace is because I have nothing built, so I need something ready and to hand for working out clearances, etc. Everything else after I've built the Stanier coach will be at a more leisurely pace I can assure you. Your health issues need looking after, so taking your time is a more sensible option. So take care and don't worry about speed. Jinty Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CME and Bottlewasher Posted June 7, 2015 Author Share Posted June 7, 2015 (edited) Hi CME, Hey you are quite right in what you have heard, it is the journey and not the destination that is more important. The only reason I'm cracking on a pace is because I have nothing built, so I need something ready and to hand for working out clearances, etc. Everything else after I've built the Stanier coach will be at a more leisurely pace I can assure you. Your health issues need looking after, so taking your time is a more sensible option. So take care and don't worry about speed. Jinty Hi Jinty, You are a nice man a wise man! You are so right, I dont really like rushing models, and in the past, exhibitions (for military, RC, or railways) have focused the mind and thus progress, yet it's not as therapeutic as taking 'yer time with a model, especially if its a well thought out kit and goes together well, that is something to savour Thanks for the kind words of encouragement ATVB CME Edited June 7, 2015 by CME and Bottlewasher Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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