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peter findlay

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  1. peter findlay

    2014 Summary

    By peter findlay,

    Well so much for trying to be good and create a blog entry reguarily in 2014!!!
     
    Ok I'll shift that to the new year resolution for 2015. Still I may not have made many blog updates but I did manage to make some modelling progress last year.
    Progress was made on several fronts during 2014. Over the summer I managed to build some Parkside and Cambrian kits - they still need painted and decals applied but it was nice to actually make something.
     
    I retrieved my old Hornby track, locos and rolling stock from the from the loft and tested them. After nearly 20 years in storage it all still worked, so to keep costs down I'm going to use some of the track and one of the locos for my new layout. I realise it might not provide the most reliable running, but it will let me flex those dormant "modelling muscles" and get back into practice.
     
    I decided on a track plan for a layout - actually I decided to follow Phil Parkers Edgeworth layout as serialised in BRM. I'll make a few changes along the way, e.g. switch it to ex-Caledonian / LMS, but for a first layout in more than 20 years it meets my requirements for being small and easy to store in a cramped family home and lets me start "playing" with trains again. Two base boards have been constructed and the track on the first one laid, wired and tested.
     
    Finally for Christmas, my family jumped on my modelling bug and gave me a new Bachmann Midland 1F 0-6-0 (LMS 1725 Livery) and Gaugemaster combi controller. For someone turning 40 this year it was nice to fee like a kid again opening toys on Christmas morning!!!
     
    So if I stick to my new year's resolution, I'll create separate blog updates on each of these areas as I make progess and hopefully not just make my next post be a summary of 2015.
     
    Happy New Year to everyone on RMWeb.
     
    Peter
  2. peter findlay
    Before discovering RMWeb, my interest in railway modelling was rekindled by a chance purchase of a copy of BRM as something different to read. In this issue Right Track 7: Building Buildings with Geoff Taylor was advertised and a short time later I purchased a copy.
     
    This DVD was quite a revelation, before this I had never considered scratch building anything, but this looked like something I'd like to try. But what to build? Not long after I learned that the farm cottages that my Grandparents lived in were being refurbished into a more modern family home. While the building would still exist, the character I remembered as a child would be gone. So I decided to build a model of it as I remembered it.
     
    As this was before I joined RMWeb it never occurred to me to take pictures of the construction as I went along, but I'll describe the build with some pictures of the finished model.
     


     
    The basic structure is made from 30 thou plasticard with the ends shaped for the gable wall. Openings were cut in the front and rear for the windows and doors. These were made from Evergreen strip and glazed with transparent sheet before being added to the walls. The sides were fixed with MEK into a basic box structure.
     
    Smaller box structures were made for the kitchen extensions on each gable. The walls of the main structure were coated in PVA and DAS modelling clay applied all around except where the extensions were to be attached. When dry, the walls were scribed to represent the block work. The extensions were painted with humbrol enamels and talcum powder sprinkled over to represent the rendered finish. Some dry brushing of a dark grey was used to weather the finish.
     
     


     
    At the rear of the building, coal cellars were constructed from 20 thou plasticard and laminated with slaters 4mm brick sheet. The roof was constructed from artists mounting board. This was covered with strips of normal printer paper, cut with a scalpel to represent slates. This process was repeated for the pitched roof on the kitchen extension and the coal cellars.
     
    The walls were painted with enamels to reflect the basic sandstone colour and dry bushed to add variation, The brick work on the coal cellars were given a light wash to pick out the mortar and the excess wiped off. Again dry brushing was used to add detail.
     


     
    My mother told me about a tin bicycle "shed" that was at one end of the building. To model this I used Evergreen strip for the frame and Wills corrugated sheets for the wall and roof. The corrugated sheets were painted a suitable rust colour and then maskol applied to certain areas, before applying another coat of green enamel paint. When dry the maskol was carefully removed to expose areas of rust. The area was also dusted with weathering powders.
     
    The chimney pots are castings from Dart castings fixed with super glue. The down pipes are made from evergreen rod with sliver of masking tape used to represent the fixing brackets. Guttering is made from Evergreen half round section, with the brackets cut from larger section of plastic rod.
     
    The final model is a reasonable approximation of how I remember the cottages and was fun to build.
     
    As I have this model I am keen to include it if possible in my diorama to give it a proper setting rather then simply left sitting on shelf.
  3. peter findlay
    It's been a number of years since I discovered RMWeb and joined. At the time I had great intentions of getting back into modelling and create a blog as I went.
     
    However, as can be seen from the date of my last (only!!!) entry this did not happen, instead the demands of life with three small children took precedence and I became an armchair modeller, regularly browsing RMWeb and enjoying my monthly dose of "modelling" from BRM and Model Rail.
     
    This year however, I've decided to try and move from the armchair and start doing some practical modelling.
     
    Taking inspiration from articles on photo planks and small size layouts, I cleared some space where I can store a model and decided to try my hand at some of the techniques that I have spent so long reading about.
     
    My first foray is going to be more of a diorama that happens to have a length of track running through it, than anything with a meaningful track plan.
     
    What I hope to achieve by this is practice with different techniques to see how I can apply this to the ideas I have for the future.
     
    So what will the "diorama" contain? Well I have a few things I'd like to try to have (fuelled by childhood memories of visiting my grand parents farm):
    Country cottage, with garden and hens (for reasons to be explained later).
    Corn field
    Hedge rows and trees
    Country road
    Portion of scenery on an incline
    Simple length of track

    With a little practice and patience I hope to produce a scene which sparks my imagination and leads to finally getting back to having a small layout that I can share with the kids.
     
    But where to start??? Well while finalising what the diorama is going to contain, why not have a go at making some trees.
  4. peter findlay
    I've been trying to think over the last couple of weeks about how to start a blog, then I remembered that somewhere in some dusty box there might still be some photogrphic evidence of my last layout.
     
    After a little help from my father, the pictures were found ... I must apologise for the quality, they were taken about 20 years ago on a disk camera (if anyone can remember what they were).
     

     
    This is a general overview of the layout as installed in my parents loft.
     


     
    While these are some ropey close ups. Doesn't black gloss paint make a lovely reflective road surface!!!!
     
    All the buildings, rolling stock, locos etc. are Hornby and the track plan comes from the Hornby Track Plans book of the time. I still have the "Hornby Treasure Chest" box that some of this stuff came in (which I noticed was displayed on one of the stands at Model Rail Scotland last week).
     
    The layout is long dismantled and the baseboards cut up, but I have all the rest in boxes in my loft.
     
    Now if only I had the space to set some of it up ...
  5. peter findlay
    As part of my armchair modelling I read the landscape modelling books by Barry Norman and Tony Hill and was taken with how it was possible to create such life like scenes. A definite far cry from my father and I dipping torn up Halfords sponges into green gloss paint to add scenery to my first layout.
     
    Feeling inspired and determined to actually make something, my annual trip to Model Rail Scotland had new focus. I came home with a bundle of scenic materials and Gordon Gravette's book on modelling broad leaf trees.
     
    This seemed ideal, something I could do in the evenings without needing a lot of tools that little fingers could find. My partners mother makes jewellery and she was kind enough to provide some 1mm wire for me to start with.
     
    I followed Gordon's method and with reference to a picture of an oak tree and produced the armature shown below.
     
    I initially felt that the armature was not particularly good, but as this is a learning exercise, I decided to stick with the armature as is and move to the next step of adding the bark. (To be continued...).
  6. peter findlay

    Adding Bark

    By peter findlay,

    To make the armature easier to handle, I mounted it in a block of wood left over from a flat pack DVD rack. The wire was then covered with a dilute solution of PVA and a few tweaks made to the position of some of the "branches".
     
    For the bark I bought a small premixed bag of Artex from a well known DIY chain and mixed a small amount with the PVA and a drop of black poster paint borrowed from the kids arts and crafts box. The mixture was applied using a small paint brush and left to dry overnight before the process was repeated.
     


     
    The bark was then painted with a mix of Tamiya acrylic Nos. XF-55 Dark Tan and XF-52 Flat Earth as a base. A dark wash of artist water colours (paynes grey and dark umber) was used to add depth and highlights picked out by dry brushing with Tamiya XF-53 Neutral Grey. The image below shows the over effect after painting.
     


     
    A detail view of the tree trunk.
     


     
    Detail of the branches.
     


     
    After applying the bark and detailing, I feel the tree is looking better than my initial view of the armature and I think there are improvements I can make on future models. Next is to apply the foliage.
  7. peter findlay
    I mentioned in my last blog post, that I decided to test my old Hornby stock to see if it still worked with a view to using some on a new layout.
     
    Most of the stock was bought around 1980/81 and for several years was used on various "trainsets" in my bedroom, before being packaged away in my parents loft. When I moved to my own house I took the stock with me ... and promptly returned it to the new loft.
     
    Principally I was interested to see if the locos still ran and my old controllers still worked:

    R328 Class 47 (type 4) Co-Co Locomotive - Mammoth D1670
    R779 0-4-0 Saddle Tank Locomotive - Desmond
    R332 Class 253 Intercity 125 Train Pack (Class 43 Power Car)


    R900 Power Controller
    R915 Power Controller

     
    There are also copious amounts of Horby set track (straight, 2nd & 3rd radius) and some flexitrack.
     
    I had started playing around with a piece of set track on an old plank of wood to have a go at ballasting and I decided to bodge some wires on the end of this and use it as a short test track. Not exactly a long run but enough to assess if the engines would still run.
     
    I started with the saddle tank and having also kept the service sheet, stripped down the body to expose the motor. There was no obvious corrosion and the motor/wheels still turned freely by hand. A quick once over with some tweezers to remove small fibre deposits and a drop of "3-in-1" at the recommended positions and it was time to give it a try.
     
    A check with the multimeter showed that the R915 controller was providing the correct voltage so the loco, without body, was placed on the track and with a gentle tap the motor started turning, not very well but enough to provide confidence. A quick look at the wheels provided an answer - they were filthy. So the next 15 minutes or so was spent carefully rotating the motor/wheels by hand and using a peco track rubber to remove the build up.
     
    After this the body was replaced and the the engine tried again - by this time my 5 year old daughter had come to see what daddy was up to and "volunteered" to drive the train. The video below shows a short clip of the test in action.
     
    http://youtu.be/oWPXinqsSfk
     
    I'm pleased to say that both the Class 47 and Intercity power car also worked with a similar level of servicing. So after 20 odd years in storage my trains still work - time to start building that new layout.
     
    Peter
     
    P.S. In the process of this testing I discovered an excellent website entitled "Hornby Railways Collectors Guide" (http://www.hornbyguide.com/), which has additional service sheets and details on Hornby stock from 1955 to 2011
  8. peter findlay
    In an earlier blog I described my first attempts at modelling a trees, starting with a wire armature ...
     
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/758/entry-13961-branching-out-a-first-attempt-at-making-trees/
    ... and adding bark.
     
    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/758/entry-13972-adding-bark/
     
    With the armature painted, it's time to add the foliage. For this intial attempt I am using Woodland Scenics clump foliage (Medium Green) torn into suitably sized pieces.
     
    Neat PVA was applied to the branches, working from those closest to the main trunk outwards. The individual clumps of foliage material were placed onto the PVA and held in place for a few moments to allow the glue to grab and then left alone as much as possible while the PVA dried.
     
    Only one or two clumps became detached and required another application of glue and resetting in place.
     
    The pictures below show the final results.
     

     

     

    For a first attempt at making a tree from scratch I am pleased with the results. However, applying a more critical eye I think the underlying armiture could be improved to produce a better result. I think on my next attempt I will use finer wire to construct the armatures and add more detail to the basic structure. The method of applying the bark and painting I am happy with although maybe some more careful detailing would improve the final appearance.
     
    Peter
  9. peter findlay
    My existing stock is somewhat light on L.M.S. stock, so I thought this would be a good oppertunity to have a go at building and few freight wagons.
     
    A quick browse on e-bay identified a couple of potential models -
    Cambrian C57 5 Plank High Sided open wagon
    Cambrian C80 LMS 12 ton van
    Parkside Dundas PC83 LNER Horse Box (not LMS but I like the look of it)

    I have a copy of "L.M.S. Wagons Vol. 1" by Bob Essry which I used as reference material along with a couple of pictures downloaded from the web.
     
    First up was the LMS open wagon. The kit went together really easily with the aid of some MEKPAK, the only slight issue being that despite having reference materials to hand, I still managed to get the axel boxes on upside down!! I used Tamiya acrylics to paint and HMRS Presfix transfer to finish, wheels are Alan Jackson. The picture below shows the current build. It still needs a coat of matt varnish and some weathering, but I'm happy with how it has gone so far.
     

     
    I've decided to try using Sprat & Winkle auto couplings. I think they have gone together OK, they will probably need final tweaks once I get the magnets laid in the track. I have found that the soft iron links I have made for them are a little long - I think I need to use a slightly smaller former when wrapping the wire.
     
    Next was the 12 ton van again by Cambrian models. Again this was a really nice model to put together, the shots below show intermediate progress.
     


     
    Again Tamiya acrylics and HMRS transfers to finish off.
     


    Finally the Parkside LNER Horse box
     

     
    I had a little issue here with the door closer (missing in image above). It was rather aggressively attacked by the MEKPAK and effectively dissintegrated. On the other side I swithched to Plastic Weld with out trouble. To remedy the other side, some evergreen strip was used to reproduce the door closer and attached to the wagon. The roof was painted matt white and the body sides LNER Teak (Railmatch). The plastioc roof vents were replaced by white metal versions. The transfers supplied with the kit were used as shwon below. Again final varnishing and weathering still needs done.
     

     
    All wagins were weighed and extra ballast (stacks of 1p pieces) were added to bring the running weight up to around 25g per axel.
     
    Overall I'm really chuffed with the way the kits have gone together, so much so I've bought a couple others to take on holiday !!
     
    Peter
  10. peter findlay
    For this new layout I am essentially using the track plan described by Phil Parker for Edgeworth (as serialised in BRM and on this forum thread http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/79690-building-your-first-layout-supplement/). I'm going to make a few changes to make it more representative an ex-Caledonian / LMS branch line specifically in the style of the signal box and station buildings. I'm also going to try and squeeze in a cattle dock on one of the sidings to emphasise a rural working environment.
     
    So the current plan looks like this.
     

     
    The signal box will be scratch built, from plans I have from the National Archives of Scotland of the box originally built at Larbert Station. The station buildings / engine shed are undecided - I still need to find plans I like. Similarly the coal stage, cattle dock etc. I'll firm up on later.
    The base boards have been constructed from 9mm plywood with a 2x1 inch softwood frame - there is enough plywood left for fiddle yard but I haven't made up that board yet. Alignment of the boards is achieved through 40mm split pin hinges attached to the softwood frame.
     
    Although I'm using my existing Hornby track as much as possible I will need to procure some additional right hand turn outs to complete the upper track on the second base board. Cork floor tiles from my local Homebase have been used to create the track bed and ballast shoulder. This has been glued to the base board with PVA and left to set.
     
    To try and improve the look of the track I have removed some of the sleepers from the straight/curved sections of track to try and get approximately 2'6" scale separation between sleepers. The turnouts have been left alone - I'm not brave enough to fiddle about with them.
     
    The track itself hasn't been glued down but the combination of installing the electrical droppers and ballasting the track should secure it firmly.
     
    The picture below shows progress on board 1 at present:

     
    Peter
     
    PS. Yes there is some ballasting already taking place - I'm really bad at taking pictures of my progress!!!The track on this board has been tested, and I'll cover my attempts at ballasting in a future post.
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