swisspeat

Nice blog Chris!

Good to see the UK and Canadian partnership is in full swing.

Has Mr Nevard got you into playing a musical instrument too!

:-)

Pete

A bit more progress has taken place with the retaining wall and upper level buildings placed loosley in position for the purpose of seeing what the finished project will look like.

There will be an electrified line on top of the retaining wall.

I have Parcel Force signs for quickly transferring the yard this side of the English Channel!

I am now putting the final touches to the Die Post loading warehouse. Materials used included Styrofoam, Pikestuff sheets, mounting card plus bits and pieces from old kits. In reality the building would be many many times larger than the model I have made but I hope I have captured something of the modern Die Post depots.

Here are a couple of pics of the structure loosely positioned on the layout. Lots of bedding in and details to be added.

A bit more progress today regarding the Die Post transhipment shed.

Rather than go out and buy more bits and pieces I am trying to use up the stuff I already have in stock. So I have looked at what Pikestufbits I have left over from other structures and found just about enough to build the shed using a cardboard back wall which no one will

see.

I will make the loading platform from mounting card covered by Scalescenes sheets.

Pikestuff is good stuff but it does require a lot of cuts with a sharp knife to cut through the thick plastic sheets to make the holes for the doors etc.

I have also set myself of making the long front wall by using 5 separate pieces and hopefully fixing them together seamlessly. A few pics are attached.

A little bit more explanation of the higher level single line at the rear of the layout: After recently visiting the Swissmill in Zurich I noticed a line passing almost overhead. I thought that this might be a good way to introduce a different height level to the small layout. I will add catenary on the high level curving line to contrast with the diesel operating Die Post depot complex.

Here are 3 photos explain the concept a little more:

A bit more progress has been made on this project. The track and ballasting is done though there is still the inevitable "cleaning up" to do around the ballast.

I must say it took longer than I had anticipated to clean up the track after the glue had set on the ballast. Illustrated are just some of the tools I used to get the locos running smoothly again.

To the right there is a raised upper line which will stand on Woodland Scenics Sub Terrain risers.

The wall is cut down Noch hard foam lengths.

The next part of the project will be to build the Die Post loading bay and warehouse.

Pete

Hello,

This is the first post of a new HO scale shunting layout with possible extension potential. It will be made primarily a Swiss Post rail served depot using Code 75 track. Backing the depot will be a raised single track that gently curves across the baseboard and will effectively hide the headshunt.

I seem to have collected a number of Swiss Post wagons (Liliput and Roco) over the years which now require a home.

Attached are a couple of prototype pics taken at Thun and Cadenezza plus a few mock ups of the track design.

I will be laying Woodland Scenics foam sheets on top of the baseboard today for sound proofing and to protect the baseboard which I could potentially reuse again in the future. 

The main structure will probably be made from Pikestuff sheets.

I will provide updates from time to time.

Kind regards,

Pete

Because there will be balconies/walkways you might even be able to consider Scalescenes (or something similar in HO scale) windows and doors because they can look very realistic from normal viewing distances.

Your sunny layout continues to inspire one writing from a grey Buckinghamshire today...

Pete

Very nice modelling.

The paint finish on the lorries is particularly good. Far better than the high gloss finish they usually come in. Good detailing on them too.

Peter

Your building looks good to me though I can see what you mean about the windows. I attach a pic taken at Benidorm of "your" building in the distance...

The classic station buildings (such as depicted here at Calpe) do seem to have longer windows.

I never like binning a project though I have had to rework several.

Your project has inspired me to start work on a new shunting layout too.

This is a superb project! I am really enjoying it.

Here are a few snaps taken on the Denia to Benidorm line a couple of years ago. I was sorry to read it is closed at the moment.

I have a Wiking forklift. I know what you mean about it looking a bit shiny.

I gave it a wash of thin black Humbrol and it now looks better.

Noch has some new nice looking pallet trucks too.

Hope this helps!

Pete

This is superb Alan.

A great looking layout in the making.

The trains run very well, running smoothly over the crossover which says that you have done a good job of laying the track.

One almost feels its good enough without any scenery...

Thank you for sharing this with us.

Regards,

Peter

Looks like you have room for some underground storage sidings in there Geraint!

I am only joking of course!

I still have your CM article from 2004 and am pleased you've now got the opportunity to make progress on this one.

Kind regards,

Peter Marriott

Thanks very much Neil.

I have a Herpa one too (Mercedes). I found it needed some judicious repainting and I did not like the plastic load of logs much! Here are before and after pictures.

Pete

Good video Neil.

That layout is coming on superbly. Loco runs well too.

Who makes that nice timber lorry please?

Thanks.

Peter

There is a huge number of static grass fibres retailed in a large number of colours and lengths at WW Scenics. (www.wwscenics.co.uk)

Hi Anthony.

You can fix static grass fibres to existing scenic finishes BUT in N scale if the underlying texture is rough that will show through any (short) grass fibres. 

To remove existing scenic finishes is usually pretty simple by soaking the area in nearly boiling water and scraping off the old materials after a few minutes. This is a good way of lifting unwanted ballast too. This of course depend on the base material for the landscape.

If you cannot get Model Mates dyes you can use matt acrylic aerosols holding the can a little way from the scene so it lightly colours it.

Looking forward to seeing your pictures idc.

Peter

Anthony,

Spread the adhesive on the landscape with a wide flat paintbrush in areas of about 100 square cms a time. If the area is any larger the adhesive will start to dry out before the fibres have been planted.  With the adhesive still wet use the tool to apply static grass fibres.

If your layout calls for tall grass or weeds repeat the process a second or third time over the whole or parts of the area to be treated. Just keep on painting adhesive onto planted grass fibres then adding more fibres to build up the height of the grass.

If you want to just plant a few areas of taller grass try spraying extra hold hairspray in the area of already planted grass. It acts as a good adhesive for static grass fibres.

With a layout that big you'll need an industrial GrasMaster!

:-)

Your idea of spray colouring grass mats is a good one. Very few folks do it.

Look forward to seeing your pictures.

Peter

In the last 18 months fibres became available suitable for N scale and now short fibres are available from Noch, W W Scenics and DoubleO Scenics.

Noch's latest version of the GrasMaster does have a very fine mesh that is ideal for working with the shortest of fibres. The mesh on the previous version of the GrasMaster allowed the fibres to fall through before the device was turned on which was no help at all! The latest version of the W W Scenics Pro Grass device also has a fine mesh suitable for working with the shortest fibres.

I mm grass does look like a cricket pitch in OO scale!

I hope this helps.

Peter

Well done Chris!

Those were the days when colour pages were sparsely scattered through MRC. Now colour is obligatory on every page in every mag!

I recall the Black Dog Halt series and some years later you allowed me to splash a few static grass fibres on the layout which I really appreciated because I had long admired the layout.

At our last chat I recall you have layouts dotted everywhere in your house (plus garden) so we can enjoy your projects for many years to come in the pages of magazines.

Do Model Rail give you a bigger desk now?

Kindest regards,

Peter

Geraint,

I too recall seeing the article in CM about the genesis of this layout. I have kept the article in my "Magazine articles worth keeping" box hoping that some day I wolud see the later stages of the layout in print. I was therefore very pleased to see that the layout is still WIP.

It looks jolly good to me. Thanks for sharing it with us on this forum and I look forward to seeing more in the future.

Kind regards,

Peter