ChrisN

Mike,

Very interesting, and well done!  All the cogs fit together as well.  It is an amazing model.

Brilliant Mike.

Well researched as ever.  I love the title as well.

Mike,

Yes, I think what has been said is good, that you create a dock scene or a station scene that shows the era you are portraying.  A few Stadden figures would help as well.

4 hours ago, Mikkel said:

 

Thanks Al. When the ferry connections from England to Denmark closed down some years ago, flying seemed the only practical option to cross the North Sea, so it was good to see that going via the Chunnel is a realistic alternative.

 

 

Thanks for those insights Northroader, I wasn't sure what the recent development entailed.

 

I have a side interest in the LB&SCR, so have always been a bit annoyed that it was the SECR who made it to Reading (with all due respect to the lovely SECR) . A GWR/LBSCR exchange siding layout would be interesting!

 

(hence my long-term idea for such a layout at Battersea:)

 

 

Mikkel,

The old SER line down to Guilford is still quite slow and has diesel multiple units.  It is joined at Wokingham for the run into Reading by the old LSWR line.  I was tempted to model the area although my local station would be just two lines in a field in Pre-Grouping times, but the thought of salmon pink coaches  put me off.  (Not sure what number it would be on the 'to do' list anyway even if I was going to do it.)

Wow, Mikkel,

I feel I want to go through and reply bit by bit.  I am glad you enjoyed yourself, I hope your mum did as well.

My wife went of trains in Germany from Berlin to Leipzig.  I should have gone with her, she was speaking(?), attending a conference, as all German efficiency had disappeared for the few days she was there.  (They even had the British disease of over running engineering works.

My son went on the Chunnel for a school trip once.  On the way back they got stuck.  (It is ok, he is back now.)

I have not been inside the new St Pancreas but I have driven alongside the new build and from outside it looks amazing.

I remember Euston when it was the symbol of modernity, and must have travelled from there behind class 85s, and 86s, and 87s, plus few few 90s.

Paddington.  Before they installed the wires it seemed to have hardly changed.  As for pasties, they always smell wonderful, I am tempted, then generally, although not always, at least once, I am disappointed.

Reading.  I am sure I saw the line between the LSWR/SER and the GWR last time I went that way but that was a while ago.

Yes, the weather in Cornwall in June was not wonderful.  We were there then and it was alright but on the Wednesday, it rained, and as we drove back the water was coming up through the manhole covers on the drains.

We went on the Bodmin and Wenford, which has sharp gradients so the engine has to work hard, filling the coach with smuts.  A real steam age experience.

Thank you for your travelogue, very interesting .

Just amazing as always Mikkel.  Your eye for detail I think is stunning.

This looks great, and so near to Christmas too.

What and where?  It can go on my Christmas list.

Another lovely loco Mike.  I do like seeing your locos.

2 hours ago, Adam88 said:

 

I'm pretty sure that they're still distinct organisations.

Yes, you are right.  I am not sure where I got the idea that they had been amalgamated.

2 hours ago, Mikkel said:

 

Thanks Chris, that led me down a rabbit hole. I came back up a few months before the railway strike, namely in January 1911 during the siege of Sydney Street. Judging by other photos this is Metropolitan police, with no spikes on the helmets as you say. And Churchill again. 

 

Caption: Winston Chuchill at the siege of Sydney Street, 3rd January 1911.  Source: Wikipedia.

 

1 hour ago, kitpw said:

In fact, both the Met and the City police - note the difference in the helmets - some with a bright metal "button" and no spike  (Met) and others with a raised strip (City).  Anyway, two lots of police and some politicians, one suitably armed with an umbrella. Churchill remained Home Secretary only until the autumn of 1911 (Wikipedia says 24th October).  As I remember, he swapped places with the First Lord of the Admiralty.

 

A famous photograph much reproduced in school text books covering that era. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes I was getting confused.  It is a long time since I saw a City policeman, I think they are part of the Met now.  Churchill was highly criticised over this, although I am not sure they really had any idea what to do in such cases at the time.

23 minutes ago, Mikkel said:

Thanks once again for the kind comments and buttons, it's very much appreciated - especially on this grey and windy autumn day here in Copenhagen.

 

I think it's interesting to explore how model railways can be used to illustrate historical events great and small. In a way it’s already being done on WW1 and WW2 themed layouts, and of course there was this:

 

 

 

@MikeOxon, with an interest in Britain’s historical railways it seems sensible to understand some context. Also I suppose I’m just a bit of an Anglophile (yes we still exist 😀). 
 

@Hawk Yes, working with Model U on this sort of thing would be fun! But perhaps not very profitable for Alan... I was also impressed with the military figures from WD Models that are illustrated in the photos, and of course the Andrew Stadden Edwardians.

 

I found another photo of the Royal Munster Fusiliers on "strike duty", here:   

https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1976-03-50-66

 

- and then there is the photo below, which claims that these are "soldiers", as opposed to police. But whether that is correct I am not sure. 

 

Caption: A convoy of Pickfords removal vans being escorted over Waterloo Bridge by soldiers. Embedded from Getty Images. 

 

 

 

They would be soldiers.  The Metropolitan Police did not have spikes on their helmets, although the City of London Police did, but their jurisdiction was only within the square mile.

Mikkel,

What a brilliant portrayal, always something different on your blog. 

Hampers, and baskets are needed for the Refreshment Room at Traeth Mawr.  Your blog has been repopulated with pictures so when I came and looked here I found the answer that I thought was here.  Now is this Preiser set the one you also bought?  (Not the same one obviously, but one like it.)  

Glad you have still not changed your hobby to sky diving.  🙂

Very interesting Mike, a truly hybrid model.  Very clever as always and a nice result.

Fortunately I have enough stuff that the grandchildren can use without touching what I have made.

On 03/08/2022 at 22:08, MrWolf said:

I think that you've made a truly impressive job of painting those figures and I have to agree that less is more when it comes to shading. I've never been convinced with the dark wash some put onto figures. It seems to work on fantasy figures but not on humans. 

Those hand carved figures are beautifully done and from an artist's point of view are very life-like. The only criticism I would offer is the proportion of some of the women's hands, they look bigger than mine! It's probably not noticeable except in cruel close ups though.

All the first class ladies have gloves on, and most appear to be thick leather ones so that could add to the size.  The third class ladies probably do as well although it is difficult to see from Andy Stadden's web site, and I have not dug mine out to have a look.

5 hours ago, kitpw said:

...you may be better off with x3. I found higher power magnifiers had a very limited depth of field so the object of my attention went in and out of focus with each wobble of my hand - it reminded me of the "fishing boat bobbing sea" (Dylan Thomas).  Anchoring the object to an immovable something or other would assist but I gave up on it and stuck with 3x. I'm with ChrisN on the difference between 1815 and the 18:15 and although railway modelling sometimes feels like a war game battlefield, my station master brandishes no more than a pocket watch (but duly picked out in Vallejo's gunmetal colour).

When I am painting figures, or anything small, I have both elbows on the table, the figure in one hand, paintbrush in the other, and I have my little fingers touching.  Although this might not anchor them rigidly, it does mean that the brush and figure wobble in unison.

12 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I think that you've made a truly impressive job of painting those figures and I have to agree that less is more when it comes to shading. I've never been convinced with the dark wash some put onto figures. It seems to work on fantasy figures but not on humans. 

 

2 hours ago, Mikkel said:

 

 

Thanks Wolf, I think scale may also affect whether shading works or not, it can look good on 7mm figues I think. Also has to do with the skill of the painter of course, I just can't seem to make washes work on my figures, having tried both bought-in and DIY ones.

 

 

As to shading, I will repeat what I have said before, (sorry),.  Wargamming figures are usually painted with heavy shading and a black wash to bring out the detail, and as such they look great for Waterloo in 1815,  We however want our figures ready for the 18:15 from Waterloo and despite what people might think Waterloo Station in the rush hour is not like facing Napoleon's Army.

Someone whose name I have forgotten, sorry, who is a very good figure painter says highlighting in 4mm is not necessary.

Note: you will notice I do not do close ups as close as Mikkel when showing my figures.

A very nice set of painted figures Mikkel.  You are right about the lady with the bustle, I dated her to the 1880s.  She does appear to be the only one of the Modelu figures to be wearing a corset though.

It is nice to see that the folk of Farthing are as lively as ever.  It is a shame about those two going down the pub instead of researching wagon liveries, it would have sac=ved you so much time.  (Did pubs do meals in the Edwardian times?  Perhaps it was just a liquid lunch, which is where the confusion about red and grey wagons came from.)

I shall have to see if we have Tessa or something similar.  I have used double sided tape on card which is sort of alright but is not perfect.  (I am not supposed to be painting figures at the moment.  I only have about 50 to do, and added another one to the list today.)

We have had a discussion on @MikeOxon's blog about Holly Green, the colour of the original GWR locomotives.  The modern GWR claims it is painting its stock in that colour.  To see if it was felt it was a good representation, when we were standing next to a newly painted train I asked my wife what colour she thought it was.

"Black", came the reply.

I asked again later and she said, "Green".  The first time it was in shade, the second was in full sun.

Just keep adding yellow until you think it is right.  🙂

1 minute ago, kitpw said:

The Ironmonger's Hardware Tables for 1908 gives the following: "Drab colour. - 9 parts of white and 1 of umber".  That should do it - it was obviously a well known and popular choice - nowadays, it would be marketed by a posh paint company under the name of 'Elephant's Ears' or something like that.  Not sure where you'll find Rep at 4mm/ft though: when I looked up Rep, Google went straight to "La Repubblica"....helpful as always, and inventive.

 

Kit PW

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blogs/blog/2502-swan-hill/

Thank you.  Maybe when I paint it I will have to try actually doing it like that.  Rep is, I think, the usual covering for coach seats.  The Cambrian had for 1st Class, blue Broad Cloth, which I have down as mid blue, (too long ago to know how I worked that out), for 2nd, striped plush, which I have as dark blue, and for 3rd, brown Rep, which I have as mid brown.  The GWR  Michael Harris, Great Western coaches from 1890 has:

Current in 1890-1895: 1st Crimson Plush, 2nd and 3rd Rep, smoking compts in leather.

It gives no details of what colour but I took it as Brown Rep and used Humbrol 250, Desert Sand.  

Just checked something and what they use now, and from 1896 is Moquette, so Rep must precede that.  Just found, it is a woven cloth with fine cords or ribs across it. Jimmy Whales big bag of Trivia.

Now the big question is, when you are painting the seats, did they get lighter where the people sat due to wear, or darker due to dirt?  (No, I am not really serious.)
 

All very interesting.  It is nice to read a set of posts on colours that has no 'froth' in them.  I love the 'add yellow to bring about the desired shade' as it puts things into perspective.  I have enough trouble with Cambrian 'Bronze Green' which I fear is much more brown than I have painted my coaches, so what I will make of the GWR ones still to paint who knows.

Now the colour palette from the 'Wrecker Co.' is interesting on a couple of points.  When I 'Googled' 'Drab' I came up with a light brown.  The palette has it as, well, is that brown or is that grey, or maybe browny grey?  (The colour above the luggage racks in Cambrian First Class compartments is Drab Rep, so I need to know. 🙂  Rep is some kind of material.)  Now the colour palette has 'Pink', which I would call flesh colour, so maybe the colours have faded, or maybe it is my monitor, or my eyes, or.........

Is it this one?

Well done, it looks superb.

I must admit, that if I have a kit and it tells me the parts need modifying, (cos we have not designed it properly), I would be more than slightly irritated, so it is good to know that if I do tackle these what I will need to do.  It looks like the interiors will have to be painted first.

What about glazing?  I had a go at 'Glue and Glaze' last week and found the results as unsatisfying as using PVA, not for sticking I hasten to add, but for making the actual glass.

I think I have heard of those liners before, I shall have to see if, when I get round to it, my felt tips actually work, if not I shall take another look and follow your progress with them.

1 hour ago, MikeOxon said:

You ave mastered the 'Render' options in Fusion 360 far more than I have!  I must try exploring these capabilities in more detail. 

 

You were lucky to find an older post that still has its illustrations.  I also made some divided 1st class compartments with central partitions.

 

Mike,

Is that just a partition or is it a door?  If you got on on one side and the station you wanted to get out at had the platform on the other, then you were, er, stuffed.

That is a nice box.  It is the same type, or similar to the type used on the Cambrian.  I was quite taken with it when I saw it sometime last year.  I probably will not be buying one as there is now a book of plans for Cambrian structures.

I thought it was beautiful when I first saw the kit and your rendition has certainly done it justice.