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goldngreen

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  1. goldngreen
    I am working on a new roof for the coal office. I have succumbed to the point of view that says, "a viewer sees more of the rooves than anything else" so I have decided an upgrade is in order. The tiles are 2mm wide which makes them 12" to scale. I have tried to make some of them slightly uneven to make it look more natural by slipping some by 0.1, 0.2 or 0.3mm. This is the effect so far: 
     

     
    I still have the ridge tile, painting and a new sign to do.
     
    If this works well then I will do some of the other buildings.
     
  4. goldngreen
    Here is an attempted wide angle focus stacked image to get good depth of focus close up. Unfortunately the wide angle does not focus so well at this range around the edges. My eyes are not what they were either so my judge of focus may be impaired, however I think it is all in better focus than any of the images that went in to it.
     
     
     
    It is similar to the last photo I posted but is actually completely new.
     
     
  5. goldngreen

    Laying Grass

    By goldngreen,


    Scenics
    Following up on Long Grass, here are some shots of the messy business of laying the grass. Looking back at my inspiration again:
     

     
    I see a greener layer under the straw coloured grass.
     
    With anything that is not stuck down removed, I marked out the boundaries of the grass lightly with a pencil, making clear the areas that should remain as path. I then started by laying a short green layer first painting the area to be grassed with PVA and then using the Flockit to drop the grass. This image shows it immediately after spreading with the glue still very wet:
     

     
    The glue dries translucent so the whiteness has gone.
     
    The long straw coloured grass was then laid by spraying the required area with Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement spray glue (a dilute PVA). The areas were masked with a combination of printer paper and paper towel. 
     

     

     
    Some of the areas, in particular the fence, were masked by holding paper in front of the them while I sprayed the glue. Although it looks a mess here after spreading the grass, it only stuck to the areas I wanted it to stick to. A quick vacuum with a cleaned portable Dyson cleared the area and allowed me to empty the Dyson back in to the bag for reuse.
     

  6. goldngreen

    Long Grass

    By goldngreen,


    Scenics
    In my last post I said I was aiming for long grass in the foreground. These were my inspiration shots from a walk in late summer:
     

     
    Armed with a mid-green for the base at 1mm and a straw colour at 6mm, here is how I got on. First a close up attempting to show the detail:

     
     
    A wider shot:

     
     
    One thing I learned is that it is not easy to get a photo that reflects the actual colour of the grass. It looks a bit more vivid in the photos that in does with the naked eye.

  8. goldngreen

    New Modelling Tool

    By goldngreen,


    Other
    My latest little investment is shown here. Despite appearances, it is not a phaser! It is a small vacuum cleaner for cleaning up the layout, amongst other things. For years I have struggled to clean the layout with a larger vacuum attachment. It works but it is easy to break something along the way. This is rechargeable via USB, quite small (it is sitting on n gauge track) so easy to manipulate, and works really well.  
     

  9. goldngreen

    The Yard of God!

    By goldngreen,


    Other
    My 9 year old daughter has a new name for the fiddle yard. We have talked about the "hand of God" descending on our layouts for years. The fiddle yard is the natural home of the hand of god so it has now become known as "The Yard of God" in our house thanks to our daughter Eleanor!
     
     
  11. goldngreen

    Tree

    By goldngreen,


    Scenics
    My inspiration for model railway trees dates back to the 1970s. We always believed that, no matter how good the track, stock, buildings and scenery were, model railways were always let down by the trees. There did not appear to be a good way to build a realistic tree. Then I saw Pendlebury by Bert Topping in a couple of magazines of the day. There is a picture of one of his trees here on rmweb. Page down through the post. As I remember it, his methods involved blitzing (using a blender) dyed, frozen, wet, foam to make the leaf cover; this was the big difference. It was held in place using rubberized horse hair. One of the features I liked in the Pendlebury trees was the observation that many trees have trunks split quite low and progress to the canopy as two trunks. I wanted to model this in my tree. 
     
    Another more recent inspiration, as for many, is Gordon Gravetts Modelling Trees Part One. 
     
    I was not going to achieve these standards but inspiration is really important.
     
    Now Woodland Scenics and other manufacturers make foam based foliage for us. No messing about with dying and blitzing! My method for this tree was to use stripped 13 amp flex & solder for the trunk and Woodland Scenics foliage for the leaves. My layout is set in late summer so I need predominantly green scenery. The method was nothing special. First one end of the stripped flex was soldered to lock the strands together. Then the branches of the canopy were formed by twisting out the strands of the copper flex in to a tree shape. Each branch node was soldered to hold it in place. Once I had formed the shape I applied flux to draw in to the remaining parts of the tree shape and then applied solder to hold the whole structure firm. At this point many apply a texture but I decided the small scale meant this was not necessary. The solder had already done the job.
     

     
    This was then spray pained to a dull grey/brown colour.
     

     
    Since the model is set in late summer I applied a dense cover of Woodland Scenics mid green foliage teased out as finely as possible, using PVA to hold it in place. It was finally given a spray of Scenic Cement to firm it up.
     

     
    Plonked on the layout
     

  12. goldngreen

    Lighting

    By goldngreen,


    Lighting
    After a long hiatus I have finally got round to another post.
     
    I often find that some of the layouts that stand out at shows are those that are well lit. I think it is particularly important in small cameo layouts. I am also struck by how much layouts of this type look similar in dimensions to home aquariums. Home aquariums always seem to be well lit. This set me thinking.
     
    So I visited my local aquarium supplier with the dimensions of my layout noted. In addition to seeing a wide variety of exotic fish, I also found an aquarium lighting unit that seemed to be a perfect fit. It is LED. It came with a transformer and a switch in the cable.
     

     
    When I got it home I found that the fit was even better than I had expected. I literally had to make no modifications to the layout to fit the lighting unit. It sits perfectly between the ends of the already existing frame at the top of the layout. 
     

     
  13. goldngreen

    Grafar!

    By goldngreen,


    N Gauge
    So pleased to find this reproduction of the 1973 Grafar (Graham Farish) catalogue. The models were so basic compared to the amazing ready-to-run that we get today but in 1973 when I was still a child, making the first move in to N Gauge, this was the first I saw of what was available. It was very exciting at the time. I ended up with a 94xx pannier which, despite the original plastic chassis worked very well; it ran reliably for years and had excellent slow speed performance. I also got a Hall (Burton Agnes Hall) that unfortunately did not work well. There was a short rake of the "GW" mainline coaches as well which I still have today. 
     
     
     
     
  14. goldngreen

    Coal Merchants Office

    By goldngreen,


    Yard
    My most recent project is not very ambitious: a coal merchants office for the yard. It is based very closely on the Scalescenes kit, however I modified the window to suit a prototype I found on the far right of a picture of Kings Heath Station, just because I liked it. I realised having completed the build that it is quite similar to a OO gauge kit given away by Metcalfe on the front of the Railway Modeller a couple of years ago. The brick work is just the Scalescenes original however I put the arch in over the window using The Gimp. The roof is home made from a photo, squared up and joined in to a larger sheet also using The Gimp. The chimney pot is a white metal casting from Langley. I can only find the OO gauge ones on their web page but I picked the N gauge ones up at a show. The gutters and down pipes are Ratio. The overgrown ivy is Woodland Scenics.
     

     
    The coal merchant will fill a gap at the back of the yard.
  15. goldngreen

    A Diversion - Stamford Engine Shed

    By goldngreen,


    Diversion
    I came across a model I made some time ago just for interest when I did not have a layout: Stamford Engine Shed in N gauge based on the Prototype Kit:
     

     
    I scanned in the original Prototype kit and then used The Gimp to replace all of the brick surfaces with a Scalescenes equivalent. The roof tiles were replaced using the same technique with a home made slate paper made from a photo of the roof of the school at the Beamish Museum. The water tank sides were drawn from scratch in The Gimp. The kit was then printed on similar thickness card to the Prototype kit and built the same way as the original using the supplied windows. It was finished with Ratio guttering and chimney pots made from plastic sheathe stripped from electric wire. 
     

     
    Looking back at it now I can see many rough edges but I think the original building is a great prototype. It has no place on my GWR Marlott though so back in its box!
     

     
    This is the original prototype kit which I believe is still available from Freestone Model Accessories.
     

     
    I thought I had done a post on this some time ago but cannot find it. Do old entries in these blogs get archived after some period? Anyway, if you had already seen this then apologies for the duplicate.
     
  16. goldngreen

    Control 2

    By goldngreen,


    Control
    In control I explained how the underside of the layout is wired. Now for the controllers and control panel.
     
    I decided on two controllers. This is perhaps more than necessary for a layout of this size but I wanted two controllers to get optimum control of different loco types. I find that the older locos and some recent ones respond better to PWM feedback controllers. I used the now defunct ECM controllers on earlier layouts many years ago and found them to be highly effective. The modern locos with coreless motors respond badly to PWM controllers and can be damaged by them, as explained here.
     
    The PWM controller is a Gaugemaster Model DF. It includes 2 PWM controllers and importantly 2 transformers (required for common return wiring). It also has a 16v AC output.
     

     
    My other controller is a Gaugemaster Model W hand held, powered off the AC output from the Model DF.
     

     
    I also need a control panel to mount the section switches. I decided that this would be the central hub so the Model DF, the Model W and the layout would only be connected to the central hub. This avoids a mesh of wires between different components keeping things tidy. For the hub controller I wanted a simple box with switches, sockets and a track diagram.
     
    Carpentry is not my strongest suit so I looked for a practical solution. I puzzled for some time before remembering a trick we used as radio control boat modellers in the 70s to protect the expensive radio control gear. The components were mounted in Tupperware containers with small holes for control wires. The top could be flipped off easily for access. Although not providing a tight seal due to the holes, this kept splashes off the electrical gear. I did not have the water proof requirement but a readymade plastic box seemed like a good option.
     
    I looked around for a suitable plastic box and found my best option at The Range.
     

     
    It is a robust black box with a semi transparent lid allowing my printed track plan to show through when mounted on the inside. Power comes in to the box from the Model DF via two phono sockets on the left, one for the controller and one for the 16v AC. The handheld Model W is connected via a 5 pin din socket on the right hand side which provides power out and control back in. Four switches are mounted at the top of the box to control the sections which are colour coded on the diagram. The switches are 3 way, up for one controller, down for the other and centre off. Control to the layout leaves via a 5 pin din socket at the back.
  17. goldngreen

    Yard Crane

    By goldngreen,


    Yard
    To yard crane or not to yard crane. That is the decision facing me now. Am I going to start building this yard crane today and, if I do, will it have a place on the layout? 
     

  18. goldngreen

    Control

    By goldngreen,


    Control
    I opted for DC rather than DCC for a number of reasons including:
     
    I have a number of older locomotives that would be more difficult to chip I felt that DCC was unnecessary on such a small layout – although I am now in two minds and I ended up over-engineering the DC anyway!  
    I chose cab control as described in Wiring the Layout Part 2 (my copy is about 40 years old but I do not think cab-control has changed much) mainly because it is what I had done before on a previous larger layout. So despite its small size the layout is divided into 4 sections. This does have the advantage that I am not relying on the points for isolation. I have used the common return approach to minimize the number of wires under the baseboard and between the layout and the control panel, with a view to using some old 5 pin din leads to connect the layout to the control panel; 4 sections means 5 wires, one for each section plus one for the common return.
     
    Here is a view under the baseboard.
     

     
    Figure 1 shows one of the droppers from the track. The droppers are terminated immediately under the baseboard into choc-box connectors. This makes it easy to reconfigure if necessary and also means that the wiring does not pull at the droppers. The droppers are fixed to the underside of the track by first removing a small section of the track plastic webbing, then filing the underside of the rail with a needle file to provide a rough surface to bond to. About 4 mm of the dropper wire was stripped and about 2mm of the stripped section bent at 90 degrees. This right angle section was soldered to the underside of the track. The droppers were poked through the drilled holes when laying the track and then connected to the choc-box connectors.  This makes the droppers completely invisible from the top side.
     
    Figure 2 shows the central bank of connectors for all of the sections. The wires are colour coded, yellow for common return with a different colour for each section. The central bank is connected to the 5 pin din edge connector (3). Figure 4 shows an alternative connector at the back of the layout which is currently not used but could be wired to the central bank in the same way as the front connector.
     
    I now wish I had included isolated sections at the end of each siding. I might try to incorporate them later but it will mean some droppers that are not as tidy as those that were put in before the track was laid and ballasted.
  19. goldngreen

    Point Control

    By goldngreen,


    Control
    Last year I was asked a question about how I intended to actuate the points. Unfortunately I missed that question and so have only just responded. Apologies to Jack Benson for that. Here is the explanation I promised. I am using stiff push/pull wires under the baseboard as shown here:
     

     
    The other components in the design are choc-box connectors. The brass insides of the choc-box connectors are used as joiners for the wire to allow the system to be re-configurable (see 1). The consequence is that it can, in theory, be reconfigured to operate from the front or the back by undoing a couple of screws and connecting the handle to the other side. Another brass choc-box-inside is used directly under the point. A groove is filed in to the side of the brass connector into which a vertical wire is soldered. This engages with the point via a hole in the baseboard (see 2).
     

     
    The wires are guided by brass tube which is held in place using the plastic outside part of choc-box connectors (see 3).
     
    I have one side of the double-slip mounted in line with the Y point. The consequence is that I needed to divert the control of the Y point sideways past the double-slip actuator. This is done using more choc-box-internals with filed grooves and soldered wires to effect a horizontal bridge (see 4). I needed the double bridge with tension on the wires to make it stiff enough.
     
    A similar approach is used to operate the switches required to complete the double slip electrical continuity (see 5).
     
    The wires stick a short distance out of the front of the layout. They are covered with small plastic handles.
     

     
    Label 6 shows one of the holes for the alternative rear operation configuration. I cannot have these permanently setup since at home it is against a wall.
     
    The use of the adjustable screw connectors makes it easy to fettle the system to get the right tolerances. It is also easy to fix if something goes wrong although it has been working reliably since installation.
    I think I got the basic idea from a BRM article which, unfortunately, I cannot find now.
  20. goldngreen

    Weathering Cows Too

    By goldngreen,


    Cattle Dock
    More on weathering cows. The cows were weathered using Modelmates Mud Brown weathering liquid. It is very easy to use. It is water soluble but dries like ink. To weather the cows I just painted it on and then let it down with a wet brush until I had the colouring I wanted. The cattle dock is weathered using the pastels method.  Perhaps I need more cows in there?
  21. goldngreen

    Weathering Cows

    By goldngreen,


    Cattle Dock
    It is not every day that when I am asked what I have been doing that I am able to answer "weathering cows". I had that opportunity today so I grabbed it with both hands. 
     
    My original plan included the possibility of a cattle dock. The time has come. The cattle dock is going in the original planned location at the back to the right. 
     
    I want to make most of the features on the layout either scratch built, or made from less familiar kits, in the hope that it will look a little different. I therefore considered scratch building a cattle dock. I looked at how to make the fencing and came to the conclusion that an etch would be the best option. For the gates I thought plastic but it is difficult to fashion such things from scratch in N gauge. As for the platform there are many options but Peco platform edgings seemed like a good option. As I reviewed the options I realised that I was pretty much describing the Ratio cattle dock so this time I decided to swallow my pride and buy the kit. 
     
    The kit goes together easily. I did however find the lights difficult to make. The posts are very delicate. I managed to snap 2, one while clipping off the sprue with clippers designed for the purpose, the other with a paint brush. I managed to fix them both with Mek Pak! Perhaps 2mm is  bit beyond me these days with my aging eyes. The finished kit is shown below plonked on the layout in the intended position. I will have to fix it permanently to deal with the gap at the base. I used a slightly unusual configuration for the gate positions to ensure cattle could be loaded from both pens on this very short siding. It is weathered in a lime washed state complete with weathered Graham Farish cows. The photo tells me that I will also need to blend in the lime washed state to the track and hide the join between the steps and the platform.
     

  22. goldngreen

    Subdued Colours

    By goldngreen,


    Weathering
    I was pleased to get a comment from Mikkel on the subdued colours I had used on the engine shed. Despite not achieving his amazing standards I thought I would share how I do it. Subdued colours are something I am aiming for on the layout as I always like the layouts with subdued colours at shows. On the engine shed I used The Gimp to subdue the colour of the printed Scalescenes Red Brick, however on the other areas and all over the rest of the layout I use pastels. I have two sets that I rely on:
     

     
    The Black to White set is from a high street branch of The Works having seen a recommendation from BRM's Phil Parker. I picked up the landscape set at a show such a long time ago that I do not remember who sold it to me. It used to be available from Amazon but I have not been able to find it there recently. I did find one on eBay. Fortunately I have a spare!
     
    On all painted surfaces and the scenery I paint using standard colours and then dull down using similar coloured pastels. I often use a few and then blend them on the surface with a dry brush. I like the finish not just for the colours but also the soft edges and the very matt finish. It works particularly well on ground cover and stone surfaces. They clean up well using the vacuum cleaner extension and can be sealed using a spray varnish if necessary.
     
    The signal box was finished this way after being painted with Precision Paints GWR light and dark stone, plus Humbrol brick red and slate colours. 
     
  23. goldngreen

    Engine Shed Details

    By goldngreen,


    engine shed
    A quick run down on materials used for the engine shed.
     

     
    Outside bricks: Scalescenes Red Brick TX01 with the colour dulled down using The Gimp Inside white washed bricks: Scalescenes Painted Brick TX05 Guttering: Ratio Guttering & Drainpipes Doors: Ratio Doors with the arched tops removed with a razor saw Roof: York Modelmaking Slates N-Tiles01 Windows: Scene-Setters Glazing Bars 3x4mm -  I got these at a show. They are not currently listed on the website as they are rebuilding the site. I made the frames look more worn and yellow using a pastel. I smothered them in the pastel colour and then brushed it off. It sticks to the bars just enough but comes off the clear areas easily. 
  24. goldngreen

    Engine Shed

    By goldngreen,


    engine shed
    After a long hiatus for the summer progress has continued a little. The engine shed has been largely finished for some time but I put the internal white washed bricks in this week to finish the job. The engine shed will be adjacent to the coaling stage, to which I am adding coal now! 
     
    It is not modelled on a prototype. It is however in the GWR style with similarities to Tetbury without the water tower, or a shorter version of Wallingford. 
     

     
    A view looking inside a little.
     

     
    The camera never lies; having seen the images I took for the blog I will have to improve the weathering on the doors. 
     
    It will help cover the scenic break bridge to the right of the layout. This means that, amazingly, I am still largely keeping to my original plan. Here is a view of it plonked in that location. 
     
     

  25. goldngreen

    Coaling Stage

    By goldngreen,


    Yard
    The coaling stage is built from the excellent Poppys Woodtech laser-cut wooden kit. Despite the small scale the kit goes together very easily. The fact that it is real wood makes painting and weathering easy. I used a combination of water colour and pastels. I just need to get some coal on it now.
     

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