Ydna

Another progress report on the weekend's work on the layout.... Well, I've fully sanded down all the filler and repainted the non-scenic parts of the layout structure / board black. I've also completed the warehouse MDF cutouts, as seen in the pictures below... Here are the scraps of MDF left over from the cutouts... I use the scraps to make the two half-warehouses to go on the right end. It needed another little bit on scrap added on to make it the correct length (which is what the clamps are holding on)... I spent about an hour shredding up pices of thin card to stick on to make the ridges of the walls... Eventually the warehouses will be varnished and painted (the varnish will [hopefully] stop the card from expanding when the Acrylic paint is applied). The end result should be acceptable enough to stand on top of the retaining walls The project for this week is some AWS ramps which I purchased at the model shop today for £1.85. The pack contains four which is pretty good value. Obviously they won't be appearing on Almere Road because they're only used on mainlines (and usually positioned 300yrds before the signal). I'll probably be using them on my modern image home layout (which is a project ground to a halt currently!). I'll be painting them and weathering them. The project will be fully written up in a blog entry in a few days time That's all for now folks. Comments and ideas for the layout always welcome.

Thankyou for your advice. I was thinking that the underframe might be a tad over the top too. Thanks again.

Hi folks. I thought I might share with you my latest weathering project, the BR 20 Ton Brake Van by Hornby. I purchased this model a month or two back and from the start I got it for a reason... Primarily to pull behind my Break-Down Crane. Yesterday I got round to the 'griming it up' I began by giving giving the model a quick rinse with tap water to aid adhesion of the paint. After it was fully dry, I moved on to what I normally do to brake van / van roofs. I have a very good method which I use, as follows: I start by mottling a very weak (thinned) shade of blacky-grey, grimy paint on with a medium-sized brush. I use Acrylics (primarily because they don't stink the room out like enamels [and other oil-based paints], they dry quicker and the appropriate thinner is water rather than white spirit or suchlike. Water costs nothing and I don't use paint for weathering unless it's thinned). After that has settled on the roof for between 20 seconds and a minute (depending on how much I've thinned it down) I dab what I can off with kitchen-roll. The rule is; the longer you leave the paint on, the more weathered and aged your model roof will look - its as simple as that. Next, I highlight potential rust-prone areas with a bone-dry brush. In the previous entry to this blog I used this technique a huge amount to model scratches in the paintwork of the Rudd ZBV wagon. The way I do it is by mixing some rust-shade paint with another brush, and then I partly ruin the brush I've chosen by spreading out the bristles slightly (it's probably wise to use one of your more aged brushes for this job!). So, once the bristles are bent outwards just dip the ruined brsh in the paint and dab it onto the prone-to-rust areas of the roof. That's it! I also work on the chassis of course... a chassis never stays black for long, as it is on the model! For the chassis I use rust coloured powders (I produce my powers by crushing orange pastels - a quick way to dispose of old pastels!). For the body work of the model (which in this brake van's case is steel, I use more powders, but this time a black, grimy mix of pigments. That's pretty much it for a 20 Tonne brake van of that era. Below I've attached some pics... The model before weathering: The model after weathering: Please give me your thoughts and opinions on this project. If there's any more you think I can add then please suggest it, although I'm not going down the Graffiti route yet! Thanks for viewing... more grime comin' soon.

Thought i might take the chance to introduce you to some of my stock that isn't in the 'Locomotive' category. Obviously the layout is a TMD, and very small one at that, meaning that there isn't a lot of space for wagons to sit a round. However, I have been working on weather one or two of my wagons to show off on the layout from time to time. It gives the 08 Shunter something to 'shunt' I suppose and is a change from just a crowd of Locos refueling. So, below I've attached a few pictures of my latest wagon - a Hornby Rudd ZBV Ballast/Sleeper Wagon. I decided to have a go at 'bringing it to life' after reading a very informative 'Easy Weathering' article in the Railway Modeller February Issue... The model to begin with (before treatment): Tools I used for the job: A mix of brushes A watercolour set (to create pigments of different colours by crushing them) A rust coloured pastel (to crush to make more pigments) Some cotton bud stocks to rub pigments / powders into model A few appropriate acrylic modelling paints I used a craft knife to simulate a dent (as they do in the RM Article): The model on the cutting mat ready to be weathered: I began crushed parts of my rusty orange shade pastel to create some powder. I then mixed that with some crushed yellow watercolour pigments (remember, the watercolours have to be bone dry to crush) to make more of a rusty orange rather than just the red orange of the pastel alone. Using one of my old fine brushes an my fingers I rubbed it into the insides of the wagon: The model after weathering: Thanks for viewing. A lot of work on Almere Road TMD planned for tomorrow and Sunday

Thanks for your compliments Craig

Hi folks, thought I might update you on the layout. Over the previous week, since the last update, I've got on with completing the retaining wall structure at the back. It's now completely finished, and after purchasing a tub of wood-filler on Wednesday I've been smearing a 2mm thick layer of the stuff over the bare ply-wood with a pallet-knife to give a smoother finish. Next weekend I'll be able to start sanding it down and I'll possibly even get round to painting it a tar-mac colour with a mix of Acrylics. Some progress pictures are below - excuse the general mess... Ta for now guys!

Good luck with the build mate.

In the previous entry, I wrote a breif discription of the story behind the layout and I also attatched a basic track-plan just to give you a rough idea of what it'll look like. So, down to the nitty-gritty... I breifly mentioned that I had been working on the base-boards recently. Attatched below is a diagram in plan-view of the board dimensions: But, anyway the base-boards - and the 'Sky Blue' painted back-boards are actually now complete, as of a fortnight ago. I'm currently getting on with the painful task of constructing the retaining wall structure out of ply. Once that job is done, I'll bring the layout inside, from the garage into the front-room where I can get on with sorting the track out. The current trackplan, attatched in the last entry, isn't for definite but it'll be something along the lines of that. Jobs to do: Complete retaining wall Cover retaining wall is brick-effect paper (CGTextures) Build low-relief warehouse back-scene, sitting on retaining wall Lay track Test Ballast Track Test Build fiddle yard Test Build lighting unit (for exhibition use). This will probably be a seperate, bolt-on wooden structure. It will also carry the layout name-plaque, etc. Scratch build the buildings Do all the scenics (scatter / static grass, trees, etc.) Some other finishing touches, etc. More updates to come. Progress pictures also coming soon. Ta for now.

Over the past few months, I've been constructing the baseboards for my new exhibition layout called Almere Road TMD. The project began when, a few months ago, I felt like putting a small, compact, cheap and hopefully simple exhibition layout together. I've always been interested in the 80s/90s era of diesel traction and so I instantly chose to model small, fictional Traction Maintenance Depot. The name is made-up but I imagine the scene to be set somewhere in the South of England. As I've said already, I've always been interested in the 80s/90s era of diesel traction and the majority of my stock is in the Railfreight Distribution Livery. So in conclusion, the layout is a compact model of a late-80s - mid-90s era Railfreight Distribution Traction Maintenance Depot. As I've always used DC (and quite honestly haven't got the finance to enter the DCC world), DC is for definate, despite the fact that it's very outdated and not quite as ideal for exhibition exhibiting as DCC is. The plan (attatched below) comprises of an Engine / Maintenance Shed, a refuelling facility, a wash-plant and possibly a wheel-lathe shed. There is also a small storage siding. For a lot more info on the general information on the layout please take a moment to visit the larger website dedicated to the layout... I'm primarily using RMweb as a blog Updates and progress pictures to follow. Ta for now The most likely, final trackplan... NOT TO SCALE: