LDM34046

Thanks Al. I think that maybe the case. There’s droppers to the outside rails and also to the electro frog but I think the blades still draw power which is something I didn’t think about when painting. I might break out the dremel and sand off the paint on the blades, I think the wet and dry paper I used for the rail tops maybe a bit fiddly to sand the sides.

With the dodgy 3-way point still bugging me I decided to move onto another job that needed doing. When I first bought the locos I never had the opportunity to run them in properly however with the addition of the DCC Concepts Rolling Road the locos were able to stretch their legs for a change. Having just run the Pannier for 30 minutes in each direction I’m surprised how much of a difference running in makes. Much smoother movements and a much quieter motor.

With the basic scenics complete I couldn’t resist the temptation to run a few trains however I’ve run into a few issues with my 3-way point. All the rails have had the paint removed off the top surface with a fine sandpaper and thoroughly cleaned with a track rubber and track cleaning fluid however I’m still have locos cutting out on the point. Although the tops of the rails are clean do the sides of the blades need to be paint free as well? A bit of head scratching I think as the rail tops are spotless!

And just like that we have green! I ended up using a mixed blend of 2mm green, 4mm light and 7mm dark green and it’s worked a treat. A darker blend was used towards the back of the hill. A few touch ups left to do on the hillside and I’m tempted to repaint the hill face as it’s still patchy. Tempted to clean up the rails and get some trains running tonight!

Messing around with camera ideas this location of the hut seems more natural and seems more prototypical of yard staff accessing the hut however I’m not too sure on the tolerances behind it. A wagon can fit behind the hut with no issues and doesn’t look to tight to the eye however I don’t know how prototypical it is!

The coal bunkers will be positioned in the coal siding (no surprise there!) and will face inwards. As for the yard hut I’m stuck for the final location. I think the first option is the best idea however I don’t know how prototypical it is in terms of yard staff accessing the hut. Welcome to suggestions!

With the filler drying on the layout I decided to tackle the Wills kit. A lovely kit and goes together well. Not a bad result considering how long ago I did my last plastic kit. A coat of primer and then painted with Humbrol paints.

Areas were marked out for hard standing and painted. I’ve gone with a sandy/chalky colour for the yard, something I’ve seen a lot in my local area. I’ve also used poly filler to smooth over the wire-in-tube method and add a bit of texture to the ground. A few small gaps in the hillside were also filled in as they kept bugging me.

A few goodies to keep me busy this weekend! Time to start painting some of the scenics and hopefully start laying down the grass tomorrow. A second test patch of grass was done this morning to see if the colours were better. On the right is the old ‘artificial’ looking blend, on the left is the newer more realistic blend with an over lap in the middle. Although the new blend in the middle looks good it maybe a tad too fair however the overlap in the middle of both blends looks ideal for what I had in mind. A few humbrol paints have been ordered on click and collect and my local model shop so work can start on the yard hut I’ve purchased as well as painting the rails. Plenty to be getting stuck into!

Incredible CAD Skill. Takes a whole new level to scratch building. I’ve just spent the last two days searching for the right shaped ‘hut’. I wish I had the patience and skills to have free reign on design. Excited to see it come to life!

Thank you Al. I’ve purchased a light green in 4mm and a medium green in 6mm with the aim of some of my sidings looking slightly overrun. Having looked on a few other layouts I’ve seen 4mm and 6mm used quite effectively. Thank you for the advice though!

A few things ordered so a couple of day's wait for bits to arrived. A couple of different realistic shades of woodland scenes grass has been ordered as I wasn't a fan of the colour I had plus the Wills Kits coal yard to use as a little yard hut at the far end of the layout. Another job that can be ticked off the list this evening was painting the backscene. I didn't want anything too punchy or vibrant and was looking for something a bit neutral. In the end I settled for an duck egg blue which in hindsight is more a 50:50 grey and blue however I was happy with the results and it forms a suitable 'sky' colour. A few more coats this evening will help bring the colour out but overall I'm happy. The addition of the sky is starting to make this layout feel like a scene.

Today was a test run on the scenics. A small piece of cardboard was used to test out the puffer bottle method of static grass and to my surprise it worked rather well. In the loft I found an old Gaugemaster scenic starter set however the grass included was a bit too unnaturally green and I wasn’t a fan of the reddish and yellow blend. Shopping around online I found Woodland Scenics do a much more realistic blend of colours. I’m thinking FS619 Light Green would look much better however I’m not sure whether 2mm or 4mm is best.

So after a bit of research I’ve settled on the Wills Kits SS15 as a suitable candidate for the yard hut and coal siding. My only slightly grumble is I can’t seem to find the dimensions for just the hut alone. The measurements of the coal staithes (SS17) sold separately conflict with the measurements of SS15. My only guess is to buy the kit and pray that it fits where I want it to fit. The plan is to have the little hut sit between the head shunt and arrival road and then the coal bunkers to sit facing inwards on the coal siding. (Just in front of the cattle van) Conveniently Railway Modeller tweeted a preview to an article back in 2019 in which this kit was built and slightly modified so I’ll use that as a basis for making the kit. Today started off with some point related grumbles however order has been restored on the progress. We March On...

Pointwork chiselled and working again. Pushing a wagon over the point seemed to run smoothly without any issues and any stray lumps of ballast removed from the rails. I couldn’t help but take a photo of the cattle wagon in the sidings! I’m thinking of adding a small coal yard in this siding to facilitate the coal wagons and maybe a small yard hut positioned at the other end of the headshunt. I’ve taken a keen eye to the Wills Kits SS15 however I can’t seem to find the footprint dimensions to see if it’ll fit.

So using a flat headed screwdriver I was able to clear out more ballast from around the point mechanism. I undid the wire from the switch end and was able to push it back throw the tube up to the point before we attaching it to the slide switch. This seems to have worked and the throw seems quite solid and wagons run over it no issue. Time will tell if this is a permanent fix but it seems to have solved the issue for now.... As for dealing with the flaky track. There’s not really a lot I can do now the ballast is down. Worse case in the future I hand paint each of the rains and sleepers with a more suitable paint! Sounds like a job for a rainy weekend! We March On....

Two steps forward, one step back. Having tried to clear away as much of the ballast I can the point now longer throws completely to the right despite the switch being thrown. My biggest fear is that the wire-in-tube method below the point has come loose which would result in me having to lift the track and redo it. The point will happily completely throw to left but will only manage half way when thrown to the right. My other bug is the paint on the sleepers is starting to crack and chip all over the layout. Maybe I should have done some more research when deciding what to buy! Back to the drawing board and a frustrating day on the layout!

Well! I spoke too soon! I did say it was a case of learning as I go and I’ve hit my first face palm moment! Not bad for the stage that the layout it is. The ballast has dried lovely! However with it, the point blades and mechanism have dried shut! Rock solid! This afternoon will be the joyous and destructive job of chiselling around the point switch to hopefully free it of any ballast and PVA without causing too much damage. To quote Homer Simpson.. D’OH!!!

Patience is a virtue! Ballasting is complete! The joys of a small layout is it only took about 2 hours. All the ballast was laid loose and brushed between all the sleepers and point blades and then sprayed with a 1:1 mix of PVA and water. Now we wait till this time tomorrow to see how neat it really is! I’m not really sure where to go from here as my previous layout never got this far! The brown spray on the track had chipped on the buffer stops so I’m cautious that if I start running trains, the paint will crack on the track. I don’t know whether to secure it with a Matt varnish spray. The other part of me isn’t sure on whether to paint the rails a darker colour. I thought the brown would be fine for the whole layout but now I’m not too sure. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to have a concrete ‘yard’ next to the head shunt for a few people, maybe a small yard hunt so I’ll have to paint grey area. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

Thank you Rich! Yes it does make a huge difference. It’s the first time I’ve done scenic work as my previous layout never really got to this stage so it’s been a learning curve. The track almost looks different now there’s some hills in place compared to a plain baseboard.

A second coat of paint in a more realistic shade. This time a lot more brown. It didn’t have to be perfect as grass and foliage will be laid over the top. Next job tomorrow is to start on the ballasting. Oh such fun!

Probably the most expensive and fanciest paints used on a model railway! We had loads of sample pots left over from the house so it seemed pointless buying new paints when I could mix my own. The colour I mixed ended up being way to grey and less brown however no harm in doing a first coat as it was going to take a few coats. While the first coat was drying I came across my old modelling box full of Games Workshop colours. All the paints had dried out however there was still a pack of airfix paint, of which brown was included so I’ll use that for the second coat.

With yesterday taken up working from home today I continued to crack on with the layout. This morning’s job was to touch up a few areas of the hill with smaller bits of newspaper and PVA to fill in the gaps and create a smoother transition with the track level and the hillside. Once the glue is dry, after a few hours I can mix up a batch of brown/murky paint and paint the hillside ready to start ballasting and grass work.

With the UK back into another lockdown it was a good excuse to get up early and crack on with the layout. It’s great to be able to focus on something each day, especially in these strange circumstances. Upright cardboard supports were made out of a cereal box and glued into place with UHU glue. This formed the rough shape of the hill. I decided to build a small embankment at the front of the layout as I always find it odd at some layouts the ‘viewing’ side is always quite empty and I enjoy the idea of looking through the scenery and trees to see the trains. Scrunched up newspaper was stuffed into place, held in place with more UHU glue. Strips and pieces of newspaper were then dunked into a mix of 1:1 PVA and water and then applied to the hill to form the rough shapes. A second coat of PVA was then applied to secure the whole thing. Once the glue is dry overnight any small gaps and holes will be smoothed out with filler and any additional small mounds I want to add around the layout. The plan with the cutting is to scratch build some brick supports to go either side of the track to support the earthwork. Once the majority of the hill is complete I’ll find some inspiration or maybe even a kit to do the job. The hill will then be painted and work can start on the ballasting and then the static grass. It’s nice to see the layout develop nicely! Regards! LDM

A slight oversight on my behalf yesterday, I forgot to replace the sleepers that were cut out when the track was laid prior to spraying. Today the sleepers I kept were trimmed and pushed back under the existing gaps were the track joins are and fiddled around so the spacing was equal. A third coat of spray was coated over the new sleepers and a few touch ups that I missed yesterday. Next step is to work on the hill foundations before starting on the joyous job of ballasting.