LDM34046

Your first mistake was coming on RMWeb, we’re all bad influences here!

Got the BR Green out today. Still need to get the new Bachmann 08 chipped and programmed! A long list of locomotive projects…

Back to the modelling…

Potentially? I’m not clued up in the area! It’s a cracking bit of railway. The line from Penzance splits at St Erth with the double track mainline continuing round the right hand side of the bay onwards to Truro and the steep branch line heading up to St Ives on the left hand side of the bay. Both stunning bits of railway and scenery!

Didn’t make it to Newquay however Hayle Bay offers characters of the same type!

Wouldn’t be a trip to Cornwall would catching a glimpse of the Cornish railway network, something that’s been on my ‘train spotting bucket list’ for quite some time. One evening I managed to catch this shot of a Great Western HST departing Penzance along the coastline. A bucket list photo for me and surprisingly my first time seeing the fabled Class 43. Another spot was further along the line at Long Rock Depot. The local Class 08 ‘St Piran’ in it’s rather striking Cornish livery.

One of the things I love about the Cornish coast is how timeless it is. Always so peaceful, even in the tourist seasons

I’ve been a quiet the last week. Took a much needed holiday with my partner for her birthday down in Cornwall. Great to make the most of the last of the summer weather. St Michael’s Mount, Marazion Eden Project, Par Kynance Cove, Lizard Mevagissey Habour Don’t worry! Railway content will resume…

A start tonight on Backscene Mk.3. I marked out with a pencil a rough hillside running the length of the layout. Inspired by my trips to Scotland I didn’t want anything too aggressive but a few little peaks to give it that remote feel. The paint was made up using the original backscene blue with a few drops of dark grey. I made sure I didn’t mix the two colours fully so as I painting there would be a nice blend of colours on the hillside, not just one block of colour. Already a huge improvement over the plain blue. Can you tell I’m making it up as I go along? 😅 With the trees and foliage added I think the hillside will blend in nicely.

Although the traditions are still very much continuing, I felt that since a few days had past, it was appropriate to continue with the modelling process… I settled on a painted backscene in one form of another. Being a remote area, 90% of the backscene would consist of woodland. To begin with, I tried my hand at painting some trees on a section of backscene that would be hidden. Each tree had a varying degree of success however I found it wasn’t the painting I found tricky, more so the angle in which I would have to paint. I think it maybe a neater idea, instead of painting individual trees, rather paint a continuous mixed green border on the backscene with the hope once the layers of seafoam trees are added, it creates the illusion of a dense forest.

I had started to do some more work on the layout last week however, like many, found myself glued to the TV following the sad news of HRH Queen Elizabeth’s passing. It’s incredible how one single figure, who most of us have never met, impacted our lives, seemingly more than we originally thought. When a major historical event like that happens, suddenly everything gets put into perspective. It didn’t seem like the right time to be posting about scenic layout changes…

Time to get some trains running again! With the railheads cleaned it wasn’t long before the wheels were turning and to my surprise, everything ran smoothly without a hitch. Particularly pleased with how neat the sidings now look. The buffer stops are yet to be detailed with a bit of rust. As for the street end of the layout I’m undecided. I was originally going to use some extremely fine ballast and ash to form the texture however after few test pieces I felt it was a bit overkill. For the time being I’ve just painted and weathered the DAS clay. I’m still undecided on whether I’m happy with the result but I’m going to work on a few other areas of the layout and come back to it.

Well…it’s been a while… But all for good reason, I’ve been extremely productive and glad to say the track work is now complete. Following the ballast test piece I set to work over the last week on the layout. The first siding was completed and left to dry overnight before tackling the rest of the layout. A time consuming process of brushing the N gauge ballast into place, soaking with alcohol and then setting with Ballast Bond. Overall the ballasting was done over the course of three nights allowing each section to dry in between. With the ballast dry, the sleepers had become stained with ballast dust, alcohol and glue which left them looking white and dusty. An evening was spent painting each individual sleeper and rail edge with a dark wash which not only returned it to it’s original brown colour but helped bring out of the sleeper details. A nice illustration of the before and after. A noticeable improvement! And just like that a week has past. But with it, some suitably grimes track and sleepers and some nice neat scale ballast. One Happy Modeller!

Oooo I like your thinking Rob. I was originally thinking of changing the Pub name from the generic Bachmann name however ‘North Gate Sidings’ does have a nice ring to it. Time to have a think why I ponder over more ballasting…

Very fitting!

Working on the ballasting tonight… Not the most enjoyable jobs but an hour a night should see the job completed by the end of the week. Much more time and care is being taken this time to ensure the points don’t seize up. It pays in the long run. I’m also thinking of a name for the new layout. Brewer’s Street? There’s a street. With a brewery at one end. How original! Need to get the creative juices flowing. Open to any and every suggestion!

Thanks Rob. I’ve had great experience with the Bachmann decoders, great value for money. Since using Stay-Alives in all my locos, I’ve been using the Zimo system, both for decoders and stay-alive chips. They seem to work great and the built in surge protection has saved me on more than one occasion!

As well as the new arrival last night, more work was done on the scenics themselves. A rough base coat of Tamiya paint across the layout. Light grey was also used to help create the paved area, which will be covered in a very fine ash ballast. With the track coated in Sleeper Grime the sleepers were dry brushed with a grey to highlight the wood grain and also the rail chairs. These will be toned down with a dark wash. On the original basecoat, the point blades were masked so the electrical continuity was maintained. ( I learnt this the hard way last time). The sides of the rails will be painted in by hand. A crude close up.

A new arrival on the layout in the form of Bachmann’s new release, Class 08 ‘D3881’ in BR Green. Initial impressions are good, a weighty model with plenty of fine detailing. The paint is good with crisp lines on the wasp stripes. Weathering is subtle, a welcome change to some of the factory weathered attempts. Yet to comment on the running quality as a suitable decoder is still to be fitted however I look forward to seeing this lovely model creep around the layout!

Making a start on the larger picture this evening. The layout took a trip into the garden today for the first coat of paint. Railmatch Sleeper Grime. Before… After… Suitably grimy! Does what it says on the tin. A nice dusty shade of brown. Next job, once dry, is to dry brush the sleeper with a light grey to pick out a few of the details and wooden texture.

The Hornby model trumps the market currently, hence why it’s quite hard to get hold of a decent example. It’ll be interesting to see how the new Bachmann example compares when it’s out in a few weeks time.

Highly recommend the stuff. I also picked up a box of their ‘Superfine’ N Gauge ballast which can be used for yards and roads etc. Their weathering kit also includes Ash for depots, weathering paint and oil solution to create stains. Not the cheapest products but really effective and the closest to scale I’ve found.

Decided to give ballasting a go last night using the new products on the short test piece that I used for the DAS clay. The track was sprayed with a fine coat of Railmatch Sleeper Grime. A light grey acrylic was dry brushed over the sleepers to help highlight some of the textures. Weathering powders we’re used to pick out the chairs. The ballast itself is from Geoscenics as recommended by Model Rail Magazine. I settled for Granite N Gauge ballast rather than the chunkier stuff I used last time. Brushed into place with a soft brush, alcohol was dropped over the ballast to help the glue spread. I decided to use Deluxe Materials Ballast Bond instead of the regular Water:PVA mix. A much easier product to use and completely mess and hassle free. Although a bit thin in some places I’m really happy with the overall finish and the scale of ballast next to the sleepers. My only point to improve is the ‘dusty’ nature of the ballast which has left the sleepers looking lighter than originally expected. Now to tackle the layout itself…

That’s a very valid point. I did think about doing a line of fencing lineside and then overgrown foliage and bracken on the otherside. As for point rodding it’s not something I’ve ever thought of modelling however a small lever frame might be good to model. Being a small station halt, wouldn’t the leaver frame be located nearer the station platform.

Still unsure what to do on this awkward space at the front of the layout. A grassy area? A stone wall and rough overgrown foliage? Ideally want to avoid the perfectly flat area as it never looks natural.