Father Dougal

Wow- my eye sight must be really bad. Thanks, I can get some transfers made now and make a proper model. Dougal

You did better than me- thanks. Dougal.

Hello, I have found some lovely kits for a SSA. I have looked at the excellent website of Paul Bartlett and this shows, http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/scrapwagonssa/h3918330b Plenty of SSA's. BUT- I can't figure out what markings are on the right hand side of the image. All images that show this end are covered in too much grime. Can anyone help with this. Any link or images gratefully received. Dougal.

Hello there Mr Downes, I'm a huge fan of your work. Dougal.

Just tinkering with a new technique (new to me) for the roofs of a few vans. These models are supposed to depict a few vans nearing the end of their working lives and about to be withdrawn. I'm not sure what the roofs were actually made of, but I guess it was a wood frame with felt or similar on top to make them waterproof. I expect that these would have become quite damaged by the elements during their service. To my unskilled eye they look ok, what do you think? Here's a little taster image, Have a look at my work bench forum for more details. Dougal

Interesting. I have never built a sector plate. How difficult is it? I have been thinking about cassette storage as well. What do you think? Dougal

Thanks for the link- plenty of inspiration there!

Hello there, I'm trying to weather my vans to a level that is realistic for the 1970's period. I have read several articles which just tell me they got REALLY dirty. Photos have been unhelpful as they are either in black and white or of preserved stock which tends to be pristine. Here are a few of my wagons, what do you think too dirty or not dirty enough?? (Apologies for the quality of the images) This is an ex- LMS 12 ton van. Original colour is BR grey. Looks mostly brown now. These are a few Tevans- white is a nice background for dirt! This is an ex GWR van. Rusted up a bit at the ends. Bauxite is a really poor base for dirt as its hard to distinguish from the mud. Any comments or images gratefully received! Dougal

Nice. What scale is the figure? A don't suppose you know of anyone who produces decent 7mm figures?? Dougal.

Ok, nearly finished painting and weathering a Mica and a Tevan. Thought I would post the images when they are done. I know these vans were withdrawn in the 1960's but that won't stop me using them as I like te look of them. You know, before I started making van kits I didn't appreciate all the different diagrams. Hope that doesn't Make me sound a rivet counter, but I appreciate how rolling stock had a role. Hopefully I can depict this a little on Crilly street. Dougal

Hello there stubby 47- thanks for the reply. I would never have guessed the windows were photos. How have you stopped the foam board ? Feeling pretty grand at the moment- just erected the baseboards and found that I can fit in another 2 feet to bring me right up to the wall and still leave room for the curtains and the bed to fit underneath. I can make the runaround a bit longer, extend the siding for the Tea emporium and have a bit of room to squeeze in a half relief factory on the side to reinforce the run down urban theme I want to depict. I also finally managed to make 2 steps for the Tevan and they were folded good and square. (That would be a first as I am usually a complete eejut with folding brass.) This makes up for the fact that both my Skytex models have warped roofs whilst in storage and will need replacing.

Wow, that looks great- I am thinking of something similar to go behind the station on Crilly street. I might use Slaters brick plasticard again as I can paint it to be really grotty? I have not been abe to make printed brick paper look very convincing. I have a few similar windows waiting in my bits box. Tell me, what did you use for the basic frame? Was it foam board, balsa wood or another medium? Dougal

Been looking at suitable backscenes- gauge master have a good sized industrial one but I really want one with red brick factories. The industrial image would give a nice sense of depth and it looks great. This time I will not rush applying the image- last time I rushed and had terrible air bubbles. I see Kirtley models have some nice add on images to be overlayed upon a gaugemaster back scene. The derelict factory will look good behind Fathers jacks brewery- roll on pay day. Anyone know of another supplier of red brick factory back scenes suitable for 1970- 1980?? Dougal

Would they be really small or far away? Dougal.

Hello there your selves Mr castle and Mr deathwatch. (Another 40k fan I suspect.) The roof is a bit warped, but it does not show too much. I may replace it if it begins to bother me. The rust effect was achieved by a layer of sponging of rust coloured paint, a black wash and then a mix of weathering powders- I perfected this technique whilst building a whole load of Nurgle tanks for my 40k collection. I plan to replace the roof on the provender store with some wills sheeting and turn it into Mrs Doyles tea emporium- that should make a nice project. The flock of crows is a good idea- I bet Langley models do some- they could loiter around the brewery. Thanks for the suggestion.

Having a few technical issues with finding suitable software to depict a track plan on the iPad. I would have liked something more professional looking- The crude plan will do until I start track laying over the weekend and my dreams become reality. It will be quite a run down urban setting- I don't think I could get away with a rural setting. I put a bridge in the plan as I have two kits and I think they should work. In theory the layout should look like it is part of a much bigger scene. Time will tell if I can pull this illusion off or not. my layout will be set in England and feature BR blue diesels and loads of box vans. On that note, Mrs Doyle has made the tea- time to finish off the brake gear on the Tevan. Dougal

Anyone with a passion for accurate track plans or a fondness for technical drawing had better look away now. Found an art app- I have drawn a very crude track plan. This really fits in an 8x2 foot space and includes a fiddle yard. The entrance will be hidden by a road bridge. I have two kits which should be ok once I have kit asked them a bit. I plan to try Das to scribe the stones as I don't like the moulded finish on the kit or I may use Slaters brick card again. Here's the plan. Sorry I have not written much on the plan but I found my hand writing looked like an 8 year old had done it. Dougal

What a lovey horse.

First up is my Tevan. I really like the way the white has discoloured since I applied the varnish. I am building 2 more variants for an initial rake of 3 to serve Mrs Doyle's tea emporium. I think I need to tweak a few images at some point to create a logo. Beer for father Jacks Brewery! Must get a few more of these. This is my fuel point- I really like the rust effect on the roof. What do you think? Be gentle with me as it's my first attempt. This is scarier than getting undressed in public.( Bishop Brennan has told me I can't do that again)

Hello there Will, I do plan a few cameos. Bishop Brennan surrounded by a few rabbits and Mrs Doye will have to feature somewhere- probably carrying a tray of tea or a mountain of sanwiches. I just need a good base model to convert- I enjoy making citadel figures- aka 40k. These skills should help. I have noticed the quality of 7mm figures can vary a great deal. The last figures I bought looked like they had been in a terrible accident. Anyone suggest a good source of 7mm figures?? I'm quite happy to convert the figures to gain the right look. I want the Father Ted theme to be subtle and to suggest a playful side rather than dominate the layout. My layout should make people smile but I don't want it to be a joke. I think our hobby needs to be a bit more lighthearted- beginners like me are put off by really serious articles in journals featuring soldering brass kits or debating whether coarse or fine scale 7mm is better. Anyway now, must get ready for my run, then I will cook Mrs Doyle a full English for Valentines day. Dougal.

Hello there Pete, I plan to upload a photo soon. I would like to draw a track plan but I have not figured out how to do this on an iPad yet. The plan is based upon one I saw for a oo gauge layout, which I think was called Vines yard- it had a half station and only showed half of a run around loop. Mine will have a fully modelled loop as I can't be messing about with juggling cassettes again. ( nothing against cassettes, but I found them too cumbersome when running a pretty busy layout- I also had a few issues with loss of current which affected my sound decoders.) I notice the lads at Hornby have a similar design in their most recent magazine but it has 5 turnouts- I think that will limit the scenery options too much for my tastes so i'm going to have 4 turnouts instead- there's is also 7 foot long. I had a similar layout a few years ago and it was great for a bit of shunting- I even managed to squeeze in a station at the back which could take 5 postal vans and a Hymek. What size layout are you working on? Dougal

Hello there Rob. Love your layout- after looking at your thread I have been inspired to finally build my own. Really like the scenic work- very inspiring. Dougal

Hello there Chaz. What paints did you use to create the blistering effect- I would like to do similar on Mrs Doyle's tea vans.

Well, here goes Ted. A start on my 2nd ever O gauge layout. Crilly street has begun. My layout will be 8 foot by 2 foot and depict early BR blue to sectorisation- it will be a simple run around loop with a few sidings and a half station- nothing original here, but it will give me space to run freight and build a few bubble cars for passenger services. I have a Hymek and a class 03. I also have about 40 vans - mostly Parkside, that I have been building over the last few years. Baseboards are now constructed and will be permanently erected along a wall in the spare room. As a novice modeller with a small monthly budget I plan to share my experiences with other beginners. I have seen some really inspirational layouts on this forum- I hope to achieve similar results at some stage, but it may take a while. My main goals are; - depict a grimy urban scene. - have as much operational interest as I can manage. - build as much stock as I can. - build as many of the structures as I can manage. - enjoy my modelling. - use my special 'modeller's licence' whenever I want to run something that might be a tad un-prototypical. Just finishing a rake of Tea vans for Mrs Doyles tea emporium (siding number 3 on my layout). I am considering using Mrs Doyle's likeness on the wagons - but the use of vinyls may be a stretch too far. Vinyls may look better on Father Jacks brewery (siding 4). Watch this space- pictures coming soon!