mk1gtstu

Some vegetation added on the embankment on baseboard 2..

Some more scenic done, static grass & vegetation around the old lineside hut on baseboard 2 & the tunnel portal on baseboard 1.. Yet more trees!

I've made a start on the static grass in the country park area & fields that are below the viaduct. It was a bit tricky getting the applicator in between the viaduct pillars but just about managed to do it. Also managed to zap myself a couple of times with the applicator As always comments welcome. Cheers, Stu

Some trees & vegetation in place either side of the stream under the viaduct.. Cheers, Stu

A few more scenic jobs done, stream & footbridge next to the viaduct.. Some walling in place & scatter material glued down in the areas the woodlands will be, also small backscene behind the viaduct in place..

Lastly for now my attempt at making a stream & waterfall for the rock face, still work in progress on this... That's all for now, Cheers, Stu

Trees! I've been making these whenever I have a bit of spare time, usually if it's too cold to be in the shed or I'm waiting for glues to dry on the layout. I'm going to need lots of them! I've decided to go for a late summer/early autumn part of the season with trees just starting to change colour. I've been making my own wire armatures & also using the Woodland Scenics armatures, with polyfibre & various mixes of scatter material glued to them. I also have some seafoam to make smaller trees & to use alongside the ones I'm making. Some photos of the first batch...

Bit more of an update on the layout. The track ballasting PVA glue has dried out & now the trackwork & ballast weathered with Railmatch sleeper grime done with an airbrush & also by paintbrush.

Hi all, another update. All the ballasting now done, will weather it all once dry. Cheers, Stu

Hi all, some more done on the layout. It has been a bit slow going waiting for PVA & paints to dry due to low temperatures in the shed but its getting there slowly. Cheers, Stu

A few evening builds for the fictitious part of the layout, 1st a small disused lineside hut, made from card & brick papers, not perfect but will be partly hidden in undergrowth once in place on the layout Also built a scalescenes goods shed for the goods yard. It will still be in use but in it's last days so I can have some 16T minerals & vent vans in the sidings. I've made it look a bit run down with broken & bricked up windows, loose/missing slates & some grass growing out of the guttering And lastly started on a signal box build Cheers, Stu

Found a video of a class 37 on an MGR going over Porthkerry viaduct Cheers, Stu

A few videos, Cheers, Stu

Then took a break from doing the scenery for a running session. Nice to be able to run a full length HST on a decent size layout for a change Cheers, Stu

Hi all. Some more terraforming done on the layout.

A few more... Cheers, Stu

Some new photos of the box file layout taken today..

I'll do a few new photos later & post them up for you Cheers, Stu

Superb Layout! Cheers, Stu

I use Farish metal wheels in all my PECO stock, when you fit them into the wagons just squeeze the axle boxes either side together gently with a finger & thumb once the metal axles are fitted & they will run really smooth. Cheers, Stu

Thanks all for the useful information. I've never been on a train over the viaduct before, it was just coal trains I remember there in the 80's when I used to visit the country park & beach below the viaduct. My plan is to get the viaduct half of the layout as near as Porthkerry as possible in the available space I have. The other half of the layout where the rock faces are will be fictional, otherwise the reality would be a baseboard full of trees! In the fictional area (all based in South Wales still) I'm going with a small Goods shed & yard with a couple of sidings, nearing the end of its days (which I should just about get away with in the early 1980's), this will allow me to have small speedlink trains, couple of coal mineral wagons & vent vans etc at the goods shed just to add a bit of extra interest. Cheers, Stu

Hi all, a bit more progress. Plaster rock faces now painted with washes of acrylic paint, they will need a bit more weathering & detailing once in place but I'm pleased with how they have turned out so far. Also some now some mod roc & rock faces are in place. Although slow going it's starting to take shape I think. Cheers, Stu

Also made a couple of rock faces from sculptamould, fairly happy with the results, hopefully they will look ok once painted. Cheers, Stu

A bit more progress on the layout. I've been doing some scenery work, making formers etc ready for the mod roc to go down. Also some wiring put in place for buildings & signals. A few photos..

Thank you, yes, as far as I know it was freight only in the 80's but I believe it's a passenger line now too. I think they did divert trains to this line occasionally if the main line was having engineering work done. On my layout I'm going to run both freight & passenger trains as if it's the main South Wales line to add interest. Cheers, Stu