Lecorbusier

15 minutes ago, grahame said:

 

I tend to model SR/BR EMUs - you don't need locos or sweaty fingers to make them move around.

 

Sweaty Fingers ..... SWEATY FINGERS ...... SWEATY FINGERS  ...... 

I found this...

8 minutes ago, grahame said:

 

Thanks. Although still lots to do, detail to add and dirtying down.

 

I've not yet tackled Kehoes (the corner cobblers) as it has changed quite a bit over the years and I was looking for suitable period details. Currently it seems to be promoting vaping:

 

 

But I've found this that seems to be from about the right period and will use that as the basis for finishing, branding and detailing:

 

 

looks a bit recent to me ... another angle

If a good or interesting picture exists .... which may show something of interest to many or a detail in particular clarity .... should this not be made available by publication because there is doubt about some other aspect? ... and if there is doubt but an informed suggestion can be offered, should this also be rejected - after all it may well be correct. The critical thing surely is clarity of the status of the information imparted?

Random I Know .... and nothing to do with anything .... but ....

so .... what colours would there actually have been in this image?

Obviously the loco will be a vibrant splash of green. Presumably the station canopy edging will be grimy cream? .... not sure about the columns - would they have been cream with a green base? Then we have the tracks which I hazard would have a degree of orange rust, coupled to whatever the local ballast colour might be. The signals themselves will add to the variety ... and then we have the shed/warehouse in the background - presumably a deep industrial red of sorts? The variation of tone suggests quite a richness. And finally, given the reasonably strong shadows I suspect the sky is blue coupled to a warm sunny hue on what it touches.

A very evocative black and white photo to be sure ... but perhaps not a wholly true representation of the reality? I would love to see a skilful model of the same scene to fill in the blanks.

I love films like this....

And it must have been even more vibrant pre war I assume.

7 hours ago, ArthurK said:

I have not ,as yet, mentioned the hard working goods locos hauling their loads of coal from  mines to docks. Yes they were dirty unless you were lucky to see one ex works. Perhaps it's because of dirt and grime that I remember them.  

 

ArthurK

But even when dirty ... they passed through a landscape (however industrial) of colour.

All the photos however are black and white.  So we never get a proper feel for the reality of what it must have been like ..... a bit like we have a complete misconception of gothic cathedrals which back in the day were a riot of painted colour not austere stone.

It is for this reason I think that I like photo's of model railways to be colour .... it gives some inkling of what must have been and acts as a counterbalance to the countless books of photos.  Why shoot models in black and white unless you are looking for an 'art' shot? .... when you can go to the photos of the real thing for that.

6 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks Tim,

 

Of course I remember my trainspotting days in B&W. I started trainspotting (proper) in 1956, and Trains Illustrated (which was avidly read at the time) was always monochrome. Even when it grew up into Modern Railways (still having steam images on its cover from time to time) it was mainly B&W, as was the contemporary Railway World (which was also read from cover to cover at the time). The main photographic contributors' work of the day was always in B&W - Eric Treacy, Colin Walker, etc.

 

Ah, those B&W days........................... 

 

 But of course .... I wasn't talking about the photos taken or those avidly poured over in magazines .... but rather what you observed with intense excitement with the naked eye - and yes ... through the lens of your own Camera ... in magnificent full colour !!! Live steam no less - which sadly for many of us it is only possible to get an inkling of through the prism of black and white, and to some extent the sanitised heritage scene.

Mallard in Blue .. the flying scotsman in Green ... not to mention the glorious LMS in Crimson Lake ... 

Surely you don't remember those Halcyon days in black and white ? however nostalgic the photos might be.

That is a fantastic picture of Copenhagen Fields Tony .... and for me it is the colour photo all the way. I can't believe you remember your trainspotting days in black and white!

I also feel hoisted by my own petard a little ... I have seen Copenhagen fields in the flesh a couple of times now, and your photo certainly adds to my experience of it, which is not to say that I was in anyway disappointed by the layout in the flesh - though to my mind viewing from so far above coupled to the smallness do rob it of something ... it feels a little like viewing from an aeroplane.

Tim

1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

Interesting as always, Tim.

 

A couple of points, if I may............

 

Whether a model looks 'real' in a photograph is dependent, to some extent, on the level of knowledge of the observer. On occasions, when giving talks to photographic societies, I've put photographs of model railways. One observer was astonished at how old I must have been (or how young!) when I took a picture showing a pre-War LNER express. When I told him I'd taken it the week before, he looked perplexed; until I told him it was a picture on a model railway!  Not totally convinced that the limited capacity of some observers necessarily negates my point?

 

As for photographs of models being 'second best' to seeing them in reality, I've lost count of the number of times I've seen a model railway in the flesh and been very disappointed with it;  having first seen it in pictures. - But I would argue that this is usually as a result of omission rather than 'artistry' in the photography .... a thing your own photography doesn't suffer from!

 

The opposite, of course, is also true.

 

However ... point taken ...  and this opens a whole can of worms! I have lost count of the times I have come across modern buildings which have been designed for the photos as much as (or instead of) the end user ... universally disappointing when visited ....

 

where as there are some spatially sophisticated buildings (Borromini's San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane in Rome springs to mind) that can really only be appreciated in the flesh ... and I suspect the same is true of certain layouts regardless of the quality of the photographer. 

 

I don't know if this runs against the grain somewhat ... but my view on photographing models is that they are very much models. They can never look like the real thing as it is impossible to simulate actual weather conditions, distance, personal interaction etc etc   - so why try?

But that's fine .. the models themselves are tantamount to works of art in many cases, and worth photographing and celebrating in their own right. When I see photos of Gordon Gravvatt's landscape modelling I marvel not because I think it is real, but because of the skill with which he has conveyed a sense of realism and so transported my imagination, whilst at the same time allowing me to marvel at the technical skill.

I like the black and white images ... but for me they play down the skill and breadth of the modelling which is present in the colour images, and at the same time don't exploit the artistic qualities of the black and white medium. Taking that analogy further, I would also comment that model railway photography seems very much to be a recording exercise ... very skilful but not necessarily adding anything. This being the case, for me it will always be second best to seeing the real model ... this is not necessarily the case with the finest railway images which capture a fleeting moment in time and manage to convey atmosphere and emotion alongside recorded fact.

5 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

If this is your first etched locomotive kit, Tim,

 

Then all I can say is 'wonderful work'.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Thanks Tony ... that means a lot.

Of course I don't post all the mistakes and cock ups I have had to undo on the way ... just those pictures when I have got to a stage that I am happy to move forward with. It is the 3rd set of coupling rods, the frames have been together twice to ensure no binding and there were a few different attempts at the sub assemblies ... but all is running smoothly now! It will all be quicker and easier the next time round ..... hopefully.

List of my builds to date:-

A Nucast Y7 - first bought in 1991 and returned to in 2014 on discovering the Right track videos ... not a great outcome but I keep it none the less.

DJH Barney ... which I have posted before.

51L, MR Diagram 351 8T Open Goods Wagon in white metal

Mousa  MR 7 plank wagon in etched brass

51L 6 wheel Clayton 3rd in etched brass.

MR D299 scratch built from Plasticard

MR 3 plank wagon scratch built from plasticard.

.... And I have now started the Johnson 1F above.

...... That's the lot so far .... at this rate I shall be dead before I have enough stock for Monsaldale 

2 hours ago, richard i said:

Quiz question if I can to all who solder.

i have fired up my temperature controlled iron after a 6 month hiatus. It would not solder joins. Why?

i thought it was the heat setting, tried hotter and colder it did not affect it. 

I tried changing the tip

i changed the solder and tried low melt too.

i cleaned the brass with a file.

all it would do was melt the solder into small balls but the iron would not tin or pick it up. 

If I fed the solder on to the brass it struggled to flow. 

 

Any ideas what what am I doing wrong? 

Many thanks

Richard .

Its odd that it is happening on different tips ?

I had this with one of my tips and I managed to sort it by using Powerflow flux. First I put the tip into the powerflow and let it sizzle for a while. I then put a decent blob onto the solder itself and melted the solder through the flux and this seemed to do the trick allowing me to re tin the tip. .... might be worth a try.

As far as interlocking is concerned, the new (ish) leverframe etch now available through scalefour stores looks fascinating if thats what floats your boat.  I can't make out if it floats mine yet! Maybe for a very simple set up such as would have operated at Monsaldale ... we will have to see.  Have to admit that at the moment the complexity blows my mind 

7 hours ago, t-b-g said:

 

I can usually tell very quickly which of these types somebody is when they come for a visit. There are those who just want to see it and watch the trains and there are those who can't wait to sit at the controls and get stuck in.

 

Can I suggest another type ... which I think I fall into ...  The slightly diffident ones. Those who actually would really quite like a go, but don't push forward and may well need some encouragement .... either through politeness or nervousness .... particularly when something is as complex and as precious as Buckingham.

Having never operated a complex proto-typically run layout (or any sophisticated layout come to that) I have no idea if I could play for hours or would get board once the skills had been mastered. Your description of the experienced operator session does sound a lot of fun though! I do know I like watching such things when I have the chance.

25 minutes ago, jbmccarthy said:

 

Why is this? Could I have bit of background please. 

1 hour ago, grahame said:

 

I agree and much prefer to see the usual, ordinary, ubiquitous and omnipresent modelled on layouts. And, also for me, that extends to more than just the trains and stock but applies to road vehicles, structures and scenery.

 

 

Personally, I find it fascinating how I regard my print and slide collections from travels in days gone by. At the time I was passionate to record the special and the significant ... for me major architectural masterpieces etc or beautiful scenery. I went to great lengths to frame the shots excluding distractions and extraneous things which I felt at the time might detract from the images.

What I find now is that the vast majority of the images I have I can download bigger and better versions of following a simple 5 minute google images search ... the acropolis/Hagia sophia/the alps etc etc. What is much more interesting to me now are the accidentally caught street and village scenes ... what people were wearing, what cars were around and how many, the advertising hoardings, what was in the shops etc etc - ie the mundane and everyday which gave a true picture/snapshot of life at the time.

When something has gone ... it is amazing how fascinating/interesting it becomes. Hopefully with the advent of digital images the recording of the everyday moving forward will be much more thorough.

10 hours ago, Lecorbusier said:

model railways on the BBC ....

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50403561

Rod Stewart and Jules Holland discuss modelling on Jeremy Vine here....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000b4vn

It starts at 35.05 mins in ... one of the more adult discussions of modelling on the media perhaps?

model railways on the BBC ....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50403561

The MRJ article is dated 1989. I understood from the information board that the model was started in the late 1970s.

24 minutes ago, queensquare said:

 

It featured in MRJ 31 and is on long term loan to the South Devon Railway. Chris periodically goes down and operates the layout.

 

Jerry

I thought it was rather wonderful ( I spent a good 20 mins looking at it in detail) and would love to see it operating .... 

I was lucky enough to be gifted the first 150 issues of MRJ a month back, but as of yet I haven't got as far as 31 ... I shall look it out as soon as I get home.

I paid a flying visit to the South Devon Railway today as I was in the area. I went around the little museum they have there and was surprised and delighted to see a 4mm model of Ashburton station tucked into the rear of the room. I thought it was nicely conceived and well modelled if somewhat unloved and exhibited simply as a display diorama. The modeller  was Chris Lamacraft - the model in EM gauge and it appears that it was quite widely exhibited in the 1980s?

Is anyone familiar with this layout ? Was it a well thought of exhibition layout? Are there any archive photos of it in operation?