winterbournecm

I want a blue flag for my coastal resort!! Just hope I can control the resin when I pour it. I'll make a little up at a time and spread a layer carefully - could have a high swear value I reckon...

Hi there - thanks guys. Do you see the dry brushing effect on the piers Chris - thanks for that tip. As for the crease, yes I probably will fill. It shows up now I've painted it, though I am going to build the sand up in layers once the resin is done.

Had some time today on the wettest day of the year to start the base sea-bed before I add the resin top. The colour was copied from Charlestown harbour last evening. I hope I have done it justice. The base colour is deep green Green with brown added in), and after I have dry brushed some white in to relieve the darkness (thanks to Mrs M eye being cast over it). The colours underneath are brown mixed with green powder paint, and various shades of light & dark green added afterwards - dry brush style. Please let me know what you think. It'll be resin time soon guys The deeper green colour: Peeking through the viaduct towards the Sloop Inn: A little white added to lighten the seabed colour: And some big class 40's at Mount Charles. 40118 & 169

Hi Guys, I can reply at last. The work internet access is so fickle, and I've worked every day since Saturday. Great to meet you & Damian, let me know if you require any more photos around BZ. Best wishes Craig

Well, here goes the water experiment. Quite pleased with the results, here's some pictures of my "test-plank"! The resin & hardener. Use a robust container to mix them. BEWARE it stinks!! The plank with sand / turquoise and brown test colours beneath. I think a darker medium is going to be better. The mixture is added, very smooth like honey! After 15 - 20 mins it starts to go milky, so brush texture can be added (gently ) to give some ripple effect. The test complete, I think building up layers is going to be the secret, and simply texture the later layers for contours. It's supposed to reach full hardness within 50 mins (no smut please)!!

Hi there, I came across these transfers from a mate (sounds dodgy doesn't it!). They were on a yellow background, water slide. They may have been Shawplan or Fox but cant help anymore than that. I had enough to do about 4 coaches, the Hornby mark two were hand painted by mayself to rid the awful silver window rims. They dont look too bad, but Bachmann saw to them with their wonderful examples. You've got me thinking now whether a standard BR class 40 could have worked NSE coaches. 40118 lasted as 40118 (it came a 40/9) until 1985 so I suppose I am about 12 months out.

Have been to United Downs St Day today, not a usual modelling haunt you may think, but CFS sell clear cast resin and hardener to make clear water effect. I will have a play around with some scrap wood first, using brown base (river / estuary), sand (self explanatory) & turquoise bases. I'm hoping the turquoise will produce a St Ives Bay water effect look. I wont add any colour to the resin, and hope that the water effect will be sufficient with an acrylic base underneath. I'll upload the testing progress before I attempt the water feature on the harbourside!

Glad you liked the pictures. I'm lucky in the job to be able to get pictures people cant normally see. Glad to assist genuine folk!

A mid- summer update: Have been adding some finishing touches to some of the areas on the layout including the Lych gate for the church. The church is the first thing viewed inside the door, so i wanted that looking good. The path infront of the church really goes no-where, but adds a bit of width to the scene. The eye forgets the path runs to no where, and is led to the lych gate and onto the church instead. The gate came from Langley models and was sprayed with primer and painted with acrylics. The ivy comes from International models, and is absolutely brilliant, bit difficult to chop up from the sheet, but use small pieces and a tweezers to position. The wall is custom made from embossed block sheets. Some other bits and pieces added to the harbour scene included Bollards, life rings and seagulls all from Langley Models bit concerned that this area becoming cluttered, so going to call it a day here. Poor old Stan on crutches from his drunken fall down the Sloop steps! The station building on the road at Mount Charles The Taxi Rank populated with city folk....

Hi, as promised, here are the St Blazey box pictures and some other small buildings in the yard area including the red brick Chargeman's cabin and unique yellow & blue bricked MOM building: There are more if required, let me know. Best wishes Craig

There's something deeply unsettling about doing a major scenic job, and thinking - heck is that going to look right! But a few days to let the plaster to dry, and the room stop smelling of sweating feet and it was time to paint it brown and add the foilage. The steeply sided ravine needed the greenary added by glue gun as Bostic or PVA wouldnt hold it in place. Once set (and some sore finger tips later) the foliage was sprayed with Fast-tack aerosol glue and woodland scenic scatter blown onto it horizontally. Quite pleased with the diorama here, as the trains second fiddle to the scene. Just got the water effect and beach to do now.

A rainy day, and up early off nights so the apron was out (not a pretty sight), and the mixing started. Used a mixture of plaster & Paris and multifinish for a bit of added texture. It looks like a massive cake icing, but hopefully will take shape over the coming weeks. The dwellings along the harbour front. The bank behind will house a footpath and be will mostly covered with foliage. The waters edge using a rubber mould to make the cliffs at beach level and a hanging basket mat covered in sand dunes tracks above.

Thanks Jim The 25's tend to hamg around working short freights and Parcel traffic around the district or filling in for 08's when out of service. I have to say they are one of my favourite locos on the layout performance and looks wise. Anything Bachmann just seems to runs well anytime. Some 40s & 45's stick sometimes, but oiling them is a swine of a job. I also have a soft spot for EE type 3's too. The harbour scene is gathering pace now, and I'm trying to finish off the area time permitting, but that is in short supply at the moment. Best wishes Craig

Another running evening and some pictures and U Tube uploads: 40118 & Nemo sit in the stabling spur at Mount Charles: An infestation of rats at Sandy Hill: 56049 runs across the cottage rooftops at Tregrehan Harbour: 40118 with a Sheffield service in plat 2 at Mount Charles: Recent U Tube fun clips taken from the cutting at Coronation Street:

Thanks they were scanned off a real photo and shrunk to size. Pretty pleased with the results. Still lots to do there yet.

Have a couple of visiting evenings with some friends stock & locos appearing, and added some bits to the harbour scene. Here are some photos: 33201 shunts the silver bullets at Sandy Hill 40118 & 45128 on shed at Sandy Hill 50018 stabled at Mount Charles The Sloop Inn in June

A bit of a mid summer update: The layout hasn't made much progress scenery wise due to over time at Par box. I have been buying bits for the harbour and scenery in general including crab pots, fishing nets and rubbish bins. Planning to get some seagulls and emmets (holiday makers) to bring the scene to life. I did get around to constructing a super Knightwing crane kit for the Crane Raod around the back of the TMD. This concreted area is useful for visiting locos to be roaded onto the track off a low-loader if required. I sprayed it with Plastikote textured paint, then used brown/black acrylic mix to paint it, whilst wet, a terracotta wash was randomly drawn over it to give a rusty look. Another scene complete!

Hi - nice to see the forthcoming dates and look forward to seeing the layout out and about. Andrew in Kernow models said you guys were intersted in photos and info regarding St Blazey. My website contains quite of lot of photos from the area over the years, and I now work in the area working the boxes so can obtain any photos or info you need. Cheers for now - keep up the excellent work. Craig

I wouldn't fancy taking the steps with a skin-full, though I did accomodate a landing half way up for a breather!

Have been gently working away on the harbourside as time allows. Been at Par on a monster week of nights this week. But cahnge to Days on Sunday in time for the 40 / western touring railtour. Here are some scenes around the newly contructed black bridge, which may be an 1/2 inch too high, and the approach to Tregrehan viaduct.

Just spoke to Greg at Kernow, 3 months approx to a new batch of weathered bullets, many different ranges coming out including semi weathered (clean patches) I've pre ordered 2 already.

Port Wenn would have been a great name for the bay. Better stick to Tregrehan (Tregrain) as around the district. I will try to get a Doc Martin character with case walking along the front kicking a dog though!

Thanks mate. I was at Polzeath recently and saw the cottages above the beach which gave me an idea, North Cornwall theme - I think you're spot on. Although the Sloop is from St Ives, and the steps from the Bluff at Hayle.

Thanks for that, I want a "corner" of Cornwall somewhere on the layout. I'm toying with palm trees for the stations, but can only find wide leaved ones on the market, rather than the thin leaved ones we have. May have to make some myself. Here is the progress on the cliff faces and slipway area of the layout. The cliff faces came to life once painted with powder paint and acrylics then dusted with weathering powders. Now concentrating on finishing touches and applying the water to the bay. Not sure which method to use. Varnishes built up in coats or using Woodland scenic "real water". I'm planning to use a ladder to disguise the join in the wall sections (cheat!!)

At last the Tregrehan harbour scene is taking shape. This is a signifigant project, as the layout will be largely complete once this area is done. The is the first layout I have completed for many years. Here are some pictures showing progress so far. The Sloop Inn and cottages around the slipway. View of the bowl shaped area and viaduct spanning the area. Work moves along a little showing plaster sheets and added plaster to the areas on top of the ready made cliff sections. The cottages up on the ridge and steps down to the Sloop Inn being constructed. 37671 crosses the viaduct. This should be a good vantage point once decorated. Really pleased with the depth of field here. Couldn't wait to get some greenery down. Here is the valley semi decorated Still loads to do, but fun so far!