brylonscamel

Anyone fancy a trip to the Fife coast? Yeah, me too but I'll have to make do with taking a waterside paddle in my miniature version. These are the buildings I have just finished that populate the harbourside corner of Dad's layout ..

Not forgetting the little task of finishing my take on the Aberdeen granite railway palace that is Aboyne. The difference in textures that I tried to achieve whilst carving the clay is nicely picked out with a brush.

I'll bear that in mind if I ever need to construct a bizarre model-maker's man cave!

Lots of angles on the garage scene. l raided the spares bin for lots of the details, ordering some specifically for the garage interior ..

When you said "The BSA .. is one of mine" I assumed the image would be of something about 8mm high - not a beautiful 1:1 scale motorcycle! PS The 'Beach Garage' has similar proportions to 'Michie's Motors' - it seems to be a typical UK garage style.

To my shame, I had to look up the name - but I was aware of the ground-breaking model 'Madder Valley'

I even had an excuse, having pinched 'Aboyne' as subject for my station buildings. There, tantalisingly in the background of period photos was "Allan & Blacks Station Garage'. Dad is keen on cars, so it gives a perfect excuse for a rotating cast of vehicles out front! I suspect this is the case for lots of modellers - does that include you?

Gosh! It didn't take long before the garage acquired the patina of use. I also used my new budget laser-printer to knock up some paper signs, both the garage name and some vintage automotive ones. I'm thrilled at the result, with lots more custom-designed signage possible.

Quicker than a Kwik Fit fitter? I just knocked up a vehicle garage, based loosely on one that used to sit by the station at Aboyne. It'll give somewhere for Dad to set some period vehicles and create a working garage, with all the usual paraphernalia; fuel pumps, tyres, signage, oil drums, things under tarpaulins and other tat!

Cheers Lez .. I'm on the home run with the station buildings - the canopies are another matter! Here are the two buildings alongside each other, as they will be when fitted to the platforms ..

Wooden planking and framing gives another layer of texture to the platform shelter. The joinery on the Great North of Scotland was really lovely!

They look great and realised that some of my old photos featured your posts and beams in all their glory. Note the heavy bias towards booze in the station advertising boards!

Cheers Dave, Thrift and ingenuity - two staples for a Scottish stonemason! I heard the technique was especially common in Aberdeenshire to help with block spacing and a preference for broad, flush mortar joints where the pins gave extra stability to the mortar. I remain amazed at the things you end up finding out whilst model-making.

Cheers Andy - was that the terminus for the bus service - I'm sure the bus from Ballater to Braemar was operated by the Great North of Scotland Railway? The windows are a dead giveaway!

One thing you learn when reproducing these things - how much work went into the design, making and fitting of the originals!

Cheers David - I was going through my box of spares for the station canopy columns and came across some others , destined for use on the 'Wadlaw chapel'. Well at least I was planning ahead!

If in doubt, go freelance! Not a comment on my work status, more on the tricky subject of the far platform building at Aboyne. I've seen archive photos and know it was a wooden structure, with windows similar to those on the main building but it was in pretty dilapated condition and I'm not being slavish with it - Aboyne is mostly inspiration for our station. That's my excuse and nothing to do with a ticking clock! Anyway, I'm freelancing it using my spares! From what I can tell, it was an attractive building with that GNoSR 'look' with panelled woodwork and fancy frames, so I'm sure it will look 'bonny' when finished.

The racehorse and a mule A reminder of what the final objective is - somewhere to play trains with my father. Here's our 'Caledonian' engine shed with locomotives at each end of the scale, waiting for an opportunity to stretch their legs ..

I found some - very fragile - 3D printed ridge tiles online and fashioned some finials from styrene to complete the roof, prior to painting. Little flourishes like these should bring the elegance of the original back to life.

I may have something in hand ..

Lovely addition David - surely there's space on there for a nice terrace .. what do you think?

Testing some ideas .. Helping me refine the masters for future resin-cast buildings are these small domestic buildings. I'm trying to 'kill two birds', using buildings for Dad as test-pieces for my resin casting venture. The first of these is a common domestic style, with dormers set into the stonework of the wall and the other is a single-storey cottage with a broad roof. This has been scribed with 'Aberdeen bond' on the façade to add some local vernacular glamour!

Nudging towards the finish line Still 'in the raw' but next in the paint queue is my rendition of the rather fine station at Aboyne. Our version is pretty faithful to the original, with beautiful window glazing, dressed granite and baronial turrets. The original is no longer served by the railway so it is time to put that right and reinstate the service at Braeside!

Nor me! I got a C in O level Geology but apart from the odd phrase like 'subduction zone' and 'sedimentary deposits' nothing useful survives. My memories of field trips are reserved for primitive Gloucestershire youth hostels and an unreliable school mini-bus that we had to bump start in the mornings.

However it gets made, it's a striking building and something to get your teeth into. Look at those heavy eaves, deeply recessed sashes and patterns in the stonework. PS Is it granite construction? With the pinnings and large block sizes it has the look of it.