brylonscamel

And a little set of photos taken during my crude technique for rolling and applying DAS clay, trimmed and tidied with a palette knife etc... Rolling the dough! Laying out with a knife Cutting the edge Trimming the excess

Here's a little photographic update on the 'messing about with modelling clay' stage that I've been in recently. Extending the clay cover to the canal wharf edges, lock chamber and canal paths ..

Thanks again for getting stuck in to a discussion about this model. Your teasing may have paid off and I'm seriously thinking about adding it to the left-hand of the scene, as I might be able to explain it thus: In my imagined scene, the railway swing-bridge is to the left of the viaduct and the box that controls it and the signals is in a different position. Not only would it be a remarkable feature it would also help disguise the scenic exit from the diorama (something I hadn't solved and was leaving me scratching-my head a little) So watch this space. PS - I love the photo of the box at Salkeld Street Parcels Depot - I couldn't find another overhead signal box in my book. The other swing-bridge boxes at Grangemouth and Orchardhall are sited more conventionally although both boxes are quite striking. The one at Orchardhall disguises the hydraulic power source in a castellated brick tower! Here are some photos of this location that would make a great 'small railway project' in its own right: Photo of the Orchardhall swing bridge and signal box Photo of the elevations that are included in the book I mentioned:

Oh those are wonderful images - I haven't seen any colour photos of the scene at Bowling with the signal box intact. It's the right period too (1960s) so it shows the signal box in-situ at the endo of the railway's life! I do love a signal box project but I'm going to struggle to justify it as the original box was there to control a swing bridge, with the elevation giving a view of the railway and the canal. It was also a double-track line where my bridge is single track. Saying all that - it is a wonderful structure!! My copy of 'Signalling the Caledonian Railway' even has a drawing with both side and front elevation:

Thanks Colin - little bits of progress are starting to shape the scene. The industrial feel is creeping in, the original location that I stole the idea of the wharf, bridge, arches from is much greener and edge-of-the city being an outpost on the Clyde. I'm messing with this and making it more built-up with the back of a railway yard next to the arches. Hopefully it will all look coherent!

It's also an area I was unfamiliar with until I started searching 'Scottish Canals'!

Thanks Martyn - this is interesting as I need to look at my own 'fiddle yard' options for the diorama I'm currently building and want to learn as much as possible. This bit of the modelling is unglamorous but rather important!

I do hope people stumble on this topic as it's been really helpful to chat to other modelers! The retaining walls are based on those at 'Bowling Basin' - a canal wharf on the Forth and Clyde Canal which gave me some ideas to start this project - the large stone 'Canal House' the location of the railway bridge and the arched viaduct are all inspired by the location. I shied away from a true rendition of the scene as the original includes a swing bridge which is over 100 feet in length and would have been impossible to accomodate with any room remaining for other parts of my scene. I've attached a couple of photos of the original to show from where I drew the inspiration ... you can also see how many liberties I took with my own model! The brick arches at Bowling Basin More brick arches at Bowling Basin The general scene at Bowling Basin with Canal House, railway viaduct and bridge

Cheers John - it's always good to hear people's comments (appreciative and critical have both been helpful!)

Thanks Mikkel - I'm looking forward to painting this. I'm trying to be patient, leaving this until I have completed the model-making stage so that the colours can be matched in tone; like the cobbled paths and the stonework on the viaduct. I agree with you about finding some modern figures although there are some older mouldings that I think can be adapted. I need at least one figure that is propped against a lock gate balance beam! I'm familiar with ModelU figures [see my photo of my locomotive crews] but will look at Andrew Stadden as I don't think I've seen those!

Oh and some more cobble scribing ..

Last night I made a little card mock-up of a canal lock keepers hut for the lock-side at Caledonian Basin. The inspiration for this building is on the Forth and Clyde Canal. It should be rather cute when it's made ... The card mockup ... It's likely location in the canal scene .. The inspiration ...

The chimneys & pots and the ballustrade (is that the right word - maybe just 'roof fence'?) on the footbridge are a delight.

Having made a miscalculation on the brick railway arches, I had to reduce the height by sawing the bottom off and re-jigging the pillars on the bridge abutment. Nerve-wracking / anxiety-inducing!

That's extraordinary model-making! Is it a side-project or something that will find a home on a railway layout?

Cheers Martyn - your canal / lock / bridge modelling is first rate so I'm very happy to get a thumbs up. I had to shave a bit from the right-hand lock wall for similar reasons - I hadn't allowed for the recess in the lock chamber and the thickness of the modelling clay that I intend to use!

A small project weekend. Some gates for the canal lock on Caledonian Basin. Placement of a figure on the lock to make sure the size looks reasonable! The gates being made in styrene - the view from the back (concealed from view) The initial styrene gates placed in-situ to test fit A figure placed to test the position of the gates - I had discovered they were sitting too high on the hinges to be accurate so I dropped them down to the right height for operation. I'm pretty happy with this final position ..

Not in the same league as most of the photography here, but this does attempt to capture a low-light scene on our shed at Braeside. One of our 4mm / OO Hornby A4 'racehorses' receives a bit of 'grooming' from the shed staff before another outing on the 3 hour Expresses from Aberdeen to Glasgow, The shed is an approximation of the one at Ferryhill.

Canal lock in greyboard Some small progress on the old canal basin - with the lock entrance getting a greyboard mock-up. Should look good when it's been covered in DAS modelling clay, shaped and scored. There is a fair bit of that still to do in cobbling the canal paths and hard standing outside the buildings. Here's the card mockup Here's the canal entrance in-situ underneath the rail bridge Ooh look - a train!

I suppose it's too much to hope you add a small round-faced man in some leather hot-pants and a PVC t-shirt ...

Hi Steve - one of the things I find appealing about this hobby is creating a version of the railways, its buildings and the surrounding environment that I find beautiful. You won't find me reproducing ugly afterthought doorways in vile colours, prosaic architecture, scruffy graffiti, fly-tipped rubbish or burnt-out cars!

Cheers Rob - it should look a cracker once painted (assuming I don't make a mess of it)

Blimey - every time I come back to this thread I'm thrilled to see another set of convincing, atmospheric photos. It's certainly a period out of Edinburgh for which I have enormous affection and its lovingly reproduced in your models.

For those who might be curious - here are some photos I found of a factory at Dalmarnock that took my fancy. Its been an 'inspiration' for my own structure - certainly not a slavish, accurate reproduction! This continues to be my approach as it gets me off the hook and means I can pick the buildings I like and make them fit the space I have available.

As it is, I persisted with my brick industrial building (based on a Glasgow example that sadly doesn't occupy a canalside location. Because I was aware it wasn't obscuring the point at which the railway exits the diorama box I decided to make a ground level structure to raise the height. Its been a bit of a major gamble - here are the results ...