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Ray Von

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Blog Entries posted by Ray Von

  1. Ray Von

    "Counterpoint"

    By Ray Von,


    Modelling
    A tiny seashell I found yesterday is now a piece of "modern art" on my (circa 1980) model rail layout.  
    The bronze sculpture "Counterpoint" (1959) is by renowned local artist Hermione Boot and is mounted over a wishing well that supports local charities in the town of Dent de Lion...
     
    The seashell is glued to a piece of dressmakers pin, which in turn is fixed to a small plastic reel of some sort that I found on the ground, possibly from a tape cassette.
     
     

     

     

     

  2. Ray Von
    A couple of days ago I ballasted the "yard" area of the scrapyard on the layout.  Almost immediately that I started, I was not pleased with the result: 

     
    It seemed to me that it was going to be a lot of work, waiting for the ballast to dry, painting - more drying, then weathering... So, after a bit of weathering, I decided that when the glue dried I would simply tear up the ballast and start again (this is where using latex glue saves the day once more, folks!)
     
    It took just a few seconds to peel off the ballast the next day and then a quick brush around with an old toothbrush, followed by a blast with the vac and, like an archaeologist, I'd revealed something hidden under the yard!
     
     
    The card that I'd used to nicely level the surface of the yard had remained in situ, and due to the seeping through of watered down black paint, had taken on a murky, splotchy, grimy - scrapyard appearance!
     
    Unfortunately, I couldn't actually use said card.  The corrugated metal fences around the yard were fixed using a right angled strip about 1mm, so I originally added the card to level up the ground to the same height as this plastic trim, with the ballast gone the strip was visible again.
     
    So today I added another (larger) section of the same card over the first, I weathered it simply by painting on watered down black paint and then adding random splodges of the same mixture - and I'm really pleased with the results, it looks just like mucky old concrete! 


    The lesson I have taken from this is, if you have a nagging feeling that something isn't right - don't be afraid to literally "rip it up and start again!" (You never know what you might find!) 
  3. Ray Von

    [Sleeper] Smart.

    By Ray Von,

    21st April
     
    The Peco Joiner Sleeper Sections (SL308F) arrived the other day, so this morning I had a fairly easy time of siting them on the scenic section of the layout, to hide the gaps mentioned in the previous post.
    I used the tried-and-trusted "bits of double sided tape" method to get them into the right positions (using tweezers) and I'm pleased with the results. In this case I will be leaving the tape where it is, as it will eventually be entombed in glue, ballast and / or scene scatter.
    The curved section of set track is especially visually improved, particularly as I replaced the "ugly" bit on both ends of that piece of track (this had nothing to do with me removing the wrong end in the first place - no, absolutely not!)
    After the new sleepers were in place it was just a matter of going over the track sections with the Archimedes Drill at regular intervals, making holes in the FIXED sleepers ready for track pins. I somehow managed to break the drill bit at the very end of this procedure :-( but it is still usable, if a little stumpy!
    The end result is, however, that the layout is now nearly done - from the point of view of running trains, and I'm well pleased! Just the sidings to do, for which the flexi track arrived​ just a couple of hours ago. :-)
  4. Ray Von

    A Hotel on Platform One....

    By Ray Von,


    Painting and Weathering
    Just kidding!  I've had this "Monopoly" hotel kicking around for ages in my box of scraps - I think I picked it up off the pavement years ago...
     

     
    Today I set about converting it into something useful for the layout - a newsagent kiosk.
     
    Step one was to drill a hole in the side of the hotel and then square the circle using a file.
     
    Next, I sanded down the surface of the building - prior to gluing on corrugated styrene sheet, to represent wood panelling, and a door from spares.
    I left the hotel roof as it was, and then primed the whole thing with grey aerosol spray.
     
    Once dry - I painted the sides green and dry-brushed the roof black. This was followed by white dry-brushing over the whole model.  
     
    A counter for the service hatch was made from card, some guttering from styrene rod, and I printed off some signage and newspaper headlines - these were mounted on thin card and fixed to the building.
     

     

     
     
  5. Ray Von
    I wanted to build a small double oval layout and I wanted it to have a modest two platform station that would see a variety of loco's and rolling-stock stopping or passing through. I also wanted it to be a fairly cheap build, quick to make and easy to use...
    This is what I came up with, a traverser. It does away with the need for multiple sets of points, the wiring of points and the banks of switches and motors required to control all those points (not to mention the hefty initial cost!)
    The layout is just over 4' x 2' and the traverser deck is about 2' 3" wide (the same length as 4 sections of peco ST-11 track) by about 13" deep, each section can comfortably hold up to four coaches and a loco, at the moment there are 8 sections of track with room for one more.
    The baseboard is divided lengthways into two uneven parts, the traverser side and a scenic area. The scenic area is slightly deeper than the traverser side and the track is peco flexitrack in 4th and 3rd radius curves. The traverser side is all second hand peco setrack, the curves this side are 3rd and 2nd radius.
    Buying used setrack kept the cost down considerably, and despite the odd missing sleeper and occasional blob of congealed glue here and there it works just fine. I opted for brand-new flexitrack on the scenic side though, as this is reasonably priced and i think it looks better. On this particular layout I have used less than two lengths of flexitrack per line.
     
    Next post: How it actually works...
  6. Ray Von

    A Name at Last (and a Burger Bar!)

    By Ray Von,


    Low relief building
    I finally decided on a name for the layout, and added name-boards to the station today.
     

     
    I settled on a French influenced one, inspired by a local road which in turn is named for a medieval landowner whose legacy is the road name and the remains of a gatehouse.
     
    I think that the name fits in well with the Southern Region near-coastal setting.
     
    The signs are "Knightwing" white metal (8 pack) and are grey primed with a bit of white dry-brushing (thanks to RMweb for the info on that subject!)
     
    I produced the signs using an Android phone app called Phonto, it's really handy and easy to use.  They are printed on regular paper, mounted on thin white card.
     
    In order to ensure that the signs were placed uniformly, I made a simple card template for drilling the post-holes:
     

     
    I really like the way they look on the station - they make it look more "real!"
     

     

     
    Other jobs attended to today were the addition of a "Wimpy" bar (the back scene is nearly complete!)  
    I used a bit of artistic license - I don't think that there would prototypically be signage on the rear/side of the building, but what the heck!
     

     
    Thanks as always for looking in!
     
     
  7. Ray Von

    A Pub of my Dreams...

    By Ray Von,


    Painting and weathering
    I have long wanted a pub somewhere on my layout, but unfortunately I have limited space to put one - the only available site would in fact mean modelling in low relief.
     
    Ideally, the pub would be situated on a spot that could offer a view that was interesting - for the tiny sozzled patrons.
     
    I decided therefore to suspend reality somewhat and create a pub that probably wouldn't exist in real life.  And why not?
     
    I found a likely candidate on eBay: 
     
    Upon its arrival, I set about dismantling the model (which was thankfully only lightly painted and glued together!) Once I'd decided on a configuration for the building, I set aside the chosen parts and primed them with white aerosol spray (I'd have preferred to use grey on the roof, timbers and other details - but I'd ran out!)
    Painting didn't take too long, and after some weathering - all that was left was to place the pub on the layout.
     
    I'm really pleased with the finished article, I still need to source a couple of chimney stacks - I think they will create an optical illusion that will hide the join between the building and the back scene in a satisfying way.  I also think that I will put a stone wall under the pub itself, rather than the brick one pictured. 
     
    So the pub not only offers unrivalled views of trains arriving and leaving the station as they pass under the saloon bar, but also - one can sit and watch old cars being lifted by magnet crane into the jaws of a mighty crusher, to emerge seconds later transformed into metal cubes!  
    (I could sit in a pub like that for hours!  Cheers!)
     

     


     

  8. Ray Von

    A Vital Component Finally Arrives!

    By Ray Von,


    Detailing
    So it doesn't look like much does it? :
     

     
    Ta-da! :
     

     
     
    I needed to add some finishing touches - the closed position was a little loose, so I secreted a thin magnet and a washer to act as a securing catch:
     

     

     
    Of course, I only use the beer for illustrative purposes....
     
    Cheers!
     
     
     
     




  9. Ray Von
    Went about the task of adding third rail today.
     
    I used British Finescale track for this as I've used it before with good results.  The rail is simply super glued to the sleeper parallel to the existing rail.
     
    It was a fiddly task, but I hit upon the idea of using Blu-tak style adhesive to hold the track in place while gluing and it seems to have worked well!  The Blu-tak was removed after a couple of hours drying, and left no residue - except where it had mixed with super glue!  This combined to make a nasty immovable gum, which I'm hoping to be able to remove with a stiff brush later on....
     
    I think I did reasonably well with the third rail around point work, at a glance anyway it looks pretty good and after a test run with an EMU, there were no derailments.
     
    I also tidied up missing sleepers around the joins in track work, using Peco replacement sleepers (I forget the serial number...) They are intended to slip over fishplates so have a large opening to accommodate these and the rail.  In places where sleepers were missing but not near fishplates, I slid a thin piece of stiff card underneath the sleeper to raise it into contact with the rail and then applied watered down PVA to each, to hold in place prior to ballasting.
     
     
     
     






  10. Ray Von
    April 17th, Bank Holiday Monday
     

    The long weekend is nearly over, work has come to a standstill due to my list of jobs being fulfilled, and those other things to be done can't be done until some bits arrive in the post.
     
    I purchased an Archimedes Drill some days ago, when I realised that the flexi track and streamline points don't have pre-drilled holes in them for track pins. I got it at Maplins, I can't remember how much it was - around £5.00 I think. It is a very good product though, and it comes with two different sizes of collet (word of the day!) which gives it a range from 0mm - 2mm. I already had some mini drill bits, minus their case unfortunately - so sizing them involves a lot of guesswork(!)
    However, today I set about making holes in the sleepers of the curved section of flexi track that has, for now, been held in place by some small squares of double sided tape. I was going to count out the spacing for the holes, but in the end I decided to use the position of the track pins in the adjacent curve as my guide, and this worked just fine.
     
    I will also need to make holes and place track pins along the length of the scenic section of track but I am waiting for some extra peco sleepers to arrive in the post, to fill in the unsightly gaps on this part of the layout, these are caused by the fact that the flexi track sleeper sections don't go over the fishplates, also I omitted to remove a piece of ugly sleeper section from one end of a curved​ piece of track (pictured) that would be visible and needs replacing.
     
    Incidentally, I have found that there has been no need to hammer track pins in on this layout, some even pressure on a mid sized punch does the job and you don't end up with the pins going in farther than needed and bending the shape out of the sleepers! :-S
     
    Enjoy your Bank Holiday all!
  11. Ray Von
    April 15th
     

    Ok so maybe not, but today's list of "jobs done" includes:
     
    Cut sections of Flexi track to size for scenic area.
    Drilled holes for point motors to be fitted, under streamline points.
    Drilled holes for, and fitted power fishplates x 8 (one pair for power controller rail, three pairs for streamline points "drop wires")
     
    The Flexi Track was cut as before, using a Dremel on low speed with the sanding disc attached, the same was used to square off the rail ends. Excess sleepers were cut off using a retractable knife.
     
    The holes for the point motors that are to go under the streamline points were made with a 5mm drill bit, after using a pencil to mark out the "travel" using that little hole in the tie bar.
     
    The prewired fishplates were a bit fiddly! Especially when it came to the final section of track, the one that completed the "loop" of the layout. The wiring itself was fairly easy, and the sidings now have power independent of the moving rail blades, (I hope the pic illustrates the theory behind this.) Of course this now means that there'll be no moving a loco into a siding for a rest while another train passes!
     
    NB I accidentally deleted this post a few minutes ago and had to rewrite the whole thing!
  12. Ray Von

    Ballast is Drying Nicely...

    By Ray Von,


    Ballast
    Some pics of the ballast after an overnight dry.  Looking good (better in real life than in the pics, I think the granular quality of the ballast confuses my phone camera, and it doesn't know what to focus on?)
     
    However, I am genuinely really pleased with the results - I still have little gaps to fill and the odd bump to flatten, but for my first outing it's not looking too shabby!  Cleaned a small section of the rail tops as well (Sidings) and that always improves things I think.
     
    Still plenty to do, thank you for viewing!
     



  13. Ray Von
    Just a few quick pics of some rather belated ballasting and siting of platforms, just to see how they look.
    Will need to ballast right up to the platform edges and I still have third rail to fit.  The glue is still wet in these photos, but I like the way it's going....
    The large gap between the topmost line and the sidings is where I will be putting my scrap merchant yard, I have that all ready to go so it's just a matter of putting it in place.
  14. Ray Von

    Ballasting Update

    By Ray Von,


    Ballast
    Quick pic of progress made today, the glue on the track centres and immediate edges is now dry, so I've been gradually layering up the ballast in the area between tracks. 
    The method is pretty simple:
     
    1. Wet baseboard area to be ballasted with very weak Copydex-water-washing up liquid solution.
    2. Sprinkle on sand.
    3. Drip stronger (1-4) glue solution over sand.
    4. Repeat steps 2 and 3.
     
    The glue is still wet in these pictures: 
     
    As you can see, I don't really mind having some ballast on the sleepers - I'm taking inspiration from local examples with regards to this and the colouration that I'm trying to achieve:

     
    Thank you for looking in! 
  15. Ray Von
    April 13th
     

    The 2 x point motors arrived today -thank you to the good people at Hattons- :-) I'll be fitting them this weekend, and then pressing on with track laying (I am planning to fix the track methodically, starting at one curved section and working my way round to the starting point). It seems like a good idea to me...
    I've just placed one motor where it will be sited and it looks fine, it doesn't even seem to need the digging into the cork underlay that was predicted. But there's a world of difference between placing a thing and fitting it so that it works! We'll see.
    As it is, it is already obvious that a bit of jigging of track plan will be needed further down the track (see pic.) as the Peco point motor will never fit there! Either way it is placed, it impinges on a curve. That's where the methodical track laying comes into play: this part of track is only hand-pinned down, and can be easily re-positioned.
  16. Ray Von
    I finally got round to spray painting the whole layout today (was going to wait until all the track was  laid, but as I'm waiting on deliveries - thought I might as well crack on.)
    I used a dull matt  brown, I think it was from Hobby Craft -I've had it a while!

    I painted the layout in 12" sections and sort of "Sqeegee'd" paint off the top of the rails using a small off cut of pine strip-wood as I went along, wiping that on kitchen towel as needed.
    Third rail was harder to clean paint from, because it sits fractionally lower than the other rails.  I found that scraping the nearly dry paint off with a blade works well - if not a little time consuming!
    Here are some pics of the layout as it is now:
    In two areas the third rail popped off!  But for the most part, painting actually increases the bond between rail and sleeper.  Can't explain it!

    Buffed the rails with a very old, very very fine bit of emery then a brush over with an old toothbrush, gave the class 08 a run around and it all seems good!
    Thanks for reading.
  17. Ray Von
    Managed to squeeze in and get a more direct shot of the uncouplers working.  Also a shot of a "Mk II" control rod working the lifting ramp.
    The rod is longer and has a curve that levels back to a horizontal plane - this results in a gentler lifting of the spherical pinhead. 
    You can see a MkI rod in the background, they work well but there is very slight resistance sometimes because they "push" the pin rather than guide it. 
    I also added a third hinge barrel along the length of the shaft, this minimises bending in the longer brass rods.

  18. Ray Von

    Bottletop Signal Box

    By Ray Von,


    Modelling
    It's been a long while!  Today I made a completely fictional, unprotoypical Signal Box - from a few odds and ends found around the house.
     
    The main inspiration came from a clear plastic lid I found that had an inner segment - I forgot to take any pictures prior to starting this project, so this vague description is the best I can offer!  Here is a pic of the lid, masked and primed:
     

     
    Alongside this clear plastic lid is a small eyedropper bottle, which - as luck would have it - was a perfect fit for the inner section of the lid.  I fixed an old offcut of brickwork plasticard, left over from another project and already painted and weathered.  The plasticard had a tendency to "unping" when I attempted to glue it onto the body of the bottle, so I employed a cable tie - which became a vital part of the building itself!
     

     

     
    The roof for the building came in the form of a vitamin pill lid, this was primed white around the edge, and grey for the rooftop.
     

     
    The parts that were to represent concrete were painted in my tried and tested way - Beige Acrylic with a wash of Brown Earth, this was was also applied to the roof edging too.
     
    Here is the nearly finished article:
     

     
    As you can see, the building is total fiction!  I'm fairly pleased with it though.  I can imagine it perhaps being a product of elegant, modern 1930's design - offering 360 degree visibility of the surrounding rail network.  (Access by the way is via an internal spiral staircase.)
     
    I added some very thin, square styrene rod for the window frames and sill - the vertical struts are held in place by double-sided tape (I'll glue them permanently, the day I finally get them straight!)
    I might add more architectural details at a later date, vents, pipework etc...
     
    Here is the building in situ, I inserted a tube of coloured paper with a doodle on it of some trackwork to represent a map and a small clock, made from a circle of plasticard.
     

     

     
    I think it looks pretty good, I just need to add a footing for it to stand on.  Thanks for looking in! 
     

     
  19. Ray Von

    Bottletop Signal Box Update

    By Ray Von,


    Modelling
    It's been somewhat breezy today, so I cracked on with adding some detail to my Signal Box.  
    I wasn't happy with the proportions of the windows, a bit overscale I thought - so I simply added some card bands, top and bottom. I weathered them with a wash of Brown Earth mixed with a smidge of PVA glue, this helped to adhere the paper nicely as it dried.
     
    I also added a station name to the building, and dry brushed some white paint to areas here and there - to simulate minerals leaching and just add some realism.  
     

     

  20. Ray Von

    Bracket for the Controller.

    By Ray Von,


    Controller
    Added a bracket to the layout control panel today, it was a pair left over from an "over-the-door-hanger" kit. 
    I bent it to the desired angle in a vice, the slots running the length of the upper section enabled me to screw the bracket to the shelf.
    I used "Command" brand picture hanging strips to secure the controller to the bracket - they are stronger than normal velcro, so far they appear to be holding well.
     

     

     

     
  21. Ray Von

    Building Detailing and Foliage Scatter.

    By Ray Von,


    Detailing
    Just a few odd jobs today, attached the lift shaft to the flats, added some concrete fence panels to the pub yard, made some platforms for the Railfreight Depot loading bays, and (because I can't find a suitable permanent candidate) added a temporary door to the goods depot - just to make it look functional.  Also got on with adding a bit of greenery to the trackside...
     

     

     

     

     
    Primed some station name boards today, as soon as I figure out which colour to paint them - they'll be put in place.
     
    Thanks for looking in!
     
  22. Ray Von
    I purchased some Peco SL-345 AWS ramps with the intention of hiding a couple of reed switches I have on the layout. They are linked to "arc effect" LED circuits and are activated by magnets added to the underside of my EMU's.
     
    I'd hoped that they would hide the switches straight from the box, and they did - unfortunately, a test run with my Class 08 shunter had it left high and dry!
     
    With some very careful scoring, filing and a little sanding I eventually succeeded in creating a cavity just big enough to enable the ramp to snuggly house the reed switch.
     
    What went well:
     
    They fit and hide the reed switch, they don't sheild the switch from the magnetic field, they protect the delicate glass of the reed switch.
     
    What didn't go well:
     
    Slight loss of detailing (see pic), probably not prototypically placed on layout (on a curve after signal lights..)
     
    Not going to lose too much sleep over that though. On the whole, pleased. :-)
  23. Ray Von

    Converting a Station Kit to Fit...

    By Ray Von,


    Kit Bashing
    Due to my unusual platform  format, see here: 
     
     
     
    I have had a Kestrel Station Kit waiting in the wings for a while now, waiting to be converted from "long and thin"  - as it is sold, to "sort of L-shaped" so it will fit neatly in the corner of the layout.
     
    I started by measuring out the area that I have available - a square footprint of just about 10 x 11cm.  I then went about removing the various pieces of the kit from their sprues, and basically playing with the pieces - laying them out flat, like the net for a cube.  Once I was reasonably pleased with a theoretical design I then went about making a mock up, using my chosen kit parts held together (somewhat precariously) with Blue-tak...

     
    After this came the process of committing to the design and actually cutting some of the panels to size.  Once again these were Blue-tak'ed together and then glued with poly cement.
    I also had a couple of issues with window apertures that would now be partially obscured by the roofs of the adjoining buildings.  One of these I've hidden by cutting away the brickwork above the window and slotting in a chimney stack. The second window on the top floor of the main building could be similarly hidden, but I think I will just "brick it up." 

     
    I wasn't overly happy that I'd allowed the building to extend to the very limits of the platform footprint though. 
    So, with some unsentimental cutting, I created a more slimmed down version of my original perception.
     
    I'm still awaiting the actual platform section for the building to sit on - but I couldn't resist plonking the station in it's intended spot, just to see how it might look...

     

     
    Obviously the next step will be priming and painting, followed by detailing and weathering.
     
    So far though I am pleased with the stations basic design, I particularly like the archway that now forms the way out - I'm a big fan of using suggestion in my designs, the archway faces a wall which leads off to the right - suggesting an exit beyond (and neatly disguises the end of the layout!) 
     
     
     
     
  24. Ray Von

    Converting a Station Kit to Fit... Part Two.

    By Ray Von,


    Painting and Weathering
    Following on from an earlier post, today (and a good part of yesterday) was spent building up layers of weathering on my recently "bashed" station kit.
     
    Once painted with primer, I added two coats of yellow and picked out random bricks in varying quantities in black, white, brick red and blue-grey.  I painted the interior "arches" plain white too.

     
    Having discovered that my usual "Brown Earth" paint had dried up in the pot, I ordered some more online - although not the same brand, rather an independent supplier of "identical" shades.  I use the Brown Earth as a wash to tone down the yellow shade of the first coat to a point that it  resembles authentic yellow brickwork.  For whatever reason, this process took a lot longer and a lot more washes than in the past - possibly down to it not being the brand I have been used to.  Also the shade is a good deal more "sandy" in shade, but that's not a bad thing.  Coverage was irregular too, and in places I resorted to dry-brushing the spots where the wash simply wouldn't apply. The roof sections were a lot more straightforward, primed grey with odd slates picked out in black and white - followed by several washes of black.

     

     
    I'm pleased with the end result though, outstanding jobs are: permanently afix roof (and then add peaked section to front) detailing - including gutters, drainpipes etc and glazing.

     
    Thanks for looking in.
     
  25. Ray Von

    Detailing

    By Ray Von,


    Detailing
    Some pics of details added to the layout today, signage, air conditioning units and the obligatory "lady in a bra" billboard (sorry!)

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