Signaller69

Very nicely captured, looks just like a 90s branch on the verge of being over-run with vegetation.

Thanks Al, yes it would have to be something thin at any rate, I did think about a skim of polyfilla or even just paint, but I may try the masking tape idea.

A pair of lock gates have been mocked up from balsa and thin card; if I use these they will need a little modifying, walkways adding and painting but so far, so good. However this threw up an unforseen issue in so far as the gaps in the walls should really be a scale couple of feet deep so the gates, when open, are flush with the walls; as it is too late to alter the woodwork this is something I will have to live with. Also the top of the gate acts as an overflow control so water can flow over the top of the gates without flooding the surrounding area; thus it needs to be lower than the surrounding walls; this means the bare wood is visible behind the lock gate as can be seen so this needs some thought on disguising.

Thanks gents,Feel free to use this method by all means, I stake no claim to its originality! I forgot to mention, after spraying the plasticard "concrete" walls with grey car primer aerosol I gave them a very quick pass with a red primer, which looks awful and patchy but fear not! The Dulux Matt emulsion was applied over this after an hour or so and left to dry overnight. The weathering is black acrylic with a little water, brushed on with a flat brush and streaked vertically. Further working over the same area softens, and mixes with, the underlying emulsion and reveals streaks of the underlying primer whilst leaving a subdued and random finish. The brown areas were achieved in a similar manner with neat paint brushed on horizontally to react with and streak the emulsion. Now the walls are glued in place I need to add a couple of small missing edges and may do a little further weathering and add white lime marks; as with most tasks I find it very useful to use photos of what I am trying to interpret. Hope this is of use.

Super, what a difference your modifications have made! Are you planning to treat a Lima version to similar work by any chance?

Another productive day! Canal walls weathered and glued in place and the road has been painted, Followed by gluing the Hotel wall in place (and hence the odd nail holding it in place). Gaps in the canal wall are recesses for the "sea end" open lock gates. At the back the gates will be closed to hide the woodwork (and obviously you can't have 2 sets open on the same lock anyway. . . ).

Today I have finished the Hotel perimeter wall, and another piece which adjoins the canal walls, and assembled and painted a first coat of concrete paint on the canal lock walls. These have been made as sub-assemblies which will only be fixed in place once the "concrete" has been very heavily weathered (the real walls are mainly weathered brown and black - from canal water presumably, with leaching lime marks in places). These walls are 80 thou plasticard suitably scribed and coarsely sanded before being sprayed grey with a car aerosol. A Dulux "White Chiffon" household emulsion tester pot was used for the top coat, applied by brush (I find this is a good colour for new concrete) . The "water" has had another coat of paint with a slightly blue tinge; once the canal walls are fitted several coats of clear varnish will be applied, with a rippling effect hopefully.

Thanks for the kind words, Allan has always been a big inspiration, particularly in using things that are to hand, kit leftovers and simplifying very complex areas where possible. However I don't feel I could match his enthusiasm when it comes to large structures (the Steelworks and Chester Rows models he built come to mind)! Scratchbuilding a model to give an impression of an actual building is still quite new to me and I am pleased with the outcome. I can't claim its 100% faithful to the real building (especially in the window size/style, or even the stone finish, which as mentioned earlier is a bit of an unknown) but if it is recognizable then I am a happy bunny. Cheers, Martyn.

As the sun has been shining some good progress has been made today, namely the Hotel base and road surface fitted, perimeter wall made and the canal lock walls started. Latter are 80 thou plasticard scored and coarsely sanded to something I hope will resemble the concrete originals when painted! Waiting for the Milliput on the perimeter wall to dry now prior to painting and fitting it, may have to think about making the lock gates soon too.

Thanks for the suggestion, lead may be somewhat more in keeping with the "period" and style of the building, I hadn't considered it up to now.

Many thanks for all the comments and likes, it is much appreciated. The version 2 canopy glazing is now in place and all windows glazed. An area of paving has been cut and scribed from card which will be used as a template for positioning on the layout, but may be re-done with scribed plasticard instead. Couple of days off so hoping to get some work done on the Hotel "site" and make a start on the canal walls etc.

Looks really good Marcus, first rate! Martyn.

Drainpipes (Wills) and canopy done. Glazing on the canopy is not fixed in place as I may replace it with with another piece, using fine white lining tape instead of plasticard support beams, which I feel look a little chunky. The valencing is another part from an old house kit. The flat roofed areas will probably get fine chippings added, or a representation of felt roofing.

Nice job with the relaying/reballasting and Ground Frame Peter, nothing to suggest it has been altered at all, nice bit of blending in. Regards, Martyn.

A few hours this afternoon has seen good progress on the hotel. After a quick clean up the shell and all the windows were primed in white with a car aerosol. After an hour the building was dry brushed with my usual cheap acrylics, mixed to a light grey/brown colour and applied with a fairly stiff flat brush. A second pass introduced slightly darker colours and streaking, the stiff brush when pressed selectively into the semi dry paint takes off some of the earlier covering from the "face" of the stones leaving a lighter colour, with the darker paint ending up in the mortar courses. The window frames were then touched in with a slightly different mix of stone colour round the edges and once dry were fitted to the building. Still a little more work to do paintwise, touching up window frames etc, and an old style Hotel "double half doors" (to coin a phrase; those old style narrow doors where you could squeeze through one, or open both to get luggage through, where a single standard door would be too narrow) made for the main entrance. After that a "glass" sloping canopy will be added over the main entrance, with some ballustrades provided from the same kit the windows and chimney top were taken from.

Visited the line on Easter Sunday with my good lady and was surprised how quiet it was. There is certainly lots to see and some historic rolling stock in various states of preservation including LMS designed Sleeping Cars (both 8 wheel and 12 wheel), a C&HP water tank wagon (tender conversion) and a couple of ex- Gatwick Express GLV's (which I hadn't realised were converted from 2-EPB units) and as Dava says a good collection of DMU's. A second (wooden) platform is being built at the intermediate passing station which may indicate a desire for running 2 trains at some point, and they seem to be involved with running P.Way courses (various road vehicles and road-railers and a couple of ballast wagons etc marked up for such) which may be a useful form of income. Train wise a nicely turned out 3 car class 101 was running on the "main" line, with a lovely Barclay 0-4-0ST giving LMS brake van rides up the 1 in 27 incline, well worth the £2 supplement to be about 6ft from the chimney when the loco was opened up! A very enjoyable afternoon, well worth visiting if you are in the area.

The layout is currently under dust covers at the Clubrooms owing to building and renovation work to make better use of space, so running and working on the layout is difficult to say the least. However tonight I did manage to lift the covers enough to take a few more phone snaps of the station area including the station building frontage, which has previously been hidden by the end backscene, but the extension will allow it to be visible and extra detail/signage added, along with a forecourt area, Bus Stop etc.

The "Crinan Hotel" walls have now been clad in Dressed Stone plasticard and gaps filled with Milliput. The "stepped" front corner (a prominent feature of the prototype then and now) was achieved using a section of discarded Airfix Footbridge steps and more Milliput. The windows are being test fitted, although I shall probably paint them before fitting to the painted building.

Have you choc chipped it yet? Or has it gone to the great breakers yard in the mouth?

Nice to chat to Phil today, and add an additional vote for the Glasgow Works blue fywp 24/0, having already voted for the Highland 24/1. Saddened to hear of the bizarre theft of the non SLW 24 from the stand though.

Super show, I visited today for the first time in many years and the quality of layouts was second to none, it was not overcrowded and I managed to get to see everything I wanted to. Also managed to pick up some bits and pieces for various projects too. My thanks to the Organisers, Exhibitors and Traders for an enjoyable day. Edit to add a few phone-cam photos: Bachmann 00-9 Class 10-12 Gresley Beat Buxton TMD: And the legendary Pempoul:

Super modelling David, that is one nice looking loco.

Looking forward to having a mooch on Monday!

Looks like the RTC 24/0 and blue Inverness 24/1 proving popular then.

The four new liveries (second batch) are reported due at end of 2017 at an increased RRP according to Hattons, though they appear to be offering them for £160: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1398113026875792&id=217917844895322