marc smith

A diorama or micro layout is definitely a good idea if you are space or cash starved...or both in fact, it's a great way to hone your modelling skills, and try out new techniques and materials This is looking like a nice diorama - I think you could even consider connecting it to another diorama, and have yourself a layout.. one day I too like differing levels in a scene - it helps give the eye more to look at and wander towards. It can also help a given space seem larger than it actually is Looking forward to seeing this develop PS. I had many years out of the hobby too - and a recent spell of a few years But I always come back to the hobby, and usually more inspired after a break

There is indeed something special about Springsbury Croft Owd Bob - it's a cracking layout - and in such a small space for 7mm The whole atmosphere of the layout is superb, and part of that are all the little details - that ground cover, inc the oily patches just look great We all need a break from modelling once in a while Bob - just hope your break isn't too long I'm enjoying every minute of reading your thread, and all the contributions to it Alas, my shortened modelling time is enforced - reading the comments from other rwmeb members, and their various threads & blogs is giving me even more renewed enthusiasm.... I just need more time!

Ah, sadly mudmagnet, progress is rather slower than I'd have liked - but I suppose that's usually the case for most of us? I'm currently just grabbing ten minutes here & there.... So just a little more ballasting done here & there over the past week or so - plus a bit of experimenting with adding weathering powders, after ballasting I want to get this "right" - the ballasting on the line at the back will be a little different to the rest of the layout (sidings & road into Dairy) The rear line is a little used running line, and is occasionally used to park the locos that serve the yard. So I'm picturing slightly "Better" maintained ballast, and several oily patches where the locos sit I really like the look of ballast and oil patches Owd Bob has achieved on his O Gauge "Springsbury Croft" layout on a pasting table too If you've not seen that layout - check it out! It's superb

The two "levels" of wall look really effective in those latest pics Bob. The low relief buildings look great too. I think the two walls, with overgrown embankment between, and a small gap between the backscene buildings works really well. There seems to be more depth there, than there actually is - result I forgot to add earlier - I really like the name "Springsbury Croft" too

Good to hear you've taken the DCC plunge John. Hope you get on well with it I must say, it was DCC and in particular DCC sound that got me back into modelling

I wasn't aware of it either - which just goes to show that I've been spending far too little time on rmweb lately! ha ha The instant I saw it, I was reminded of Neil Rushby's superb "Shell Island" layout. It just had that same bleached out, seaside atmosphere, and the presentation, modelling, painting etc etc. Except of course, Sandy Shores is just that bit different again. There's far more rail infrastructure, of course - but it still manages to capture the essence of a remote light industrial spot on the shore. Just looking again at the design of the trackplan, and I can't help but admire just how clever it is. That diamond crossing is helping to make it just that bit more compact, yet it's not an overcrowded scene, despite the fact that there's a lot of detail and features in there

Great to see this fab layout at the RMweb members day. really nice, inspired piece of modelling. I attempted to come along for a chat, but every time I did, you were busy talking to other rmweb members, or being filmed! Just thought I'd save my compliments for here. Great stuff - hope to catch you at another show Cheers, Marc

This is progressing nicely I agree that the ground cover, ballasting and subdued earthy colours are looking superb

.... and of course, I kept distracting you & getting in your way.... I still didn't manage to bag a 2nd one myself though

I keep coming back to look at this layout. I know I only posted some of my thoughts on it recently But words escape me, when trying to find adequate description of just how superb this layout is Stunning, simply stunning.......

Just wanted to say how glad I am that accepted the kind offer of a lift from @Barry Ten accompanied by @wenlock and made the trip to this great event. Good to catch up with so many pals, and see some fab layouts and have a good old chin-wag with many like-minded rmweb members Again, thanks are due to @Stubby47 and everyone else, for organising the day - it's hard work, and it doesn't go un-noticed guys - huge thanks I also wanted to say, I did my first rmweb day here, with Hendre Lane, and that was 9 years ago ....How come I'm the only rmweb member who has aged? When I took Hendre along all those years back, there was a distinct lack of fellow Welsh modellers in attendance, and I'm happy to say that this balance is now being redressed Though I'm not sure whether @NHY 581 had just the one bottle of alcohol close to hand all day... or whether he was replenishing it regularly? I've been kindly invited by Stu, to bring my latest project along next year - and if I do get around to finishing it... I will be there, and am already looking forward to it

Thanks for the kind comments Bob. For me, I find that looking at pics of both the real thing, and models gets me thinking about how I can reproduce what I see, or just recreate a few elements of one pic, and add them to another. I'm a fan of seeing old, rusty, disused sidings - not because I want to see disused railways - but because in my youth, such features were everywhere, and as such, were part of the rail scene everywhere I went.... The dead grass and weeds aren't quite complete yet - someone (Wayne, are you reading this? lol) borrowed my static grass applicator some time back. I won't do any final scenic greenery until I have a static grass applicator. For now, I'm just enjoying playing about a bit. I can tear chunks back off, and re-use, and generally mess around with scenery until I get the look I'm after

Just a little progress over the Easter break - at least it's something, I suppose.... Being doing some ballasting. It struck me that this new N Gauge ballast I've been using is larger and slightly more coarse than the old stuff I used on my previous layouts I generally find N gauge ballast works best in 4mm scale, and use 4mm scale ballast for O gauge - to me it looks finer The ballasting will require some weathering with a wash of grey / brown colour, and i will add some weathering powders too. I usually add a "misting" of mid grey with an aerosol, to tone everything down and blend everything in - but of course, that's once ballasting is complete... I've also rusted the disused track on the overbridge, and started adding a little weeds and grass here & there - to see how that looks. I will place some fencing across the disused track - to stop people wandering! But I this is perfect for a cameo in my mind. More of that later.....

This is getting better every time I look at it Bob The low relief buildings will give the layout a sense of "place" too, I'm sure All good stuff sir.

Looking really good Bob, and really enjoying all the prototype pics that are being posted. The yellow looks "right" to me. Of course, it's all a bit subjective anyway, as paint fades - yellow generally more so than blue due to their wavelengths (Yellow absorbs more of the shorter wavelengths than blue). Plus, paints in days gone by had less UV protecting components.... so they were prone to fade anyway, especially as locos were out in all weathers, and given some of the places they had to go and materials they were in close proximity to. Also, I've used "correct" colours in the past, that have ended up looking not quite right. (IMHO, of course). A long deceased relative of some pals of mine used to tell a nice tale about railways and correct colours. As a young lad many years ago, he used to hang around Ely station in Cardiff (long gone). He spent a lot of his holiday time there, and knew the staff really well - they even got him changing signals and doing odd jobs for a few pennies. It was in GWR colours at the time, and he'd been asked by the station master to do some fence painting. Members of staff were set about painting the valencing, in contrasting light & dark stone.... "There's not enough Light stone" came the cry from one of the staff. "Well, mix some of that white in with the dark stone then!" was the station master's reply.....Precision colours, eh? Really enjoying this whole thread Bob, and other contributors

Hi Keith, I'm always interested to see how people use "different" items as baseboards and containers for layouts I particularly like micro and minimum space layout designs. But I think the whole approach of using a "fixed-size" space, as you're doing here, is quite an interesting approach - because you have a limited footprint, and have to work within the constraints of that space - so it makes you think very hard about how to use that space well I've not seen anyone use that concept that Iain Rice described in his book. But I'd really like to see someone try it out. One neat aspect about the concept, is that your layout could almost be like a display cabinet, mounted onto a wall. Moreover, Rice suggests the fiddle cassette system could even be mounted across the back of a door, as another space-saving technique.... interesting! I suppose the difficulty in the design concept could be when you then want to exhibit your layout. Would a narrow display cabinet arrangement be very stable at an exhibition, where you sometimes get "poking hands" or people bumping into tables? And maybe you'd need an additional, separate, portable fiddle yard? - Again, something built with stability in mind, perhaps from something like Dexion shelf / framing? Don't worry about slow progress - my own builds always take longer than expected, like so many of us on here The important thing, is to keep the enthusiasm going, and this can be a strong point with smaller layouts and dioramas, where progress, no matter how slow, will always be quicker than a room-filler of a layout

Funnily enough, when I saw the post about the layout on an Ikea Bookcase, it reminded me of a plan from Iain Rice's book about Urban Layout plans He uses a bookcase, or rack of 3 narrow shelves, and builds a separate scene of one cohesive design on each shelf. Each "unit" has an entry point at one end, and using shelving brackets attached to the wall, he designed a fiddle cassette which you can left from one level, upwards or down to the next..... This idea interested me a lot, and I think a bookcase could form the ideal basis for the scenic sections. I think the title of the layout is "Virtua In Industria" - or something like that. I'll watch this build with keen interest, as I may decide on something similar to Iain's plan in future - it's a great space saver

Looking forward to seeing this one develop Mike. Actually, I'm even just looking forward to seeing an overall plan or sketch for now - you have awoken my apetite! Reading your first post, I was just thinking about how I could go about building a really tiny O Gauge micro, depicting a single, small industry.... Called "Complete Bunkum Ltd." Good start on the trackwork Mike

Yes, I explained in an earlier post Jamest, When glueing the track into position, I usually sprinkle some ballast around the sleepers. I find it helps the PVA dry a bit more quickly (especially important in a cold workshop, in cold weather - I've no daylight, heating or window in there) I also like this method - it gives me some ground cover and colour. I usually roughly paint some of it grey, just before glueing my final layer of ballast. It's my usual method, and I also find that if any ballast gets knocked or chipped off at a later stage - there is some texture and colour underneath. I think it helps speed up my final ballasting... at least it seems to, a little bit. Hope that makes it a little clearer? But you know me, and my tendency to waffle!

Sprayed the track with a mix of Brown and "Sleeper Grime" spray paint last night. Next, I will remove some of the loose ballast with a stiff brush, and start the ballasting proper I usually collect the loose ballast, and mix it in with my fresh ballast at this stage. It helps achieve a blended, weathered look, I always think Hopefully, in between visiting family, work and eating chocolate - I'll get some modelling time over Easter

Glad the show went well Ian. I'm sure we've all misplaced or mislaid something vital, or nearly vital - just before a show.... I nearly left home, en-route to a show once, with a feeling I'd forgotten something - you know that nagging doubt in the back of your mind? After just about a mile, I realised I hadn't packed the fiddle yard! lol Quick U-turn, and fortunately, there it was in the hallway, waiting to be packed into the car Given your location, I'm sure the layout was a novelty, and that's a good thing IMO. It's looking good, and I'm glad it's running well. Re the points. I always feel there's a danger when tearing up trackwork, that you won't get it quite as flat, level and even as it was before, and you don't want to be starting with an uneven base - especially around crucial points. That's why, on my latest baseboard re-cycling project, I've sanded down the old trackbed as flat as possible, and then laid a new surface, using foam mounting board Another approach for you, might be to consider using stay-alive capacitors in your locos. I've only got one stay-alive decoder in any of my locos. It's fitted to my EM converted Hornby 08 shunter. And I have to say, it runs absolutely superbly. It never stalls, even at the slowest speeds and over dirty track. I did that "thing" where I got it to run over a sheet of paper, laid over the track, and it didn't stall Of course, this option will cost money - but then so will some new points. Depends on your budget too - but I think it's worth an experiment for you. Also, you then have a superb running loco, and you'll want all your shorter wheelbase locos to run that way (I don't bother installing stay-alive in my bogie locos as they're fine over dead sections anyway - especially those Bachmann 24's & 25's) Cheers again Ian Marc

Still not much progress - why do I get far less available modelling time than I think I'm going to get? lol I visited a local model railway club the other night - I gave a bit of a talk about some of my techniques and design thoughts - and I sold a bit of stock, as I'm having a bit of a clear-out, and re-thinking of what I will and won't use, in terms of my stock and layouts. Pleased I sold a bit of stuff I'm not using so much But there's more to be sold. Must focus more in future, rather than going out & buying more locos, wagons & kits! Anyhow, back to this project, I've given the shaped scenery (the few bits I've built so far) a coat of paint - there's more foam and sculpting of foam to be done yet Also, I sprayed the track with some rusty red primer. I need to find my can of grimy rail colour spray paint - I know I still have it - just hoping the nozzle isn't clogged! Then I'll do my usual rough colouring of sleepers and work on completing the ballast Keeping my eye on the bargain bin in B&Q - for those match pot emulsions, for the road surface and ground cover etc

Oooo, brave step for an O gauge loco - hacking the front end about But looking at your other modelling work, I'm sure it will be a good conversion Bob Plus, you will have your own, unique model - just the way you want it

Hi Jerry, I've seen a couple of photos of it, in books about railways in South Wales Though for the life of me, I can't recall which books (as there are quite a few) If I find out which ones in my collection contain said pics - I'll let you know which titles...... I'd like to see a model of the station - so hope you can make a start soon Cheers Marc

Well, you have made some great progress with this little layout.... and in very quick time too. Puts some of us to shame! I like the look of this layout. It definitely has an air of Col Stephens about it The Fascia / Frame / Proscenium Arch (As Iain Rice calls it) definitely makes the whole thing look neater and more "presentable" Looking good mogtrains