marc smith

Hi Arthur, The corrugated iron is great, but the corrugated asbestos is superb! I has super relief, and even has the rivet / bolt-head detail.... I have seen it used in 7mm scale, to represent corrugated iron sounds like it wouldn't look right, I know.... but it does look the part! A couple of years back, at Telford O gauge show there was a superb layout called "Y Cae" (Welsh for "The field") which was for me, best in the show by far It was a small colliery, and many of the buildings were 4mm Wills Corrugated asbestos, representing corrugated iron Other buildings were made of Wills 4mm stone, to represent slate I must say, I was thoroughly impressed - it all worked much better than I would ever have thought Cheers again Marc

Thanks Arthur, Yes, it is the Wills corrugated asbestos sheeting (thankfully not as dangerous a substance as the real stuff! though I did manage to cut my finger!) All the Wills sheets are excellent I think, the relief is great, and realy lends itself to dry brushing, and gradual building-up of paint effects the base is brick walling, from Scalescenes - I printed up some brick arches but though I like the look of the printing, I'm not so impressed by my own cutting of the curves! Still, once you've got a kit - the brickwork can come in handy for walls etc Hi again Richard, yes, I've used Citadel / games workshop spray black it dries quickly, and gives a nice, even, matt surface I use it regularly as a primer Also, I use it as a base-coat for figure painting, for the same reasons And it's much quicker, more even + easier than brush painting a base-coat Cheers all Marc P.S. Crap bands like 5 star sadly stick in my mind! it must be something to do with the way the brain interprets music... Luckily, I remember good stuff too!

Thanks very much Hugh, but I'd rather listen to Slade, than 5-star Marc

You guessed correctly Mr Mudmagnet! The basic coat was Tamiya matt black (which take a bit longer to dry BTW) with a few shades of Citadel Greys, varyingly dry-brushed over the top, with a final flicking-over of "Skull White" (always amusing names!) Iv'e added a sprinkling of Lichen, which is the left over fine particles, from my chopping about of those awful "manicured" ready-to-plant trees. I cut these about, to experiment with trees / greenery on my O gauge layout I think it worked well, and left me with some nice 7mm scale gorse, and all sorts of shades of flock ....she's right, I never throw anything away Thanks for all your kind comments everyone, it has inspired me to want to finish this little layout Marc

Hi folks, Here are a few views, showing the progress I had mentioned above.... I'm quite pleased with the large grey steelworks building in the left foreground. It isn't particularly deep (about 2 inches at its' deepest point) but I think the staggered profile, and the fact that you have to look around the frame to see it, make it look more substantial than it actually is! Alongside this building is a chimney I bought at a show, for the princely sum of £1 this was re-painted, and I added a "BSC" sign to it, using letraset - this was then suitably "distressed"..... Re the foreground modules - I've added a fresh piece of foamboard, to give me extra road-level surface - I just wanted somewhere to park forklifts / lorries / piles of steel coils etc.. As there is now a sudden change in the level of the landscape here, I added a rocky outcrop - this is just foamboard + das, suitably sculpted & painted, but I think I'll tone it down a tad more.... Please also note, that the protective film is still in place, on the mirror material Cheers all, more soon (hopefully!)

Thanks for your kind words, Mr Ten I've been thinking about it for ages, I know but I've also been thinking about other plans..... too many, in fact (as usual) I'm too easily distracted, and have been constantly planning the "next one" - also started on some "bits" for it..... More on this one though.... I've added some more pipework and completed / planted the building in the left hand foreground Have also started to adapt the removable lanscape module in the right foreground will post some piccies soon.... Cheers Marc

Hi Dave, Think I browsed the book at a show once.... Must look it out again. There's such a choice of new books out there now.. how much inspiration do we need ....still lots is my answer! Haven't seen Iain Rice's new Haynes-style book yet either I'm sure that'll be good Re the modules, I thought of this sometime ago, when I heard an interview with the people who make Thomas the Tank programmes They seemed to suggest that there are several scales of each model, and that they have lengths of ballasted track, which they can place in front of different backgrounds - for different settings When I built Hendre, I originally envisaged changing the backscene, I made the one in all the piccies in a bit of a hurry - Its' 1st invite being too close for comfort! So I left a small gap between the scenery and backscene ...one day, I may even get round to changing it Cheers Marc

Don't know about "winning" the inglenook puzzle, but having seen this layout in the flesh, so to speak, it's a real winner in itself! I agree that it has got a nice spacious feel, and has its' own atmosphere. Like the effect of the earth covering too (glad I bought a pack @ Bristol the other week too) Cheers Marc

Thanks Dave / Arte, I'm pleased with the modules on the front. I was looking at a few future possible photos / viewpoints when I took the last piccies I found that, with some low-level / eyelevel viewpoints, the camera base definatley would have clobbered the scenery - particularly the corrugated fencing, and some of the taller greenery! That said, I'm not 100% happy with the far right side - partly because I'm shortly to be adding detail to the inside of the loading building/bay (which still isn't fixed down BTW) there will be some lighting inside, and with the dooropen, I just want a clearer, less obstructed view..... so I may alter that right hand piece, slightly.. Other than that, yes, I'm fairly pleased - as I can also see the potential for making alternative units, to drop in, in their place....could be worth an experiment... I was thinking about a lower level, overgrown, rusty headshunt for one... cheers Marc

Hi Pete, and thanks for the kind words all..... Most of the shunting will be done by an 08, on hire from BR but a main-line loco will "apparently" bring empties in - it will only be allowed on the running line, in the centre, and occasionally, the headshunt (when I feel like it, or am stuck cos I wasn't thinking about the manouvre more like! ) The locos will guest from Hendre - though I have a rather nice 37/9 which has never visited H.L. Again, I'll run different periods - the earlier wagons will arrive via blue 37's the SPA's OCA's etc will arrive via a railfreight or metals sector 37..... etc etc....and I must obtain a nice industrial shunter, like one of the ex-ASW locos (must pester Brian R for some further info / pics) Cheers Marc

Hi Grimleygrid, The rusty corrugated iron in Slaters. I cut it into sheet-sized bits, and glued into place on platicard backing except where there is a deliberate "hole" where one sheet has slipped the building uses knightwing girders, as its' frame. I first painted the corrigated sheets in spray matt black, then dry brushed with a few different reddish browns, starting with the darker shades first I've also added some rust coloured weathering powder In patches, I add a dab of matt varnish, then drop some rusty weathering powder onto that - I think it makes the right sort of bubbly/rusting texture. The powder will change colour when on a blob of varnish mind..... but you can always adjust this when it's dry... Cheers Marc

Thanks Hywel, as one of our "resident steelworks" gurus, I'm much heartened by your kind words..... I've just taken too long to get this finished, I know, but there's been some progress over the last couple of weeks. I've started on the "proscenium arch" (as Barry Norman calls it) which is the frame / surround to the rest of us. I've been adding a lot of pipework this is various sizes of plastruct - I've glued slaters micro-strip, to represent the joints - this is a bit tedious, but I think it's worthwhile as the pipes just don't look right without it I've also added some knightwing "depot walkway" which is a tad chunkier than I would have liked, but I'll maybe try to disguise this later..... I've also built a water tower. Since the piccies (last night) I've also added the mirror on the right hand end of the layout Note that the mirror on the left is still not permanently fixed, and it still has its' protective film - I'm bound to mess it up, if I remove that too soon Have also started the low-relief buildings which are only viewed when you try to look around the frame, on the left hand edge.... Let me know what you think.... Cheers all Marc

Looks interesting Stu, Any pics of the whole model yet? I like the stonework on the station building, particularly the reveals / quoins I'd be interested to see the plan / extent of the model I do like models of interior scenes, or under canopy settings such as this You can have some real fun with the lighting - particularly with "sunlight" streaming through the glazing and casting all sorts of interesting shadows of the cast iron supports etc...... Oh you've got me dreaming again I've often thought about doing the interior of an engine shed (in fact, I did start one in O - then Worcester Rd came out, and I thought I'd rather not try to repeat that sort of model.... for the time being) Keep us posted Marc

Maybe even build a layout in there.........

I think I need more medication than that! Yes, O gauge is harder to sneak through the door, but how come I never see my missus carrying shoe boxes into the house?

As you say Richard, It will be boxed in as I did with Hendre. I'd like to reduce the amount of ambient light, further still... When I was exhibiting at DEMU last year, Hendre faced directly into some very bright mid-morning sunlight - so I couldn't set it at night! - until later in the day. I'll experiment with how short an aperture I can get away with, once it's all up & running. ....the layout is booked for a few outings in May - so it should be finished by July If you'd like me to bring this one instead, let me know.... Cheers Marc

Hi all, I'll be making some progress on the layout at the end of this week - I've "earmarked" some quality modelling time! I've installed some of my LED lamps to the layout already, but there are a few more to go. Initially, I wanted the layout set only at night..... ....but I keep changing my mind! I do like to run Hendre at both day and night settings - so I'll probably do the same here. We are at last seeing more photos of layouts set at night time, and I think it's a nice approach, which makes a model look a bit different. Here's a piccie (taken from my gallery) of Port Talbot steelworks, which shows the sort of atmosphere I'm trying to capture.... ...I realise that smoking chimneys will not be permitted at shows Corus loco number 09 shunts the steelworks sidings Will report on layout progress next week Marc

C'mon Stu, A layout from me WITHOUT a mirror on it? Do you think that's likely Yes, it's another mirror. The plastic-mirror material only comes in the size seen in that view. It's about 10 inches square, or so. So a little bit of disguise is needed, to hide the joins. There is the end-wall of a building to go in the left foreground, plus plenty of overhead pipes and supporting gantry yet......better get on with it! Haven't seen Model Rail yet (well, not my usual reading half the magazine in WH Smiths ) but I'll look it out, ta. Cheers Marc

Hi folks, Yes, I had a good festive season, thanks Keefr. Hope you did too. I've been installing some of the yard lamps for which I've used Railroom Electronics' LEDs(yellow bulbs) They seem to be well constructed, with the posts neatly sprayed in primer, I'll be painting and toning these down later. Also, I have some etched brass ladders, by Exon, to add later. These look nice & fine, but I'll have to watch my clumsy hands on those when cleaning the rails! Just thought I'd post a piccie here, as some were asking about how the removable lanscape sections in the foreground fit in. There's still a bit of "tweaking" to do there; some more greenery and some large roadside boulders, to disguise the edge of the road. Plus some pipes / a pile of wood, to add to the point actuation bars. I'll likely do what I did on Hendre, and fix chocolate-block connectors to act as a handle - to these I will glue scenic details, to hide them...... Marc EDIT: the arrow is just there to highlight the fact that there's a piece of mirror material on the left hand edge. The loading bay is to be added in the right foreground, and the old road / rail scrap coil exchange bay will be in the left background....

For anyone interested in the grass applicator I used on the scenic modules, there is a similar one for sale on ebay at the moment.... Grass Applicator It's currently at a fiver!!! Marc

Hi, My coping stones are just that... OO metcalfe paving stones. I cut them down a bit, with a pair of very sharp cutters, just to reduce the depth. I also used this method on my O gauge layout. As of yet, these coping stones are untouched, but I will probably tone them down a tad, with a wash of watered-down black / brown acrylic paint - or else Games Workshop Brown ink. Though the stones are self-adhesive, I always use a little dab of PVA to fix them permanently. Cheers Marc

Ooohh! another welcome piece of rolling stock! The steelworks bug seems to be biting Marc