richard.h

The Brake Tender model was re-released recently and this time I managed to get hold of one, so here it it earning it's keep on the Railway.

Filling up the Dock Using AK products I first filled the Harbour area with Resin Water and once it had dried the boat was positioned and bearing in mind I have to reach over it to access the layout it was placed at one end and then a cardboard former was used to build up the water ripples around the outline so that the trawler would not be fixed in place but would move if knocked. The water effects took some time building up. Firstly water gel was used to build up the waveforms which dries transparent. The waves were then overpainted with water foam mix which had whites and grey paint mixed into it to give it colouring and finally the resin water had the grey-white mix dabbed on with a coarse sponge to show turbulence in the water, ( It’s quite a rough day in my dock today) And, finally some Modelu Fishermen were placed on the scene although there is still work to do the boat needs finishing off (easy to do now that I can just lift it out) and there are some more fencing and bollards to fit.

I'm not sure how it worked and it only applied to sales to the EU but because they were such a big company they obtained approved importer status or some such title for orders below £150.00 so that you only paid the standard VAT as you would in UK and the goods came through customs without problems. All other companies I used deducted UK VAT but then you pay Spanish VAT plus import tax plus post office handling charges before you got your goods which is much more expensive.

Very sad news about Hattons and especially of course sympathies for all the staff who will lose their jobs I have been a regular customer for many years and they have always provided excellent service combined with low-cost postage. We moved abroad 20 years ago and then relied on them even more After Brexit they were the only company who shipped through Ireland, I think. so the parcels arrived all duties paid to my door, with everyone else it was necessary to go down to the Post Office and pay import charges and taxes before they were released. Adios Hatton's and Gracias

The next step was to build the harbour wall from Slaters dressed stone, this was given an initial coat of english grey and the textured with a second light brushing of darker greys. After that stanchions and a top edging strip were added to the wall Because the narrow gauge boards sit directly above my main layout I have to build each one as a separate module and make sure that it is all wired and working correctly before it is put in place. This is because once fitted access to the underneath is very limited, so here it is in place with the trackwork plus points complete and wired up. Then, finally I added some water staining to the base of the harbour walls by dry brushing in some green and brown paints prior to adding the water resin.

Board 2 The Harbour The second board will contain the Harbour including the the Town, Station and goods area (a lot to fit in a small space) so it needs careful planning, so here is the first sketch of the provisional layout. I have not attempted a harbour before so it was important to get this right first. The boat is an Artitec HO scale trawler which will be the biggest vessel in the harbour so this was used to get an idea of the depth and dimensions needed. The harbour will not such a bright blue when finished but a coat of paint on top of a PVA wash will help seal the harbour floor ready for the water effects The boat is unfinished it still needs masts and detailing but I will leave that for later to prevent accidental damage.

Gresley's Great Locos Here is a video showcasing some of Sir Nigel Gresley's finest Locos at work matched with sound recordings taken in the 1950s of the original Locos themselves.

The Allotment Too Just to finish off this story here is a video showing in a little more detail how the allotment was built.

Fantastic news you must be delighted that you can get back on track now. It just proves that whoever stole them had no model railway background and didn't realize that they wouldn't run on standard 00 gauge track which has turned out to be a blessing for you. Richard

The Allotment At one end of the layout there was an odd- shaped area to fill so I thought it might be a good place to build an allotment. A start was made by cutting out a suitable shape and then marking out cinder paths and vegetable beds. Each bed was then filled with an appropriate selection of crops mainly from the Tasma range and also a selection of Noch Laser Cut products. A Greenhouse, filled with potted plants and Cold Frames complete with seedlings were built. And, finally a pigeon loft was placed in a spare corner where we see Owen trying to coax down his best racing bird so that he can clock in its arrival time.

Hi Paul After a few experiments the method I used was gluing with a contact adhesive which was clamped overnight to give a secure fixing. So, this makes a permanent bond but if the motors were ever needed to be used in the normal upright position the plate can be simply trimmed down with a fretsaw to match the size of the Tortiose. Regards Richard

Glyn I recently completed this resin kit of a Glyn Valley Steam Tram it's from Brooks Models and is a really nicely detailed kit with lots of extras including a crew in the accessories pack. There is also a selection of Name Plates and two sets of windows to provide either the open or closed positions. It is designed to fit on a Kato 0-4-0 chassis which is not DCC ready so one of the reasons I chose this model was to give myself room to squeeze in a decoder. With extra lead weight added inside the cab and boiler front it now performs well with plenty of haulage power and I have a new loco for around £45.00

The Railway Inn This was made from a lasercut cottage with signage and then extra details added before securing the module to the main board. It just needs a few revelers adding now to complete the scene. A couple of locals have waited to chat to the Postman and the District Nurse has just arrived over the road.

Totally Derelict Living in Spain means that the postal service and charges have become more difficult since Brexit so I am always on the lookout for suitable European models that I can use on the layout. So, recently I came across this Noch model of a farmhouse building that seemed to fit the bill. I rounded off the base moulding so that it would fit the intended site better and started painting using Lifecolors Rubble And Debris paints and the ground was coloured with AKs muddy ground from their war-gaming range. Once painted foliage was added plus a couple of twigs that were left over in my Sagebrush tree box to represent stunted tree growth. So, the Cottage has now been sited and bedded into the landscape with the help of a tube of some disgusting looking thick brown filler bought from the local DIY shop.

Filling in The Cracks The type of filler I used when applied in large amounts as in this scenery does shrink as it dries and cracks appear after a few days. So I waited until it had stopped drying and then applied the second coating of scenery products. I didn't use a static grass applicator this time because I wanted to create a sparse rock-strewn surface so the items used were grass flock, granite rubble and small bush foliage.

Low Contour Scenery Normally I would make scenery from foam blocks or plaster bandages over preformed contours but in this case I only wanted to vary the ground so that it was not perfectly flat. So this time a different approach was needed so I used tubes of filler from the local D.I.Y. shop, shaped and moulded to the desired outline. Then, whilst still moist sprinkle on a base covering of grass mixtures. Once dry static grass and foliage will be added. It looks disgusting at first but once complete the overall effect is very good.

To finish off this section here is a video I made of the Loco Interchange Trials

So now as Kingfisher heads away with The Royal Scot. The photographers are out in force to capture this rare event.

Main Street The biggest building in the main street is the row of cottages made from a laser cut kit. I prefer all buildings to be modular at the moment so that it is easier to remove them for detailing so a base was made from foam sheet to fit it on then I added the back yards. The garden walls were coloured and weathered with grey paints, should have done that before fitting them really, and then edging stones were painted around the perimeter of the pavement. Then for the time being it was finished off with dustbins and some vegetation but with more small items to be added later.

The Goods Shed I needed a small goods shed for the layout so one was was made from a lasercut workshop kit modified and detailed Plus a loading platform made from Slaters brick and paving sheets suitably weathered

So now we can make progress, lot's of thing to build, a village to plan but first of all let's just sit back and run a few trains, after all that's really what this is all about isn't it

Let's Get Started Well finally after a very long wait we can start making progress, the all important pack of Tortiose point motors have arrived so now I have enough to complete the board, it took three and a half months to get them and three trips before they got here. Lost in the post first time, returned with incorrect paperwork the second time but on the third trip they made it. So, now we can get the layout wired up and fitted on the wall brackets that have been patiently waiting for them. Once the layout was fitted and tested the first two buildings were put in place, these were the Water Mill feature that had been built previously and a little wayside halt station that at the moment is at the top of the incline that will eventually lead up to the Slate Quarry.

A New Arrival The latest Loco to join the fleet is the little Quarry Hunslet, I was a bit hesitant about buying such a small loco as I wondered how good the performance would but it turns out to be an excellent runner with lots of detail and with the loco specific crew from Osbourne Models it looks superb. The trickiest part was fitting the 6 pin decoder I couldn't get the recommended Bachmann one but managed to find an ESU equivalent that would just squeeze in.

Royal Scot Trials. As City of Liverpool halts at the station the reason for the Dynamometer Car becomes clear. It's the 1948 interchange trails and we are waiting for A4 Kingfisher to take over. She duly arrives and prepares to take over The Royal Scot for the rest of the journey south.

Thank you Dave The main reason I have been able to proceed quickly is that I tend to over-order when starting a project to avoid running out of items. So. now over the years I've accumulated drawers full of modelling materials ( knew they would come in useful one day) Richard