Tricky

Thanks Dave, you will hopefully be equally impressed with today’s progress: I made a solid start on the 36 chimneys, each one having to be notched into the roof. I started in the centre and worked out to the ends where the last grill will be made to measure. All the chimneys were stuck down to a board and planks stuck along them all, then separated and the remaining 3 faces stuck with planks thus ensuring each chimney has the same number and spacing. It’s quite satisfying to see a nice straight row of chimneys! One row done, 3 more. Please note the roof is temporarily ‘plonked’ in the last photo!

I got the large Midland engine shed out again today and stuck a few more slates on, plus painted black where the ventilation grills will go. I have already made the grills including a million slats. I’ve positioned one here to show where they will go. After that, I will fit the glazing on the roof. I did consider cutting out for these but decided against it in favour of maintaining structural integrity. Instead the backs of the glazing will be painted a grubby colour so you can’t see through it.

Great article Mike in the Gazette.

Towards the end of the day today I managed to grab 1/2 an hour to do a bit more on the diorama. Before any further explanation the photos are terrible because I didn’t realise the camera lens on my photo was a bit grubby so apologies! Anyway, painting and mortaring brickwork seems to be one of those modelling tasks that has as many ways of doing it as there are modellers. And to be honest, I don’t think there is just one way that fits all situations. I’d course it also depends on how much of it you have to do. I just finished before Christmas a sectional retaining wall in O Gauge that was 12’ long so no, I didn’t pick out individual bricks in 8 different colours!! So for this wall, say 4’ long, I previously painted the mdf in a fairly thick coat of brick red and brown smudged around faultless randomly. When dry, I washed over with acrylic in burnt and raw sienna, black and off white. This is smeared liberally over and then mostly wiped off. Consistency is critical; you want it to not wet out and when dry if I’ve got it right will bead on individual bricks quite nicely. These poor photos show the mortaring process. It’s a brave move to slosh over a dilute mortar colour - in this case Precision Concrete I think. This is then mostly wiped off with an old towel. Then with a scrunched up ball of kitchen towel pick up some more dilute paint and rub over the surface. It’s important to work quickly and confidently and keep using a fresh surface of towel, so change it often. Lastly after a few minutes, dab fresh kitchen towel in grubby white spirit, dab off most of it and rub over the surface. This will gently take off concrete paint still sitting on the surface whilst not pulling the paint out of the mortar courses. This is only the first step - further detailing if mortar, staining and weathering will be next.

Although….I’m building the kit to dia 361 fitted fruit van so vacuum brakes both sides from new…so ignore the last post! The instructions say 3’7” spokes wheels and screw couplings but it comes with 3’7” plain wheels and 3-link couplings.

Can I ask - when roughly did they begin re-building with brakes both sides?

I was indeed expecting to have to cut the door from the side, but to my pleasant surprise they come as separate parts in the 7mm kit.

And also the completed GW signal box. It’s a bit drunk on the table because it’s resting on the connector for the internal lights!

I’ve posted this over on my own thread Monks Gate Models but thought you’d like to see it here too. It’s a Slaters van kit I’m building with sliding doors. Done using brass strip let into the top and bottom of the doors, running through brass angle. So far so good…!

I have a customer who has asked me to build a Slaters O Gauge van kit. So far so good. Except he wants the side doors to open and close. Hopefully these photos show how I’ve done it. I have let brass strips into the top and bottom of each door and then these are held but very fine brass angle. They work surprisingly well - let’s hope they still do after painting!

More work in progress - almost there on the signal box, fitting windows. These have to be double sided as the interior is very visible. No excuses for the messy bench - it’s not always like this, promise! What does your bench look like?!

Not very good photos but here’s a 7mm signal box I’ve been working on today. It’s based on an Intentio bespoke kit but with added internal detailing, loo, winding staircase and new roof. Windows, guard rails and guttering to add.

Top photo is Neil’s real shrubbery, middle photo is Neil’s real greenery in the foreground, bottom photo is Neil’s real shrubbery blending into Paul Bambrick’s painted backscene.

I used Neil Podbery!!

Today I added a significant feature on dioramas to the 'Latest News' section of my website. Take a look as there is lots to inspire you with plenty of photos of completed ones as well as thoughts on some possible potential new ones.

That's very helpful Michael, thank you.

@Michael EdgeIs there any chance you could post some model pics of the arrangement of the handrails and their supports, including the stepped-out refuge platform? I'm a bit unsure from the instructions where everything goes! I'm hoping a pic or two will clarify. Also, the 4mm instructions mention using 0.5mm wire for the handrails - I propose 0.8mm in 7mm. Many thanks, Richard.

I knew you’d appreciate that…! 🤓

To say ‘modest progress’ seems to be my stock phrase! But ‘modest’ is better than ‘none’! Fairly self-explanatory what’s happened. Good to begin getting some colour on…the ED wagon provides a mirror-giveaway… The red is one of many coats of paint to go on and is nowhere near as garish in reality. The lighting in the workshop doesn’t agree with an iPhone!

Today’s update from the MGM workshop - I fairly easily managed to put together this little hut, slated two roof panels and cut out a simple door, window and barge boards. I also finished the last bit of track, fitted the tunnel brick lining (although there is another layer to go on at the front edge). For the right hand end of the tunnel I realised in my mind I was making it more complicated than it needs and simply added a mysterious sloping bit of brickwork (which was lying around in the brickwork soared pile) as this edge will be mostly hidden by the front fascia, but I forgot to take a photo of it! I think next I will need to paint the brickwork which means I can fit it and then start the foliage etc between it and the backscene as well as the main groundworks.

Small progress today in that I have made and fitted the buffer stops. And now I realise I should have primed and painted them before fitting! Oh well… I have also added the brick lining to the tunnel. It will need trimming to the angle of the end wall. I’ll do that tomorrow as well as hopefully start building a small hut to sit alongside the buffer stops, and decide what to do with the right hand side of the tunnel mouth.

‘Swann Morton of course’….priceless throw-away comment - genuine lol from me over my branflakes!

I don’t think the curve is that tight in reality although I will check in the morning!

The track is fixed down. The front one is a through road into the single track tunnel, the rear one is a siding which will have buffer stops and then a hut of some sort next to it, so you could park a ballast or ED wagon there.

As promised, here are some photos of the diorama build in progress. I have yet to decide what happens to the right hand side of the tunnel facing the front, and the bit of brown brick paper lying on the floor is 0.6mm laserboard engraved brickwork to line the inside of the tunnel. The left end has a proper mirror to give the illusion of considerable length. I forgot to measure the whole thing before closing up the workshop but it’s about 1200mm long and about 250mm deep. I cannot claim I painted the backscene as this is a Paul Bambrick original! I will try and keep up with ‘in progress’ photos as I work on it. Meanwhile whilst the whole diorama will be for sale, I may also sell the tunnel mouth as a kit in 4mm and 7mm, along with the retaining wall.