MAP66

Well Farmer Giles finally lost his head, but he's still up for a fight. "come back here and take what's coming to yer, I'll bite yer legs off" Always good to throw in a quote from Monty Pythons Holy Grail.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, there are a set of steps which come withe cattle dock so one idea I have is to have the SM on the bottom step looking up.

Failing that I like Stubbies suggestion of decapitating him and sticking his head back on at a different angle. Sometimes the radical approach is best.

Anyway while I was pondering this I made a padlock and chain for one of the gates.

Fantastic level of detail and modelling skills on display.

Very nice work indeed Simon, inspirational stuff.

Well here he is, Farmer Giles AKA angry man. 

He is almost fully painted and I have dropped him onto scene to see how he might look. This Modelu figure is the only character I could find who looked like he had a point to make, with hands on hips he does look a bit menacing. Trouble is I didn't realize how much he is looking downwards so I will need to think of a way for him to be looking directly at the station master, I have a couple of ideas to try out. I am slightly disappointed with the quality of this figure as the hands and some other parts are very badly printed. Everything else I've ordered through Modelu has always been pretty good.

I've included another image of the track as I am trying to represent washed away ballast from the constant washing down of the animal waste which overflows from the gulley and ends up on the track bed.

All the best

Mark

On 23/02/2019 at 01:45, NHY 581 said:

Great stuff. Loving the gradual decay being brought into the model. 

 

 

Rob

Thanks for your comments Rob, still more decay and general grubbiness to come. But also plenty of life still to come as well.

All the best

Mark

On 21/02/2019 at 19:22, Alister_G said:

Just love that stand-pipe, such a simple thing but so well modelled.

 

I keep having to remind myself that this is 4mm, you've managed to add such detail that it could easily be 7mm.

 

Brilliant mate,

 

Al.

Thanks Al, really appreciate your comments.

The standpipe is actually included in the Ratio cattle dock kit, you get 2 or 3 of them included. However, I thought it would benefit from some pipe lagging which I represented by wrapping and gluing in place tissue paper around the pipe and then carefully wrapping 5a fuse wire around it to look like wire holding the lagging in place. I'm glad on the final result but you need Eagle eyes to spot it, so a bit over the top for a normal layout but OK for a CBC with close up views.

All the best

Mark

Just now, OOman said:

Hi Mark I have just caught up reading about your cakebox entry. The modelling and detailing are very good.

Thanks OO man, glad you like it, always a good thing to get positive comments.

All the best

Mark

23 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said:

I keep coming back for another look at this photo, and then another look again: an all-in-one (left to right) ballasting tutorial. Fantastic modelling, so well documented, thank you.

Hi Keith

Its very rewarding to receive such great comments - Thank you. 

2 hours ago, Dickon said:

I really shouldn't look at eBay late at night.  However, I have managed to buy a Scale Link OO gauge windpump for the price of two beers.  Put the pump, a water tower and a length of metre gauge track on a shallow embankment,  add a Rolls Royce armoured car and a crowd of Airfix Arabs and camels and we are creating mayhem with T E Lawrence on the  Hijaz railway across the Arabian Desert.

 

The height of the embankment will be dictated by the windmill, which will dominate the entire scene.  A couple of men lying prone to shoot will have their rifles removed to make it look as though they are unbolting a fishplate while their companions are placing charges under the water tower and the pump.

 

I wanted to add a Rolls Royce tender but can't find one to scale.  Lawrence himself used a one-off cut down Silver Ghost that he commandeered in Cairo.  I  thought about a converting a model Silver Ghost to resemble that but every model I have found so far is to a larger scale.  Lawrence's men also used Talbot and Model T Ford tenders.  No one does a 1/72 Talbot, so I've settled for a Ford.

Fantastic idea, Mr.Portillo done a spot on Lawrence of Arabia on yesterdays (repeat) episode of Great Railway Journeys. Didn't catch all of it but there was certainly mention of his exploits blowing things up and causing general havoc.

Can't wait to see how this one turns out.

All the best Mark

Its time to introduce some characters who will eventually make an appearance onto the scene.

So far we have only partly seen  'Drover Dan' , he is the cowman cowering in the cattle van, out of the way of the very angry Farmer Giles. Up to now Farmer Giles has only been mentioned by name, but here he is, don't get too excited he is still in the bag and looking too aggressive to let out yet. The other fellow is the Station Master who will be at the receiving end of a lot of 'Oh Bullocks' expletives due to train being late, prize cattle being involved and an aggravated medical condition which I may have alluded to in previous posts.

Later still we may have an appearance of a yardman or two doing a bit of washing down and clearing up.

All the best

Mark

On 18/02/2019 at 09:17, Dickon said:

Let's hope that the cowman hasn't got at Giles' ointment.  I remember a racing yachtsman who used to drop his trousers and anoint a painful condition just before leaving his mooring.  After a few days of suffering this exhibition and a good regatta dinner, his crew laced the ointment with chilli powder..........

Ouch!!, lesson learned for the unfortunate yachtsman, not so much 'shiver me timbers' more like 'chilli me blains'. 

Evening folks,

Well I have started to ballast the track, weeds an all, and finally manged to finish putting the fence rails in along the footpath.

There's a plumbed in stand pipe with lagging and the addition of one of the two water troughs.

With still no sign of the train, the waiting continues which gives me some time to get a story together as to the reason for the delay and hopefully Farmer Giles will buy it and calm down before he aggravates his medical condition. All that stomping about on the platform is going to cost him later, after all he did sit on that cold damp wall earlier which didn't help. I just hope he has remembered to bring his ointment, time will tell.

Some progress photos for you.

Regards Mark.

8 hours ago, GeoffinOz said:

Well, change of plan. The children are not allowed to be behind the fence without a responsible adult. so they are here and so is the water.

 

I think the man with the green tee shirt will do as the Dad and the child with the backpack and the one waving his hands.

Has anyone used this water product, will it keep if I don't use it all? 

Nice work Geoff, looking excellent.

I would advise having a practice with the water on an off cut of the trough if you haven't used it before. Sometimes its best to have several thin layers as opposed to filling in one go.

Regards

Mark

I'm glad to report that my P4 gauge track components from C & L Finescale finally arrived in the post and so I have been busy assembling all 8" worth of track.

Even that short length of track takes a while with 40 chairs to fettle about with before they can be pushed onto the rail and then finally gluing to the sleepers. I did wonder why I had chosen P4 half way through, but I persevered and got through it. Thankfully my next project, although P4, is only going to be a micro layout, otherwise I may go insane if I had to lay any more than about 8ft of track in total.

For those of you interested, I stuck the sleepers onto a paper template of a GWR 60ft track panel as I wasn't sure of the sleeper spacing's. Still not sure if it's correct but it looks OK.

I will use some Woodland Scenics medium cinders for ballasting. Here's a couple of photos showing the track.

Just a quick update tonight folks to show how the footpath is progressing and I've added a bit more undergrowth along the fence line.

The foliage is made from sea foam with various scatters and wire wool. I have included the view along the path again so you can see the difference a little paint can add, plus an overhead shot to show how the undergrowth has grown through the fence.

Still no track arrived from C & L Finescale as yet, very annoying as its holding up my P4 project as well as my CBC.

Next steps will be having a go at painting some figures including the aforementioned and very angry Farmer Giles.

All the best

Mark

On 03/02/2019 at 18:29, Bill Matters said:

Excellent. Are there any plastic 00 cattle wagon kits that have poseable doors you can have open, rather than having to carve-up the moulding into two doors and a ramp?

Hi Bill

I haven't found any myself, not saying they don't exist though. If your unable to find something suitable, then maybe have a go at kit bashing one of the Dapol cattle wagon kits as they are relatively inexpensive and then its not too bad if it doesn't work out.

Happy hunting

Mark

Well here's my first post under the new format and its really just to see that it all works. Reading the updates over the past few days, I can imagine the BRM team have had a bit of a mare getting the platform back up and running with everything working. For what its worth, I think it looks pretty smart, so well done BRM and the RMWeb team.

Back to the plot, I have just started introducing some greenery into the scene, the idea being to run this along the fence line first and then to threadle the fence poles through afterwards to give the impression that the undergrowth has grown around the fence. There's a making of a path now also which needs a lot more work.

All the best Mark

Hi Everyone.

 

I have finished the main building of the coal stage and painted it, just needs a bit more work / detail and it should be finished.

 

Here is a photo of how it looks so far:

 

WP_20190128_10_53_17_Pro.jpg

 

More soon.

 

Jerry.

Nice work Jerry

Will really look the part when you add the coal and other detail.

All the best

Mark

A small update. I have now gone with the 400 x 200 diorama board as it makes sense to have room for 1 or 2 wagons in the sidings. This will make shunting easier but I will also incorporate a stick as I was going to do in the original plan.

Just waiting for baseboard to arrive and I’m off to Shildon on Thursday to visit the museum and treat myself to a new Bachmann network rail 08 loco and few other goodies.

A wise choice to increase the baseboard size Stu.

Happy shopping at Shildon, hope you get some good bargains.

All the best

Mark

Here is my card mock-up of the proposed model. I have used some cheap Chinese figures for the main ‘body of the kirk’ and will use better detailed figures, as well, to create little scenarios at the edge of the queue, with passengers disembarking from the taxi in the foreground. I have reduced the length of the newsstand so that there is just enough room for the terminal tracks where there will be a railing with railway staff in attendance. I need to find more references for the wall on either side of the ramped approach, but not likely to be in Edinburgh before the end of March. Some educated guesswork needed! But first I must finish my 2018 Cakebox entry!!!

 

913B8469-7778-4146-9989-8C412661E19A.jpeg

 

C7F78900-E849-447B-ABED-60991BB8C32E.jpeg

 

F8191CB9-8ACA-47C7-B6DA-BC2932D039F2.jpeg

Great looking mock up Martyn

Really shows off the potential of how your CBC will look.

Do you have any volunteers you can enlist with painting the figures?

All the best

Mark

I like the weathering on the posts and gates of the cattle dock. I noticed the weathering straight away, and only noticed the upside down gate when you pointed it out. How did you weather the posts? Dry brushing?

Alex

Thanks Alex

I used the following method for painting the posts;

As the plastic was quite smooth on the  posts, before painting, all four sides of each post received a gentle filing to slightly roughen the surface. Then a base coat of Citadel 'Rotten Flesh' was applied and left to dry. I decided to stick the posts onto the base at this stage and then fill in the post rail holes not required with filler.

Next stage was to apply several very thin washes of Rail Match 'Frame Dirt' to replicate dirt and grime. Then using a few buff and grey colours some dry brushing just to pick out some of the rougher surfaces,

For the lichen and moss I use the dust which collects at the bottom of boxes of tea bags. It's very fine stuff and has lots of uses in railway modelling. Using a cocktail stick, I apply tiny spots of rocket glue onto the posts and then sprinkle over the dust leave a few seconds a blow off. When dry you can then paint to resemble lichen and moss.

Here's a couple of photos showing the tea dust and how I have used it before on the roof of a coal office in my CBC entry of 2018 'The coal drop'. 

All the best

Mark

The B&W picture is great. I found that they show up the detail better and also you can find any mistakes and correct them. Isn't digital photography great. 

Thanks Geoff

Yep, instant results with digital. I can still remember though sending my films off in the post to Supa-Snaps to get them developed, only to be disappointed a week later when you get them back and there all rubbish.

All the best

Mark 

Nice work on the ground behind the cattle dock. The cattle dock is looking really good.

Very nice of you to say so Stu.

I have really enjoyed making this Ratio kit and I like adding the weathering and extra detail. I'm thinking about adding a footpath running along the back of the cattle dock.

All the best 

Mark

Evening folks and thanks to you all for your kind comments on the build so far.

I'm still working on the cattle dock and have now also built up the ground using strips of news paper covered in diluted pva glue and when dry covered in quick drying filler and finally painted in various shades of brown acrylic paints.

All the gates are on now and right way up and I've added lichen and moss to the posts. Next steps will be to add the stand pipes and water troughs, then some straw and animal muck. I have to provide some evidence that cattle were once here before being loaded onto the cattle van.

Those of you who are wondering why there is no track as yet, reason as follows;

The cattle van is P4 gauge and I am still awaiting for C&L Finescale to deliver the track components so that I can build it. The track wasn't just for this CBC, I am planning a micro P4 layout in the near future which will feature the cattle van and the dock.

Here's a couple of photos of progress to date, I quite like the B & W photo.

I like the weathered look of your cattle dock. They often seem to be modelled in far too pristine condition.

 

It's our public footpath Bishopstone 6 6 2015.jpg

 

I will need some 00 cattle wagon passengers at some point in the future. Why are the only ones I can see, on sale, painted and therefore pricey or white metal -ditto- ? Does anyone do ready made blocks of cows, perhaps by 3D printing? I know internal dimensions will vary but blocks of three or four could work.

Hi Phil

I like the image and caption re.the foot path comment. I think I would be inclined to moo've over if I saw this lot heading towards me. 

Thanking you for your kind comments on the weathering, it took me a while to find a way to paint the posts to resemble aged concrete. Still more lichen and moss to stick on here and there.

I agree with your comments on getting hold of decent looking cattle which are not pricey, they seem to be a rare breed. My personal view is that cattle, horses, sheep etc are all very difficult to make look lifelike especially if they are being eye balled from close distance on a layout. I think they look better located on a hill side away from close scrutiny and at a smaller scale to give some false perspective of greater depth to a scene.

In my case for this scene I have removed myself from this dilemma by having me prize bullocks pre loaded on to the cattle van and forum members will have to trust me that they really are in the van (honest).

All the best

Mark