Andrew Cockburn

Looks good, nice work. A suggestion, how about a fence along the edge at the top of the left embankment/one or two cows or other animals behind it?

Interesting and realistic, neat and well modelled. I have to admit, I'm quite tempted to try static grass, for it does look more convincing that using ordinary scatter material to represent grass. And just out of interest, what type of ballast did you use?

Its been a short while since I last posted a progress report, this has been due to the fact that I’ve been a bit busy of late, and as such not had as much time as I would have liked to devote to “all things cakebox challenge”. But I have managed to do a bit more work on “Down the old shed”, mainly transforming the appearance of the terrain from that of a “lunar landscape” to a surrounding area more in keeping with an old engine shed, i.e. dirty, muddy, worn etc. etc., and needless to say I’ve gone through a fair bit of Humbrol paint while carrying out this particular process! You will also see from the photo that I’ve landscaped, or at least grassed the cutting at the rear, I hope to do a bit more landscaping work this weekend, in addition to starting work on the actual engine shed itself. Watch this space then for further developments ….

@ ShildonShunter Thanks for your comment/feedback re "Cutting the cake", and it was nice to know that I've helped inspire a fellow modeller! And yes, I must admit from first-hand experience that small-scale layouts and dioramas can be quite addictive (but good fun at the same time), for including my current model (Down the old shed, my fourth cakebox offering), I seem to have lost count of how many small-scale models I've made in total! Still, its all good stuff, and a nice alternative to shopping, DIY etc., so long may it continue, and I look forward to seeing "the cutting" in it's final finished form.

Looks good so far, and if I may ask, were you by any chance partly inspired by own recent cakebox offering, "Cutting the cake?"

Looks good, will be interesting to see the finished article.

The last few days have seen me completing the basic terrain on the model, which, I must admit, does resemble a cross between a lunar scene and a limestone quarry, or possibly a snowscene (bearing in mind the recent bad weather), rather than an old engine shed and it’s surroundings. However, this is all par for the course, and the “white stuff” is in fact model filler, which I used in conjunction with card, balsa & fine sandpaper to give an uneven effect, and to represent such features such as worn-down tarmac, tyre tracks, potholes, dips, pools, piles of earth/ballast etc., and I have to say that I’m quite happy with the overall result/effect. Also in the scene can be seen a makeshift crossing, often found on real-life industrial-type railway settings, which has been formed from balsa/plastic Peco N sleepers to represent real-life sleepers, planks of wood etc. My next immediate tasks are to paint the landscape appropriate colours, i.e. earth, ballast etc. etc., also to scenic the embankment, before concentrating on the model’s focal point, the engine shed itself. A further progress report then in due course ….

Nice modelling, looks very realistic!

Here we go with another update on progress to date. During the last week I’ve created the basic form/shape of the embankment, this was done using crumpled-up newspaper/strips of newspaper glued into place (using UHU adhesive, as this tends to go off quicker than wallpaper paste, which is what I’ve used for this particular task in the past), this will be painted appropriate colours and sceniced in due course. Also, I’ve fixed in place basic formers for the ground/land using balsa and card, while I also intend to apply some model filler in order to represent texture, “dips”, pools etc., in general to try and create the sort of rough and uneven appearance which was typical of loco depots and the like. In which case, and instead of using the conventional ballasting, I’m going to give the track the “buried look”, which was again typical of loco, goods depots etc., this will also be achieved using balsa/card/filler. A bit of a painstaking task, but one I’m sure will prove to be worthwhile once completed. I hope to do a fair bit more work over the weekend, particularly seeing as the weather is forecast to be a bit grim, in my “neck of the woods” at least, so another report will appear in due course.

I’ve not done as much as I’d hoped to do on “Down the old shed” lately due to one or two other commitments, but here is a brief update on what I have managed to accomplish. The tracks and engine shed base have been glued in place, while I’ve also “erected” the rear stone wall (plenty of scope for the local graffiti artists here me thinks), this was formed from balsa/Metcalfe stone sheet, and fixed in place with the help of those plastic “fixing blocks” (can’t think of the exact technical term for these) used to fix together self-assembly furniture. I’ve also fixed in place some balsa formers for the embankment, next task will be the actual embankment itself, this will be formed using the same method used for those embankments on “Cutting the cake”, ie crumpled-up paper/strips of newspaper painted/sceniced. Another progress report then in due course ….

What to put in the foreground? How about a reindeer and/or some elves(santa's helpers)?!?!

Humble beginnings Well as the weather of late has been slightly milder, and the temperature in my garage/workshop a bit more bearable, I’ve managed to make a start on “Down the old shed”. The picture below shows the base, this is formed formed from plywood, covered with white card in order to cover up one or two holes (due to woodworm?), and I must say it does look like a piece of real cake, i.e. the “sandwich” type with icing on the top! I’ve also roughly placed the plastic base of the engine shed and one or two pieces of track, in order to get an idea of what will go where, as for the next phase, not 100% sure just yet, I might just put in place wooden formers for the embankment at the rear, all will be revealed in due course ….

Oh, of course, I should have thought of those two factors ie its the actual interior of a building being modelled, also that the weather in Australia is somewhat different what we have over here in the UK, but what a bit of an unusual time to have snow! But as you suggested, maybe some snow actually being blown in through an open door may add to the diorama's realism, in fact just the other day when the weather was rather bad over here, ie snowing and blowing a gale into the bargain, I actually had snow coming through a small gap between my garage doors, and it had actually formed a thin layer on a cardboard box near the doors. However, I soon rectified the problem by taping a plastic bin sack over the gap, seems to have done the trick, thankfully now the bad weather is supposed to ease off gradually over the next few days, and hopefully as far as the snow is concerned, that's our lot here in the UK for this year at least!

I'm doing something similar for my latest/new cakebox project, ie a steam-turned diesel shed, though its been on hold recently as my garage/workshop has been a bit too cold to work in. However, from what I gather the weather is due to start improving sometime soon, so I may just be able to make a start on the model this weekend sometime, and I'll start posting progress reports in due course ....

Looks interesting so far, would I be correct to assume that the building (staff office?)/fuelling point are from the Bachmann Branchline OO range?

Looking good so far, the motive power is certainly something a bit different, would I also be correct to assume that you're going to use imitation snow on the model, perhaps inspired by the current weather situation in the UK?!?!

@ 009 Modeller I've not actually started work on the model yet, so all the components are still in their box/in my modelling drawer, so they should be OK. My other cakebox models are of course stored in the garage along with my actual model railway layouts, but as the latter don't seem to have come to any harm during cold spells in the past, I reckon they should be OK this time round, so hopefully my cakebox models shouldn't also come to any harm. @ GeoffinOz Yes, what we need ideally is for the temperature to be somewhere in between, mind you I find that really hot weather is good when it comes to getting glue dry on ballast, for I recall doing track ballasting on a layout of mine a while back in the wintertime, and it took an eternity to dry! But hopefully milder weather here in the UK is not too far away, for the worst of the snow as far as I'm aware is today possibly tomorrow, and as I've said before I hope to start work on "Down the old shed" next week sometime, progress reports on which will appear in due course. But for now I bid you goodnight ....

Snow halts progress Unfortunately due to the current artic-like weather, which as far as I’m aware is set to prevail until at least early next week, my garage/model railway workshop has taken on conditions similar to a refridgerator, thus making work on my latest cakebox project “Down the old shed” just a little on the uncomfortable side, even with wearing suitable clothing/using heating. Therefore I’ve decided to suspend work on the project until conditions are a bit more bearable/favourable, hopefully these will not be too long in coming around.

Looks good so far, this is my favourite type of layout, ie that with a "shunty" flavour, it will be interesting to see how it progresses further. I like your cat too, but as you say, best to keep him out of your railway room, for I can say from personal experience ie having owned several cats myself (not all at once I must add) that they can tend to be a bit of a nuisance in such places such as railway rooms, ie they end up sleeping in places they shouldn't really be, and can occasionally leap about and knock things over!

So after a short break from “all things cakebox”, in the last couple of days I’ve had my thinking cap on and come up with a plan for cakebox diorama “mark 4”. This will be another N Gauge offering, entitled “Down the old shed”, a fictitious former steam shed-turned diesel servicing shed, and the attached picture shows the Peco kit which, once assembled, will serve as the diorama’s main focus, also shown is a plan of what the overall model will (hopefully) look like when completed. The completion timescale I estimate at being 2-3 weeks, watch this space then for further developments …. 　

@ Pandora Many thanks for the comment/feedback, much appreciated. Interesting suggestion of yours also re the railway-related “wreckage”, however, I think that rather than include all this on “Cutting the cake”, I’ll keep it all in mind for inclusion on my next cakebox project, plans for which will be revealed sometime soon, so watch this space!

@ GeoffinOz .... Thanks for the reply/comment/feedback, re the graffiti, having some on the parapet does make it a bit more realistic, but as I've said before, I'm still not sure how in real life how anyone would manage to write something on the part of the parapet which is over the tracks (or track in this case), what with no ledge of sorts on which to stand - would they therefore lean over the parapet from the road side maybe? And re the rubbish, judging by the amount of it, its my guess it was probably one of those large "wheely bins" (the type used by shops/large stores/industrial establishments, in addition to the bin that can be seen in the picture!

I decided to add a bit of extra detail to “Cutting the cake” in order to try and enhance it’s appearance, first of all I invited the “graffiti artists” back to add some more or their “handywork”, this time on the tunnel parapet - well actually, in all truth, it was my “handywork”, accomplished using graffiti transfers. Also, I added some lineside rubbish (probably thrown down the embankment and/or over the parapet) in the cutting near the tunnel mouth, this was formed formed by cutting up part of a sheet of paper into small, irregular shapes, which were then glued into place, and left white/painted appropriate colours to represent old newspapers, cardboard, etc. Other bits and pieces which I found in my spares box have been used for other rubbish such as piece of cable, an old window frame etc., while an bike and dustbin (both P & D Marsh white metal items) can also been seen - I guess that someone is now in for a rather hefty fine for all this fly-tipping! 　

@ JDW .... Yes, I get your meaning/idea (thanks for which), and may just put it into practice!

@ 009 micro modeller I think perspective on models, certainly model railways, can often be a bit of a tricky issue, as I know from past experience. For as I may have said before, what will look right from one angle will look “out of focus” or whatever from other angle(s), therefore it can really be a matter of compromising as best we can, but using “tricks”, “cover-ups”, “illusions” or whatever. But thanks again for the positive feedback, much appreciated. 　 @ GeoffinOz Thanks for the suggestion and the comment. And yes, I’ll definitely touch-up the “white bits” on the walls/apply a bit of weathering here and there. I’ve also ordered some more graffiti transfers from Hattons of Liverpool to go on the tunnel parapet (as I may have explained previously, the real-life former railway line on which this model is based originally ran through a cutting/under a road bridge, which then became a tunnel when the car park was constructed), though as I’ve said before, quite how in real life the “graffiti artists” manage to apply their “handywork” on the “railway side” of a parapet similar to the one I’ve modelled is a bit of a mystery, to me at least. Also, re rubbish etc. in the cutting - waste paper and the like can easily be formed from scraps of paper, tissue or whatever, but as for shopping trollies, having googled these on the internet/contacted various stockists i.e. Gaugemaster, Hattons and the like, no-one seems to know of them. I believe such items are available in OO Gauge, but it seems that they’re unknown/unattainable in N, perhaps not such a surprise really, for given their make-up/nature, shopping trollies would be a bit hard to reproduce in N/2mm scale. Fortunately, bycycles are available in N, and again in line with your suggestion, I’ve ordered some white metal versions from P & D Marsh, which can be “dumped” in the cutting, once they’ve been painted/weathered, and hopefully all the aforementioned modifications can be accomplished in the next week or so.