mjcampbell

In my previous post I'd described how I'd taken the back-scene photos and created a panorama. I'd come across https://www.art-printers.com/ through members of the NGRM forum, who do custom back-scenes as well as a range of standard ones, so I contacted them with my big picture and carefully measured dimensions. John at Art Printers was most helpful, discussing the best way to crop/stretch the panorama to fit the layout and other edits (he could have created the panorama too if I hadn't already). We ended up with a little cropped from the ends, and a slight vertical stretch to the final image. When I was happy the back-scene was printed and dispatched immediately. I chose the premium option which is more hard-wearing, and I thought the price was very reasonable and the service excellent. The back-scene was printed to the dimensions I requested, but with a small margin, which I trimmed easily with a scalpel, using books to keep the rolled paper flat while I did so. Because my scene went over one roll of paper I needed a join, which I had arranged to be towards the right-hand end where I expect to use more trees. It did give me an off-cut of blank back-scene paper for a trial run, so I found an off-cut of board in the garage, took it outside, sprayed the glue on, and stuck the blank paper on. I know that sounds weird, but it prepared me for how the real thing would go! The next step was to dry-run the back-scene, and check it fitted. I needed to trim where it fits under the bracing at the ends, and figure out exactly where the two pieces joined. I marked the join with a pencil line. The next thing to think about was how to stick it on straight and in the right place... the dummy run had showed that the glue was strong, and although the paper could be pulled away gently if not firmly stuck, there wasn't much hope if it had been pushed firmly down. I decided to hold the back-scene like a scroll, holding against the baseboard so it is level over the back-scene (layout on it's back) , line it up to a mark, and press down. So I put a clear mark in a place that would later be hidden, about a foot from the end. The dummy run had also showed that the spray glue got everywhere, so the rest of the layout not already masked up from painting was masked up, including the top edge of the back-scene board, and the layout set outside on it's back on the trestles - also masked as best I could. Then a last check the board is clear of lumps and debris! The glue is simply Wilkinson's own brand as that's all they had. It was sprayed liberally over the back-scene board, including up the end boards right up to where they meet the "wings" at the ends. The glue instructions say to cover both surfaces, but that would't be practical so I just sprayed the wood, and to wait 5 minutes before sticking together - but I had a lot to stick, so gave it just a couple of minutes before starting with the longer back-scene. And a few minutes later the job is done. Despite my best efforts the longer scene is very slightly skew, and has risen about 3 mm by the far end, but it fits and looks fine, the gap at the bottom will be hidden by scenery. Wit hindsight a second pair of hands might be helpful here, to ensure it is held in line with the baseboard and pushed down at the same time. There's a very slight bulge which isn't that visible, but overall it has come out very well. The shorter piece was butted up to the first piece and fortunately the join is quite neat.

I've had a Canon Powershot SX 710 HS (presumably a similar model) for a couple of years, and have been very happy with it. Sometimes I'll position it a little further back and add a little zoom, even on macro mode, as it seems to reduce barrel distortion and increase depth a little, though I'll also crop photos if needed. Mine has manual settings though I rarely use them. I think the "daylight" or cool white is much, much too blue. The warm white looks better, less unnatural though too warm. You could try 2x warm and 1x DL. They are not overly bright as they are so that wouldn't need a dimmer to arrange. Also the model photos shows light is mostly falling direct from above, you could use more from the front too. Can you angle your batons so the light is angled 30 to 45 degrees back as well as down?

You could try a strip on the inside edge of the fascia facing back, it will throw light onto the front of the models and light the sky.

As the model Hexworthy is set in a real location it seemed that the backscene should show that location. Dartmoor is quite distinctive, and the rolling moors and valley fields should really set the scene. So last summer while passing through Devon a detour was made to take some photographs from the small road up the opposite side of the valley from where the model is set, where there is a convenient spot on the side of the hill with a low wall and no trees. The detour may also have involved a cream tea at the nearby Badger's Holt, Dartmeet, a particular favourite in our family! So this is the real view across the West Dart valley at Hexworthy. I remembered to take a tripod, set the image size to maximum, use a little optical zoom, and take lots of overlapping photos. Actually this was my second attempt - I'd done the same thing the previous year, but the 5 photos didn't make a wide enough picture to a high enough resolution. This time I took 12 pictures with more zoom to make a wider, less tall combined image. I found a program called Hugin which did a great job of combining the 12 photos into a complete panorama image. The result looked good and should work well, but at this point I got a bit stuck, as I didn't have suitable software or knowledge to do further editing or the means to print out such a large image, even on multiple sheets. So I will pick up that story in the next installment... Now I wanted the backscene to wrap-around the internal corners of the layout in a curve to avoid corners and shadows. I know you can get bendy MDF and thin ply, but adding more wood to the layout means adding much more weight, and seemed overkill. So I cut some formers from foam-core board, cutting round a metal cake-tin lid to get the curvature (the picture shows the layout lying on it's back). I then cut a shallow slot into the ply just beyond the end of the formers, with a shallow chamfer back towards the formers. The backscene support was then simply made from a piece of 20-thou plasticard cut to fit into the slots - which both force the plastic into the curved corner, and recess the edge to hopefully give a smooth transition from flat to curve without a step. I glued it to the formers with contact adhesive, although my formers were not entirely consistent, so maybe something with more gap-filling properties (no more nails, silicone caulk) would have been better. Anyway it seems to hold fine. The last preparation step was to make the layout presentable. Although the ply outer skin could have been varnished, after a discussion with the wife (the layout will sit in the dining room) we decided on the grey paint used for my son's little layout, Slugworth & Co. This is actually Wilkinson's primer, so goes straight onto the wood, although visible areas got a rub-down with fine emery then a second coat, which gives a nice smooth satin finish. I also painted the rear of the layout, the lighting bar, the domestic fiddle yard, and even the backscene boards as it should give a better surface to stick the backscene to when sealed.

Thanks David. Early plans had another siding, but eventually less-is-more won out and I think it will be better for it. The scene is a preserved line, so with a siding for engineering trains and a bay for spare stock or specials, I think it has enough. Awngate has just departed for pastures new, so Hexworthy has migrated to the dining room, which might mean faster progress (or it might not). I've a few updates to add shortly on the backscene and lighting, I've been a bit tardy at keeping this thread up to date.

After a break of about a year while other projects have intervened, I've finally got back to working on Hexworthy. However I've forgotten to update this thread. I had been working on the station building, I'd painted the stonework but a mortar wash hadn't worked well. Then it struck me, would weathering powder work? After some experimentation I settled on talcum powder, with some beige weathering powder mixed in. This was brushed over the stonework, into the mortar courses and off the faces of the stones. As well as providing the mortar the powder tones down the stone colours and gives a pleasing matt finish. I pondered using a varnish (dullcote) to seal the powder, but that can dull the effect, and I'm not sure if it would affect the foam. Anyway, I'm happy with the effect, and it was quick and easy to do. The other job that had stalled was the roof. I'd made the carcass from black plasticard, and started applying York Modelmaking laser-cut slates. These are self-adhesive strips with the slates cut into one side, and are laid overlapping to form the roof. The paper material is self-coloured, and looks just the right thickness, so it is pretty easy to use. However, the dormer windows made cutting them and fitting them somewhat more involved than for a plain roof - so it did take me some time! The ridge tiles are folded over and stuck down, but they are reluctant to stay folded and are lifting slightly in places, I'm not sure how best to fix this without leaving visible glue. The roof is also rather uniform, and I'm not sure how best to weather it. Will it take a paint wash or will that damage them? Weathering powder might be too effective on the paper surface. I realise I should have fixed barge-boards before the slates, so the slates could go over the barge-boards, they will now have to go on the outside of the ends. As you can see above, there is a rather large gap under the roof above the goods shed that needs a barge-board to hide it. The dormer windows need lead flashing too, again I'm not sure how best to do that. Then there is finishing the tops of the chimneys. You can see that I have pained and fitted the window frames, but there is still lots to do, and lots to figure out as I go.

I've given a lot of thought to LED lighting, and looked at a lot of layouts, before deciding what to buy for my layout. To my mind "cool white" LED's are typically too cold, some types look quite blue - and I have seen layouts lit with a blue-purple light at exhibitions. The sky may be 6000K but using lighting that cold gives a blue cast. On the other hand warm white (3000K) is too yellow, now I find a yellow cast more acceptable to the eye as a sunny day, and being similar to tungsten light we are perhaps more used to it, but we can do better. Some have used a mix of cool and warm LED's to good effect, and I've even seen cool LED's painted over with a clear yellow to warm them up. However I found it is possible to buy "Natural White" LED's, with a colour temperature of 4000-4500K. They seem quite rare compared to cool and warm white, but they are available online, so I got a strip to experiment with. I blogged about it here (including links to the strip I bought on Amazon): https://michaelsrailways.blogspot.com/2018/04/lighting-with-leds-experimentation.html I used a length on my Son's small layout, the result is I think a good colour balance and brightness. IMG_5956 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr I've since gone on to use more of the same strip on my embryonic layout. No scenery yet, but again I think the colour looks right. More about how I added it - and the power-pack here: http://michaelsrailways.blogspot.com/2019/06/adding-light-to-hexworthy.html In fact the two strips of "5050" (high power) LED's are too bright, so I've now fitted a cheap dimmer as seen in this photo. I may experiment with removing some of the LED's. But I have made great effort to get the lighting right forward, pointing back, to avoid the front of the trains being in shadow, and there is no sign of spots of light on the rails. There's no diffuser, but the dimmer and crumpled foil behind the fascia might help. In terms of power supply, the high power LED's such as the ones I have use 1A per metre, I figured that I'd get a supply capable of more than required so got a 6A supply. In the end I used 3m, so well within the capability, it runs warm but seems OK after running a few hours at full brightness.

I've missed catching up with this thread for a couple of weeks, love the progress with the wall and field "junk". I've given LED lighting a lot of thought, and settled on "Natural White", which is about 4000k. It's harder to find than "warm" or "cool" white, but I find they are either too yellow, or too blue. In fact the strip you are using appears to have an odd purple-pink tinge, though maybe that's the camera reacting. I have seen good results from mixing both cool and warm LED's and I think you could make that work - but may take experimentation to get the right balance. Anyway here's how the natural white LED's look on my embryonic layout - though I've actually had to fit a dimmer as two strips of the 5050 LED's is rather bright! The same lights used on my son's little layout: A couple of links to blog-posts that have more information: http://michaelsrailways.blogspot.com/2019/06/adding-light-to-hexworthy.html https://michaelsrailways.blogspot.com/2018/04/lighting-with-leds-experimentation.html And these are the lights I used: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06Y67D1JH/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Hope that's helpful!

I thought the photographic backscene gave the layout a context and added to the scene...

Oh good. That's about the colour I painted mine... IMG_4703 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr

Mine runs smoothly too. Here's how I fixed mine, I found the chassis allowed the body to "wobble" at first. http://michaelsrailways.blogspot.com/2018/05/remotoring-armoured-simplex.html

Yes - Saturday morning, which was pretty crowded so not the best time. Made it tricky to photograph too. IMG_5853 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr IMG_5855 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr IMG_5854 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr IMG_5860 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr Some photos of the layouts here if anyone is interested. Well done on joint best-in-show - there was a fantastic selection of high-quality layouts there, so that is a real achievement. And it puts the views of one person into perspective!

I must admit I did question whether it should be in Railway Modeller. But I guess it doesn't fit Continental Modeller either, and there isn't (yet?) a Middle Earth Modeller. Anyway, I enjoyed the article, and am looking forward to seeing the layout at Uckfield!

I understood it started as a blackout precaution in WWII, though I can imagine it may not have been applied to every rural backwater, or continued after the war in all places.

I've used fine sand over a layer of PVA, though it can be tricky to get it very even. For something more neat, select an appropriate grade of emery paper?

A slow pace you mean! I used to knock out layouts much faster, however work, family, and domestic chores get in the way, and I often don't have the energy if I find the time! I also have another project I'm helping with, and occasional projects for the club layout too. But there's no point in stressing, it's a hobby!

You saw the cardboard mock-up of the station building, I'd also done a drawing to get the dimensions spot on. I decided to build it from foam, so laid the drawing over the foam and poked the scalpel through to transfer the dimensions. You can't draw and foam and certainly can't rub out! IMG_4256 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr After laboriously recessing behind every window opening so the windows were not set too deep, I assembled the walls around a foam-board core of floors and walls IMG_4360 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr The windows will be these nice laser cut ones from Smart Models - some modified to be open. IMG_4355 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr The next job took me the best part of 3 weeks. I said I was in no hurry, but I'll admit this got tedious! Using photos of Dartmoor stone buildings as a guide each stone was drawn in with a 0.5mm pencil. I was given a tip: draw the stones, not the lines. I found this worked, it means the stones look like stones, and not like squashed pillows, or wonky graph paper. IMG_4367 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr The roof proved tricky to make too. Especially those dormers! IMG_4387 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr I think that's pretty much me up to date now, I've started painting the station so perhaps there will be another update before too long.

Ah, good question. I did paint the rails: IMG_3867 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr Got some magnets for the Microtrains couplings - these are cupboard catches from a DIY store: IMG_3899 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr Cut some holes to stick them in below the track: IMG_3900 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr So here we have a Microtrains magnet (broken in half - 2 for 1 and they are easier to site and less obvious!) front left, and an under-track cupboard catch magnet rear right: IMG_3902 by Michael Campbell, on Flickr However the last couple of months I've been slowly building the station building. I'll post some photos shortly. The layout is stored in the garage as I still have my other/previous layout on display on the bookcase, in due course Hexworthy will replace it. In the meantime I'm in no great hurry!

Have you tried hot water? Find a cylinder of about the right diameter, or a bit tighter, such as an empty can or glass bottle. Tape your plasticard to it, probably 20 thou max as you have to force it round. Boil the kettle and fill a jug with the hot water, then dip your cylinder in (if it doesn't fit in a jug just pour the hot water over it). After you've taken it out and let it cool, remove the tape - your plastic will stay (nearly) at the same curvature as the cylinder. Much easier than vacuum forming and only takes a few moments. http://michaelsrailways.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/railcar-kettle-and-some-plastic.html

I've never used that, but I've been using graphite for the last few years, and I'm a convert. I've not cleaned track for years now, but always get super smooth slow running - yes, even in 009 - I just rub a little more graphite on the rails if there's a bit where locos stall, I use a graphite stick from Hobbycraft. It seems to prevent grease and dirt build up and keeps wheels clean as well as helping make good electrical contact - and as a shiny grey, it looks good on the rail top. At one exhibition someone asked if my (Peco) track had steel rails!

Well done! I find phospher bronze strip better for pick-ups than wire, it's more springy but has less force so doesn't cause so much drag (i.e. earlier attempts may have been successful...)

Yes very effective ground cover.

I guess that's around £50/foot? - I wonder how that compares to larger layouts! I build a box-file layout a few years back for a competition at Expo-NG. I can't remember the exact rules but it was one box-file, I made it so it could close up, and any removed buildings fitted a separate box-file, though of course controllers etc. did not. Rules vary according to challenge, and in this case you've adopted your own rules - I see nothing wrong with that!

Aaaah, the curse of the dead frog! Good luck. It may not help this problem, but have you tried graphite over the rails? It might give the other wheel a better chance...

You've done a cracking job with this, a really characterful scene.