SteveyDee68

Exactly what happened when I took up the hobby again in 2016 - spotted an Austerity 0-6-0 on eBay that I had wanted as a kid and bought it (to cheer myself up - 2016 was not a good year for me). Next thing I know, I see a blue Hornby sentinel loco - zap! Got that, too! 

No connection between them at all (different eras etc) but I liked them. I had a grand plan for the stuff I buy/collect, except that as different things have caught my eye I end up with several more scenarios to justify the purchases!

So I say - Good on ya! Scratch that itch! If you want to model something to use it, grab one of those IKEA shelves like wot Sheepbloke @NHY 581 does and create yourself a micro to run your 168 on to (and off again!)

Steve S

Thank you for restoring the photos - I will make sure to (somehow) download and save your blog entries to assist improving the couple of Lima vans I have in my possession.

Steve S

May I ask how you made the filler handles on the top of the wagon? I have zoomed in on your photos but cannot tell if these are a single piece of wire or made up from multiple pieces!

EXCELLENT upgrade - am following keenly!

Steve S

Thanks for showing your work on upgrading the Presflo wagon - I picked up several made up versions cheaply off eBay a while ago with intentions to improve them, and invested in a Bachmann model to act as a ‘template’ to aim for, but seeing how you are doing it step by step is far more helpful than me simply staring at the Bachmann model and saying to myself “That’s different … and that … and that!” 
 

Is there a way for me to save/download your blog entry? (Was well and truly bitten by the RMWeb Server Disaster as many ‘upgrade’ threads I was following lost all their images and haven’t been restored!)

Steve S

From the comments it would seem you have clearly shown how you went about upgrading the Lima GUV/CCT but the RMWeb Server Disaster has left your blog entries without images! Is there any possibility that you might restore them through your blog entries, please? (I have no idea if that is possible on blogs - sorting out missing images on threads is difficult enough!)

Steve S

Are you going to "box in" the layout when it is finished, to create a 'frame' around the modelled scene? If so, do you plan to have variable lighting above?

When you focus in close, you get the plethora of detail you have included, but the general overviews really capture that "Dover" look!

Wish I had got some (any) modelling done this weekend - struck down with "man flu" and spent the last three days in bed! Nothing compared to the bigger picture, of course - and at least it wasn't Covid!

Looking forward to your next instalment.

Just to say that reading a FaceBook article today about the impact of the new Brexit regulations upon the export of fresh fish to Europe, I was particularly struck by the overhead view of the road approaches to Dover harbour with the white cliffs, overhead signs etc and my first thought was that you have captured the essence of Dover perfectly with your model. Bravo!

Possibly a bit late, but on rock faces close to a road near where I live, there is a kind of mesh netting pinned over the cliff face to force falling rocks downwards rather than falling out onto the road. Would you see something like that on your cliff faces, the road being so close to their base? If so, how on earth would you model it in N gauge? (I'm certain you'd successfully find a way!)

What makes your model work so well is your attention to detail together with the plethora of signage, road markings, barriers etc which simply scream out "modern day H&S". The close up detail is just as good as the overall impression, one adds to the other and vice versa!

Lighting really makes your layout look dramatic (as if it wasn't dramatic enough with a train ferry!). How tall are the mast lights in terms of scale height? I know you are using them for a general wash of light, but they look very tall (or is it because the left hand one looks taller than your cliff face?) Not a criticism, as I haven't looked at exactly how tall these things are in real life!

Thanks for showing the step by step for the water effects. On my Woodhey Quay layout I got as far as painting a murky browny green base water colour, and my next thought was to varnish it (spot who was raised in the 70s/80s!). Now, seeing your results with PVA and tacky glue, I think I shall follow suit! 

Your dockside painting looks as good as John Wiffen's photo texture versions on his downloadable dockside walls - nicely done!

Mental note to self - concrete dock walls for train ferry dock on my layout to distinguish from older dock walls!

On 24/10/2020 at 23:56, phil_sutters said:

In case you have missed some, here are the signs at the entrance to Ramsgate Harbour. I am pleased to see that your site manager has got his or her Portakabin, a reward for good progress!

Wondering what those signs would look like back in the late 1950s and early 1960s (not that some would exist, of course - CCTV?!)

Mike (above) took the words right out of my mouth!

Surprised that it wasn't given listed status, as brutalist architecture is started to be recognised as something sometimes worth preserving! That would have made an amazing museum, for example, with the cabin giving views out to sea.

Having said that, Bury police HQ was a brutalist affair but was also recently demolished (I think possibly asbestos was a factor)

And as if by magic you answer my earlier question about passenger access! Guess I should read the whole blog first and then ask questions!

Looking great!

Ah! Now I see the attraction of balsa! The canopy and supporting beams look the business!

In my own plans I have a traditional station building but then an art deco ferry terminal. How do your miniature passengers reach the ferry from your station? Will you show a link/footbridge, or will this be off scene futher along your ship?

I find it interesting that you are using balsa and modelling in N gauge, as that is some really tiny knife work! I assume you have your reasons? I purchased strips of various sized balsa to make dock edgings from a local art shop (much cheaper than the local model shop or HobbyCraft) but my wallet still felt the pain, but you seem to be using it in much larger quantities - surely card would be cheaper?

Rev Alan Shore back in 1974 built a complete (UK) train ferry in N gauge, with the idea of being able to lift if out of its dock and replace it with a second (NL) ferry to replicate sailings. However, he quickly abandoned the idea, stating that in the absence of scotch blocks and tie downs he found that free-running N gauge stock was prone to falling out/off the rails/ship!

I've seen a layout where the sea the ship is "sat on" is on drawer runners and can therefore repositioned along the quayside. Theoretically, a similar system could be employed to allow your ship to "cast off" and move away from the link span, but as you have said (and Alan Shore also pointed out) having a fixed link means avoiding issues with misaligned tracks.

Loving the train ferry! A modeller after my own heart! Always wanted to model one ever since seeing the N gauge Wardleworth Lines Committee layout and train ferry in the Railway Modeller back in 1974!

Steve S

The scenic treatment of the fiddle yard to improve the view under the bridge is such a no-brainer but so effective!  Also the cameo of the driver watching proceedings down below from the cab of his engine on the bridge during a lull in his own work is so natural - certainly beats the typical 'bus on a bridge' scenario!

I never get tired of looking at your Metcalfe inspired buildings (I say that because the kits always seem to just be the start for your builds - are any of them actually constructed as per instructions?! And I say that as a compliment!) plus using Metcalfe kits/papers throughout brings a unity to the scene. Bravo!

Wow! I never thought to put corner capping on to match - that takes it to another level! That whole building group ... I am struggling not to wield a scalpel and copy it (mirrored) for my layout, the only issue being that it might overwhelm the structures planned for the other end (less than two feet away!).

I really do want to create a proper dockside scene - the urge is growing on me daily!  But I really should try to finish what I've started first! So many ideas, so little space, so few skills, such a small budget!

You are definitely lifting the Metcalfe kits to another level - can't wait to see what you do next!

Steve S

Looking back at your blog entry on Sat 23/05, the difference between the last photo and today's is like chalk and cheese!  The new backscene building really ties together the cutdown goods shed and the mill building at the rear.  Am I right that you are applying the same corner coverings to the mill building as to the brewery buildings further along?

Looking again, I realise that it is the end of the warehouse - just a suggestion, but is there room to project the middle section (what would have been the gable end) by the depth of the returns?  Bend back along the original fold line (shown - badly - in orange on my doctored photo) then forward again (green) to get the side wings flat along the backscene again?  It might project 1cm, and shorten your building by 2cm overall, but would give a touch more relief.

Photo attached, sorry for the asterisks - can't find a degrees symbol on an iPad keyboard!!

(Edited to add photo, and to remove the words idiotically replaced for totally irrelevant substitutes by the moronic predictive text feature!)

Nicely done, especially covering up the seam in the middle of the gable end.  I can't remember if the original design had another hoist to hide that join up, but if Metcalfe release a new brewery kit I'm certain they will avoid such joins in the middle of a building facade!

Reading back through your whole blog gives the answer to my question, and also plenty of other inspiration too.  Like the idea of a Metcalfe goodshed being lowered for non-rail traffic - might well pinch borrow that idea on a future build!

Steve S