scanman

A bit heavier than the BALR Tom -with the 'airfield branch' planned, I'd exspect to see some fairly specialist freight working and potentially troop trains (I've got a Dapol S15 awaiting new wheels ans a rake of Maunsell coaches! The rest of the branch (all two stations!) would probably be mainly agricultural - the reason the Basingstoke Canal (in the lower reaches) fell out of use by the early 50's Regards Ian

Hmmm -some time since the last update, and to be honest what with 'pressure of work' (retired?? You must be joking!) and normal life issues, there's not been much progress. The trackplan (simple passing loop with a siding off (and possibly a small headshunt) has been finalised and a start made on the scenics at the 'Northern' (Winchfield) end :- One beauty of using urethane foam for boards is it's 'carvability' - nothing a proxxon jig saw cannot handle! The stream will serve 'Poland Mill' (just on the front edge of the layout (its mill-pond will be on a scenic extension). The bridge is 2mm 'English Bond' plastikard courtesy of 'SE Finecast' - the best coursing I've ever seen:- I *could* have cut my own with the laser cutter which might have meant I'd made a better job of the arch - seen here in cruel close-up :- thanks to of one of my Xmas presents - a 90mm macro lens, courtesy of our cats and HM taxman(!!!). With the holiday season upon us (and a belated 'Merry Xmas' to you all) I felt it was time to put work aside for the week and do some personal stuff. So the aim is to get at least 30" of (single) track laid over the bridge, and to complete of many of these beauties as possible :- and it does mean I can give the new 'macro' lens a good work-out! 'Odiham' is obviously in LSWR/SR territory and will serve the local airfield - hence the excuse to built the 'Air Ministry' tankers. I've a G6 to build (courtesy of 'N Brass', but that means tackling the chassis.... Watch this space! Regards Ian

No (apparent) modelling since 4 August?? Well my blog explains the absence (along with some 12"/ft scenic work in the garden...) However, physical progress has been made! I always like to make a card 'mock-up' - it helps resolve spatial issues etc before too much progress has to be reversed! IF exhibited, I might well add two 'wings' at the front - which will effectively create an 'operators well' (the layout will always be operated from the 'front' - I like to see my models in action rather than hide behind the backscene!) As the baseboard overall size was in any case fixed (as explained earlier) I could also make a start on the main boards. Progress was then stalled somewhat by a couple of commissions and the necessity to build a new board for the REC 'O' gauge layout... However, last weekend saw the boards being assembled - Construction is from 5.5mm ply, with the baseboard bed (30mm high-density foam) resting on inner formers attached to the backscene etc. An advantage of being a diver is that I have access to lots of heavy weights to keep the boards in place as the 'Gorilla Glue' goes off (it expands quite rapidly and all joints need nailing/screwing or clamping as it sets). Finally today I moved the baseboards into the layout room - a time consuming exercise in itself as I had to make space for it! It looks a little like a featureless desert - but the prototype area is 'Norfolk flat' - the only relief will be the millstream at one end... Right, wonder how long before the next installment??

Complete! A bit of a cheat tho' - its 'posed' on 'Tryfan Sidings'! I've now also completed two 'running-in boards - one for the platform and another that was situated at the approach to the station throat.. Doubtless they will appear in the fullness of time! Right - next - the goods shed...

A just repayment for ideas I've 'nicked' from you ! ;-)

Time to finish this - it has to be with the client by Friday! In the interest of speed I have cheated slightly - I WAS going to scratch-build the steps but a trip to 'Alton Models' for something else provided a couple of lengths of 'Plastruct' steps... Add some handrails and job done. The same trip yielded a 'Ratio' signal-box detailing kit - and with some modifications (this is a VERY small box!) it fits in (just). However - The block bells etc have had to be suspended from the internal ceiling - there wasn't space to place them behind the frame - but at least they're in there! 'Just' a paint-job now, and some downpipes. Probably some midnight oil burning tomorrow! Regards Ian

No modelling (as yet) - but more research.... One of the beauties of living so close to the project area is the ability to 'nip along and check things'... A pleasant stroll across the watermeadows MAY have resolved the issue of the fiddleyard entry at the 'North' end.... These buildings - a watermill, millers house & wagonshed (together with the millpond and a few trees) should serve to 'drag the eye' away from the train as it disappears behind them... I also gave some thought to the backscene and shot a series of images at two different locations - trials are shown below :- Right -time to do some actual modelling!

Unfortunately not that I can find -although my guess would be that there was a 'brewhouse' in the hamlet somewhere - possibly in the 'forge' complex, with one of the farmworkers wive's providing an alehouse in the front room (shades of the 'Rose Cottage' at Alciston in Sussex if you know it - although it's been 'gentrified now )

Hi Nick - I'm using urethane foam (30mm thick) for the surface, edged with 6mm ply with some softwood framing. Initially 'White Hall' will consist of two scenic boards 4'x 18" with two smaller boards at each end as cassette boards.. The side & rear ply will extend about 9" above the boards to provide for a back-scene - and I may well employ 6mm MDF to radius the corners. As I mentioned, the land thereabouts is pretty flat, so I'll have to use some imaginative scenic breaks - probably a wood copse at one end & possibly a barn or similar at the other. I foresee plenty of scope for the 'Emblazer'!

Hi Ian - Yes to both! I'll get this module 'finished' first - I reckon that will be 3-5 years work, then make tracks to Odiham. Just got to work out where the 'branch' off to the airfield will run contour-wise....

THE ODIHAM BRANCH – WHY? A. Its LOCAL! Only about 7 miles from where I live... B. Odiham is a VERY attractive village, full of potential modelling projects. Its got an AIRFIELD! Lots of potential for different types of passenger & goods traffic.... So why 'WHITE HALL'? It makes an ideal crossing-place – and the hamlet itself has some very nice buildings... Being basically a passing-loop with an 'agricultural siding' off, it will make a good starting point, and be exhibitable in its own right. The station will lie at the end of the overbridge carrying Poland Lane. Public viewing will be from the 'WEST' – looking down Poland Lane with its houses, to the station in the distance. A quiet, sleepy agricultural scene – only disturbed by 'Battle of Britain' or S15 locos on troop trains! So - a 'General Map' of the branch, which originates at 'Winchfield' on the 'Main Line' The initial segment will concentrate on the 'passing station' at White Hall' - and the 'modelled area' will be approximately 8' 0" x18" The station building will be based on 'Medstead & Four Marks' from the nearby 'Watercress Line' - and the village will progress along 'Poland Lane' to the west - including White Hall farmhouse, A forge (no self-respecting village can be without one!) The farm-workers cottage and finally The 'Squires House' The rest of the scenery will be of the typical 'North Hampshire' flat farmland (which will cause issues with exit points etc. I'm also not convinced that such a small hamlet would justify a road-bridge serving it, so that may well become a level-crossing (good excuse for a small signal-cabin)... Timescale?? Open-ended - but I hope to start the boards tommorrow!

Okay, on with the signal-cabin - assembling the main structure. This is a real 'multimedia' model - acrylic, card, plasticard etc.... The 'upperworks' consist mainly of the four sections seen in 'part 1' - here they have been assembled with 'PVA' The next job was to assemble the 'locking-room' base - this was a simple(-ish) task, using 0.030" plasticard.. Here we are just waiting the crane to lift the 'glass-house' into position! The observant will note that the 'floor' is already in place in the lever-room Okay - the crane's been and gone. The next job is to clad the structure - with 0.20" 'Evergreen' plank cladding, framed around the corners with simple strip..(and yes, I've taken care of the wayward door lintel..!) Just a case now of going round the building and continuing. However, I do need to get a 'signal-box detailing kit'! That 'glasshouse will be pretty unforgiving if it's not there... TTFN! Ian

About a year ago I drew up the plans for the 'signal box' - a 'Saxby & Farmer type !' - based on various sources :- and now, finally, I'm getting round to building it. As usual I start with the windows. Regular readers will know I have my own method involving adhesive paper, acrylic, card and lots of cutting out. Well, the first three components are still there but the methodology has changed... I'm not going to take up bandwidth, but the story is here:- .rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/108310-darkly-labs-emblaser-affordable-laser-cutter-review/page-23#entry2376233 and yes, These were laser-cut... All that's needed now is walls to put 'em in - From (l) to ® - outer wall, sash slider unit, outer sash windows, middle sash frame, inner sash windows, sash slider, inner wall.... Now to assemble it... Are attached to the middle sash frame. I then realised a little 'thicknessing was required before adding the 'sash slider unit' Then The outer wall. Turn the unit over and repeat the steps for the inner wall... Then repeat the process for the other three walls! And so to bed....

Okay - seriouis stuff now. I've made windows for years by printing the glazing bars on adhesive (label) paper, attached it to clear acetate then cut round the 'panes' and picked them off. Accurate, neat - and time-consuming... So can it be done with a laser-cutter? The issue is the fineness of the glazing bars. You cannot cut them out of the label-paper - they fall apart/distort. This means the label paper (as in the original method) - has to be attached to the acetate which then supports the 'glued-on' glazing bars. Hmmm. Acetate? Laser? a potentially sticky, smelly, melting result.... So some trials in order... First, could the laser be set to run at a speed/power that would cut the paper, but not the acetate beneath? Trial 1 - lase a plain sheet of paper, resting it on another plain sheet of paper. Burning through BOTH would NOT be a success! So here's the top layer, with the speed/power settings shown above the relevant group. and here's the bottom layer. Some are obviously more successful than others - but not completely so... Ho hum, life (or rather, fire extinguisher) in hand.. The windows (for a 'Saxby & Farmer' 'type 1 box' were cadded up & saved as 'eps' (and yes, they are small!) A sheet of the afore-said label paper was affixed to acetate ensuring there were no bubbles or creases, and then fed into the 'Emblazer'. Setting was 10mm/sec @ 30% power, one cut. RESULT! So I put the fire extinguisher away, and lased the sash frames from 150gsm card (same power settings) Result - again... So off to the studio to marry them up. The eagle-eyed among you will have noted that some of the laser cuts were incomplete - however, it was only a few minutes work to complete them with scalpel & steel. The 'panes' were then picked off as in the original method. There was some extra resistance which I put down to the adhesive being melted to the acetate! So here are some of the finished product & the components. Like I said these are small - even in 4mm scale! Lessons learned?? I wouldn't want to create thinner (i.e. 2mm) glazing bars. 0.5mm appears to be about the lasers minimum without the program running the bar-sides together (I can get down to 0.2mm thickness with a scalpel). However, it is a MUCH quicker method than the original. Okay, it took most of the day - but I dont have to repeat the experimentation sessions again! Anyone want any 'Saxby & Farmer' signal-box windows??? Regards Ian

Doncha just love it when the learning curve 'loops the loop'??

Nice-looking etch Nigel. I'll follow the build with interest -but not my line ~(unless they interacted with the GWR?? Regards Ian

Having been tasked to build a small board for the REC's 'O' gauge layout (which would effectively replace the goods yard and turn the layout into a terminus) I found there was just room enough for a small goods shed. Being a fan of the 'DN&SR' I decided that the 'goods lock-up' at Burghclere would make a suitable subject. As ever I decided to make a mock-up in card, based on the cutting file for the laser cutter... (Please note that the small porch over the trackside door is 'modellers licence'! All I need to do now is get the cutter to work without glitches! Regards Ian

Hi Mikkel -- Thanks for that. We're still trying to decide whether they should be loaded or empty! More prosaicaly - they need another coat of varnish, and the roofs need painting etc. I should have mentioned having to scratchbuild the roof supports. I hate saggy roofs! Regards Ian

Whilst my client was away on holiday, he asked me to complete some kits he'd started - all in whitemetal, from '5&9' who do a great range of early LBSC 'Stroudley' cattlewagons. There appear to be sufficient in the range to model most of the variants (I'm not an 'LBSC' man, so don't take my word for it...) One of the problems is the buffing gear. Its brilliant (if you want a static model) but not so good if you want to operate. Cast in whitemetal, the buffer shanks are EXTREMELY thin and they break... The shanks are about 0.08" in diameter - so, I drilled out the buffers, and the stocks and then re-assembled them with 0.08" brass wire.... 12 times! Still ,'jobs a good'un' as they say - and I hope my client will be pleased with the result! It's also worth noting the lack of 'company lettering' - in the 1840's illiteracy rates were quite high, and the 'LBSC' rresolved this by placing an 'illiteracy mark' on their wagons. That's it, top left. I understand the practice ceased in the 1860's-70's as literacy rates improved - due no doubt by the legal requirement for children to attend 'National Schools' for five hours per day between the ages of five and eleven...

Thanks for that Nick I've heard of Kitronic and nearly went for them rather than SLEC. that said, their service was pretty good... At least I got the 'period' right - but being an archaeologist with an interest in 'built environment I b...y well should have.! I've got brickwork in 'stretcher' and 'English' bond on file - When my eyesight returns to normal I'll do 'Flemish' as well. I tend to 'CAD' it at 1:1 then use the 'scale' option to reduce it (had an interesting experience with the printer when I inadvertently printed at 1:1 - the costly mistake viz-a-viz new cartidges and paper taught me to ALWAYS check the printer)! Anyway, I look forward to seeingthe building(s) in location on the layout (of which I've heard good things from Nigel' Regards Ian

Nick - Who's your supplier? I just bought 0.8mm and 0.4mm ply from ''SLEC' - quite happy with it, but it's nice to know of alternates. Regarding the building - is it from a prototype, and is it 2mm? It LOOKS to be 'Jacobean' period - (c1660) in which case I would have thought the bonding would be 'English' or 'Flemish'? Just sticking my nose in... Regards Ian

Chris 'Araldite' et al respond 'favourably' to 'Nitromors'. How do I know that??? I reduced a whitemetal kit to its component parts trying to remove (someone elses) paintjob.. I absolutely agree regarding backing up, pws etc. In addition to using a 'standalone' 2tb I also back up all my commercial files (drawings etc) to a 32gb stick. Regs Ian

Then turn it into a lampshade.... Regs Ian

Now you have buildings in as 'placeholders' - give scratchbuilding a try. Start with a card mock-up (cheap or free depending on the source!) then as your skills develop, move to other materials. The most important tools are 1)a good blade (I always use a scalpel - a million surgeons cannot be wrong!) b) a true straightedge in steel. I have two regulars, a 6", and a foot-long. c)Steel set-squares. Buildings are 'normally' square, and apertures are always 'square' to the building. Again, have at least two. A small one for detailed work and a larger one for 'truing' the material you work from. Do NOT trust the material provider to have cut THEIR corners square! You willfind it SO much more satisfying to have an ACCURATE model of a prototype that YOU built... Sorry if I'm in 'egg-sucking mode'! Regards Ian

Sam - no problems! Chris - 'B****y hell mate - all that's missing is the 'four horsement'... Best wishes for a csppedy resumption of what passes for 'normality' Giles - re 'Slate'. I WAS wondering - having a fair amount left over from a house rebuild... Anyone want any placemats - probably with railway designs thereon??