scanman

Hi Andy & Mikkel - Thanks for the compliments chaps.! I've actually got a '56xx' (couldn't INITIALLY) find a '57xx')ready to go - trouble is it's a bit big for the 'Challenge', but it will doubtless appear on the 'home'operating sessions. Be nice to see it trundling through on a short(-ish) coal train from further up the valley! The '57xx' was recently purchased second- hand -and because of that is well run-in and a great little runner. Shame about the livery!

About 65 hours working time now. The major development has been above the 'Canal Bridge' where another 'Metcalfe Model' (much chopped) provides a background. On the opposite side of the cobbled street is the 'Union' pub (the only 'scratchbuilt' structure on the layout) and a relic of an earlier unfinished brewery layout.. Further development has seen the skeleton of the earthworks added using 12mm high-density foam (off-cuts from other modelling projects). These will be covered with the usual card strips/plaster-soaked bandage in the very near future! I'm at the 'Basingstoke Show' over the weekend hindering Nigel Lawton on 'Llangerisech' 2mm layout - and well worth a look it is too... So drop by & say 'Hello'! Regards Ian

Well, 33 hours modelling time and most of the last 12 hours or so has been spent on the architecture.... High above the sidings, the community of 'Tryfan Terrace' is taking shape. Okay, they're commercially available cardstock kits - but scratchbuilding this lot in 12 hours or so would have been a feat worth doing! It's tempting to say 'well it's only a shunting challenge' but I DO like doing scenic work and the proposed steep, grass-covered embankment should show the action off nicely.. Meanwhile, down in the sidings a 5700 awaits its first duty. Still in BR black, but soon to sport 'proper' pannier colour! (and lose the b... awful hook!) BFN Ian

Okay, 13 working hours in to the project.... First, I hit a snag - namely code 75 track & code 100 pointwork.. B...ER! However I was off to Alton Model Centre on Friday anyway, so resolved the issue by buying a new Code 75 'three-way' point (it was only later I realised it would have been cheaper to replace the plain track... Ho Hum!). So, on to construction. all the goods rolling stock will be built from kits. They'll all be pretty much 'out of the box', except the buffer-beams will be modded to take '3-link' couplings. I'm a sucker for punishment, but the operation allows a certain amount of 'thinking time' - and in anycase I love 'mucking about with trucks'! Where neccessary I'll also swap plastic buffing gear for brass/whitemetal. So - wagon 1 Bog-standard 'Parkside Dundas' (PD) 7-pl PO wagon. Will eventually be liveried to run on the 'Ambridge Layout' (yes it WILL happen one day!). About an hour's work. Wagon 2 'Cooper Craft' GWR 'O5' (well, 'Gods Wonderful' has to have a presence- but there's more to follow....) Wagon 3 Another 'PD' - this time a 5-plank PO So after those first three, a scenic break... I KNOW Shunting puzzles are traditionally 'one-board' jobs - but I'm also a traditionalist & like to see a train enter & leave the scene.. I knew I wouldn't have time to scratchbuild the buildings etc so whilst at Alton I bought some 'Metcalfe Models', the first of which is an overbridge - Interestingly, there are TWO kits in the pack - which started another 'train' of thought... More later... About 30 minutes work and I could check the effect. Its quite a TALL bridge... So on with the wagons, and No.4 is a PD 'LNER 'VacFit' Another scenic break and a slight digression... A few days ago, when doing something else I was introduced to an acrylic material called 'wadding'. I bought some from a local 'craft' shop and then started the playing process. Trial 1 - Glued to the board using latex adhesive, when dry, colour with artists acrylics using a 'dry brushing technique Trial 2 As trial (1) but a different colour! Trial 3 Lightbulb moment (It's now about 10 hours into the project and VERY late at night...) PAINT THE BASE BOARD FIRST... I went to bed... Full -scale trial. Front edge of the board, base painted, wadding applied. Just waiting for it to dry before peeling some of it off (Its about 5mm thick) then painting as above. So on with wagon 5 - Slaters LMS van. Bog standard. Another hours work. So then more scenics. Remember that 2nd bridge?? Well, I chopped it down a bit... About six scale feet to be precise. Much better, and This is it roughly in position. Now a story-line starts to appear. THIS bridge is a CANAL bridge. The canal served a small basin, but has suffered the fate of many, in that it has been filled in to become a small sidings area. The canal bed has now become the track bed! When I'm 'playing on my own, I now have the ability to run trains in either direction. I'm also now thinking about the operation of the 'shunting challenge'. I'll just create a series of 'business cards', with images of the individual vans on. These can be shuffled to provide a 'train order' for the shunting the outbound train... More later! Regards Ian

About three months ago, the secretary of the Railway Enthusiasts Club Farnborough announced that he was organising a 'Shunting puzzle' layout competition to coincide with the Club AGM. At the time I didn't consider entering - too much to do with the commissions etc.However, this afternoon in a vain attempt to tidy up the studio I came across some 16.5mm track which I'd always intended for a 'quickie' layout. I also had two 4' x 2' baseboards... So 'Tryfan Sidings' was born. The main issue is timespan. The AGM is in 10 days time! So on with the build - Elapsed time, 00.00.00. - making a quick estimate re siding lengths. We're using the 'puzzle' rules - entrance track - loco + 5, siding 1 5 wagons, sidings 2 & 3, 3 wagons each. Elapsed time 00.20.00 - trackplanning complete... Elapsed time 01.00.00 - The plan above is now pinned down and electrically 'live'. I just need now to make a trip to 'Alton Models' for some stop-blocks etc. This layout is DEFINITELY being run on a shoestring! In the meantime - sort out the wagons that are going to be needed. I've already got loads of assembled (well sort-of) but they're all 'EM' wheeled and I don't want to disturb them. Yep. I'm going to build all the rollingstock - and its going to be scenicked' as well.. Oh yes. Why 'Tryfan Sidings'?? well. first look at the shape - and of course the idea is that people 'TRY' the puzzle! (and, of course Tryfan is a mountain in Wales on the Northwestern extremities of GWR territory)! So onwards then! Regards Ian

The bridge went in today & glad to say the customer is very pleased with it (Stops playing trumpet...!) Two views below - it'll look even better when the buttress to the right is finished, the lane is metalled and a farm cart will make it's way under the bridge! (It's 1860's - and there are NO cars.. The second view will (I hope) be enhanced by a backscene that includes a representation of the LSWR station.. More work for 'Paintshop Pro'! Tomorrow I hope to do some of my OWN modelling - been nearly a year... BFN Ian

Midhurst LBSCR was the first station in the town - but not for long. The LSWR soon followed suit and it made sense to link the two traffic-wise. So a short connecting spur was laid between the two, passing over a local lane on a plate girder bridge. This forms one end of the layout under construction so effectively becomes a headshunt. The commission required a bit of 'recycling' as the client had in hand an old 'Airfix' turntable which could provide the sides. A quick plan as drawn up, the required sides assembled then shortened to fit the site. It's a very short bridge but did require some intermediate supporting steels.. Further support was added to support the sleepering - Then it was off to the paintshop for a quick spray with matt black, a dust-over with ground oil pastels, and a fixing spray with Testors 'Dullcote' - The lane has quite a fall on it,and the sides were battered with 'engineers brick' - so thats th next elemnt! A good days work?

Nice work Job - my edition of Chris's book is VERY well thumbed!

Hi Mikkel - The bridge actually survived intact in that location until the mid-90's - when as part of a canal-widening programme it was removed and unceremoniously dumped in a nearby field.. The replacement bridge looks so similar it does catch out the unwary tourist! Fortunately the original was salvaged for posterity and now forms the centre-piece of a museum nearby. So far as working on 'Midhurst' goes, the client has now become much more a friend. I obviously still have to make a living, but he does get the advantage of 'mates rates'! Take care, Ian

As many of you are aware, about two years ago I formed my own company - 'Perfection In Miniature', offering a model-making service covering most fields. Since then business has grown (hooray!) but personal modelling has virtually ceased (Boo!) - the joys of turning a hobby into a business! Activities have included making a model of a set for an upcoming film (just a little diorama - a mere 3m x 2m when assembled). Its a War movie - hence it's got lots of miniature soldiers etc - must find a more suitable blog! However railway interest have been to the fore assisting a modeller who has - in his eyes - become incapable of modelling to his own high standards. Hence we have been working together on a model of the first LBSC station at Midhurst (now completely demolished and disappeared!) This is the state of progress after about 8 months (faster now that I have retired from my 'day-job'). Basic trackwork is complete, with most points operating on the 'wire in tube' method. As 'homework' I've also modified a commercially-made model of the main station building (mainly the windows)and built other scenic items ready for installation when the track is wired-up, checked, painted & ballasted!. Not too long then! Anyone interested in the other activities is welcome to check out the facebook page at 'Perfectioninminiature'. Who knows, the next update might actually be about some personal modelling! Regards Ian

Hi Gerry - we had one in the nick too. Drive in, twist the sterring-wheel and the car spun itself to (approximately) face the exit. Unless there was a 'Cavalier' in the way... My client already has the canopy supports, and the valancing too from the same source. Just got to make it now!

Hi Gerry Midhurst - the ORIGINAL station - gone by 1865 (?)

The client was in the process of commisioning this product from another company when we became aquainted. A few weeks ago, the model arrived and I was asked if I could 'breathe' on it.. Jobs to do... 1. re-affix the centre chimney which the client had removed in error. provide 'flash round all the chimneys. 2. Add guttering and down-pipes to both extensions and the rear of the building(?) (the platform side will be dealt-with by a gulley between the building and the (still to be started) canopy (another story! 3. Replace those windows! (to regular exhibition-goers, the source of the building might be apparent from the glazing supplied...) I think sash windows will look LOTS better! With the windows already 'drawn-up' - about a days work...

So much for starting on the station building... A quick trip to my 'local' modelshop ('Alton Models' about 10 miles away) provided me with some 'Knightwing' parts so the centre bearing cover (with some judicious use of a razor saw) was made from these - At the same time the 'locking latch' was added to the table - and I'm sure you can recognise the origin! The locking pin itself will be on the 'walkway' - made from my favourite material, 'Depron'. In this case the 2mm thick grade. Scribed for a 'stone' surround then cut out with an 'Olfa' cutter and suitably painted... The locking pin referred-to above will be put in place once the entire unit is 'bedded-in' on the trackbed. Now, while the paint dries, on with the station building. BTW - has anyone else got a problem with the blog editor regarding automatically starting a new line?? Fed up already having to hit the 'return' key every few caracters!

For the past few months I've been assisting another modeller with elements of his 'dream layout'. There has been an element of commercialism in this - as a (fairly) professional modeller, the time I spend away from my own projects has to support those projects. That said, it's been a real pleasure in that the layout concerned (based on the LBSC in the mid-late 1800's is totally beyond my field of knowledge! To date my contact has been with the architectural , loco and wagon elements - but the last two are well-served by others. Also I have an advantage in that I live within reasonable distance of the layout's home so over the last few weeks have been involved in the track-building, one element of which is the requirement for three (non-working) wagon turntables. Whilst the tables themselves are fixed, locos still need to pass over them so electrically the main road must be 'live'. I've seen requests elsewhere on 'RMWeb' on how to build these - so here's my solution! No claims for originality - just my view of the world! 1. Take one strip of 80 thou black plastikard, wide enough to take the table and preferably long enough for the number required. Scribe 'centre lines' for both running roads. Where they intersect is obviously the centre of the turntable. 2. Lay your 'running road' on it's centreline. Allow plenty of 'overhang' 3. add the outer crossing rail sections. 4. Allowance has to be made for relevant flangeways crossing the main running rails so using a slitting saw (I use a 'Dremel') CAREFULLY cut down to the lower web. Remember, current need to pass through! 5. Add the crossing-rails (fortunately the client & I both work in 'EM' so I was able to use 'C&L' products - but rail soldered to 'copperclad' would work). Note that whilst practically a flangeway is required, it must also be electrically inert. 6. At this stage I cut the rail-breaks at the ends of the table - again ensuring that the cut only goes as deep as the bottom web. 7. As the next major job is to add the decking, most of the rail works will disappear - so at this point I get the 'rust'out and paint those rail-breaks. 8. More of the 80 thou plastikard was used to represent the decking, in this case scribed for 9" wide planking. There is little information on the operation of the prototype at this early stage of of it's life, so the builder & I assume the shunting work would be carried out by horse (The only other option being manual - there's no evidence of capstans). There is also no evidence of a 'company' stable on the trackplan, so I would suggest the possibility the LBSC contacted one of the coal merchants to do what movements were required - and horses like a firm footing! I could be wrong! I digress... Attaching the scribed plastikard to the table relied on contact with a few sleepers. I considered this insufficient so labouriously infilled the sleepers with other bits of sleeper strip. 9. The decking was then cut to width, and individual sections formed (and where necessary), shaped. 10. The basic turntable is now complete. Certain items need to be represented - the cover-plate in the centre protecting and giving access to the rotating bearings present on the prototype - and the locking mechanism to prevent the table moving involuntarily. There were many varieties of these fittings, and I need to find the right ones! Next job will be 'modifying' a commercial model of the station building, including scratch-building the canopy... TTFN Ian

The sewage pumping station (to give it its correct title!) is based on a prototype only about 2 miles from where I live. Tucked away in a an area of open land, it is a beautiful example of how Victorian public buildings - even the most basic utilities - were built with a high degree of quality. Constructed of ? 'London Stocks' with redbrick and sandstone detailing, the building (now owned by the local authority) appears to have been recently cleaned and one of the outstanding features is the creamy coloured brickwork and the amount of detail in it... First step after survey was to create a set of drawings, which then be reproduced to any required scale.- Again I've used 'Southeast Finecast' embossed brickwork, in 'English Bond'. I carried out some experiments using 'Vallejo' paints & washes to achieve the desired 'creamy' effect. First stage was to wash the brickwork over with 'Vallejo' 'Dark Grey' wash, followed by a wash of their 'Sepia'. I then experimented with several top colours, finally settling on 'Off White' as this best reflected the brickwork, applied with a 1/2" flat brush, using 'dry brush' techniques. Wasteful in paint possibly, but the effect is worth it - The drawings were then printed on adhesive paper to act as a template - - Which when cut out were fixed to 30 thou plasticard as backing - The window & doors were then removed. - This shot shows the level of architectural detail embodied in a simple wall-opening - and will require multiple layering of plasticard to replicate the effect - Having cut out the window apertures, the next job was to replicate the window arches, reducing the aperture over three layers to match the original - The upper wall section in the window panel was next - two layers of 20 thou, covered with a layer of the painted embossed brickwork. Next job - the reveals. Again, these were made from 3 layers - this time all embossed as the reveals are 'stepped' showing the brickwork. However, the central and outer columns which they butt against will again be 2 layers of 20 thou plain with a top layer of embossed. Am I tight?? Too right!- Both reveals are now in place, and there's is only a little more detail to add tonight - including the window cill. Job done for tonight I think. So this is a breakdown of the basic techniques used. I'll be back later with another installment!

The 'Tanners Arms' is now open for business... Less the pub sign which I'm still mulling over! Keen eyes will notice modifications to the dormer windows. The 'local authority' objected to the (miniscule) size of the rooms... However, given its noisy, smelly location it's unlikely the landlord will be killed in the rush for occupants! (for Mikkel - NOW you can see the bricked-up window!). However, the billiards hall on the first floor will doubtless prove popular with the local workers 'after hours'. The young professional, Joe Davis will hope to make a small living off demonstration matches and teaching... Meanwhile, two herders maintain the ancient tradition of driving geese to London. The geese are entering a lairage area already occupied (temporarily) by a few 'Southdown' sheep, also driven up the (rapidly disappearing) drove-ways, and who regard the newcomers with a certain suspicion!. Meanwhile the two drovers are looking forward to enclosing their charges before sinking a pint (or three) i the 'Tanners'. Who knows, they might even take a bed for the night before heading back to the farm!. Right - 'Poo Palace' next!

Whilst it's been a while, progress has been made, although somewhat slower than I'd like! A spur to progress was a memo from the EMGS that the choice of finalists (to be judged at ExpoEM North in September) would depend on a progress report submitted at ExpoEM South (tomorrow & Sunday) where the 26 initial entries would be reduced to four. So, onward! Having sorted out rail & road access, time for the pedestrians to have somewhere safe to walk. 2mm Depron to the rescue again, suitably scribed for paving and cobbles where yard access was necessary. The paved areas were then covered with a dilute beige-brown colour :- Some slabs were then picked out using watery greys and darker beiges... Next job was the 'Tanners Arms'. 30 thou plasticard was cut out using templates pre-printed on adhesive paper. The carcase was then covered with 'SE Finecast' 'English bond' built up in various layers :- The carcase was then painted to represent 'London Stock' bricks in a grey-brown weathered state (this is NOT the 'clean air act' era!) and windows and doors of various types were added using my favoured methods. The details round the entrance door were also designed & printed on self-adhesive paper... Eagle-eyed visitors will note that one first-floor window is bricked-up. Superstitious (gullible??) clients insist it is the room occupied by the (pregnant) daughter of one of the former owners - bricked in to hide the family shame (some say you can still hear her wails for help...) More prosaically it is a window infilled to avoid the Georgian 'Window Tax' (which paid for HMS 'Victory & her sisters). The publican does nothing to dispell this myth - as the room makes a very handy store for various spirits (of the alcaholic kind) and the daily takings! The landlord has also tried to extend the attractions of his establishment. 'Rooms For Rent' are now available in the 'loft conversion' (no planning laws or building regs in the early 20th century!) and the first floor houses a 'Billiards Hall' (Adverts for these facilities will adorn the corners as billboards):- A young Joe Davis is the resident 'professional'... Mock-ups now show the position of the tannery and the sewage works at the front. Again, the eagle-eyed will notice a new spur off the wagon turntable which will provide access to the works' coal dock. If anyone's attending ExpoEM, I'm one of the stewarding gang - and I THINK the only one with a beard! Say 'Hello'! BFN Ian

Great article Mikkel - but without being a 'killjoy' have you seen the 'Coopercraft' kit for the 1-plank wagon? Comes complete & doesn't need a mallet! Regards Ian

Ahhh Mikkel - make them your willing accomplices -give them some Euros & send them on a 'fact-finding mission'!

hanks Mikkel - the paved areas are made from one layer - which then sits on the cobbled base layer. If you're walking past a 'KFC' or 'MacDonalds', have a look for discarded boxes (there are probably plenty lying about!) & give it a try. I find it has two surfaces - the 'finer-grained' surface is the easiest to scribe. Should have mentioned that above :-( Hi - I've used 2mm for both layers. I tend to use thicker sheets for structuaral elements. Hi John I used the 'impression' method described above, then, for the track inset, 'easing' where required. It will probably need a little more attention when fimnally fixed in place, but thats the beauty of the product - its so easy!

I always envisaged that 'Tannery Lane' would be cobbled, with inset 'tramway-type' track. But how to do the cobbling? I gave some thought to commercially-available products - but he cobbling has to conform to both street and track formations, so a 'tailormade' inlay was the only real solution, and accept that it would be time-consuming. I decided at the outset that the base would be my 'new best friend' - 'Depron Foam'. This is very similar to the high-density closed-cell urethane foam used for insulation. Only in much thinner sections! You often see it in use as 'fast food' boxes, but it is commercially available in large (36"x18") sheets. The thicknesses I use range from 2mm to 6mm depending on the project. Why 'Depron'? well, it takes and holds a scribed surface. The embossing tool can be anything from a stylus to a biro pen. Personally I use a 0.5mm '3H' drop-lead pencil.. The other advantage (in this context) is that, cut to rough shape, inverted over previously-laid track and then pressed down along the rail-line, a perfect cutting template is formed... Cut to shape it is then a case of setting out the cobbling and scribing it ... A job best done over several nights! I decided to contain my patience and leave the painting until all the scribing was done. Whilst cobbles are not completely uniform in colour, I wanted the finish to be reasonably homogenous. Colouring was done with 'Vallejo' acrylic paints & washes. I immediately broke the 'dark to light' rule, starting off with the base colour, 'Luftwaffe Blue'. Paint was dry-brushed diagonally across the run of the cobbles trying not to fill the mortar courses - When dry, I then went to the lightest colour used, 'Vallejo's 'light grey wash'. This is in fact an ink, applied WITH the coursing using the flat tip of the brush almost like a knife-blade. I really only used it to 'kill' the glare of the still-visible foam - The third layer is the darkest - a 'black wash' from the same range, which I wanted to use to highlight the coursing. However a quick test on a piece of scrap confirmed my suspicions that, unadulterated the ink would overpower everything. Therefore water was brushed-on first, and the black lifted with the still-wet brush onto the still-wet surface where, in the main it did what I wanted it to! The major areas are now finished, but not yet laid in place. The trackwork still needs painting (a black layer adjacent to the inside of the running-rails to enforce the dark gap between track & cobbles) - The area around the 'Tanners Arms' with its cobbled rear yard & access. The Tannery area, with its own road access (which will lead directly into the building). Obviously the paving areas need to be resolved - and the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed the apertures in the gutters for the storm-drains. I also need to think about fire-hydrants etc - but they'll come later. TTFN Ian

Interesting shot of the bay platform. When I visited in 2012(?) the track was still in situ - complete with GW chairs!

At least they dont burst out through the far end of the shed! Nice concept tho'.

Cheers for the praise & the link Mikkel! must say it looks a lot 'nicer' than MY 'Tanners Arms' will aspire to! Funnily enough I have a tenuous (?) link to Brecon, having TABbed over most of the hills in the area during army training.. It rained. A lot!