Willl

The roof pops off with very little force and you can then just pry off the glazing. I'd recommend using something wide to do this as I initially used tweezers which cracked the glazing (only the thin bit connecting the two windows fortunately)

Fortunately the glazing is just painted over - I've taken the bold step of guinea-pigging removing the paint and it comes off just fine leaving the glazing underneath (using, of all things, toothpaste and a cotton buds - my ruston will also be the most minty fresh of all) The side 'windows' (if they still count as windows when painted over) have actually got some nice lining on so I may leave them as is. My conscience is happy with the rear windows clear as I think the little 1/76th high drivers would find that sufficient. Will

Thanks James, You're probably right re the passing loop. I've always had a bit of a tendency to overcomplicate track plans and this layout was really intended to be an antidote to that. However, this moment of weakness is mainly because when using the layout for shunting (which I typically do due to the lack of turntables and the short fiddle yards) the trains have to enter from the right side, and I'd ideally also like to be able to run in from the left. Regardless I definitely won't be changing the track layout of Pattyndenne as is - I'm thinking more a future layout with a similar setup to Old Parrock, with a small loop and one siding rather than two sidings. I do think the basic track plan is the greatest strength of the Peasmarsh Road plan (and my layout) as it gives lots of scenic space for such a small layout, which really makes it feel bigger than it is. One of my main qualms with smaller layouts is they often have very complex track plans, which wouldn't really work for me as the scenics is my favourite bit of building a layout. I actually originally tried that lighting setup (with 2 strips of RGB LEDs on the inside of the pelmet), based on your YouTube video on lighting for micro layours. I ended up bodging together the current setup just because the layout was too dark and I was in a rush to get the lighting sorted before leaving home for a while. It may be that one strip of the new warm white LEDs would be sufficient. I'm going to play around some more with the enclosure as I'm just generally not happy with it, plus the foamboard is in a pretty poor state after being painted. It didn't take the emulsion paint well so when I get time I'll make a new pelmet out of thin MDF or ply. Thanks, Will

Thank you all! The response to this thread has been really encouraging and it definitely helps with the motivation. A few more bits and bobs. Unfortunately the paint made the lid/lighting rig warp quite severely. A night with some heavy weights has gotten rid of the worst of it but it's still got a bit of a dip in the middle. I might remake it with thin ply, but it'll do for now. One job on the list is to add something to diffuse the light from the LEDs as it's a bit harsh. I also need to add another strip of the warm white LEDs to the front facia piece. I've also weathered some more wagons, and dulled down the Austin seven and sentinel steam lorry. I somehow didn't notice the lorry is LMS liveried lesser modellers would cave in and re-badge it, but I happen to know thos was a particularly sporty lorry, and was thus pushed over 88mph, transporting it back in time the Goudhurst Road, just past Kilndown, around 1915. I've added some more sea foam trees at the left hand end to hide the fiddle hard exit. They slightly get in the way of the point levers so I'll have to move these. I've added some fence posts for the post and wire fences but the wire is yet to come. I'm also planning on putting a big oak tree overhanging the farm track. This will hide the right hand fiddle hard and also add something more imposing to the right end of the layout - I'm not expert on composition but the lack of height variation at this end of the layout makes it feel slightly lacking. The oak tree will be attached with copious amounts of hot glue. Hopefully this will also allow me to raise it slightly so the branches don't hit passing time-travelling lorries. The layout is definitely in the final stages now. It still needs the signals wired up (and potentially repositioned as I've no idea if they're in the right places) and some more scenic bits and bobs. Nevertheless, the lack of big jobs has me thinking of what to do next. I am now the proud custodians of some Bachmann quarry hunslets, but no 009 stock or layout, so this seems like the obvious next step. In the longer term, I quite fancy extending Pattyndenne to provide a longer run. Alternatively, I may make a completrly new SECR layout - the lack. Of a passing loop on Pattyndenne is a real limitation in operational terms, so who knows - maybe a Pattyndenne 2 is coming. Only time will tell!

Thanks Jamie! The crossing flag/rope is actually borrowed from a real photo of the Hawkhurst branch (I think it was from Churn Lane crossing, where the gates had recently been hit and destroyed) - I thought it would be a bit different, plus I was keen not to have the halt turn into a full on station - given I was originally planning on just making some sidings without any facilities at all even the current platform & bench is positively urban! I made even more progress on the layout on Sunday - I think I tend to go into a bit of a modelling frenzy once I start! It's definitely not quite complete yet (I still want to put more trees in to disguise the fiddle yard exits & add some kind of hedgerow or fence to the big field at the front) but it does feel like in the space of 3 days it went from nowhere near done to being pretty much there. The main job of the day was to create a lid/lighting rig. I made this from foamboard. I picked up some limited foamboard crafting skills from a past interest in RC planes, and I realised half way through that by cutting a 5mm slot out of the foam but leaving the paper on one side, the foamboard can be folded into right angles. This gives nice clean edges, although I didn't do this at the back so its best not to inspect the enclosure too closely. One big issue with the foamboard is its complete lack of water resistance - even a drop of rain will make the paper bubble up, although as long as it doesn't get too wet it will smooth out when dry. However, this did mean that the lid drooped slightly in the middle when painted. It's not too noticeable but I may make a new version with the brown water-proof foamboard in future. Initially I used some left over RGB LEDs, which were attached to the inside of the front face of the arch. These were an absolute load of rubbish; they were extremely dim, and the white colour had a nasty green tint. The purple is rather fetching though. One benefit of the RGB lights though is that the light blue and orange colours can be used to simulate evening and dusk. I've now fitted some Wickes warm white LEDs which will do the trick for normal daylight conditions, but I like the idea of changing the time of day when the layout is run at exhibitions. Given I already have an Arduino for running JMRI, it shouldn't be too hard to rig up something to gradually shift the colour of the RGB lights, although this may be more of a challenge for the warm white ones as they're mains powered so would need rewiring. I also added some more sea foam trees at the far right of the layout. I like how the lane disappears between the trees now. Last but not least, I painted all the visible parts of the baseboards a dark grey. I'm really pleased with how its looking now. It's much more tidy and really compliments the scenics. I set out with this layout just to try some new techniques and products but seem to have ended up making something much more presentable than I really expected. My main layout barely gets a look in now!

The lord of the manor seems to have slipped and bought another one! Now how will he afford to mow the bowling green… A chance visit to the local shop seems to have ended with me going home with ‘Nesta’ - I was originally out for a open cab quarry hunslet so this came a week too late, but I think two will work nicely either way! I took advantage of the nice weather this morning to get some photos of the recent works in better light. Really pleased with how things are progressing - there’s still a fair bit of scenic and detailing work to be done, but I think the time to 1) build the lid/lighting rig and 2) figure out how the whole exhibition booking thing actually works - it may sound stupid but I actually have no idea how people go about advertising their layouts. the D class must be travelling down to hawkhurst to collect a hop pickers special. Doesn’t explain where the crew went though… a few more little jobs to report as well. I’ve added some more hops in to make it all feel a bit less sparse, and also trimmed the tops of those hops that had magically grown way beyond their rigging. I’ve also added some more overgrowth to the farmyard and sidings (some of which can be seen in the morning’s photos).

thank you! I’ve mainly just gone at it with cotton buds and isopropyl alcohol for a while until it develops a bit of a shine. The birdcage coaches were already fairly glossy so didn’t need too much work but the E4 Took a bit longer as it was more of a satin finish. Even then it only takes about a minute or two T cut would probably make this quicker.

It is! Unfortunately due to my butter fingers it will be Pattydenne until some new station signs arrive and these ones can be removed.

I’m also trying to decide whether the halt should have a shelter. I bought the scenecraft field shelter for the purpose but it was bigger than expected. The old ratio halt shelter has may also work, although my current preference is not to have any real amenities, leaving the passengers with little comfort other than the posters depicting all the more exotic places they could be! In other news, an unusual wagon load has appeared in the yard of my main layout. It’s destination is unclear but it will certainly warrant further attention. Hopefully this doesn’t get too expensive!

After a couple of weeks away I’m back with the layout this weekend so should be a bit more progress coming. In the meantime, I’ve been working on weathering some stock and painting up some detail pieces. first up I weathered the E4. I had an initial ‘oh god moment’ where my usual technique of varnishing, weathering with the airbrush and then removing the excess with airbrush thinner resulted in white staining all over the model. However, whilst rubbing this off I realised I could get a much more convincing polished effect by just buffing the paint and not bothering with the varnish. This gives a really nice deep shine which doesn’t come across on camera but is much more consistent than the clear coat I’ve used previously. I also weathered up my Rapido SECR brake van and fitted the modelu crew and lamps. This really brings it to life although the guard is so tall his head is normally hidden (and in contrast to one of the other figures I got which almost seems like it’s TT gauge - I suppose one of the interesting things about the modelu figures is they have varying heights depending on who is being scanned. I’d never noticed before how most model figures are a uniform height). The final weathering job was my olive green birdcage composite. I used the same polishing technique on this and it worked really well. I generally go for a polished look but with dirt in the recesses, as this is how I imagine stock being in the pre-grouping / early grouping period. work this weekend has focussed on adding little details and creating a more overgrown look to the farmyard and embankments. I’m really pleased with how this is coming together. The whole layout feels much less ‘bowling green’ and more Wealden. I also added some sea foam trees behind the oast which helps hide the nasty corner in the backscene. I the halt has gained some details as well. Amazingly I managed to paint the running in boards and didn’t notice the typo until I was asked what patty denne was. Won’t be making that mistake again! the notice board is the model railway scenes parish notice board with the too cut off. I thought I’d put some posters in it. There’s one LBSC poster and two SECR - as with most of the layout probably completely unprototypical but I liked the way the brighton one looked (not that you can see it properly when shrunk down). I’ve also added this little ballast trolley thing (technical term) which has been brutalised to give the impression that the planks have rotted away and the ballast fallen out.

Hi Rob, I ordered some plates from Narrow Planet / Light Railway Stores using their existing custom Peckett name plates. I went for 5.4mm long and 2.5mm high (rough measurements taken from my SECR grey Bachmann C class so again may be incorrect if the text should be raised on the type 1 plates). These look a reasonably close match to the SE&CR font to me (although the ampersand is a bit small) I've not seen a lot of photos of this livery but these ones of Nos 633 and (credit to the Mike Morant collection) may help. I'm guessing they're the type 1 plates you're talking about. Will

C Class number 689 pulls away from Pattyndenne Halt with a pickup goods.

Thank you! I'm no expert, but I believe it is the original (or earlier spelling of it) - the Pattenden sidings on the Hawkhurst branch (and the surrounding area) are named after Pattyndenne Manor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattyndenne_Manor), which is just south of the alignment of the railway. I originally chose the name as I was planning on putting a representation of the manor (or a generic Wealden manor) where the oast is. I didn't really plan any backstory for the layout, but i'm currently leaning towards it representing a halt on the site of Pattenden sidings - I vaguely remember reading something in Brian Hart's book about the Cranbrook & Paddock Wood railway company offering to build a halt at that spot to serve the Bedgebury estate, as its owner (Sir Beresford Hope) was one of the main promoters of the line. He declined and instead had the sidings built. I like this version of events as it seems quite plausible. Of course the topography / scenery is complete fiction but hopefully it feels Hawkhurst-y enough. Will

Thanks Rob! The weather was so nice this morning I decided to take Pattyndenne outside for a photoshoot/running session. The light really makes some interesting shadows, although it also shows up the corners of the backscene. Hopefully some carefully placed trees will lessen this effect but i'll definitely curve the backscene on future layouts. Now 579 is sound fitted i'll weather it and add a crew. I'm not sure I can bring myself to weather the Wainwright liveried stuff though - as much as I think it would look better if things were toned down a bit, it seems a shame to mess with them. I may do the H class and Terrier in time but C class 592 has too much sentimental value for me I think.

Some more progress from last weekend (and a bit from this weekend) First, I made a fence out of matchsticks and coffee stirrers. This is meant to represent the style of fences with two horizontal 'rungs' made of logs (with the ends narrowed) which slot into the vertical posts - if anyone knows what this style is called please let me know! It's quite common around the weald and also helps backdate the layout to the early grouping/pre-grouping era in my eyes. There's something beautifully rustic about this type of fence, and ill definitely be making more of it in due time. Then, I added some hedges around the layout. These are made of rubberised horsehair and noch leaves. I wanted the footpath at the front of the layout to be quite overgrown, almost like a tunnel through the undergrowth. This also frames the trains nicely in person, although the camera doesn't really do it justice due to the shallow depth of field. I also made a rudimentary platform for what will become Pattyndenne Halt. I actually really liked the ratio/wills halt, but 1) I didn't want to use such a common/generic structure and 2) I wanted to have a go at making a sleeper-built platform. This was made using balsa, coffee stirrers, and matchsticks. I made it slightly under-height, as I felt a full height platform would look a bit too imposing. I somehow managed to forget that platforms normally have sloped ends, so I have since used DAS clay (and a lot of it!) To build the ground up around one end of the platform, and give a bit more character to the yard area. Alongside all this, I have installed sound in the E4. I used a Zimo ms490 and sugarcube7 speaker, both from youchoos, along with a lais stay alive. I was very pleased to be able to fit it all in the boiler, as previous installs I've seen have either placed the speaker in the cab or lacked a stat alive. To be honest the sound profile isn't quite as good as my Youchoos P class, but a bit of tweaking of CVs should improve matters somewhat. Now, I must wait for the clay to dry. As I can only work on the layout every few weeks, I've got.plenty of time for dreaming up dangerous ideas. The latest one is the build a modular, exhibitable model of Cranbrook station. The main thing putting me off is the simple track plan, as I'm not sure how interesting it would be to operate. I have already build a model of goudhurst station, so this could be adapted for the purpose. Probably best to finish the current layouts first though!

The contact link (rapidorailex.co.uk) doesn't seem to work - not sure if this is meant to be an email address?

Thank you both! Plenty more progress to report. First of all, the backscene has had some more attention. I originally bought an ID backscenes photo backscene, but after seeing Old Parrock at the Canterbury MRC show (alongside other layouts with photo backscenes), I was struck by how much more effective some simple painted hills were for this kind of cameo thingy. I felt the photo backscenes, by virtue of being much more detailed, draw the eye away from the scene. Also, I like how the painted treelines/hills give a sense of place, whilst also leaving plenty to the imagination. Yet again copying from Old Parrock, I did an initial dark green treeline, and then some sort of bluey sections, to depict more distant lands. This is a super simple but amazingly effective trick as it give a sense of trees going off into the horizon (if i may say so myself!) The tops of each treeline were then highlighted using some slightly lighter shades (a yellowy green for the 'front' treeline and an almost sky blue for the distant ones). I tried to keep this to one side of each 'tree' (or rather blob of paint) to give the impression of sunlight hitting the canopy. Whether it worked or not is debatable, especially given i got overexcited and just painted the whole treeline in some areas. The other two jobs for the day were to 1) build up the ground around the trees and 2) add scenics to the hop garden. 1) was done with DAS clay, just smeared around the roots to bed the trees in a bit better. My early armatures all had roots as this makes them easier to bend without unravelling. However, I've started chopping them off or avoiding making roots altogether as it limits the trees height and makes them harder the blend in. 2) was the more fun job. First, I put flock and static grass around the base of the hop poles. This was harder than expected as I had to hold the static grass applicator so far from the ground that the grass wasn't properly standing up, so I had to carefully use the hoover to get the grass to look a bit less flat. Some coarse turf was also used to add to the dishevelled look. I left the ground between the rows of hops as bare dirt in some spots. This probably isnt accurate, and certainly the hops down the road from me don't have this, but I had nicely textured the DAS clay so I just thought i'd show some of it off! The hops are just Tasma scenics ones. I didn't have quite enough so they're not quite as densely packed as i'd like - i'll be buying another set soon. Some of the hops are a bit too tall (I assume they stop growing or are cut back once they reach the top of the wire) so they'll need some hairdressing. I also popped to the Tonbridge show this morning, and bought a rapido not-quite-mink. It's shown here alongside my other new arrival - E4 579. This runs much better than my other E4, and will be sound fitted and weathered in time. More tomorrow!

My search for decent lighting for a photo of the 4 wheelers continues - here I can be seen desperately holding one next to the window in a vain effort to get some rays. The 4 wheelers are all done now (except, annoyingly, for the grease / oil marks on the buffers of this one. I forgot to add the little splodge of black paint and glue to the buffer heads, and as most of my paints are at my house (and the layout / rolling stock is stored elsewhere) it'll have to make the long trip back with me just for that to be added) Some more trees have been glued in place, and i've begun painting the backscene - more on that later. I've also been doing some remidial work on the O1 - it was a really shocking runner to begin with, and a new motor has improved that slightly (but not much). Its flanges are too deep to be able to run on the code 75 bullhead track anyway, so it's more of a poser than a runner. Something I've been wondering is what the correct position for the coal staithes would be (if I include them. I've already written off the coal merchant's hut as it is too big). Should they be adjacent to the track, for ease of unloading, or next to the farm track so the coal can be easily loaded into the customers' lorry/cart?

Apologies if this has already been asked but does anyone know if there are more R7377 power banks on the way? Some of the shops i've look at show them as discontinued which would surprise me.

My most recent project has involved weathering some Hornby 4 wheelers. These are the IWC liveried ones from the Isle of Wight Terrier set. I like the livery but out of the box they have a really cheap toy-line finish. It took some courage to take the plunge and weather the first coach as the set wasn't cheap. Ultimately i hope to weather and sound fit the terrier as well, but I seem to have accidentally bought another Bachmann E4 (579 - i owned this until a few years ago but then sold it in a moment of lunacy) which will be sound fitted first. The Process i followed varied slightly between the three coaches as I experimented with different techniques. However, the basic process was as follows: Apply a coat of Galleria Matt varnish to tone down the glossy plastic Apply a wash of diluted Lifecolor Weathered Black Weather the underframe and roof with Lifecolor frame dirt. For the roof, I wiped most of the paint off to simulate the effect of rain. I probably ought to add some black soot staining along the centre of the roofs too but when i tried this on the first one my airbrush went rogue and splattered the paint all over the nice white roof, so I was put off! Apply Humbrol gloss varnish to the centre of the panels with a cotton bud. I did this to mimic the effect of the coach having been wiped down, but not thoroughly enough to remove the dirt from the crevices or edges of the panels. The below image shows a comparison between the original and weathered finish. This was the first coach I weathered and it was a big grubbier than I was aiming for. On the non-brake coach (the last one I did) I also applied a Citadel Reykland flesh shade wash (prior to step 4) to give some more depth to the colour, and then wiped it off the centres of the panels with some thinners. This had to be followed with another matt coat. The pictures don't really do the coaches justice, as my room is very gloomy and the single dim lightbulb and lamp evoke a sense of working by candlelight!

After another burst of progress on Sunday, the layout is looking significantly more finished. Firstly, the ground in the farmyard and around the hop garden was painted and dry brushed. Then, an initial coat of woodland scenics 2mm static grass of mixed colours Followed by some mid green grass from Squires (not sure of the exact brand name) Note the cling film 'hair net' for the point levers - these Cobalt S levers are rare as hens teeth - can't be filling them with rubbish! I have also been working on some trees. These are made of wire armatures covered in brown floor sealant / caulk. This has a number of benefits: 1) it is already brown so the trees don't need such thorough painting 2) it is flexible so the arms can be bent without the filler coming off 3) it can be brushed on easily and dries in an hour or two. These were then sprayed with Humbrol 27. Two of the trees use poly fibre for the bulk of the foliage. This is what i've always used in the past. However, I also had a huge roll of wool so i tried this on one tree. It definitely requires more work as you have to remove any tufts or balls of wool, and it also doesn't hold its shape as well as the poly fibre. It also has to be painted - I used brown so it took much more turf to give a good end result than the green poly fibre would. However, i think the wool would be a good option for bushes, where the structure within is less visible than with a tree. This is also the first time i've used turf as the foliage. Previously i've used scatter or gaugemaster leaves. I think the turf looks much better and gives a more bushy, tree-like result. I've yet to get hairspray so the trees have been dropping turf at quite a rate. The final bit of progress was to add some backscenes. These were hurriedly put on to protect the trees and hop garden should the layout bash into anything, as it is intended to be portable. They're just made of hardboard and painted with some old sky blue emulsion, and then dry brushed with white paint at the top to give a cloud effect. Ultimately i'd like to get some coving to smooth out the corners but that'll have to wait until I find something suitable. The backscene is just held on with M6 bolts and joined in the corners with some wooden L-section. I wanted it to be removable so I can work on the layout more easily, and i'll also be painting some rolling hills to give a bit more of a sense of place - I thought i'd rather do this with the backscene off the layout. The backscene is currently taller than I think it needs to be. Although i'll be adding a pelmet (and likely a roof/lid) which will slightly restrict the viewing window, i'm planning on cutting 5-10cm off the top so the layout can be stored under my bed. Plenty more to do!

At the very least I might have some stilts abandoned somewhere in the farmyard or around the hops, but that does sound like a good challenge. the hope garden is coming together nicely. It’s a slightly simplified version of the rigging, but it’s much better than the Faller hops on my main layout. It’s also surprisingly sturdy with everything rigged together, with Hornby track pins anchoring it all to the ground and some thread tying it all together. The only potential weakness is the lone pole at the back - the triangular shape of the hop garden means this pole is only connected to the others in one axis. im planning on using tasma scenics hops. These also look better than the faller ones. ive also added some clay to build up the ground around the oast house and barn, and also add some texture. I’ve also made some crossing ‘gates’. This is inspired by an image of Churn Lane crossing on the hawkhurst branch, where the gates have been replaced with a rope and a flag following a loco running straight through them! Brian hart’s book describes a number of similar incidents on the branch, so the gates can’t have had very long lifespans in any case. The flag is just some red painted masking tape. It needs a bit of weathering and the whole thing needs a black wash. More progress tomorrow!