Chris Nevard

If it's anything like that 2-8-2 it will be well worth the wait!

I'm happy to go a little bonkers like this for personal work or maybe a specific commission for something wild and wacky, but for magazine shoots I'd never go this far, that style photography is more about representing the owner's layout, than what fiction I could create with the virtual darkroom. I do use creative lighting (which is obviously done at the taking stage) to create effect though, with low specular light bringing out some wonderful texture (which works really well showcasing good track and hairy grass) and modelling often lost by simply flooding a layout with light from all angles. Photography is about light. Smoke effects are always optional (I do a set with and without) with such; curiously though, most layout owners want it! I let the editorial team and layout owners decide whether to use the smoke or non-smoke versions. When I shoot Kimble, I'm tempted to make the most of all the platform and building lights, and purely use my studio lighting at a low output level to replicate moonlight to give an effect similar to here, but in camera. I'll need to drop a background in to hide the shoot location walls and ceiling, but it will be a simple graduated blue which will not draw attention away from the modelling. I love photographing O gauge, especially with a subject as good as this. Here is moonlight created traditionally on the Crawley Model Railway Club's Groenen Creek with lighting - such and approach would suit Kimble http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/6399352397/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Thanks chaps! The layout is O gauge and its name mentioned in the blog post. I is about 40ft x20ft. It's still under construction so definitely worth keeping an eye on for further outings. Many of the engines have DCC sound, bells and whistles etc. I'll be photographing it properly next year under proper lighting for the popular press (without all the silly CGI because it will be about the layout, not what I can do with Photoshop). Here's the original shot without all the tomfoolery... http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/ And here's an evening version (which might be better?) http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/

nevard_111120_warely_IMG_1980_MOON_WEB, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr. Under a crisp full moon, 44560 passes Kimble North Signalbox with the late service. Captured at The Warley Show last weekend; the sodium light is unsuitable for serious photography, so rather than battle with the mixed sodium and daylight, a little Photoshoppery was used which primarily involved removing the ceiling of the NEC and replacing it with a Mediterranean sky. I also decided to de-saturate and colourize much of the image to replicate moonlight. Cheating? Well of course, and what fun it was too. Of course the other option would be to simply turn the photo into black and white, but I hope you'll agree this is a little more fun! Here's a bigger version http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/6396462497/sizes/o/in/photostream/ A different version http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/6396461731/sizes/o/in/photostream/ The shot straight out of the raw conversion http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/6398987609/sizes/o/in/photostream/

111119_polbrock_IMG_1960-web, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr. Mr & Mrs Penguin ponder on whether they should go in to The Pedant & Armchair public house next to the halt at Polbrock. Deep down in the mystical country of Kernow all sorts of strange creatures are know to exist, everything from druids and dragons through to the well known but elusive Beast of Bodmin Moor. The Pedant & Armchair public house was known to attract all sorts of strange creatures, many with thick unfashionable NHS glasses and rucksacks who were interested in trains, Star Trek and the inner workings of personal computers. Mr & Mrs Penguin where no exception having travelled all the way from the southern tip of Argentina to sample the delights of the Penguin Porter sold exclusively at this pub whilst enjoying a discussion about mother boards or the delights of travelling behind a Brush Type 4 in a British Rail Mk2F carriage. In reality this is Polbrock my latest tiny micro, it's not even in Cornwall but on my dining room table 25 miles south of the smoke. My wife collects miniature penguins, with this duo being rather interesting; the left hand one is Murano glass and is well under an inch high, the one to the right was carved from wood by an ex-prisoner of war somewhere around Stafford well over 60 years ago. I'll find out more because it's an interesting tale, with this probably being the only ever photograph taken of this delightful little chap who will almost certainly have outlived his creator. Whilst on the theme of WW2, you'll notice the pillbox that has appeared since the last update, it being the well known Wills kit that appears on every OO gauge club layout in the UK. I'm not sure such a structure would be so close to housing, but it fulfills the need to place something on on the far side of the line are part of the necessary scenic block. And anyway it's been kicking about in my kits-to-be-done box for 5 years so was well overdue. To please Daily Mail and metallic-support-stocking-beige Rover owners, this little scene has been shot against a sheet of pale blue card rather than having a backscene Photoshopped in. I'm possibly starting to favour the idea of a curved pale blue backscene maybe with a simple water colour over a home-grown photographic one - the jury is still out. Find out more about Polbrock here.

Mr CK, the stone is Slaters I think, problem is that I always stock up on 'plasticard' every time I go to a show and to be honest have lost track of what all the bits and pieces are in my crate. Mr Ozshrek, the punters during normal hours are a little odd, they all have multi-coloured biros, notebooks and very large index fingers from too much typing drivel on web forums about how they have no time for model making and how badly organized model railway shows are. They tend to be far more interested in limited release toy trains from Hong kong than the ale. Luckily, come closing time the locals creep in, the curtains close and the ales flow. Hush hush; the landlord should be more careful with the spent casks though, 5 bottles of 'Shandy Bass' leaves a far different footprint.

Mr B'rat - some of those there barrels are indeed the Blackrat Brewery, problem is that the pub is tied to Marriott, Dent & Foster, and the landlord should only be selling the in-house brews. The locals that crawl in most nights at 23.25 don't want those snobby beers brewed in Bath and would rather have a local ale from the country of Kernow. Hush hush

Mondeo is fine (proper bloke's car) - that 5'6" boot length with the back seat down perfect for layouts! Cement Quay and Catcott B were built around a Mondeo boot! Did your Rover 400 have a 'support stocking beige' interior? I always remember trips to northern France a decade or so ago was full of Brits, they could always be spotted in their British Racing Green or metallic red Rovers, and they always pulled out in front of you because they were short sighted. The French are road-loonies, but they don't pull out in front of oncoming traffic like Brits do. As much. Halfwit; Lots more to so yet detail wise - god ideas! Bcnpete; that view of the Helland Bridge Crossing is some of the inspiration, and look just how close that building (a B&B I gather) is (phew). I'd like to model something similar for the other side but don't really have the room, but whatever goes in there will hopefully produce a similar feel. Knocking about somewhere I have kits for pillbox and a concrete plate layer's hut which might do the job in this case. Looking at this I still need to work on the backscene file - it's still too 'photographic' so I'll put it through a filter like 'paint daubs' so soften it a little, I want people to look at the modelling rather than a backscene or maybe I should use a Peco one like the support stocking beige interior would brigade insist on?

111116_polbrock_IMG_1930_WEB, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr. The Armchair & Pedant is now in place to hide the right hand exit to the fiddle yard on Polbrock. Of course it still needs a proper sign, but my printer inks have dried up, so until I waste yet more time on cleaning the printer heads and taking out a mortgage to replace the inks it won't be happening for a bit unless I get a print done in the local Boots or Happysnappy next time I'm down in town. The sign on the right hand end of the building is a left over from Brewhouse Quay, and by the way it displays the imaginary 'Marriott Dent & Foster Brewery' I've cheated with the backdrop here, it is part of the 4 foot long image file created for the backscene which has yet to be printed, and it has been super imposed behind the layout to see how it looks. I'm sure this will probably upset some 3 day old Daily Mail reading Rover 400 (with 'support stocking grey interior of course') driving ex-pats living in Normandy, in that I should be messing about with a computer to appraise what the backscene will look like in advance of physically producing a hard copy, for you I have a special unadulterated photo here with just a sheet of pale blue/grey card behind the layout like you'd like to see in a finescale mag (sorry it's not in B&W).. What is probably a rather dangerous level crossing will be protected with a warning sign in due course, and probably just behind the loco will be an old shed or platelayer's hut and maybe some more shrubbery to hide the transition between 3D modelling and the 2D backscene. Realistically this is probably about as far as I'm going to get with Polbrock before The Warley Show this coming weekend where it will be used as a prop to photograph some of the OO gauge new releases. Once that crazy weekend of modelrailwaymania is over, I'll be able to get this little layout to a stage of proper completion.

I won't edit any of the actual modelling, a step too far (and ideally never for magazine commissions). I imagine the coupler pocket will be removed when I tweek the engine and proper screww couplings are popped in.

The problem will be plucking up the courage - at least for a change I won't need to renumber making it a quick job.

111114_beattieWT_IMG_1919_WEB, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr. With the little Beattie Well Tank now in my possession I couldn't resist popping the little beauty on to Polbrock to see whether it fits in. On that note is 'it' a 'she' or 'he'? Presuming 'she' had a name, I think that 'Doris' would suit? That being the case, 'Doris' is all rather pristine and will in due course be given a little fake patina replicating a working engine rather than looking like a finalist in the X Factor. The trick with weathering is to create the effect of a working engine, but not make it look like it's been trashed and dropped in due-to-be-changed-cat litter - it's often a fine line. Maybe 'Kev' would be a better name for mucky engine? The 'set' is of course my latest micro Polbrock, which is far from complete, but finished enough to use it as a prop to photograph stock on. Recent work being to tidy up some of the static grass around and between the rails. During application I over-diluted the PVA glue a little too much making some of the grass fibres fall over through lack of support, over thinned glue being limp like a manager promoted beyond his or her capability. It was an easy enough job to rub the almost horizontal fibres off and re-apply with some less diluted PVA about 2 parts glue to 1 part water. Now the freshly applied fibres stand up boldly unlike limp management. Interestingly enough the grass fibres between the rails have no effect on running performance as long as they don't stray between the loco wheels and rail surface. A disposable razor run along the rail top is a good way to remove any stray fibres followed by a good vacuum and dusting of hair spray to keeping everything in place - you don't really want the little fibres getting in to engine mechanics. For the shot here, the camera was resting on the level crossing and the scene lit with natural window light. A large pale blue board and my rolling stock photo plinth thingamajig were then placed in the background to hide the lack of proper backscene and domestic furniture! Later in Photoshop I replaced the blue board with a de-focussed actual sky because the pale blue wall had some shadows on it. The smoke is the only other embellishment. I'm looking forward to sorting out the proper backscene which will have a fuzzy, misty Cornish inspired landscape which will negate the need to mess about with bits of board and computer editing too much. Bigger version of the above photo here.

What a cracking bit of model making! If you have no use for it, I have just the spot for it

Thinking about it, if you (before fixing to the loco) warm up the pipes under some piping hot water and you should be able to coax them into a more natural pose. I won't take the blame if they break though!

I guess the vacuum pipes could be replaced with something better. Bad news (or good if you don't have any), clays hoods didn't come in until well after steam.

Sounds like you had a great day! The new one is looking rather fab too - great presentation by the way!

Who does those then?

Earlier today a much awaited Beattie Well Tank commissioned by Kernow Model Rail from Dapol was handed to me by the postman. This is the main reason for my current 'micro' taking the name of Polbrock, it being built to justify this delightful purchase which rarely ventured outside Cornwall. This isn't a review, that's been well and truly covered in the popular press and on various railway forums, so this more of a punter's appraisal, and the first thing to make an impression was just how great the packaging is, a proper foam inlaid box complete with a ribbon inside! I normally chuck the packaging, but won't be doing so in this case. The little loco is tiny indeed, after seeing close-up photographs in the various reviews for some reason I thought it a little bigger, but of course the real thing was only pint sized, it spending most of its life on the lightly laid Wadebridge to Wenford Bridge line pottering about mostly with mixed goods and china clay wagons. Looking at the photo above which I've lit to highlight the fine detail, shows that this is really no toy with a plethora of separate mouldings all factory applied, leaving just some vacuum pipes and route disks for the owner to place should he or she so desire. In my case I'll add these along with some working screw couplings topped off with a little weathering and probably some replacement real coal. This loco as already mentioned is a special commission by Kernow Model Rail, and from what I can gather as with Model Rail's recent Sentinel also commissioned from Dapol selling really well. I do hope though that the majority of purchasers are modellers who intend to run these locos and not funny collectors who will simply keep them in boxes under their beds away from Mother who will almost certainly disapprove of their flamboyant purchase. If you'd like to see a few more snaps of 30587 like the shot above, follow this link HERE.

111112_polbrock_IMG_1894_WEB, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr. Polbrock - late summer 1971 and the contractors are slowly clearing the line from a railhead 4 miles to the west of here. By May 1972 the rails had finally gone for good. Bigger version of the above photo here.

I did toy with incorporating the engine house, but there is no room and anyway it's destined for for my Colliery project which is running in parallel. I have a cottage/pub which will have a similar stone style currently on the workbench just for the slot. I think it will be called The Armchair & Pedant's Arms.

Will, follow the link on the blog to manufacturer's site Mickey - thanks for the pointer