wiggoforgold

By chance, there's a post by John Chivers on the GWR modellers Facebook group today about the installation of a crane in a model goods shed based on Princetown. On the subject of Airfix Stukas, who remembers their original kit of the type? Made the Triang Princess look fine scale. Alex

https://oldprincetown.weebly.com/princetown-railway.html There's some nice pictures of Princetown station here. Ther's even a picture of a BSA motorbike which you may appreciate. Alex

Its the only building left standing on the site. I think it was a stables. Alex

Well, I've been working on the baseboard joins this weekend, which aren't very photogenic. I've been building a bit more passenger stock too. This is a Hornby Hawksworth brake third. The matt maroon of the sides was worked over with a cotton bud dipped in Tcut, which gives the sides a glossier look and deepens the colour. The sides were then masked off, and the roof and underframe painted and matt varnished. With the masking removed, parts of the sides were painted with a mix of smoke and dark earth weathering powders, mixed with water and Decalfix, which was run around the doors and panel joints. Much was then removed with micellar water and more Tcut. The rood and underframe were given various applications of weathering powders, mainly smoke on the roof, and more dark earth on the underframe. Alex

I do like that Land Rover. Alex

Thanks George. There's a couple more to do; one between the up and down platform buildings, and one by the signal box which combines with the cover over the point rodding. Alex

A progress report, as I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. I'm a bit further forward at the north end of the station. I've made a barrow crossing and started to install telegraph poles. Plymouth - Tavistock auto departing Yelverton. Almost (but not quite) the photo on the Cornwall Railway society website. Auto trains ran chimney first to Tavistock, so this allows a picture of the 644 xx and 4555 side by side in Yelverton station. 4588 on Plymouth-Launceston passenger meet 4555 on up passenger at Yelverton. Next, I plan to start work on improving the joins between the boards on the scenic section, and do some more work on the south end of the up platform. Alex

Someone told me (apologies if it was you) that when the autocoach is leading he can be the driver, when it's trailing he becomes the guard. I like that.

I think figures on layouts is something that needs to be approached with care. Less is more is my philosopy. Avoid action poses. Many of our layouts are set in places where there wouldn't be many people, and too many quickly destroys the illusion. My loco crews are in static poses, leaning out of the cab rather than being more actively engaged. Certainly no firemen shovelling. I do need a driver for the autocoach though. His absence is a bit obvious through the driving windows. Alex

I like the colour. What length fibres did you use? Alex

Mai I recommend those produced by "The Vegetarian Butcher) (usual disclaimer). Alex

Just dropped in for my daily inspiration. Not disappointed Out of interest, what pigments are you using in the mix? Alex

Than you for the kind comments about the vegetation. I have first hand experience of real laurels. Cutting them back results in them growing back in greater profusion. It does give an opportunity to study them up close to see how they are made. One of the ironies of scenic modelling is that one can spend hours in the garden cutting down the undergrowth only to come inside to recreate it in miniature. Wiggo rather shows how long I've been on RM web. When I created the username he was building up to the Beijing Olympics. Who suspected what was to come?

I should add that laurels on the model are the fourth attempt. Earlier attempts, using hairy string, were too open. One can be seen at the left hand end of the first picture. It is being repurposed as a lilac. Alex

Laurels have quite dense vegetation. I started with a bunch of fibres (coir?) Cut from the covering of a post for a house plant. I rolled one end of the bunch in pva to hold the fibres together. The fibres were tidied up a bit with scissors. The bunch was then sprayed with hairspray and 4mm green static grass fibres added to make the smaller branches. More hairspray, sprinkled with Treemendus fine mid summer scatter. Finally, a coat of satin spray varnish to give a satin sheen to the leaves. The bushes are planted in holes drilled in the layout, fixed with pva. I've also done rhododendrons, bracken and brambles, which I've described earlier in this thread. Alex

This is the picture of the work on the footbridge referred to in the previous post.

I've finally produced some laurels for the station that I am happy with. This is the result. At the side of the Princetown platform there was a row of laurel bushes, which were kept under control while the Princetown line was in place, but once it was lifted, they quickly grew, which is the state I have modelled them in. The foot bridge legs have been remade from brass angle, and some additional detail added. 64xx on Plymouth - Tavistock auto train. 4858 on down Plymouth-Launceston freight crosses up Tavistock-Plymouth auto. The same scene from a lower angle. Alex

It's great, isn't? I've still to do the finials, I've got some Scale Link ones, which I"ll Install when I've done a bit more on the detailing and rubbing down.

Thank you. Your shed looks rather nice, but rest assured, there is a tin shed at Yelverton, the pagoda on the down platform next to the waiting room. With the footbridge, the pagoda and the waiting room make a nice group. I think one of the joys of modelling an actual location, which I find oddly liberating, is that you model what was actually there, without any agonising over wether it is typical or suitable. If it was there it gets modelled, if it wasn't it doesn't. I'm pleased with how the legs have turned out, much sturdier than the first attempt. The plan is to fix the legs to a section of platform, which will plug in to the main platform, helping to disguise the baseboard joint. We were in Yelverton earlier this evening. We didn't see the station site itself, as that is now someone's private garden but we caught a glimpse of the end of Station Road as we drove past. Alex

The footbridge for Yelverton is a modified Gaugemaster "Fordhampton" footbridge. The main pieces I wanted were the stairs and roof parts. As sold, the model stands too high, even when cut down for platform use, so I removed a further section from the staircases. I completed the basic shape of the model quite quickly, as I wanted to have the basic model to had when considering composition and clearances. I have now reached a point where more detail can be added. Alex

Thanks Rob - praise indeed, as many of the ideas I pinched from you, especially the use of the glass fibre brush. I went out and brought one after our conversation at the RM Web members day a few years ago. Alex

Thanks. I was thinking the weathering on the 16 tonner was about as for as I wanted to go, as most of them would have been fairly new in the period of my model. Likewise BR vans. I think heavy weathering would be more appropriate to pre-nationalisation stuff, particularly unfitted types. Alex

More freight stock: RCH 13t. Left: Oxford, painted by @46444, weathered by me. Right: Bachmann, painted and weathered by me. 16t mineral. Bachmann, weathered by methods described by @Brinklyin the16t mineral thread. Conflat A with BD container. Parkside body, Red Panda chassis. One of the regular traffic flows on the branch was tins of Ambrosia creamed rice from the creamery at Lifton, so this is the first of several. Back to work tomorrow. Alex

You don't see them do you? But tnere's all those pet shops selling chinchilla grit...

Thanks. I start with an overall coat of Mig "Faded Sinai grey". Individal planks are the pic,ed out with Mig "New wood" "Old wood" and similar grey/brown shades. The whole is then given a wash of Mig matt black, heavily thinned. The wash is particularly worked in to the recesses round the lifting rings and chain pocket lids and into the gaps between the planks. It is then sprayed with a mig "dirt" shader, and given a coat of acrylic matt varnish, which is left to harden overnight. Powder weathering is next. The whole load bed is covered with Humbrol "Smoke" powder, particularly worked into the angle between the floor and sided. Powder is the removed from the face of the planks with a cotton bud, moistened with Micellar water. More power is removed, and the area tided up, by gently rubbing with 2mm glass fibre brush. Alex