Steadfast

Time for a quick update! The roof has gone onto the building, along with some internal lighting. Various little bits and pieces are coming together too, but I'll wait to get these in place. Progress feels like its picking up now the big projects are starting to pull together A quickly thrown together test of the raised walkway and pit inside the building. Please ignore the derailed power car.... Roof on. This is thin card, with each arc done individually. Contact adhesive is used, with a can of de-icer spray just the right diameter to hold the card down in the dips. The sticky lable "rain gutters" hide the joins. This method was suggested by Jon Baulch, who's done the same in 4mm. Whilst my roof isn't an exact copy of the real thing, I have included the distinctive circular windows. Today I fitted the interior lighting to the building. These come as a strip of 24 LEDs, which can be broken down into groups of 3. I chose these because there was no faffing around sorting resistors etc, they simply need a 12v feed. I plan to power them off a trainset controller to act like a dimmer switch, so they look right but aren't overpowering. The image doesn't capture the colour too well, but they have a nice warm orangey glow typical of the lighting used in warehouses, depots etc. The large windows let plenty of light in and the LEDs will be on just bright enough to highlight the roof of the stock but without looking floodlit like on so many layouts these days More soon! jo

Hi Steve, The Farish 08 is lovely, isn't it?! Yours looks just the job with those Dutch wagons - could you explain a little about what weathering techniques you used please? cheers jo

A couple of pics from Thursday (26th) 60099 on 6B33 Theale - Robeston at Ram Hill 60011 on 6B47 Westerleigh - Robeston. Not sure if the the Westerleigh will run tomorrow (today?) as it doesn't always on a Saturday, but 6B33 is 60099 again if anyone's out and about cheers jo

Thanks guys for the kind words! I think I've been bitten by the shunter bug now...

Hi Dave, The transfers are home made, printed on inkjet decal paper. I'll tidy the models up, then do a proper "they're finished" entry. I may be able to sort something transfer wise for you...

Lol Ta, yes the underframe on this one is deceptively dark - I guess the lack of high speed running means you don't get the brown spray up like on most stuff, but the pics of 08947 I worked from did look especially black and grungey. Those little bits you have noticed is exactly what I was looking for - the handrail I'd noticed looking at the pics after I'd uploaded them. I always find it easier spotting stuff like that on photos, because you look at the model as a whole, rather than each little bit, if that makes sense

Shh, your not ment to be looking at that bit Ta, it looks good sat on the table with some autoballasters, so hopefully chuck it onto a layout and it'll complete the look Not me, but I know someone who does Ta, it should be at Stormex pottering about with HST power cars. I need to get the other one done for shifting the mk3s. I think I have a cunning plan with fitting the rods, will have to see whether it actually works.... I *should* have a copy of everything. Let me have a look....

Cheers, it always interesting to see what another set of eyes picks up. I'll be out with the Railmatch when I get a chance A couple of things I forgot to mention earlier: the paints are all Railmatch enamels thinned with white spirit unless I've said otherwise. And Pixie let me have a set of rather nice etched rods at Taunton. These aren't fitted here, but will probably end up on the FGW green one with McHenry buckeyes I'm doing next. If the rods end up as easy to fit as they look, I'll have to get another set for this one More when it happens...

I needed a break from constructing the building for Baby Laira, so have spent the last couple of days weathering up 08947 I'm not 100% happy with it. Perhaps I'm looking a little too close, and forgetting it's only an inch long. The weathering of the bodywork isn't a direct copy of this loco from the few pics I can find of it at Westbury - unique features, like rust patches etc, are copied from 08947, but general dirt is an amalgamation of several examples to give an overall look that I like. First job was to faded the yellow on the ends. This was a wash of white gouache, with a damp cocktail stick being used to remove it from the black stripes. Next, the body was faded with an airbrushed coating of matt varnish with a drop of white paint mixed in. This gave the loco an overall dusty look, but soon disappeared once the surface texture was broken up. The underframe got a coat of weathered black, and the body drybrushed with faded Rail Blue. Weathered black and Sleeper Grime washes were applied to both, looking at where the dirt build up ont he real things. The oil streak in front of the cab, and the brown coating on the tops of the bodyside cabinets are both typical 08 weathering features to my eyes. Bufferbeam air pipes and the like were also attacked with weathered black. Adding these colours and washes removed the overall dusty look - before this it looked like it had been working in a quarry! Once the paints had dried, I worked on greasing up the underframe. In the absence of grease from a real locomotive, a mixture of products were applied. First up were a few washes of Tamiya smoke paint - this dries to a nice sheen as well as working like a black wash to pick out detail. On top of this, a mix of Mig Smoke Black weathering powder and Johnson's Klear was applied around the axle mounts and btween the springs. I made it up very thin, a couple of brushfulls of Klear with only a tiny amount of pigment, scraped from the inside of the lid to get the bare minimum. I found the best way to gauge the finish was to test various mixes on a scrap of card. I discovered that making it up like a thick sludge, surprisingly the mix dries matt, but the Klear fixes the powders solidly to the model. Anyway, back to the model. Once the mix had dried about 50%, I got a soft brush and moved horizontally, almost like a drybrush type of effect resulted. I also did this around the exhaust outlet to give the hard burnt on black deposits. Once dry, some powder was applied in the normal dry fashion with a soft brush for the smoky clag deposits on the roof. The shiny mix for the underframe was also applied over the diesel spill on the roof and bodyside to give a gentle sheen to it I've spent a while looking at Pugsley's 08, well, 09, weathering and have found it rather useful guide, so thanks mate! The idea of using Tamiya smoke and powders on the grungy underframe came from there, although used in a different way, it was deffinitely a pointer in the right direction I couldn't find the customary penny, so a USB connector will have to do As I said at the start, I'm not 100% happy with this one, if there's anything anyone can suggest that jumps out at them, please let me know! jo

Hopefully it'll get some of the atmosphere that Boxenby has once the roof goes on. I'm really impressed with the floor that Dave has achiveve on Battersea Stewarts Lane, I'll be happy if mine's anywhere near that cheers jo

Work is still progressing, here's some shots taken tonight on the landing This gives an idea of the track layout and how it all fits together. The road that the 08 and power car are heading down is the one that's gained track and a pit in the later images The van bodies form the grounded body stores area. Anyone familiar with Laira will know it's going to be a fun project painting and fading these. I'm looking forward to getting these done There's a great shot in HST silver jubilee of an HST sat outside Laira all nice and shiny - it'll be nice to recreate once the layout's done! The first pit has gone in. This one is sitting below ground height, as can be seen, but the other two roads will have the lowered floor/raised pit mentioned previously. The white base is foamboard, with slots cut to locate the building. A layer of card will go down on top to level it all off once I have finished cutting holes Another shot of the track in the shed. The flat area beyond the pit is the wheel lathe at the real Laira, I was umming and arring over whether to model it or not, but I may give it a go having realised how much can be seen through the windows on the side. If I do, I'll build it off layout, then if it doesn't work, the plain track can be left as it is Time for F1 now me thinks, jo

Cheers, yep I hope the few RTP buildings I have compliment the other buildings rather than turn it into a cliché filled scene jo

Lovely stuff Pix, every bit as nice as they are in the flesh! You and me both...boxes would be nice jo

Hi guys, Alex, Please don't tempt me into yet another variation...I already have ideas of a second set of stock, I'd be easily tempted to do a third devondynosoar118, the foam board has stood up to all my test so far, so I'm hopeful it'll last. The whole idea from the outset was to test out what was possible with foamboard, and what didn't work so well. It's pretty rock solid now, and is still dead light weight. Onto today's update. It's been a while I know, but the building looks a little more substantial than it did last time! The pit will be set lower than this, so the track is level with the top of the main floor, with the floor around it lowered The open door will allow a real person's eye view into the shed An overall view of the shed. Next step is to add the roof - this will be made of thin card stuck on with contact adhesive. Jon Baulch has used this method in 4mm, so it should work here too There are a number of rooflights, so combined with the side windows there should a fair amount of natural light. Also I've bought some yellow LEDs to represent the sodium gas lighting you tend to get in industrial locations. They won't be lit up like a christmas tree, instead giving a subtle warm glow to help hightlight the roofs of the stock inside. A load of Farish VBA vans turned up today too, so I can crack on with repainting and de-chassising them to make a load of grounded van bodies. Still on course for getting the layout out at Stormex in August More soon! jo

Today 60040 made its way to Newport and back from Westbury. After what I said the other day, it was great to get a shot in the sun! Here it is working 6C41 Newport ADJ - Westbury near Claverton, still looking pretty tidy. There was a huge train of Coalfish in tow! cheers jo

Nice one Dave! After yesterday's trip to Carlisle, 60040 is now at Westbury. Hopefully it'll do an engineers or stone train over the next few days. I would like the chance to photograph it in the sun actually on a train, as the weather seems to be rather dull everytime it passes me. Rather more satisfying to see it on a train than parked up like this in 2008 at Merehead Yesterday's local tugs to Westerleigh were 60074 and 60013. 60074 is on 6E41 Westerleigh - Lindsey passing Coaley 60013 is on 6B13 Robeston - Westerleigh, also passing Coaley about 1 minute later 60040 or 60099 would be welcome on the Murcos! cheers jo

Lovely job Martin. I'm noticing detail differences in the pics that I didn't see at Taunton. Definitely a case of needing a second look to take it all in. I'm looking forward to seeing the weathering progress after what you showed me last weekend

Leon's grey'un is 60013. The red one today was 60011 Pete, here it is Tuesday 19/4/11 passing through Westerleigh village cheers jo

Rightio, here's the pit. This is the walk in pit for the heavy repair road, one road in the maintenance shed will be of a similar construction, with the other road having a pit set in the ground and (maybe) a wheel lathe if I can suss it out. I guess the idea of these raised up pits is to allow fitters to work under and alongside the train easily - headheight is around the underframe. This is two Peco pit kits (using 10 out 12 segments) which is long enough for two power cars. The sides are filled in with 4x1mm evergreen strip, and the buffer stop is built up with various plastic strip sections. Here's a raised road at Laira http://www.flickr.com/photos/49572843@N00/4388045466/sizes/z/in/photostream/ which gives the kind of idea. The particular one I'm doing at the moment is from the heavy repair side, and will have a raised walkway all around it at loco floor level - many a photo has been taken here with engines removed and roof hatches open - sadly the loss of Fotopic means I can't easily lnk to one The 66 should give some idea of scale And one for Alex. It would look good with a power car or mk3 in the air cheers jo