jennarivo

Chimney stacks added, roof tiled and a bit of painting done too. I have used Redutex Slate Square Dark Grey for the tiles, I'm quite impressed with them, it's definitely one of their better textures suits this model perfectly. Ridge flashing and down pipes will be added tomorrow night and hopefully it can be set in place for the layouts first proper running session which is scheduled to be held on Thursday. cheers Shaun

The station building is now glazed and partially roofed. The stonework is Slaters Stone Courses plasticard (4mm rather than 2mm) and the window etches are from Peedie Models in Orkney; they're not quite the right size but they're the closest I could find. cheers Shaun

Hi all, another quick update. It turns out that the layout will fit in the spare room - diagonally with about 20mm to spare. Thank goodness, I really wasn't looking forward setting it up in the living room each time i want to have a play around. One board will need to be removed to allow the door to open but other than that there are no issues, at least this way I can leave the stock sitting on it too. So watch this space, we have a visitor coming next Saturday but after that there will be some more photos, this time with actual trains. The station building is slowly but surely progressing too, here is a shot of it in situ ready to be glazed. cheers Shaun

Very quick update. Finally some progress with the station building, cheers Shaun

Yes, it's probably the very reason that I'm considering it, cheers

Hi all, There been limited work on any of the scenic sections as of late with most of my efforts being focused on the off-scene part of the layout. I've knocked up a simple five road fiddle yard spread across two boards, using the same foamboard / ply combination as used on the main boards. I don't think I've mentioned it on this thread yet, but over the last few months I've been thinking that I'd like to have a go at building my own code 40 track, as I've never been overly happy with the look of the Peco code 55, especially the points. I'm hoping to buy some components and construct a very small trial layout/diorama to see how I get on and part of the reason for constructing the fiddle yard in this way is so I can use it for an end to end set-up as well, as two separate fiddle yards. As mentioned previously, I've had to alter the plan slightly and instead of the Thurso branch running round into the fiddle yard, to save space I've created a reverse loop which joins the main line. This means that trains leaving the station heading to Thurso will need to pull forward into this loop and then reverse into the fiddle yard. Another space saving compromise is the use of tight radius set-track curves to take the main line round towards the fiddle yard. The only room that the layout will fit it when fully assembled is the living room, meaning that most of the time it will be stored in a cupboard. I can only assembly two boards in the spare bedroom, which is fine for working on but not much fun otherwise. That's all for now Cheers Shaun

Thanks for that. The grasses were purchased from http://www.modeldisplayproducts.co.uk There's not been much progress over the last few weeks - camping trips and visitors have begun to appear again. I have knocked up the two boards for the fiddle yard and track-laying is about to commence. Due to space constraints I've had to amend the plan slightly to include an off-scene reversing loop between the Thurso and Inverness lines as looping the Thurso line round into the fiddle yard was going to add too much width to the layout. This means that trains leaving on the Thurso branch will need to perform an out of sight reversing manoeuvre to enter the fiddle yard. I'll post some pics in the next week or so. cheers Shaun

Hi all, Not much to report as of late, I knocked up the PW hut over the weekend from Redutex corrugated iron sheet and gave it a going over with some powders. I've also been experimenting with some of their other textures too as I'm trying to find one suitable for the station building - no luck yet though. The junction box has finally been repainted and fitted in position too. The next big task is to complete the rest of the baseboards and start the non-scenic track and fiddle yard - then to get some trains running. cheers Shaun

Time for a quick update, I have spent the last week working on some of the various structures, I've finally added the stairs to both signal boxes. The North box (or cabin) can be seen in the pic below, when I built this there was no layout or even a baseboard for that matter and I neglected to take into account the height of the sleepers on the Peco code 55 track. It left the box being about a scale foot lower than it should be and as can be seen I've had to bump it up a bit. I don't really want to replace the stonework base so I'm going to try to hide the gap with ballast and green stuff and see how it looks. I spent the whole day on Sunday (and I really do mean the whole day) constructing my latest purchase, some 2mm SA LMS rail built buffer stops. I needed 8 so I bought 9 and this proved to be a smart move as the 1st one ended up in the bin. The kit comes as a single etch in mirrored halves which is folded along the center and the two haves soldered together, the parts are then cut out and the buffer is assembled. The instructions suggested I may want to tin the rear prior to folding, this did not work for me at all and after the 1st one hit the bin i resorted to folding in half and clamping it shut and soldering all visible seams, I then removed the clamps and finished the seams. After this initial bit was done it wasn't too bad, very fidgety though. They're now all soldered to the track and one of them can be seen below, definitely an improvement from the Peco option and well worth the effort I think cheers Shaun

This week has seen some more progress on the Wick board, the embankments have had their vegetation added and the fields to the south of the track have been grassed. Apart from the grass pretty much all the scenic stuff is from the Woodland Scenics range. I trialed quite a few different manufacturers but settled with this one as I felt they had the most comprehensive range and it just looked right alongside the MiniNatur grasses. I plant the bushes first and predominantly they are just that, Woodland Scenics Bushes or Clump Foliage in either Dark, Medium or Olive Green shades. Once these are stuck down I give them a dusting of Fine Turf in varying shades to add some depth to them. I've also used this stuff for some of them, I believe it is some sort of rubberised hair, which again once formed and glued in place is dusted with some Fine Turf. Weeds, flowers, etc. are then added. For the darker weeded areas I just go over the top of the grass with watered down (50/50) PVA and sprinkle on some Green Grass Fine Turf. The lighter weeds are created from Light Green Foliage again dusted with some Fine Turf to give some variation. The pink flowers (or flowering weeds) are made from some Poly Fibre which is then dusted sparingly with pink scatter. Once the vegetation is in place I dry brush some cream coloured acrylic paint onto some of the grass to add a bit more depth and variation. This is one of the pics I've been using for reference https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidwf2009/5561086651/in/photolist-9tq2jk-9tq2eP-5Fqafk-CMFdSu-qFTGm6-9BbAdA-iNpqpi-bRBP1x-bCWUmG-bBXA6K-hNmiyN-qPcrkF-iWYqw8-doEjeo-8Td3Mi-mEQKjM-7gZh3g-9WsTPe-bvoD82-goywNn-fq6SH3-avgZ9F-9tsYA3-bUMZ1V-b5GFHZ-bEefER-rscYTE-zuShqA-9Bbztb-9Bbykm-9BbB9L-9B8HTe-9B8M1z-9Bbxfo-oaHxo9-gjnucr-nCnzcq-bnfMKD-hNkDTj-4qZT8B-hNkQnW-9B8L2r-fq6Vmh-bRBMea-dqkkfi-dqkjag-bCH3iN-azRsVf-eSrovy-eSf3YB. I really must thank everyone who has ever taken and uploaded a picture of Georgemas as they have provided me with no end of help. It would also appear to be one of the most photographed Far North Line locations - Thanks The final shot for this weekend is of the field to the South Side of the board which also shows the picture I was using as a reference. Cheers Shaun

Some more progress pics, the Wick side has now commenced..... An overall view showing the board with a layer ground cover and fence posts installed, I've lost count of how many of these I've done, think it's about 500. A dry stone dyke which pre-dates the railway can also be seen, this still needs a few washes and a bit of dry brushing. This is where the PW trolley hut will sit. The terrain of this side of the station is not quite prototypical, in reality the land is pretty flat but I've raised the land around the track to give a better scenic break. Embankment coated in bog standard PVA and ready for grass. I've added some Woodland Scenics Bushes and a few other bits of rough ground cover, I'll add in the rest of the vegetation after the grass has been done. Embankment grass down. That's all for this weekend, cheers.

I'm not sure why but I seem to be avoiding the station building like the plague. Thanks, it's a bit of a combination of different techniques, I've got lots more to do on the Wick side so this time I'll post some pics as I go.

If you insist..... The bulk of the green stuff is complete on the first 2 boards, still lots of detailing and touching up to do yet though. I'm not entirely happy with the short grass in the fields and I'll maybe re-do at some point in the distant future. The remaining structures have progressed a bit as well, the shed on the down platform has been rebuilt and now looks much closer to scale and I've re-clad the original one that I built and it can be seen in the above pic (half painted) next to the livestock pens. I'm not sure how much livestock was actually loaded/unloaded here but the pens survived into the early 60s. I'll be starting on the 3rd and final board this weekend and once I get it to the same standard of these two you can expect a few more pics. cheers Shaun

Another couple of progress pics This week has seen a bit of vegetation added to the bay platform embankment.

Thanks, most of the time my photography skills leave a lot to be desired and it is one of the things on my list of "things to improve" this year. The footbridge is an etched brass kit from Lochgorm Kits see http://www.lochgormkits.co.uk/assets/applets/Lochgormkits_catalogue_2_mm_update_February_2015.pdf and certainly put my soldering skills to the test, which usually extend to soldering feeds to track. It was a bit fiddley to assemble but I'm quite pleased with the result, the camera won't be going too close though.... The road bridge was a simple scratch build, although I did cheat slightly as the lattice iron sides are from P&D Marsh see http://www.pdmarshmodels.com/show_product.php?pid=52 cheers Shaun

Thanks for interest. The grass is made up of four homemade mixes using shades from the MiniNatur range From left to right in the below pic 1. This is the basic field grass mix, 2mm fibres, approx: 40% Spring 15% Early Fall 15% Late Fall 15% Summer 15% Beige 2. This is the basic embankment mix, 4.5mm fibres, approx: 40% Early Fall 30% Hay 15% Summer 15% Late Fall 3. This is used to highlight areas of longer grass, 4.5mm fibres, approx: 75% Beige 25% Late Fall 4. Another highlighting mix, used on the embankment, 4.5/6mm fibres, approx: 50% Beige 50% Early Fall A base layer of either Woodland Scenics burnt or blended turf is laid first. Once this has dried and the excess hoovered up the static grass is applied using a Flockit applicator. Initially one of the basic mixes is laid and then highlighted with a second and third layer of a different mix. I use paper disc insets to restrict the flow from the Flockit, I find it easier to build up the layers this way. Probably the biggest help of all for me came from Gordon Gravett's Modelling Grassland and Landscape Detailing book. It really is a great resource and is full of tips and tricks. Shaun

A new year and time for a long overdue update. Very little happened on the railway during the summer and early autumn mainly due to the many visits of friends/family and the occasional weekend away hiking/camping. The last couple of months, however, have seen some progress. Quite a bit has happened since the last post back in July, the third board cleaned up ok after ballasting and trains were running across all three with no issues. The platforms have more or less been finished, just a small section to add once the water tank base is in place at the Wick end of the main platform. Both the station footbridge and the A9 road bridge are in place, they still need a little bit of touching up and weathering, the footbridge is from Lochgorm Kits and the road bridge is scratch built. Although it has just dawned on me that while it is currently the A9 which crosses Georgemas, back in the period I'm modelling c.1960-1980 it would have been the A895. It didn't become the A9 until 1997 when the termination of the A9 was changed from John o'Groats to Scrabster Harbour. I'll refer to it as the A895 road bridge from now on...... The green stuff has also been started, a couple of fields on the north side of the station have been laid and the embankment on the same side has had a couple of layers of static grass and is awaiting bushes and weeds, etc. The static grass is all of the Mininatur variety. Some pics of progress Looking from Wick under the A9 road bridge. The two sheds standing on the main platform are a tad under size and need to be rebuilt, I had 'guesstimated' the dimensions for old pics but was never happy with the result. When I was in Caithness over Xmas I took a trip out to Georgemas to look for any remaining clues to help with the rebuild, and as luck would have it there is still a partial foundation visible from the one with the gabled roof which gave me the width and a join between two types of fencing which provides the length. The North Box (or is it a cabin?). The A9 embankment has had an initial covering of Woodland Scenics burnt turf. The base from the old water tank sits in between the platform and this box. General view of the station looking towards Thurso. The A895 road bridge. General view looking from the Thurso branch into the station. Back with more soon............ Shaun

This week has seen the weathering of the ballast completed, although some oil staining is still required in a few places and I've since made a start cleaning the rails and points. I tend to use a track rubber on the top surface of all rails and then mini-cotton buds dipped in IPA to thoroughly clean the contact areas on the switch blades, I've also found fine emery boards and small dental brushes can also be a big help especially around points. So far so good, two boards down and tested with no running issues at all, although I am a little bit concerned about the final board as I managed to overdo the ballast glue and gummed up two sets of points - oh well time will tell I guess. 26015 was the designated test loco seen here in the PW siding at the Wick end of the station. Cheers Shaun

Another very quick update, Ballasting is now (thankfully) complete and the board pictured below has also had the ballast partially weathered, first with powders and then a dirty grey wash to seal them in. Once all three boards have had this initial treatment I'll give them a dry brushing going over to add some variation to the sleepers and I'll also add some oily patches at the same time. I really must get round to finishing the junction box at some point in the near future cheers Shaun

Thought i'd post a quick pic showing the ballasting in progress, this is last of the three boards. I've been trying to do it in small stages of a metre or so per night, as if not I find it quite tedious and I end up taking less care than I should. Rather than the 'traditional method' of diluted PVA, I thought I'd give the WWS Ballst Glue a shot. I initially tried applying it without pre-wetting the ballast but this didn't go so good and I resorted back to diluted PVA for the last few meters of track on the first board. I tried the WWS stuff again on the second board, however this time I pre-wetted with a misting of water (plus some fairy liquid) and this made a big difference, the WWS glue quite literary just flowed straight into the ballast barely disturbing it at all. The picture below is looking west showing the mainline to Inverness and the Thurso branch. The speed at which I was able to apply the WWS glue is quite impressive also, the wet area in the pic only took a couple of minutes to do. Back with more soon. Cheers Shaun

Some further progress with the ballasting trials and I think I have a winner. Whilst patiently waiting for chinchilla dust to arrive I tried a slightly different mix of grey and browns, and this time I used the kitchen blender in an attempt to size reduce the particles - it worked. Not only did it make the grains slightly smaller but it has also blended the shades together and now the grey and brown don't contrast so much with each other. First picture shows the new blended mix - used a ballast spreader too this time and it makes for a far neater job. Second shows a comparison between the new blended mix and the original And lastly, this is the chinchilla dust which arrived today. Ruled this out straight away as it is similar in size and coarseness to the original and would require a bit too much work to get colour into it. It's still wet with glue in the pic. I'm happy enough now to make a start on the layout itself, I think the new mix once it receives a bit of weathering attention will scrub up not too bad and i can lighten / darken it as necessary to depict the cleaner / dirtier areas of the station. cheers Shaun

Hmmm, sounds like I might have to do a little bit more than I first thought Oh well, knocked up a few more test boards tonight - watch this space.

Thanks for that, Robert. I'd actually ordered some chinchilla dust last night to have a go with that and tonight i ordered some Noch stuff as well. I'm really not happy with the size of the WS stuff that I've trialed, it's probably about twice the size I need it to be to even come close to the prototype. I'd really been hoping to get a colour blend as close as possible to the real thing to minimise the amount of colouring / weathering required afterwards. I've done a good few searches on here too and the general consensus seems to be that actual 'true' N scale ballast is almost non-existent. I'm not giving up yet though and will run some more trials over the weekend if supplies arrive in a timely fashion.

Hi all Thanks for your kind words of encouragement and advice. The ballast that i ordered during the week arrived yesterday so I made four trial mixes this morning and applied them to some very short test track sections. This is my first outing in N gauge and I never realised until now just how far out of scale its ballast really is, I also found it a lot more fidgety to lay than OO and it may take me some time to get used to it; as the pictures below clearly show 1st up, an overall shot of all four mixes and then a close-up of each. Each mix has been made using a blend of the same shades and grey and brown, albeit in varying quantities. At the moment I'm leaning towards either the 2nd or the 4th mix (the greyer ones) or something similar as i think they are closer to the real thing and maybe use a light grey/brown wash to tone it down and blend it a bit. Just for a bit of comparison, the first picture below was taken at Georgemas in 2012 and the 2nd and 3rd are from some point in the early eighties. Mmmm, time for some pondering I think

Not much progress made over the last two months or so, I've been incredibly busy at work and have had to write an assignment in my home-time for a course I'm doing. However I'm now finding myself with more time in the evenings and am keen to move things on a bit as it's been almost three years since the layout was conceived and I've got precious little to show for it. Ballasting is next on the hit list, I did order some Carr's and Woodland Scenic's greys a while back but can't say I'm happy yet with the results of any of my trial mixes. I've quite literally got hundreds of pictures of the station and the real life ballast appears in various shades of grey and brown throughout its days. I order a few shades of brown last night which once added will hopefully give the variation I'm looking for. I'm hoping to get away with a single weathering wash once laid and will post some pictures of my experiments in due course.