Southernboy

L49 "It's refreshing to see a layout which doesn't major on one set scene ... " Thanks, that reminds me of a question I came across a few years back (I'm paraphrasing here): "How do model change from one scenic type area to another (eg, town to country) on a small layout where there is little room for areas of transition between the two". That question interested me very much and I'm trying to resolve the challenge here on Frankland. The obvious answer is to use scenic breaks, plus what I call 'blockers' (items which deliberately interrupt sight-lines), and similarly focal points, which draw or distract the eye in predetermined directions. Frankland is zoned into the following areas: * Speculative development bordering agricultural land. * Then moving through the key stages of development to more intensive urbanisation. * Plus this meeting 'Old Town'. * And then the latter two areas bordering onto the outskirts of the traditional city. For me it completes the journey by train from city to countryside and my trains and passengers will be 'going somewhere'. When viewing the layout as a whole from above this 'zoning' may not be so evident, but when seen from different vantage points at eye level I hope each of the key scenes above can be viewed in isolation and the different stories told ... these zones and their 'transitions' will not really become apparent until nearer the layout's completion ... but it's an aim I hope to achieve. Thanks again for asking that question! EDIT: I'll post a picture later which I hope will show what I mean.

Do let us know how you get on with those tiles Simon (and pictures maybe?) ... I've never been happy with what I've found on the market so far (but don't feel inclined to make my own either, so can't complain). Right, I'm off to revisit the York Modelmaking website to see what else they have to offer

Stunning work Andy, I don't know much about signalling - but I just know those look the bee's knees And I'd love to see the picture of the cranks and rodding emerging from under the signal box in colour sometime, if possible. But of all the pictures posted the following I have to single out as exemplary: I suppose because it summerises much that is so notable about your layout: Mood, light, atmosphere, texture, detail, sense of time and place, and above all the very world-weary beaten paneling on the loco and well-buffed paintwork of the carriage ... ... it all adds up to a totally stand-out layout that leaves me breathless Mark

Thanks again for comments gents - and added banter too As to eating one's own clothes - Stan Laurel promises to eat Ollie's hat in ... and having now seen the trailer I really must go and watch it

Hello Black Sheep, in answer to the first question: I haven't really thought about it. In answer to the second: No, I'm not the exhibiting type I'm afraid, sorry!

Those' trees' made of paper/polystyrene are totally surreal - like something out of the 60s series 'The Prisoner' gone mad! But I get where you're coming from in terms of mapping out before you commit. Always good to see an update on Moorswater

Great work Mr Simon, I love your buildings: You never go for the obvious or easy - always something with character which requires much work. I'm always keeping an eye on your thread for inspiration I can draw on I'm not sure about the solution to roof tiles - I'd also be interested in answers anyone comes up with. Black Sheep: Your suggestions sounds interesting - but being me I'd always look for a way of 'industrialising' the process - perhaps it's something I'll set my mind to at some point in the future

Thank you Zunnan. Don't worry about when this layout is finished, I'll step straight into the next one, the plans for which have been in my head since I started this current layout

Ben A Thanks. I use Photoshop for image manipulation and InDesign for layout work. For the bridge signs I use Gill Sans for the words 'Southern Electric' and the rest of the text uses 'Interstate' (because I didn't have a condensed version of Gill Sans to hand - Arial Narrow would probably have done just as well). The arrow was copied and pasted from a picture of an original Southern Railway direction sign. devondynosaor118 Apologies, I missed your post in my previous reply: In answer to your question about how the old posters were done ... initially I searched the internet for originals to download They were opened in Photoshop and the strength of colour reduced (using Curves and Saturation in about equal measure) to around 60% / 50% of the orginal. This was sufficient for the 'new' adverts, and I laid a variety of them out in sheets (using InDesign, although Photoshop of Word would probably be just as good) to print on a commercial machine designed for reproducing photographs such as those you see in shops like Boots For the 'old' adverts I took the following additional steps: I searched the web for free texture downloads (you know the sort of thing 'rusty surface', 'grungy stone' etc) And layered the texture underneath the original images and applied some transparency (dilute to taste). I now had a sheet of old adverts. You'll see that some are repeated to various degrees of strength of colour because it's one thing to look at something on screen - but another when you cut them out and place them against a painted model - so this gave me a selection to play with in situ. They're printed on an ordinary office printer on standard 80gsm paper. Some of the adverts were applied in their entirety, others were torn into strips to represent situations where someone had had a go at removing them from the wall, but not finished the job for whatever reason, as per my original inspiration. I mixed 50/50 water and PVA and painted it over the adverts until they were quite wet, then stuck them on the wall. In some cases the paper was so saturated it started to disintegrate, but that was ok as it all added to the effect. There were two or three layers of adverts in all stuck on top of one another. Whilst still damp I used a bristle brush to 'stipple' over the adverts so that they were pressed into the mortar lines of the brick sheet. When thoroughly dry, I rubbed over the edges of the torn sheets with fine sandpaper just to rough them up a little, and in some areas sanded over the images themselves to bring through the surface of the bricks underneath in more pronounced fashion. I then took some of the smaller adverts I'd created (on the right of the sheet of adverts) and stuck them over the finished composition to represent more recent opportunistic fly-posting. Later I matt varnished the lot (aerosol) and applied weathering powders. I hope that makes sense Mark

Thank you, thank you to everyone for your very kind comments. You know, I really do enjoy my modelling, and the little stories that go with it. I find it very relaxing. The fact that I can share it with so many people I've never met out there on the internet - and that positive comments flow back makes it all the more rewarding again In reply to a few posts: Andrew F Thanks. Your comment about the adverts is spot-on. I've been wanting to get to this phase for so long as I knew it would add a whole new dimension (plus a well-needed splash of colour) to the layout, and set-the-scene even more firmly. And you've reminded me of a credit I forgot to post in my introduction, which is the LT Photographic archive (online): It's a great resource for anyone seeking urban pictures from around the 1890s onwards. Whilst the subject matter is of course transport, there is so much to be observed in the background detail-wise - the subtle shifts from one decade to the next in styles of advertising, fashion, street surfacing, roadsigns, how shops displayed their goods, the lot. Kevin Walsh I'm afraid Frankland is a stay-at-home layout. But I like to think you probably see more and get to understand it better through the occasional broadcasts than you would by standing behind a barrier in some large exhibition hall Zunnan Thankyou - if my work passes-the-muster with you I'm over the moon Dave777 I think I used less than a dozen sheets of Slaters at the end of the day. Like many others I get a little frustrated that the brick courses are not horizontally consistent. Thanks again for your comments one and all Mark

Please tune in to 2LO on 365 m (822 kHz) "London Calling. This is London Calling" Frankland update No. 8: Hello everyone and welcome to another in our series of occasional broadcasts from Frankland ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well it's six months since the last news from Frankland and in that time some major works have taken place. But first some minor updates. Christmas: Although Christmas has now long-since gone, I have to record a few items I was particularly happy with: The first was a welcome addition to my library: And I also received a variety of kits to put in the 'future projects' box. * Early telephone kiosks x 4 * Horse-drawn deliver van * Horse-drawn coal cart * Horses x 3 * Speed restriction signs * Screw-link couplings * Ornate Shop Pillasters x 3 each of two kinds (I already had some but needed more for a parade of shops I have in mind). There are a few items still on back-order, including a horse-drawn milk float. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Backscene: On another forum I was asked about my plans for a back-scene. Using a photo of the layout from a couple of years ago I made the following mock-up in Photoshop. My usual operating/viewing position is bottom right (from where this picture is taken). The back-scene will curve up from bottom left, curve around top left, and then run in a straight line along the back to top right. There will be no back scene along the right-hand-side as this is where the window to the room is - so a back scene on this side would cast a shadow. For the images on the back-scene I'll probably use a mix of my own photographs and Google-finds, and add a few period details like an airship or early Imperial Airways passenger plane perhaps. It will be detachable so I can continue to work and take pictures from all sides. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And now to the main news: Frankland 100: As listeners may recall, Frankland has long contended with a mere paper representation of its once-famous viaducts. But with the 100th anniversary of the opening of the London and Frankland Railway fast approaching, the powers-that-be decided a full survey of the scene should be conducted in order to see what could be done about it ... From the London end, the viaduct starts behind the shops... ... and extends along behind the block of flats, then sweeps around and over a subsidiary road and the main road ... ... and finally it gives way to an embankment at the back of the park where the tram shelter is situated. And just for the record, these two pictures show how things are track-wise before work commences ... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Research: Initially I got lost in a couple of weeks of very enjoyable and informative research. There are just so many interesting bridges and viaducts out there from which to draw inspiration, and I made notes and sketches as I went. If anyone is interested, on my travels I found a web page that lists the terminology used to describe the various parts of bridges: http://www.semgonlin...s/glossary.html So now we can all sound as if we know what we're talking about Anyway, after much indecision I struck upon the obvious... This is Vauxhall: It is correct for my time and place, and Google gave me the 'street views' I needed to get an overview as well as a good degree of detail. I love those substantial curved girders. Into the mix I added one particular image from my earlier research. My interest in the picture lay not so much in the structure of the viaduct - but more in the old workshops in the arches and the multiple textures on the ground ... earth, tarmac, cobbles and scrubby bushes are all in the mix there. You'll see echoes of this later on. The image is credited to the following website: http://creativity103...uct_299140.html Credit for inspiration also goes to: Zunnan for suggestions via PMs and his thread on RMWeb 'Z's N Gauge workbench : Bridges' http://www.rmweb.co....kbench-bridges/ 0121 Modeller on NRM for his thread 'Inspiration for Model Bridges'. http://www.newrailwa...ic.php?t=16973/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Practicalities: I realised that once the bridges and viaduct where in place it would be more difficult to work on track-side details, so everything track-related was brought into the project too. This gave me a 'chicken and egg' dilemma: I didn't want to fix in place small and fragile track-side details or third rail too soon in case I damaged them when working on the larger more clunky components such as viaduct walls - but at the same time realised that once walls and bridges were in place, it would be more fiddly to position small details. So my approach was to make the larger items first and ensure they would 'click to fit' in place, put them to one side, then I worked on the track and related detailing, and fixed the large components towards the end, before finally weathering the lot. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- What I most looked forward to on this project was producing the clutter of rail-side paraphernalia: Cables, relay boxes, fog huts etc. So I started off with the basics of a Southern Railway pre-fab fog hut. That was track-side detail No. 1 in the box. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Then serious engineering commenced with the bridges. For practical purposes I swopped the positions of the two bridges from Vauxhall, and adjusted dimensions to fit available space, but on the whole did try to retain a reasonable degree of integrity. The bridges are the 19th and 20th out of London on the Frankland line, and I began with Bridge No. 19 (the blue bridge in the pictures of Vauxhall). Here's the underneath with girders in place ... ... and here are the side walls ... (a back view and a front view) Then on with the Slaters brick sheet ... ... and a dry-run to check everything fitted correctly and was square and true. ------------------------------------------------ Whilst working on this bridge it struck me that my method of chamfering the edges of brick sheets with a file over the edge of a block of wood to get a 45º angle for the joins took an inordinately long time. I knew there had to be a better way. Then I remembered that you can buy 'Mounting Board Cutters', where the blade is set at 45º. I went to the shops and saw one at £25 and a cheaper one at £11 ... and thought 'that's still a lot of money just to have a nicely shaped bit of plastic with a blade that cuts at an angle' ... So made this ... Job done: And a lot of time and effort saved in the future. ------------------------------------------------ So with that resolved, I moved onto Bridge No. 20 The base (which effectively is the 'ceiling' when viewed from underneath the bridge) is Evergreen corrugated plastic sheet, to represent the uppermost layer of girders. Eventually the 'top' of the deck will be glued underneath the plywood track bed, and then the side walls slid into place. Next the basis for the curved girders. These are 14mm x 194mm. In reality they should be higher and more curved, but the depth of the plywood track-bed narrowed the clearance height to the road and so I had to make them more shallow in order double-deck trams could pass underneath. In retrospect, when building the layout, I should have made the road surface dip at this point, but didn't think it would be necessary at the time. Then I spent a long, long time cutting and sticking and layering various sections of Microstrip to represent the surface relief on the girders. The notches along the top are positioning guides. Here's a close up And here is one of the two sides ... And a dry run ------------------------------------------------ Then I took an overview just to see how things were coming along... ---------------------------------------------------------------- Next I made a test section of viaduct to try out techniques and check the proportions looked right. And here it is painted... it's supposed to be yellow 'London Brick' after a century of smoke and grime (and allowing for 'colour perspective'). So feeling happy with that I 'blocked-out' sections of the viaduct walls ---------------------------------------------------------------- Then a brief distraction occurred and I made two sets of these: Mechanical Fog Detonator Placers. They came about because whilst researching fog huts, I stumbled across an article on RMWeb about detonator placers (see post 14) and decided they were a 'must have' for Frankland. I'm not sure whether they are correct for the Southern Railway, but decided to err on the side of optimism! They're actually the wrong way round in the photos (the long bar should be nearest the rail) - but you get the idea. Eventually they'll be covered in grime and half lost in the ballast and stuff - so I'm happy with them being a bit 'abstract'. So that was items 2 & 3 in the track-side box. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Next up was working out how to make the curved arches for the viaduct. I thought I'd have a job curving them and would have to put them in warm water to shape them, but found that provided they weren't too wide then the momentary softening effect of Mek-Pak was sufficient to make them pliable. So here we have one stretch of viaduct wall, and one oblong section that will become the arch... One corner glued in place and a curved implement quickly pushes it into shape whilst it is still flexible from the effects of the glue. Gradually worked along the arch (three or four step-and-repeats of above). When nearing the end I snipped the excess Plasticard off and and latched it into place A final dash of solvent (less is more in this case), and push and hold in place for a few seconds. Then after ten minutes or so I filed and lightly sanded (wet & dry paper) any rough bits to give what I hope will be a reasonable finish once painted. And so we had proper arches for the viaducts. Here's another dry-run ... I love the next two photos with the gasometer temporarily back in place, I can already picture it looking dark, grimy and quite menacing around here ... Driver's-eye view. -------------------------------------------------------- Next onto detailing - and the first thing I made was a strip of chamfered brickwork using my 45º cutter and then a small needle file to represent the mortar joins And here it is applied to Bridge No, 20 ... and to Bridge No. 19 (with additional stonework added). -------------------------------------------------------- Now other detailing commenced, such as businesses in the arches ... ... including one long-boarded up Railings run along the top of bridge No. 20, -------------------------------------------------------- Some sections of the viaduct 'slot-in' to allow access to points motors if necessary... -------------------------------------------------------- Then a couple more excursions into track-side detail came along ... A set of relay cabinets And another fog hut, this based on one near Victoria Station We now had items 4 & 5 in the track-side box. -------------------------------------------------------- Next onto brickwork. I dry-brushed the viaducts and bridges. It took absolutely ages, but I am very pleased with the results. I also dry-brushed the girder details to bring out the rivets - I hadn't planned to - but I just suddenly found myself doing it by mistake! And the businesses were painted too ... -------------------------------------------------------- At this stage a conversation arose regarding 'fly posting', and whether it was appropriate for my viaducts. I wasn't so sure, but did think that perhaps some form of dilapidated advertising would suit a less salubrious quarter of town. And then I recalled that some years ago; at Clapham North tube station; renovation work revealed a section of wall with period advertising which perfectly suited what I had in my mind's eye. Here are a few photos I took at the time ... ... and I had a go at reproducing something similar on a spare bit of brick sheet. I was quite happy with that. -------------------------------------------------------- Next I turned to I ballasting... ... and made a start on the third rail. I revisited earlier experiments using Code 40 rail and sections of insulating rail joiners - and consulted some RMWeb experts to arrive at a plan for third-rail positioning. And here it is in progress: To the left of the two outside lines you may be able to make out insulators stuck in place awaiting third rail. They are difficult to see though - and that's the only drawback to this method - being translucent, they are almost invisible to the eye, so it's difficult to position them and see if they are correctly aligned. However, I found threading the rail through was far easier than I had anticipated. Despite these being quite tight curves, there was no resistance or friction at all. -------------------------------------------------------- Then I made some of sheets of advertising and signs ... ... and had now reached a point where structures-great and details-small where more or less finished and it was time to start assembling everything ready to fix in place. I have to say my favourite features of all this are my two bridges, and so before they were fixed in place one last photo-opportunity was granted to the press. Bridge No.19 The white tiles under both bridges are satin varnished to give a glazed effect. Bridge No. 20: In the centre of this next picture is the support upon which the main girder of the bridge rests. Interestingly, on the prototype, the other support on the same stretch of wall sits at a 90º angle to this one and is positioned behind the parapet rather then to one side of it. On the opposite wall this arrangement is reversed, so I modelled it likewise. The next picture shows the four housings across the middle of the bridge upon which the large curved cross-girders sit. Here we see everything sitting quite comfortably together. I was particularly happy with this. I hope it conveys an impression of great substance and heavy-duty engineering as did the original pictures to me. Here is the boarded-up arch ... I decided that two of the arches belong to the local paper, 'The Herald'. On the right is the office, it has an interior with newspapers mounted on the wall, although the picture doesn't show that too well. The arch on the left houses the press. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Then I had another mini-break and made some Coasting Signs for the motormen, mounted on lengths of old rail. That's track-side item 6 in the box. And here are the capping stones for Bridge No. 19: I built a 'stepped' base from Plasticard, then used Squadron White Putty to 'roughly' form the slopes. When dry I filed the slopes back, but left any imperfections unfilled, in order to give a time-worn, pitted look. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later the two fog huts ancient and modern were painted and weathered ... And that was pretty well it . So ... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frankland 100: Welcome everyone to another fine Spring morning here in Frankland, where everyone is out in their Sunday best for a stroll around the famous viaducts. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We start with a few views of Bridge No. 19 It's a bit run-down around here so we won't hang around for too long ... This corner looks particularly dark and dank - I wouldn't want to walk through here at night! Mind you, if you climb half-way up the Gasometer there's a good view of Frankland Station. And the view from the top is even better! Here's a view over the bridge And another looking along and around the viaduct towards bridge No. 20 Bridge No. 20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the far side of the bridge are the Automatic Fog Detonator placers. Here is one of them And here you can see the cranks and rods that operate it. Ditto on the opposite track ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cabling runs track-side the length of the viaduct: Some in ground-level concrete conduits, some along wall mounted brackets, but mostly in raised wooden conduits. Here you can see examples of all three. And here is the Bridge Number mounted on the parapet You can get quite a good view up Frankland Hill from here But let's continue around the viaduct toward Frankland Park In the distance is my Mona Lisa - the 'Craven A' lady has such an enigmatic look Here are the relay cabinets by the junction just outside Frankland Park station There are three point machines and plenty of cables here - and it looks to me like the points have been recently oiled too ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well now we're going to scramble down the embankment behind the tram shelter If we turn around and look across the road we spy the alleyway that runs between the flats on the left and old shops on the right We've never been down that way before so I thought today maybe we should take a look Here's office and print works of The Herald I don't think the paper does particularly well, their last big story was that court case involving the Winslow Boy and the 5/- Postal Order, and that was in 1908 Originally a small cobbled road ran along the front of the arches here up as far as the Rhododendron bush in the corner - however, when they built the new access road to the flats the original path became redundant and is now getting overgrown. But if you look carefully, you can still see some cobbles from the original path in some places. If you're wondering why the viaduct here looks so clean and new, it's because the developers of the flats had them all cleaned up to make the area a little more presentable. Anyway, here we are at the top of the road. If you climb to the roof of the shops you get some interesting angles down the back of the flats Look at the far end of this view and you'll see the little cut-through back to the main road It brings you out back by Bridge No 19 Like I said - you can still see the original cobbles in some places. So here we are back in the busy street. There seems to be a lot of traffic today! If you turn to your right here you'll see Bridge No. 20 There's Mona Lisa again - enigmatic as ever! More traffic! This old arch has been boarded up for years. And here's the other side of Bridge No 20 To our right is where we started this pleasant afternoon amble And here's a last look back before we go --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, before this programme ends, do take a minute to watch this delightful short clip: And that is the end of this broadcast.

The factory is looking good - is it based on an original or freelance (sorry if you mentioned it in a previous post). You're getting a bit of a dab-hand with the old Plasticard these days

Just to confirm that in proper measurements Frankland is 3' 4" x 6' 8", (and 78rpm is the speed of our bakelite discs). There will be an update in two or three weeks time. Be sure to have your wireless set warmed-up Thanks for the interest.

Excellent work Mr Simon - I love the view under the bridges and solitary man - it all adds to the atmosphere you are creating. I'm following every update, although only commenting from time-to-time

I have to say that for for me CF is my most inspirational layout of all time: It encompasses scope, detail, atmosphere, period observation, dedication and long-term planning on the most impressive scale. It takes my breath away everytime I see new pictures of it, and it sets the standard to which I aspire. I'm glad to see a thread about it here on RMW and look forward to updates when you can Meanwhile, good luck with the exhibition in Utrecht.

Lovely to see some videos Mr Simon, it all looks so good - especially with your nice, slow, realistic running. My favourite of course is the final shot (directly facing the viaduct) Great stuff!

"Hows Frankland coming along? Must be time for an update soon!?" In five or six weeks time I think Long overdue I know ...

As always great progress Mr Simon. I'm always impressed I must say you seem quite prolific in your output. Out of idle curiosity - may I ask how many hours you work on your layout (and associated activities) in an average week?

You're pushing those boundaries again I see David - keeping the rest of us on our toes! Excellent work as always

That's a major advance with the fiddle yard and back-boards going in - a sort of milestone I guess - you must be quite chuffed Simon I've been keeping an eye on your recent picture updates too and the scenics just get better all the time!

I'm glad you posted this overview of your layout: Your previous pictures had me totally absorbed in the excellent details, individual buildings and panaromas of viaduct and busy streets. This picture is a real advertisement for N gauge and just how little space (relatively speaking) is required to reproduce 'trains in the landscape' (or city). As always, top marks from me.

The bridge is a nice piece of work Simon. "I've always been worried about the hill being a bit of a comedy hill ... " You can often use scenics (trees/bushes/a small cottage/electricity pylon etc) to disguise/distract the eye /draw focus, as required. I think your house is sitting about the right height - because it will help block the view of the land rising behind it (or at least distract from the fact that the incline there is perhaps a little more sharp than you would ideally like) - at least that's if I'm reading your photos right. Knowing you I'm sure the finished scene will be spot on

Thanks for the overviews Mr Simon, a simple yet convincingly effective run of track you have there. And the shots with your buildings and bridge in place give a teasing taster of things to come. I really like this picture, with just a glimpse of the road underneath (and all the detail some of us know you've put into it). Some of my favourite pictures of railway modelling are not those that feature trains and locos close up - but those that set them in broader context or atmosphere. I can hear the traffic and sense the bustle of people in the road below, even though they are not visible, and I really like that

Thank you Ben, that's very kind of you to update me. I've been wondering recently when (or if) these were going to be available. What good news, I've been itching to get on with my 3-SUBS (despite being equally daunted at the prospect!). How early in the New year do you think this may be: January? February? March? Many thanks again. ------------------------------- There's a number of characters quite taken by the fashionable modernity of Frankland: Poirot's secretary Miss Lemon recently took a flat here, a younger Mrs Lopsided regularly comes to visit her sister, and Mrs Bridges and Mr Hudson have retired here. Meanwhile, there are also the youngsters like George, Julian, Dick, Anne and Timothy. When they get older; during the school holidays; they'll be sent to stay with their Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin who live by the seaside, where they'll enjoy lashings of ginger beer and get into all sorts of wholesome adventures. It's all quite thrilling living here in Frankland you know

Glad to see your layout moving ahead in terms of the broader aspects Simon. From all the snippets it's looking good Is it possible to have another overview to see the extent of your layout with new sections added?