Gloucester Road Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Lee, That really is a nice mix/colour of green, dont worry about the static grass it can be applied over the base layer of greenery if you wish. Like how the building has turned out too. Starts to make the layout have a sense of place. The "in service" pictures are good too; must say Im rather partial to pictures with stories attached as they seem to make things have a purpose. Keep up the excellent work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.C.M Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Hi Lee, Looking good, I like the building at the back, did you use Wills corrugated sheet it looks really good? I am not sure if Ratio do it in N guage but I used there 00 chainlink fence which is fine netting, thge pack comes with posts etc. Cheers Peter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanks522 Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 looking really good Lee, amazing how the layout transforms when you add some grass. The platform looks fine, in real life there never dead flat and smooth, I think a little un-eveness adds to the character, It look great from the photo. Graham. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 Thanks Gents! It's really encouraging to get the positive feedback, especially as this layout is about developing skills. Hopefully I will get some time between DIY projects today to make some more trees up. I brought a hot glue gun in the Jan sales so I can start furnishing my hill with some floliage! I did save the thicker material that wouldn't go through the sieve for under the trees as it's got a slightly darker and leaf litter-like tone. I really did enjoy the Seacow photos. It does make me feel like I have a layout on the way! @ Peter, the corrugated material is Ratio. Quite a thick, resin like plastic. It was the only pack in the shop and the idea was to make corrugated foil off it, but the laying patterns were the wrong style so the building came to mine as is. I'll check the net for the fence you mentioned! I'm a perfectionist too far sometimes! I will only spent a bit more time on the platform before I write it off and move onto something else.... I can always revisit it in a month or two! Thanks again for the comments! Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Hi all. I'll start this message accordingly.... HELP!!!! I took to ballasting my layout the other night, and have laid the ballast over the length of the station loop. Usual process that I've used tons of times before...PVA, Water and a drop of washing up liquid. 24 hours later, and nothing seems to have set! I've even applied a second coat to the whole of the ballasted section and left it aroud 4 hours with no improvement in the ballast staying in place.....worse still, the sand that was previously stuck down with the same method seems to have gone soft and is actually coming away from the board. This is a bizzare outcome that I wasn't expecting and it's rather stopped me in my tracks! I've even got he test track I made at the start of the project, and the ballast is still holding firm on that. Has anybody got any suggestions or remedies for this rather frustrating situation? Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanks522 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Don't know if i can offer any advice Lee but this has happened to me before, I have no idea what i did differently but the mix just did not cure properly, If memory serves me right i left it a day or so to evaporate if thats the right word then went over it again with another mix but probably with more PVA than usual, I'm fairly sure that solved the problem. Graham. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted January 18, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 18, 2012 I had that problem last year, just hang in there it will set - just loads slower... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROADTRAIN1979 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Smart little layout there lee, well done ,good choice of locos too. Mark. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Don't know if i can offer any advice Lee but this has happened to me before, I have no idea what i did differently but the mix just did not cure properly, If memory serves me right i left it a day or so to evaporate if thats the right word then went over it again with another mix but probably with more PVA than usual, I'm fairly sure that solved the problem. Graham. I had that problem last year, just hang in there it will set - just loads slower... Thanks for the suggestions. It appears it may have been subject to sabotage by my significant other! Due to the lack of a sunny climate, apparently the washing has been drying out in there while I've been at work...Room is as damp as my morale was when I noticed it wasn't setting. A quick blow with a hairdryer seems to have hardened some of it up for a while......Tomorrow, I'll hit it with the dehumidifier and see if it helps....After that, I'll get a thicker glue mix sorted out. Might buy some fresh glue too. I've heard rumblings that people are using screenwash to break surface tension instead of the old washing up liquid. Has anyone reading tried this? I spent two hours yesterday meticulously moving ballast about and it still got moved, so I'm gonna glue down then tidy in future! Smart little layout there lee, well done ,good choice of locos too. Mark. Thanks Mark. Glad you like it. Ironically I never intended to get a Blue 47. I brought the GF starter set which suggests it comes with the Railfreight sector livery, but upon opening the pack when I got home, I found it to be a blue loco. I was going to take it back at first, but then I've never modelled the blue years and new ideas began to form...one thing leads to another and all of a sudden I may have had 3 more blue locos turn up Back to glueing and very patiently waiting then I guess....Photos soon when it's all done Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloucester Road Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Glad to see that the ballast is starting to set. Just give it time it will dry. To be safe once it hardens you might want to go back over the ballast with a slightly more glueier (?) mix. Ive never used anything other than washing up liquid so cant help you there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimly Feendish Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Hi Lee, what a great little layout, great work! Re the washingup liquid alternative, I've used rubbing alcohol quite successfully in the past. I imagine screen wash would work well as well. John. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 After it's dried, you could always drop some Future on it to harden it off? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloucester Road Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 How has the ballast dried? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 20, 2012 Author Share Posted January 20, 2012 Hi Lee, what a great little layout, great work! Re the washingup liquid alternative, I've used rubbing alcohol quite successfully in the past. I imagine screen wash would work well as well. John. Hey John, thanks for the comment, and welcome to the forum (or the posting side if you've been a lurker!) I might just do a test with some screen wash and put paid to rumours I've glanced over...got a gallon sitting on the side so I'm sure I can spare a few drops After it's dried, you could always drop some Future on it to harden it off? Hey Steve, you will have to enlighten my here.....Future? How has the ballast dried? Hi Stephen. The ballast is taking now. It'll cost me an arm & a leg in electricity, but the dehumidifier helped big time! The RH in the room was 82%!!! should have been more like 60% but the machine has brought the relative humidity down to 35% for the day, and the glue is setting much much quicker now. It doesn't help that 'the boss' had an aversion towards doors, so there are none - barre the toilet - inside the house! Something that I am working hard to rectify, especially as a child safety gate isn't husky-proof!! I've now laid almost all the ballast on the layout....I did somehow manage to find myself applying glue to unballasted sections of track though, which I took as a sign that it was time to down tools for the night! I will finish the ballast out-right tomorrow, and clean up the track ready for some running I think :D:D The platform has come out a lot smoother now that I've used a filler putty. Of course it's also covered in green spots and I've run out of the grey paint so it's a job that will have to wait. All being well, some pictures showing progress over the weekend! Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pledge-Klear-Multi-surface-750ml-floor/dp/B0033B9X1K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327085707&sr=8-1 Great for making washes, gloss coating models before applying transfers, fixing scatter materials, making clear parts look thinner - it's actually magic. Do some google / youtube searches - I have a feeling Andy Y used it on one of his layouts to fix the ballast? I used it on my plank. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 http://www.amazon.co...27085707&sr=8-1 Great for making washes, gloss coating models before applying transfers, fixing scatter materials, making clear parts look thinner - it's actually magic. Do some google / youtube searches - I have a feeling Andy Y used it on one of his layouts to fix the ballast? I used it on my plank. As, I see lol. A bit of a bits n bob day today, mostly centralised around tidying up my modelling desk! I've got the ballast down and dried now (with a little encouragement!) The points are all working and I've just got to do a few bits of ballast clean up to finish off now. Space left for magnets on the loop and on the entry road to the three sidings. Some generic shots of the ballasting. I'm making a photolog so I can look back on things such as the tunnel mouth, and how each stage improves it. Well that's the plan anyway! Some shots for fun with a ballast theme. As you'll notice, I've made a start on building my Shark wagon. (found it under the junk on my desk!) I have plans to illuminate this little model and add directional tail lamps. With a £60 outlay though, that can wait..unlike me wanting a shark on my layout! So a little movement on the layout recently. I'm going to start tidying up the edges of the scene and work on that tunnel mouth next. Once I'm convinced with the ballast being secure, I'll also start weathering the track a bit more. Oh boy does that 37 need some grime! Hope y'all like Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MrSimon Posted January 21, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 21, 2012 Looking good - I love how spacious it looks Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanks522 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Really coming together well Lee, ballasting looks great. I didn't know there were working tail lamps available, could you let me know where etc. Graham. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Thanks chaps. Graham, there isn't as far as I know.... Iwas gonna buy the bits and make one or two for myself....the problem is to have it dcc, it needs a decoder and two of the very small LEDs. Once you add a pack of pickups in as well, it's about £60 to put lights into something that didn't cost half that! lol Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanks522 Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Cheers Lee, I'm sure years ago there was someone who made a N-gauge tail lamp kit, I had one and fitted it in a HEA but have no idea where it came from, best of luck for your one. Graham. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloucester Road Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 There is definite progress there. Nice to see the ballast down and staying put. I seem to remember something about tail lights on n wagons. Quick poke around the interweb and found a guy on ebay, gypsybidder, i think who sell EOT kits. End of train device is what it stands for, looks like small led lamps, battery operated with an on/off switch. found this too:Tomar Industries N Scale End-Of-Train Device Kit w/Amber Lens Not sure if that is any help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 Thanks for the info Stephen! I had a similar battery operated tail lamp on my 00 BYA's a while back, and they were from models. I'm sure at the time they did an N gauge system but alas, no more now I model in N. The problem now in this DCC age, and the end-to-end layout design. I need directional lighting on the Shark, so there is a lamp on each end and they can be switched remotely (as I'd hate to have to lift the wagon off the line each time I head back off the layout. I moght be able to do it in a better manner yet. I haven't looked at it for a while and there is obviously a wide range of applications possible here! I've seen something somewhere about making your own decoders. As it's something simple I need, it might be an option, although I doubt my soldering skills are up to it! LOL It's a bit of a back-burnered projected for the time being but I'll deffinatly make a song and dance about it when I move it to the fore! Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 If the forum did modelmaker's 'Darwin' awards, I'd have just earnt myself a nod. While making up a hardstanding (to become my path and base for the big warehouse type building) I thought I'd use the excess to fill a hole in the layout - more a crater. Of course while pouring, I started talking to the dog and proceeded to pour smooth-it all over my siding! WHAT A DINGBAT! Thankfully I'd moved my ballast train out of the siding before I started (hence only a nod). I wiln now have to reballast and paint my track in the siding area :crazy_mini2: Oh well, the path around my building will look good I hope Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted January 22, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 22, 2012 I've heard rumblings that people are using screenwash to break surface tension instead of the old washing up liquid. Has anyone reading tried this? I always use screen wash. It works well and you only need a tiny amount of it. I made a jar (400ml) up of 25% concentration about 4 years ago. I done about 30ft of ballasting in this time and have used up 1/4 of the jar at most and quite a lot will have gone from evaporation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee m22 Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share Posted January 29, 2012 I always use screen wash. It works well and you only need a tiny amount of it. I made a jar (400ml) up of 25% concentration about 4 years ago. I done about 30ft of ballasting in this time and have used up 1/4 of the jar at most and quite a lot will have gone from evaporation. Hey, Thanks for the info Kris. I'll give it a go! Not much to update I'm afraid. A mix of a weak wallet before payday and a glut of overtime at work has slowed progress. I did manage to pick up some liquid gravity and a weathering wash yesterday though so some stock has been out for a play!. I've also started to fix my error with the smooth-it plaster too, by painting the track that got covered and preparing to re-ballast. The mistake, as youcan see, was a large patch of filling that lead to the siding on the right being engulfed. Annoyingly, not only has this cause grief with the track, the smooth-it has shrunk in odd places leaving an uneven surface anyway! I'm still looking for ideas of what to do with this patch, and I'm open to suggestions.......perhaps an old goods shed? The hardstanding I was making that lead to the disaster. Again some odd shrinking has left it uneaven, but a bit of sanding got it closer the mark. Once I can order some fencing next week, I will get this area painted up and covered in vegetation at the base of the building, so that the block of plaster will be no more than a path running around the building. My birthday airbrush is now in question so I may just hand paint the building by hand. It will be a sort of toned down red colour. probably heavily weathered too. I can start to see the scene coming together now which is good. I'm waiting on some other fencing parts to turn the area behind the platform into a carpark, then - leading to the tunnel mouth - probably a storage area for track working vehicles and equipment. Not sure on that or how it will look yet. I have tried out a sand brown weathering wash on these two wagons...Not totally impressed tbf. I think the GW washes provided a better finish, although this wash may be more suitable for airbrushing..... One for fun - I don't think this local service has really come all the way from Hull!! Right, I really need to do some worthwhile modelling so back to work for me! Plenty of electrical problems to fix!! Thanks for looking Regards Lee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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