David Holman

Likewise a big fan of the Chagford fireman. He has the ability to make believe what he describes is achievable by everyone. Amusing too. His layout design books are some of my all time favourites - Finescale in Small Spaces and Light Railwsys especially.

My own absolute essentials are:

The Art of Weathering by Martyn Welch, essential for getting colour right and applicable to the whole layout, not just stock.

Landscape Modelling by Barry Norman, the instigator of modern scenic techniques

Both tree books by Gordon Gravett ,plus his new book on grass, roads and mud. Builds perfectly on the above and the best 25 quid you can spend this year.

If you can get them, John Ahern's books on buildings and locos from the 1950s cover all the basics and are still very useful today, while Geoff Holts two books on loco building and David Jenkinson's one carriages make these challenging topics very achievable.

One very impressive piece of work. Really interesting to see how it developed too!

VERY well done.

Thanks for the merging BosKonay, am guessing I stick to the same thread in future. A bit slow, but I get there in the end. Bit of a butterfly mind too...

Re the grass, Barl, 'tis incredibly easy if you possess one of the wonderful static grass machines. Whether the cheap, tea strainer one [Freezinghall Models], or of the more expensive type, they are the poodles' privates for scenic work. Mine cost me £75, but has been worth every penny. Also use the Noch puffer bottles too, which are great for tight spaces. My local model club invested in one & is be loaned out. Nice idea if you don't want to splash out yourself.

Thank you again for the kind words.

No idea re the moderator thing, advice anyone?

Must admit to being pleased with the pictures. Believe me I am not expert, though an eye for composition perhaps helps. I mainly use a fifty quid Nikon Coolpix, set on auto and lowest resolution for the website. Only adaptation comes from using the Microsoft Works 'crop' tool in the photo editing bit. The other thing is to mostly go for low angle shots, putting myself on the same plane as if looking at the real thing. This can really help hide stuff you do not want seen and improve overall perspective. Taking pics is also like doing a proof read of your modelling. Sometimes they show up stuff that really needs improving, other times you can get a nice surprise. Guess which ones I share!

25 years doing fine scale modelling, mainly in 7mm scale has helped me gain the skills I now use. However, there is so much fine stuff available commercially now That I really do feel it is well within anyone's ability to produce an effective layout. For me it I'd the scenics that can make all the difference and what I do is very much thanks to the writings of John Ahern, Barry Norman, Iain Rice, Martyn Welch, Tony Hill and Gordon Gravett. They have done all the hard work and then shared how they achieved it.

Am wary of repeating what they do, but will try to put something on Workbench to show my interpretation of it

I did my wagons from the drawings on our website, though still fret from time to time over how accurate the underframes are...

However, well done with your efforts thus far, especially the brown van - built on commercial underframes I presume? In 4mm scale, others may correct me, but the Ratio wagon chassis was always a good starting point, especially if you change the wheels for something closer to scale [and better running]. Given that many of the so called Irish RTR wagons look to me like re-branded BR ones, a bit of scratchbuilding and kit bashing is the way to go if you want greater accuracy.

One day perhaps, someone will write a book on Irish wagons, like the many which exist for English railways - preferably with lots of scale plans & clear photos. If so, I will be first in the queue to buy one!

There's an interesting thought...

If I remember rightly Z is 6.3mm gauge, so using N track [9mm] in Z scale would equate to around... too much, probably. Shame as am sure diesels in particular might be adaptable.

At the other end of the scale have often consider 1:48 [American O gauge] as 32mm track would be very close to 5' 3" and EM track [18mm] spot on for 3' narrow gauge. Wheels then become an issue though. Like most things on the Irish scene, a degree of compromise and scrathbuilding is essential.

Have tried to follow my own advice in last week's blog by returning to the 'little and often' approach.

The problem I have with scenic work is that the first application [on top of previously bare boards] seems to make such a difference, that I either then try and go on to do too much, or think it is ok and don't need to do any more. In the first case, it definitely helps to let paint, glue etc dry [seems obvious but have far too many of those t-shirts in the drawer], while for the second, a return visit, even an hour later soon shows how much still needs doing.

When applying ground cover, you only have to look at nature to see how varied everything is. Hence my scenic work is built up in layers. The basic sequence is:

- scatter foam on a bed of PVA glue, then wet with water/dilute PVA and apply a layer of static grass straight on top.

- this is when it pays to wait for things to dry!

- after out with the postiche/scenic matting and spray lacquer to add layers of weeds, brambles etc

- alternatively, use the static grass for a second layer

- additional detailing then comes by planting previously made nettles [horse hair dipped in crumb], dry grass etc

These last few jobs can be done quite quickly and are very satisfying in terms of seeing things build up. Beware over doing though! Equally, a trim with the scissors can soon restore order.

Hope you like these latest pictures. The 'end' board is now nearing completion, though every time I go back to it, the list seems to get longer - mainly in terms of stuff still needed for the garage. Am hoping a shopping trip to the Reading Trade Fair in December will help.

While some way from being finished yet, I very much hope the layout will make its debut at the Chatham show, at Gilingham leisure centre in June next year. Assuming all goes well, will then be open to invites.

Main tasks still to be done are 50% of scenics, a triple armed signal, display boards/fascia, plus another small tank and a few more wagons. Reading that makes me sometimes wonder if I am on schedule, but hey winter approaches which is very much the modelling season.

Have always used car body filler. A bit smelly, but goes off fairly quickly and is easier to mix than Milliput. Sands and files well too.

David

 

4mm, of course!

 

I trawled the Sprinks album myself this morning and there is not a sign of a bread container anywhere!

 

Leslie

Wrong size, shame! Though am sure the majority will appreciate the 4mm. Think the bread containers will be on the back burner for now. Will cast some more GN vans and also do a couple of semis, plus a horse box. By then the fiddle yard will be full, so have to be choosy.

Pierre is a fighter pilot. And French.

One day, he takes his girl friend, Fifi on a picnic and after they have eaten, the settle down for a cuddle.

Kiss me Pierre, she says.

Pierre responds but first pours red wine on her mouth.

Pierre! what are you doing?

He replies - I am Pierre the fighter pilot, and when I kiss your lips, I must have the rich red wine to compliment them.

Soon, Fifi's top comes off, but to her surprise, before kissing her bosom, he pours half a bottle of chardonnay over her.

Pierre!! What are you doing?

I am Pierre the fighter pilot and when I kiss the soft mounds of your bosom I must have this fine chardonnay to go with it.

Things progress and Fifi huskily requests Pierre to 'kiss her down there'

Pierre responds by pulling down her knickers, pouring brandy on her muff and setting fire to it

PIERRE, what are you doing?????

I am Pierre the fighter pilot and when I go down, I go down in flames!

Easily expandable and best done in a suitable accent. Must be one of the best ever.

Two thoughts:

1. why the feck would anyone EVER want to move from such a paradise

2 what on earth are they moving to - as it would have to be even better

Humbling comments chaps. You certainly know how to make someone feel good!

The white, corrugated building started life as a dairy, believe it or not, but there wasn't enough room for it on the previous layout. However, you are right, it is Wills sheets, the corrugated asbestos version, which to my eye look fine in 7mm scale. The provide the overlap of sheets much better than Slaters. The building is now serving as the Arigna Town Miners Welfare...

The barn is also all Wills sheet, on a card formers. The stonework is used all over the layout and is marginally easier to paint that brickwork. The trick with the corrugated roofs is to run dirty thinners into the gullies and when dry, dry brush the ridges with a lighter shade of the top colour. See Martyn Welch bible for details.

Meanwhile, have become unhappy with the back scene behind the goods yard, middle board, so that has been painted out, pending a mark two (or maybe mark 3) attempt. Will keep you posted.

Have been working my way along the layout, towards the station, from the fiddle yard. A couple more trees done and much fun experimenting with the electrostatic grass tool. 6mm fibres mainly, but also judicious use of postiche [artist's hair], spray lacquer and fine crumb.

Have had to adjust the colours on the backscene as the trees did not match the colour of the Woodlands scenic matting I used for the foliage. Still more work needed here as the colours are still probably too bright.

Here are a couple of pictures I promised, showing how the use of an electrostatic grass tool can enhance a rubberised horse hair hedge. The first is showing bare 6mm fibres, the second after a spray with beige paint. Good possibilities for a winter hedge methinks.

No varnish Mr P - whatever the powders are made of, they stick quite well without it. Am sure the process of roughing up the surface keeps the particles in the crevices and most is brushed off anyway. Doubt if it will stand up to a lot of handling, but my fiddle yard is a full train turntable, so shouldn't be a problem [i hope!]

Good stuff! Always a positive when trains not only look good, but run well too. By no means a given, in my experience, so well done.

Very nice, though a further enhancement is described by Gordon Gravett which uses an electrostatic grass tool to put 6mm fibres on to the rubberised horsehair, then spray brown/grey, before then adding the fine crumb. The fibres are great for hawthorn, gorse or any thorny or fine branched hedging. Dead simple and very effective. Will put up some photos at the weekend.

If I hadn't been committed to SLNCR, I would certainly be having a go at the T&C. Argadeen has long been one of my favourites and roadside tramways are another. Add in the ability to run a C class diesel and it becomes almost irresistible. One day...

Thanks - Sprinks album is my bible, while have five cattle vans to date, all scratch built. Are yours 4mm or 7mm? Mine are the latter.

Bread wagons currently on hold as may not have room in the fiddle yard. One day though...

dont know much about it , but is this her?...

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9852[/ATTACH]

 

only pic i could find - a beautiful little engine!

That is the one. Apparently now the best selling rtr O gauge loco ever. Runs as well as it looks too. Minor gripe is the lack of an underside to the boiler, which shows much less in black, but at this price, it is hard to complain.

As mentioned in my blog, have recently completed two SLNCR brake vans. Construction was fairly straightforward, with a plasticard shell, detailed with Evergreeen microstrip on Tyrconnel models whitemetal chassis. Initial painting was by using Halford's grey primer spray can, then hand lettered with a white gel pen. The first picture shows them in this initial, raw state.

Then used a fibreglass pen to rub down the paint an lettering to make it appear worn. Afterwards a wash of 'dirty thinners' [Precision roof dirt], was loaded on by brush, holding the van at an angle. This means all the dark colouring is pulled into scratches and cracks, like dirt would be on the real thing...

The next pics show my GW model rivet press, which I use to emboss rivets onto micro strip for wagon strapping, plus the Freestone Models pack of weathering powders. There a quite a few options out there these days, but these are the ones I get on with. The littlle make up tubs make them easy to store and apply.

Before the weathering powders though, I spend time painting the metal work - mainly wheels in this case. A blend of Humbrol 53 [gunmetal], matt black and leather [63] give a nicely worn effect, as first described by Martyn Welch in The Art of Weathering.

The Freestone powders were then dusted on using a medium sized paint brush, as appropriate. The key here has to be to work to a suitable photo. It doesn't have to be the wagon in question [though this helps], but do work on what you can SEE, not what you imagine. A lot of the powder gets brushed off and can be saved in a new 'generic dirt' tub for future use. The final [and very important] trick is to then give your model a dusting of talc. This has the effect of softening the work and gives a neat, dusty, effect. Obviously, much depends on the level of grime you are applying and in both case here, this was pretty heavy. I feel it looks ok, though that is for others to judge. Hope this helps!

Clearly not, seems to be the answer! either I have stumped you all, or [more likely], this is not an area of interest perhaps.

Anyway, managed to get some answers of my own, which weren't entirely what I was hoping for, though many thanks are due to Ixion for their advice.

The little Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T is a fair ringer for the J28 which ran on the Timoleague and Courtmacsherry tramway [though this was actually a Hunslet]. I was hoping that I could replace the axles with extended ones available from Slaters and then tweak out the pick ups and move the brake shoes. However, the Ixion wheels are on 1/8" [3mm] axles, whereas the Slaters ones are 3/16" [5mm]. Ok, longer axles could be cut from suitable steel rod, but might present issues with wheel quartering. In addition, the drive wheel axle is knurled & getting the gear off could be tricky.

All this adds up when you have to spend [a very reasonable] £225 for the little loco & immediately invalidate its guarantee... Which is a shame as it could otherwise have present an ideal intro to 7mm scale Irish modelling. Having said that, if you are happy with 32mm gauge, then why not? If so, I would urge anyone contemplating such a project to go for light section rail [say Code 100]. Once did this for an English roadside tramway and have several folk asking me if it was broad gauge. Tyrconnel models do the other two Timoleague locos and some coaches, so a model of this delightful line is perfectly possible. would still aim to do 36.75mm gauge though - it just looks the part.

Am now at the stage where 'ground cover' is being added, so decided to start from the fiddle yard end. Hopefully the tree and garage help to hide the exit to the train turntable. Relied heavily on the writings of Barry Norman, Tony Hill and, especially, Gordon Gravett, who's new book, 'Modelling Grassland and Landscape Detailing' deserves to be the reference book of the next few years. you do need an electrostatic grass 'planter' though. Will add some more notes in my blog.

The garage is still not finished and the close ups of the petrol pumps expose the crudity of my hand lettering. However, while the Classic Commercial castings and transfers remain unavailable will have to do for now. The pumps are [like pretty much everything else] scratchbuilt and came from doing an internet search for pictures. the choice of Esso was down to the 'head' being the simplest shape, though have since found that headless examples were quite common in Britain, so presume the same occurred in Ireland?

Impressive - well done. Know where I will go for my next lot of mould making stuff now. Thanks!