moogle

Painted the backscene and made a start on planting the ruins! Used acrylics as I prefer them for landscape painting. I think the backscene join has blended well: Planted the ruins doing some landscaping while I went. Still got the rocks and boulders to paint. Then the road, a bridge to build, cutting sides to model... Hold on, need to buy some track first! Next update may be some time...

Added some ivy. Began with adding some polyfibre with pva glue. Once the glue had dried I added some medium coarse medium green flock using a slightly watered down pva. I think the ivy has enough 'bulk' without being too much. May dry brush a few green highlights onto the ivy, not sure yet.

Done some more work, filled in window edges, added joist holes, musket loops, stonework, oh and a bit of painting. Added some battlements/defences and mullioned window remains... All I need now is to add ivy. Hence why I haven't scribed stonework all over it!

For the fortified house ruins I used materials at hand: corrugated card... Walls have been covered on plaster and clay. A little warping occurred but nothing drastic. Not that it matters as its a ruin so perfection isn't needed! Lots to do still. Stonework to scribe, musket loops to add, holes where floor joists were etc... The backscene has a coat of blue on it to aid sanding out any bumps where I had to infill some dents with modelling paste. When sanded they'll show up as white, then I can paint the backscene properly! The inspiration for these ruins, architectural wise, came from here

I'm back and over the last few months I've done some work on Kilnevan for the 1st time in over a year! Yes, I've finally extended the layout into a tailchaser, just like I've wanted to do for the last few years. The layout now measures 6' 4” x 2' 7”, so not much longer than it was, but a fair bit wider. The original backscene has been cut back slightly and a new curved one added to it. This is card covered in canvas with wooden supports at the rear. The track in the pictures isn't fixed down yet as the curve is an old length of code 80 and I'll be using code 55. I have most of the points needed, but it will be a while before I get the rest of the points and track thats needed. Meanwhile I can at least work on some of the scenery. Made a start on some polystyrene formers for the only hill on the layout which will have a road curving up one side of it in order to cross over the railway where the scenic break will be. Need to find a suitable Cork area prototype bridge to model! There will be a ruined fortified house on the hill.

After a long time not doing any modelling, moving and various other things I've finally started some work on the layout again. Been adding some stone walling around the railway. Need a lot of work still. A mixture of Liddle End and Jarvis if I remember rightly. Finish some with entry gate and flower beds. Not started on the petrol station. I am looking at what pumps would suit it first, so more research! Apologies for the poor photos. Camera is still packed away in one of the many boxes from moving!

Coloured pencils can be good for white edges on card kits, as can 'Promarker' pens as I've found. Hair grips? Never thought of them. Thanks for the idea! Hairspray is useful but be warned that they do break down over time, an artists spray adhesive will be better for more permanent hold but is more expensive. Note I said adhesive as you can get an artists fixative spray which is different. Intended for pastels and watercolours, so has weathering uses. Baby powder/talcum powder is also useful for dusting rubber molds prior to casting, a trick I learned years ago on a ceramics course!

A big thank you to all involved in this. An excellent resource for any Irish outline modeller! I've downloaded the last few even though I have them in print as having a back up copy is a good idea. Plenty to read now, just as I'm going away and won't be near my computer!

I have a few things other that the obvious described above: These tools are mainly from art and craft shops. Pallet knives on the left. The Boldmere ones are a cheap set, cost about £3 to £4. The next two are by Liquitex (if I remember rightly, the names rubbed off with use) and cost £8 to £9 each! I've had them for a good 10 years and unlike the cheap ones don't need gluing back together every now and then. Have many uses, painting gluing, sculpting etc... Cheap toothbrush on the right from a pound shop (from a pack of 4!) useful for cleaning residues off of kit parts for example. Brass cleaning pen, good for stubborn dirt on loco wheels, brass kits etc... Top left, cheap sponge brushes. Use for glue, paint, clay etc... Then we have a set of silicon sculpting brushes. They were cheap, a couple of quid and are very useful in any clay work like waves. Then an assortment of cheap clamps out of the pound shop. Compass cutter on the left. Cheap one as its not something thats used a lot but is useful! On the right we have several perforating tools. These are by Pergamano and are used in parchment craft for making nice shaped holes. I use them for scribing into clay and plaster. Cost about £8 to £10 each but they last years and can be resharpened with a file when blunt. The little scissors are for card making/decoupage, cost about a fiver and are extremely useful! Last of all I have two small pin vices, a normal one and a swivel one. They take up to 1mm diameter bits and are very useful especially when laying N gauge track.

I will and you're most welcome.

Welcome Nelson. You have talent, I get the impression you've learnt a lot from you're dad though I could be wrong. Either way its nice to see another young modeller on here as it's what the hobby needs. Especially one modelling Irish outline!

I can see where you are coming from but if like me you model pre 1960 then its a must have in your book collection. Maybe someone should do a book that covers the last 50 years only?

on a serious level! Cracking work there, especially with the Das. The level of dereliction you are achieving is fantastic. Looking forward to more after your 'short' move.

Thanks for this. I've book marked it for later as I think many hours could be spent perusing this lot!

You are both correct! I bet it was the last clue that helped... Would this be the Bessbrook and Newry Electric Tramway by any chance?

Thats quite a size you have there. At least you haven't gone mad and filled the whole garden, which is what I'd want to do! Good thing about that scale is that its easier to scratchbuild in. Well, compared to N gauge anyway...

Oh my. I thought I'd picked an easy one lads! OK, time for another clue. It shared its name with a much larger station in the UK, though that had an extra letter on the end in the form of an 'E'. So, to re-cap: On which tramway was the station known locally as 'Charlie Allens'? Its narrow gauge and although it said station on ordnance survey maps it was in fact a halt. And it shared its name with a much larger station in the UK, though that had an extra letter on the end in the form of an 'E'.

She couldn't do that over here.... ....they'd get nicked!

You've obviously seen my early work by the sound of that! Nice statistics and good to see that the site is healthy and growing. Three to Boskonay too for paying to run the site from his own pocket. There's not many people who will do that for their hobby. Well done sir!

Well I said railway when I should have said tramway. My apologies. A clue? OK, its narrow gauge and although it said station on ordnance survey maps it was in fact a halt. I'll see if that narrows it down for anyone!

Anyway, back on track if you'll pardon the pun. Probably too easy this one but I've gotta try! On which railway was the station known locally as 'Charlie Allens'?

I wonder how she handles corners? The bike that is!

Nice to see another N gauge layout on here! A bit modern for me but nice all the same. There's not many of us Irish outline N gauge modellers on here so I'll be watching this one for sure.

That's a lot of chainsaws...