Irishrailwayman

Great stuff Noel. Would you consider adding grafitti to the heavily weathered bubbles?

Trees for Llanuwchllyn have been developed using the Gaugemaster Sea Foam kit - the same technique used for my Llangollen and Cynwyd layouts. The dried sea foam natural plant product comes packed in a box and pieces are selected and teased out into "tree-like" shapes. Any natural leaves present may be removed. The stems and main branches are painted in brown or grey to simulate different "tree" species. Dilute PVA glue is daubed on the stem (e.g. to simulate ivy) or on the "branches" and a variety of scatter materials can be used sprinkling them on (material that does not stick can be caught on a folded piece of paper and re-used). Noch produce "leaf-like" scatters in a variety of colours but any fine scatter material can be used. In fact, the more variety, the more a natural variation is created - just like in nature. Similarly, the sea foam being a natural product means that no two trees are alike. The fineness of the model "trees" make them particularly suited to N gauge but they should also be at home in OO. A couple of pictures to illustrate the above:

Super building - just need an Irish loco now to complete the scene! Great project.

You could always use a clear varnish to give any of the above finishes if you wish.

I used Glue and Glaze to provide a lens if I recall correctly but a slice of a clear plastic bar would do either. I tried fibre optic cables previously but the type I had were a bit inflexible - perhaps there are better types available now.

Hi Noel, The directional lighting was done DIY on all of these Silver Fox locos. The LED lighting shines through two apertures drilled in the bodywork and was wired in to the DCC soundchips fitted in each case. The Mr Soundguy sound project from A39 was used. Gerry

This is the model from Irish Freight Models to which I added a red lamp and guard. The wooden planks are vertical but I have seen photos where the wood is planked horizontally so it may have varied across the fleet. The model features NEM pockets, spoked wheels and has wire grilles on the internal doors/window apertures. A couple of pics:

A couple of shots of Ballybeg in Steam, Black n' Tan and Supertrain era liveries:

Multi-era layout perhaps?

Any O Gauge versions on the horizon?

Generally good reaction from RMWebbers: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130571-accurascale-announce-4mm-scale-huo-and-buffer-detailing-kits/page-1

and the advanced engineer's models with livery variations?

Kit bashing is a useful way of turning out a bespoke version of real structures with the satisfaction of knowing the result is unique to you!

Mr Soundguy supplies a wide range of UK outline sound projects while also specialising in Irish prototypes. A recent soundchip acquired from him for the new Dapol streamlined GWR Railcar produces some impressive results. See attached video kindly prepared by Enniscorthyman:

It's all for fun!

Moving swiftly along, the buildings are now glued in place. The fencing is in development along with name-boards and many other details to be fitted later.

Could be used to mimic/outline old West Clare Railway?

An additional layer of patchy brown Earth undercoat and two tones of static grass applied on PVA using the Noch puffer bottle further adds to the scene. A little sand sprinkled on PVA gives a rough stony texture to the slopes also.

Advance notice that the 10th annual Model Railway Easter Exhibition is being held at St Joseph's Community Centre in Wexford on Easter Sunday 1st April and Bank Holiday Monday 2nd April 2018. Already 25 layouts have been booked - many new to show - as well as 11 traders and counting. The exhibition will run from noon to 6 pm on the Sunday and 11 am to 5 pm on the Monday. Looking forward to meeting you all there! More details closer to the event...

Thanks Noel. I start with a base of green then experiment with patches of the brown to give a variety of bases for scatter, weeds and static grass. This is the approach I adopted with Ballybeg, Llangollen and now Llanuwchllyn.

A coat of Green Earth Undercoat and we begin to see the emergence of a model railway... Particularly when some model buildings are added to the scene...

We fade to grey for this phase: a good coat of Rustins grey primer/undercoat provides a hardened base on the polyfilla coating ideal for landscaping. Next up, base coats of green/brown washes and start using scatter/grass materials...

That's the Peco locomotive holding unit allowing repairs etc. Very useful alright.

Snowfall on Llanuwchllyn! Plaster bandage was wetted quickly in strips and and placed over the dried cardboard/newspaper base. Polyfilla was then added with wetted brushes to provide smooth surfaces and contours. This is left to dry overnight before adding further filler if needed and wiping off any unwanted splashes on the backscene/mirrors/tracks with a damp cloth etc. Next up, once plaster is dry, paint the base landscape with undercoat to harden the surface...

Re. Dreams - if you confine yourself to O gauge Goods Wagons these work out around £40 each (less for kits) and you only need a half dozen or so. BR outline could be shuffled around with a Dapol 08 or Terrier/Pannier. and GWR with a suitably liveried Pannier. Carriages are a bit more expensive although Lion Heart are doing BR MK1s soon for £199 and Tower Models have the Dapol Autocoach for £170...