Depot #8 by Riverbank Railways (fictional 1980s / early 1990s depot)

[Tractionman]

this looks terrific, I love the weathering on the track bed and the little lineside details, great atmos.

all the best,

 

Keith

[JasonB]

Fantastic result. Loving the small details added. The redundant point rodding and trunking look the business.  

[Adrian]

The depot is sounding great these days  The last few weeks have concentrated on sound and getting it right. The LokSound decoders for 141/181 from Roads & Rails are great and come with a double iPhone speaker which is good...but I wasn't 100%, so decided to buy a load more speaker types and test them out. Also the iPhone speakers wouldn't quite fit without modifying / filing the chassis, which I didn't want to do without testing other speakers first, so the testing began.

Speaker Testing

Here's the full playlist with all speaker tests so you can see for yourselves if you like

 

Speaker Installation

I eventually settled on a combination of a sugarcube with as deep an enclosure as I could fit into the loco and a megabass speaker which just about fit, with some modification of the chassis. I found various posts on this topic (especially getting the body off) but no videos so created a full start to finish tutorial over in the tutorials section - hopefully it might help someone in the future

 

The Winner

And here's the final result!

 

Double Heading

And last thing I was doing this week was getting to grips with double heading and how to arrange CV values so as to be able to control loco functions while in the double header - got it running nicely and here's some 181 and 121 examples - enjoy!

 

 

New Railway

Last but not least, I am excited to launch Charobyn, a new large layout
 

 

[Adrian]

Big update below - I cant't believe it's been nearly a year since the last update! You think you're not getting a lot done, but when you look back and gather it all together, it can be surprising how much can been accomplished on a layout over a few months. So grab a cuppa (if that's your thing) and enjoy

 

Loco weathering

At the start of the summer I was excited to start weathering the locos. Not wanting to make my first attempt on our lovely beautiful (expensive) Murphy Models / IRM Irish locos, I took one of my older Lima class 33's and gave it a go, using some streaking techniques I had seen on Everard Junction on YouTube and also some weathering powders and paint effects. Quite pleased with the result and found it easy enough to do, mistakes could also be corrected so that put my mind at ease that I could handle Irish locos (they're working out well, more photos to come soon).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Backscenes & Lighting

Next up, I was getting sick of looking at the bare walls in every photo and took the plunge to create the backscenes and add better lighting. I put up a WIZ smart LED strip from Currys across the layout and workbench - made a massive difference to the quality of the lighting. The backscenes were particularly tricky to do since I had no access to the back of the baseboard (it being in a small office) and having to offset them from the wall due to plug sockets and the broadband connection terminals. So I mounted 2x4 blocks on the wall above and below the baseboard to carry the weight of the boards, cut the boards to size, and used double-sided picture hanging strips (from Homeware) to just hold the boards in place. I used ID Backscenes with the self adhesive backing, laid them on the board (very happy with how easy and smoothly they went on) and put them up. Voila, was delighted with the result...until about 4 days later. This was during the hot few weeks in the summer and I came in one morning to see the entire backscene was covered in bubbles  Looking online, other people had similar problems with the self adhesive expanding in the heat and then contracting, destroying the backscene! I was not pleased, however I re-purchased the backscene and flipped the boards around, attaching it on with strips of double sided tape from a craft store. This seemed to do the trick and I purposefully left gaps in the strips to allow any trapped air to escape. It's worked a treat so far and made a huge difference to the layout and photos.

Mounting the Backscenes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lighting Before and After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End Result

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buffers

Insanely, I decided to add LEDs to all the buffers from scratch. This turned out to be really fiddly and sometimes frustrating, but ultimately enjoyable and rewarding. The result was great and I'll pop a series of how-to images in the tutorial topic at some point in the near future if anyone wants to see how it was done. The LEDs for the Hornby buffers were easier to manage as they were 1206's (0.12 inches by 0.06 inches (3.2 x 1.6 mm)). However I used 0603's on the lamp on the Peco Buffers and they were tiny (0.06 by 0.03 inches (1.6 by 0.8 mm)). I also left some buffers without LEDs and rusted on older sidings. Using an old adjustable Gaugemaster control unit as the power source also meant the intensity of the lights could easily be turned up or down, so that was handy


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fuel Point

Next up near the end of the summer was to complete the fuel point. The concrete hardstands had been sitting there for a few months and I'd been itching to get at them and do some grimy, oily weathering. I also wanted to use a kit and add some dim orange lighting, typical of the 80's and 90's when LED lighting wasn't as widespread. Very happy with the end result, it has the dirty and grimy feel, with shiny oil stains and dim sodium lighting, exactly what I was aiming for

Adding metal grates to the concrete by digging strips out of the modelling clay, cutting out the plastic from a sieve, gluing in place, adding baby powder mixed with some coal dust to represent accumulated grime, more PVA, and then a series of black washes for colour. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Putting together the kit parts, painting and weathering them to look nice and oily

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the lighting, I used more of the small amber LEDs and wire saved from cutting off LED arms, and the frog wire from points. Supergluing this carefully (even using some heat shrink to insulate the wires where they cross on the structure), the long wires are then run down the two supports, where they can pass through holes in the baseboard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End Result!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New locos

October saw a career opportunity and change to work for Getty Images so I treated myself and expanded the fleet, picking up 4 locos at the Model Show in Dublin and a bunch more from the UK. This bring the Irish loco total to 24 which is the perfect size fleet for what I have in mind on the next, larger layout in the cabin (https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/11229-charobyn-model-railway/)

3 x 141s and a Black and Tan 121 from the Irish Model show, plus the obligatory couple of packs of ore wagons from irish Railway Models

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bought another 11 models and rolling stock from a UK modeller who just happened to be selling them when I was looking on ebay - have saved up for these for a while! (2 x 201, 3 x 071, 3 x 141 and 3 x 121)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Railings

Over Christmas, we all got struck down with Covid in the house (from the 23rd to the 2nd, just in time to go back to work    ). However it did mean a lot of time for modelling, so I added some railings from Scale Model Scenery around the depot and fuel point area to protect workers from accidentally wandering into the path of locos! The railings were a breeze to use, painted with a yellow / orange mix, weathered using black and rusty weathering powders, as well as a spot of aluminium paint for areas frequently leaned on by workers. Then some hole punching and PVA to hold them in place, as well as tricky joining work on the corners using Roket Card glue and job done. Pretty happy with the result, I like that they are weathered and dirty and not bright yellow when surrounded everywhere by oil and grime
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End result

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Static Grass

And last but not least, something I've been putting off for ages as I was terrified of screwing it up and making an irreversible mistake on the layout...scenery and static grass. So I took the opportunity to get my daughter (3 years 9 months) started in modelling over Christmas Covid lockdown and she helped me make a mock diorama to practice creating a hill and adding scenery. This worked out quite well, using insulation board from the local hardware, cut to shape with a steak knife and glued using gorilla glue. Then a coat of sculptamold, chocolate paint, ground cover and static grass. Also took the opportunity to practice making walls using 3mm mdf and covering one with textured brickwork wrap (made by a guy in Greece on Etsy ), one with brick plasticard and making one from scratch with DAS modelling clay and etching in the brickwork lines. All were weathered using paint washes and powders and turned out well. Adding Woodland scenics turf, bushes, underbrush, foliage and more scatter completed the scene - I felt a bit more confident about adding some scenery to the layout after this!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End Result

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This "practice run" then gave me to confidence to try out a little scene with old rusty rails and weeds near the back of one of the depot buildings. I'll admit I was getting worried that it looked crap and artifical, but when I started adding bushes and extra details, it really came together and I was delighted 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End Result

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

----------------------------------------

So there we go, "lot's done, more to do" as the fella says

I hope you enjoyed this update as much as I enjoyed putting it together. At the moment, I'm having great fun weathering the Irish locos. I think the next big project will be painting and properly weathering one of the engine sheds, but we'll see. I have also figured out how to upgrade the sound and fit twin double mega bass speakers into the 071s and the 201s so will share some videos on that soon. Also it was tricky but I even managed to fit another sugar cube tower speaker into the class 121 with amazing results. Will share that too as it was definitely not obvious, or easy to do!

More updates soon...much sooner than last time anyway
 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Adrian

[Rob]

Excellent stuff-  well worth the wait.   Take a bow!

[jhb171achill]

On 27/12/2021 at 10:44 PM, Adrian said:

Delighted with these class 121 sound chips for Christmas , checked with all the Irish suppliers but eventually got them from Roads & Rails in the UK.

1st is #127 with the newer 645 engine sounds, 2nd is #132 with the older 567 engine - enjoy!

 

 

That 567 engine is pure music. Reminds me of my teenage years travelling about the country, often with them up front.

[David Holman]

Somebody's been busy! Well done, sir.

[Galteemore]

Wonderful stuff. Bears out Sherlock Holmes’s admonition to Watson ‘you see but you do not observe’. This layout is full of real observation, applied and modelled. That abandoned rail, for instance, is spot on. It’s all about subtle tones and subtle transitions. Really good modelling - well done! 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Galteemore

[StevieB]

Some absolutely lovely stuff there.

Stephen

[DoctorPan]

That fueling depot not only seems to ooze atmosphere but the pong of sludgy oily ground. Amazing modelling.

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

Brilliant, I am late for work because of this now but who cares! I love it, well done lad, fair dues. 

[Flying Snail]

Wow - you've been busy and very productive: the layout looks brilliant! Excellent camera work too, it really brings it all to life!

[scahalane]

Fantastic. You really captured that 80's oily look. Very nicely photographed as well. Is the point rodding a kit?

[murrayec]

Stunning

[Adrian]

Thank you all for your comments, really appreciate them

@scahalane The point rodding is the SS89 kit from Wills https://www.marksmodels.com/search/?s=rodding&x=0&y=0

Very, very finicky and I would definitely recommend doing it as the track is being laid and before the ballast is in - looks good when it's in though 

[Rush and Lusk]

Absolutely fabulous Adrian - whilst my modelling is not of this standard, I found the recent posts informative, entertaining and inspirational.

Well done, George  

[popeye]

WOW  I thought I was looking at the real thing.

The track weathering is the best I have ever seen. 

[Adrian]

Thank you both very much :)

[murphaph]

You have a real modeller's eye for the detail Adrian. Nothing escapes you and it shows in the end result. A health and safety officer's nightmare from the 90's with slippy surfaces and trip hazards galore. Love it! If I can achieve these standards in my own diesel shed some day I will be very pleased.

[connollystn]

@Adrian - Fantastic stuff, your layout is very impressive and realistic looking, I am extremely jealous. The videos are good also - love the sound of the EMDs, my SDL39 (by ScaleTrains) sounds similar and think it may have the same prime mover.

[John-r]

Really stunning work, your attention to detail and explanatory notes are exceptional, a really big help to people like myself who lack the confidence to take on these type of tasks, after having really enjoyed your your tutorial on sound fitting a 141 loco, I cannot wait for the 071 and 201 tutorials. Thanks Adrian.

Regards

John.

[Adrian]

Thanks John, 

Appreciate your kind comments - with the scenic work complete, I'm gonna tackle those videos next week and get them online

[JasonB]

Stunning work. Sometimes, areas around sheds can be completely overdone when trying to create a convincing scene of oil and grime build up, but this, is absolutely spot on. 

For me, this is modelling perfection... 

 

[Adrian]

Cheers Jason! Thanks for that

[flange lubricator]

Looks fantastic . 

Edited January 27, 2023 by flange lubricator

[Adrian]

Finished my first fully weathered loco and am delighted with the result. Chose a 121 (#132) as they were particularly grimy and a good chance to test out different effects. I purposely used airbrushing as little as possible (only for the bogies and basic frame dirt around the buffer beams) because when testing on other older Hornby shells that I have, it can be very overpowering, blanketing the entire area in a specific colour and losing all the detail. I really wanted something more subtle than that and used weathering powders with coats of matt varnish between layers of effects. 

First one I tried out was #127 using dark weathering powders, however while it looked great to the untrained eye, it was spectacularly much dirtier than the reference photos I used. The effects were just too black and in real life, the dirt was lighter in color (it was dirt, not oil after all). Luckily, using weathering powders means you can easily correct mistakes as long as they are not sealed in and it will be easy to get it back to where I want it. 

The second attempt is in the photos below. Much happier with this, I used Johnson's baby powder mixed in with the black weathering powder to really lighten it up and then a combination of black & brown mix, dark and light rust and black for the bogies, black for oily areas and various brushing and dabbing techniques with brushes to get the right effects. Also added and weathered the buffer beam detail at the cab end and it really adds to it. 

So enjoy the photos below: have included a before and after, reference photo (the main one among many I was working with, and copyright remains with Fred Dean) and some detailed shots.

What do you think folks? Opinions welcome!

---

Before and After

 

Reference Photo

(From Fred Deans excellent IE gallery here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/be216cd1/albums/72177720301880935, and yes, I did look through all 3,495 photos there )

As you can see, although quite grimy, they're not absolutely covered in dirt and the orange comes through quite well along the sides. Plus the dirt is browny in colour, as opposed to jet black.

 

 

In context

 

 

Cab end detail

 

Front end detail

 

 

Exhaust area

 

 

Side shot (lightened to show bogie detail which tend to come out darker in photos focused on the body)

 

 

 

 

 

[jhb171achill]

That is EXPERT weathering! Well done!

[Gabhal Luimnigh]

That is top class weathering imo.

[connollystn]

Great job @ Adrian. I like the way you photographed it together with the non-weathered version, gives a real insight into how a good weathering job can enhance a model.

[Tullygrainey]

What a fine piece of work. It's a perfect demonstration of the value of looking properly and reproducing what you see. Heavy weathering is really hard to do well, even harder than light weathering in my experience - it's too easy to bury the model in gunge but you've really cracked it Adrian. Subtle and totally convincing. Masterclass.

Alan

[scahalane]

Wow! Perfect weathering. You'll have to put together a demo video for that.

[popeye]

Unbelievable and stunning. 

Weathering is something you get better at the more you do and learn to observe what the colours really are

on the real thing and never over do it.

I would use 6 or 7 different colours which helps to create the right overall look.

[Adrian]

Thank you everyone for the lovely comments

Will do @scahalane , I have more models coming up for weathering

 

[Patrick Davey]

Just catching up on this - very impressive throughout!!!

Edited March 3, 2023 by Patrick Davey

[Adrian]

On 1/3/2023 at 7:45 PM, Patrick Davey said:

Just catching on this - very impressive throughout!!!

Thank you Patrick