Port Bréige

[KMCE]

The brief discussion on micro layouts in the "Irish Models" section got me thinking.  I rather liked that Canal Wharf micro layout by Scalescenes and decided to take a closer look at it https://scalescenes.com/product/ly02-canal-wharf-boxfile-layout/ and at £10 I though, why not?  Question was, could it be done in 21mm - as it turns out, yes, and proves to be quite a shunting puzzle.

The Scalescene layout in the box is of limited operational use, however they do recommend using a sector plate or traverser to provide some level of operation.  I opted for the sector plate and incorporated it into a single layout, which will be twice the size of the scalescene proposal and I could use some other buildings to hide the sector plate.  The wharf space was limited, and as I already had the dock scene from Scalescenes, I could extend the wharf and convert to a port - in this case a small fictious port somewhere in Ireland.

As the track will be covered by the kit base scene, there was no need to provide all the sleepering - just enough to hold the track in position.  A Y-point was created, and even though it is short, it has the equalivent of 800mm radius (as does all the track) which means locos & wagons travel through quite well.

This was wired up for DC (or as the layout is so small, it could be DCC).  Sector plate will be operated by a simple push rod, as will the point. 

Uncoupling positions (magnets) are noted by the circles and the layout operates with 4 short wagons.  Each small siding can only hold one wagon without fouling the points, while the top road can just about hold all four wagons.  Sector plate can hold the loco and two wagons, so shunting options are quite limited.  By using the uncoupling position on the point exit, it is possible to make up trains of 3 on the long road, from the 4 wagons and still provide quite a challenge.

 

This is then put into a box to contain the scene and make it portable.

Box overall dimensions are 660 mm long x 300mm deep x 320mm high, so quite small.

 

The scalescene kit is very good and buildings come together well, albeit with a lot of cutting and sore fingers!

I'm planning on using the drifter I have as part of the scene, plus a modified version of a building I had built for the Port Cumtha layout, which has since been dismantled. 

This building will be exteded to incorporate the bridge section which will then hide the sector plate from the normal viewing position.  This is still a work in progress and will be complete once I get a better indication of how the bridge will tie the two together.

Some strip LED lighting was added to light the scene.

 

Further progress on buidlings and rolling stock added to give some scale.

Loco used is my model of 495 with mixture of wagons.  I need to build more box / open wagons as they would be more appropriate for a dock scene.

 

Plenty of work to be done as the building on the left is to be constructed, building on the right to be completed with the bridge, backscenes added, and water detail to be started.

Very enjoyable project and with the scalescene kit, it comes together very quickly.

 

More as progress warrants.....

Ken

[Galteemore]

Terrific stuff, Ken. Also an ideal way for anyone who wants to dip a toe into modelling - as a neophyte or simply to try a new gauge (like 21mm ). Low outlay, small footprint, fast build time - what’s not to like? Looks a very convincing likeness of a port on the DSE...

[murrayec]

Fantastic Ken

 

[popeye]

Beautiful, and very atmospheric. 

[David Holman]

How splendid! The article in RM very much caught my eye and was hoping somebody would have a go in 21mm. Now we know why you've got stiff fingers from working with card, Ken. Great work, good fun and a lovely example of what can be done in a small space

[KMCE]

Ok, so a bit of progress.  

 

Some work done on the LHS building.  

Still more work to finish out the roof, etc.  What does need work is the central column on the LHS buidling to accommodate the wider loading gauge; the point & track build makes the space for he front covered wagon too tight.  Cutting the column back & recovering (thanks to being able to re-print the cover) solved the problem, howeever the doors will not fit - leaving them off is the easy solution!

 

Sea detail is as per MarklinofSweeden (youtube) tutorial using PVA glue and toilet roll to create very realistic sea & waves.  Painting and varnishing to be completed to get to a finish similar to this - hopefully!!

 

Making progress.

Anon,

Ken

[David Holman]

Lovely stuff!

[KMCE]

Some progress to report.

LHS building is virtually complete, some snags to complete, but starting to look well.

 

 

Re-purposed building got a face lift with new covering and red brick arches to blend in with the rest of the scene.  The high roof will help to hide the back area over the sector plate.  

 

Another small building will be needed to tie the front scene to the rear using the bridge as a view block.

 

 

Sea effect got some paint and a first coat of varnish - many more to go!!

 

 

Bit more gloss over the paint should add some depth to the water and add a sparkle.

 

Also - first outing for some new rolling stock.  In this case a DSER 7 Ton mineral wagon.  Not complete yet and I'll provide more info on the workbench.

 

All for now.

Ken

 

[David Holman]

Really impressive. Am starting to think everybody should build one of these!

[Galteemore]

Not a bad idea, David. A little competition, perhaps, to focus our minds in these trying days, for an Irish themed box file? Sorry, I mean of course comhad bosca .

Edited October 21, 2020 by Galteemore

[David Holman]

Mmm. About 48x21" in 7mm scale or 13" x 6" in 2mm scale, to go with Ken's 26x13.

[PJR]

Brilliant project and look fabulous to boot. well done

[KMCE]

Little bit more progress.

 

Some finishing touches to the front building & roof.  Link building for bridge developed, however bridge is still to be completed.

 

Started playing around with some backscenes to help set the layout in a larger secene.  LHS is quite good, however RHS water is too smooth & the wrong colour, so may look at other photos to fill this in.

 

Bridge will be much lighter that originally designed, so I thought I would re-purpose another building made before.  I figured the guys would like to get a drink after work, so added the bar into the backscene, which hopefully closes out the backscene and helps to hide the sector plate.  The sector plate & well will need repainting in light grey to blend in with the scene.

 

Photo of the loco & rolling stock - kinda why we are here!

 

A bit more work needed, but it's coming together rather nicely.  Some weathering will help to plant everything in the scene and tone down the "newness" will help.

 

Anon.

Ken

[KMCE]

Finally got round to making the bridge work to tie the front and rear scenes together, along with some work to tidy up the bar builiding in the backscene.

 

Sky scene needs to be completed to tie the various back and side scenes together, but I'm sure I will get to that in time.  Some weathering will also help to blend the whole scene together.

 

It will be on display (and operating) in Bray tomorrow at the fair, so if you're about why not drop by.

 

Ken

[David Holman]

A fine bit of work, Ken. Hangs together really well and makes an excellent setting for your locos and rolling stock.

[PJR]

Enjoyed seeing this at Bray today. Much better in real life well done sir.

[jhb171achill]

A thing of beauty! Was nice to see it just now - as said above, even better “in the flesh”!

[KMCE]

Finally got around to doing some work on this layout.  Many other projects, including 305mm scale have kept me busy.

 

Got some paint onto the mineral wagons, which still need to be weathered.

A little bit of gardening and weatering on the model has helped to tone it down & plant it in the secene.

Still some more to do, but it's all part of the process.

It should be on display in Bray on Sunday for those who can get about.

 

Ken

 

[murrayec]

Love the bird shite on the cills

Eoin

[Patrick Davey]

Love micros - this is superb!!!

[KMCE]

6 hours ago, murrayec said:

bird shite on the cills

Bloody shite-hawks - they get everywhere!!

[David Holman]

Great work - subtle, understated and has that indefinable thing called 'atmosphere'.

[Irishrailwayman]

Love the back and side scenes.

[KMCE]

Ore wagons made it down to the port.  Still in works grey though!

As seen at the fair on Sunday (14th November 21)

 

Ken

Edited November 18, 2021 by KMCE

[KMCE]

Over the break, I felt the layout could do with some upgrading.

I was never really happy with the front buildings and the associated bridge - to me they were never very convincing.  The flat look to the small grey building mid scene also could do with some change to the aspect to set it better in the scene.

Some additional quay space would be useful to develop the scene and allow for some figures and cargo.  So, some new buildings were designed around the materials used in the other buildings, slimmed down to provide this space.

Windows and doors were printed on the 3D printer to add some depth with glue 'n' glaze used to provide glazing.

 

A simple wall hoist was also printed to add some detail.

 

Inserted into the main layout to give some context - considerable damage was done when removing the original buildings, but I plan to do some work with the surface as the printed cobbles were both poorly rendered & prone to peeling away.  Perhaps some DAS clay & patterned roller?

 

Just visible on the left of the final image is a view of the grey building with the stairs removed - this will need some redesign of the lower area, and then turned to reduce its "flatness", which will require some roof modifications.

 

The buildings will need some weathering, but that can be done once the buildings are finally set in place.

 

Anyway - all for now.

[Broithe]

Lovely!

There's still a good few wall-cranes around where I live when I'm on the Big Island - relics from when the town was full of shoe factories.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.8120382,-2.1200103,3a,29.3y,33.69h,99.48t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sDN5juoQw8kRKuc7QWEAK9A!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DDN5juoQw8kRKuc7QWEAK9A%26cb_client%3Dsearch.revgeo_and_fetch.gps%26w%3D96%26h%3D64%26yaw%3D34.98824%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

 

[David Holman]

Nice one Ken. Full of character and compliments the overall scene really well.

[KMCE]

So, the little bit of work to tidy up the layout resulted in stripping back to basic track with all all elements removed.  One or two loose solder connections on the track were fixed & some fettling done to ensure locos & wagons went through the points - I was having some problems with the 2-4-0T in reversing through the points, but thankfully solved now.

Surface was re-done with DAS clay and a cobble roller I bought through Shapeways.  Better looking surface, but the roller was a test of wills & I'm not sure who won!!

Painting, black wash followed by dry brushing with light grey, some cream & brown tones to add some variety gives a reasonable result.  I still need to do some further weathering with grass & shrubbery to finish the overall effect.

 

 

I also took the opportunity to adjust the small white building on the back scene to reduce its flat look - Good advice from @David Holman used here with thanks.

The angle has really helped to reduce the flat look and the building settles better into the layout.  While at it, I removed the stairs, added a platform, and provided some loading doors to repurpose the building.

 

New buildings mentioned in a earlier post were introduced into the scene as a scene blocker.  For now all buildings are simply standing in - they need to be fixed in place & some "gardening" done to properly plant them into the overall layout.

Still some work to be done but overall an improvement over the previous version.

 

All for now.......

[David Holman]

Just goes to show how much fun and satisfaction can be had from even a small project like this. The inset track has turned out well, likewise the freighter. Lots of inspiration here for my project too.

[KMCE]

A bit of gardening done which really helps to plant the buildings into the layout

 

In order to improve the operation of the layout, I built a traverser and opened the centre track to allow access onto the stage.

Now we have more interesting layout operations with different trains options, however the armoured train is somewhat limited in its movements due to its length, but does give a formidable presence on stage!

 

Anyway, off to the Fair tomorrow in Bray where it can get a proper test drive.....

[Galteemore]

Excellent Ken. Proper Cameo layout territory now. 

[Jaz avalley]

I really like this layout, there is a lot to see, I love the boat,the steps to the water,the dock side buildings,the paper cobbles need stick down better, although you mif]get want to buy some plastercine roll it out then get a bic pen remove the ink and use the roundish bum as a fibber and imprint cobbles, if you like this getting some das clay and repeating and replacing the paper will likely be very pleasing,you can likely search this idea on you tube.

I love the boat, if you mentioned who made it earlier I’ll find it, if not can you say so makes it.

 

The colours,the back scene the buildings nicely set up, there is a very easy little upgrade to those buildings, I’ll dump a picture on my layout not litter yours, just a little bit of cotton, I think I still have the reference pictures as well, nice work.

[KMCE]

34 minutes ago, Jaz avalley said:

some das clay

Hello Jaz & many thanks for your comments.  

I agree the paper cobbles were not good which is why I did use DAS clay with a 3D printed roller to replace the cobbles, which I think look much better now. 

The boat is from Model Slipways (who appear to have closed down) - a 1/72 scale Steam Drifter which I cut down to waterline model as part of dock scene.

 

Regards,

Ken

[Jaz avalley]

2 hours ago, KMCE said:

Hello Jaz & many thanks for your comments.  

I agree the paper cobbles were not good which is why I did use DAS clay with a 3D printed roller to replace the cobbles, which I think look much better now. 

The boat is from Model Slipways (who appear to have closed down) - a 1/72 scale Steam Drifter which I cut down to waterline model as part of dock scene.

 

Regards,

Ken

So you did, apologies I was looking earlier in the thread when  I decided to make my comment,should have checked near the end before posting, doh! It does look much better. thanks for the info on the boat, seems I missed the boat lol, lovely model. 
I just thought I took some pictures of loads suitable for this era, someone else’s work, and you can make some of them,I’ll dump those up in case your interested as well. If you then want them moved here for reference feel free,I won’t dump on someone else’s thread.

[Jaz avalley]

I tried importing a great reference picture for you but it won’t import, check out old Phoenix wharf at wapping, I think you’ll like the reference picture,there used to be a number of pictures,now only a couple.

You have the crane, but the safety ropes, and drop down ledge may be of interest.

Edited January 18, 2022 by Jaz avalley
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