More tales of the river bank.............

May 11, 2016, 6:44 am

Despite the distractions of the fine weather, and gardening duties, I've still managed to squeeze in the odd modelling session. First of all I painted the new scenery around the river bank with a mix of 'Burnt Sienna', and 'Sap Green' artist acrylics, the river bed was also painted in the same manner, but with less of the 'Sap Green' in the mix. Everything was then given a coat of PVA to seal the surfaces, then, having worked out, and marked the exact position for the bridge abutments they were removed for painting.

All the stone, and brickwork was given a coat of B & Q 'Wholemeal' matt emulsion, from a matchpot. Most of it was immediately removed with cotton buds, taking care to leave some in the mortar courses. The stonework was then dry brushed with Humbrol, 98, 110, 119, enamel, and various other shades mixed up from the same colours. (See Colour chart.) The brickwork was then dry brushed with Railmatch 2423, Light Brick, followed by Humbrol 98. Everything was then given a dusting of talc whilst the paint was still tacky, and set aside to dry.

Once dry the abutments were carefully refitted, the deck with its temporary track was dropped in place, and all the levels double checked. I had left out sections of the river bank around the abutments on purpose, because had I built them up earlier, it would not have been possible to make any small adjustments.

Both abutments had to be spot on, otherwise the deck wouldn't have fitted in place between them, or the track been level in all planes.

Finally with everything fitting in place as intended, I was able to build up the river banks with 'DAS', and bed the abutments in, I also built up the small cutting whilst I had the modelling clay to hand. Some suitable sized chippings from the garden path, and a piece of slate from god knows where have been placed on the river bed, which is now ready for another coat of neat PVA. The bridge deck was painted with Humbrol 145 enamel, then dry brushed with the same colours as used on the stone, and brickwork. A light dusting of Carr's 'Shades of Rust' weathering powders completed the job.

Another coat of neat PVA has been applied, and once its dried I'll be starting to add the first coats of gloss yacht varnish. Its another of those jobs that can be done in odd moments, so its not really a chore. A word of warning, don't be tempted to use a cheap PVA, or varnish, you need decent stuff for this method of creating water.

Rather than brush the varnish on, I let it drip off my brush to form puddles, which, will slowly spread outwards, flowing into each other naturally, and around any detail on the river bed. I believe it was Allan Downes who first came up with this idea of modelling water. I certainly remember reading his article on the subject in the model press during the 70's.

Here's the bridge and the new track being laid, 1455 is acting as a rolling weight as each chair is cemented to its sleeper. The river is a little too dark hereabouts, so areas closer to the bank will be picked out in 'Burnt Sienna' acrylic paint, before the next coat of varnish is applied tomorrow morning. There's a good few coats to be applied yet, and seeing that each has to dry before the next is applied its going to take a while to build up a feeling of depth. This certainly isn't the method to use if you are in a rush, but if you are prepared to spend a little time, then good results can be obtained.

The bridge looking in the other direction, its too early to dress the river banks up with static grasses, that will have to wait until I've completed the river, and sourced some suitable scenic materials.

I'm still hoping to find some of this Silflor 'Winter Pasture', but fear that its no longer produced. At the moment I'm awaiting a reply from the manufacturer in Germany. Unfortunately the current stockist of Silflor in this country, either can't help me, or in one case, can't even be bothered to respond to my enquiries. So in the meantime I've taken a look at a product by Noch, which is available from one of the good guys, namely Model Scenery Supplies.

First impressions were favourable, but under certain lighting conditions the material is too yellow for my liking. I'll probably use it as a base, and apply some 'MiniNatur' static grasses over it, the latter having a far more natural colour. I'll also soak a piece in some bleach to see if some of the colour is removed, experimentation is the name of the game, and I'll keep you posted.

Compared with the old bridge I think this one is a huge improvement, it sort of looks right to my eye, and sits well with the level crossing gates.

This is how the scene looked at lunchtime today, those ripples will get smaller, and smaller as more varnish is applied. There's still plenty of work to do in this area, but like the river, I'm feeling lazy, and in no rush, for its the journey that I enjoy the most.

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A little more progress....

June 2, 2016, 5:23 am

≫ Next: Some simple EM conversions........

≪ Previous: More tales of the river bank.............

Having recently returned from taking a break in the sun, I still find myself in holiday mode, which, when I come to think of it, is a bit rich, coming from a man of leisure. To make matters worse, I've yet to be tempted back to the modelling bench, a situation not helped, by what must be the finest Bank Holiday weather in recent years, well at least in our part of the country! Anyway, before we left these shores, a little progress was made on the layout, and this post more or less brings things up to date.

One job that I had been putting off was the removal of old backscene, which was necessary due to a little wear and tear. The new scene is a like for like replacement, but I've a few jobs to attend to before I get around to fitting it. Both signals are now in place, and thanks to the simplicity of the 'Tortoise' remote actuators they are fully operational, yet easily removable, whilst work continues around them. The old cattle dock has been repaired, but still retains its derelict look, and now finds itself supported on a stone base made from scribed foamboard. An overgrown access road will eventually lead to it, but first of all the landscape needs to be modelled, and more experimentations carried out on the 'Noch' grass mat, which appears in these photos.

After much thought I decided to sink the lever frame into the Titley Junction cassette deck. It could easily have been fitted at the Llanbister Road end, but being right handed I found it easier to operate the levers from the Titley end of the layout, eventually the frame will be hidden from view by the creamery

This is how things currently look at the Titley end, the bridge, which is made from foamboard, with styrene detail is almost complete. It will carry nothing more than a simple cart track over the railway, so its narrower, than would usually be the case.

This is the sort of scene that I have in mind, though perhaps more open, the creamery would be partly shielded by the bushes and trees to the right. At the moment the creamery is being represented by the part relief structure from the old layout, whilst I faff around with a mock up for the new building. I've also extended the backscene support, so that it wraps around the cassette deck, which will be partly scenic.

Its a dodge that I used on 'Penhydd', but in this case the creamery will not be modelled in full. The cassettes dropped in place between the backscene and the rear of the building. The arrangement worked well for my limited operating sessions, but more space in which to manoeuvre the cassttes would have made things easier.

At the moment I'm testing a foot switch to fire the uncoupling magnets, and I'm finding it far easier to use than an electric pencil or spring loaded switch, as it allows me to concentrate fully on positioning the stock for uncoupling, The idea came to me as I watched my better half working on her sewing machine, the pedal allowing the machine to be operated hands free. There are only two magnets on the layout, and both are powered up together when the switch is depressed, the load is taken off the switch contacts, which are rated for 10 amps at 240 vac by a simple relay, which in turn powers up the electro magnets.

A rare photo of '4560' in charge of a passenger train, thanks to Bachmann its never been easier to have a top class model of one of these engines, and there is no longer any excuse for running large tank engines such as a 61XX on a branch line layout. That's unless they happen to be one of your favourite engines :-)

On a different note, Pauls blog post on the recently introduced Collett coaches from Hornby, and Gerry Beales article on improving them in MRJ, No.247, have given me food for thought. To begin with, at only a scale 57 ft long, they are ideal for small layouts such as mine, and as Gerry has shown they don't need much work to lift them into a different class. So I've converted one of my Hawksworth coaches back to '00' and sold it on, the proceeds of which will fund the coach you see here. I'm also hoping to spray my Comet A44 driving trailer whilst the weather is favourable, along with one of my old Bachmann suburbans. Meanwhile at the other end of the layout, the twelfth coat of varnish is waiting to be added to the river, alas its far too nice here to be stuck inside, so it will have to wait a little longer.

Geoff

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Some simple EM conversions........

June 10, 2016, 11:48 am

≫ Next: Lazy River......

≪ Previous: A little more progress....

Converting models to 'EM' gauge isn't really difficult, the worst part is plucking up the courage to dismantle your latest pride and joy, Items of rolling stock present few problems, as in most cases replacement wheels will drop straight in, at the very worst, the brake shoes might need to be trimmed, or realigned. Sometimes a little material might need removing from the back of the axle boxes, or 'W' irons, but that's about it. Locomotives are obviously more difficult to convert, but there's plenty of help available, online and in the model press. Before I start a conversion I test the model on my rolling road, and on a length of track. I'm looking for any faults before I strip things down, if the model was working fine before I got my hands on it, but runs terribly afterwards then I know who to blame. There are three ways to convert a model to 'EM', and I'll do my best to cover each in turn. To begin with, in some cases you can pull the wheels out, not that I recommend that particular method, but it can be useful as a temporary means of getting something running, or if the correct wheels are not currently available.
When Dapol launched their Class 22, it was widely expected that Ultrascale would soon produce a replacement 'EM / P4' drop in wheel conversion set. However on examining the model they felt unable to proceed, due to the costs involved in producing a suitable new wheel. Some finescale modellers decided to use existing wheels from Ultrascales range, albeit with shorting wires between the metal rim and the axles, and the wrong number of spokes. Whilst others with lathes, and the skills to use them modified the original Dapol wheels. In 'EM' it is possible to pull the wheels out to a wider gauge, and as long as you can accept the coarser wheel profile, its a simple enough job. However care needs to be taken when setting the wheels to gauge, because the Dapol wheel is not machined to the recommended 'EM' profile, or standards. This means that the usual back to back gauge will not set the wheels up accurately, the way to get around this problem is to use a check gauge.

Its easy enough to make your own from a piece of 40 thou styrene or paxolin. The check gauge for 'EM' is 17.25 mm, which is the measurement required, between the face of one wheel flange, and the back of the other. Once each wheel has been set up correctly, and as long as your points have been built with the appropriate gauges, and laid on a level baseboard, then smooth running, without derailments is guaranteed.

This how things are supposed to work, as the wheel set passes through the crossing, the check rail gently pulls one wheel over, so that the opposite one just misses the crossing nose, its that simple. You often come across complaints of derailments, and the usual response is, have you checked your back to back settings? But the truth is, unless you are using one particular make of wheel, which is machined to a consistent standard, a back to back gauge is as useful as a chocolate teaspoon.
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Anyway, enough, what about the actual conversions, starting with the Dapol Class 22.....

First of all support the model, the foam packaging material from its box is ideal. Then remove one of the bogie side frames, and wheel keeper plates, these are a one piece plastic moulding, and released by gently pressing their retaining clips, there being one at each end.

The whole moulding can now be lifted clear revealing the wheelsets, and drive train. Each axle, and its bearings can now be gently levered out of their retaining slots with a small jewellers screwdriver, taking care, not to damage the pick up strips in the process.

The wheels are a push fit into a plastic muff, which also incorporates a drive gear, simply pull them apart, add a 1 mm spacing washer at either side and reassemble. Set the wheels up on their axles by using the aforementioned check gauge, check that they will pass through your pointwork, and refit them into the bogie. The next job involves modifying the bogie moulding as in the above photo. I used a variety of craft knifes, removing a little material at a time, and then finished the surfaces off with nail file boards. The bogie side frame moulding can then refitted, and the same operation carried out on the second one. There are no pickups to adjust, so now its just a case of putting the model on the track, and testing it.

Personally I don't think the wheels look that bad, but if you can't live with them, then you will have to turn them down, or wait until the correct wheels are produced, but don't hold your breath.

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Ultrascale drop in wheels
The next conversion, which uses an Ultrascale drop in wheelset to convert the Heljan / Hattons Class 14 is even simpler. The wheelsets are available in '00 fine', 'EM' and 'P4', the procedure to fit them being the same, though the wider gauges will need the pickups adjusting to suit

The replacement wheels, and flycranks can be seen at the top of the photo, notice how fine they are when compared with the originals. The amount of wheel side play, has to be seen to be believed, fortunately the replacement wheels, with their spacing bushes will take good care of that.

Using a small jewellers screwdriver, the keeper plate is gently levered out, by working the screwdriver along the length of it. Extra care needs to be taken around the gear cutout, as the plate is weak in that area. Next the old wheels are removed, the ready quartered replacements are dropped in place, and the keeper plate refitted. Then its a case of adjusting the pickups, they just need bending gently outwards with a pair of fine tweezers, until they are in contact with the new wheels. A word of warning, watch those cab footsteps, they are ever so delicate, as you can see I broke one off. I simply filed the broken spigots flat, drilled new locating holes for 0,45 mm wire spigots, and glued them back in place with a touch of cyano.

Finally its time to refit the connecting rods, these come in several sections, and are handed. Remove them one at a time from the original wheels, then open each crankpin hole out to 1.7 mm, as per the instructions, I used a broach myself. Now fit the rods onto the crankpins of the new wheels, and secure them with the nuts provided. A pin vice comes in handy to hold the retaining nuts, and to screw them in place. Finally, once the model has been tested, and you are happy with its performance, cut and file the coupling rod pins down.
The work outlined here is more or less the same for other RTR conversions, which make use of the Ultrascale drop in wheels. Now, I don't mean to be cruel, but if you can't do a simple conversion such as this, then stick to '00', and forget about 'EM' or 'P4'.

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Alan Gibson also produce an ever expanding range of wheel conversion kits, and components for RTR models, they also have a range of 'How To' sheets, to help you on your way. Simply visit their website, to which I've provided a link, and click on 'Downloads', then select the 'How To Sheets' followed by the model of your choice. Unlike the Ultrascale kits, these aren't a simple drop in replacement, as the wheels have to be mounted on their axles, and quartered, that's unless you are converting a diesel bogie. The original drive gear also has to be removed from the old axle, and refitted to the new. I've previously explained how I converted my Bachmann 64XX to 'EM' using Gibson wheels, and components, so rather than repeat what has been published before, click on the link if you want to learn more.
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If you fancy an 08 shunter, in 'EM' or 'P4' then take a look here, where, Paul Marshall-Potter explains the conversion in detail. Or join the EMGS, the Scalefour Society, or both, where you will have access to numerous conversion sheets, and be able to purchase the components that you will need.
So there you are, start with something simple such as a diesel, or an 0-6-0, and take your time, for there's no prize for the quickest conversion.

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Lazy River......

June 15, 2016, 1:26 pm

≫ Next: Ballasting blues,

≪ Previous: Some simple EM conversions........

Its been far too pleasant to be stuck indoors lately, so apart from applying another fifteen coats of varnish to the river, little else had been done on the layout, that's unless a little ballasting counts. However, over the weekend the heavens opened, and summer, for now, has come to an abrupt end. So with no gardening, and other chores to take up my time, I spent a few pleasant hours down by the river....

Half a tin of 'Rustins', gloss yacht varnish later, I'm happy with the depth of the river, those rather coarse PVA ripples, having all but disappeared. Once again I've settled for a murky brown colouring, which is typical for rivers, and streams that pass through agricultural land. Erosion of river banks, which I've modelled, close to the bridge abutment, being a common problem, especially in areas that suffer from heavy rainfall. The river banks are a mix of different Silflor grass mats, and static fibres, most being salvaged from the old layout. Over the coming weeks, a few more tufts of coarse grass will be planted along the banks, together with some lighter straw coloured static grass fibres on the higher ground, and then the job will be complete.

I've also started to reinstate the hedgerow along the lane, and rework the allotment area. The road surface, has since been repaired where it merges into the front profile board. But before I can develop the area any further, the first section of backscene will need fitting in place.

A view looking down into the murky depth's, the river bed is a mix of stippled and shredded, dried plaster, small stones, fine sand, and other weird and wonderful waste, which was added between coats of varnish. The first section of new track had just been ballasted when this photo was taken, it will be a different colour once the ballast has dried out, and been weathered. It will also be much neater once the excess ballast has been vacuumed up . The sleepers had already been stained with thinned 'Humbrol Gunmetal Metacote' enamel, leaving the rails, and chairs to be painted a rust colour. But the rest of the track needs to be ballasted before I get around to doing that.
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Ballasting blues,

June 24, 2016, 8:49 am

≫ Next: Memories..........

≪ Previous: Lazy River......

Ballasting is not one of my favourite jobs, and it would appear that I'm not alone. Ever since the days of 'Penhydd' I've been using 'Carr's' ash ballast, which I reckon looks just right for use on branch lines. However its no use whatsoever for ballasting 'Streamline', or other track systems which feature thick sleepers. I don't use any fancy gadgets such as ballast spreaders, and simply sprinkle the stuff in place, twixt finger and thumb. Tamping it down with the end of a pencil, and brushing the excess off the sleepers with a fine, flat brush. An old Stanley knife blade comes in handy for tidying the edges up, and an old yogurt tub serves to hold the adhesive.

On the original Llangunllo I had used old formula 'Klear' to secure the ballast, and found the whole chore to be a doodle. It was a simple case of sprinkle, and tamp the ballast in place, and then touch a loaded brush of 'Klear' against it, capillary action did the rest, and in no time at all, the track was ballasted. So it made perfect sense to use the same method again, alas it didn't work as well this time around. I put that down to the track being laid on paper templates, rather than directly on cork underlay?

However it didn't take long to put matters right, a few spots of neat PVA, some extra ballast, and all was well, but then I hit another snag. Whenever I've used 'Carr's' ash before, its always dried out into a mid grey colour, but this time it stayed jet black.

Anyway, a couple of coats of thinned 'Humbrol Light Earth' enamel later, followed by some dry brushing with 'Dark Earth' and 'Natural Wood' things were looking better. Talking of 'Humbrol' enamel, I recently purchased half a dozen tinlets of various colours, only to find very little colour pigment, but plenty of solvent. You can stir the stuff until the cows come home, but all you are left with is a watery solution. That's why I've not yet managed to paint the rails, chairs and fishplates, needless to say that I'm not amused!

Anyway, enough of track, ballasting and moaning about paint, I've also put the lattice support in for one of the embankments, and made a start on the other behind the station yard. Once again I've used strips of cereal packaging, which will be covered with my usual plaster / PVA coated newspaper. Despite what you might have read elsewhere, this method of scenery construction does work when done correctly.

Its slowly coming together now, and I'm getting that all important feeling of place. Once those rails, and chairs have been painted, I'll be getting to grips with the Modelu point rodding. The old yard crane, scratch built for 'Penhydd' from styrene strip, and oddments from the scrapbox has certainly stood the test of time.

Mr Robinson's allotment huts take centre stage in this view, the area in front of them will just be a piece of weed infested waste land. There will be nothing more than a small goods shed, and perhaps a ramshackle shack for the coal merchant in the yard. No means of storing coal will be provided, as it is deemed that it would have been bagged, and weighed straight from the wagon. A small stone station building, and a low overgrown embankment, will complete the scene.

A view taken through the Llanbister Road cassette deck mousehole, the layout is now more open, and I feel that I'm back on track, with my 'railway in the landscape' theme. So its now a case of resisting temptation, and keeping things as simple, and uncluttered as possible.

Finally a view looking in the other direction, taken from under the road bridge.

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Memories..........

June 28, 2016, 12:30 pm

≫ Next: Track, the finishing touches......

≪ Previous: Ballasting blues,

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Track, the finishing touches......

July 2, 2016, 11:12 am

≫ Next: Laying foundations, and experiments with station buildings, updated....

≪ Previous: Memories..........

The past few days have been spent working on the track......

After several washes of Humbrol 'Light and Dark Earth' enamels, plus a little 'Track Colour' thrown in for good measure, the track is coming to life. Certain areas have also been dry brushed with mixes of the same colours, with more to follow.

This is a cruel closeup of the point which leads into the goods yard. As previously mentioned in an earlier post, the sleepers were stained with thinned 'Humbrol Gunmetal Metacote' enamel. I think the silvery grey, weathered sleeper effect has come up nicely, unfortunately the wood grain can't be seen from normal viewing distance. The old Will's point rodding is still in place, but not for much longer, as I'm now preparing for its replacement.

I've also been making some grass tufts, I've been criticised before by a certain gent, for referring you to other blogs. But to hell with him, if you want to find out how do make them, then take a look, here, and here, Whilst you are visiting 'Jose's' blog, I would strongly recommend that you take the time to study his wonderful modelling, and the techniques that he uses to produce such stunning results.

Rather than use PVA for securing my scenic bits and pieces, I've switched to using 'Hi Tack, all purpose, very sticky glue'. Its white, and dries clear like PVA, but remains flexible, so its ideal for jobs such as planting grass tufts. My wife came across this product in our local craft shop, and now needs a fresh supply for her own needs :-)

Weeds, and long grass first began to take root around the buffer stop, funny how I spend hours weeding the garden, and even longer planting them on the layout! I could have sworn that those rails, and the buffer stop had been fully painted in rust, but the camera has picked out several areas that I've missed! I mix my own rust colour from 'Light Earth' and 'Signal Red' enamels, adding more red to the mix gives a darker rust colour.

Another area where long grass and weeds are beginning to take hold is between the siding, and main line. Once a supply of tufts have been made up, they can be planted at leisure, who knows how far the grass will have spread by this time next week?

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Laying foundations, and experiments with station buildings, updated....

July 9, 2016, 9:02 am

≫ Next: Groundwork Days.....

≪ Previous: Track, the finishing touches......

I had planned to start work on the point rodding this week, but unfortunately I've mislaid an etch for the cranks, and other bits and pieces. So whilst I awaited replacements, I've been working on the other embankment, and started to construct the platform, and station yard foundations.

There's nothing groundbreaking, or high tech here, its just cereal packaging and scraps of 'Foamex'. The platform face has not yet been attached, that will have to wait, because I've yet to scribe and paint the stonework. Once the platform surface has been fitted, the card lattice embankment support, will be gently lifted and glued onto it, to eventually give a seamless joint between the two.

This lovely photo of New Radnor station building, appears here with the kind permission of Paul, he of Albion Yard fame. At the suggestion of Barry Norman, I attempted to model this building for the original Llangunllo. Alas it looked out of place, out of proportion and larger than I expected, which came as a surprise given the buildings relatively small footprint.

However, I decided to look at the design again, and chose this example of the same basic building, as I feel its proportions look far better.

Using the original drawings for the proposed, but never built 'Limekilns' (Dolyhir) station building, which can be found in 'The New Radnor Branch' by Nicolas de Courtais. I drew out a simple fold up model on a piece of card, just as I was taught at Primary School, more years ago than I care to remember. It was simple exercises such as this which taught us how to measure, cut and score materials. I'm told by our teacher son, that such modelling exercises are no longer taught in the classrooms of his school. I find that such a shame, because those simple lessons, and the skills that I learned have served me well.

Anyway, returning to the model, or more accurately, the mock up, once assembled it turned out to be far too large, or is the original Llangunllo building too small? I had been using the dimensions as written on the plans, and I see no reason to assume that they are incorrect.

The beauty of these mock ups is that they can be easily dismantled, reworked and used again. So I carried out some slight adjustments to the buildings height, width and length. The size of the door and windows have yet to be adjusted, the pitch of the roof would also benefit if it was shallower.

What next, well I'll leave the building in place as it is for a day or two. I'll take some photos of 1455 and its single coach in the platform, study them, then perhaps I'll make further adjustments, add some extra detail. Then if I'm happy, and feel the building will fit in place, I'll either build a proper model, or look elsewhere for inspiration.

This morning was spent designing the Mk3 station building, I adjusted the pitch of the roof, moved the toilet block to the other end of the building, and reduced the length of the main building by a scale two feet. Feeling more than happy with those simple mods, I added some etched windows, card sills and lintels. The latter should be arched, and they will be on the proper model, small adjustments were made to the size of the main door, and a plinth rounded things off nicely.

I think the building sits much better in the scene now, and it will definitely be built. The main shell of the building will be constructed from 3mm 'Foamex'. Stonework and lintels being scribed onto its surface, the plinth will be made from styrene sheet, as will the roof. Slates from York Modelmaking are in stock, so there is nothing stopping me from cracking on with the build.

So that's the design for the new Llangunllo station building sorted, in the meantime the platform needs completing, and seeing as my point rodding cranks have arrived, that's another job to get on with.

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Groundwork Days.....

July 22, 2016, 8:14 am

≫ Next: Developing the goods yard.......

≪ Previous: Laying foundations, and experiments with station buildings, updated....

The point rodding has been postponed yet again, as I didn't really fancy the idea of firing up the soldering iron in the current heatwave. So I switched my attention to completing the stonework on the platform face, then painted it, and prepared the base for the platform surface.

This is how the scene looked a week ago today, with the card platform surface, and station approach laid in place. The card lattice scenery support now blends into everything, and is ready for its top surface.

Of course I was desperate to see how the whole basic scene would look with a train beside the platform. So 1455 had the honour of arriving with the first passenger train to call at the new Llangunllo station.

She later returned with a short goods train, though with no cassette lined up, she won't travel much further!

The platform top surface is glass paper, which was first sprayed with Carplan acrylic primer, to seal the surface, and prevent the material from becoming a soggy mess when its painted and weathered. Coping stones have been scribed onto strips of thin card. Foamboard was used for the platform face, the stones being scribed into it and then sprayed with the same acrylic primer. Humbrol enamels were then used to paint the stones, light and dark earth, track colour and various mixes of the three, being dry brushed across the stones, so that just a little paint at a time was dragged off the brush. From some angles the stonework looks grey, but that is down to the lighting that I currently use.

With the basic platform complete, I tried a few experiments. The Coopercraft GWR seat is one of two salvaged from Penhydd, and will be repainted in faded 'chocolate'. I'm not sure if the lamp hut will end up being positioned end on, as above, or sideways as below. Some typical GWR spear fencing will run along the platform where that rough grass has sprung up, and a gate of the same construction, sited between the station building toilet block, and the last tuft of grass will provide access to the platform. More of the same fencing will run from the other end of the building towards the bridge, and this time a running in board will be modelled.

The platform surface was painted with various mixes of black and white artist acrylics, coping stones were picked out in Humbrol concrete, and then given a light wash of track colour, which seeped into the joints between them. A few weeds have been planted, and more will follow as the surface continues to be worked up.

Further detailing will include some drainage grids, and perhaps a manhole cover. The etch is from the Brassmasters range, as is the one containing point rodding cranks etc, etc.

More weeds appear day by day, applying them is one of those small jobs that can be done between other projects and chores.

The buffer stop is slowly disappearing into a mass of long grass and weeds.....

..........more of which are springing up elsewhere. What happens next will depend on the weather, should the heatwave subside, then the soldering iron will be fired up. If not then a start on the goods yard surface might be made.

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Developing the goods yard.......

July 28, 2016, 11:27 am

≫ Next: News from Llangunllo....

≪ Previous: Groundwork Days.....

Llangunllo goods yard, if you can call it that, is as simple as they come, being typical of those found out in the back of beyond. The local coal merchant bags, and weighs his supplies direct from the wagon, there being no storage facilities in the yard. This was common practice in out of the way places, where security, amongst other things could be an issue. A yard crane is provided to handle any heavy, or awkward loads, but what about a goods shed? Well I had three ideas, a simple weed infested loading bank, with perhaps a grounded van body, and a couple of tatty corrugated iron huts. A shed constructed of the same material, shades of Penhydd, which was modelled on the one at Hemyock, and last of all an old coach body, most of its windows being plated over, and a door cut into its side. All had their merits, but as usual I was looking for something different.

I started off by modelling a simple loading bank, the type made from old sleepers and whatever else could be pressed into use. Most were back filled with rubble, ash, and other waste material to provide a raised platform. Following prototype practice, I made mine from old sleepers, which are yet to be stained, weathered, and detailed, that will come later.

Not content to leave things at that, I dug these old, well thumbed books out. What a bargain they were, when first published by Peco way back in the late sixties! Book number one includes plans for Leckhampton goods shed, which lay between Kingham and Cheltenham. Its a weird design, certainly different, and no doubt that is why it appealed to me, so out came a piece of card, and a rough mock up was made.

Planning, pondering and experimenting, I really enjoy those exercises. The drawing for the Leckhampton shed, and my version, mocked up from card are on the left. Whilst another weird and wonderful structure, namely Llansilin Road goods shed, plucked from the long defunct 'Tanat Valley Railway' is on the right. I had come across this 'quirky' building, as Iain Robinson describes it, whilst searching through my many books for ideas and inspiration. You can just catch a glimpse of it in the photo on the right, were it not for the rules of copyright, I would show you more.

The Leckhampton mock up in situ, its a lovely little building, but alas it looks more 'Caledonian' with its hipped roof and overhanging eaves, than GWR. I expect you are wondering what on earth was I thinking off, well I thought it might blend in with the signal box, which shares the same style of roof.

Llangunllo signal box, hipped roof, overhanging eaves and all, this scene is now slowly being recreated on the new layout.

My version of Llansilin Road good shed is mounted on a loading bank, rather than a wooden trestle base, as on the prototype. I've not got the canopy right, it should extend further out, and the height of the building needs reducing by around a scale foot, the pitch of the roof needs to be much shallower as well. This is how building a mock up pays off, had I jumped in feet first, then I would have wasted some valuable modelling material.

But its not just about the building itself, I always consider how they fit into the wider picture. I then ask myself if there is a better way of doing things, does the scene look realistic, and create the all important atmosphere? Only when I'm happy do I press ahead, but despite taking everything into consideration, I still get caught out from time to time.

I think the prototype had a pair of hinged doors, rather than a single sliding one. The shed has been in situ for a day or two now, and yes, I will be building it from a mixture of Wills, and Slaters corrugated sheets, the later being finer, and more suited for the roof, and canopy.
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That area of unkempt grass on the left will cover the remains, of what would have been a longer loading bank in years past. I have the idea, of partly burying the foundations of the old Llangunllo quarry weighbridge hut in the grass, just to give a hint that something else once stood there.

This view gives an idea of the canopy height, it can be lowered a fair bit, yet still give adequate clearance for the chimney of 1455, and other engines. So what next, well now that I know the footprint of the goods shed and station building, I can lay in the rest of the scenery foundations, complete the plasterwork, paint it, and put the backscene in place. I've still got that damn point rodding to sort out as well, but don't feel in the mood to fire the soldering iron up just yet.

Moving off topic, I'm in the process of preparing a new blog for some of my prototype photos. Which include BR in the 70's, the early preservation scene, and more recent bits and bobs. Once I'm ready to publish them, a link will be appear under 'Other blogs' on the right hand side bar. Updates won't appear as often as they do here, but nevertheless I think you will find something of interest.

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News from Llangunllo....

August 6, 2016, 8:10 am

≫ Next: Well and truly plastered.....

≪ Previous: Developing the goods yard.......

My modelling time has been severely restricted over the past week, in fact other than a little pondering and experimentation hardly any progress has been made. On the pondering side, I've decided that the goods shed will be built on a timber trestle base, as per the prototype at Llansilin Road.

I've also made a few adjustment to the original mock up, the roof pitch is now shallower and the height of the walls reduced by a scale foot. A start has also been made on the timber base, which is being made from balsa strip and ply sleepers.

Meanwhile the goods yard continues to be developed, a low stone wall made from 'Foamex' runs along the perimeter of the yard. But once plenty of tall grasses have been added it should be almost hidden from view, well that's the plan for what its worth. The yard is much wider than it looks in this photo, and the backscene will provide a little more depth once its in place.

My search for scenic materials continues, and I recently took a look at this 'Heki' autumn meadow grass. I did want a pack of wild meadow grass as well but I'm told its currently out of stock, still I'm in no rush.

I blew the cobwebs off 2538 the other day, and carried out a few cosmetic repairs. She still needs a couple of lamp irons after suffering a little damage, but fortunately still runs as well as ever. The meadow grass will be mixed with other shades and textures to complete the embankment.

blogI'm almost ready to add the backscene now, and then this area can be worked up a little more. Had the real railway been built, then 2538 would be at its summit once she's crossed the river bridge.

Before I sign off, a plug for my new blog . The first post will no doubt come as a surprise, but my introduction will explain what its all about :-)

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Well and truly plastered.....

August 21, 2016, 6:36 am

≫ Next: Slowly going Green....

≪ Previous: News from Llangunllo....

Life has been getting in the way of my modelling for the past few weeks, home improvements, outings, and the task of converting my vast selection of slides into digital form taking up most of my spare time. But despite those distractions, I have managed to snatch the odd moment here, and there to make a little more progress on the layout. A trip to the doctors for a routine checkup, resulted in me leaving with some plaster bandages, odd roll ends which were going to be thrown away. I had asked if I might have a supply, and was told to help myself, and that is how the health service funded part of the scenery for Llangunllo.

Its a long time since I've used plaster bandage to model my terrain, and three hours later it looked like Llangunllo had suffered from a fall of snow. So this is how the layout looks now, the eagle eyed will have spotted the goods shed taking shape, more of which another time. Yes, its rather close to the trap point, but then again so was the one at Hemyock along with its cattle dock. I can, if I wish move the shed further away from the trap, but its fine where it is for now.

I did consider building a smaller cattle dock, and positioning it next to the goods shed in true Llansilin Road fashion, but in the end I decided to leave things as they are.

If you look through the bridge arch you will be able to see an embankment beyond it. Its only mocked up for now, the idea being to make the cassette deck partly scenic, and I think I've solved the problem of how the actual cassettes can be made to blend into the said embankment. Of course it will mean modelling, and ballasting the track on the outer ends of each cassette to match that on the rest of the layout. But I think it will be worth it, as not only will it make the layout look longer, but it should open up some interesting photographic opportunities.

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Slowly going Green....

September 9, 2016, 7:58 am

≫ Next: Track

≪ Previous: Well and truly plastered.....

I've started to experiment with the 'Heki' and 'Noch' landscape mats that I purchased a few months ago, and so far so good. Though I still prefer Silflor, so seeing as I can't get hold of what I want in this country, I've ordered some directly from Silhouette, in Germany.

First of all I sealed, and painted the bare plaster bandage, a coat of a light earth coloured matt emulsion, being followed with Sap Green, and Burnt Sienna artist acrylics. The old platelayers hut has found a new home, and is in the process of being bedded into the new scenery. Long, dried grass is slowly being added around the hut, and behind the station building. This is the 'Noch' meadow mat, which is rather dense and best torn into clumps.

Though the colour looks just right in this photo, its actually too yellow for my liking, but I can get around that by introducing some different coloured clumps, and textures from other mats, together with some static grass fibres. Colours change under different lighting conditions, just as in the real world, so care needs to be taken when selecting scenic items.

This section of embankment is purely experimental as regards the materials used, but otherwise its a true representation of the scene that I'm aiming for. The low tree line was cut from a scrap piece of backscene that was lying around, and pasted onto some thin card. Its an old technique, mastered by the likes of Ken Ball, and numerous other well known modellers of the old school. The reason for my experiments, is to see if it might add something to the backscene when I finally get around to installing it. There is also the chance that I might get things slightly out of alignment, so its a form of insurance policy against such mistakes as well. The tree is just one of many salvaged from the old layout, its fine for use in the background, but perhaps not good enough for use elsewhere. I first laid some strips of the 'Noch' material, along the top of the embankment to represent those long, dried blades of grass that are often found in such places. The rest is 'Heki' autumn meadow grass, which is very fine, and perhaps best teased out, the resulting gaps being filled with other materials as mentioned previously.

The 'Heki' autumn meadow is more natural looking, still not as good as Silflor, but not a bad alternative if you can't get the real thing. Again, the addition of some static grasses, and other textures will lift the product. When selecting scenic materials its important to select a certain time of year, and stick to it. I favour early to late autumn myself, so select the colours that are found at that time of year. It also pays to spend a little more and buy quality products, the days when basic scatter, and ground foam materials, were the first choice are long gone, they do have their uses, but for creating realistic grass effects they are a little lacking. Sadly, many UK modellers rarely want to spend their hard earned cash on expensive scenic materials, and go for the cheapest option. Preferring to save their money for locomotives and more exotic items of rolling stock, but each to his own.

Henry Stephens now plys his trade from a humble wooden shack, and corrugated iron shed. This bleak scene, so typical of those places that are 'off the beaten track', is still being developed. There is a slight gap between the earthworks in the background and backscene, which helps create a little more depth, and makes it easier to blend the modelled scenery into the backscene. 'Noch' grass is in evidence again, and is, at the moment looking far too dry for the Border Counties. A few more faded greens should put that right, far better to add changes of colour and texture slowly, if you ask me. Rather than jumping in feet first and trying to do everything in one go.

I'm modelling a different type of yard surface this time, gone are the cobble, and set stones. Instead its just made of gravel, ash and other similar cheap materials . The starting point for the surface was a piece of glasspaper, which had been sprayed in grey acrylic primer from an aerosol can. Various shades of grey, mixed up at random from black, and white artist acrylics were applied next, followed by a little dry brushing of the same basic colours, and some weathering powders. The colours and textures are still, slowly being worked up, a few more weeds will appear, and that will be that. The grass at the base of the low wall is made from tufts of Silflor, its a little greener around the roots, as its assumed that rainwater runs down the approach road and settles along the foot of the wall. The tips of the grass blades are slightly lighter where they have caught the sun, take a walk along a country lane and you will understand what I'm harping on about.

Grass and weeds are also taking root around the goods shed, which is now awaiting some rainwater goods, and a coat of paint, or should that be rust? It won't be long now before I can think about adding the photo backscene, and then I will have a better idea if Llangunllo, is going to look as I see it in my minds eye.

An old weighbridge hut, or whatever it might have been in its past life, is slowly being reclaimed by nature. Which in this case is a mix of hanging basket liner, and the same 'Heki' and 'Noch' mats. Such ruins are common place, yet rarely modelled, I did consider modelling the remains of an old loading dock as well, but perhaps not.

This is the scene today, seen through the lens of my better half's new camera, its simpler and more open, yet just as satisfying for me. Once my order of Silflor arrives, it will be put to use on the main embankment. As you will have gathered, there's still plenty to do yet, like putting the signal box back correctly, but the way things are going I expect the rebuild to be completed by Easter 2017, not that I've set myself a target.

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Track

April 25, 2016, 4:43 am

≫ Next: Messing about with the river............

≪ Previous: Slowly going Green....

I rather enjoy building my own track from sleeper strip and plastic chairs, as for me, its far more satisfying than using off the shelf flexi track. Not that I'm knocking the flexi, as I used it to good effect on 'Penhydd', and earlier layouts. However I found it very hard to paint plastic sleepers to resemble wood, and despite priming them I found the paint still flaked off. Following Tim Maddocks advice I always used to cut the web linking the sleepers away, its simple enough to do and makes a huge difference.

This is C & L track with, and without the web, which is easy enough to remove once the track is laid. Not only does the track look better, but it makes ballasting far easier, it also makes it possible to reduce the sleeper spacing at track joints. However on the original Llangunllo I returned to using ply sleepers, and as they say, nothing looks more like wood, than wood.

I started off by laying the goods yard siding and its trap point, some modellers add the ballast once the sleepers have been laid, and before any rail goes down. Though I can see how it makes the job easier, I prefer to complete the track, then wire and test it before ballasting, a case of each to his own.

With the siding laid, I completed the buffer stop, taking care to leave an insulating gap between it and the rails, to prevent any chance of a short circuit.

The inside rail of the main running line was laid in next, pins held it in place whilst the curve was checked by eye for any dog legs, or kinks.

Once happy with the alignment, each chair was cemented to its sleeper using solvent. The bound is remarkably strong, for the solvent melts the base of the plastic chair, and soaks into the ply sleepers.

Once the inner rail chairs had set, the outer rail was added using triangular track gauges, these not only hold the rail in place, but also set the necessary gauge widening. Here they are being used to set the outer rail on the loop, notice how the single leg of each gauge is on the inner rail, use them the other way around and you've got problems! I've opted for single blade trap points, the one here is a little close to the point, a baseboard cross member prevented it from being mounted further back, so much for all the advanced planning! Meanwhile the driver of 1455 is showing a keen interest in what is going on :-)

And so the next length of rail was added, following the same sequence, inner rail laid first, and then the outer gauged from it.

The fishplates were fitted next, now if you think threading hundreds of chairs onto rail is a challenge, then just wait until you fit these! Some, like the ones here are just cosmetic, in which case a drop of 'cyano' can be used to secure them, or they can be soldered in place to join rails together, and provide a convenient means for attaching dropper wires for track feeds. I use a mix both methods, and a solder cream if I sweat them in place.

This fret of etched plates is available from the EMGS stores, they are separated from the etch in 'H' shaped pairs, then folded up as per the example in the bottom right corner. Plenty of patience and a steady hand is needed, when working with these. Though its tempting to install them all in one go, and get the job out of the way, I feel its one of those jobs which is best done in odd moments, a few at a time is plenty. Where an insulated plate is needed a C&L plastic moulding can be glued in place, or you can do, as I do, and make your own from styrene strip.

Eventually the end of the scenic section was reached, the sleepers are yet to be stained. I'll be using weak washes of Humbrol 'Gunmetal Metalcoat' enamel to do that, varying the mix as I go along, so they are not all the same shade. The chairs, and rails also need to be painted, but I'm leaving those until the track has been ballasted, as the various colours will run into the ballast thus helping to provide an initial degree of weathering. The new point rodding needs to be installed before ballasting takes place, and as usual I'll be using 'Carr's' ash, no neat ballast shoulders for me, for most branch lines simply didn't have them.

Finally, another glimpse into my minds eye, as 1455 runs into the station with the usual single coach passenger train. The big question is, is it worth faffing around with individual rail chairs and flimsy etched fishplates? Well, I think it is on a small layout like this, for those small details make all the difference, adding the interest that might otherwise be lacking, due to the layouts simplicity in other areas.

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Messing about with the river............

May 5, 2016, 5:13 am

≫ Next: Stop Press!.

≪ Previous: Track

Seeing as I'm no longer building a new layout, I've finally got around to modifying the last section of the old one, I started off by removing the existing river bridge, then diverted the course of the river, last of all I made changes to the scenery, in an attempt to open the whole area up.

I filled in the old river bed, and built up the ground around it with layers of 5mm foamboard. This isn't the quality stuff such as 'Palight' or 'Foamtex', but a cheap imposter, which, is useless for structural modelling, but rather handy for jobs like this. Each layer of was glued together with 'No More Nails', the whole lot being carved to shape once everything had set. The new river bed and its banks were carved out of the MDF top surface, where the feedstore and Stokes cottage once stood.

Once I was happy with the new groundwork it was covered with pieces of kitchen towel, and my usual PVA / plaster mix. The river bed was then coated in neat PVA, which was stippled to represent ripples. At the moment they look more like waves, but once the river bed has been painted, and given numerous coats of varnish they will look different again,....I hope!.

Due to the change of plan, the bridge abutments that I had previously modelled needed reducing in height and length. The bridge is in three parts, the deck, and two abutments, so it was an easy job to cut the latter down using a razor saw and Stanley knife. In this view the final adjustments are being made to the right hand abutment, the actual deck is being held aloft with a short length of flexi track, whilst levels are checked, and the bridge aligned. I'm still playing around with the position of the trees, checking the various angles, as I attempt to find the best solution for screening the mousehole, leading to what will be the cassette deck. The trees you see here are only rough ones, which I use for planning purposes.

Once the bridge abutments are in place the flexi track bases will be removed, individual chairs will be threaded onto the rail, and ply sleepers will be laid to receive them. I've modelled the scenery in an attempt to make it look as if the railway has been driven through the landscape.

With the level of the bridge set, 1455 crosses the river whilst the head ganger checks her progress. Just a slight tweak to the 'top' is going to be needed at the rail joints nearest to the crossing gates. That will give me something to do tomorrow, in between tending to the garden, and completing the over bridge at the other end of the layout.

On a different note, bringing the embankment back into play makes a huge difference to the layout, and opens up some interesting photo opportunities. A replacement backscene has been ordered, and although the scene is the same as the old one, the alignment of the hills in the background will be a little different. The reason for the slight change, is due to the backscene now wrapping around the Titley Junction cassette deck.

Well that's it for now, its a lovely day here so its back out into the garden to tend the vegetable plot.
There's certainly no rest for the wicked in this household :-)

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Stop Press!.

October 13, 2016, 7:17 am

≫ Next: More News From Llangunllo...

≪ Previous: Messing about with the river............

Well changing to Wordpress appears to have been a mistake, for its created far more problems than it solved. I won't go into details here as I know many people are more than happy with Wordpress, and anyway it might well be me, my laptop or other outside factors that are making things difficult. If that wasn't enough far more people are using the old site here, than the new, so perhaps they are trying to tell me something? Fortunately I hadn't got around to deleting the old blog, and I've noticed that the missing blog roll has reappeared, albeit in a slightly different format, and with some blogs missing. If yours is one of them then please let me know and I will reinstate it. I've also noticed that a lot of posts have been duplicated, and I'll sort that out in due course. So for the time being it will be business as usual on Blogger, until I make the final decision on my blogging future. Sorry to have messed everyone about, but I had to investigate other means of publishing my modelling, for what its worth.

Geoff

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More News From Llangunllo...

October 13, 2016, 10:56 am

≫ Next: The green, green, grass of home...........

≪ Previous: Stop Press!.

In truth not much has been happening on the modelling front, and that's been down to a major DIY project, gardening duties and a holiday. However the goods inwards department has been busy, a recent arrival being a supply of Silflor which I ordered directly from the manufacturer in Germany.

This is 1:87 scale 'Late fall pasture', which is ideal for creating dried grass, the sort that you come across towards the end of summer. I've also purchased some of the same material in 1:45 scale, to represent taller overgrown grasses.

I also took a punt with what is described as 1:87 'Early fall proliferation area'. Both landscape mats will be torn into clumps and mixed with other materials. Thus giving a variety of textures, colours and height. These mats don't come cheap, but then quality never does.

I have managed a little modelling in, and around the goods yard. I felt that a small coal office and store might fit into the scene. So Henry Stephens now has a new, more humble premises from which to ply his trade.

I was never really happy with the original building, and felt it let the old layout down. In fact the best part was the sign that my good friend Iain Robinson produced for me. So I salvaged that along with the etched window frames, and looked for something more suitable. Coal was stored in the old Llangunllo yard, but I decided not to provide any such facilities in the new one. For it was common practice for coal merchants to bag and weigh their wares on site. Our local merchant would park his ex army Austin K2, or in latter years his brand new Bedford TK, beside the coal wagons, and shovel coal directly from rail wagon to truck platform. He would then bag and weigh his wares in one go, either delivering his orders straight away, or taking the bagged coal to his secure storage area, which was behind his cottage. A right eyesore that was, but fortunately he had no near neighbours to complain.

Heaven knows what Henry thinks of his new office, or should I say shed. Its a simple 40 thou styrene structure, well braced internally to prevent any chance of warping, and overlaid with Slaters 2mm embossed planking. The windows, doors and fittings are from the excellent Brassmasters range. With a corrugated iron roof, and rainwater goods from the Wills range of material packs, but slightly refined to give a finer look. The sign, salvaged from the old building has found a new home, and is braced by two wire stays. The shed was first primed in grey acrylic, then the wooden planking, door and windows were picked out in cream and green enamels. Once dry a few strokes of the old glass fibre pencil removed some of the paint, revealing the grey primer beneath. Then washes of dirty grey, and green to represent weathered wood, and mould stains were applied. A little talc, brushed over the wood work gave it a more faded look. Shades of rust weathering powders were applied to the rainwater goods, and roof, to give it some texture. Plenty of long unkempt grass was planted, in hope of everything blending together to give an air of neglect. A simple corrugated iron shed, which is nothing more than a cut down Wills lamp hut, which first saw light of day at Penhydd, provides a place to store the shovels, pick axe, and other tools. The coal man probably takes shelter there, when the near horizontal rain is whipping across the exposed landscape.

You will have to excuse the lack of couplings on the 16 tonner, its one of several that are waiting to be fitted with smaller, coupling mounts and loops.

Inspiration for the office came from within the pages of 'The New Radnor Branch' by Nicholas de Courtais. The real office was a little too grand for a backwater like Llangunllo, so my model is based on it, rather than being faithfully modelled. This is an early view prior to the shed being tidied up, weathered and glazing installed.

Another view of the shed, clearly showing the door handle, letterbox and signage.

Moving on, earlier in the year I took advantage of the warm weather and primed my A44 driving trailer. The body and underframe were not screwed together when this photo was taken, hence the gap and misalignment between the two. To the best of my knowledge all of these coaches were painted in BR maroon and fully lined. But I'm hoping to find an example in unlined crimson, which should make for a pleasant winter research project, something to keep me occupied during the long winter nights. I think the A44 makes a pleasant change from the usual detailed Airfix auto-coach, or the latest Bachmann Hawksworth version, both of which are all too common.

Well that just about brings everything up to date, later this week I expect to put the Silflor to good use, and all being well the backscene will finally be installed.

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The green, green, grass of home...........

October 29, 2016, 2:56 am

≫ Next: Backscene...

≪ Previous: More News From Llangunllo...

Well here we are back on Blogger, and my experiment with Wordpress is over. Talking of experiments I've been exploring the world of 7mm scale modelling, but having done an awful lot of planning, and pondering, I've decided its not for me, though it was a very close call at one point! So having got all thoughts of the so called 'senior scale', and other distractions out of my system, I returned to work on Llangunllo.

I started off with this section of embankment, which is a mix of all the materials that I've mentioned in previous posts. Static grasses, have yet to be applied, that will be the next job, once the local artist materials shop has a fresh supply of 3M Display mount. Cheaper alternatives are available, I've even used hairspray in the past, but you can't beat the proper stuff, which drys clear, has an extremely firm hold, and doesn't discolour over time.

This is how I've used the Silflor, Heki and Noch materials, the bush, and tall grasses in front, and to the right of it, are from the Silflor 'Early fall proliferation area mat'. MiniNatur 4.5 mm 'Late fall' static grasses will be applied next using a simple 'puffer bottle'. These particular grasses are a faded green / straw colour, midway between the colours of the Silflor, and Noch materials. They will be used break up the larger areas of grass, and to blend everything together. Well that's the plan, the idea has worked well in the past, so should do so again.

A couple of hours later an overgrown hedgerow had appeared, which has been made from leftover pieces of Seamoss, the bits you find in the bottom of the box, that are useless for constructing trees with. The embankment around the cattle dock was tackled next, the dock itself being modelled in a disused and overgrown state. The grass here is nearly all Silflor, much of it being laid in small clumps, I wasn't happy with the location of the lamp hut on the far embankment, so its been moved towards the rear of the station building, where its out of harms way.

Hanging basket liner is being used in main for the embankment beyond the bridge, the section seen here under the arch is mostly 'Heki'. But as the embankment disappears into the distance, the good stuff is used less, and less.

There is just room for two 57 ft coaches in the platform, though passenger trains of that length are rather rare. Longer trains have to slowly draw forward, as did those on the real railway.

Looking in the other direction, since this photo was taken, the remainder of the embankment beyond the platelayers hut, has been covered in long grasses, and the backscene now reaches as far as the goods yard.

The layout is now coming to life, and the Llangunllo that I knew is slowly coming back to me. This time next week should see most, if not all of the scenery completed, save for the smaller details, then what ???

Poll
Moving on, do you feel there might be a market for a publication, which would fill the gap between the Railway Modeller, BRM, Model Rail, and MRJ ? If so would you consider subscribing to a quarterly online publication, aimed at the so called 'middle ground ' modeller, and those who would like to progress from RTR, and dip their feet into the world of the finer scales?

You can cast your vote on the poll which can be found at the top of the right hand side bar, thank you.

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Backscene...

November 3, 2016, 12:38 pm

≫ Next: Ditch or Leat ?........

≪ Previous: The green, green, grass of home...........

Well as you can see the new backscene is in place, its the same one that I used last time, and has been modified in the same manner by cutting most of the foreground away. Following the manufacturers suggestion, and instructions, I've used a spray adhesive to secure it in place this time. 3M Display mount being my adhesive of choice, and its worked a treat.

This was the first section of the layout to get the treatment, the alignment of the scene is slightly different from on the old Llangunllo. Which was more by design than accident, as I wanted the scene to fall in a certain way further along.

The goods yard looks totally exposed to the elements, I certainly wouldn't care to be bagging coal up there on a typical grey Welsh day, let alone in the depths of winter.

Rather than stop short at the scenic break, which in this case is marked by the bridge. The new scene wraps around the cassette deck, which I feel creates a sense of distance.

I mentioned earlier about aligning the backscene to fall in a certain way, and this is what I was aiming for. You see I wanted those trees in the background to end up behind the station building, and around the approach to the bridge. The idea being to blend the modelled hedgerow into them, in hope of creating more depth to the scene.

Looking towards Llanbister Road, I didn't expect to have reached this stage so soon. Over the next few days I'll be working on the embankment between the platelayers hut, and the allotments, after that the new point rodding will be laid.

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Ditch or Leat ?........

November 10, 2016, 8:33 am

≫ Next: Talking Toads....

≪ Previous: Backscene...

Earlier this year I was out and about with my camera looking for features to model, and came across this ditch, which isn't far from where we live. I've walked the path alongside it with my old canine pal many a time, but how often, if ever have you seen one modelled? Its course is marked by the line of trees, and once out of frame on the left it disappears into an underground culvert, which takes it through the village. From time to time it emerges into the open, before diving underground once again. At one time it circled the village green, a short spur leading off to a pond. the latter is now filled in, and any hopes of building dams and searching for tadpoles are a distant memory.

The ditch passes under the cart track on which I'm standing, by means of a large diameter concrete pipe, which is covered with earth and old timbers. It then winds its way through agricultural land behind me to the nearest river. Now all this got me thinking, and whilst reinstating the railway embankment on Llangunllo, I thought, why not model a ditch, or a leat? The latter is nothing more than a man made artificial ditch, dug to supply water to power a mill, or other industry. Once the water has done its work, it usually ends up in a pond.

The course of the ditch follows the joint between the grassed area and the new plaster. Though you can't see it, a natural depression was formed between the two without any help from me. Sometimes things just happen like that, its as if they are meant to be.

The old grass was removed, and the bare plaster painted to match the main embankment. The bed of the ditch was painted a murky brown colour, then sealed with neat PVA, A few small pieces of gravel being added before it all set solid. Once everything had dried, a couple of coats of gloss yacht varnish were applied to represent the water.

It was then a case of replanting the grasses that had previously been removed, and adding new, darker tufts around the edge of the ditch. That's because grass is always greener around a water course, or in areas where it collects.

Inspired by the village ditch that I mentioned earlier, the one at Llangunllo enters a concrete pipe, which is just visible in this photo. Its nothing more than a piece of Plastruct tube, which was cut in half length ways, and bedded into the wet varnish before it set.

The other end of the ditch continues down the embankment, and is deemed to drain into a pond or quarry, neither of which is modelled.

A few changes have been made to the allotments, the track leading to them is now narrower, shorter, and the whole site is more overgrown. Any fencing will have to wait until the point rodding as been fitted.

Anyway, having passed under the allotments and the lane, the ditch emerges from the river bank to meet a sluice gate. This would have been opened to reduce the water level in times of flood, or if the ditch were a leat, it would have been opened when a flow of water was required to power machinery. Now the backscene is in place this whole area is being slowly worked up, I just do a little at a time, take a photo or two, and see how it all looks.

The sluice frame was made from balsa, and ply sleeper strip, the winding mechanism being made from two Gibson crank pins, with a piece of brass wire bent to form the winding handle

A storm is brewing over the distant hills, as a ray of sunshine illuminates the river bank and the sluice gate. The gate itself was made from Slater's embossed styrene planking, with etched wagon strapping for rivet detail. The river is low today, but once that storm hits, water will flow down off the surrounding hills and the water level will no doubt rise.

After each modelling session I run a few trains, in this view 4678 storms up the bank from Presteign with a short goods train.

...................................before reaching the summit of the line, and coasting down to Llanbister Road.

Finally, many thanks for all those who cast their vote on my recent magazine poll, according to my blog stats. 91% voted in favour. In the meantime take a look at this, and before you ask, no, its nothing to do with my poll :-)

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Talking Toads....

November 18, 2016, 9:08 am

≫ Next: A brief update.....

≪ Previous: Ditch or Leat ?........

When I returned to the world of 4mm scale modelling after many years in the wilderness, Airfix and Mainline had just arrived on the scene. Both had a GWR 'Toad' brake van in their range, and I ended up with the Airfix version. Sadly, both appear to be a mix of diagrams, nothing new there, and the latest models from Bachmann and Hornby are little better. Which isn't surprising really given their parentage. But despite all that my old Airfix model has served me well, in later years it ended up being converted to EM, gaining an inside rocking axle in the process. Then, following a rebuild it emerged from my workbench as the Kington Toad, its still far from perfect. So I've been looking at a few alternatives, the obvious choice being the Ratio GWR toad kit, but even that has its faults.

Paul Marshall-Potter is currently doing some interesting conversion work on a Mainline Toad, which he has fitted with a Morgan Design chassis. The full range of Morgan chassis are available from the Scalefour Society, and you don't have to be a member to purchase one from their public eshop. That got me thinking, because they also produce a chassis for the smaller AA3 van which can be modelled by doing a cut and shunt on the Ratio kit. At one time Keyser, more commonly known as (K's) produced a cast kit for the small AA3 16T van, examples come up for sale now and again, along with the etched kit that was once produced by Jim McGeown under his Pocket Money Kits label. But expect to pay silly money if you come across either, Frogmore also produce several etched kits for a variety of toads, and after a long wait, they are now available again from Dart Castings.

I have always fancied a model of the smaller AA3 16T brake van, and being shorter they are certainly useful for small layouts such as mine. So rather than butcher a Ratio kit, I took the plunge and purchased one of the Frogmore kits for the AA3 van, with a steel veranda. Now just watch a decent RTR model arrive on the scene.

This is what you get for your hard earned cash, the body is a one piece fold up etch, to which various detailed overlays are attached. The roof is supplied flat so needs rolling to shape, a task which should be made easier thanks to the half etched plank detail on its reverse side. A pair of etched 'W' irons are provided, one can be assembled to rock, but if compensation isn't required both can be assembled in rigid form. A pair of etched works plates can be found on the main fret, which is a nice touch, and a separate etched sanding lever linkage is also provided. Cast whitemetal axle boxes, and a short length of tubing for the stove chimney complete the kit, no buffers, decals, wheels or bearings being provided. The kit is let down by the instructions, which are very basic, and poorly printed, the photos being small and totally useless, which is not something that you expect today. So its certainly not a kit for the beginner. There are also reports of inaccurately etched parts, but I will approach the build with an open mind, and let you know how I get on. But don't hold your breath, for this one is well down the to do list, and one of the reasons for that is the point rodding. Yes, I've actually made a start on it and all being well most of it will be installed by this time next week.

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A brief update.....

November 26, 2016, 1:07 pm

≫ Next: Another look at point rodding, Part1

≪ Previous: Talking Toads....

Well I've finally got around to removing some of the old Wills point rodding, and the ground has been prepared for its replacement. In fact the first section has since been installed, some photos should appear next week, once the whole job is complete. Then the layout will be dismantled until the New Year, as space will be needed for family visits over the festive season. My so called dedicated modelling room becoming a store for Christmas presents, and furniture as the house is rearranged.

In the meantime a few recent photos of some trains, which makes a pleasant change. I have plans to model a sister engine for 1455, but with top feed. Not sure which it will be yet, but it will be to the same spec. ie) a modified Airfix body on a Comet chassis, with Gibson wheels, Mashima can, and not one of the Hattons / DJM models

A rare outing for the Bubble Car, and a glimpse of the new point rodding.

Finally the returning pick up goods coasts down through Llangunllo behind Collett Goods 2217. This is the maximum train length that can comfortably be handled by a tender engine on the layout.

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Another look at point rodding, Part1

December 2, 2016, 10:16 am

≫ Next: A New look, for a New Year.......

≪ Previous: A brief update.....

Its almost two years since I installed Wills point rodding on the old layout, but since then Modelu have arrived on the scene with a rather nice Blackall's/GWR point rodding stool. I took a look at this new product earlier this year, and was very impressed with the finely detailed 3D prints. Since then they have been stored away along with some 0.4 mm square wire from MSE, and a Brassmasters etch for the cranks, compensator's and other bits and pieces. I expect you are wondering why I didn't leave things as they were, after all the old rodding didn't look too bad really. But I knew it could be better, and I like to experiment with new products, techniques, and ideas. Its what drives me on, and keeps me interested in modelling.

I'll be honest, hold my hands up and admit that I've been putting the job off for a while now, for it can be a fiddly, frustrating detail to add. Anyway I set myself the goal of having it sorted by Christmas, because the thought of doing it has been hanging over me like a dark cloud. Its silly to think that way really, and all too easy to talk yourself out of doing a particular task. But once you decide to get on with things it often turns out far easier than you imagined. So I started to strip the old rodding away, preparing the surface for its replacement as I went along.

Normally I like to lay point rodding whilst track laying, but in this case it wasn't possible. So I hit upon the idea of assembling as much as possible on my workbench, and then installing it onto the layout in sections. So I took a rubbing of the track work, marking the positions of the FPL's, cranks, compensator's and stretcher bars. I also visited CLAGS website, looking for hints, tips, and general information on the subject.

I don't know how I managed without my rather tatty soldering mat, for its a godsend when assembling small parts like you see here. The other side is in pristine condition, so there's plenty of life left in it yet. Before removing the parts from the etch, all the holes were opened up with a broach, and the baseplates were attached to a piece of ply sleeper strip. Holes were then drilled right through the sleeper strip, and the wire pivots were pushed through into the soldering pad. Which makes it easier to handle the parts whilst they are being soldered, and cleaned up. The ply will also provide a firm base which can be sunk into the underlay on the layout.

I always use 145 degree solder, and 9% phosphoric flux for jobs like this. If the parts, and soldering iron tip have been well cleaned, then the solder will flow instantly, giving a sound joint. Rather than add the solder to the joint as you would when soldering an electrical connection, a small speck is applied to the soldering iron bit, and carried to the joint.

My workbench is currently swamped with projects, so I made a temporary working area with my old trusty 'workmate' and a chunk of ply. The point rodding plan was then attached to a piece of 'Palight' foamboard, and a start was made on assembling the first run of rodding. Ignore the track under construction in the background, that is a separate project.

This is the first section, its waiting for two more cranks and a single compensator. As you can see I've also attached the rodding stools to another piece of sleeper strip, I found that neat EvoStick PVA bonds them firmly in place. Apart from acting as a base, the ply acts as a handy grip for threading the stools onto the rods. Once each stool is threaded, they are cut off and cleaned up, stools were originally spaced at six foot interval, later increased to nine. So I've spaced mine at a touch over six feet to give an equal distance between them.

Close ups are ever so cruel, this view shows the arrangement of the point rod cranks, and signal wire pulleys as the emerge from the locking frame under the signal box. The rods under the track are just being tried for size, before being bent to shape and attached to the cranks. The Brassmasters bases are a touch on the large size, but once painted they won't appear as big. Apart from the pulleys and single rodding stool, which are from the MSE range, all the components are from the Brassmasters etch. Everything is mounted on ply point timbers, and secured with cyano. The facing point lock is a Wills moulding which survived from the old rodding installation, and will eventually be covered with a protective ramp

Another view with the signal box and walkway in place, the latter will be moved slightly forward, once the installation is complete.

The first complete section of rodding prior to painting. So whats the verdict, well for me the combination of Modelu stools, Brassmasters etched cranks, and MSE 0.4 mm square rod works well. Its certainly easier to construct rodding in this manner, and it looks far better than anything I've used before. Obviously you need a lot of patience, and need to take your time, forward planning is essential. But these components make point rodding achievable if you are prepared to invest a little time. The last run down to the trap point on the goods siding is now ready to be installed, and since typing this up. the rodding in the above photo has been bent to shape and connected up.

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A New look, for a New Year.......

January 13, 2017, 1:57 am

≫ Next: From mock up to model........

≪ Previous: Another look at point rodding, Part1

Towards the end of last year the spammers and trolls struck again, why they picked on me I wouldn't know. In truth I've grown tired of it all, so after plenty of pondering I decided to make a New Years resolution and stop blogging.
However the blog will continue with one of my son's at the helm, but not as you knew it. He has already started to make a few changes, and more are planned. Updates on the layout will be monthly rather than weekly, featuring more photographs than text, and the comments function will be disabled. Its not an ideal situation, but at least those of you who have followed the layouts progress, can continue to do so.
Thanks for taking an interest in my modelling, and here's wishing you a Happy New Year.

Geoff

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From mock up to model........

January 13, 2017, 8:36 am

≪ Previous: A New look, for a New Year.......

Welcome to the new look Llangunllo blog, I've been given a free hand to chop and change things as I see fit. By way of introduction my name is Simon, and I intend posting updates of the layout until its finally finished. I don't do much modelling myself these days, but I did a fair bit on my Dads old St.Ives layout. Since then I've dabbled in P4 but decided that it wasn't for me and drifted away from the hobby. Having said that, I suppose you are wondering why I have taken over the reigns here. Its simple really, I thought the decent guys who have shown an interest and followed the blog should be kept up to date. I knew my Dad felt the same way, and a little guilty for not sharing the rest of the Llangunllo story. So seeing that I couldn't persuade him to continue, I suggested that perhaps I could take over, so here I am with my first post. I've got off to a good start because the photos for this particular update, and most of the text had already been prepared. So I've just done a bit of copying, editing and pasting to keep things brief and to the point.

Llansilin Road goods shed on the Tanet Valley railway was the inspiration for the goods shed, which started life as a simple card mock up. Its been built from photographs, and chopped and changed until it looked something like the real thing.

Materials used are, Wills corrugated iron sheet, plain styrene and Mainly Trains embossed rivet strip for the metalwork. The wheels above the doors are from a Cooper Craft platform trolley.

The mock up and model, Slaters corrugated sheet was used on the roof, but not before it was thinned down and cut into individual sheets.

The completed shed temporarily mounted on its base, the mark on the door is the remains of a paper poster.

The shed was painted in dirty black enamels, followed by washes of light and dark earth. In some places the paint was cut right back using a fibre glass pencil. An awful lot of progress was made on the layout before Christmas, in fact apart from the station building, and dairy its more or less finished! Its rumoured that a two part article will appear in one of the modelling magazines later this year, more news if and when.

Sorry for turning the comments off, but after what my Dad had to put up with it was the only option.
There are some really sick people out there who need to get a life, you've probably come across them on the forums. The cowards who never post under their real names, and who are only looking out for a bit of agro, yet spit their dummies out when the tables are turned.

Cheers Simon

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