queensquare
Western Thunderer
What a great series of pictures. The bridge looks terrific, you can almost hear it creaking as trains cautiously cross it.
Jerry
Jerry
4mm Morfa - The race is run.
- Thread starter Neil
- Start date
Jordan
Mid-Western Thunderer
As the saying goes... it's a new definition of the word "pootle" we were previously unaware of....
S-Club-7
Western Thunderer
Establish an initial lap time for others to better?
Fastest time around or slowest?
Umbrella, wellies . . .
Neil
Western Thunderer
I'm pleased to report that I've finally settled on a method for tackling the embankment, and have made a start doing so. Earlier today I cut up a good chunk of the thick grey craft card into domino sized rectangles and stuck them in a line round a curve drawn 15mm out from the edge of the trackbed, to give the required batter to the embankment wall. Here's a snap of the first few bits of card bedded in to the glue.
Once the bead of glue at the base has set I intend to run a further bead along the top. I've yet to decide how I'll fill the gaps before I go bonkers sticking individual stone all over the face but papier mache looks to be the favourite so far.
Once the bead of glue at the base has set I intend to run a further bead along the top. I've yet to decide how I'll fill the gaps before I go bonkers sticking individual stone all over the face but papier mache looks to be the favourite so far.
Neil
Western Thunderer
Sorry I realise that 'the gaps' was more than a bit ambiguous. I meant the gaps between the rectangles of card. The rest of the gaps where hills and landscape should be, but aren't at the moment, will be filled with foam. I'll be using the dense pink foam that B&Q sell for insulation rather than the spray foam.
Neil
Western Thunderer
One step forward and several back.
I set out this morning to rough out the contours round the Abertafol inlet in pink foam, starting with a newspaper template ....
.... which was transferred to the foam ....
.... cut out, shaped and placed in position. Even after a cup of tea and a biscuit I decided that I didn't like it. The shape is not too far off, but looking at the mess I decided that it was the material which was wrong. As I type there are some big sheets of corrugated card, rescued from the garage, drying out on the landing. I hope that I'll be happier with a more engineered sub structure (think Kryton's bonce) which I can then smooth out with a layer of stuff (undecided but I'm guessing PVA and polyfiller) applied over the top.
I set out this morning to rough out the contours round the Abertafol inlet in pink foam, starting with a newspaper template ....
.... which was transferred to the foam ....
.... cut out, shaped and placed in position. Even after a cup of tea and a biscuit I decided that I didn't like it. The shape is not too far off, but looking at the mess I decided that it was the material which was wrong. As I type there are some big sheets of corrugated card, rescued from the garage, drying out on the landing. I hope that I'll be happier with a more engineered sub structure (think Kryton's bonce) which I can then smooth out with a layer of stuff (undecided but I'm guessing PVA and polyfiller) applied over the top.
Simon
Flying Squad
I agree, that foam is ghastly new fangled stuff, I'm told that some people even build layouts with it
Corrugated cardboard formers, newspaper soaked in neatish pva plus bits of cardboard or anything else that takes your fancy - moors to mountains, the world's in your hands
Joking apart, great to see the landforms on this masterpiece being seriously contemplated...
Simon
Corrugated cardboard formers, newspaper soaked in neatish pva plus bits of cardboard or anything else that takes your fancy - moors to mountains, the world's in your hands
Joking apart, great to see the landforms on this masterpiece being seriously contemplated...
Simon
Captain Kernow
Western Thunderer
Ah, the ill-fated 'Royal Scot over the Mendips' I see...
Simon
Flying Squad
Ah, the ill-fated 'Royal Scot over the Mendips' I see...
Royal what?
That's "Evening Star" I'll have you know, borrowed by none other than Harold Morris for the occasion if you recall
Boxes provided by Earlsdon Co-op.
Sorry Neil
Neil
Western Thunderer
I have a cunning plan which has put the cardboard boxes on hold. Unfortunately it involves more synthetic materials but holds the promise of remarkably rapid landmasses. More on this later once the stuff arrives and a test has been carried out.
In the meantime I'm occupying myself tarting up the tunnel mouth a bit and sorting out a liner. I hope to be able to get a decent view from the staging sidings portal through the tunnel to the outside. Photos to follow.
In the meantime I'm occupying myself tarting up the tunnel mouth a bit and sorting out a liner. I hope to be able to get a decent view from the staging sidings portal through the tunnel to the outside. Photos to follow.
Neil
Western Thunderer
Well it's been rather cheering to have some success. Despite putting up a bit of a struggle I wrested the cardboard tunnel liner into submission today.
On the outside I'm part way through layering up the papier mache to help set the curve (both in plan and section) of the tunnel.
On the outside I'm part way through layering up the papier mache to help set the curve (both in plan and section) of the tunnel.
Neil
Western Thunderer
With the upper two thirds of the tunnel covered in set papier mache I was able to remove it from its position between the locating strips and finish off the bottom edges.
With the tunnel out of the way I turned to the track. I wanted the look of years of soot and grunge where the line burrowed underground rather than the look of clean and tidy ballast.
My material of choice was black powder paint dusted on with a cheap large paintbrush.
The finished effect so far.
I'll have to check to see how it appears when the tunnel is placed on top. At the moment my thought is that the patchy appearance may help to give some variation once covered. I'm hoping for non uniform darkness, but will have to see how it all comes together later. A further notion is that varnish may be deployed to create damp patches and puddles. All that is certain is that I'll have to be happy before the tunnel is installed because it will be glued in and topped off with solid land mass as work progresses.
With the tunnel out of the way I turned to the track. I wanted the look of years of soot and grunge where the line burrowed underground rather than the look of clean and tidy ballast.
My material of choice was black powder paint dusted on with a cheap large paintbrush.
The finished effect so far.
I'll have to check to see how it appears when the tunnel is placed on top. At the moment my thought is that the patchy appearance may help to give some variation once covered. I'm hoping for non uniform darkness, but will have to see how it all comes together later. A further notion is that varnish may be deployed to create damp patches and puddles. All that is certain is that I'll have to be happy before the tunnel is installed because it will be glued in and topped off with solid land mass as work progresses.
Neil
Western Thunderer
Last night the tunnel wasw lined with smoothed out scrunched up brown paper. This morning the innards had black and grey rattle cans aimed and fired at them. Here's the result.
Although my initial desire was for a brick lining, the Abertafol tunnels were originally hewn from rock and unlined so I don't feel it's too much of a cheat to go for a representation of bare stone. I'm perhaps being a bit picky in considering finished result to be just on the acceptable side of all right, but I am really happy about the look of the gloss varnish puddles on the left hand side of the track. They've turned out better than I hoped.
Although my initial desire was for a brick lining, the Abertafol tunnels were originally hewn from rock and unlined so I don't feel it's too much of a cheat to go for a representation of bare stone. I'm perhaps being a bit picky in considering finished result to be just on the acceptable side of all right, but I am really happy about the look of the gloss varnish puddles on the left hand side of the track. They've turned out better than I hoped.
Neil
Western Thunderer
Further progress with the tunnel. I've painted the tunnel mouth, which I believe is a Peco product, so when dry I can install the tunnel before covering it with scenery. Here's what it looked like a few minutes ago.
I mixed up a suitable grey from Humbrol enamels using a pale grey, light brown, white and black. I haven't (and will not) spent ages applying paint. I rough mix in a container, slosh it onto the object and adjust with hints of colour on the model. I've deliberately varied the tones as I've worked over the tunnel mouth so that some bits are darker, some lighter ,some more earthy and warm. I've avoided the cliché of the soot stained keystones, photos of the real thing showing a slight darkening.
A general point about painting; some of the stuff I see written about in the magazines seems far too overblown and tricksy. Get the colour right and the mind fills in the rest. We're in the smoke and mirrors business and don't need complexity where simple stuff will suffice to convince. Set ego and control to hold and let the paint work for you.
I mixed up a suitable grey from Humbrol enamels using a pale grey, light brown, white and black. I haven't (and will not) spent ages applying paint. I rough mix in a container, slosh it onto the object and adjust with hints of colour on the model. I've deliberately varied the tones as I've worked over the tunnel mouth so that some bits are darker, some lighter ,some more earthy and warm. I've avoided the cliché of the soot stained keystones, photos of the real thing showing a slight darkening.
A general point about painting; some of the stuff I see written about in the magazines seems far too overblown and tricksy. Get the colour right and the mind fills in the rest. We're in the smoke and mirrors business and don't need complexity where simple stuff will suffice to convince. Set ego and control to hold and let the paint work for you.