7mm Bleddfa Road

Suddaby

Western Thunderer
Hi Geoff,
Good to see you back and pleased that you and your good lady are now on the mend. Must have been pretty scary!!
Can I just correct the MRJ reference for Martyn W's article, it should be MRJ 262, and now I have found it, I've got it out to read!
All the best,

Kevin
 

Geoff

Western Thunderer
Hi Geoff,
Good to see you back and pleased that you and your good lady are now on the mend. Must have been pretty scary!!
Can I just correct the MRJ reference for Martyn W's article, it should be MRJ 262, and now I have found it, I've got it out to read!
All the best,

Kevin

Thank you Kevin, yes it was and still is a little scary as my wife faces a bronchoscopy next week, to see if the virus has caused damage to her trachea and lungs. Fingers and everything else crossed for that.

Thanks also for correcting me on the wrong issue of MRJ, still I was only twenty out :)

Having found the article I hope it proved to be a good read for you, I had a little difficulty when it came to dry brushing natural wood over the grey primer. I put that down to my brush not being stiff enough and will be trying again on my next wagon, which will be the end door version.

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This is another view of the same wagon under different lighting conditions, still not up to Martyn's standard but I will do my best to improve.

Geoff
 

Geoff

Western Thunderer
A shortage of materials is slowing my modelling down at the moment, so I am taking various projects as far as I can whilst waiting for fresh supplies to arrive in the post.

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The water tower is currently awaiting an etched ladder and other bits and pieces, so I have started work on the scenery at this end of the layout. I'm using my usual mix of Silflor / MiniNatur late fall grass mating and static grasses along with other grasses from Greenscene and Woodland burnt grass coarse turf. The buffer stop at the end of the engine release has been removed in favour of a condemned iron mink van. The plan being to model a body only from styrene sheet and fasten it directly to the rails. The GWR used to fill old iron mink bodies with concrete and fit a buffer beam across one end and I rather fancy doing the same. It is all very much work in progress at the moment but coming along much as I imagined it in my minds eye.

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In this view I'm working out where to drill the holes for the Peco spear fencing which will run along the rear of the platform. I've also been busy applying static grasses with my old Noch puffer bottle between the engine release and the siding. They will be spreading between the rails soon as the area becomes more overgrown. There will be some 'bosky' trees between the van and the backscene, and hopefully they will merge together to give the effect of dense woodland.



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The goods shed is also coming together now, I have used Basswood strip for the canopy supports and door frames. The corrugated iron sheet is Slater's, each piece being cut individually to fit. I'll be using EDM Models nuts, bolts and washers NBW & Rivets - NG Trains on the sheeting once supplies arrive from the USA in the New Year.

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At the other end of the layout I have arrived at the final design for the lime kiln, and started to detail the bridge. The stonework on the bridge abutments and the greenery to the left has been added using some photo editing software to give an idea of how I seen this area developing.

Well that more or less rounds things up, so I will take the opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Geoff
 

Geoff

Western Thunderer
Modelling time has been in short supply of late, a lack of natural light and tiring hospital visits being the main culprits. I have however managed to plant a little static grass and have made a subtle change to the backscene............

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From certain angles the hump in the field looks a little weird, which is probably down to the curved backscene and camera lens, for it looks fine when viewed head on. However it was beginning to annoy me, my eye being drawn to it every time I entered the railway room, so something had to be done about it.

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So out came the paints and brushes and this is the result, I also started to build up the surrounding scenery with some static grasses.

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I have used a combination of spring and summer green from the 'Greenscene' range, with a touch of their straw fibres for the sun bleached tips. It is still very much a case of work in progress at the moment as the height of the grass is slowly being built up bit by bit.

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A few areas are having some Woodland Scenic's coarse turf applied to represent weed infested patches, which will look very different once I have finished if all goes to plan.

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I have also been working on the goods shed which now awaits some nuts, bolts and washers on the corrugated sheeting. I am somewhat surprised by the weight of the structure, which is only a combination of foamboard, styrene sheet and basswood. Grass has also been laid along the embankment beside the goods yard, and the stonework on the platform face has also been receiving some attention.

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More grass is growing around the combined gents and lamp hut at the far end of the platform as 1455 simmers away on the siding loop.

Geoff
 

Neil

Western Thunderer
I can see what you mean about the hump looking wrong, it reads as though there's a steep drop at the rear of it rather than a gentle roll to the next line of hills. The revised backscene is a big improvement
 

Geoff

Western Thunderer
I can see what you mean about the hump looking wrong, it reads as though there's a steep drop at the rear of it rather than a gentle roll to the next line of hills. The revised backscene is a big improvement

So I don't need a new pair of specs after all, thank you Neil! My wife and chief critic couldn't understand what all the fuss was about:)

Must say I did like the MRJ article! Power to you!!

Thank you Martin, it is very kind of you to say so. It came as a very pleasant surprise to be asked if I would care to write a two part article about the layout for the Journal.

Geoff
 

keefr22

Western Thunderer
Coming along really well Geoff, nice to see such a good update.

I did try to reply to your Blog post, but my 4 month old Chromebook packed up in early Jan, and since it's come back from repair it's doing the same as when I first had it and not allowing me to comment on there for some reason! Weird these computer thingies!

Keith
 
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