Green & Grey

[Sheffie]

Interestingly, my wife has shown a lot more interest in the layout since I learned about these models. 

 

I discussed the coal mine / depot with her, and she heartily agreed that it’s much too nasty a building for such a “cute” village. 

 

There, however, our thoughts went in very different directions.

 

She: they have a farm model, right? We could get sheep!

 

Me: just the boiler house and chimney, next to a mine entrance. 

https://www.metcalfemodels.com/product/pn184-n-scale-boilerhouse-factory-entrance/

[bill937ca]

Whey don't you change the mine to a brewery?

[Cat]

Sheep are always festive additions!

[Sheffie]

This is a bit of an experiment. 

 

The picture tells the story. 

 

I noticed that the trains were bobbing up and down as they passed over the catenary poles, and in places I’ve seen the track moving up and down too, especially when locomotives go by. 

 

The problem is that the supports go across under the track, causing appreciable gaps to appear — in the photo above, there’s quite a shadow on the left. 

 

So, I’ve cut off the part of the support that stretches under the track (pictured) and I’m using 3/4 inch pins to hold the bases in position. 

 

If those pins are good enough to withstand the dust sheet going on and off every day, I’ll probably do the same thing for the other ones around the loop. If not... I may try pins plus glue. 

[Jimbo]

had that problem with mine,, some I found I had enough room so just drilled holes in the table an mounted them,, other spots I cut down the mounts an just used the pad an glued it to the table,,,

[cteno4]

Pin plus a small tad of white glue should hold it well but still be yankable with needle nose. Put pin in then pull and ad just a little bit of glue to the hole and push pin back in. Experiment. If you get it just right it hold well but if you really snag the dust sheet or finger on it the joint lets loose before breaking the part.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Sheffie]

More work on the village station. 

 

The platform is built and attached to the station building. They’re sitting on a common base plate— the Metcalfe Models platforms are clearly intended to be installed at rail height (because not everyone uses modular track).

 

The base plate is finished out with paving stones and a bit of fence which originally belonged to the Kato rural platform kit. 

[yakumo381]

I used Metcalfe Card Models a lot in the past when I modeled N gauge UK steam era trains and even kit-bashed them for a Peruvian Railway layout. They are good but be careful that you keep them out of direct sunlight as they do tend to fade when exposed over time. From recollection, I noticed the fading after a couple of years in direct light from a window and after that I made sure to keep the blinds semi-closed in summer.

[cteno4]

Dull coat may help this a little, but always a problem with printed material and sunlight! 
 

jeff

[Sheffie]

I’m happy to announce the return of an old favorite... hunter green cloth!

 

 

This all looks quite arbitrary, and indeed messy, but, fortunately the combination of cardboard and cloth is quite forgiving. And there’s a plan. 

 

It looks better in place with the buildings. Those that are finished, at least. 

Bonus point: I needed to conceal some errors around the kerb stones in front of the goods shed, so I used a mixture of black and white acrylic with thinners to create some stains in the gutter and in front of the main loading bay. since, you know, any lorries that park there might leak oil and grime.

Edited March 30, 2020 by Sheffie

[Sheffie]

Work is slowing down as it becomes more difficult. I’m trying to get the hill to a state where I can build on and around it, and the tunnel entrances are giving me trouble. 

 

They are narrow enough that I need to get them in precisely the right spot in order to avoid contact with passing trains, and I don’t know when or exactly how I should try to fix them in position. 

But for what it’s worth, the hilltop is cut and it’s ready for the cosmetic work around its edges to begin. 

 

I’ve also got some card into position to block light leakage from one tunnel to the next. Fortunately I have plenty of nice stone pattern available. 

 

[Sheffie]

The work begins.

This is an interesting blend of engineering and sleight of hand. I have to make this solid enough to allow tree planting later on, while allowing enough flexibility for future adjustments to the tunnel entrances. 

 

So the core of this is pieces of foam board carved into rough shape, then pinned together to leave something that isn’t rigid but stays in one piece. Then the cloth is cut to a generous size, wrapped around, glued and pinned in place. 

Some edges have the cloth tight around the corner, to allow a close fit around stonework. Others feature loose loops to gently press against retaining walls without pushing them—or to fill the gap to other foam boards, like the “lid” of the tunnels. 

 

I’m leaving the lower edges of the cloth free, for maximum flexibility when arranging the interface with the flat grass that will follow. 

 

Needless to say, this will need bushes to help disguise the seams, and later on some trees may be planted too. Right now, it’s just good to get some green down on the layout. 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2020 by Sheffie

[Cat]

Ooh, the cloth looks like a fun medium to work with!

[Sheffie]

1 minute ago, Cat said:

Ooh, the cloth looks like a fun medium to work with!

 

Yep. I got great mileage out of it when building "Spring Story", wrapping it around corrugated cardboard and using tape and pins to hold it in place. This time I'm using PVA glue and pins, which works better, I think. Certainly it holds together well. I'll probably end up using corrugated cardboard a lot less this time around. It's still great for places where you need a flat expanse, especially one a few mm above the track base. But I won't be doing the hills made from stacked "contour lines" this time around. I'm looking forward to carving the foam and getting some more natural looking slopes.

[Sheffie]

I made a bus stop. There isn’t room at the edge of the layout for any road beyond the stop itself. I’ve done my best to get some plausible road markings. 

 

I realized only after opening the package  that the fences I recently bought are acetate transparency rather than solid ABS. Hopefully It will still look okay. 

 

 

(Edited to replace pic) This overhead image shows how the bus stop integrates with the end of the station. The transparent fence meets the “wooden” fence around the station entrance and just touches the buttress at the tunnel mouth. 

 

Note the stiff cardboard at the bottom of this pic. It’s protecting the telegraph poles and chimney on the station building from the stresses of the dust cloth, which covers the layout every night and is removed every day. It’s a temporary measure until I can think of a better long term solution. 

Edited April 12, 2020 by Sheffie

[Sheffie]

I’d forgotten how rewarding it can be laying ballast. My technique is slow and involves multiple passes of ballast and glue, but I like the results. 

 

I’m experimenting with a new idea, that of letting the ballast slope down to a layer of cloth directly on the baseboard. Previously I always used cardboard to raise the ground level up to that of the sleepers. Still not sure if I like this. 

[railsquid]

38 minutes ago, Sheffie said:

I’m experimenting with a new idea, that of letting the ballast slope down to a layer of cloth directly on the baseboard. Previously I always used cardboard to raise the ground level up to that of the sleepers. Still not sure if I like this. 

 

Looks quite plausible, the track either side of my local level crossing has ballast which looks like that.