P.C.M Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 (edited) Layout is looking good Trev. The grass looks pretty good to me but may be mix the lighter grass with another green to blend it in a bit better. You might like this. Biffs sound in the lead loco with sugar cube speaker, two wires lead to the second loco which has the motor removed and a sugar cube speaker sat in the middle. Cheers Peter. Edited August 13, 2016 by P.C.M 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 13, 2016 Author Share Posted August 13, 2016 (edited) Layout is looking good Trev. The grass looks pretty good to me but may be mix the lighter grass with another green to blend it in a bit better. You might like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZHNUx2YCAY Biffs sound in the lead loco with sugar cube speaker, two wires lead to the second loco which has the motor removed and a sugar cube speaker sat in the middle. Cheers Peter. Hi Peter and thank you The thought hadnt crossed my mind about mixing up the fibres! Ill have to give that a try. In the station approach i was trying to simulate where the weedkiller had been. Ive seen distinct lines in foliage between dead and living scrub where the spray had reached. Ive got to invest in some different coloured fibres also. On the subject of chibbles thank you for the advice, i was wondering how it was done, whether you chipped both locos and set them to the same address or something else! Cheers Trev Edited August 13, 2016 by big T Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 as I'm modelling my EWS HEA hopper rake at he moment i can understand how much fun and how interesting it can be researching all the different liveried wagons that can be assembled into one rake as EWS in both their early days and towards the time when they were rebranded as DBS, you would rarely see a rake of wagons formed of ex BR stock all in the EWS red and gold colour scheme. Your MEA wagon looks like a great opputnity for you to do this. There is currently a rake working out of Acton on aggregate work, and it is very multi-coloured! Also gives opportunity not only to do the different predecessor colour schemes (BR railfreight, Mainline blue, load haul black, Transrail grey, Railfreight black etc etc) but in worn down or different variations of those liveries. Do you have just the 3 MEA's currently? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium James Makin Posted August 13, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 13, 2016 as I'm modelling my EWS HEA hopper rake at he moment i can understand how much fun and how interesting it can be researching all the different liveried wagons that can be assembled into one rake as EWS in both their early days and towards the time when they were rebranded as DBS, you would rarely see a rake of wagons formed of ex BR stock all in the EWS red and gold colour scheme. Your MEA wagon looks like a great opputnity for you to do this. There is currently a rake working out of Acton on aggregate work, and it is very multi-coloured! Also gives opportunity not only to do the different predecessor colour schemes (BR railfreight, Mainline blue, load haul black, Transrail grey, Railfreight black etc etc) but in worn down or different variations of those liveries. Do you have just the 3 MEA's currently? The MEAs are awesome wagons to tackle, with lots of variety - although nowadays they are very mixed, back in the late 90s EWS did used to paint big batches into the famous maroon & gold so sometimes you would see a whole train of identical ex-works EWS livery, quite a stunning sight to be fair!! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 13, 2016 Author Share Posted August 13, 2016 as I'm modelling my EWS HEA hopper rake at he moment i can understand how much fun and how interesting it can be researching all the different liveried wagons that can be assembled into one rake as EWS in both their early days and towards the time when they were rebranded as DBS, you would rarely see a rake of wagons formed of ex BR stock all in the EWS red and gold colour scheme. Your MEA wagon looks like a great opputnity for you to do this. There is currently a rake working out of Acton on aggregate work, and it is very multi-coloured! Also gives opportunity not only to do the different predecessor colour schemes (BR railfreight, Mainline blue, load haul black, Transrail grey, Railfreight black etc etc) but in worn down or different variations of those liveries. Do you have just the 3 MEA's currently? Hi Peter You've hit the nail on the head. There was so much variation (even with block trains), it makes the transition period and beyond highly interesting. My experience with MEA's was the Avonmouth - Rugby coals. always a producer for a decent loco (I,e, not a shed) Ive got around 20 MEA's, but I couldn't find them! I could only find around 7 or 8 tonight.(pics to follow!) Cheers Trev 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 13, 2016 Author Share Posted August 13, 2016 I did some more ballasting tonight, and took a couple of pics. Nearly there now as regards ballasting. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Static grass looks rather good Trev looking forward to more.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 Static grass looks rather good Trev looking forward to more.. Cheers Neil. Been doing a bit more today, photos below 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 More static grassing and ballasting today. Ive also glued up the plasticard base for the platform top. Please excuse the poor quality pics, I was in a rush as to not be in trouble with SWMBO as my dinner was ready! Cheers Trev 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 MEA's looking great, no Mainline blue ones? The odd couple of the blue in the rake make it look really good! maybe one really faded and one not so much different from ex works condition? although saying that the last one i saw for sale on ebay was nearing £20 which i thought was a bit steep, but saying that brand new ones at RRP from Bachmann are almost that now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 15, 2016 Author Share Posted August 15, 2016 MEA's looking great, no Mainline blue ones? The odd couple of the blue in the rake make it look really good! maybe one really faded and one not so much different from ex works condition? although saying that the last one i saw for sale on ebay was nearing £20 which i thought was a bit steep, but saying that brand new ones at RRP from Bachmann are almost that now! I think I do have some ML blue ones, but where they are is anyones guess!! Prices in general seem to have taken a bit of a hike recently. £20 for a small wagon is a rip off. Ill see if I can find that blue one! Cheers Trev Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 (edited) I'm currently waiting for a few items in the post, so I have diverted my attention to getting the platform surface finalised. My original intention was to glue a Plasticard top to the wooden platform base, paint it, then glue on a textured card surface to give me the finish I'm after. However, after cutting out the card top, and placing on top of the Plasticard base, I thought it looked pretty pants. I had a bright idea and tried the card directly onto the ply platform base. (It looks pretty rough, as I still have to add edging stones to the platform edge. Im a little wary about using card on its own as I have to add platform lighting later on and am concerned that the cardboard wont be durable enough to take the lights drilled through, and I'm also worried about damage occurring through physical contact. The black of the plasticard is primer, and the grey edges to the card would be weathered and wouldn't be card coloured. Cheers for now Trev Edited August 18, 2016 by big T 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Hi Trev, Can i suggest something to improve on with you platforms? If you add a slight lip over the edges of the side walls as most platforms these days have some sort of lip to them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukpepsi Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 I'm a little wary about using card on its own as I have to add platform lighting later on and am concerned that the cardboard wont be durable enough to take the lights Hi Trev, I've been enjoying your posts about the layout and am impressed with the way that you've tried various techniques. As to the question of supporting the Platform top: How about using balsa wood as a substructure. If you know where the lights are going to be fitted, you can use a block of balsa as an anchor point Alternatively a square length of balsa, cut to the requisite height and placed along the alignment of where the light fittings will go. As always, your layout, your decision. Keep up the good work. Pepsi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 Hi Trev, Can i suggest something to improve on with you platforms? If you add a slight lip over the edges of the side walls as most platforms these days have some sort of lip to them. Hello matey Thank you for your suggestion. Do you mean the brick base or the top itself? Ive got some edging stones to go onto the edges that will create the lip you mention. I hope I've interpreted that correctly!!! Cheers Trev Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 Hi Trev, I've been enjoying your posts about the layout and am impressed with the way that you've tried various techniques. As to the question of supporting the Platform top: How about using balsa wood as a substructure. If you know where the lights are going to be fitted, you can use a block of balsa as an anchor point Alternatively a square length of balsa, cut to the requisite height and placed along the alignment of where the light fittings will go. As always, your layout, your decision. Keep up the good work. Pepsi Hi Pepsi Thank you for your kind comments, very much appreciated. I think that would be a great Idea. The balsa would definitely provide a decent base that would prevent damage by my clumsy sausage fingers! Cheers for looking Trev Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 I don't like balsa, It's not exactly robust and I find it hard to cut straight. All my platforms have had pine strip sides and supports with thin bass wood surfaces - easy to cut and tough - if a little bit of a rolls Royce solution 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 (edited) I don't like balsa, It's not exactly robust and I find it hard to cut straight. All my platforms have had pine strip sides and supports with thin bass wood surfaces - easy to cut and tough - if a little bit of a rolls Royce solution Hi Rob, Ive not used balsa before, However I think this will make a good base for my light fittings below the platform top. Looking back, I think my plasticard was too thick also, so that's going in the bin! Hmmmmmmm! Cheers Trev Edited August 18, 2016 by big T 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCML100 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Hello matey Thank you for your suggestion. Do you mean the brick base or the top itself? Ive got some edging stones to go onto the edges that will create the lip you mention. I hope I've interpreted that correctly!!! Cheers Trev This is the best photo i can find to know what i mean: w503-d-dscn9324.jpg So i think we are on the same page, i mean the stuff that is the white edging. could apply the main base to the platform then add a small thin section of plasticard to the top edge and then use model railways scenery printable platform edging which looks the same as in the photo. Link to the Site here: http://www.modelrailwayscenery.com/2014/06/network-rail-platform-edge-coping-tx142-oo4mm176/ I plan to get some myself when i get round to it. Hope this is of some help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 19, 2016 Author Share Posted August 19, 2016 (edited) This is the best photo i can find to know what i mean: w503-d-dscn9324.jpg So i think we are on the same page, i mean the stuff that is the white edging. could apply the main base to the platform then add a small thin section of plasticard to the top edge and then use model railways scenery printable platform edging which looks the same as in the photo. Link to the Site here: http://www.modelrailwayscenery.com/2014/06/network-rail-platform-edge-coping-tx142-oo4mm176/ I plan to get some myself when i get round to it. Hope this is of some help. Ah I get what you mean now! The base is from the original owners layout, and its made from pine section. Its very well made actually. So well made that I came to the conclusion that if I removed it, the surface of the baseboard would come with it, and this was one of the influencing decisions for me to leave it in situ. As mentioned previously, I have some edge stones - they were from a Metcalfe kit I had. Now I'm still not sure if I want to use them. Its just not accurate enough and a little one dimensional for what I'm after. I might see if I can get a much thinner sheet of wood (balsa, ply, etc) or thinner Plasticard and still use the edging stones. I would like to go for a finish similar to that at Water Orton. Half tarmac, half dirt with weeds towards the non-used end where the local veg hang out. The reality is that I still have to wait to fix the platform to the base, as I have to buy the platform lights and wire them first. At least Ive got holes already drilled below the platform through which I can run them. Who would have thought a platform could cause so many flipping issues?!!! Anyhoo, I have a nice consignment of wagons consisting of Clams/Rudd/VEA/VBA/SSA to collect on Saturday, courtesy of my old mucka Simon Langley, and have some lovely grass tufts on their way, from Neil Mason at The Little layout Co. Happy weekend modelling folks! Trev Edited August 19, 2016 by big T 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukpepsi Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Hi Trev, If you're looking for a stronger platform top, but didn't want to use plasticard. How about plylite? It's a thin plywood used, I would guess from the following link, by model boat builders. http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/birch_plywood.html Pepsi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 19, 2016 Author Share Posted August 19, 2016 Hi Trev, If you're looking for a stronger platform top, but didn't want to use plasticard. How about plylite? It's a thin plywood used, I would guess from the following link, by model boat builders. http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/birch_plywood.html Pepsi Hi Pepsi Thank you for that. I like the look of it, and 0.8mm th would work. I think I could also go with blackboard paint too.....Yeah!!! I like that...! Cheers Trev Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 21, 2016 Author Share Posted August 21, 2016 (edited) Hi folks, Ive put the platform temporarily on hold for a bit, until Ive got September out of the way. Reason is, its SWMBO's 40th birthday, and funds are being diverted to cover that. Once Ive got that out of the way, I will invest in station and yard lights. Until then I have a billion and one more jobs to do that will keep me occupied! I had a delivery on Friday of a Bachmann type 15 signalbox - I like the look of it, and compare it in similarity to Water Orton East Jn box. Ive been going to Water Orton for the best part of 30 years, this is the only shot I have of it: I have broken out the ballast again today and decided to fill in the large gap between the up and down main and the 'branch'. Luckily I had just enough to cover what was a pretty big area. The ballast I used was a lot finer than my N gauge granite chippings that Ive used for the trackwork. I also made a pathway leading to the signalbox steps that emanates from a yet to be decided upon area at the top left hand portion of the layout (The bare patch behind the signalbox at the rear). I was originally thinking of some kind of P-way yard but Im having second thoughts because it seems they're quite popular at the moment, and I want to stay away from Popular. Im in two minds as to represent the box burnt out. not sure yet...... Anyhoo, here are a few pics from todays session: Thanks for looking! Trev Edited August 22, 2016 by big T 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
class"66" Posted August 22, 2016 Share Posted August 22, 2016 Pictures look great Trev cheers neil. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
big T Posted August 22, 2016 Author Share Posted August 22, 2016 Pictures look great Trev cheers neil. Thanks Neil. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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