Gary's Townstreet Competition Thread

Reidy, I was fortunate that my employer was throwing out big sheets of foam core, measuring approximately 3'x 4' ! I just wish they had more to dispose of !!

Here is an excellent link : https://www.foamboards.com.au/Buy-Now/Foam-Board-A-Sizes
This lot comes in 3mm and 5mm thick. 3mm is ideal for OO/HO modelling. Just over $15.60 a sheet, that is an excellent price for a sheet 840mm x 1189mm

and off-cuts : https://www.foamboards.com.au/Buy-Now/Offcuts/Colour-Mat-Board-Offcuts

Cheers, Gary.

 

cmcan wrote:

Wash : diluted paint. Mixed down to about 60% water, 40% paint. Applied with a soft brush. This will leave just enough paint on top of the painted sleepers.

Rail Painting : I have used a few methods, but the easiest is to use is acrylics, a mix of brown and burnt sienna, applied with a brush. The alternative is to use an airbrush with thinned down acrylics (Humbrol or similar). Isopropyl alcohol is good for thinning down acylics for use in an airbrush and it also speeds up drying time.

Good rail colour :

Humbrol No. 70 Brick Red Matt
" " 29 Dark Earth Matt
" " 160 German Camouflage Red Brown Matt

Sleeper colour :

Humbrol No. 29 Dark Earth Matt
" " 224 Dark Slate Grey Matt
" " RC412 BR Coach Roof Grey Matt

Here is a link to Humbrol's Acylic paint chart : https://www.humbrol.com/uk-en/shop/paints/acrylic-paints.html?

You could use enamels (matt), but they do take longer to dry...

Road Base : First up, paint your baseboards a dark grey colour where the road base will be.

Now there are two methods for applying the road base fines.

The first is to paint a thin layer of PVA and allow to settle for about 5 minutes. Letting the PVA 'rest' will ensure there are less brush strokes in the PVA, which can/will show up once complete and dry. Sprinkle the material (road base fines) over the PVA. Once dry, vacuum the excess up. Place some stocking type of fabric over the vacuum hose to catch any loose material for re-use, or, use a clean hand held mini vac. Take a look to see where any material has become loose or needs tidying up. To add more material, use the second option outlined below.

The second option is to apply the road base like you would for ballast. Sprinkle a thin layer down over the surface then apply a PVA/water/detergent mix from over head using an atomiser. Be careful not to blow the material off the surface and beware of largish drips from the bottle (atomiser). Allow to dry for at least 24 hours before checking to see if any more material needs adding. If so, just repeat the same steps outlined here.

Here are some pics of railway tracks, showing the difference in rail and sleeper colour from all over NSW...













Hope this helps.

Cheers, Gary.