Great Chesterford Junction Part Two

Discussion in 'Members Personal Layouts' started by gormo, Dec 5, 2015.

  1. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    I`ve been making some bushes today to conceal the join between the two removable sections of scenery.
    It`s a method I picked up somewhere on the internet and then added a couple of my own variations, so it`s a fairly simple process with reasonable results.

    DSC00903.JPG



    DSC00904.JPG


    The cruel close up


    DSC00905.JPG


    I like the rather random nature of them, in fact you never really know exactly how they`re going to turn out until they`re complete.......:scratchchin:


    DSC00906.JPG


    The hedge on the right was made a couple of days ago. We have an old lounge suite that we`re getting rid of, so I took the opportunity to remove a bag full of poly-fiber from one of the cushions. Once you tease it out and shape it, it`s sprayed with brown paint from a rattle can and then foliage is stuck on top ......again very easy to do.


    DSC00908.JPG

    More as it happens
    :tophat:Gormo
     
    York Paul and Andrew Laing like this.
  2. Andrew Laing

    Andrew Laing Full Member

    Messages:
    357
    Likes Received:
    531
    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2020
    Looks good to me.
     
  3. Walkingthedog

    Walkingthedog Full Member

    Messages:
    965
    Likes Received:
    959
    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2020
    Gormo I do believe you are getting the hang of this. :giggle::cheers:
     
  4. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    Maybe.????:scratchchin:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  5. Echidna

    Echidna Full Member

    Messages:
    235
    Likes Received:
    150
    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2016
    Dear Gormo,

    a good tutorial on scenery, I like the placing of the convoy, images of a MP raid underway !

    The video is quite good too. I think 21st Centrury Fox needs to be careful, I have visions of an American film by 21st Century Fox, with the sub title of "A GormoVision company "

    Best regards, Echidna
     
  6. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    :avatar::avatar::avatar:
    Yes Echidna........as we say over here......Steven Spielberg look out.....:avatar:
    As a matter of fact I am currently finding my way through some video editing software called " Lightworks ".
    https://www.lwks.com/
    The Little Bardfield DMU Service was edited with Lightworks
    I have the free version, which is not too far removed from the professional version,which has been used on quite a few big budget movies over the last ten years or so.
    It`s the best and most comprehensive software I`ve used to date and it`s easy on the resources on my PC.....which is really quite amazing.
    It has taken my editing to the next level where I have absolute control over the result, however all the bells and whistles, even though they are nice to have, are no substitute for content.
    I need to constantly restrain my content and try and keep it clear and concise and logical and brief if possible.
    So realistically, Spielberg has got nothing to worry about......:avatar::avatar::avatar::avatar:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  7. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    Started work on the platform at LB today.
    I want to have a paver edge with a soil / ash back fill in behind the edge, except where the station building is sited, which will have a paving square approx. the size of the building.
    The pavers are made from cereal box card which has been scored and then cut into long strips. The strips are then coloured with chalk pastel and sealed with hairspray. When dry, the pavers are cut out.


    DSC00910.JPG


    Because of the curved platform and the uneven surface that forms the top, I have elected to lay the pavers individually. A tedious job, but not as bad as you might think.
    They are stuck down with PVA so I have some wiggle room when it comes to placing them properly. They also have to be flush with the edge of the platform because the tight radius leaves little clearance for coaches.


    DSC00911.JPG


    Some time back I won some Townstreet buildings in one of Toto`s competitions. I have been saving them for Little Bardfield and Bamford......mostly for Bamford, but the little station building will be ideally suited for this rather small station. The two halves have to be sanded flat at the join to get a good result, so that stage of the build will be coming along soon.


    DSC00912.JPG



    DSC00913.JPG

    :tophat:Gormo
     
  8. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    A bit more done today.......actually the big commitment.........lay down the surface.......the glue is drying on it as we speak.
    I started off with finishing the paving, which meant completing the edge of the platform, then created a paved area for the station building and then I`ve added a narrow strip of paving as a border at the back of the platform.
    The narrow strip also changes the overall width of the platform and adds the same height at the back as the front. That means I can add my fill in between the two bits of paving and then drag a straight edge across the two to level out the fill.........that`s the theory anyway....:scratchchin:


    DSC00914.JPG


    It`s all weighed down and pinned down until the PVA goes off. You can see here and there how the uneven surface comes into play but we`re going to fix that with the fill.

    DSC00915.JPG


    This is the fill I`m using.........the colour shown here is not really accurate.....it`s the light and the camera and the phase of the moon and all that stuff..:rolleyes:......but it has more of a grey tone than the brownish tone you see here.?
    The fill is basically left overs from gravel I`ve sourced from the local area, also from my premises and God knows where else. The original use was for ballast, however this is the fine left over stuff that passed through the sieve. It has had Red Oxide added to it at one stage and also some Black Oxide as well......then to balance it out..... a bit more of the sandy natural fine stuff was added. I was still not happy with it and added some cement ( Yes cement folks...from the hardware store ) to it this morning to bring it around to a more Grey effect.


    DSC00916.JPG


    This is how it goes down............it`s in the drying stage here and I`m about to do the section beyond the building area.
    It`s not perfect and will need some touch ups here and there, but we`ll let it dry and see how it shapes up.
    The method I used to put it on is the same as the ballasting method. I put down the dry gravel, leveled it out, brushed off the excess from the sides, mist sprayed the area with water and then added diluted ( 50 / 50 ) PVA with water.


    DSC00917.JPG

    Now we wait....:thumbs:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  9. ianvolvo46

    ianvolvo46 Staff Member Moderator

    Messages:
    5,331
    Likes Received:
    1,588
    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2015
    Quality Gormo :tophat::tophat::tophat:
     
  10. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    :thumbs::tophat:.....Thanks Ian
     
  11. Chris M

    Chris M If 2 wrongs don't make it right ... try 3 Full Member

    Messages:
    156
    Likes Received:
    182
    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2019
    Wow ... cement gravel. You may need a jackhammer if you ever need to move or change the station platform.

    Seriously though, you demonstrate how many ordinary materials can be combined and incorporated into scenery to produce realistic results. This moves us away from the way too vivid colours, plastic trees/bushes and roads that barely look like roads.

    Good scenery is an art form and your Little Bardfield scene is becoming a great painting.

    upload_2021-2-19_8-31-27.png

    Chris
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2021
  12. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    Thanks Chris,
    The thing is, that commercial scenery products are just there readily available, and require little effort to get you up and running with your scenery project, so you don`t have wait until you find raw materials or the right size of anything before you can proceed. You can quickly establish a scene with very good results without stressing over it too much.
    I understand why anybody would go down that route.
    I have always been a bit of a do it yourself guy, but especially in these Covid times because I am reluctant to go to the shops.
    In a way, it forces me to get creative.......what have I got that I can use that will look like ??????......etc.etc..........I rather enjoy the challenge and it forces me to focus and concentrate on the problem........keeps the brain cells ticking over.....:scratchchin:
    The way I do things is based on some important advice from a long time ago and an admiration for some outstanding modellers of the past who literally had to make everything they needed for their model railways.
    The important advice was simple........look at everything around you with scale models in mind.......that small rock on the ground could be useful as scenery, that stem on the cotton bud would make a good post, that foil baking tray would make good corrugated iron, that piece of PVC pipe would make a good silo ....etc.etc.etc.
    Once these household items are integrated into a model, at first they look alien, however once painted up they become part of the whole and your eye sees the whole and acknowledges, yes that is a signal, rather than a cotton bud, combined with some straws, combined with a paddle pop stick and a model ladder and some LEDs.
    So I am continually scanning ordinary things I see about me and assessing their modelling potential.
    You guys who 3D model are the same really.........you don`t just go out and buy what you need........you design it, draw it up, modify it, scale it correctly and print it out.
    It requires a good deal of skill and imagination and for me, technically, it`s scratch building.........others would disagree.......but for me...if you design it and make it, that is scratch building.........what else can it be, especially if yours is the only example because no commercial model exists.?
    On that note....I will now pick up my soap box and move to another part of the forum that I have not yet annoyed today...........:avatar::avatar::avatar::avatar:.....Hey fellas...wait .....wait....I`ve got something to tell you.....wait.....Oh c`mon fellas....don`t run a way.....:faint:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
    Mr Porter likes this.
  13. Sol

    Sol Full Member

    Messages:
    631
    Likes Received:
    146
    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2016
    Who is running away ? Not me as i enjoy the words etc, coming out of Great Chesterford Junction.
    You Gormo, can stay on your soap box as long as you like...
     
  14. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    Thanks Sol,
    I`ll pay you later........:whatever:..........:avatar::avatar::avatar::avatar:
    :tophat:Gormo
    Meanwhile........moving right along.......the platform surface has dried overnight and I`m quite happy with the results.
    What seems to have happened is that the cement that was added to the mix, seems to have been distributed throughout the mix, although upon application to the surface it seems to have been slightly more concentrated in certain areas.
    That is actually OK as far as I`m concerned, because it has that random patchy look that I think suits the scene. There will be grass added in part to the platform surface as well, so at the end of the day it will work out fine.


    DSC00918.JPG


    It`s not pristine, but that was the intention


    DSC00919.JPG


    And the far end


    DSC00920.JPG


    A couple of dudes to give it some scale.
    By the way, if anybody is thinking of doing a rap dancing cameo, I think these two blokes would be ideal.
    "I`m standin` right here "
    "An I`m waitin` for da train "
    "I hope it comes soon "
    "Cause I think it`s gonna rain "
    "Da grass is so green"
    "Dat it really hurts my eyes"
    "What you say brudder?"
    "Dat ain`t no surprise"..........dah...dah...dah....dah....dah.....and so on

    Are you sure you don`t want me to buzz off yet Sol.????...........:avatar::avatar:


    DSC00922.JPG


    And an overall shot


    DSC00924.JPG


    :tophat:Gormo
     
    York Paul and Vinylelpea like this.
  15. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    Still moving along folks,
    But I think I will take a break tomorrow.
    In the meantime today , I`ve got the back of the station platform on LB covered with static grass and I`ve added some more gravel around the paved area where the station building sits.
    The grass will have some tones added to in when it`s properly dry.


    DSC00925.JPG

    The next stage is to add some bushes, so they have been in production today as well. They will be strategically placed to hide the join between the lift out section and the section with the track on it.


    DSC00926.JPG


    The bushes are made using the Hemp rope method ,whereby the rope is cut to approx. length and then unraveled into strings. I use either two or three strings to make a bush. The strings are held tightly about 5mm up from the base with a pair of tweezers and then pushed into a waiting blob of hot glue.
    When the glue has dried and hardened, which takes only moments, the strings are unraveled into fine fibers and teased out and shaped to look like a bush. I then spray them Brown, with a rattle can and whilst the paint is till wet I add some static grass fibers. I then spray the lot with brown again and add fine flocking which is then over sprayed with hairspray and set aside to dry.
    These bushes are destined for flat areas, so the bases are simply stuck down with PVA. I use a different method for sloping areas which I will go into later on through the thread.


    DSC00927.JPG


    So the bushes are gradually populating the newly grassed area behind the station platform. They are slowly disguising the obvious join created by the lift out section.


    DSC00928.JPG


    I`ve tried to add some subtle variety in the bushes, which is not only determined by their shapes and colours , but also by their textures. Sometimes I simply add a small amount of static grass to a bush with a small amount of sawdust ground cover that I made, rather than using flocking all the time.


    DSC00929.JPG

    This however is a short hedge made with poly-fiber teased out and painted and flocked in the same way as the bushes.


    DSC00930.JPG


    You can see the extra gravel added around the paved area here which sort of ties everything together visually.


    DSC00931.JPG


    And an overall shot


    DSC00932.JPG


    I have some wooden fencing to go along the back platform edge, but that is still a way off being done yet


    DSC00933.JPG

    Adios amigos....:tophat:
    Gormo
     
    York Paul and Dr Tony like this.
  16. Gary

    Gary Wants more time for modelling.... Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    7,316
    Likes Received:
    3,847
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    Looking good Gormo. :thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

    I see you have chosen the gravel and cement dust, similar to what I had done a few weeks back with the fine Sydney sand and grout ! Remember if you are not happy with the colour of the surface, you can always paint a wash over it or airbrush the surface. This is what I'll be doing with my Miami layout.

    You are right about members who choose to 3D print as being scratch builders. There is always argument over that topic whether these modellers are scratch building or not. If you draw the plans, whether that be on paper or a drawing program, build the model and present it complete from your own hands, that is scratch building in my book ! ;)

    Cheers, Gary.
     
  17. Sol

    Sol Full Member

    Messages:
    631
    Likes Received:
    146
    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2016
    Gormo, as a model scene creator [​IMG] but as a song writer [​IMG]
     
  18. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    Thanks Gary...........good tips......I will lock them into the grey matter in case I need to use them...........:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:
    :tophat:Gormo
     
  19. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    :avatar::avatar::avatar::avatar:........thanks Sol...........I said it was rap music.......I forgot to say I left off the " C "
    :tophat:Gormo..........back to the drawing board....:facepalm:
     
  20. gormo

    gormo Staff Member Administrator

    Messages:
    5,991
    Likes Received:
    4,140
    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2015
    As mentioned above,
    I have a slightly different way of making bushes to suit sloping sites and that is documented in the video below as well as on a stand alone tutorial thread, which may make the information easier to find for those seeking it out in the future.



    :tophat:Gormo
     

Share This Page