A new layout.

After Christmas and family disasters I've managed to get a little more done. I started building a platform and station halt. The platform is a light railway type,built with wood and an ash ballast type topping. I've used card and foamboard as a base with coffee stirrer sticks to clad the front and at the moment, the platform painted dark grey prior to putting some fine ash ballast on, the front in the photo is masked off for painting. The little halt building on top is built using a foamboard core clad with corrugated card to give a Col' Stephens light railway effect.








I hope to get back in the shed this afternoon and do a bit more!

Cheers, Pete.

 

And now a lick of paint, guttering, down pipe and chimbly. Still needs some more detail but it is mostly done.







I think next will be a store/gangers room to cover the other point switch cut out then I can finish the platform. Then I can start on the ground work.

Cheers, Pete.

 

Things are progressing nicely. I have covered the platform top with dark grey scatter to give it a look of ash ballast after masking off the areas where the station buildings will sit to give the impression that the buildings are inset.

The buildings will hide the holes over the point operating switches.

A new shed I built and painted the other night, took about 2 hours, still needs some detailing and weathering.



The front of the platform is clad with coffee stirrers, they have been colour washed but not photographed yet.

And sat on the layout.





Still need to make a slope for the end of the platform where it crosses the board joint.

Cheers, Pete.

 

As the boss is down her mums for a little while I had a couple of hours in the shed today. I've been putting off the ground cover as I don't particularly enjoy that side of the job. Anyway, I bit the bullet and got stuck in.
First job was sieving some soil, I quite like the finished look of it, nice and fine! Then I spread neat PVA where I wanted it to go, I've also glued down the bridge prior to spreading the glue so as to be able to fill any gaps under the bridge. I haven't gone all the way to the quay as there is still work to do there.


The square at the end of the platform is where I have masked off for fitting (once I've made it) the end of the platform on the left base board.



I have also given the timber platform front a couple off mucky gray washes, looks better than new wood!

That's it for now. Cheers, Pete.

 

Thanks Barnaby, things have stalled a bit here, gardening, decorating all the good stuff. Hopefully, once things settle down I will be able to do some more work.
At the Kettering trade show I bought a couple of things off Scaletrex, one of them was a cast white metal yard crane. I assembled it last week and gave it a whaft of primer. Next job, paint the top coat. That will sit nicely between two tracks and overhang the quay side.

Pete.

 

After much prevarication I removed my finger and did some more work on the station platform by building the ramp for the left board, putting some fencing at the rear of the platform. I've also assembled my Skytrex yard crane, that wasn't an easy build, but by doing a little alteration here and there I got it up and temporarily fixed in place on a raised platform between the tracks.



The fencing is cut to length and painted.



In the upper photo I have used Peco flexible fencing for the down ramps as the other picket type I've used on the flat platform isn't able to go down the ramps.
The photos of the crane are a little blurred due to my hands starting to get the shakes, sorry.





Oh and nearly forgot, the other down ramp, the platforms are not yet fixed down, once I'm happy with them I will glue them and they should line up at the board joint better than how they look now.



More to come soon I hope, I may have an invitation to a show in October in Sheffield, and there's nothing like a deadline to get the creative juices flowing!!

Cheers for now, Pete.

 

I have come to a halt with this part of the layout, something just doesn't seem right to me so I have decided to stop modelling the station and instead build a small warehouse/farmers co-op instead, I think it will sit better than the station as I couldn't think of a reason for passengers coming and going.
So, next job try and find some examples of buildings to suit the location and also alter the platform.

Watch this space!

Pete.

 

So, I had an afternoon to myself day before yesterday and I decided to make a start on the new building. It will be a seed and feed warehouse for the local farmers. The station buildings won't go to waste, I fancy a narrow gauge layout in the future if I get my finger out and finish some of the projects I've already got .

This building has a foamboard core that will be covered with textured brick paper.





The small squares of foamboard are strengtheners for where I have had to join pieces together to get the correct length and where I've cocked it up.




Sorry for the blurred photo


More next on the platform alteration.

Pete.

 

I decide to make an alteration to the platform end so lorries could back up for loading.
I cut a section from the right hand end then planked it to match the front, still needs a wash of colour to blend it in.
Before.


And after.


Well thats it for now.

Cheers, Pete.

 

It's been a while but I have finally managed to get back on with the store/warehouse.
Not a massive jump forward but it's starting to look how I want it. I've made some sliding type doors from scribed plasticard and fitted them into the runners top and bottom.
The bottom of the building I put some stone foundation blocks as I made the rooky mistake of cutting before measuring again but I think they look fine.
Anyway a couple of photos of where I am now.





I've also started on making a canopy for the railside, I'm using evergreen I beam for the framework, 3 support's made and one to finish.



Anyway that's it for now, I'm going to an exhibition in the morning and hopefully I can stock up on some bits and bobs to detail it, I'm hoping to get a fork lift truck and or some sack barrows etc, fingers crossed!

Cheers, Pete.

 

Small update. The platform canopy is too tall by a couple of mill, rather than remake it I decided to extend the building up by another floor, it's still in the assembly stage but I reckon it will look fine, If I had known what I was letting myself in for I would have scrapped the original and made a new building, it would have been quicker and easier, hey ho........

Pete.

 

OK, I've made a start on the upper level of the building. Not as straight forward as I had hoped. I used the measurements from the base but some how the top doesn't quite sit right though I reckon with some clamps and bracing it should work.
The back and sides are fixed and painted so the inside won't be too obvious.


The front panel, I have cut out some window openings and clad it with brickpaper. The windows themselves are Intentio products which i really like, crisp and well designed, complete with glazing. I sprayed them with grey primer first then with Halfords brown camouflage. I glued them in place with super glue then fixed the glazing with canopy glue (which I hope is as good as the makers say and dries clear) I've yet to fix it in place as the glue is still setting.





The right hand window is bricked up as the rear cut out for the point switch would be obvious through the window.

This is the canopy I have built using Plastruct for the framework and card for the top and front, I will use masking tape for tar paper on the top and coffee stirrers cut down for the front and sides.




Thats all for now.
Cheers, Pete.

 

The top floor level is now fixed in place, to be fair, it was a bu&&er to do and doesn't stand close scrutiny however I hope from normal viewing distance it will look fine. Still got the roof to do but here I am with it so far.






To be continued shortly!

Pete.