Great Chesterford Junction Part Two

Hello Brian,
I don`t know.......can`t remember, but I`ve seen it somewhere........or maybe I imagined it.......who knows ??????
Gormo

 

G`day Gary,
I`ve definitely thought about water facilities because I have a round tank on a column set up, but I`m still not sure about the look of it........a standard water column would be less intrusive.
The coal bunker is a good idea in that position as it makes sense...... I reckon I could just about build that.
The only place for an engine shed would be on a storage siding / head shunt so I think it`s better to keep the storage, plus I`m looking at having a timber business plus a coal merchant.
Bamford is starting to fill up.........
I`ve been mulling over the cattle dock position too and thinking of placing it still on the goods shed road but more towards the ruined castle end....
Actually I haven`t put any thought at all into today as we`re doing a bit of a clear out hear at home and re-organizing the storage in the joint...
Thanks for the ideas and the input.......much appreciated.....
Gormo
PS.....I seem to have replied to the correct post from another post.......Oh dear...
OK.....got it all sorted.....what`s going on.......?????????????

 

Yes that all makes perfect sense Gary and suits the area......that`s a keeper....
Gormo

 

Very practical Brian but it will dominate that end of the layout.........I will stick with the Ratio water column.
Gormo

 

G`day Folks,
We have been rather busy here at Gormo HQ over the last few days and consequently there has been not much happening on the railway.
I found some time this afternoon however, to get a few things done though.
First thing was to create a little green area at the end of the row of shops opposite the station building.
A short piece of paving was required to be added first next to the last building........then static grass was applied over a base of PVA..... this area is still drying off and will be vacuumed in the next day or so.





Then made a tree to go into the green area.......this tree was made with an armature from a Plum tree twig.
Polyester cushion filling was then drawn across the armature to attain the basic shape. The shape was then sprayed Brown with a rattle can. The paint in effect, glues the Polyester fibers to the armature and it goes fairly stiff once the paint dries. The dry tree is them covered with various shades of green flocking secured and over sprayed with cheap hairspray..





A hole was drilled up through the trunk and a stiff wire was inserted. The wire was cut off approximately 20 mm below the base of the trunk. The same size hole was drilled through into the baseboard and the tree was inserted into the scene.
Various other little bits of flocking will be added around the base of the trunk , and here and there in the grass.





I am also developing a grass bank directly behind the station platform. To graduate the ground from platform height down to road level, I have added a few layers of paper towel strips and PVA .
Then sprinkled fine gravel over the top of the last layer of wet PVA.
When dry, the area will be covered with static grass and flocking and hemp bushes etc.........maybe even some small trees.......





The addition of the tree has somehow created a minor 3D effect on the background building.
The Aqua coloured shop front to the right of the tree, seems to have depth, and the sandwich board to the left of the tree looks like it is actually standing on the pathway........bonus....





More as it happens
Gormo

 

G`day Folks,
More fleeting moments spent with the railway this afternoon.
The grass bank has been grassed and will dry overnight.









Then some platform fencing was added.........it still needs a gate between it and the building.





From the side rarely seen





You can see the gap fro the gate in this pic.




I`ve got some stairs to make for the approach to the station building and also I need to pick up a couple of telephone boxes.
I was tempted to add some more grass in the yard, but will hang off until some more buildings are sorted out.
I find a static grass applicator in my hand makes me want to grass everything in sight, a bit like a chainsaw, once you start up a chainsaw, look out anything that can be cut down......

Gormo

 

Thanks Gary......
Gormo

 

G`day Folks,
Another tree has been made and fitted this afternoon. It`s only a temporary fit for the moment as there is still stuff to do around this area.





A view from the town side





Then fitted the gate next to the station building.








Gormo

 

G`day Folks,
In respect of the picture in the previous post........is it ethical that the magazines in the hobby Photoshop images of layouts.........
My own opinion is that the layouts shown in these publications, should be shown warts and all, however they should also be presented from their best side to be fair.
I think that some of the images presented in the present crop of model railway publications, are absolutely beautiful however they beg the question, " what has been made by the modeller, and what is Photo-shopped...?????
I buy my magazines randomly, no subscriptions, and I am persuaded to buy by content and possibly by pictures of a beautiful layout that may give me some inspiration or ideas.
My concern is that these beautiful publications may indeed inspire modellers with their beautiful images, but on the other hand they may give someone new to the hobby a feeling of inadequacy in that they may think they will never be able to attain those high standards.
The magazines are all in competition for our dollars , so it is important to catch your eye with some outstanding image, and a change of policy is unlikely , so buyer beware.
Below are some examples of my untrained attempts at modifying images.
The original image which has been rotated to level, Gamma has been adjusted, Contrast has been adjusted and focus enhanced, however there is a picture on the wall, you can see the trim on top of the low wall on the right and varying contrast on the backgrounds.





Here we have the same image with walls, pictures etc cropped out and some of the background above the terraced shops has been cropped out too.
A blue sky background has then been inserted into the void.





Not happy with the previous sky, a different sky has been put in. The central part of the background between the trees above the black cab, has had it`s grass cloned from
under the footbridge and the tree area in the same location has had it`s exposure reduced. Where the clouds meet the hills and trees, they have been smudged to soften and blend them in.
Grass has also been cloned in between the tracks on the left.





In addition to the modifications above, the clouds have had some dark areas added and smudged / blended in with the main body of cloud.




I hope this illustrates my point.........picture one , even though enhanced, shows the true state of play, whereas the last picture above here gives a completely false impression of this part of the railway as it stands at the moment.
I am just a mug punter with free software when it comes to these changes, so just imagine what a professional can do with the right training and the right software.....
As I said previously........buyer beware.
Gormo