Stephen Fay’s O gauge layouts and dioramas, Commission builds, personal builds and magazine articles

From the Beautiful scenery of South Devon to the urban grime of west London under the Severn tunnel into Wales and Cardiff Canton loco shed. my personal layout

 

The spring morning mist still lingers over the Severn estuary as a Castle glides down hill towards the Severn tunnel on the opposite a 42 heads a goods train uphill, I think the banker must be doing most of the work!
Spring 1962
A cropped Chris Nevard / Model Rail copyright © picture.

 

It was the Doncaster O gauge show yesterday and the ideal opportunity to collect 5099 and hand over 4037 to the painter, I also collected this lovely Intentio GW signal box for St Stephen’s bank

 

A little spot of weathering today, first up my dads large Prairie, how do you want it? mucky he said!
Then it was the turn of 5099 just back from Paul Moore, the chassis was previously weathered as was the whole loco professionally and I wanted to keep the dirt on the chassis as it was such a nice job. So it was just a little blending in today.
Mortar now on the signal box, windows next

 

I have a commission to do a diorama of Box tunnel, heres the lineside buildings for it from the superb Intentio range ( they are also cutting the tunnel mouth it’s self )

 

I paint humbrol 103 ( acrylic cream ) on and wipe away. I try to pre paint as many parts as I can. In order for this to work prior to the base brick red ( Howes BR Bauxite ) I under coat in grey and gloss white to seal the MDF
If you have a look on the Intentio web page my painting guide is on there

 

Marches road shed resurrection, 6’ x 2’ A lot like Aberpandy but with an industrial back drop.

 

St Stephen’s bank out in the sun today, well the Holloway tunnel end, also the first half of Westbourne has the fascia on and painted

 

Day one on Creechly sand and ballast, Also Tree day delivery from MBR, superb trees, these are supposed to be for St Stephen’s but may get planted on Creechly.

 

I’ve added some telegraph poles today and wired them up, one more run to do once the goods shed is in place.

 

Sankey scenics have provided some custom station signage for Creechly

 

The fascia is now complete on Westbourne Bridge,
Plus a nice little cross London goods heads for the transfer yard

 

Change of plans on the marches Road reincarnation, instead of the usual side on view I’m going to take inspiration from my Canton project and do a face on layout. Very much inspired by Shrewsbury loco shed this will be a joint affair with the midland shed to the left and a low relief 4 road western shed to the right with the coaling stage in the centre, this will give a fantastic face on view of locos and whom ever purchases it will be able to add a fiddle yard / cassette storage along the rear to drive locos out of the shed if they so wish. This will then feel like it’s part of a huge shed complex and the viewer is stood right in the middle of it. LNWR fixtures on the left GWR on the right. This will provide the opportunity to have big or small LMS power stabled along side big or small GWR power just like on Shrewsbury shed. The dimensions will be 6’ X 3’. Lots of inspection pits plus a dirty ash strewn disposal road.
This should be a nice alternative to the usual layout style and a fabulous theatre stage for displaying locomotives.

 

Tree delivery from The superb MBR range, plus a very nice signalman from ModelU