08.03.09
Small jobs as usual. A visit to my local Model Railway exhibition got me back into modelling after wondering if it's worth it. I have done the buffers this weekend - lights and paint. I used the guide from Levington to make the buffer lights and used my experience from the ones I did on Shelford-upon-Trent to make them neater and the wires less noticable. In my opinion, they look good.
Next I weathered them. I was going to leave them black/brown and just weather them but after being advised by a professional in TMD's, most of the buffers are yellow but clearly not a bright newly painted yellow. I mixed some 'Sleeper Grime' with some yellow poster paint to create a yucky brown/yellow. This ended up, with some rust weathering, looking like an Army camouflaged bit of wood so I lightly painted just plain yellow on top of that and the rusty colour and got a worn/weathered yellow effect I am happy with. The pictures don't show the exact colour but it's ok from the naked eye. Enjoy...
19.03.09
First update for a while. As always it's just small jobs but I have been held up by needing point motors and things like nice weather to build a frame allowing me to fit lights etc. I am also planning to put inspection pits in the depot, but of course to have a hole in the bottom of the board, I need a frame to lift it up too. Once I get the frame sorted I can get on with all these little jobs. I am considering putting cantenary on the mainline to add something else, but I will try making one for now and see how it goes.
In the pictures below, you can see I have been painting the buffers a weathered yellow colour and made a ramp to go inside the depot. it looks ok from outside as its not too visible as shiny card. I will weather it though eventually.
I have also bought some GWR linside fencing from Ratio. While not strictly in the right era, it should be OK for just standard fencing, not high security, just safety I suppose.
11.04.09
As usual, no real updates for a while as I have been busy with college, work and holidays. I have finished of the lineside fencing though next to the mainline and although a little scruffy where the glue was, I think it looks ok just needs some small weathering. It adds some depth and interest to the front but doesn't block the view.
27.04.09
I have now started on the depot and back area. I managed to get some old shed roofing that I thought would be good for the tarmac etc. I also put some across the track in front of the depot and paintedan oily colour around and in the tracks. Below are just some pictures to show this.
(The first 3 pictures are taken with a newer 8MP camera and although it isn't as easy to focus, it takes bright pictures so I will switch between the 2.
28.04.09
Well, another update. I have received some new toys - Railtrack wagons and an EWS Class 08 and 33 - which have helped to boost my EWS fleet. I have also started work on part of a warehouse to fill out the back a bit and so there isn't just a mass of tarmac. I have cut some of the top of a cereal box, stuck some corrugated card around the edge and a different style for the roof. I have yet to decide the colours for the rest of the wall but it is coming along nicely.
Enjoy the pictures :D (taken on the other camera - shows the blues better and its crisper)
04.05.09
I finished off the half relief warehouse and after cutting out the windows, decided a half built (half relief) warehouse would be both different and interesting. It would also mean that I could have diggers and sand piles instead of just a fence and a couple of cars. I have now finished that and the faded colour was acheived by talcum powder - I painted it with red enamel paint and it was sticky and shiny so dropped some powder on and it dulled it down to give more of a dusty look. I have yet to straighten the top metal trusses up as these were stuck on with superglue with difficulty. Jobs now are so stick the roof felt down then put up a fence around it.
06.04.09
As always, not any major updates, but I have straightened the roof trusses on the half built warehouse and also cleared the 'car park' area ready for sticking down etc...
09.05.09
As seen from the pictures, I have finished the fencing around the half-built warehouse and have put half of the TMD car park gate in. I have also started to make some trees that will go behind a fence on the backscene and on the backboard will be the side of a (fully built) warehouse, the name of which is yet to be decided. The trees have been made from some metal rods (not sure what their intended use is but Mum uses them for sugar flowers in cake decorating) that have been stuck together in the middle with parcel tape and then bent at the bottom to hold them up and at the top ready for the branches.
The warehouse is being made by gluing corrugated card and brickwall style paper onto some card (cereal packet) and then I will stick it to the backboard. This will add more detail to it and also cover up the marks where the hill was on the old layout (Ivetsgate Yard).
A bit of fun was had with my ex-Freightliner 08 by using nail polish remover to remove the Freightliner logo and replacing it with the nameplate 'Fiona' (the name of my car - see picture below). The pictures of it show the 'unveiling' of the name with a massive crowd of people AKA the TMD supervisor.