An Edwardian GWR project in OO

I think the leaves in the water are an excellent touch Jim,they make the whole scene so believable.Great work.

Brilliant picture Jim.

Reminds me of going fishing in the 60s, always in the Autumn because of the closed season.

Ed

Jim, that scene of the stream is fantastic! The leaves and foliage etc, really set it apart. A master of the craft indeed!

:doublethumb

Thank you to everyone who has replied to the thread and for the positive comments, it makes it all worthwhile.
I'll have to think about that cameo from 'Tales of the riverbank' though as the tiny detail could affect my eyes:shock:.
There were a lot of fisherman on the river drawn by the fat trout fed by the dairy waste, so I will have to include one somewhere.


Still working on the riverbank making more trees, bushes and weeds.
While  I was visiting the site last year I photgraphed the weeds so I could  think about making them, not that easy but I think what I have is a  pretty good attempt.

The real thing.




and my model version.






Made simply from some fibres pulled from an old doormat and a seed head from some 'Golden Rod' a common enough garden plant, one head will provide thousands of weeds so it looks as if I'll be busy for some time to come.


Now trying to catch up on a lot of those niggly outstanding jobs.

Just tremendous Jim.

Ken

My apologies for what has been a long absence due to the deteriorating health of my wife who now requires much more of my time.

However  you can't keep a determined modeller quiet for long and despite no  longer being able to model indoors over the winter some work is starting  to progress, so here's a brief update so far.

Hemyock itself has  changed very little as it is the detailing work that is now taking  place so it is taking a bit of a back seat for now. I did treat myself  to a new camera though and spent a little time experimenting with it but  I need a little more practice yet, though the potential for some great  shots later are starting to form in my mind.

So here's a few from today.

Some black & white to try and get the period feel like the photos I have to work from.











and a few colour ones….







All the above are the Andrew Stadden figures which have fantastic detail, I just hope my painting has done them jusstice.




Some of you may remember the wheelbarrow I made on page 3 of my other thread made from just over 20 separate parts, well during the upheaval of the last few months it got flattened so is languishing as a broken one in the old refreshment rooms. Guess I'll have to make another now.


So as nothing much is happening at Hemyock I found myself going downhill fast…….



…..all the way to the Junction.




Up went some baseboards, some cork was laid and the track positioned ready for laying.

Here are a couple of shots from a couple of weeks ago.



Looking North





Looking south toward Exeter. The Hemyock branch is the one curving to the left hand side.

I should end up with a platform length of around 55 inches, should get a decent train in there later.


Further progress will be slow as time is now the biggest barrier to me, but more updates will follow.



Cheers for now.


Jim

Hi Jim

I'm sorry to hear about your wife's illness.  Hopefully the railway will give some respite.

It's a great layout.  I'm looking forward to seeing more - especially the scenery.  :thumbs

G'day Jim,

Those black & white shots are simply stunning, but your eye for scenic detail is far greater than stunning. Looking foward to your continuing updates of the new extension to Tiverton Junction.

Cheers, Gary.

Absolutley superb, Jim. I really like the black and white shots, not just the equisite modelling but the look of them, the grain, to look more like a period photo; indeed the first one had me fooled at first glance. It will be a treat to watch Tiverton develop in due course. Sorry to hear about your wife - please accept my best wishes to you both.

Jon

Out of curiousity I've had a go at adding a sepia tone to your first photo, to further the period look. Not completely convinced about the result, my first go at doing this, but maybe worth you giving this a try next time you have chance to take some more photos, if you have software that can do this?

What a pleasure this thread is..

It stands re-reading more than once with the less than ordinary techniques,  attention to detail, the Autumnal tones and the era.

It all adds up to superb modelling,  more, please!


Doug

Those shots are simply stunning Jim - where did you find the figures ?

I love the open ended barn with the gnarled brickwork - something I first saw Doug (Chubber) do with his mill building.  Perhaps nothing much but it makes a huge difference - once again, it's the little touches and observations that lift your modelling to a higher level. :thumbs

Sorry to hear things are tough for your wife - I hope you both are coping OK.

As others have said, I'm really looking forward to seeing the layout develop. :cheers

On edit:  I'm not too sure about the sepia either.  To my mind, it needs to be a deeper brown to be fully authentic ……….:roll::roll::roll:

On edit - edit:  I see my post has crossed with Doug's - he of "gnarled brickwork" fame !!! 

Thank you for all the replies they are greatly appreciated and help keep the motivation going, and yes Max the railway is my way of unwinding and relaxing when I can.

Peter the figures are from AC Stadden, he started to produce them just over a year ago now and has 6 sets of 10 in both OO and HO.

Doug, I'll try and keep up with it and show more, I have some targets I would like to reach by the end of the year so I'll just have to see how it goes.

Now the black & white photos. I like these a lot probably because it's what I work from and gives me a good comparison between the prototype and model, or maybe its because I'm colour blind and prefer it:lol:.

I have played around with a few settings and I still like the B&W over the sepia, again I think it is just because I am used to viewing it that way. Here are a few comparisons of what I have so far.


Changed to B&W with software. I like this as it shows the background washed out as it is on some of the old pictures from the end of the 19th century.





Altered to sepia, again through the software, I still think I prefer the contrast on the B&W though with my eyes.





Taken with the camera on one of its special modes. I think it has a brown(ish) tinge:shock:, or is it green:hmm  I quite like the vignetting in the corners caused by the super wide angle, it gives it that old feel but still retains some colour




Anyway while the wife was sleeping today I managed to nip out and lay the first couple of points, fit my push/pull rods and wire in some droppers. I'll now try and get the main lines fixed and tested for the next update.

Thanks for popping in for a look.


Jim

Hi Jon

I can only echo the comments above.

 I, too,  am so sorry to hear that your wife's health is not improving.

The figures and your painting are absolutely stunning. The detailing is superb……….must Google the manufacturer.

The main layout looks at an interesting stage. I look forward to more updates

Best Wishes from Vancouver

Hi Jim,i also am very sorry to hear about your wife's poor health,i hope the two of you are coping as best you can,it's never easy.I prefer the black and white photos,they always seem to define subjects better than colour ones.This whole thread and your layout is a credit to you.:thumbs

Hello Jim,

I've spent some quality time this afternoon following your thread with increased respect for your observational and modelling skills. Every page turned uncovers more of your talent and I'm sure your skill stems from your ability to fully absorb the content and context of the prototype and environment from your direct observations. So much well spent time Jim. Hearty congratulations.

Like everyone else here, I'm most sorry to hear of your wife's deteriorating health and I'm sure you are giving all the love and support you are able.

My personal thanks for your inspirational modelling and you have my very kindest wishes,

Bill

Hello Jim, I can only echo everyone else,s sentiments regarding your wife, I cannot possibly understand the pressure you must be under and I send my personal best wishes to you and your wife.
As to your photos, personally I think the sepia toned one is excellent, it gives a truly period look, and the models look really life like!! well done.
Cheers Pete. 

Hi Jim

The black and white shots certainly give a period feel to the scenes. :thumbs

Looking forward to more updates.

Best wishes to you and your wife.


Ed

Hi Jim

Good to see you modelling again even it is only in small chunks when you can find the time. Family should always come first but you do need the occasional respite when nursing a loved one.

The colour shots show your skill in painting those quite intricate figures but I love the B&W versions.

 

Brilliant work Jim. :thumbs

Terry