A popular layout back on YMRC

I have begun work on a few small infill areas of land.  These should improve the overall appearance and make photography easier as they will reduce or eliminate the intrusion of "edge" at certain spots.

The first new piece is opposite the church where the duck-under joins the main layout.  Originally built as a lift-out this facility has only been needed once in ten years so for the past couple of years the panel has been regarded as fixed and remodelled accordingly.



This will improve the photographic aspect on this corner as suggested by this view



Compare with this one from a couple of posts ago where an off-edge corner intrudes into the view.

Looking really good Rick, keep the photo's coming! :)

Cheers
Ron

24 hours later and the new piece of land has been painted green and had its vegetation added.  It improves the photographic options on the corner as intended by removing the intrusion of the edge shown above.

The other piece of infill land is under way.  This is on the opposite corner to the last new piece and will again improve photographic opportunities by eliminating an awkward corner.  

The new base and outside wall sections fitted showing how they will create a smooth curve leading on from the existing curved end panel.  The old edge is clearly visible as is the angle I wish to eliminate.



New MDF sections in place.  The new one rises slightly from the centre of the duck-under towards the hillside rather than the previous arrangement of having a low edge at the same height followed by a steep rise.



Here is where it fits into the overall scene and with some idea of how the angled panel will also soften the angles of the hillside at the edge of the layout.  Infill is polystyrene block waste; land is standard plaster cloth which will be painted when dry.



Plaster work completed.  Some of the uprooted greenery will be re-used once the land has dried and received its base coat of paint.  



Lastly for today the outer face was painted Brunswick Green to match the rest of the woodwork.  The stepped section on the lower edge arises from the different height of the baseboards on the former lift-out panel and the permanently fixed area.  That doesn't impede access as the duck-under entry is still exactly the same.

Well done Rick, fills that odd edge very well! :):)

Cheers
Ron

With the lift-out now a permanently fixed section I no longer need to live with those awkward corners I built in to make it removable.

The intention is to open up a new photo-angle as trains enter and leave the tunnel on the fiddle yard lines which has not been possible before.  The view has always included the garden shed and assorted bits of gardening paraphernalia!

I can't bring the height up as much as I'd like and have a full-height back scene here because it would entirely block the view from Sharon's work-room window which overlooks the vegetable gardens (1:1 and 1:76 scales) and would obstruct her light.

While she has always been very supportive of my hobby she has also always insisted on having artistic control over what she can see at this end as a condition of granting planning permission!

However I do have a longer-term plan to built a clip-on sky-board for occasional photographic effect.

I know the situation well Rick, but it's worth the effort to 'conform' isn't it! I still have a lift-up section across the doorway as I'm too old to go crawling underneath!! :)
Looking forward to some of those photo shots!

Cheers Ron

Taking the angle out certainly gives a nicer 'flow' (if that's the right word) to the scenery Rick :thumbs

Out of interest, what paint do you use for the base coat to cover the paster 'land'.


Ed

Thanks Ed

The original shape was dictated by the fact of having the curved end panel which contains the farm scene built a as lift-out as it sits across the access to my workbench area.  It's fairly substantial and had to be demountable and portable single-handed.  That restricted its maximum width and storage precluded it a dumb-bell shape narrower in the middle.

All of that is in the past.  I have only needed to open up that end once in ten years and that was to remove the sections of the chicken run.  When I build its replacement later this year I can do so outside the layout just as easily.  The panel has been a permanent fixture for a while now with rails re-laid to eliminate angle-cut gaps and everything rewired without the need for plugs.

The paint used on the outer woodwork is Brunswick Green low-sheen water-based exterior paint which lasts extremely well and protects the wood from both the occasional splash of rain and the intensity of our summer sunlight.  My brand is British Paints.

Once the plaster cloth is dry I paint over that with undiluted water-based acrylics in what ever shade is most appropriate.  For this area I will be using Jo Sonja brand green base colour which is a little darker than the Brunswick but dries absolutely flat and matt and seals the plaster nicely.  When that in turn is dry the vegetation goes onto a brush-applied coat of neat PVA with details then added as required.  Bushes and the runs of gorse are stuck down with a fast-grab clear craft glue, any long grass in the corners of fields is cut from "Field Grass" packs and applied in clumps to a blob of PVA (no static grass applicator here - yet) and I finally over-spray the lot with a 50:50 diluted PVA : water mix to make sure everything stays in place.

I was wondering if you used green or brown as the base colour Rick. I know a lot of people use brown, but your choice of green has turned out really well.

Interesting how you do the clumps of long grass with blobs of PVA, might try that as I won't be having large grassed areas, just more patches of rough ground.

Bit more urban, no open fields with animals on my small layout



Ed

That looks to me to be a significant improvement Rick and will lead to some more "in the landscape " photos from rail level. Looking forward to them.


Marty

The second piece of new land has been completed.  The delay to this was in part due to some very cold and wet winter weather and in part due to me being rather unwell for the past couple of weeks.

Both of those are improving.

Refreshed greenery all around the tunnel mouth and a new tree planted in the gully to the left of the portal as seen here.  A few careful retouches to refresh the somewhat faded grey sky have also been completed.



The new land, to the left of the train, has received its vegetation cover and something new is also just in the shot top left …..



A cheeky little patch of sky has been painted onto the back scene here including down the top couple of inches of the sculpted land.  Bushes have been glued in position standing away from this to give a little depth in a very shallow area barely three inches wide in places.



The new area in the context of the whole corner of the layout with sky including some washed grey and white to balance the somewhat inclement scene up behind the church.



I am now awaiting planning permission for a third new piece of infill which will allow a small extension of land on the opposite corner where the seldom-photographed (because it's too close to the edge) stone circle sits.

Very nice Rick and cracking photo's. You've obviously spent a lot of time getting it just right!

Cheers
Ron

[user=1775]g0ibi[/user] wrote:

Very nice Rick and cracking photo's. You've obviously spent a lot of time getting it just right!

Cheers
Ron

Thank you.

In total, from start to finish of the new infill, about three hours work.  Plus a lot more hours of drying time for various coats of paint and applications of glues.

… and your loco is messy… Toto will like that!
It's come out very well Rick.
Glad your recovering.
cheersMarty

Two new Bachmann "tube" wagons have arrived recently.  Both have been weathered before entering traffic although one was already factory weathered first.

They run well but the low-level vac. pipes supplied in the "bits bag" foul the couplers and can only be fitted at a rather strange angle.  I suspect they will not survive even there in the longer term.

The two new arrivals are coupled behind the Western in No.1 up siding as a filthy Warship arrives in charge of a down parcels working



This wagon is factory weathered but has had the plank gaps inked in, powders added to the outside and the inside painted with Humbrol "Rust Wash" then powdered.  



The other is a pristine product as supplied and again has had the plank gaps inked in.  This wagon has also had powder weathering applied inside and out.



Detail work included rusting the springs with the Humbrol wash.  This is the first time I have used that product; not being at all impressed by their weathering powders I was wary of how it might work but it seems to be OK.

Very nice Rick.
cheers
Marty

Hi Rick.

That's a smashing layout you have there with some great scenery.
I love the beach scene with the surfers. They must be very fit lads as every time I look they're on the water
That Class 08 in post 69 is really worth a mention. Filthy dirty with grease ,oil & rust everywhere.Just the way they should be.

Despite being the depths of winter there's often some movement on the layout.  A rare shaft of sunlight picks out the milk train emerging from the tunnel.
 

 
Another sort of "movement" altogether was found to have occurred on one of the buses parked on the layout.  It has been visited by a full-size bird.  Taking advantage of adversity I have glued a pair of model gulls onto the roof rather than clean it up!
 

 
Finally for now the three new Bachmann class 43 "Warship" locos are in the mail and due here any day.  These will have Fox etched nameplates fitted and receive weathering before entering service on a "Western Hydraulic" day to be announced soon.  If the Fox plates look OK on these then I'll fit them to the 42s as well as time permits.

Hi Rick,

Congratulations on pic of the month. Class 22 as well ……… Nice one.

Cheers

Toto