Hi John, rather than hijack Gordon's topic, I thought I should post this here. You mentioned that you were thinking about how to add check rails and I presumed you meant for this module.

I have done just that in several places now using a very different method to Gordon which you might wish to consider. Here is a photo of one area which I did over 2 years ago and it is still perfectly okay:-




I started with Peco Code75 track already layed and working before I thought about check rails and a level surface!!

I simply took some more lengths of Code75 rail (flexitrack stripped of its sleepers) and layed them on the existing sleepers butting up against the slightly raised mouldings of the chairs. I found this to leave a gap which was sufficient for all of my wagons and locos, and the top of the check rails is just a fraction below the top of the running rails which I found useful to ensure clearance from couplings etc.

I bent the rails roughly to shape for the curves and included a sharper bend towards the centre of the track at the ends - which I think you can see above.

I then held them in place with a few daps of hot glue, towards the centre of the track, and keeping the amount small enough to stay below the top of the rails. In fact, once it is set and cold, it is easy to cut away any errant blobs of glue anyway.

I then poured plaster into the space between the check rails, and, as you can see in the photo, alongside the outsides of the tracks to form my level area. I did try masking off the gap between check rail and running rail, but found that didn't stay in place. It was not difficult to use a sharp pointed instrument to break up any plaster that got itself into that gap. A bit messy, but I was pleased with the result. I then gently sanded areas that had ended up too high, but with careful pouring I found I could keep this to a minimum.

I have done this three times. Once on a fixed board shown above, and twice on modular pieces before adding to the layout. The latter was much easier, and the messy bit could be done outside or in the garage.

Thank you so much for posting this Geoff. I am in a similar position to you in that the track is already laid so I cant use Gordon's solution.

My track is Code 100 but I have some old Code 75 and I have experimented with stripping that out and using that as a check rail rather like the way you suggest. I am rather paranoid about keeping the track clean and the infill the right height…….bitter experience from the brewery where I think I will eventually have to do a resurfacing job.

I was thinking of using card infill clad with Scalescene Setts and gluing the code 75 either side……I will probably chicken out of doing anything other than straight sections! I am such an untidy worker I shudder to think of the results if I tried plaster……but maybe I should give it a try on the curved sidings to the Timber Yard.

Thanks again for posting…..given me something to think about

A tram modelling acquaintance (Google "Grime Street") does his in a similar way to Geoff but doesn't bother with the check rail !!! :shock::shock::shock:

His tram track is Code 75 (actually, maybe Code 80 ???) which he lays in the normal way.  He then covers the whole thing in "modelling" plaster - it's slightly tougher than ordinary plaster and takes a bit longer to set.  Once set, it isn't as brittle as normal plaster either.

He has made a special plastic spatula to level it all out - very slightly convex between the rails (and I do mean "very slightly") to "dish" the road deck between the rails and very slightly longer outside the track.  This leaves his rails just a cat's whisker proud of the road surface.  Without a straight esdge, you really can't see it's not all on the same plane.

As the plaster starts to set, he runs a rough old bogie up the track cutting a groove for his tram wheel flanges - a bit like making tyre marks in setting scenery.

Once it's almost set hard, he has a sort of "scraper" (again home made from metal) which runs along the rail top and just into the inner web of the rail.  Keeping slight outward pressure on the tool, it scrapes any remaining plaster off the rail surface, inner edge and top part of the web. It just clears the chair mouldings on the sleepers.  A quick final clean up with a stiff toothbrush takes care of the rest and he then cleans the track "in the normal way" - whatever your choice is.

He has, of course, scribed his setts into the plaster during the hardening period.  It looks really good and works well enough to exhibit fairly regularly without any hitches.

Thanks again Gordon, Geoff and Peter……..lots of great ideas…..I think I will finish up with both card and plaster infills……I will let you know how I get on

Now to doors and the grain hoists:

The aperture cutouts on the lower level are retained and can be clad  with a number of options included in the kit. I have never thought the  printed doors look particularly convincing…….particularly as they  are sort of neutral and certainly dont reflect the GWR paint  colours………this is a problem I know I will have to address once I  start on the Station ……but even on the Warehouse I knew I needed something different.

Originally I planned to use pieces of Wills cladding, painted Dark  Stone, and fixed behind the doorway apertures……….this would have  been the best option if I didnt have to scratch build the Grain hoists  which were also made of wood. I wasnt comfortable that my cutting out  the windows and straight edges in plastic would match what I had  achieved with card. So for 1.99 I purchased the Scalescene Cream  Clapboard Sheets PDF…..GWR light stone it is not…..but with a couple  of protective sprays it darkened up quite a bit….see what you think:

 

Wrapped and glued……two of the doors will be open so didnt need to be fully clad.

The only tricky bit was lining up the planks with edges……that is  until I decided I had to put some form of door furniture on…….they  are sliding doors so I dont need hinges….but handles are  required……normally I use track pin heads but in a moment of extreme  foolishness I decided handles were more appropriate……..the viewing  distance on the layout will be a little under 3'!…………. Modelling  madness for sure.

So I spent a happy hour or so bending Ratio signalling wire to shape and drilling one retaining spot for each handle







Even with this long distance,out of focus shot I am afraid you can see  that, despite all my templates and jigs, the door handle alignment is  less than perfect.





For the full door I put the planks horizontal to suggest a roller door.




Next the Grain Hoists…….you may recall I left two panels without windows:




Card cut to shape….gable front and two sides

Window apertures cut out……I used surplus windows from the kit and blacked out the arch




Clapboard glued into place (on the smooth side of the board) and cut to  shape…..leaving a little at the sides for glue and wrap.

The notch at the side is to accommodate the bottom ledge…….



The stages of cutting the window apertures……courtesy of Nick's thread on Much Murkle





Rather crude behind the scenes……The hoist fits snugly between the  buttresses and I was worried the horiziontal spacers were a mm or so too  big (they were)so I used temporary triangles to ensure an exact flush  right angle when I joined the first side

The roofing is clad with scalescene tiles from an, as yet, unbuilt  terraced house kit. The notches are to accommodate the upper ledge 



First one in position……glue ready for the next and I realised I needed a photo!



Both hoists in place



I had planned to run paper strips to conceal the corners but somewhat to  my surprise the joints were remarkably accurate and in the case of one  hoist I actually had the cladding lined up……which is better than I  manage with 1:1 scale!

I modelled the hoists from a photo in Bob Essery's Railway  Operations…… the Midland Grain Warehouse at Leicester……they are a  bit too pristine and clearly need some weathering but all in all I am  pretty happy with the end result.

Next step….the canopies, freight and staff……with artful positioning I hope to hide one or two of the door handles  

I will send you my kit to build John, why should I make all the mistakes now that you them sorted out quest:  :pedal

Brilliant John - love the colour (once it's had a little weathering).

I presume you decided staples were a little on the "thin" side for the door handles. :roll:  Regardless of lining up or not, they make a huge difference to the doors.  It's always those little detail bits that make the difference between minatures of the real thing and models  …………….

When you've done Sol's kit, I'll pop mine in the post - I don't have time because I'm busy learning about DCC ……….;-)

I think that's a fine job, John.
I'd be tempted to adjust the handle alignment or you will always be conscious of it!

Thanks for the comments guys. I am flattered you want me to build your kits……but at the pace I work and the cost of postage…..I dont think so!

The warehouse is now  more or less done…..detailed and weathered (after a fashion).



To show the detail of the detail here are a number of occasionally cruel close ups


Signs and Notices:






I  have seen a number of photos where the Warehouse sign included the  Street……..why they did this on the railway side I dont really  know……..but I wanted to emphasise that the yard…….now bounded by  two main thoroughfares had kind of grown over time to reach these  boundaries.


You can see some of my weathering in these shots…….I used artists  pastels………in some places it has worked quite well in others I have  been a bit heavy handed.




I have seen signs for a Grain and Goods Warehouse and another one for a Potato Warehouse….so


Here is a black and white shot of the warehouse staff handling some of the freight.



I wanted to create a sense of activity without looking too contrived…….there are three separate cameos 




This is probably the most cluttered cameo without a lot actually  happening……fire buckets…….some of the new fangled pallets and a  solitary figure looking away from the rest of the activity……..all  the figues are Dapol (ex Airfix)……this guy is the eponymous  signalman pointing……except I nuked that arm……I was going to re  position it but it fell on the kitchen floor (fortunately not in the  Minestrone!)

The canopies are Wills from Granby II …….surplus on III because of  the roof. The fancy valance is perhaps a little questionable in a goods  yard…..although I do have some precedents……..I have tried to  weather down the paintwork somewhat…….even though it took forever to  paint some 10 years ago!




Grain (well Potato) hoist in action…….guy on the rope is normally a  signalman with a lever (his mate will be seen unaltered elsewhere in the  yard)………the amazingly strong guy juggling singlehanded a potato  sack (modelscene mail bag) normally has a pick axe.

The bigger sacks are from Harburn Hobbies touched up a bit. The  weathering on the flags has been done to suggest heavier traffic areas.

On this shot and the next one you can see I have acted on Doug's  suggestion and added "wood" trim to the hoists……..it was a bit of a  pain and it aint perfect…….but I do think it looks a lot  better………..thanks Doug!!






The Mink D Fruit Van was worked to Granby from Hintock via Wolverhampton  and perhaps surprisingly Utah and British Columbia. Of course GWR does  stand for Great Way Round!



Dorset Golden Russet Apples from John Flann & Co Ltd (previously of this parish)

The acrylic paint on the figures looks a bit highly polished in this light…..fortunately not in real life.

I chose to put all the warehouse staff in uniform, despite some  misgivings, because all the photographic evidence I had (albeit pre war  not 1947) suggested this was the norm.

The Apple cartons were made from a Word Document Table with the  dimensions fiddled with so that the completed cube would fit the Cooper  Craft Luggage Trolley's pinched from the Station. 




Final shot



Next job build a single module, three dimensional warehouse to run at right angles to this one.

What can one say ?

John, that looks absolutley fantastic. :pathead

The close-ups of the loading dock are just wonderful - plenty of activity in that warehouse.  You can almost hear the rumble of iron wheels on the dock, the shouting amongst all the to-ing and fro-ing and your selection of figures is excellent.  You've certainly got an eye for detail and an ability to get it "just right" in model form.

I can see several more "Member's Choice" nominations in this latest post.

Thats awfully kind of you Peter……thank you so much. You do have the ability to put into words the atmosphere I am striving for.

PS You are up very early it must be just after 6………..me……..I am off to bed! 

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

What can one say ?

John, that looks absolutley fantastic. :pathead

The close-ups of the loading dock are just wonderful - plenty of activity in that warehouse.  You can almost hear the rumble of iron wheels on the dock, the shouting amongst all the to-ing and fro-ing and your selection of figures is excellent.  You've certainly got an eye for detail and an ability to get it "just right" in model form.

I can see several more "Member's Choice" nominations in this latest post.

I am not going to try to find other words but blatantly flog those from Peter and  say.  " Woteesed !!"

:doublethumb

Woke up with brain firmly in gear this morning - too much going on betwen my ears !!!  Up at 4.30am - now ready for bed and it's only 8am !!!

Excellent model John. As Peter as said, the close-ups show what great detail you have managed to include and I can't see any cruelty! It is very atmospheric. I do like the wood trims on the hoists. I think they finish off the corners well.

:doublethumb

A quick question about the Scalescenes windows. I have now made up several kits which included windows - some on the Underground module - and the fact that the frames are black worried me. (Metcalfe usually make them white or another light colour). Do you think that the black looks okay in general? It certainly does not look out of place on your warehouse, but I am just not sure when it comes to houses and other buildings. I cannot remember if you have used them anywhere else?

Of course, it is now possible to purchase etched brass frames for many of the Scalescenes kits now and they could be painted any colour, but I have not tried that route yet.

4.30 am…….you must be joking Peter:shock::shock::shock::shock:

Glad you liked it Geoff and Ron:cheers


Regarding your window query Geoff…….because of the viewing distance, I felt Scalescene out of the printer windows would suffice for the Warehouse. I have ordered (and just received) Brassmaster etches for the station building, that will eventually be built, because that will be something of a centrepiece. Incidentally, the etches look very good

Generally I think the black printed frames are fine in an industrial setting…..less certain on houses/shops. Peter has done a very neat terrace of shops which looked fine to me and I dont recall him adding frames 

I'm very impressed with your warehouse John.  It really does capture the feel of the thing.  I've done one and they are a TON of work!  Yes, the etched windows are very good.  I've found though that the printed bars don't line up with the etches so you can't use the pre weathered windows supplied with the kit.

John

I've never used the Brassmasters windows but it's on my list of things to do before I die ………..

Regarding black window frames - prior to the Victorian period, "dark" coloured paint tended to be used on woodwork simply because it lasted longer and didn't show the dirt so much (unlike black cars ……….).  The paint was "oil" based and made up from lead, oil and turpentine plus the pigment.  It dried as a "gloss" but quickly dulled so the darker colours looked "better" after those first few weeks of "shine".

I suspect it was a combination of the difficulty in manufacturing, in the days before titanium additives, a white paint that didn't rapidly turn yellow (due to the high turpentine content) and the fact that early white paint wasn't dense enough to get a good cover.  It often was a sort of semi-translucent.

White painted woodwork only started to become popular in the 1880's and 90's and then only to "brighten up" domestic properties, not industrial buildings.  Industrial buildings used longer lasting "industrial" paints with good covering power.  Those tended to be dark with black being the best of all.

If you find that the stark, shiny black print-outs is a little jarring, try dusting the print-out immediately it comes out of the printer with talcum powder, then blowing it off and leaving for 24hrs. You will be left with less 'plasticky' print-out.

 

I understand JWs models now have paper cut-out windows, the latest that I have tried, the Country Pub, certainly does, and very effective they are.

 

Doug

John! I found an identical building in a 1939 railway modelling book, I hope you don't mind me showing it here, your attention to detail is amazing!

 



 

Doug

Doug …….flattery will get you anywhere I assume this was the new Google Chrome add on? Are you going to do a "how I did it" ? It is significantly different from my photoshop elements black and whites…….kind of fuzzier at the edges .


Peter:……thanks for the info on the paint. I am astonished more people didnt die of lead poisoning with all that lead about in paint…….am I right in assuming that virtually all outdoor paints were lead based then?……………..and what about Brittains Toy Soldiers?

John…….thanks for the kind remarks…………you are right about the warehouse etches not matching….I just checked……….in a sense I suppose the printed glazing bars are redundant once you fit brass glazing……..I will hace to see if the same applies with the station windows

Yes John - all outdoor paints were lead based (white lead) and indoor wall paints (called distemper) contained arsenic !!  No wonder those living on the "right side of the tracks" employed "staff" to do their re-painting.

As for the Brittains toy soldiers, they too were made from lead in addition to being painted with lead based paints.  There's nothing like starting them off young …………….;-)

In addition to all the paint, water pipes, where they had mains water,  were also lead.  I suspect we all weighed a little more in Victorian times …..:cheers