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Yeoman's Wharf, an OO9 Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Quayside Micro


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8 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

I haven't decided yet how I'm going to do the brickwork: brick sheets are available as embossed styrene and also as pre-printed paper, but then you have the problem of window reveals and corners. Real brickwork is quite interesting, right up there with watching paint dry or grass grow ;), and what many people forget is that stretcher bond for house walling is a fairly recent development as a cladding over blockwork. Older properties will be English bond or Flemish bond, and that introduces such joys as queen closers (quarter bricks) and the like! Oh dear, I'm rambling...... Anyway, I've an interesting little plan for the exposed end wall of No.6 which I hope will work and create a talking point :) 

 

 

 

I've only modelled in N scales but I prefer the cardboard printed brick paper, the embossed stuff just feels too pronounced and takes a very long time to get realistic brick tones.

 

However I feel it mostly depends what your other buildings are, having cardboard texture next to embossed plastic does jar, at least to my eyes.

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On 28/01/2022 at 21:21, Tim R-T-C said:

 

I've only modelled in N scales but I prefer the cardboard printed brick paper, the embossed stuff just feels too pronounced and takes a very long time to get realistic brick tones.

 

However I feel it mostly depends what your other buildings are, having cardboard texture next to embossed plastic does jar, at least to my eyes.

I agree - creating realistic tones is a major job. I think the texture works in 4mm/OO/OO9 with care, and certainly in larger scales, while the depth of mortar in N would be almost imperceptible and very easy to overdo.

 

Cheers,

Mark

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On 28/01/2022 at 17:38, opus999 said:

So this is where you've been hiding! :D   This is a really impressive bit of work so far.  I'm amazed at your scribing the stones. They look so real after your paint, though!  Wow!

 

When I was 10 I got an HO scale set from my uncle -- a locomotive and 4 or 5 cars.  I think it came with a little ticket booth and a little bridge that goes over the track (no idea how to describe it better).  In late high school and early college, I started collecting more cars and more buildings and different materials for grass, trees and a pond.  I had a big idea of making a 3 piece diorama for my train set.  It was pushed into the attic and has been moved to 3 different houses over the years.  I never got to building it because, frankly, I have no room to store such a thing (well, and when you start having kids, the time goes away ;) ).  I recently dug it out and set it up for the kids to play with.  I've got some neat stuff, but I don't think my diorama will ever get made. I'm happy to watch you put this together though!  It is going to look really great when you're done.  This will be fun to watch develop -- there's a set of skills here that is different than aircraft modelling.

Hi Opus, yes, here I am! I was having a bit of a mojo lapse with the 'planes, and although I did start another Arma Hurricane (a Mk.IIB) I only got as far as assembling the wheel bay walls, rudder bar and stick, and adding the Expert Set etched brass to the cockpit sidewalls. Next job on that is really to shoot some paint at it, but I really want to get myself a compressor and a new airbrush first. I'm sure I'll be back in the aircraft modelling section before too long.....! I've got a lot to catch up on :) 

 

In the meantime, I found the baseboard kit for this (it was actually for another project!) that had been standing, still in its delivery packaging, for nearly four years, so I ripped it open and set to work. The fun part is that so far I've just been using stuff that I already had! I've been meaning to build myself a little layout for years, and its quite satisfying to actually be under way with it. One thing I hadn't bargained for is the amount of dust I'm generating! :D 

 

The main reason I wanted to scribe the stone setts on the surface was to get the longitudinal edging stones either side of and between the rails. I couldn't think of another way of doing that while using ready made materials, and there are some really good ones available! In the end, I'm finding it quite cathartic :) I really need to get on with the remainder before I do too much else, including the little street scene. More on that in a little while.

 

I'm finding railway/road modelling does help widen my skillset, and although there isn't a huge amount of cross-over between rail and aviation, there are techniques that are applicable to both. I'd also highly recommend it as a way of changing one's thought processes and research priorities, as it's giving me a refreshed view of the 'planes I've got part-built. The trouble is, is that it's another addictive interest, and having started this little layout, and it is only about 3ft x 1ft6ins, is that its re-ignited my interest in US-outline narrow gauge! Anyway, onward and upward.

 

Cheers for now,

Mark

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Over the last few days I've been playing around with the houses for Steampacket Terrace. As I mentioned previously, I wanted to extend the end walls back toward the end of the baseboard to create a proper ridge to the roofs. I also mentioned about extending the baseboard itself, and although that hasn't happened yet, I've drawn out a full-size footprint of the terrace to make sure it all fits:

http://IMG-4295.jpg

You can see the new track alignment between Nos.4 and 6 - unfortunately it's pretty much on where the joint will be, but never mind!

 

The houses themselves have been extended with pieces of mounting board glued with aliphatic, with triangular gussets added to hopefully add some support:

http://IMG-4293.jpg

 

I've also added party walls between the hallways and what I've decided will be the Parlour as well as a false back wall to the front bedroom so that I could include a doorway. Doors are still to be added, of course!

http://IMG-4291.jpg

 

Once the aliphatic had dried, I gave all the structures three or four coats of shellac. Woo-hoo! When I'd come down from the ceiling, I did a bit of research on interior decor for Edwardian working class homes. It seems that pastel colours were the "in thing" among the Joneses that one kept up with.

 

Here are the buildings set out on the street plan:

http://IMG-4289.jpg

 

Once again, I've had recourse to my selection of Vallejo MA RAF colours - No.4's bedroom is painted in 50/50 Interior Grey-green and white while No.6's is PRU Blue. The remainder have since had an undercoat of light grey.

 

This is all getting a bit silly now as I'm making hearths and chimneys, and looking at how flues were built into terraced houses. I'm going to have to add some interior lighting to reveal the details.....

 

Thanks for looking in and, as always, comments and suggestions are very welcome!

 

Cheers,

Mark

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The lunacy continues with, as mentioned above, hearths and chimneys.

 

To make chimneys and hearths:

two lengths of 0.256" square styrene strip (I use Evergreen cos I like it!) approx 60mm long per chimney:

http://IMG-4282.jpg

 

and MEK'd together to an offcut of 0.020" sheet:

http://IMG-4285.jpg

Three hearths and chimneys in progress here.

 

Once thoroughly dry, a 6mm diameter hole is drilled centrally. I've used a plasterboard drill bit as it has cutting teeth on its flutes:

http://IMG-4296.jpg

The holes are centred about 6mm up from the bottom. The bottom half from the centreline of the holes is then cut off, being careful to not cut into the 0.020" sheet. The remaining semi-circle forms the arched top of the hearth.

 

Sides from 0.060"x0.256" are then MEK'd either side, full height for a downstairs chimney, about 6mm above the apex of the arch for upstairs. These are for upstairs:

http://IMG-4297.jpg

The arches are cut out of the 0.020" sheet and sanded internally, then the 0.020" sheet trimmed back to the sides.

 

The hearths are now turned over and once again MEK'd to an offcut of 0.020" sheet:

http://IMG-4298.jpg

 

Again, once thoroughly dry they are cut out, but this time the area behind the arch is left in place as this forms the back of the hearth:

http://IMG-4302.jpg

 

The sides are sanded and the height of the hearth cut to its finished size - I opted for 8mm to the centre of the arch. A hearthstone made from a rectangle of 0.020" sheet is glued to the feet, and a mantle made from 0.010" strips. Upstairs to the left, downstairs to the right:

http://IMG-4301.jpg

 

Last thing before painting will be a simple grate.....

 

Nurse! Is it time for my medication yet?

 

Cheers,

Mark

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I have a stupid question (or possibly thread of questions) about the magnets:

Are they permanent or electro magnets? If they are permanent magnets, how does the system work? (I am hoping to build a model railway in the not too distant future and like the idea of automatic coupling).

 

 

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20 hours ago, OutcastJoel said:

I have a stupid question (or possibly thread of questions) about the magnets:

Are they permanent or electro magnets? If they are permanent magnets, how does the system work? (I am hoping to build a model railway in the not too distant future and like the idea of automatic coupling).

 

 

 

Hi Joel,

 

apologies for not having replied sooner.

 

Automatic couplings mean that you can operate hands-off, which is a must when you're as clumsy as I am! The magnets are permanent, the very powerful tiny ones that are available these days. Electro-magnets are another option, of course, but they add another layer to the electrical wizardry needed and that's a bit much for my mechanical brain! :D Apologies if the following is teaching you to suck eggs!

 

When a train is in motion, the couplings keep the vehicles together by being in tension. When it comes to shunting and the locomotive is propelling a wagon into a siding, the couplings are no longer in tension.

 

Almost all automatic couplings consist of a hook and loop arrangement, where the hook on one vehicle engages with the loop of the next. These all have a hinged part, in some cases it's the hook in others, the loop. By adding a tail of soft iron wire to the hinged part of the coupling, when a vehicle passes over a magnet, the iron tail is drawn downward and the hinged part of the coupling rises, disengaging the coupling and allowing the loco to spot the wagon at that point. However, once the vehicle has passed over the magnet, the couplings re-engage. But.....

 

Some couplings have a delay feature. This means you need fewer magnets. Basically, the same thing happens as before: the magnet's influence causes the couplings to disengage, but because of the delay feature, once past the magnet they do no re-engage, meaning your loco can propel the wagon further along the track before spotting it. This is definitely a worthwhile addition on a large layout!

 

Basically, you hide your magnets in your track somehow: as you know, I've put setts over the ones I've fitted so far, but they can sit just below the sleepers or be hidden under board crossings or a tuft of grass. The magnets are positioned where you think you might want to uncouple a wagon or two, for instance in front of the warehouse, but of course you need to allow for the length of the wagon(s) and where their loading doors are.

 

As I mentioned, there are quite a number of different makes of model coupling and some look quite prototypical. However, they all involve a visual compromise of some sort. The most accurate ones are the American knuckle couplings, which really are pretty much scaled down versions of the real thing.

 

For UK railways, your choice of coupling really depends on what scale and gauge you decide upon. If its standard gauge, you might want to look at these which have been around for a long time, are tried and tested and come with delay if you want it. They're made by Wizard Models now (with whom I have no connection!) in all the major scales. For OO9 narrow gauge, these come highly recommended and I've got some to try out at some point, although I'm planning to use Custom OO9's (search Facebook) chopper couplings on this layout. A quick Google brings up a myriad of other alternatives.....prepare yourself to be bamboozled :D 

 

Hope that helps! If you've more questions, I'll do my best to answer them :) 

 

Cheers,

Mark

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Hi Mark.

 

How have I only just come across this thread? Fascinating stuff, full of interesting facts and useful modelling tips! It has rekindled my interest in finishing the vast layout which has been lurking in my loft like an unacknowledged mad relative for the last few years. Are you a member of the 009 society? If so, you may have come across my co-conspirator on the layout who is busy working on a layout very similar to yours.

 

I need some advice which I'm hoping you may be in a position to offer. How do you cat-proof your layouts? I'm sure Daisy and Arthur are paragons of virtue compared to my pair of bruisers who regularly create chaos on my layout (and that's before much in the way of scenery has appeared) but they must show some interest surely?

 

I'm going to be following the rest of this build with great interest.

 

Craig.

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1 hour ago, Dandie Dinmont said:

Hi Mark.

 

How have I only just come across this thread? Fascinating stuff, full of interesting facts and useful modelling tips! It has rekindled my interest in finishing the vast layout which has been lurking in my loft like an unacknowledged mad relative for the last few years. Are you a member of the 009 society? If so, you may have come across my co-conspirator on the layout who is busy working on a layout very similar to yours.

 

I need some advice which I'm hoping you may be in a position to offer. How do you cat-proof your layouts? I'm sure Daisy and Arthur are paragons of virtue compared to my pair of bruisers who regularly create chaos on my layout (and that's before much in the way of scenery has appeared) but they must show some interest surely?

 

I'm going to be following the rest of this build with great interest.

 

Craig.

Hi Craig!

 

Welcome along - its another rollercoaster of emotions and lunacy which you'll have come to expect :D Really glad you're finding it interesting and if it helps you to do a bit to your layout as well, then all to the good :) unacknowledged mad relative - that's hilarious!

 

I have been a member of the OO9 Society, but I didn't renew this year. Not really sure why, but I think I felt I wasn't somehow on the same wavelength, if that makes any sense at all. That's not to say there weren't some superb layouts in the magazine: there were.

 

As for cat-proofing, I don't think there's any possible way. Daisy, to be fair, has always been a (relatively) good girl and doesn't tend to bat things around or lie down on the current workpiece. Arthur, on the other hand (paw?), is a gentle, well-meaning menace. We've had a furniture shift-around at home so that I've now got a small sideboard in my room: the layout generally stands on that and is largely unmolested. Anything on my worktable is fair game, and for things to lie down on, the lumpier or sharper they are the better Arthur likes them!

 

I'm hoping to make a start fairly soon on a Denver & Rio Grande layout in HOn3. What happens with storage then is going to be anybody's guess - maybe more shelving to stand the baseboards on.

 

And I really need to get on with that Arma Hurricane IIB.....

 

Cheers,

Mark

 

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Those fireplace/hearth/chimney assemblies look terrific!  Interestingly, it sparked some ideas for my starship kitbash/scratchbuild project that's been languishing in a box (having been moved off the bench) for probably 8 years now.... 😕 

 

I'm really interested to see how you finish those assemblies.

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  • 1 month later...

Crikey, no progress report for over a month: that's a bit of a surprise. Having said that, not a huge amount has been happening.

 

What I have done is finish the setts in front of the track at the left-hand end of the baseboard, although I have still to do between the rails themselves. The baseboard width extension has been ordered from Grainge and Hodder, and with the extra scenic space that that will make available I may well include an additional siding and warehouse with wagon turntable at the left-back of the layout. I've also been monkeying around with the layout of houses at the right-back end where the track will emerge and I've got a few more ideas that I want to try out. I'm hoping to get some more done over the weekend, including creating sub-bases for the terraces.

 

With regards to the houses, I've opted to try out some brick paper that I found on eBay. The courses are laid out in English Bond, and the sheets are supposed to be embossed, so we'll see when they arrive! Of course, things like Queen Closers will go out of the window, but hopefully a degree of sanity will be retained.

 

So here's a photo of Daisy reviewing the residential area:

http://IMG-20220309-113212479.jpg

If ya wanna be a big cat in a small town.....

 

Thanks for looking in!

 

Cheers,

Mark

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi again!

 

Only a small amount of progress on Yeoman's Wharf, which has been centred on the residential structures. In the last post, the three houses that form Nos.1-3 Steampacket Terrace are actually a newly-assembled kit - I wasn't happy with my first effort and so I decided to try again (the original effort is doubling as WH Sellick & Son's warehouse). I'm also waiting for the baseboard extension kit to arrive, although a lead time of three weeks minimum was advised and we've not reached that yet.

 

Well, I've been playing with some ideas for adding some interior detail, but not as much as I originally thought and in a much quicker-to-achieve format, too. Being fairly au fait with AutoCAD and having an older copy on my laptop, I thought I'd create some pre-coloured interiors. I began by drawing out the flat of the walls and floor, added floorboards, doors and frames, and skirting boards. Next up, I added coloured fills to represent the wood areas and wall papers, finishing off with various hatch patterns. Finally, I added rugs and pictures or mirrors from files culled from the interweb.

 

Here's an example intended for No.4 Steampacket terrace:

http://IMG-4317.jpg

 

The downstairs parlor cut out:

http://IMG-4318.jpg

 

And folded up:

http://IMG-4320.jpg

 

ready to slot in and glue in place:

http://IMG-4321.jpg

Incidentally, the picture is of Denver & Rio Grande Class 125 Vauclain Compound No.450 :)

 

Here are the new Nos.1-3 Steampacket Terrace with their parlors and front bedrooms decorated:

http://IMG-4316.jpg

 

Meanwhile, (Lack of) Prospect Row in the background has grown a No.4, and all of the Row have acquired their sculleries as well as their garden walls:

http://IMG-4315.jpg

Note the outline of The Yankee to prove clearances. Oddly, she was slightly bigger overall than the Manning Wardles, despite being a 2-4-2T.

 

Lastly, here we are with the houses in their approximate positions, sans cat:

http://IMG-4314.jpg

New Nos.4 and 5 will be built to go in their correct plots, while it looks like the area's history was wrong! It appears that it was No.6 Steampacket Terrace that was compulsorily purchased and demolished to make way for the railway, not No.5. The Winstanleys still moved to Bideford, though ;)

 

Thanks for looking in :)

 

Cheers,

Mark

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18 hours ago, opus999 said:

Those interiors look terrific; very nice!  You could put Daisy or Arthur in among the houses and make a monster movie :wicked:

A genius idea :rofl2:

 

I read recently that if you watch Godzilla in reverse, it's a touching movie about a monster that builds a city and then wades out into the ocean..... :D

 

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The next package of laser cut scratch-aid buildings arrived on Tuesday, and I wasted no time in starting assembly! First up were the replacement Nos.4 and 5, followed by the Prospect Inn, and lastly an archway warehouse. A photo, much like the last, with the buildings roughly in their relative positions:

http://IMG-4324.jpg

except that the warehouse, being a half-relief structure, is destined to go at the back of the scene at the left-hand end :) Until I've got the baseboard extension, built it and fitted it, most of these buildings are literally hanging in space :D

 

Here are the new Nos.4 and 5 Steampacket Terrace. As you can see, the decorators have already been in to No.4 ;) 

http://IMG-4325.jpg

 

This will be the pub, The Prospect Inn, or "the Lack of Prospects" as the locals call it, much to the landlord's chagrin:

http://IMG-4327.jpg

the sloping-roofed part in front is probably the store for empty casks awaiting collection by the brewery drey. Watch out for the appearance of a black horse emblem on the front wall, denoting a Starkey, Knight and Ford hostelry :)

 

Here's a little snapshot of how I envisage the archway warehouse with a track running into the gloomy depths.....spooky!

http://IMG-4329.jpg

 

I'm looking forward to the arrival of the baseboard extension and my textured brick paper, and in the meantime, I'll be doing a bit more with the buildings I've already started.

 

Thanks for looking in. Comments always welcome :)

 

Cheers,

Mark

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The textured brick paper arrived while I was away at the weekend. Initially I was a bit disappointed. The actual texture doesn't follow the mortar courses between the bricks, and instead gives a watered stone effect more akin to flag stones. This is the back:

http://IMG-4335.jpg

Whoa! That's a bit "in-yer-face!" Sorry, folks!

 

Here's the front:

http://IMG-4334.jpg

again, greatly and unkindly magnified.

 

Well, I've set to and glued some to the front walls of the Steampacket Terrace houses, allowing enough at either end to wrap around onto the end walls and up to the gables. I'll post a pic or two of that in due course, but initial results are definitely promising, and the texturing of the brick paper actually looks okay. And to be fair, even at 1:1, mortar is rarely recessed more than 1/4", which is imperceptible at this scale!

 

Here's a photo of the layout mocked up a bit, with some pallex foam board doubling for the baseboard extension, and the buildings in place. Bear in mind, of course, that the archway warehouse isn't destined for that location

http://IMG-4330.jpg

 

And lastly, a sneaky little view up Dock Road, with a few wagons edging between Steampacket Terrace and Prospect Row:

http://IMG-4331.jpg

(note to self - stick that missing chunk of quay wall back on!)

 

Cheers for now,

Mark

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Well now, window and door openings. The slightly disappointing brick paper has been glued to the fascia of the building, allowing as mentioned for the end walls and gables. The view from indoors would be pretty boring, though:

http://IMG-4337.jpg

 

http://IMG-4338.jpg

 

So, using a new #10A blade, the top and bottom of each opening is sliced through, followed by a vertical cut more-or-less in the middle. The arched doorways are treated to diagonal cuts at the ends and centre of the ellipse:

http://IMG-4339.jpg

 

Fold back like you're opening the windows on an Advent Calendar:

http://IMG-4340.jpg

 

and glue down:

http://IMG-4341.jpg

 

Et voila! Brick window and door reveals:

http://IMG-4342.jpg

 

You get the idea:

http://IMG-4343.jpg

Lintels and sills will be applique paper and card, doors and windows with internal reveals will be attached from the inside before front is glued on and the side flaps stuck down.

 

Onward and upward, or as is more likely, round and round in ever decreasing circles.....

 

Cheers,

Mark

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11 minutes ago, Dandie Dinmont said:

This is all looking very nice Mark. I hope Jane isn't reading this thread, she may note your interior decorating skills and get you working on a 1-to-1 scale project!

 

Craig.

Thanks, Craig, that's very kind of you!

 

Alas, Jane has already had me decorating - so far dining room, lounge and downstairs privy. I think the kitchen is the next room slated for work, or possibly the hallway. Either way, the model houses are a sight easier and quicker to do..... :rofl2:

 

Cheers,

Mark

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So, after much deliberation, I've decided that Yeoman's Wharf is going to be transplanted to Colorado, and become a river wharf on the Rio Grande. To that end, here are a couple of pictures of Denver & Rio Grande RR Class K-27 #463 with a baggage car:

 

http://IMG-4345.jpg

 

http://IMG-4347.jpg

 

Meanwhile, here's a view up Dock Road with the front faces of the Steampacket Terrace houses "bricked": I think it looks pretty reasonable, actually, and with a bit of toning and blending of the colours should be most acceptable after all!

 

http://IMG-4353.jpg

 

Cheers and enjoy the day,

Mark

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8 hours ago, opus999 said:

up close the brick may be disappointing, but it looks pretty realistic from a distance in the pictures.  Looking pretty good so far!

Thanks, Opus, I think it'll be okay with a bit of extra work toning and weathering. Plus when the windows/doors and their sills and lintels are in place, that should help to draw the eye away from the deficiencies of the brick.

 

I think I need to build an aeroplane.....

 

Cheers,

Mark

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