Rail200 - ballast, gravel, and water

Time for an update of progress over the last week, which has been focused on the ground cover around the tracks. I wanted a mixture of ballasted track and areas buried in gravel/ash, so for the latter areas I started with a layer of DAS clay. 

A simple jig allows the clay to be rolled out to a consistent depth. 

This was laid between the tracks on a coat of PVA, trimmed around buildings, and smaller pieces or offcuts used to fill the gaps between the sleepers, so bringing the ground up to sleeper height (or slightly below).

Ballasting was surprisingly tedious. I didn't want dilute glue finding its way down between the wooden base of the "modular" track and the surrounding foamboard as I'll need to remove that later. So, I applied neat PVA alongside that track and sprinkled the ballast on. 

Neat PVA was also applied around the moving parts of points and ballast applied, acting as a dam to keep the dilute PVA from getting where it shouldn't. After that ballasting took my usual route - applied dry, misted with water with about 20% IPA added from a spray bottle, then diluted PVA dripped on using a pipette. Then ages spent picking ballast from where it shouldn't be...

The ballast is a bag of granite chippings I've had for years and there must be the best part of a kilo left, so it will do a good few more small layouts. This time, the ballast had a slight greenish tinge when the glue dried, I've heard of others having this problem but I've never seen it - perhaps because this was cheap PVA rather than Resin W?

For the gravel/ash surface I applied fine sand (rescued some years ago when the kids grew out of the sandpit) over a layer of dilute PVA. The sand is applied through a tea strainer which helps give an even covering. The cocktail sticks (halved) hopefully protect the holes for the canopy supports.

I'm looking for a better solution as the sand needs painting! I applied a couple of coats of a dirty grey, changing the shade slightly for variation. 

When dry I applied a wash of dirty brown in a slightly patchy fashion, followed by an even more patchy application of smoke grey weathering powder over the still damp surface. 

The result is intentionally uneven and varied, although perhaps a little darker than I was aiming for as ash surfaces look surprisingly light from a distance. The shape of the sleepers just showing through the surface works quite well, the area providing easy access by foot although with the rails proud. I'd like the change from fine gravel/ash to ballast to be more blended, but I can't figure out how to do it. 

The ballast also had the dirty brown wash, which has removed most of the greenish tinge as well as toning it down. While the paints were out I painted the pond surface a muddy green colour, and blended it to a muddy brown colour near the edge, using acrylic paints applied very wet. This had previously had several coats of dark brown with a rub back in between to smooth the ply. Once dry, the water was added using Deluxe Materials Aqua Magic, a thin layer first, then a thicker (~2mm) later which was left to dry for a couple of days. I'd dammed the front with masking tape, the Aqua Magic is thick enough not to leak through it, but thin enough to self-level, and I did have to use a scalpel to remove the masking tape! The result is pretty much what I was aiming for - a still pond. 

Planning some details

With time to complete the Rail200 challenge running short, I've thought about the details needed to finish it. This pack of benches and luggage trolleys from Shire Scenes will add some interest to the station. They're assembled with superglue, a little fiddly (especially the wheels) but not difficult.

The point levers are also Shire Scenes etched brass, I've had plastic ones before which are vulnerable and easily break so I'm hoping these are a bit more robust. I've made up sleeper extensions and planks to fit them to the ends of the point timbers too. 

I'd found a Knightwing water crane in my stash, it's white-metal and easy to assemble, and has now been painted. I'm not quite sure where to put it...

Option 1 is alongside the engine shed, by what will be the loop track. It's the most logical place as locos can water while running around or during shunting, but a bit close to the hole in the sky, and doesn't stand out well. 

Option 2 is in front of the shed, it's convenient for the sidings and probably the run-round loop as werll as the shed siding. It's a bit tight for space, and up against the open door.

Option 3 is next to the coaling stage, if that is pushed up against the shed doors. It does mean a loco needs to move "on shed" to water. 

Option 4 is next to the weighbridge, at the entrance point to the engine shed. 

Option 5 is at the end of the platform, between the "main" line and the pond. Locos can water while backing onto their train.

Rail200 - buildings finished

The buildings have finally been completed, painted with Vallejo acrylics. The brickwork was painted with my usual technique of picking out a few bricks in different shades to the base red primer, then a coat of mortar colour which is then wiped off in a diagonal direction. I painted the arches, lintel and capping bricks in something approaching "engineering blue" bricks though I'm not sure I got the shade right, the result looks effective though. 

The stores building platform paving has had a few washes over the grey primer, while the "lead" roof is left in primer grey because I couldn't think of a better finish! The doors are closed - actually on double-sided tape so they could be opened up later if needed - and black paper behind the windows hides the lack of depth. The airbrush was used to put smoke stains over the entrance as though locos have lingered there. 

On the boiler house my plan for fixing the doors has actually worked, although they can't be closed because they overlap! I think I'd narrowed the doorway slightly to make the building fit the space and the door to be central to the track, though the doors will never be closed anyway. The metal chimney has come out well with a hint of rust speckles and smoke staining with the airbrush. 

The engine shed roof used the Vallejo "rust and chipping effects" I first tried earlier this year, but this time I airbrushed rather than brush-painted the chipping medium which has given a more effective patchy effect, and "chipped" off the black layer about an hour after applying it. I'm very happy with the result, still not convinced by the vent flues but they look better for being rusty!

Inside, I fitted a yellow LED under the centre brace, and the wiring for that and the front wall lamp runs down inside the far wall. The dirty whitewashed Slater's brick inner false wall works well when viewed through the open doors, while the windows have been smoked with the airbrush. Oh, and look - the doors actually close!

The canopy was airbrushed green for a neat finish then given a dirty wash to emphasise the planking, while the top was finished in a dark grey-brown. However, as can be seen, the top didn't fit snugly into the frame as it has taken on a more acute angle. I couldn't see a way to glue this down, the contact patches are far to small. 

I fitted pairs of plastic fillet plates into the underside of the ridge, spaced to sit either side of two of the roof trusses. A 1mm hole through the plates allows a pin (paperclip wire) to pass through. 

With the top of the roof in place the wire pins pass under the peak of the trusses forming a strong mechanical fixing.

As you can see, this pulls the top into place neatly. In fact, no further fixing seems necessary, but I'll fix the pins with a blob of glue. 

I'm very pleased with how the station has come out, it has just the right blend of a grand facility of humble construction. It's well kept, but since locos run through it the ends and inside of the canopy and the roof glazing are smoke stained. 

Like the engine shed, a thin inner wall tidies up the back of the windows in case of a look under the canopy. The finials are rather vulnerable, one has been knocked off and refixed twice already!

Rail200 - lighting-up time

The last week or so, I've been working on getting the buildings completed so I can move on with the scenic work. However, this wasn't helped by a small diversion... I thought the platform looked a bit bare - it needs lamps! Cue some internet searching for something suitable, I didn't think the traditional gas lamps used on Hexworthy would look right. I found these swan-neck lamps from TrainSave (no I'd never heard of them!) on ebay, that looked perfect for the inter-war period.

They were easily fitted through holes drilled in the platform, the wires will need to go through holes in the baseboard and be connected up later. They use 12V bulbs, though I tested them on 9v which works well. 

With lamps on the open part of the platform, I had to do something under the canopy. I had some SMLEDs (I'd used them under the canopy on Hexworthy), but as the canopy is removable I couldn't fix them to the canopy. Instead, I superglued them to brackets made of scrap brass etch fret and stuck them to the wall.

With the station lit, the other buildings needed some lights too. I found these nice wall lamps from Model Railway Scenery - a 3 pack at a bargain price - perfect for the buildings around the yard. They use an SMLED, and are simply poked through a hole drilled in the wall with a dab of superglue from behind.

The weighbridge hut was already built, so I drilled a hole in the base behind the door (away from the window), and made up an SMLED stuck to another piece of scrap brass etch. This will poke up from below the baseboard (I hope, if the holes line up!).

The very fine wires that come attached to SMLEDs are impossible to secure into terminal blocks, and very difficult to poke through holes in the baseboard. I cut short lengths of single-core wire, stripped of insulation, and soldered them onto the already stripped ends of the wires. These will act like "needles" to thread them through the baseboard, then folded double should fix securely into terminal blocks. However, the priority is to install the buildings, wiring up and powering up will follow later!

Rail200 - adding terrain

Building a layout to a deadline means progressing multiple tasks in parallel. While working through the painting of the buildings I've been adding terrain to the baseboard. As usual this uses expanded polystyrene foam from my stash in the garage, saved from packaging over the years - especially if it's a flat sheet since that makes it easier to build up contours. 

It's less messy to slice the foam with a sharp knife than carve it with a serrated one. The constrained space against the backscene meant it was easier to make the first cuts off the baseboard, having marked out the approximate shape with a sharpie, then trial fit and trim until the right general shape is achieved. The foam layers are then glued down/together with PVA (yes I know it shouldn't work on foam but it does!) and once dry, final slicing achieves the landscape shape that fits the space and looks right. 

The foam is sealed with a couple of layers of kitchen towel fixed and soaked with more PVA glue. Once dry (it takes a while) this forms a surprisingly tough but flexible surface, which helps when fixing trees and fence posts (holes in the foam alone would open up). 

Normally I'd mix up some brown coloured tile grout and apply a thin layer, which smooths and can be used to form minor changes in surface shape. However, here I was happy with the shape of the foam and the surface was pretty smooth, so I tried a quicker and possibly less messy technique I'd used on a diorama before, A mix of PVA and acrylic paint was painted thickly over the surface...

...the dry tile grout was then sprinkled onto the wet surface through a tea strainer. Tapping the teaspoon against the strainer causes an even distributed flow of powder. This didn't coat as evenly as I'd hoped, so I sprayed water over the surface and applied another layer of grout powder. Excess was then vacuumed up. I'm not sure if it was really much quicker or easier than spreading wet grout, but the result is a nice even soil texture.

There was some brown paint/PVA mix left over so I put a couple of coats on the pond, which will be sanded smooth then painted - er - pond colour. 

Little jobs

With a couple of exhibitions last month, progress with the Rail200 challenge has been interrupted, but I have continued with the buildings when time allowed. There were some final additions to make.

I've had a Ratio boiler house kit in the stash for a long time, from a long forgotten project, so I thought I'd use the nice metal chimney on my boiler house. The base in the kit is stone, so I cut one from Wills brick but cut out the ash doors and fitted them into the brickwork. 

The base is sized to maximise chimney height within the limit. Really, a much taller (and more grand) chimney would be more appropriate, but won't fit, and I figured a chimney makes it look less like a goods shed. Perhaps it's for an auxiliary boiler? 

The Ratio boiler house also provided a sprue with "sleepers", which I used to make a small coaling stage just outside the engine shed. There were just enough sleepers! More Wills brick forms a low retaining wall around it. 

The inside of the rear wall of the engine shed will be visible, so I cut an inner wall from thinner Slater's brick to fit after installing the windows.

The engine shed and boiler house will use doors from the Wills engine shed, I thought for a while about how to fit them. The instructions suggested making wire loops as hinges, which sounds fiddly. I decided to drill 0.7mm holes in the top and bottom edge of the door, with a vertical wire to fit a hole in a lip behind the lintel and an L-shape wire at the bottom to fit in a hole in the side of the doorway. In theory, this will allow then to open and close - but if they can be fixed open I'll be happy. 

Floors for the buildings were cut from grey card, which I find an easy way to represent concrete. Paper templates were used, cut to the building shape then pressed onto the rails to mark their position.

Here's the boiler house floor in place with a 14mm wide strip between the rails. The underside of the edge of the outer pieces is chamfered slightly to sit low on the chairs, the surface needs to be below the rail top.

Finally, at Chatham I was looking for pre-nationalisation general purpose wagons for the layout. I thought the one in the Mainline box was a good deal, until I found another stand with 4 loose wagons for £10. They might need some touching-up, three are without coupling but I'd be changing them anyway, one even has compensation. The wagons will have to wait for attention though, painting of the buildings is now well underway and there is a lot to do to get the layout looking finished.

Chatham 2025 and a nice surprise

This weekend I was at the Chatham show with Hexworthy. I can't do shows without help, so a big thanks to John Crane helping on Saturday and Mike Fox on Sunday. Here's Mike operating the layout. 

I've never been to the Chatham show before, it's held in the historic dockyard which I'd visited with the family some years ago. With about 30 layouts and lots of trade it's a big show, and seemed well organised.

The venue is one of the old shipbuilding sheds, normally used as a car park, so it was large, a little draughty and dusty, rather dark (despite the phone photo), but fortunately given the heavy rain on Saturday, mostly free of leaks. The aisles were wide so exhibitors could drive in and unload (handy in the rain) and meant plenty of space for the crowds. 

Outside this lovely little loco was doing "driver for a tenner" duties. Inside between the many traders (lots selling very similar stuff) there were around 30 layouts, so something for everyone. Here's just a few that caught my eye.

Across the hall was Bill Flude with his delightful O9 layout Bunkers Lane.

I am jealous of the open uncluttered feel of Leysdown of the Sheppey Light Railway by Adrian Colenutt in P4, but then it is a big layout for a simple terminus. Many might have been tempted to squeeze more in. 

This WW1 train ferry is part of a model of Richborough Port in 1918 in N gauge by River MRC. The detail was fantastic, lighting and a backscene would have really helped though!

This was an impressive model of the Royal Albert Bridge in N gauge by the Basingstoke and North Hants MRS. Apparently it was part of a Great Model Railway Challenge TV show layout.

James Street is a huge N gauge layout, viewable on all 4 sides and with no fiddle yard. There's a lot of track and so always something running, you might think this would make for an unrealistic layout, but no. The modelling is really impressive, especially given the size of the layout, look at the detail of those boats and the dockyards and the rows of houses. The subtle colouring and high standard of modelling means it's hard to believe it is N, and it seemed to run as well as it looked too. 

This is a model of the Bowaters Paper Mill Railway, which was a 2' 6" gauge railway linking paper mills at Sittingborne and Kemsley and Ridham dock in Kent, and is now partly preserved. The model is in O16.5 by St Neots MRC. The setting is one of the paper mills, the buildings are highly detailed including interiors - look at the mess building on the left. 

The locos have really captured the presence and atmosphere of the prototypes, as do the wagons loaded with paper rolls. Just the right amount of weathering too.

The lighting varied from day to night, although I thought the tone a bit odd and sadly it threw the front of the models into shadow, it did give an overcast feel that was quite effective. 

Probably the biggest "wow" factor was the Lego "Brick Coast Main Line" by the Lego UK Railway group - this model of the Forth railway bridge must have stood over 4' tall and was hugely impressive. The trains were impressively detailed too - remember, this is all made from Lego. 

I was surprised to be presented with a trophy for (third) best layout! How good is that? There was a judging panel so this is the choice of railway modellers. Hexworthy got lots of nice comments so people seemed to like it - especially the playground of course - and a few enquiries about exhibitions too.