A small warehouse

Not much activity on my own modelling projects recently, but I have completed a building for our club 009 layout. It's a small warehouse, store, or industry that will sit alongside a siding. A cardboard mock-up had been used to determine the size and shape that both looked right, and disguised another track exiting behind it. 

The basic shell is made from Wills brick sheets with chamfered corners, Wills windows, and plasticard used for an internal floor and loading platform. Sills, lintels, doors and a sliding door rail cover are made from thinner plastic, and a lifting beam projecting from a first floor door has been added from Plastruct and scrap plastic. 

Painting used artists acrylics. After an overall coat of brick orange/brown, random individual bricks were picked out in varying shades of red, orange, brown, and dark brown/black. A beige/sand mortar colour was mixed a little thinner and flooded onto the brickwork (see right), then wiped off using kitchen towel in a diagonal motion (see left), leaving the mortar colour in the courses while removing most from the face of the bricks. 

For variety and to emphasise the building's utilitarian nature, a corrugated iron roof was decided upon. This was also made from Wills sheets, with a foil ridge, plasticard barge boards and gutters (the outer lower corner of a 1mm strip is rounded off to look half-round). I've had this set of rust effect paints in a while and this seemed a good chance to use them. 

I primed the plastic with automotive red primer, then worked through the colours in the airbrush as per the instructions - with random patches and density. The process was quick, I just flushed some water through the airbrush and moved on to the next colour. 

I applied the chipping medium by brush, allowing me to create patches and streaks that align to the edges of the panels. I expect spraying would allow more random outbreak of rust. Once dry, the top coat of off-black (with a little grey) was airbrushed on.

The chipping was done with a wet brush, and the end of a wooden coffee stirrer which proved very effective. As the end blunted, it shaped to the corrugations. 

The result seems quite effective, although perhaps the rust could have more texture. Thanks to the mock-ups the building has pleasing, squat, proportions, and the mix of brick and corrugated iron along with details such as the sliding doors and lifting beam give an industrial feel. 

It may be a little while until it is permanently fixed to the under-construction layout...

Martin Collins

A few weeks ago, the Sussex Downs 009 group lost one of our longest serving and most active members, Martin Collins. 

Martin, second from left, with other members of the Sussex Downs group at the 009 Society 50th celebration at Statfold Barn in 2023. I'm the one in the centre.

Martin had contributed his skills to many club projects over the years, including the expansive Evaleight. His carpentry skills and ingenuity were put to use on the latest club layout baseboards, supports, and lighting, and he recently painted the backscene and scratch built some low-relief cottages. Perhaps most significantly, he was instrumental in getting the clubroom that we were able to use for some 20 years. 

Martin (centre) with the latest club layout project in our clubrooms, which we sadly had to vacate last year. 

His own layout, Llandecwyn, was the result of many years work and clearly took most of its inspiration from the Ffestiniog Railway. The Ffestiniog was Martin's favourite railway, he'd worked on the deviation back in the 1970s, and it was discovering the Ffestiniog that inspired him to model in 009.

The model was not only superbly composed and detailed, but was interesting to operate with trains up and down the line to the station, and from the station down to the harbour. 

Martin had plotted the route of the imaginary line on the map, and walked it, taking photos of where the railway "might" have been. This display was convincing enough to cause several people to comment that they were surprised they'd not heard of the line, or wonder when the book might come out...

At one show Martin forgot the roof of the chapel, which sits at the front of the layout. As can be seen, the interior is fully detailed, so everyone assumed the roof had been left off on purpose! 

He loved to share his hobby, being happy to share techniques and help others. He often manned the 009 demonstration stand and showcase which the group take to exhibitions in the South East, as well as exhibiting the group’s layouts, his own Llandecwyn, and helping other group members exhibit their own layouts. He's helped me exhibit my own layouts, most recently at Newhaven. 

Llandecwyn was last shown at Alexandra Palace last spring. It has also been at Narrow Gauge South and the 009 Society 50th anniversary show at Statfold Barn in 2023. 

As a friend, helper, and enthusiastic and skilled modeller, Martin will be missed by me and all in the Sussex Downs group and I’m sure many others in the 009 Society. Our condolences go to his wife, Anna.