7mm Bleddfa Road
- Thread starter Geoff
- Start date
Geoff
Western Thunderer
Thank you Keith, sorry to hear about your laptop woes. I came close to trying a Chromebook myself as I am growing tired of endless Windows updates that do nothing but mess my laptop up. However I believe that Chromebooks and 'Wordpress' don't get along with each other?
Rob, Andrew
Thank you both for your kind comments , I am very pleased that you enjoyed the article and aren't requesting a refund!
Part two is scheduled to appear when the layout is near to, or completed. In the meantime I'll leave you all with this view of the other end of the platform, the spear fencing is Peco, and the as yet, unpainted figure is by Modelu. The stonework on the platform face and water tower is slowly being worked up and experiments in weathering corrugated iron are taking place on the combined gents and lamp hut.
Geoff
Geoff
Western Thunderer
Thank you Rob.
Colour is a funny thing as we all see it differently, of course lighting plays its part as well. I think the key is to use a limited palette so I choose a base colour and adjust its shade as I see fit. I also use vast amounts of talc to tone paintwork down, which also has the effect of creating a faded look. Trouble is I get some funny looks when I buy the stuff at my age!!!
Cheers Larry.
My yard and road surfaces are a mix of 'Sandtex' and 'Greenscene' textured paint which you can find here ....Store.
Going back to the early days of the layouts construction here is a close up of the yard surface, and below is the road surface. The latter is fine glass paper which I spray with an acrylic primer to seal if. You can then colour the surface with acrylic paints without fear of creating any wrinkles.
Gordon Gravett uses Chinchilla dust for very fine surfaces, which is something that I intend trying for myself. Hope you find the above ideas to be of use.
Geoff
NHY 581
Western Thunderer
I use fine ash from a barbecue. Sieved using a tea strainer. This is then applied to a layer of PVA.
I then give a light spray of water and washing up liquid and apply water/PVA/washing up liquid in the same manner as ballasting.
This is a view of the yard at Mutton. Its smoother than the mottled surface might suggest. Platform surface is the same though I've used darker ash to suggest patched tarmac.
Rob.
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Geoff
Western Thunderer
Simon, I should have said that I spray the sheets of glass paper before cutting them to shape and laying them in place. Another advantage of using the material is that you can sand sections of it down to represent worn areas or deep ruts.
Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the method when you construct your level crossing.
Geoff
That looks very nice indeed Rob, it never crossed my mind to try barbecue ash.
Geoff
Muddysblues
Western Thunderer
Love this picture ..... the anonymous chap looks a bit begrudgingly cheesed off today, whilst waiting for that train !
MartinWales
Western Thunderer
He'll be waiting some time, isn't it freight only?
GrahameH
Western Thunderer
I have used it in the past and would strongly recommend placing it in some old tights to give a very light dusting until satisfied with the finish.
Geoff
Western Thunderer
The local DIY store in these parts sells packs of 12 assorted sheets, 4 each of ie) fine, medium and coarse which go under the name of 'Super Decor'. I initially sprayed one of each before settling on the fine grade for my level crossing, and medium grade for the station approach.
Love this picture ..... the anonymous chap looks a bit begrudgingly cheesed off today, whilst waiting for that train !
He has been stuck there for a couple of weeks Craig, and has been a huge help when checking the size of doors and various structures, whilst my 4mm scale eye adapts to the larger scale.
He is a goods guard Martin, his train was out of sight down the siding leading to the lime kiln when the photo was taken.
Thanks for the tip Grahame, I think there is a photo of Gordon G using tights as a sieve for the dust in his book on landscaping.
Geoff
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jonte
Western Thunderer
Good morning, Geoff.
Please forgive my interjection/interference/interruption, but wondered whether this colour photo of the waiting room at Blodwell Junction might be of use to you in your experiments with the weathering of corrugated iron mentioned in your earlier post, especially the roof?
You seem to have made a very good job of it so far so please feel free to ignore, and with your previous knowledge of the station, perhaps you may have already seen it?
I also enjoyed your recent article in MRJ.
Jonte
Please forgive my interjection/interference/interruption, but wondered whether this colour photo of the waiting room at Blodwell Junction might be of use to you in your experiments with the weathering of corrugated iron mentioned in your earlier post, especially the roof?
You seem to have made a very good job of it so far so please feel free to ignore, and with your previous knowledge of the station, perhaps you may have already seen it?
I also enjoyed your recent article in MRJ.
Jonte
Geoff
Western Thunderer
Good Morning Jonte,
Thanks ever so much for taking the time and trouble to post such a useful photo. I had only come across monochrome images of the corrugated iron structures that graced the Tanat Valley line. There is also a wealth of other detail, other than the roof there, which will come in very useful indeed
I'm pleased that you enjoyed my article in MRJ, thank you
Best Wishes,
Geoff
Thanks ever so much for taking the time and trouble to post such a useful photo. I had only come across monochrome images of the corrugated iron structures that graced the Tanat Valley line. There is also a wealth of other detail, other than the roof there, which will come in very useful indeed
I'm pleased that you enjoyed my article in MRJ, thank you
Best Wishes,
Geoff
Muddysblues
Western Thunderer
Aah Martin .... I didn't say he was waiting for a passenger train
.... 
...
Hope you are keeping safe and well ?
Best regards
Craig.
Geoff
Western Thunderer
Thirteen days ago Craig said, "the anonymous chap looks a bit begrudgingly cheesed off today, whilst waiting for that train" !
Well his train finally rolled into the platform yesterday morning, 7719 then took on some water before departing for the paint shop and a spot of weathering..........
Geoff
Well his train finally rolled into the platform yesterday morning, 7719 then took on some water before departing for the paint shop and a spot of weathering..........
Geoff
Geoff
Western Thunderer
Since last months update I have been working on the platform, which now boasts some 'Peco' lamps, a seat and more weeds. I'm told the lamps are based on a Midland design, so I made a simple modifications to the posts......
.............. and they now look similar to the lamps at Llangollen.
After much faffing about I finally decided how the yard huts would fit into the scene......
The larger of the two started life as the ill fated Bleddfa Road signal box, the other being a 7mm version of the Henry Stephens old hut that appeared on Llangunllo. Having decided where the huts would be sited in the yard I was left with one problem, how to merge the yard approach road into the backscene?
I tried a stonewall at first but it looked out of place, so I cobbled an unkempt hedgerow together and came up with this, which is nothing more than a mock up at the moment. Whilst the hedgerow worked when viewed side on, I still had to come up with a solution for the head on view when looking towards the backscene. More by accident than design I added a few rough trees to the hedgerow and it ended up looking like this...........
Now you might not agree with me, but to my eye it looks like the road is dropping downwards into a wooded hollow. Of course all this is nothing more than a mock up at the moment, but over the coming weeks I hope to have the real thing in place, and the huts completed.
Geoff