Old Parrock

[PaulR]

I can't resist it - the fundamental absurdity of this hobby leads me towards futile gestures. For the upstairs bedroom of my cottage I have painted a portrait of the family's much loved late dog (aptly named Nipper), and the Laughing Cavalier:

However, when the cottage is in its place and curtains are hung, even with the open window (made but not added), they are impossible to detect:

But - the roof is fitted and ready for tiling. There's also a shed which I knocked up this morning and I'm quite pleased with. It still needs painting and this is the side you won't see:

Finally, I've changed the contour of the land behind the cottage to improve the overall balance of the scene. The ground hasn't been painted yet but the backscene has been touched in, it needs a little more light effect I think:

Progress is steady and the whole project is highly motivating at the moment. Somewhere in the depths of my memory is the thought that this is something to do with trains - surely not!

 

[76043]

Whilst looking at pics of Rickmansworth in the Unusual Collection thread, I saw this pic. Caption states "Rickmansworth never had a signal box, access to the goods yard being controlled by the ground frame on the left"

Reminds me of the discussion on signalling above.

Disused Stations: Rickmansworth Church Street Station

 

[PaulR]

Whilst looking at pics of Rickmansworth in the Unusual Collection thread, I saw this pic. Caption states "Rickmansworth never had a signal box, access to the goods yard being controlled by the ground frame on the left"

Reminds me of the discussion on signalling above.

Disused Stations: Rickmansworth Church Street Station

That's an evocative photo Tony, thanks for passing it on. That ground frame is working a significant set of tracks.

At the moment I'm veering towards the idea of a covered ground frame - perhaps a small wooden building similar to the ones in the Southern Signalling book. I couldn't say whether or not the simplicity of the set-up deserves one - or just an exposed frame like the one in the photo.

For me (and this might be a heretical statement for a forum like this), the aesthetics can be almost as important as theoretical accuracy.

I've also picked up the parts for a starter signal at the exit to the layout.

 

[PaulR]

First of all, I went to Railex last Saturday (thank you for the complimentary ticket Simon) and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the six finalists in the Cameo Competition. I thought they were all absolutely brilliant; superb observation, attention to detail and accuracy of execution. But most of all, and for me this is important, they oozed atmosphere. I came home feeling a little humbled but also fired up to carry on doing my best. Thank you friends!


These photos below need some annotation:

• The fence at the back isn't painted or fixed in.
• There's no railway fence at the front.
• The haycocks in the field are currently little lumps of Milliput.
• The cottage isn't finished.
• The cottage roof isn't the final colour, it's too red.
• The groundwork isn't painted ready for grass and hedges etc.

I'm pleased with how it's beginning to look though. The re-worked landscape in the hay field seems to have been successful, it's only about two inches wide.

I'm off on holiday tomorrow so progress on the actual layout will be curtailed for a time. However, I have packed a wet day back-up activity - the net for the mill which is marked, scored and ready for brick and stone painting.

I'm quite looking forward to an occasional wet day - don't tell my wife...

 

[Simpas]

"I'm quite looking forward to an occasional wet day - don't tell my wife..."

Your secret is safe with us....

I look forward to seeing it at Railex next year.

Mick S

 

[PaulR]

As I think is probably typical, railway modelling slows down in the summer, but I have been working slowly on the mill.

As is shown, I've just started on the weatherboarding which cover the entire upper half of the building and will be painted black. I love this part of the project - as each part is added and painted, the reality of the model is slowly revealed. There's the roof to do, and of course the wheel and associated gubbins to create which will be an interesting challenge. The overhang of the mill sits on four pillars which are painted but need to be folded up and fixed in place with a beam across the top to support the structure.

 

[AdeMoore]

Excellent thread Paul some great modelling with much atmosphere. Following with interest.
Cheers

 

[PaulR]

Excellent thread Paul some great modelling with much atmosphere. Following with interest.
Cheers

Many thanks for the kind comment Ade, that's really encouraging.

Paul

 

[PaulR]

Quite frankly, cutting anything round is a non-starter for me, so the Wills mill wheel is a good starting point. The paddles are hopeless though, and I doubt very much if it would actually turn if it were converted to full size. There was nothing for it but to make my own paddles and that required a little mathematical formula involving pi - the truth is that mathematics and I are uneasy companions.

Anyway, this is what I came up with, a set of lines radiating from a centre to show the position of the 24 paddles, with intersecting lines to set their angle.

It actually worked!

It required concentration, and I was aided by some calm music in the form of Max Richter's soundtrack for the film of 'Testament of Youth'; a beautiful score for one of my favourite films.

Meanwhile I have completed the weatherboarding on the mill. it will be painted black eventually.

The brick courses are not fixed yet and the trees are in their early stages. I'm not going to use the sluice in the Wills kit which is a bit big for my model, so I'm going to adapt the parts to produce something like this one from the mill at the Weald and Downland Museum:

I was a little worried about how the mill wheel would go. It may not satisfy a fanatical member of the British Watermill Association (if there is one), but I'm quite pleased with it so far.

 

[adrian]

Quite frankly, cutting anything round is a non-starter for me,

As an aside for interest but sort of related - I recently spotted on a blog I follow a mention about a "world freehand circle drawing competition"

Watch this and stand in awe!! Impressive - a perfect circle in a second or two!

 

[PaulR]

A quick posting to show that I haven't been in a state of indolence.

The wheel needs a bit of attention and the painting of the weatherboarding isn't finished. The sluice and gubbins is made from coffee stirrers. Next jobs are weathering windows and painting roof tiles and finishing the trees before starting on ground cover.

 

[PaulR]

A confession; I've never made scenery before. So, I'm very grateful to those folks who have published books, or share their expertise online. I've sailed close to the wind a few times but generally things are going well, and I just love the dramatic effect of the ground cover. 'I won't be a minute, I'm just taking this pair of pliers back down to the shed.' ..and I scamper down the garden path to slip for a few moments into my dreamscape.

A cut hayfield on the left behind the cottage, and a sheep pasture on the right which will have a hedge at the front bordering the lane.

Some snipping with the nail scissors will be required here. Farmers made their first cut in June. The hay was usually spread out in rows across the field, but if rain were suspected it was rolled into haycocks. Is it about to rain or has it just finished raining? This is a model railway so it's not raining right now. I've decided that the cottage will have a picket fence along the front eventually.

Meanwhile at the other end of the layout, the wheel and sluice gubbins is nearly competed. There will be a little more fencing before the start of the hedge in front of the tree on the left. At the moment I'm not too sure about the colour of the foliage of this tree.

Oh yes, and I forgot to mention that there's a railway in the scene. The plan is to do as much scenery as possible until the new year, then concentrate on the station and signal box.

 

[oldravendale]

You amaze me, Paul, when you say you've not done scenics previously. IMHO this would be a very satisfactory result for a skilled builder.

Congratulations and keep up the good work.

Brian.

(Who has never even tried to fix a blade of grass, let alone a whole layout.)

 

[AdeMoore]

A like button isn’t enough here it’s looking spot on.
Really starting to come together enjoying the journey immensely.
Cheers

 

[PaulR]

A huge thank you for the kind comments and likes - it give me the boost to keep going. Also, a big thank you to Western Thunder which is such a positive and friendly forum.

So - it's back to the shed tomorrow afternoon to KBO!

 

[NHY 581]

This is a lovely layout, Paul.

Top stuff.

Rob.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

All looks very good Paul - a nice well balanced scene.

At the moment I'm not too sure about the colour of the foliage of this tree.

One trick is to spray the tree with a cheap hairspray and drizzle dark green scatter from the top so it falls on the upper surfaces only leaving the underside a lighter green. This is how I finish my trees and bushes. I've noticed when tree leaves catch the wind they are lighter (almost silvery) on the underside.

Depending on the green you require Woodland Scenics weeds or burnt grass would be ideal or even Noch dark leaves.

 

[PaulR]

All looks very good Paul - a nice well balanced scene.



One trick is to spray the tree with a cheap hairspray and drizzle dark green scatter from the top so it falls on the upper surfaces only leaving the underside a lighter green. This is how I finish my trees and bushes. I've noticed when tree leaves catch the wind they are lighter (almost silvery) on the underside.

Depending on the green you require Woodland Scenics weeds or burnt grass would be ideal or even Noch dark leaves.

Thanks for that advice. I'll try it. I'm on a steep learning curve with trees at the moment.

 

[PaulR]

This is a lovely layout, Paul.

Top stuff.

Rob.

Thanks Rob. While I'm in my shed doing all this nonsense I do wonder whether my modelling is molesting me with its aggressive absurdity. That made me chuckle!

 

[PaulR]

In the High Weald of Sussex, many of the hedges are the result of ancient forest clearance. As the land was cleared the trees at the boundary were coppiced and trained in order to create a barrier. As a result they are often very old, rambling and appear untrained. From childhood I can remember hedges that were 20ft high or more.

Anyway, mine here are only a few centimetres high.

Something I wanted to include is a 'Bow Bells' milepost. These were erected when a toll road was established in the 1750s from London to Lewes and Eastbourne, and quite a few survive on the A22. As this road passes close to the supposed location of my layout, I have posited that the path passing by the front of the cottage was once a significant toll route to the south coast, long since abandoned as a road.

It's not known for certain whether they actually depict the Bow Bells, but it's a satisfying legend. The cottage is not 'set in' yet and the grass in front has only received an initial covering. There is a picket fence to go there and I want to play around with the idea that the miller and his wife have made cursory attempts at prettifying the front garden but it's mostly overgrown.

Finally, a photo from a rather cruel angle showing the ground cover progress to date. The railway occupation fence will run along the near side of the lane. I'm pretty pleased with progress; after all, what else is there to do on a wet Saturday morning than dip tiny twiggy bits in glue and scenic scatter, and imagine that they are nettles!