modelling inspiration #1

54
Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 1 1 1 RMweb showcase October 2011 A new free-t0-read format for RMweb’s best bits and more. Bradfield (Gloucester Square) Bradfield (Gloucester Square) Bradfield (Gloucester Square) Bradfield (Gloucester Square) Kylesku and The Mound Kylesku and The Mound Kylesku and The Mound Kylesku and The Mound How How How How- - -to articles to articles to articles to articles Prototype inspiration Prototype inspiration Prototype inspiration Prototype inspiration Model railway photography Model railway photography Model railway photography Model railway photography Win a Dapol 121 Win a Dapol 121 Win a Dapol 121 Win a Dapol 121

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Page 1: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 1111

RMweb showcase October 2011

A new free-t0-read format for RMwebrsquos best bits and more

bull Bradfield (Gloucester Square)Bradfield (Gloucester Square)Bradfield (Gloucester Square)Bradfield (Gloucester Square) bull Kylesku and The MoundKylesku and The MoundKylesku and The MoundKylesku and The Mound bull HowHowHowHow----to articlesto articlesto articlesto articles

bull Prototype inspirationPrototype inspirationPrototype inspirationPrototype inspiration bull Model railway photographyModel railway photographyModel railway photographyModel railway photography bull Win a Dapol 121Win a Dapol 121Win a Dapol 121Win a Dapol 121

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 2222

Bits BoxBits BoxBits BoxBits Box Show preview Post-war nationalisation Story behind the picture RMweb people

Prototype inspiration Models telling stories Model railway photography

Photo of the month

HowHowHowHow----to articlesto articlesto articlesto articles

Improving Peco Code 75

Weathering with Oils Improving Hornby 50s DCC Sound in a pannier Mermaid modifications

Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration These two words which have been a strap line to the site for several years form the basis of this new pdf-based e-mag format which is an extension of RMweb featuring some of its best content and developing key features beyond what has been written in the more piecemeal fashion of the forums The first edition of this e-mag collects together a series of articles to set out the stall for the type of content that the reader is likely to see in the future with an emphasis on modelling rather than products or news The content will centre around projects featured on RMweb with occasional features to bring in new material It is not intended to compete with or detract from existing media be that magazines or RMweb itself but to be complementary to it Modelling Inspiration will be free-to-read and re-distribution is welcomed itrsquos easily printed off in its entirety or any individual articles yoursquod like to save for future reference in a printed format Although it is a more distilled format the door is very much open to anyone who wants to showcase focussed and cohesive material with an aim to feature inspirational and interesting content Hopefully MIrsquos readers will find this format easily digestible and worth supporting in the future

Andy

Why pdf Using a pdf format for Modelling Inspiration allows readers to access the format across multiple platforms irrespective of display sizes and allows the reader to zoom in to make reading easier and to see the detail in the images It also means an interactive index page and advertising where you can jump straight to advertisersrsquo content for further information

Featured layoutsFeatured layoutsFeatured layoutsFeatured layouts

Bradfield (Gloucester Square)Bradfield (Gloucester Square)Bradfield (Gloucester Square)Bradfield (Gloucester Square) The West Riding of Yorkshire in transition John Elliotrsquos run down terminus oozes atmosphere and packs operational interest in

Kylesku and The MoundKylesku and The MoundKylesku and The MoundKylesku and The Mound Ben Alderrsquos West Highland layout based on the Kyle of Lochalsh route in the BR-steam era

Front Cover Bradfield Gloucester SquareFront Cover Bradfield Gloucester SquareFront Cover Bradfield Gloucester SquareFront Cover Bradfield Gloucester Square

Massive earthworks were required to bring the railway to Bradfield the arches that protect the station throat stand testimony to the ingenuity and confidence of the early railway builders They are based on the ones still standing alongside the new Forster Sq Station This scene illustrates what the creator John Elliott worked to recreate

Please do get in touch if therersquos any of your content yoursquod like to see

featured in future editions or indeed recommendations

of othersrsquo work that would suit this

new format

Thank you

Thanks to all the contributors and people involved for their material support and pulling this first issue together especially to the pr0of-reader who did so much behind the scenes

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 3333

Bradfield Gloucester Square Bradfield Gloucester Square Bradfield Gloucester Square Bradfield Gloucester Square (c1962)(c1962)(c1962)(c1962) John Elliot (The Laird)John Elliot (The Laird)John Elliot (The Laird)John Elliot (The Laird)

The town of Bradfield nestles in the foothills of the Pennines about 10 miles due west of Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire It straddles the River Brad that flows in a northerly direction to join the River Aire near Shipley Bradfield prospered with the growth of the woollen industry thanks to the plentiful supply of water and rugged grazing land in the surrounding area With this prosperity came the need for better and more efficient transport systems Railways were in their infancy at this time but the wool barons of Bradfield were keen to exploit this modern innovative technology and tried to promote a route to the town The railway builders of the time were preoccupied with their own schemes so eventually the Leeds and Bradfield Railway Company was formed under the leadership of none other than George Hudson the ldquoRailway Kingrdquo who was not one to miss an opportunity The LampB line left Bradfield in a northerly direction following the valley to Shipley then turned east along the Aire valley to Leeds A new terminus station Leeds Wellington was constructed which the LampB shared with the recently formed Midland Railway company Soon after completion the line was bought out by the MR who had operated it since its opening It was not long before the MR sought powers and built a line from a triangular junction at Shipley west along the Aire valley to Skipton and beyond reaching Morecambe and Heysham on the west coast and leading to the construction of the Settle and Carlisle main line to the north and Scotland Another route left Shipley north eastwards to Ilkley The line

through Shipley northwards became the mainline leaving Bradfield at the end of a short double track branch Railway politics of the time resulted in the Manchester and Leeds Railway building a line to Bradfield from the south to their own Exchange Station In Bradfield the original LampB Market Street station soon proved inadequate and towards the end of the 19th century the MR built a new Station alongside Gloucester Square to replace it As part of the redevelopment and to improve the alignment a tunnel was built immediately outside the new station Goods facilities were moved further down the line beyond the short tunnel The old goods yard and cattle dock were relaid to provide carriage stabling and servicing facilities The old alignment lingered on as a freight only branch for a number of years finally being closed by the LMS after the Grouping The loco shed is situated along the line beyond the new goods yard Gloucester Square station boasts three platforms and a centre siding under an overall roof A further road on the east side of the station provides access to a small dock and also acts as headshunt for the carriage sidings During World War II the glazing was removed from the overall station roof as a safety precaution In keeping with the railwayrsquos policy of capturing revenue from the long distance traveller the Midland Hotel is incorporated within the west side of the station building its Victorian grandeur facing out onto Bradfieldrsquos busy Gloucester Square

Train ServicesTrain ServicesTrain ServicesTrain Services

Train services have changed little over the years and the timetable is basically the same as that developed by the MR Local services are provided to Leeds Ilkley and to Skipton There is a daily return service from Carlisle The principal trains run to London St Pancras and the West country and trains to and from the south reverse at Leeds Wellington Recent years have seen a decline in the woollen industry and a dramatic growth of the catalogue shopping business that has resulted in a rapid rise in the parcels traffic at Bradfield since the late 1950s As part of the British Railways Modernisation Plan all local services have recently changed over to Diesel Multiple Unit operation 1961 saw the first allocation of mainline diesels to Leeds Holbeck for crew training the Sulzer Type 4s or ldquoPeaksrdquo This year 1962 has seen the full allocation along the ex-Midland lines with the intention of replacing steam but there have been major problems with reliability and availability due to teething problems and a lack of trained fitters Steam still has an important role for some years yet The ConfessionalThe ConfessionalThe ConfessionalThe Confessional

So having misled you the reader with my story of Bradfield with just a slight nod in the direction of real railway history it is time to leave the world of virtual reality and enter the more hazardous realm a topic avoided at all cost by senior managers actual reality My 00 gauge 4mm scale representation of what has been described How and why did I do it How and why did I do it How and why did I do it How and why did I do it

It would be nice to explain the detailed research and planning that went into this creation but I stand here before you to confess that it was an accident that should never have happened I suppose that if I could single anyone out to blame it would have to be Jim Smith-Wright he of P4 New Street fame Not that Jim would be aware of this of course but all will be revealed

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 4444

The morning rush is in full swing at Bradfield and not without its problems A platform change sees the 805 Skipton departing Platform 3A this morning looks like there are too many parcels in Platform 2 behind the Fairburn D95 backs in to Platform 1 with stock for the 850 St Pancras

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 5555

Now where to begin at the end of course The end of my previous layout that is My last layout was a 7mm scale terminus built in some old stables A house move meant this had to go so all was dismantled and sold A move to temporary accommodation left little room to swing a cat let alone a railway so what to do First decision was to change to 4mm scale I wanted to try out some new ideas with baseboard construction track laying and DCC but no room I started collecting 4mm locos and stock and wanted somewhere to test them Along came a magazine article about ldquoa plankrdquo by Jim S-W a test bed for his P4 overhead electrics A plank it would be then This plank turned out to be 4ft x 2ft of 18th ply cross braced with an integral back scene to trial my lightweight baseboard construction So far so good now for some trackwork Templot is a marvellous

tool for creating flowing track diagrams but took me an age to get to grips with Once mastered and the creative juices start flowing it is easy to get carried away resulting in a plan incorporating some challenging track building So it was with my plank the station throat as you see it today The pointwork was constructed from copper clad sleeper and soldered construction with SMP flexitrack Having read Ian Ricersquos track construction book I liked the idea of sprung or floating trackwork so decided to try the thin polyfoam used to insulate laminate flooring as an underlay I used a rubber type adhesive to stick it down as I thought the PVA would not adhere also I did not want it to solidify The track was also stuck down with this rubber solution It seems to work OK and gives the degree of sound insulation necessary when running on top of a thin ply box which would otherwise amplify any sound

At last We find a suitable house that is to be the final resting place After the inevitable redecorating etc thoughts return to the important things in life and the plank has been wired up and tested so what now There is some space in the garage so maybe the plank could be developed Out with the tape measure and from wall to up-and-over door I can just squeeze in the plank with 17m (about 5ft in old money) each side Fire up Templot and letrsquos see what we can squeeze in The result as they say is history well not quite as I now had three bare baseboards with track and electrics that needed some legs and having got this far with the experiment I might as well finish it off and maybe even take it to an exhibition What I needed was a suitable prototype location to inspire the topography structures and type of trains I wanted to run Whilst all this was going on I had been quietly researching my ultimate layout of a lifetime project London St Pancras I came across a book called Operation Midland this was my ldquoEurekardquo moment suddenly I began to understand the way the passenger railway really operated I also became aware of the importance of a place called ldquoBradford Forster Squarerdquo to the passenger operations of the Midland Region of British Railways This was the end of the line for a number of the long distance passenger services that originated and terminated here where stock was stabled and serviced overnight to begin again the next day This was exactly what interested me and would suit my ldquolayout with no namerdquo Additionally the old station at Forster Square had an overall roof and looked quite imposing I only had three platform lines but length-wise it would fit So as they say on Star Trek ldquoItrsquos Bradford Jim but not as we know itrdquo A site visit was called for so armed with digital camera I headed north What a shock and disappointment only the Midland Hotel is left and all the stonework of the buildings gleaming like new ho hum Plenty of photos were taken of what was left and a good feel for the vernacular style of building gained Oh and a visit to EM North en route so a good day outhellipEnough planning and waffle letrsquos get building

A lazy sun tries to break through the grey skies above Bradfieldrsquos overall roof The dusty vans in Platform 2B have all been loaded waiting to be shunted onto this eveningrsquos York parcels A Met-Camm for Leeds adds to the murk as it ticks over at the end of Platform 3 Shady characters hang around the ticket barriers

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 6666

Baseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legs

The plank had proved successful so the two outer boards were constructed the same way Alignment and connection between the boards is by removable pin hinges Previous experience had shown that four-legged trestles tend to walk and are difficult to level so a three-legged stool principle was employed Again a fairly light structure was used I often think that we over-engineer things Adjustable screw feet are fitted on the two outer legs for fine adjustment

Lighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fascia

As the layout was to be exhibited I wanted to provide a lighting rig and fascia This was constructed using 4mm MDF in a box configuration for strength The whole is supported either end on 18mm square posts and centrally on a cantilevered box structure from ply Six mains downlights are set in to the fascia originally 50watt halogens were used but proved to be too focussed creating pools of light and dark so I changed the bulbs for the low energy fluorescent type that produce a more diffuse and even light

The PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEE

Track on the two outer boards is mainly plain track with the loco release crossovers at the platform ends Construction and laying of the track was as per the plank with strengthening at the baseboard joints

I use the Digitrax DCC system to control the locos and accessories Wiring for DCC is straightforward but different The layout is split into wiring districts so that a short does not close down the whole layout I have used components from various sources to control the layout by way of experiment and all have worked faultlessly so far Point motors are Tortoise The Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil Engineers

To convey the feel for the location and to justify the rather contrived exit to the fiddle yard some substantial earthworks were required Tall stone-built retaining walls are the order of the day with a couple of plate girder over-bridges to convey that gritty northern work-a-day atmosphere All are constructed from plasticard over 4mm MDF formers and embossed plasticard stonework surfaces and the whole painted and weathered with artists acrylics with a final coat of matt varnish to take away any sheen The small areas of greenery are plumbersrsquo hemp stuck down on corrugated cardboard formers and pulled off when dry brambles are

represented by lichen dipped in PVA and then into foam scatter material all painted with acrylics courtesy of my wife the artist of the family The BuildersThe BuildersThe BuildersThe Builders

All the buildings on the layout are scratchbuilt with the exception of the signal box which is a Ratio kit The same basic technique is employed where the shell is built from 40-thou plasticard with suitable embossed surface laminated on The station was the first building to be erected to plans that I drew up from old photos dimensions being estimated from some plans accompanying a useful feature in the Midland Record A core of 4mm MDF was used to strengthen the walls but with hindsight this was unnecessary As with other buildings on the layout I used 7mm brick to represent the stonework

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 7777

The overall roof design is known as a ldquoWarren Trussrdquo roof after the engineer who designed and patented the trusses It was a common design especially on the MR in the late 1800s other examples being at Ilkley and Leicester It differs from the later ldquoPratt Trussrdquo which has additional vertical bracing I have constructed the trusses from strips of 20-thou plasticard on a paper template The roof needed to be removable for track cleaning repairs etc so the trusses couldnrsquot be fixed in position I built the roof in situ to maintain the correct spacing of trusses so that they will slot back into the cut-outs in the wall It is surprisingly strong now that everything is bonded together Bradfieldrsquos roof was originally an overall glass roof but because of wartime hostilities a lot of stations had all their glass removed and not all of it was replaced afterwards This roof will only be glazed where it affords protection to the passengers ie over the platforms a common practice on the real thing

Bickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos Mill

I just had to have a large woollen mill so typical of the area I sought out a prototype and finally based it on a mill in Keighley As with all of the layoutrsquos buildings the mill is constructed from plasticard There are 120 windows in total I applied the glazing bars straight onto clear plastic using masking tape sliced thinly

The glazing panels are cut out and stuck behind the structurersquos apertures This was done individually to ensure the bars line up I used a carpet adhesive that takes 24hrs to set but remains tacky allowing time to

adjust the position The mill features faded lettering on the stonework typical of so many old large structures Having first worked out the height of the letters required 15mm in this case I used Microsoft Word to print out the words in a suitable font (sans serif) at a font size of 60 which looked about right I then cut out the letters to leave a template which is cut to a convenient size and stuck to the wall with masking tape I cut out the centres of the letters B and D as well and hold them in position with the blunt end of a pencil or other similar implement which may be at hand It sometimes helps to dampen the paper template slightly

A porter surveys the next stack of parcels to be loaded as soft morning sunlight casts shadows around the grimy interior of the station The Met-Camm has thankfully shut down between turns giving a brief respite from the chok-ing diesel fumes In the distance consignment notes are checked before allowing the delivery driver to depart

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 8888

As this was a light background stone work the lettering was done with a black permanent marker pen just dab-bing it through the template If you want to do light let-ters on a dark surface you will need to use paint dabbing it on sparingly with a small fine sponge or cloth You do not need to get it perfect especially if you are weathering it as the letters do fade with time and parts wear away

with the elements Once the wording was complete the whole building was weathered with a sooty black wash The Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill Housing

Alongside the woollen mill is a cluster of housing on one of Bradfieldrsquos many steeply sloped streets The houses were constructed from 40 thou plasticard faced with 20 thou embossed sheet as a single block The roof slates are strips of paper as is the lead flashing Windows are again masking tape on clear glazing

Bickerdykersquos Woollen Mill broods over the empty carriage sidings another monument to past glory With trade declining fast what gloomy future lies in store for this once impressive building and source of the townrsquos prosperity The sidings share in the desolation as only a night shift is required these days

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 9999

RMwebRMwebRMwebRMweb

It was during this phase of building that I first became aware of RMweb and soon decided to share my efforts at layout construction by starting a thread I had also quite recklessly committed the layout to its first exhibition at the beginning of May 2011 some 6 months away my rationale being that this would probably be the only way I would get it finished in a short space of time I cannot emphasise enough how much the comments and encouragement from RMwebbers helped me in achieving this target Through RMweb I have benefited from the knowledge of others in developing my prototypically correct operational techniques learnt a lot about signalling and begun to develop some new friendships Exhibiting at Membersrsquo Day was a small way of repaying my debt of gratitude to the members Wow That was emotional letrsquos play trains

Playing trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trains

OK so for me this is what it is all about The model making is fine but in the immortal words of the late David JenkinsonrdquoI enjoy having modelledrdquo Recreating a realistic environment in which to run trains in a ldquorailway-likerdquo manner is what I want to do passenger trains in particular Again always looking for someone to blame this time it has to be Father Christmas and his choices over my modelling direction He may well have understood my need for trains but he never grasped the fact that I wanted big engines with coaches Without wishing to sound ungrateful shunters and pickup goods sets did not hit the spot Birthdays were no better either itrsquos no wonder then that when I could afford to start buying my own train sets I just couldnrsquot resist buying coaches So with this in mind letrsquos get back to 1962 and deepest darkest Yorkshire

Locomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stock

The Sulzer Type 4s (Class45) or ldquoPeaksrdquo were the mainstay of the Midland main line during my formative years and I could hear them from home powering expresses south out of Leicester Midland I could see them from my school windows and from my place of work adjacent to the line In earlier years it would have been Jubilees but alas I was too late It is no surprise then that the main source of traction on Bradfield is the Bachmann model of my favourite diesel I also have available Classes 20 25 and 40 and a couple of 08 shunters The steam fleet is growing but currently comprises two Black Fives and a Fairburn tank Two Class 108 DMUs and a Class 101 provide the local services I believe that this is a fair representation of what would have appeared at Bradfield at this period in time

I am quite obsessive about the reliability of the locos and so have fitted extra pickups to all wheels on the diesels and DMUs They all have onboard digital sound systems mostly Southwest Digital The sound not only adds to the realism but I find that it encourages operation at a more realistic speed I find the steam fleet more problematic in achieving smooth reliable running and the sound systems are slightly more difficult to fit The steam sounds are not yet as believable as the diesel sounds in my opinion in the way that they work but the latest chips are an improvement Only the Fairburn is sound-equipped at present Rolling stock is mainly RTR with some kit-built and scratchbuilt parcel vans All the stock is formed into fixed rakes the corridor stock having some form of close coupling At the end of the rakes and on most parcels stock I have fitted Spratt amp Winkle 3mm couplings I find these unobtrusive and reliable once set up correctly All stock is of course suitably weathered

Constructed alongside the Mill for the more privileged employees these tenements are based on a row still overlooking Shipley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 10101010

By late morning the platform is clear of parcels and the last delivery van departs whilst the Met-Camm DMU awaits its passengers for Leeds The platform will again become a hive of activity during the afternoon as the vans return with collected parcels

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

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The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

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dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

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Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

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The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 2: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 2222

Bits BoxBits BoxBits BoxBits Box Show preview Post-war nationalisation Story behind the picture RMweb people

Prototype inspiration Models telling stories Model railway photography

Photo of the month

HowHowHowHow----to articlesto articlesto articlesto articles

Improving Peco Code 75

Weathering with Oils Improving Hornby 50s DCC Sound in a pannier Mermaid modifications

Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration These two words which have been a strap line to the site for several years form the basis of this new pdf-based e-mag format which is an extension of RMweb featuring some of its best content and developing key features beyond what has been written in the more piecemeal fashion of the forums The first edition of this e-mag collects together a series of articles to set out the stall for the type of content that the reader is likely to see in the future with an emphasis on modelling rather than products or news The content will centre around projects featured on RMweb with occasional features to bring in new material It is not intended to compete with or detract from existing media be that magazines or RMweb itself but to be complementary to it Modelling Inspiration will be free-to-read and re-distribution is welcomed itrsquos easily printed off in its entirety or any individual articles yoursquod like to save for future reference in a printed format Although it is a more distilled format the door is very much open to anyone who wants to showcase focussed and cohesive material with an aim to feature inspirational and interesting content Hopefully MIrsquos readers will find this format easily digestible and worth supporting in the future

Andy

Why pdf Using a pdf format for Modelling Inspiration allows readers to access the format across multiple platforms irrespective of display sizes and allows the reader to zoom in to make reading easier and to see the detail in the images It also means an interactive index page and advertising where you can jump straight to advertisersrsquo content for further information

Featured layoutsFeatured layoutsFeatured layoutsFeatured layouts

Bradfield (Gloucester Square)Bradfield (Gloucester Square)Bradfield (Gloucester Square)Bradfield (Gloucester Square) The West Riding of Yorkshire in transition John Elliotrsquos run down terminus oozes atmosphere and packs operational interest in

Kylesku and The MoundKylesku and The MoundKylesku and The MoundKylesku and The Mound Ben Alderrsquos West Highland layout based on the Kyle of Lochalsh route in the BR-steam era

Front Cover Bradfield Gloucester SquareFront Cover Bradfield Gloucester SquareFront Cover Bradfield Gloucester SquareFront Cover Bradfield Gloucester Square

Massive earthworks were required to bring the railway to Bradfield the arches that protect the station throat stand testimony to the ingenuity and confidence of the early railway builders They are based on the ones still standing alongside the new Forster Sq Station This scene illustrates what the creator John Elliott worked to recreate

Please do get in touch if therersquos any of your content yoursquod like to see

featured in future editions or indeed recommendations

of othersrsquo work that would suit this

new format

Thank you

Thanks to all the contributors and people involved for their material support and pulling this first issue together especially to the pr0of-reader who did so much behind the scenes

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 3333

Bradfield Gloucester Square Bradfield Gloucester Square Bradfield Gloucester Square Bradfield Gloucester Square (c1962)(c1962)(c1962)(c1962) John Elliot (The Laird)John Elliot (The Laird)John Elliot (The Laird)John Elliot (The Laird)

The town of Bradfield nestles in the foothills of the Pennines about 10 miles due west of Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire It straddles the River Brad that flows in a northerly direction to join the River Aire near Shipley Bradfield prospered with the growth of the woollen industry thanks to the plentiful supply of water and rugged grazing land in the surrounding area With this prosperity came the need for better and more efficient transport systems Railways were in their infancy at this time but the wool barons of Bradfield were keen to exploit this modern innovative technology and tried to promote a route to the town The railway builders of the time were preoccupied with their own schemes so eventually the Leeds and Bradfield Railway Company was formed under the leadership of none other than George Hudson the ldquoRailway Kingrdquo who was not one to miss an opportunity The LampB line left Bradfield in a northerly direction following the valley to Shipley then turned east along the Aire valley to Leeds A new terminus station Leeds Wellington was constructed which the LampB shared with the recently formed Midland Railway company Soon after completion the line was bought out by the MR who had operated it since its opening It was not long before the MR sought powers and built a line from a triangular junction at Shipley west along the Aire valley to Skipton and beyond reaching Morecambe and Heysham on the west coast and leading to the construction of the Settle and Carlisle main line to the north and Scotland Another route left Shipley north eastwards to Ilkley The line

through Shipley northwards became the mainline leaving Bradfield at the end of a short double track branch Railway politics of the time resulted in the Manchester and Leeds Railway building a line to Bradfield from the south to their own Exchange Station In Bradfield the original LampB Market Street station soon proved inadequate and towards the end of the 19th century the MR built a new Station alongside Gloucester Square to replace it As part of the redevelopment and to improve the alignment a tunnel was built immediately outside the new station Goods facilities were moved further down the line beyond the short tunnel The old goods yard and cattle dock were relaid to provide carriage stabling and servicing facilities The old alignment lingered on as a freight only branch for a number of years finally being closed by the LMS after the Grouping The loco shed is situated along the line beyond the new goods yard Gloucester Square station boasts three platforms and a centre siding under an overall roof A further road on the east side of the station provides access to a small dock and also acts as headshunt for the carriage sidings During World War II the glazing was removed from the overall station roof as a safety precaution In keeping with the railwayrsquos policy of capturing revenue from the long distance traveller the Midland Hotel is incorporated within the west side of the station building its Victorian grandeur facing out onto Bradfieldrsquos busy Gloucester Square

Train ServicesTrain ServicesTrain ServicesTrain Services

Train services have changed little over the years and the timetable is basically the same as that developed by the MR Local services are provided to Leeds Ilkley and to Skipton There is a daily return service from Carlisle The principal trains run to London St Pancras and the West country and trains to and from the south reverse at Leeds Wellington Recent years have seen a decline in the woollen industry and a dramatic growth of the catalogue shopping business that has resulted in a rapid rise in the parcels traffic at Bradfield since the late 1950s As part of the British Railways Modernisation Plan all local services have recently changed over to Diesel Multiple Unit operation 1961 saw the first allocation of mainline diesels to Leeds Holbeck for crew training the Sulzer Type 4s or ldquoPeaksrdquo This year 1962 has seen the full allocation along the ex-Midland lines with the intention of replacing steam but there have been major problems with reliability and availability due to teething problems and a lack of trained fitters Steam still has an important role for some years yet The ConfessionalThe ConfessionalThe ConfessionalThe Confessional

So having misled you the reader with my story of Bradfield with just a slight nod in the direction of real railway history it is time to leave the world of virtual reality and enter the more hazardous realm a topic avoided at all cost by senior managers actual reality My 00 gauge 4mm scale representation of what has been described How and why did I do it How and why did I do it How and why did I do it How and why did I do it

It would be nice to explain the detailed research and planning that went into this creation but I stand here before you to confess that it was an accident that should never have happened I suppose that if I could single anyone out to blame it would have to be Jim Smith-Wright he of P4 New Street fame Not that Jim would be aware of this of course but all will be revealed

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 4444

The morning rush is in full swing at Bradfield and not without its problems A platform change sees the 805 Skipton departing Platform 3A this morning looks like there are too many parcels in Platform 2 behind the Fairburn D95 backs in to Platform 1 with stock for the 850 St Pancras

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 5555

Now where to begin at the end of course The end of my previous layout that is My last layout was a 7mm scale terminus built in some old stables A house move meant this had to go so all was dismantled and sold A move to temporary accommodation left little room to swing a cat let alone a railway so what to do First decision was to change to 4mm scale I wanted to try out some new ideas with baseboard construction track laying and DCC but no room I started collecting 4mm locos and stock and wanted somewhere to test them Along came a magazine article about ldquoa plankrdquo by Jim S-W a test bed for his P4 overhead electrics A plank it would be then This plank turned out to be 4ft x 2ft of 18th ply cross braced with an integral back scene to trial my lightweight baseboard construction So far so good now for some trackwork Templot is a marvellous

tool for creating flowing track diagrams but took me an age to get to grips with Once mastered and the creative juices start flowing it is easy to get carried away resulting in a plan incorporating some challenging track building So it was with my plank the station throat as you see it today The pointwork was constructed from copper clad sleeper and soldered construction with SMP flexitrack Having read Ian Ricersquos track construction book I liked the idea of sprung or floating trackwork so decided to try the thin polyfoam used to insulate laminate flooring as an underlay I used a rubber type adhesive to stick it down as I thought the PVA would not adhere also I did not want it to solidify The track was also stuck down with this rubber solution It seems to work OK and gives the degree of sound insulation necessary when running on top of a thin ply box which would otherwise amplify any sound

At last We find a suitable house that is to be the final resting place After the inevitable redecorating etc thoughts return to the important things in life and the plank has been wired up and tested so what now There is some space in the garage so maybe the plank could be developed Out with the tape measure and from wall to up-and-over door I can just squeeze in the plank with 17m (about 5ft in old money) each side Fire up Templot and letrsquos see what we can squeeze in The result as they say is history well not quite as I now had three bare baseboards with track and electrics that needed some legs and having got this far with the experiment I might as well finish it off and maybe even take it to an exhibition What I needed was a suitable prototype location to inspire the topography structures and type of trains I wanted to run Whilst all this was going on I had been quietly researching my ultimate layout of a lifetime project London St Pancras I came across a book called Operation Midland this was my ldquoEurekardquo moment suddenly I began to understand the way the passenger railway really operated I also became aware of the importance of a place called ldquoBradford Forster Squarerdquo to the passenger operations of the Midland Region of British Railways This was the end of the line for a number of the long distance passenger services that originated and terminated here where stock was stabled and serviced overnight to begin again the next day This was exactly what interested me and would suit my ldquolayout with no namerdquo Additionally the old station at Forster Square had an overall roof and looked quite imposing I only had three platform lines but length-wise it would fit So as they say on Star Trek ldquoItrsquos Bradford Jim but not as we know itrdquo A site visit was called for so armed with digital camera I headed north What a shock and disappointment only the Midland Hotel is left and all the stonework of the buildings gleaming like new ho hum Plenty of photos were taken of what was left and a good feel for the vernacular style of building gained Oh and a visit to EM North en route so a good day outhellipEnough planning and waffle letrsquos get building

A lazy sun tries to break through the grey skies above Bradfieldrsquos overall roof The dusty vans in Platform 2B have all been loaded waiting to be shunted onto this eveningrsquos York parcels A Met-Camm for Leeds adds to the murk as it ticks over at the end of Platform 3 Shady characters hang around the ticket barriers

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 6666

Baseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legs

The plank had proved successful so the two outer boards were constructed the same way Alignment and connection between the boards is by removable pin hinges Previous experience had shown that four-legged trestles tend to walk and are difficult to level so a three-legged stool principle was employed Again a fairly light structure was used I often think that we over-engineer things Adjustable screw feet are fitted on the two outer legs for fine adjustment

Lighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fascia

As the layout was to be exhibited I wanted to provide a lighting rig and fascia This was constructed using 4mm MDF in a box configuration for strength The whole is supported either end on 18mm square posts and centrally on a cantilevered box structure from ply Six mains downlights are set in to the fascia originally 50watt halogens were used but proved to be too focussed creating pools of light and dark so I changed the bulbs for the low energy fluorescent type that produce a more diffuse and even light

The PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEE

Track on the two outer boards is mainly plain track with the loco release crossovers at the platform ends Construction and laying of the track was as per the plank with strengthening at the baseboard joints

I use the Digitrax DCC system to control the locos and accessories Wiring for DCC is straightforward but different The layout is split into wiring districts so that a short does not close down the whole layout I have used components from various sources to control the layout by way of experiment and all have worked faultlessly so far Point motors are Tortoise The Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil Engineers

To convey the feel for the location and to justify the rather contrived exit to the fiddle yard some substantial earthworks were required Tall stone-built retaining walls are the order of the day with a couple of plate girder over-bridges to convey that gritty northern work-a-day atmosphere All are constructed from plasticard over 4mm MDF formers and embossed plasticard stonework surfaces and the whole painted and weathered with artists acrylics with a final coat of matt varnish to take away any sheen The small areas of greenery are plumbersrsquo hemp stuck down on corrugated cardboard formers and pulled off when dry brambles are

represented by lichen dipped in PVA and then into foam scatter material all painted with acrylics courtesy of my wife the artist of the family The BuildersThe BuildersThe BuildersThe Builders

All the buildings on the layout are scratchbuilt with the exception of the signal box which is a Ratio kit The same basic technique is employed where the shell is built from 40-thou plasticard with suitable embossed surface laminated on The station was the first building to be erected to plans that I drew up from old photos dimensions being estimated from some plans accompanying a useful feature in the Midland Record A core of 4mm MDF was used to strengthen the walls but with hindsight this was unnecessary As with other buildings on the layout I used 7mm brick to represent the stonework

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 7777

The overall roof design is known as a ldquoWarren Trussrdquo roof after the engineer who designed and patented the trusses It was a common design especially on the MR in the late 1800s other examples being at Ilkley and Leicester It differs from the later ldquoPratt Trussrdquo which has additional vertical bracing I have constructed the trusses from strips of 20-thou plasticard on a paper template The roof needed to be removable for track cleaning repairs etc so the trusses couldnrsquot be fixed in position I built the roof in situ to maintain the correct spacing of trusses so that they will slot back into the cut-outs in the wall It is surprisingly strong now that everything is bonded together Bradfieldrsquos roof was originally an overall glass roof but because of wartime hostilities a lot of stations had all their glass removed and not all of it was replaced afterwards This roof will only be glazed where it affords protection to the passengers ie over the platforms a common practice on the real thing

Bickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos Mill

I just had to have a large woollen mill so typical of the area I sought out a prototype and finally based it on a mill in Keighley As with all of the layoutrsquos buildings the mill is constructed from plasticard There are 120 windows in total I applied the glazing bars straight onto clear plastic using masking tape sliced thinly

The glazing panels are cut out and stuck behind the structurersquos apertures This was done individually to ensure the bars line up I used a carpet adhesive that takes 24hrs to set but remains tacky allowing time to

adjust the position The mill features faded lettering on the stonework typical of so many old large structures Having first worked out the height of the letters required 15mm in this case I used Microsoft Word to print out the words in a suitable font (sans serif) at a font size of 60 which looked about right I then cut out the letters to leave a template which is cut to a convenient size and stuck to the wall with masking tape I cut out the centres of the letters B and D as well and hold them in position with the blunt end of a pencil or other similar implement which may be at hand It sometimes helps to dampen the paper template slightly

A porter surveys the next stack of parcels to be loaded as soft morning sunlight casts shadows around the grimy interior of the station The Met-Camm has thankfully shut down between turns giving a brief respite from the chok-ing diesel fumes In the distance consignment notes are checked before allowing the delivery driver to depart

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 8888

As this was a light background stone work the lettering was done with a black permanent marker pen just dab-bing it through the template If you want to do light let-ters on a dark surface you will need to use paint dabbing it on sparingly with a small fine sponge or cloth You do not need to get it perfect especially if you are weathering it as the letters do fade with time and parts wear away

with the elements Once the wording was complete the whole building was weathered with a sooty black wash The Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill Housing

Alongside the woollen mill is a cluster of housing on one of Bradfieldrsquos many steeply sloped streets The houses were constructed from 40 thou plasticard faced with 20 thou embossed sheet as a single block The roof slates are strips of paper as is the lead flashing Windows are again masking tape on clear glazing

Bickerdykersquos Woollen Mill broods over the empty carriage sidings another monument to past glory With trade declining fast what gloomy future lies in store for this once impressive building and source of the townrsquos prosperity The sidings share in the desolation as only a night shift is required these days

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 9999

RMwebRMwebRMwebRMweb

It was during this phase of building that I first became aware of RMweb and soon decided to share my efforts at layout construction by starting a thread I had also quite recklessly committed the layout to its first exhibition at the beginning of May 2011 some 6 months away my rationale being that this would probably be the only way I would get it finished in a short space of time I cannot emphasise enough how much the comments and encouragement from RMwebbers helped me in achieving this target Through RMweb I have benefited from the knowledge of others in developing my prototypically correct operational techniques learnt a lot about signalling and begun to develop some new friendships Exhibiting at Membersrsquo Day was a small way of repaying my debt of gratitude to the members Wow That was emotional letrsquos play trains

Playing trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trains

OK so for me this is what it is all about The model making is fine but in the immortal words of the late David JenkinsonrdquoI enjoy having modelledrdquo Recreating a realistic environment in which to run trains in a ldquorailway-likerdquo manner is what I want to do passenger trains in particular Again always looking for someone to blame this time it has to be Father Christmas and his choices over my modelling direction He may well have understood my need for trains but he never grasped the fact that I wanted big engines with coaches Without wishing to sound ungrateful shunters and pickup goods sets did not hit the spot Birthdays were no better either itrsquos no wonder then that when I could afford to start buying my own train sets I just couldnrsquot resist buying coaches So with this in mind letrsquos get back to 1962 and deepest darkest Yorkshire

Locomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stock

The Sulzer Type 4s (Class45) or ldquoPeaksrdquo were the mainstay of the Midland main line during my formative years and I could hear them from home powering expresses south out of Leicester Midland I could see them from my school windows and from my place of work adjacent to the line In earlier years it would have been Jubilees but alas I was too late It is no surprise then that the main source of traction on Bradfield is the Bachmann model of my favourite diesel I also have available Classes 20 25 and 40 and a couple of 08 shunters The steam fleet is growing but currently comprises two Black Fives and a Fairburn tank Two Class 108 DMUs and a Class 101 provide the local services I believe that this is a fair representation of what would have appeared at Bradfield at this period in time

I am quite obsessive about the reliability of the locos and so have fitted extra pickups to all wheels on the diesels and DMUs They all have onboard digital sound systems mostly Southwest Digital The sound not only adds to the realism but I find that it encourages operation at a more realistic speed I find the steam fleet more problematic in achieving smooth reliable running and the sound systems are slightly more difficult to fit The steam sounds are not yet as believable as the diesel sounds in my opinion in the way that they work but the latest chips are an improvement Only the Fairburn is sound-equipped at present Rolling stock is mainly RTR with some kit-built and scratchbuilt parcel vans All the stock is formed into fixed rakes the corridor stock having some form of close coupling At the end of the rakes and on most parcels stock I have fitted Spratt amp Winkle 3mm couplings I find these unobtrusive and reliable once set up correctly All stock is of course suitably weathered

Constructed alongside the Mill for the more privileged employees these tenements are based on a row still overlooking Shipley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 10101010

By late morning the platform is clear of parcels and the last delivery van departs whilst the Met-Camm DMU awaits its passengers for Leeds The platform will again become a hive of activity during the afternoon as the vans return with collected parcels

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

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Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 3: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 3333

Bradfield Gloucester Square Bradfield Gloucester Square Bradfield Gloucester Square Bradfield Gloucester Square (c1962)(c1962)(c1962)(c1962) John Elliot (The Laird)John Elliot (The Laird)John Elliot (The Laird)John Elliot (The Laird)

The town of Bradfield nestles in the foothills of the Pennines about 10 miles due west of Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire It straddles the River Brad that flows in a northerly direction to join the River Aire near Shipley Bradfield prospered with the growth of the woollen industry thanks to the plentiful supply of water and rugged grazing land in the surrounding area With this prosperity came the need for better and more efficient transport systems Railways were in their infancy at this time but the wool barons of Bradfield were keen to exploit this modern innovative technology and tried to promote a route to the town The railway builders of the time were preoccupied with their own schemes so eventually the Leeds and Bradfield Railway Company was formed under the leadership of none other than George Hudson the ldquoRailway Kingrdquo who was not one to miss an opportunity The LampB line left Bradfield in a northerly direction following the valley to Shipley then turned east along the Aire valley to Leeds A new terminus station Leeds Wellington was constructed which the LampB shared with the recently formed Midland Railway company Soon after completion the line was bought out by the MR who had operated it since its opening It was not long before the MR sought powers and built a line from a triangular junction at Shipley west along the Aire valley to Skipton and beyond reaching Morecambe and Heysham on the west coast and leading to the construction of the Settle and Carlisle main line to the north and Scotland Another route left Shipley north eastwards to Ilkley The line

through Shipley northwards became the mainline leaving Bradfield at the end of a short double track branch Railway politics of the time resulted in the Manchester and Leeds Railway building a line to Bradfield from the south to their own Exchange Station In Bradfield the original LampB Market Street station soon proved inadequate and towards the end of the 19th century the MR built a new Station alongside Gloucester Square to replace it As part of the redevelopment and to improve the alignment a tunnel was built immediately outside the new station Goods facilities were moved further down the line beyond the short tunnel The old goods yard and cattle dock were relaid to provide carriage stabling and servicing facilities The old alignment lingered on as a freight only branch for a number of years finally being closed by the LMS after the Grouping The loco shed is situated along the line beyond the new goods yard Gloucester Square station boasts three platforms and a centre siding under an overall roof A further road on the east side of the station provides access to a small dock and also acts as headshunt for the carriage sidings During World War II the glazing was removed from the overall station roof as a safety precaution In keeping with the railwayrsquos policy of capturing revenue from the long distance traveller the Midland Hotel is incorporated within the west side of the station building its Victorian grandeur facing out onto Bradfieldrsquos busy Gloucester Square

Train ServicesTrain ServicesTrain ServicesTrain Services

Train services have changed little over the years and the timetable is basically the same as that developed by the MR Local services are provided to Leeds Ilkley and to Skipton There is a daily return service from Carlisle The principal trains run to London St Pancras and the West country and trains to and from the south reverse at Leeds Wellington Recent years have seen a decline in the woollen industry and a dramatic growth of the catalogue shopping business that has resulted in a rapid rise in the parcels traffic at Bradfield since the late 1950s As part of the British Railways Modernisation Plan all local services have recently changed over to Diesel Multiple Unit operation 1961 saw the first allocation of mainline diesels to Leeds Holbeck for crew training the Sulzer Type 4s or ldquoPeaksrdquo This year 1962 has seen the full allocation along the ex-Midland lines with the intention of replacing steam but there have been major problems with reliability and availability due to teething problems and a lack of trained fitters Steam still has an important role for some years yet The ConfessionalThe ConfessionalThe ConfessionalThe Confessional

So having misled you the reader with my story of Bradfield with just a slight nod in the direction of real railway history it is time to leave the world of virtual reality and enter the more hazardous realm a topic avoided at all cost by senior managers actual reality My 00 gauge 4mm scale representation of what has been described How and why did I do it How and why did I do it How and why did I do it How and why did I do it

It would be nice to explain the detailed research and planning that went into this creation but I stand here before you to confess that it was an accident that should never have happened I suppose that if I could single anyone out to blame it would have to be Jim Smith-Wright he of P4 New Street fame Not that Jim would be aware of this of course but all will be revealed

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The morning rush is in full swing at Bradfield and not without its problems A platform change sees the 805 Skipton departing Platform 3A this morning looks like there are too many parcels in Platform 2 behind the Fairburn D95 backs in to Platform 1 with stock for the 850 St Pancras

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 5555

Now where to begin at the end of course The end of my previous layout that is My last layout was a 7mm scale terminus built in some old stables A house move meant this had to go so all was dismantled and sold A move to temporary accommodation left little room to swing a cat let alone a railway so what to do First decision was to change to 4mm scale I wanted to try out some new ideas with baseboard construction track laying and DCC but no room I started collecting 4mm locos and stock and wanted somewhere to test them Along came a magazine article about ldquoa plankrdquo by Jim S-W a test bed for his P4 overhead electrics A plank it would be then This plank turned out to be 4ft x 2ft of 18th ply cross braced with an integral back scene to trial my lightweight baseboard construction So far so good now for some trackwork Templot is a marvellous

tool for creating flowing track diagrams but took me an age to get to grips with Once mastered and the creative juices start flowing it is easy to get carried away resulting in a plan incorporating some challenging track building So it was with my plank the station throat as you see it today The pointwork was constructed from copper clad sleeper and soldered construction with SMP flexitrack Having read Ian Ricersquos track construction book I liked the idea of sprung or floating trackwork so decided to try the thin polyfoam used to insulate laminate flooring as an underlay I used a rubber type adhesive to stick it down as I thought the PVA would not adhere also I did not want it to solidify The track was also stuck down with this rubber solution It seems to work OK and gives the degree of sound insulation necessary when running on top of a thin ply box which would otherwise amplify any sound

At last We find a suitable house that is to be the final resting place After the inevitable redecorating etc thoughts return to the important things in life and the plank has been wired up and tested so what now There is some space in the garage so maybe the plank could be developed Out with the tape measure and from wall to up-and-over door I can just squeeze in the plank with 17m (about 5ft in old money) each side Fire up Templot and letrsquos see what we can squeeze in The result as they say is history well not quite as I now had three bare baseboards with track and electrics that needed some legs and having got this far with the experiment I might as well finish it off and maybe even take it to an exhibition What I needed was a suitable prototype location to inspire the topography structures and type of trains I wanted to run Whilst all this was going on I had been quietly researching my ultimate layout of a lifetime project London St Pancras I came across a book called Operation Midland this was my ldquoEurekardquo moment suddenly I began to understand the way the passenger railway really operated I also became aware of the importance of a place called ldquoBradford Forster Squarerdquo to the passenger operations of the Midland Region of British Railways This was the end of the line for a number of the long distance passenger services that originated and terminated here where stock was stabled and serviced overnight to begin again the next day This was exactly what interested me and would suit my ldquolayout with no namerdquo Additionally the old station at Forster Square had an overall roof and looked quite imposing I only had three platform lines but length-wise it would fit So as they say on Star Trek ldquoItrsquos Bradford Jim but not as we know itrdquo A site visit was called for so armed with digital camera I headed north What a shock and disappointment only the Midland Hotel is left and all the stonework of the buildings gleaming like new ho hum Plenty of photos were taken of what was left and a good feel for the vernacular style of building gained Oh and a visit to EM North en route so a good day outhellipEnough planning and waffle letrsquos get building

A lazy sun tries to break through the grey skies above Bradfieldrsquos overall roof The dusty vans in Platform 2B have all been loaded waiting to be shunted onto this eveningrsquos York parcels A Met-Camm for Leeds adds to the murk as it ticks over at the end of Platform 3 Shady characters hang around the ticket barriers

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 6666

Baseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legs

The plank had proved successful so the two outer boards were constructed the same way Alignment and connection between the boards is by removable pin hinges Previous experience had shown that four-legged trestles tend to walk and are difficult to level so a three-legged stool principle was employed Again a fairly light structure was used I often think that we over-engineer things Adjustable screw feet are fitted on the two outer legs for fine adjustment

Lighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fascia

As the layout was to be exhibited I wanted to provide a lighting rig and fascia This was constructed using 4mm MDF in a box configuration for strength The whole is supported either end on 18mm square posts and centrally on a cantilevered box structure from ply Six mains downlights are set in to the fascia originally 50watt halogens were used but proved to be too focussed creating pools of light and dark so I changed the bulbs for the low energy fluorescent type that produce a more diffuse and even light

The PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEE

Track on the two outer boards is mainly plain track with the loco release crossovers at the platform ends Construction and laying of the track was as per the plank with strengthening at the baseboard joints

I use the Digitrax DCC system to control the locos and accessories Wiring for DCC is straightforward but different The layout is split into wiring districts so that a short does not close down the whole layout I have used components from various sources to control the layout by way of experiment and all have worked faultlessly so far Point motors are Tortoise The Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil Engineers

To convey the feel for the location and to justify the rather contrived exit to the fiddle yard some substantial earthworks were required Tall stone-built retaining walls are the order of the day with a couple of plate girder over-bridges to convey that gritty northern work-a-day atmosphere All are constructed from plasticard over 4mm MDF formers and embossed plasticard stonework surfaces and the whole painted and weathered with artists acrylics with a final coat of matt varnish to take away any sheen The small areas of greenery are plumbersrsquo hemp stuck down on corrugated cardboard formers and pulled off when dry brambles are

represented by lichen dipped in PVA and then into foam scatter material all painted with acrylics courtesy of my wife the artist of the family The BuildersThe BuildersThe BuildersThe Builders

All the buildings on the layout are scratchbuilt with the exception of the signal box which is a Ratio kit The same basic technique is employed where the shell is built from 40-thou plasticard with suitable embossed surface laminated on The station was the first building to be erected to plans that I drew up from old photos dimensions being estimated from some plans accompanying a useful feature in the Midland Record A core of 4mm MDF was used to strengthen the walls but with hindsight this was unnecessary As with other buildings on the layout I used 7mm brick to represent the stonework

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 7777

The overall roof design is known as a ldquoWarren Trussrdquo roof after the engineer who designed and patented the trusses It was a common design especially on the MR in the late 1800s other examples being at Ilkley and Leicester It differs from the later ldquoPratt Trussrdquo which has additional vertical bracing I have constructed the trusses from strips of 20-thou plasticard on a paper template The roof needed to be removable for track cleaning repairs etc so the trusses couldnrsquot be fixed in position I built the roof in situ to maintain the correct spacing of trusses so that they will slot back into the cut-outs in the wall It is surprisingly strong now that everything is bonded together Bradfieldrsquos roof was originally an overall glass roof but because of wartime hostilities a lot of stations had all their glass removed and not all of it was replaced afterwards This roof will only be glazed where it affords protection to the passengers ie over the platforms a common practice on the real thing

Bickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos Mill

I just had to have a large woollen mill so typical of the area I sought out a prototype and finally based it on a mill in Keighley As with all of the layoutrsquos buildings the mill is constructed from plasticard There are 120 windows in total I applied the glazing bars straight onto clear plastic using masking tape sliced thinly

The glazing panels are cut out and stuck behind the structurersquos apertures This was done individually to ensure the bars line up I used a carpet adhesive that takes 24hrs to set but remains tacky allowing time to

adjust the position The mill features faded lettering on the stonework typical of so many old large structures Having first worked out the height of the letters required 15mm in this case I used Microsoft Word to print out the words in a suitable font (sans serif) at a font size of 60 which looked about right I then cut out the letters to leave a template which is cut to a convenient size and stuck to the wall with masking tape I cut out the centres of the letters B and D as well and hold them in position with the blunt end of a pencil or other similar implement which may be at hand It sometimes helps to dampen the paper template slightly

A porter surveys the next stack of parcels to be loaded as soft morning sunlight casts shadows around the grimy interior of the station The Met-Camm has thankfully shut down between turns giving a brief respite from the chok-ing diesel fumes In the distance consignment notes are checked before allowing the delivery driver to depart

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 8888

As this was a light background stone work the lettering was done with a black permanent marker pen just dab-bing it through the template If you want to do light let-ters on a dark surface you will need to use paint dabbing it on sparingly with a small fine sponge or cloth You do not need to get it perfect especially if you are weathering it as the letters do fade with time and parts wear away

with the elements Once the wording was complete the whole building was weathered with a sooty black wash The Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill Housing

Alongside the woollen mill is a cluster of housing on one of Bradfieldrsquos many steeply sloped streets The houses were constructed from 40 thou plasticard faced with 20 thou embossed sheet as a single block The roof slates are strips of paper as is the lead flashing Windows are again masking tape on clear glazing

Bickerdykersquos Woollen Mill broods over the empty carriage sidings another monument to past glory With trade declining fast what gloomy future lies in store for this once impressive building and source of the townrsquos prosperity The sidings share in the desolation as only a night shift is required these days

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 9999

RMwebRMwebRMwebRMweb

It was during this phase of building that I first became aware of RMweb and soon decided to share my efforts at layout construction by starting a thread I had also quite recklessly committed the layout to its first exhibition at the beginning of May 2011 some 6 months away my rationale being that this would probably be the only way I would get it finished in a short space of time I cannot emphasise enough how much the comments and encouragement from RMwebbers helped me in achieving this target Through RMweb I have benefited from the knowledge of others in developing my prototypically correct operational techniques learnt a lot about signalling and begun to develop some new friendships Exhibiting at Membersrsquo Day was a small way of repaying my debt of gratitude to the members Wow That was emotional letrsquos play trains

Playing trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trains

OK so for me this is what it is all about The model making is fine but in the immortal words of the late David JenkinsonrdquoI enjoy having modelledrdquo Recreating a realistic environment in which to run trains in a ldquorailway-likerdquo manner is what I want to do passenger trains in particular Again always looking for someone to blame this time it has to be Father Christmas and his choices over my modelling direction He may well have understood my need for trains but he never grasped the fact that I wanted big engines with coaches Without wishing to sound ungrateful shunters and pickup goods sets did not hit the spot Birthdays were no better either itrsquos no wonder then that when I could afford to start buying my own train sets I just couldnrsquot resist buying coaches So with this in mind letrsquos get back to 1962 and deepest darkest Yorkshire

Locomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stock

The Sulzer Type 4s (Class45) or ldquoPeaksrdquo were the mainstay of the Midland main line during my formative years and I could hear them from home powering expresses south out of Leicester Midland I could see them from my school windows and from my place of work adjacent to the line In earlier years it would have been Jubilees but alas I was too late It is no surprise then that the main source of traction on Bradfield is the Bachmann model of my favourite diesel I also have available Classes 20 25 and 40 and a couple of 08 shunters The steam fleet is growing but currently comprises two Black Fives and a Fairburn tank Two Class 108 DMUs and a Class 101 provide the local services I believe that this is a fair representation of what would have appeared at Bradfield at this period in time

I am quite obsessive about the reliability of the locos and so have fitted extra pickups to all wheels on the diesels and DMUs They all have onboard digital sound systems mostly Southwest Digital The sound not only adds to the realism but I find that it encourages operation at a more realistic speed I find the steam fleet more problematic in achieving smooth reliable running and the sound systems are slightly more difficult to fit The steam sounds are not yet as believable as the diesel sounds in my opinion in the way that they work but the latest chips are an improvement Only the Fairburn is sound-equipped at present Rolling stock is mainly RTR with some kit-built and scratchbuilt parcel vans All the stock is formed into fixed rakes the corridor stock having some form of close coupling At the end of the rakes and on most parcels stock I have fitted Spratt amp Winkle 3mm couplings I find these unobtrusive and reliable once set up correctly All stock is of course suitably weathered

Constructed alongside the Mill for the more privileged employees these tenements are based on a row still overlooking Shipley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 10101010

By late morning the platform is clear of parcels and the last delivery van departs whilst the Met-Camm DMU awaits its passengers for Leeds The platform will again become a hive of activity during the afternoon as the vans return with collected parcels

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

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Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

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The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

Click here to visit our site

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 4: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 4444

The morning rush is in full swing at Bradfield and not without its problems A platform change sees the 805 Skipton departing Platform 3A this morning looks like there are too many parcels in Platform 2 behind the Fairburn D95 backs in to Platform 1 with stock for the 850 St Pancras

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 5555

Now where to begin at the end of course The end of my previous layout that is My last layout was a 7mm scale terminus built in some old stables A house move meant this had to go so all was dismantled and sold A move to temporary accommodation left little room to swing a cat let alone a railway so what to do First decision was to change to 4mm scale I wanted to try out some new ideas with baseboard construction track laying and DCC but no room I started collecting 4mm locos and stock and wanted somewhere to test them Along came a magazine article about ldquoa plankrdquo by Jim S-W a test bed for his P4 overhead electrics A plank it would be then This plank turned out to be 4ft x 2ft of 18th ply cross braced with an integral back scene to trial my lightweight baseboard construction So far so good now for some trackwork Templot is a marvellous

tool for creating flowing track diagrams but took me an age to get to grips with Once mastered and the creative juices start flowing it is easy to get carried away resulting in a plan incorporating some challenging track building So it was with my plank the station throat as you see it today The pointwork was constructed from copper clad sleeper and soldered construction with SMP flexitrack Having read Ian Ricersquos track construction book I liked the idea of sprung or floating trackwork so decided to try the thin polyfoam used to insulate laminate flooring as an underlay I used a rubber type adhesive to stick it down as I thought the PVA would not adhere also I did not want it to solidify The track was also stuck down with this rubber solution It seems to work OK and gives the degree of sound insulation necessary when running on top of a thin ply box which would otherwise amplify any sound

At last We find a suitable house that is to be the final resting place After the inevitable redecorating etc thoughts return to the important things in life and the plank has been wired up and tested so what now There is some space in the garage so maybe the plank could be developed Out with the tape measure and from wall to up-and-over door I can just squeeze in the plank with 17m (about 5ft in old money) each side Fire up Templot and letrsquos see what we can squeeze in The result as they say is history well not quite as I now had three bare baseboards with track and electrics that needed some legs and having got this far with the experiment I might as well finish it off and maybe even take it to an exhibition What I needed was a suitable prototype location to inspire the topography structures and type of trains I wanted to run Whilst all this was going on I had been quietly researching my ultimate layout of a lifetime project London St Pancras I came across a book called Operation Midland this was my ldquoEurekardquo moment suddenly I began to understand the way the passenger railway really operated I also became aware of the importance of a place called ldquoBradford Forster Squarerdquo to the passenger operations of the Midland Region of British Railways This was the end of the line for a number of the long distance passenger services that originated and terminated here where stock was stabled and serviced overnight to begin again the next day This was exactly what interested me and would suit my ldquolayout with no namerdquo Additionally the old station at Forster Square had an overall roof and looked quite imposing I only had three platform lines but length-wise it would fit So as they say on Star Trek ldquoItrsquos Bradford Jim but not as we know itrdquo A site visit was called for so armed with digital camera I headed north What a shock and disappointment only the Midland Hotel is left and all the stonework of the buildings gleaming like new ho hum Plenty of photos were taken of what was left and a good feel for the vernacular style of building gained Oh and a visit to EM North en route so a good day outhellipEnough planning and waffle letrsquos get building

A lazy sun tries to break through the grey skies above Bradfieldrsquos overall roof The dusty vans in Platform 2B have all been loaded waiting to be shunted onto this eveningrsquos York parcels A Met-Camm for Leeds adds to the murk as it ticks over at the end of Platform 3 Shady characters hang around the ticket barriers

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 6666

Baseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legs

The plank had proved successful so the two outer boards were constructed the same way Alignment and connection between the boards is by removable pin hinges Previous experience had shown that four-legged trestles tend to walk and are difficult to level so a three-legged stool principle was employed Again a fairly light structure was used I often think that we over-engineer things Adjustable screw feet are fitted on the two outer legs for fine adjustment

Lighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fascia

As the layout was to be exhibited I wanted to provide a lighting rig and fascia This was constructed using 4mm MDF in a box configuration for strength The whole is supported either end on 18mm square posts and centrally on a cantilevered box structure from ply Six mains downlights are set in to the fascia originally 50watt halogens were used but proved to be too focussed creating pools of light and dark so I changed the bulbs for the low energy fluorescent type that produce a more diffuse and even light

The PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEE

Track on the two outer boards is mainly plain track with the loco release crossovers at the platform ends Construction and laying of the track was as per the plank with strengthening at the baseboard joints

I use the Digitrax DCC system to control the locos and accessories Wiring for DCC is straightforward but different The layout is split into wiring districts so that a short does not close down the whole layout I have used components from various sources to control the layout by way of experiment and all have worked faultlessly so far Point motors are Tortoise The Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil Engineers

To convey the feel for the location and to justify the rather contrived exit to the fiddle yard some substantial earthworks were required Tall stone-built retaining walls are the order of the day with a couple of plate girder over-bridges to convey that gritty northern work-a-day atmosphere All are constructed from plasticard over 4mm MDF formers and embossed plasticard stonework surfaces and the whole painted and weathered with artists acrylics with a final coat of matt varnish to take away any sheen The small areas of greenery are plumbersrsquo hemp stuck down on corrugated cardboard formers and pulled off when dry brambles are

represented by lichen dipped in PVA and then into foam scatter material all painted with acrylics courtesy of my wife the artist of the family The BuildersThe BuildersThe BuildersThe Builders

All the buildings on the layout are scratchbuilt with the exception of the signal box which is a Ratio kit The same basic technique is employed where the shell is built from 40-thou plasticard with suitable embossed surface laminated on The station was the first building to be erected to plans that I drew up from old photos dimensions being estimated from some plans accompanying a useful feature in the Midland Record A core of 4mm MDF was used to strengthen the walls but with hindsight this was unnecessary As with other buildings on the layout I used 7mm brick to represent the stonework

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 7777

The overall roof design is known as a ldquoWarren Trussrdquo roof after the engineer who designed and patented the trusses It was a common design especially on the MR in the late 1800s other examples being at Ilkley and Leicester It differs from the later ldquoPratt Trussrdquo which has additional vertical bracing I have constructed the trusses from strips of 20-thou plasticard on a paper template The roof needed to be removable for track cleaning repairs etc so the trusses couldnrsquot be fixed in position I built the roof in situ to maintain the correct spacing of trusses so that they will slot back into the cut-outs in the wall It is surprisingly strong now that everything is bonded together Bradfieldrsquos roof was originally an overall glass roof but because of wartime hostilities a lot of stations had all their glass removed and not all of it was replaced afterwards This roof will only be glazed where it affords protection to the passengers ie over the platforms a common practice on the real thing

Bickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos Mill

I just had to have a large woollen mill so typical of the area I sought out a prototype and finally based it on a mill in Keighley As with all of the layoutrsquos buildings the mill is constructed from plasticard There are 120 windows in total I applied the glazing bars straight onto clear plastic using masking tape sliced thinly

The glazing panels are cut out and stuck behind the structurersquos apertures This was done individually to ensure the bars line up I used a carpet adhesive that takes 24hrs to set but remains tacky allowing time to

adjust the position The mill features faded lettering on the stonework typical of so many old large structures Having first worked out the height of the letters required 15mm in this case I used Microsoft Word to print out the words in a suitable font (sans serif) at a font size of 60 which looked about right I then cut out the letters to leave a template which is cut to a convenient size and stuck to the wall with masking tape I cut out the centres of the letters B and D as well and hold them in position with the blunt end of a pencil or other similar implement which may be at hand It sometimes helps to dampen the paper template slightly

A porter surveys the next stack of parcels to be loaded as soft morning sunlight casts shadows around the grimy interior of the station The Met-Camm has thankfully shut down between turns giving a brief respite from the chok-ing diesel fumes In the distance consignment notes are checked before allowing the delivery driver to depart

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 8888

As this was a light background stone work the lettering was done with a black permanent marker pen just dab-bing it through the template If you want to do light let-ters on a dark surface you will need to use paint dabbing it on sparingly with a small fine sponge or cloth You do not need to get it perfect especially if you are weathering it as the letters do fade with time and parts wear away

with the elements Once the wording was complete the whole building was weathered with a sooty black wash The Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill Housing

Alongside the woollen mill is a cluster of housing on one of Bradfieldrsquos many steeply sloped streets The houses were constructed from 40 thou plasticard faced with 20 thou embossed sheet as a single block The roof slates are strips of paper as is the lead flashing Windows are again masking tape on clear glazing

Bickerdykersquos Woollen Mill broods over the empty carriage sidings another monument to past glory With trade declining fast what gloomy future lies in store for this once impressive building and source of the townrsquos prosperity The sidings share in the desolation as only a night shift is required these days

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 9999

RMwebRMwebRMwebRMweb

It was during this phase of building that I first became aware of RMweb and soon decided to share my efforts at layout construction by starting a thread I had also quite recklessly committed the layout to its first exhibition at the beginning of May 2011 some 6 months away my rationale being that this would probably be the only way I would get it finished in a short space of time I cannot emphasise enough how much the comments and encouragement from RMwebbers helped me in achieving this target Through RMweb I have benefited from the knowledge of others in developing my prototypically correct operational techniques learnt a lot about signalling and begun to develop some new friendships Exhibiting at Membersrsquo Day was a small way of repaying my debt of gratitude to the members Wow That was emotional letrsquos play trains

Playing trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trains

OK so for me this is what it is all about The model making is fine but in the immortal words of the late David JenkinsonrdquoI enjoy having modelledrdquo Recreating a realistic environment in which to run trains in a ldquorailway-likerdquo manner is what I want to do passenger trains in particular Again always looking for someone to blame this time it has to be Father Christmas and his choices over my modelling direction He may well have understood my need for trains but he never grasped the fact that I wanted big engines with coaches Without wishing to sound ungrateful shunters and pickup goods sets did not hit the spot Birthdays were no better either itrsquos no wonder then that when I could afford to start buying my own train sets I just couldnrsquot resist buying coaches So with this in mind letrsquos get back to 1962 and deepest darkest Yorkshire

Locomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stock

The Sulzer Type 4s (Class45) or ldquoPeaksrdquo were the mainstay of the Midland main line during my formative years and I could hear them from home powering expresses south out of Leicester Midland I could see them from my school windows and from my place of work adjacent to the line In earlier years it would have been Jubilees but alas I was too late It is no surprise then that the main source of traction on Bradfield is the Bachmann model of my favourite diesel I also have available Classes 20 25 and 40 and a couple of 08 shunters The steam fleet is growing but currently comprises two Black Fives and a Fairburn tank Two Class 108 DMUs and a Class 101 provide the local services I believe that this is a fair representation of what would have appeared at Bradfield at this period in time

I am quite obsessive about the reliability of the locos and so have fitted extra pickups to all wheels on the diesels and DMUs They all have onboard digital sound systems mostly Southwest Digital The sound not only adds to the realism but I find that it encourages operation at a more realistic speed I find the steam fleet more problematic in achieving smooth reliable running and the sound systems are slightly more difficult to fit The steam sounds are not yet as believable as the diesel sounds in my opinion in the way that they work but the latest chips are an improvement Only the Fairburn is sound-equipped at present Rolling stock is mainly RTR with some kit-built and scratchbuilt parcel vans All the stock is formed into fixed rakes the corridor stock having some form of close coupling At the end of the rakes and on most parcels stock I have fitted Spratt amp Winkle 3mm couplings I find these unobtrusive and reliable once set up correctly All stock is of course suitably weathered

Constructed alongside the Mill for the more privileged employees these tenements are based on a row still overlooking Shipley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 10101010

By late morning the platform is clear of parcels and the last delivery van departs whilst the Met-Camm DMU awaits its passengers for Leeds The platform will again become a hive of activity during the afternoon as the vans return with collected parcels

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 5: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 5555

Now where to begin at the end of course The end of my previous layout that is My last layout was a 7mm scale terminus built in some old stables A house move meant this had to go so all was dismantled and sold A move to temporary accommodation left little room to swing a cat let alone a railway so what to do First decision was to change to 4mm scale I wanted to try out some new ideas with baseboard construction track laying and DCC but no room I started collecting 4mm locos and stock and wanted somewhere to test them Along came a magazine article about ldquoa plankrdquo by Jim S-W a test bed for his P4 overhead electrics A plank it would be then This plank turned out to be 4ft x 2ft of 18th ply cross braced with an integral back scene to trial my lightweight baseboard construction So far so good now for some trackwork Templot is a marvellous

tool for creating flowing track diagrams but took me an age to get to grips with Once mastered and the creative juices start flowing it is easy to get carried away resulting in a plan incorporating some challenging track building So it was with my plank the station throat as you see it today The pointwork was constructed from copper clad sleeper and soldered construction with SMP flexitrack Having read Ian Ricersquos track construction book I liked the idea of sprung or floating trackwork so decided to try the thin polyfoam used to insulate laminate flooring as an underlay I used a rubber type adhesive to stick it down as I thought the PVA would not adhere also I did not want it to solidify The track was also stuck down with this rubber solution It seems to work OK and gives the degree of sound insulation necessary when running on top of a thin ply box which would otherwise amplify any sound

At last We find a suitable house that is to be the final resting place After the inevitable redecorating etc thoughts return to the important things in life and the plank has been wired up and tested so what now There is some space in the garage so maybe the plank could be developed Out with the tape measure and from wall to up-and-over door I can just squeeze in the plank with 17m (about 5ft in old money) each side Fire up Templot and letrsquos see what we can squeeze in The result as they say is history well not quite as I now had three bare baseboards with track and electrics that needed some legs and having got this far with the experiment I might as well finish it off and maybe even take it to an exhibition What I needed was a suitable prototype location to inspire the topography structures and type of trains I wanted to run Whilst all this was going on I had been quietly researching my ultimate layout of a lifetime project London St Pancras I came across a book called Operation Midland this was my ldquoEurekardquo moment suddenly I began to understand the way the passenger railway really operated I also became aware of the importance of a place called ldquoBradford Forster Squarerdquo to the passenger operations of the Midland Region of British Railways This was the end of the line for a number of the long distance passenger services that originated and terminated here where stock was stabled and serviced overnight to begin again the next day This was exactly what interested me and would suit my ldquolayout with no namerdquo Additionally the old station at Forster Square had an overall roof and looked quite imposing I only had three platform lines but length-wise it would fit So as they say on Star Trek ldquoItrsquos Bradford Jim but not as we know itrdquo A site visit was called for so armed with digital camera I headed north What a shock and disappointment only the Midland Hotel is left and all the stonework of the buildings gleaming like new ho hum Plenty of photos were taken of what was left and a good feel for the vernacular style of building gained Oh and a visit to EM North en route so a good day outhellipEnough planning and waffle letrsquos get building

A lazy sun tries to break through the grey skies above Bradfieldrsquos overall roof The dusty vans in Platform 2B have all been loaded waiting to be shunted onto this eveningrsquos York parcels A Met-Camm for Leeds adds to the murk as it ticks over at the end of Platform 3 Shady characters hang around the ticket barriers

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 6666

Baseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legs

The plank had proved successful so the two outer boards were constructed the same way Alignment and connection between the boards is by removable pin hinges Previous experience had shown that four-legged trestles tend to walk and are difficult to level so a three-legged stool principle was employed Again a fairly light structure was used I often think that we over-engineer things Adjustable screw feet are fitted on the two outer legs for fine adjustment

Lighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fascia

As the layout was to be exhibited I wanted to provide a lighting rig and fascia This was constructed using 4mm MDF in a box configuration for strength The whole is supported either end on 18mm square posts and centrally on a cantilevered box structure from ply Six mains downlights are set in to the fascia originally 50watt halogens were used but proved to be too focussed creating pools of light and dark so I changed the bulbs for the low energy fluorescent type that produce a more diffuse and even light

The PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEE

Track on the two outer boards is mainly plain track with the loco release crossovers at the platform ends Construction and laying of the track was as per the plank with strengthening at the baseboard joints

I use the Digitrax DCC system to control the locos and accessories Wiring for DCC is straightforward but different The layout is split into wiring districts so that a short does not close down the whole layout I have used components from various sources to control the layout by way of experiment and all have worked faultlessly so far Point motors are Tortoise The Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil Engineers

To convey the feel for the location and to justify the rather contrived exit to the fiddle yard some substantial earthworks were required Tall stone-built retaining walls are the order of the day with a couple of plate girder over-bridges to convey that gritty northern work-a-day atmosphere All are constructed from plasticard over 4mm MDF formers and embossed plasticard stonework surfaces and the whole painted and weathered with artists acrylics with a final coat of matt varnish to take away any sheen The small areas of greenery are plumbersrsquo hemp stuck down on corrugated cardboard formers and pulled off when dry brambles are

represented by lichen dipped in PVA and then into foam scatter material all painted with acrylics courtesy of my wife the artist of the family The BuildersThe BuildersThe BuildersThe Builders

All the buildings on the layout are scratchbuilt with the exception of the signal box which is a Ratio kit The same basic technique is employed where the shell is built from 40-thou plasticard with suitable embossed surface laminated on The station was the first building to be erected to plans that I drew up from old photos dimensions being estimated from some plans accompanying a useful feature in the Midland Record A core of 4mm MDF was used to strengthen the walls but with hindsight this was unnecessary As with other buildings on the layout I used 7mm brick to represent the stonework

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 7777

The overall roof design is known as a ldquoWarren Trussrdquo roof after the engineer who designed and patented the trusses It was a common design especially on the MR in the late 1800s other examples being at Ilkley and Leicester It differs from the later ldquoPratt Trussrdquo which has additional vertical bracing I have constructed the trusses from strips of 20-thou plasticard on a paper template The roof needed to be removable for track cleaning repairs etc so the trusses couldnrsquot be fixed in position I built the roof in situ to maintain the correct spacing of trusses so that they will slot back into the cut-outs in the wall It is surprisingly strong now that everything is bonded together Bradfieldrsquos roof was originally an overall glass roof but because of wartime hostilities a lot of stations had all their glass removed and not all of it was replaced afterwards This roof will only be glazed where it affords protection to the passengers ie over the platforms a common practice on the real thing

Bickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos Mill

I just had to have a large woollen mill so typical of the area I sought out a prototype and finally based it on a mill in Keighley As with all of the layoutrsquos buildings the mill is constructed from plasticard There are 120 windows in total I applied the glazing bars straight onto clear plastic using masking tape sliced thinly

The glazing panels are cut out and stuck behind the structurersquos apertures This was done individually to ensure the bars line up I used a carpet adhesive that takes 24hrs to set but remains tacky allowing time to

adjust the position The mill features faded lettering on the stonework typical of so many old large structures Having first worked out the height of the letters required 15mm in this case I used Microsoft Word to print out the words in a suitable font (sans serif) at a font size of 60 which looked about right I then cut out the letters to leave a template which is cut to a convenient size and stuck to the wall with masking tape I cut out the centres of the letters B and D as well and hold them in position with the blunt end of a pencil or other similar implement which may be at hand It sometimes helps to dampen the paper template slightly

A porter surveys the next stack of parcels to be loaded as soft morning sunlight casts shadows around the grimy interior of the station The Met-Camm has thankfully shut down between turns giving a brief respite from the chok-ing diesel fumes In the distance consignment notes are checked before allowing the delivery driver to depart

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 8888

As this was a light background stone work the lettering was done with a black permanent marker pen just dab-bing it through the template If you want to do light let-ters on a dark surface you will need to use paint dabbing it on sparingly with a small fine sponge or cloth You do not need to get it perfect especially if you are weathering it as the letters do fade with time and parts wear away

with the elements Once the wording was complete the whole building was weathered with a sooty black wash The Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill Housing

Alongside the woollen mill is a cluster of housing on one of Bradfieldrsquos many steeply sloped streets The houses were constructed from 40 thou plasticard faced with 20 thou embossed sheet as a single block The roof slates are strips of paper as is the lead flashing Windows are again masking tape on clear glazing

Bickerdykersquos Woollen Mill broods over the empty carriage sidings another monument to past glory With trade declining fast what gloomy future lies in store for this once impressive building and source of the townrsquos prosperity The sidings share in the desolation as only a night shift is required these days

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 9999

RMwebRMwebRMwebRMweb

It was during this phase of building that I first became aware of RMweb and soon decided to share my efforts at layout construction by starting a thread I had also quite recklessly committed the layout to its first exhibition at the beginning of May 2011 some 6 months away my rationale being that this would probably be the only way I would get it finished in a short space of time I cannot emphasise enough how much the comments and encouragement from RMwebbers helped me in achieving this target Through RMweb I have benefited from the knowledge of others in developing my prototypically correct operational techniques learnt a lot about signalling and begun to develop some new friendships Exhibiting at Membersrsquo Day was a small way of repaying my debt of gratitude to the members Wow That was emotional letrsquos play trains

Playing trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trains

OK so for me this is what it is all about The model making is fine but in the immortal words of the late David JenkinsonrdquoI enjoy having modelledrdquo Recreating a realistic environment in which to run trains in a ldquorailway-likerdquo manner is what I want to do passenger trains in particular Again always looking for someone to blame this time it has to be Father Christmas and his choices over my modelling direction He may well have understood my need for trains but he never grasped the fact that I wanted big engines with coaches Without wishing to sound ungrateful shunters and pickup goods sets did not hit the spot Birthdays were no better either itrsquos no wonder then that when I could afford to start buying my own train sets I just couldnrsquot resist buying coaches So with this in mind letrsquos get back to 1962 and deepest darkest Yorkshire

Locomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stock

The Sulzer Type 4s (Class45) or ldquoPeaksrdquo were the mainstay of the Midland main line during my formative years and I could hear them from home powering expresses south out of Leicester Midland I could see them from my school windows and from my place of work adjacent to the line In earlier years it would have been Jubilees but alas I was too late It is no surprise then that the main source of traction on Bradfield is the Bachmann model of my favourite diesel I also have available Classes 20 25 and 40 and a couple of 08 shunters The steam fleet is growing but currently comprises two Black Fives and a Fairburn tank Two Class 108 DMUs and a Class 101 provide the local services I believe that this is a fair representation of what would have appeared at Bradfield at this period in time

I am quite obsessive about the reliability of the locos and so have fitted extra pickups to all wheels on the diesels and DMUs They all have onboard digital sound systems mostly Southwest Digital The sound not only adds to the realism but I find that it encourages operation at a more realistic speed I find the steam fleet more problematic in achieving smooth reliable running and the sound systems are slightly more difficult to fit The steam sounds are not yet as believable as the diesel sounds in my opinion in the way that they work but the latest chips are an improvement Only the Fairburn is sound-equipped at present Rolling stock is mainly RTR with some kit-built and scratchbuilt parcel vans All the stock is formed into fixed rakes the corridor stock having some form of close coupling At the end of the rakes and on most parcels stock I have fitted Spratt amp Winkle 3mm couplings I find these unobtrusive and reliable once set up correctly All stock is of course suitably weathered

Constructed alongside the Mill for the more privileged employees these tenements are based on a row still overlooking Shipley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 10101010

By late morning the platform is clear of parcels and the last delivery van departs whilst the Met-Camm DMU awaits its passengers for Leeds The platform will again become a hive of activity during the afternoon as the vans return with collected parcels

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

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A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 39393939

There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

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Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 6: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 6666

Baseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legsBaseboard and legs

The plank had proved successful so the two outer boards were constructed the same way Alignment and connection between the boards is by removable pin hinges Previous experience had shown that four-legged trestles tend to walk and are difficult to level so a three-legged stool principle was employed Again a fairly light structure was used I often think that we over-engineer things Adjustable screw feet are fitted on the two outer legs for fine adjustment

Lighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fasciaLighting rig and fascia

As the layout was to be exhibited I wanted to provide a lighting rig and fascia This was constructed using 4mm MDF in a box configuration for strength The whole is supported either end on 18mm square posts and centrally on a cantilevered box structure from ply Six mains downlights are set in to the fascia originally 50watt halogens were used but proved to be too focussed creating pools of light and dark so I changed the bulbs for the low energy fluorescent type that produce a more diffuse and even light

The PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEEThe PW Gang and the CMampEE

Track on the two outer boards is mainly plain track with the loco release crossovers at the platform ends Construction and laying of the track was as per the plank with strengthening at the baseboard joints

I use the Digitrax DCC system to control the locos and accessories Wiring for DCC is straightforward but different The layout is split into wiring districts so that a short does not close down the whole layout I have used components from various sources to control the layout by way of experiment and all have worked faultlessly so far Point motors are Tortoise The Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil EngineersThe Civil Engineers

To convey the feel for the location and to justify the rather contrived exit to the fiddle yard some substantial earthworks were required Tall stone-built retaining walls are the order of the day with a couple of plate girder over-bridges to convey that gritty northern work-a-day atmosphere All are constructed from plasticard over 4mm MDF formers and embossed plasticard stonework surfaces and the whole painted and weathered with artists acrylics with a final coat of matt varnish to take away any sheen The small areas of greenery are plumbersrsquo hemp stuck down on corrugated cardboard formers and pulled off when dry brambles are

represented by lichen dipped in PVA and then into foam scatter material all painted with acrylics courtesy of my wife the artist of the family The BuildersThe BuildersThe BuildersThe Builders

All the buildings on the layout are scratchbuilt with the exception of the signal box which is a Ratio kit The same basic technique is employed where the shell is built from 40-thou plasticard with suitable embossed surface laminated on The station was the first building to be erected to plans that I drew up from old photos dimensions being estimated from some plans accompanying a useful feature in the Midland Record A core of 4mm MDF was used to strengthen the walls but with hindsight this was unnecessary As with other buildings on the layout I used 7mm brick to represent the stonework

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 7777

The overall roof design is known as a ldquoWarren Trussrdquo roof after the engineer who designed and patented the trusses It was a common design especially on the MR in the late 1800s other examples being at Ilkley and Leicester It differs from the later ldquoPratt Trussrdquo which has additional vertical bracing I have constructed the trusses from strips of 20-thou plasticard on a paper template The roof needed to be removable for track cleaning repairs etc so the trusses couldnrsquot be fixed in position I built the roof in situ to maintain the correct spacing of trusses so that they will slot back into the cut-outs in the wall It is surprisingly strong now that everything is bonded together Bradfieldrsquos roof was originally an overall glass roof but because of wartime hostilities a lot of stations had all their glass removed and not all of it was replaced afterwards This roof will only be glazed where it affords protection to the passengers ie over the platforms a common practice on the real thing

Bickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos Mill

I just had to have a large woollen mill so typical of the area I sought out a prototype and finally based it on a mill in Keighley As with all of the layoutrsquos buildings the mill is constructed from plasticard There are 120 windows in total I applied the glazing bars straight onto clear plastic using masking tape sliced thinly

The glazing panels are cut out and stuck behind the structurersquos apertures This was done individually to ensure the bars line up I used a carpet adhesive that takes 24hrs to set but remains tacky allowing time to

adjust the position The mill features faded lettering on the stonework typical of so many old large structures Having first worked out the height of the letters required 15mm in this case I used Microsoft Word to print out the words in a suitable font (sans serif) at a font size of 60 which looked about right I then cut out the letters to leave a template which is cut to a convenient size and stuck to the wall with masking tape I cut out the centres of the letters B and D as well and hold them in position with the blunt end of a pencil or other similar implement which may be at hand It sometimes helps to dampen the paper template slightly

A porter surveys the next stack of parcels to be loaded as soft morning sunlight casts shadows around the grimy interior of the station The Met-Camm has thankfully shut down between turns giving a brief respite from the chok-ing diesel fumes In the distance consignment notes are checked before allowing the delivery driver to depart

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 8888

As this was a light background stone work the lettering was done with a black permanent marker pen just dab-bing it through the template If you want to do light let-ters on a dark surface you will need to use paint dabbing it on sparingly with a small fine sponge or cloth You do not need to get it perfect especially if you are weathering it as the letters do fade with time and parts wear away

with the elements Once the wording was complete the whole building was weathered with a sooty black wash The Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill Housing

Alongside the woollen mill is a cluster of housing on one of Bradfieldrsquos many steeply sloped streets The houses were constructed from 40 thou plasticard faced with 20 thou embossed sheet as a single block The roof slates are strips of paper as is the lead flashing Windows are again masking tape on clear glazing

Bickerdykersquos Woollen Mill broods over the empty carriage sidings another monument to past glory With trade declining fast what gloomy future lies in store for this once impressive building and source of the townrsquos prosperity The sidings share in the desolation as only a night shift is required these days

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 9999

RMwebRMwebRMwebRMweb

It was during this phase of building that I first became aware of RMweb and soon decided to share my efforts at layout construction by starting a thread I had also quite recklessly committed the layout to its first exhibition at the beginning of May 2011 some 6 months away my rationale being that this would probably be the only way I would get it finished in a short space of time I cannot emphasise enough how much the comments and encouragement from RMwebbers helped me in achieving this target Through RMweb I have benefited from the knowledge of others in developing my prototypically correct operational techniques learnt a lot about signalling and begun to develop some new friendships Exhibiting at Membersrsquo Day was a small way of repaying my debt of gratitude to the members Wow That was emotional letrsquos play trains

Playing trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trains

OK so for me this is what it is all about The model making is fine but in the immortal words of the late David JenkinsonrdquoI enjoy having modelledrdquo Recreating a realistic environment in which to run trains in a ldquorailway-likerdquo manner is what I want to do passenger trains in particular Again always looking for someone to blame this time it has to be Father Christmas and his choices over my modelling direction He may well have understood my need for trains but he never grasped the fact that I wanted big engines with coaches Without wishing to sound ungrateful shunters and pickup goods sets did not hit the spot Birthdays were no better either itrsquos no wonder then that when I could afford to start buying my own train sets I just couldnrsquot resist buying coaches So with this in mind letrsquos get back to 1962 and deepest darkest Yorkshire

Locomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stock

The Sulzer Type 4s (Class45) or ldquoPeaksrdquo were the mainstay of the Midland main line during my formative years and I could hear them from home powering expresses south out of Leicester Midland I could see them from my school windows and from my place of work adjacent to the line In earlier years it would have been Jubilees but alas I was too late It is no surprise then that the main source of traction on Bradfield is the Bachmann model of my favourite diesel I also have available Classes 20 25 and 40 and a couple of 08 shunters The steam fleet is growing but currently comprises two Black Fives and a Fairburn tank Two Class 108 DMUs and a Class 101 provide the local services I believe that this is a fair representation of what would have appeared at Bradfield at this period in time

I am quite obsessive about the reliability of the locos and so have fitted extra pickups to all wheels on the diesels and DMUs They all have onboard digital sound systems mostly Southwest Digital The sound not only adds to the realism but I find that it encourages operation at a more realistic speed I find the steam fleet more problematic in achieving smooth reliable running and the sound systems are slightly more difficult to fit The steam sounds are not yet as believable as the diesel sounds in my opinion in the way that they work but the latest chips are an improvement Only the Fairburn is sound-equipped at present Rolling stock is mainly RTR with some kit-built and scratchbuilt parcel vans All the stock is formed into fixed rakes the corridor stock having some form of close coupling At the end of the rakes and on most parcels stock I have fitted Spratt amp Winkle 3mm couplings I find these unobtrusive and reliable once set up correctly All stock is of course suitably weathered

Constructed alongside the Mill for the more privileged employees these tenements are based on a row still overlooking Shipley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 10101010

By late morning the platform is clear of parcels and the last delivery van departs whilst the Met-Camm DMU awaits its passengers for Leeds The platform will again become a hive of activity during the afternoon as the vans return with collected parcels

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

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Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

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and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

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Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

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The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

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Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

Click here to visit our site

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 7: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 7777

The overall roof design is known as a ldquoWarren Trussrdquo roof after the engineer who designed and patented the trusses It was a common design especially on the MR in the late 1800s other examples being at Ilkley and Leicester It differs from the later ldquoPratt Trussrdquo which has additional vertical bracing I have constructed the trusses from strips of 20-thou plasticard on a paper template The roof needed to be removable for track cleaning repairs etc so the trusses couldnrsquot be fixed in position I built the roof in situ to maintain the correct spacing of trusses so that they will slot back into the cut-outs in the wall It is surprisingly strong now that everything is bonded together Bradfieldrsquos roof was originally an overall glass roof but because of wartime hostilities a lot of stations had all their glass removed and not all of it was replaced afterwards This roof will only be glazed where it affords protection to the passengers ie over the platforms a common practice on the real thing

Bickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos MillBickerdykersquos Mill

I just had to have a large woollen mill so typical of the area I sought out a prototype and finally based it on a mill in Keighley As with all of the layoutrsquos buildings the mill is constructed from plasticard There are 120 windows in total I applied the glazing bars straight onto clear plastic using masking tape sliced thinly

The glazing panels are cut out and stuck behind the structurersquos apertures This was done individually to ensure the bars line up I used a carpet adhesive that takes 24hrs to set but remains tacky allowing time to

adjust the position The mill features faded lettering on the stonework typical of so many old large structures Having first worked out the height of the letters required 15mm in this case I used Microsoft Word to print out the words in a suitable font (sans serif) at a font size of 60 which looked about right I then cut out the letters to leave a template which is cut to a convenient size and stuck to the wall with masking tape I cut out the centres of the letters B and D as well and hold them in position with the blunt end of a pencil or other similar implement which may be at hand It sometimes helps to dampen the paper template slightly

A porter surveys the next stack of parcels to be loaded as soft morning sunlight casts shadows around the grimy interior of the station The Met-Camm has thankfully shut down between turns giving a brief respite from the chok-ing diesel fumes In the distance consignment notes are checked before allowing the delivery driver to depart

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 8888

As this was a light background stone work the lettering was done with a black permanent marker pen just dab-bing it through the template If you want to do light let-ters on a dark surface you will need to use paint dabbing it on sparingly with a small fine sponge or cloth You do not need to get it perfect especially if you are weathering it as the letters do fade with time and parts wear away

with the elements Once the wording was complete the whole building was weathered with a sooty black wash The Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill Housing

Alongside the woollen mill is a cluster of housing on one of Bradfieldrsquos many steeply sloped streets The houses were constructed from 40 thou plasticard faced with 20 thou embossed sheet as a single block The roof slates are strips of paper as is the lead flashing Windows are again masking tape on clear glazing

Bickerdykersquos Woollen Mill broods over the empty carriage sidings another monument to past glory With trade declining fast what gloomy future lies in store for this once impressive building and source of the townrsquos prosperity The sidings share in the desolation as only a night shift is required these days

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 9999

RMwebRMwebRMwebRMweb

It was during this phase of building that I first became aware of RMweb and soon decided to share my efforts at layout construction by starting a thread I had also quite recklessly committed the layout to its first exhibition at the beginning of May 2011 some 6 months away my rationale being that this would probably be the only way I would get it finished in a short space of time I cannot emphasise enough how much the comments and encouragement from RMwebbers helped me in achieving this target Through RMweb I have benefited from the knowledge of others in developing my prototypically correct operational techniques learnt a lot about signalling and begun to develop some new friendships Exhibiting at Membersrsquo Day was a small way of repaying my debt of gratitude to the members Wow That was emotional letrsquos play trains

Playing trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trains

OK so for me this is what it is all about The model making is fine but in the immortal words of the late David JenkinsonrdquoI enjoy having modelledrdquo Recreating a realistic environment in which to run trains in a ldquorailway-likerdquo manner is what I want to do passenger trains in particular Again always looking for someone to blame this time it has to be Father Christmas and his choices over my modelling direction He may well have understood my need for trains but he never grasped the fact that I wanted big engines with coaches Without wishing to sound ungrateful shunters and pickup goods sets did not hit the spot Birthdays were no better either itrsquos no wonder then that when I could afford to start buying my own train sets I just couldnrsquot resist buying coaches So with this in mind letrsquos get back to 1962 and deepest darkest Yorkshire

Locomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stock

The Sulzer Type 4s (Class45) or ldquoPeaksrdquo were the mainstay of the Midland main line during my formative years and I could hear them from home powering expresses south out of Leicester Midland I could see them from my school windows and from my place of work adjacent to the line In earlier years it would have been Jubilees but alas I was too late It is no surprise then that the main source of traction on Bradfield is the Bachmann model of my favourite diesel I also have available Classes 20 25 and 40 and a couple of 08 shunters The steam fleet is growing but currently comprises two Black Fives and a Fairburn tank Two Class 108 DMUs and a Class 101 provide the local services I believe that this is a fair representation of what would have appeared at Bradfield at this period in time

I am quite obsessive about the reliability of the locos and so have fitted extra pickups to all wheels on the diesels and DMUs They all have onboard digital sound systems mostly Southwest Digital The sound not only adds to the realism but I find that it encourages operation at a more realistic speed I find the steam fleet more problematic in achieving smooth reliable running and the sound systems are slightly more difficult to fit The steam sounds are not yet as believable as the diesel sounds in my opinion in the way that they work but the latest chips are an improvement Only the Fairburn is sound-equipped at present Rolling stock is mainly RTR with some kit-built and scratchbuilt parcel vans All the stock is formed into fixed rakes the corridor stock having some form of close coupling At the end of the rakes and on most parcels stock I have fitted Spratt amp Winkle 3mm couplings I find these unobtrusive and reliable once set up correctly All stock is of course suitably weathered

Constructed alongside the Mill for the more privileged employees these tenements are based on a row still overlooking Shipley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 10101010

By late morning the platform is clear of parcels and the last delivery van departs whilst the Met-Camm DMU awaits its passengers for Leeds The platform will again become a hive of activity during the afternoon as the vans return with collected parcels

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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  3. Return to index
Page 8: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 8888

As this was a light background stone work the lettering was done with a black permanent marker pen just dab-bing it through the template If you want to do light let-ters on a dark surface you will need to use paint dabbing it on sparingly with a small fine sponge or cloth You do not need to get it perfect especially if you are weathering it as the letters do fade with time and parts wear away

with the elements Once the wording was complete the whole building was weathered with a sooty black wash The Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill HousingThe Mill Housing

Alongside the woollen mill is a cluster of housing on one of Bradfieldrsquos many steeply sloped streets The houses were constructed from 40 thou plasticard faced with 20 thou embossed sheet as a single block The roof slates are strips of paper as is the lead flashing Windows are again masking tape on clear glazing

Bickerdykersquos Woollen Mill broods over the empty carriage sidings another monument to past glory With trade declining fast what gloomy future lies in store for this once impressive building and source of the townrsquos prosperity The sidings share in the desolation as only a night shift is required these days

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 9999

RMwebRMwebRMwebRMweb

It was during this phase of building that I first became aware of RMweb and soon decided to share my efforts at layout construction by starting a thread I had also quite recklessly committed the layout to its first exhibition at the beginning of May 2011 some 6 months away my rationale being that this would probably be the only way I would get it finished in a short space of time I cannot emphasise enough how much the comments and encouragement from RMwebbers helped me in achieving this target Through RMweb I have benefited from the knowledge of others in developing my prototypically correct operational techniques learnt a lot about signalling and begun to develop some new friendships Exhibiting at Membersrsquo Day was a small way of repaying my debt of gratitude to the members Wow That was emotional letrsquos play trains

Playing trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trains

OK so for me this is what it is all about The model making is fine but in the immortal words of the late David JenkinsonrdquoI enjoy having modelledrdquo Recreating a realistic environment in which to run trains in a ldquorailway-likerdquo manner is what I want to do passenger trains in particular Again always looking for someone to blame this time it has to be Father Christmas and his choices over my modelling direction He may well have understood my need for trains but he never grasped the fact that I wanted big engines with coaches Without wishing to sound ungrateful shunters and pickup goods sets did not hit the spot Birthdays were no better either itrsquos no wonder then that when I could afford to start buying my own train sets I just couldnrsquot resist buying coaches So with this in mind letrsquos get back to 1962 and deepest darkest Yorkshire

Locomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stock

The Sulzer Type 4s (Class45) or ldquoPeaksrdquo were the mainstay of the Midland main line during my formative years and I could hear them from home powering expresses south out of Leicester Midland I could see them from my school windows and from my place of work adjacent to the line In earlier years it would have been Jubilees but alas I was too late It is no surprise then that the main source of traction on Bradfield is the Bachmann model of my favourite diesel I also have available Classes 20 25 and 40 and a couple of 08 shunters The steam fleet is growing but currently comprises two Black Fives and a Fairburn tank Two Class 108 DMUs and a Class 101 provide the local services I believe that this is a fair representation of what would have appeared at Bradfield at this period in time

I am quite obsessive about the reliability of the locos and so have fitted extra pickups to all wheels on the diesels and DMUs They all have onboard digital sound systems mostly Southwest Digital The sound not only adds to the realism but I find that it encourages operation at a more realistic speed I find the steam fleet more problematic in achieving smooth reliable running and the sound systems are slightly more difficult to fit The steam sounds are not yet as believable as the diesel sounds in my opinion in the way that they work but the latest chips are an improvement Only the Fairburn is sound-equipped at present Rolling stock is mainly RTR with some kit-built and scratchbuilt parcel vans All the stock is formed into fixed rakes the corridor stock having some form of close coupling At the end of the rakes and on most parcels stock I have fitted Spratt amp Winkle 3mm couplings I find these unobtrusive and reliable once set up correctly All stock is of course suitably weathered

Constructed alongside the Mill for the more privileged employees these tenements are based on a row still overlooking Shipley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 10101010

By late morning the platform is clear of parcels and the last delivery van departs whilst the Met-Camm DMU awaits its passengers for Leeds The platform will again become a hive of activity during the afternoon as the vans return with collected parcels

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 9: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 9999

RMwebRMwebRMwebRMweb

It was during this phase of building that I first became aware of RMweb and soon decided to share my efforts at layout construction by starting a thread I had also quite recklessly committed the layout to its first exhibition at the beginning of May 2011 some 6 months away my rationale being that this would probably be the only way I would get it finished in a short space of time I cannot emphasise enough how much the comments and encouragement from RMwebbers helped me in achieving this target Through RMweb I have benefited from the knowledge of others in developing my prototypically correct operational techniques learnt a lot about signalling and begun to develop some new friendships Exhibiting at Membersrsquo Day was a small way of repaying my debt of gratitude to the members Wow That was emotional letrsquos play trains

Playing trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trainsPlaying trains

OK so for me this is what it is all about The model making is fine but in the immortal words of the late David JenkinsonrdquoI enjoy having modelledrdquo Recreating a realistic environment in which to run trains in a ldquorailway-likerdquo manner is what I want to do passenger trains in particular Again always looking for someone to blame this time it has to be Father Christmas and his choices over my modelling direction He may well have understood my need for trains but he never grasped the fact that I wanted big engines with coaches Without wishing to sound ungrateful shunters and pickup goods sets did not hit the spot Birthdays were no better either itrsquos no wonder then that when I could afford to start buying my own train sets I just couldnrsquot resist buying coaches So with this in mind letrsquos get back to 1962 and deepest darkest Yorkshire

Locomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stockLocomotives and rolling stock

The Sulzer Type 4s (Class45) or ldquoPeaksrdquo were the mainstay of the Midland main line during my formative years and I could hear them from home powering expresses south out of Leicester Midland I could see them from my school windows and from my place of work adjacent to the line In earlier years it would have been Jubilees but alas I was too late It is no surprise then that the main source of traction on Bradfield is the Bachmann model of my favourite diesel I also have available Classes 20 25 and 40 and a couple of 08 shunters The steam fleet is growing but currently comprises two Black Fives and a Fairburn tank Two Class 108 DMUs and a Class 101 provide the local services I believe that this is a fair representation of what would have appeared at Bradfield at this period in time

I am quite obsessive about the reliability of the locos and so have fitted extra pickups to all wheels on the diesels and DMUs They all have onboard digital sound systems mostly Southwest Digital The sound not only adds to the realism but I find that it encourages operation at a more realistic speed I find the steam fleet more problematic in achieving smooth reliable running and the sound systems are slightly more difficult to fit The steam sounds are not yet as believable as the diesel sounds in my opinion in the way that they work but the latest chips are an improvement Only the Fairburn is sound-equipped at present Rolling stock is mainly RTR with some kit-built and scratchbuilt parcel vans All the stock is formed into fixed rakes the corridor stock having some form of close coupling At the end of the rakes and on most parcels stock I have fitted Spratt amp Winkle 3mm couplings I find these unobtrusive and reliable once set up correctly All stock is of course suitably weathered

Constructed alongside the Mill for the more privileged employees these tenements are based on a row still overlooking Shipley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 10101010

By late morning the platform is clear of parcels and the last delivery van departs whilst the Met-Camm DMU awaits its passengers for Leeds The platform will again become a hive of activity during the afternoon as the vans return with collected parcels

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 10: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 10101010

By late morning the platform is clear of parcels and the last delivery van departs whilst the Met-Camm DMU awaits its passengers for Leeds The platform will again become a hive of activity during the afternoon as the vans return with collected parcels

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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  3. Return to index
Page 11: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 11111111

44781 deposits stock into the carriage sidings in the gathering evening gloom The fireman casts a jealous eye upwards towards the Ring O Bells on the bridge as they have yet to work a parcels back to Leeds The carriage cleaners are already busy on the Paignton stock and earlier restaurant car service from London

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 12: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 12121212

OperationOperationOperationOperation

Saved the best for last In order to operate in a railway-like manner I think it is essential to have a sequence or timetable On Bradfield it is also essential due to the limited storage space both on scene and in the fiddle yard The fiddle yard consists of just two roads running the full length of the layout with a storage shelf above at the station end Behind the carriage sidings board the two tracks are on a train-length sector plate forming the reception and departure roads Trains are stacked two or three deep in the sidings and therefore need to be in the right order The timetable for Bradfield is a cut-down version of the 1962 summer timetable for Bradford FS I have developed a ldquoworking timetablerdquo or sequence of moves to operate this on the layout In so doing I have made some assumptions about the real life workings that may well be false but the general feeling is that they are believable and railway-like I use a computer screen mounted on the backscene to show the sequence to public and operators I think that this makes the moves so much more believable when a train has a time and destination Shunting and fiddle yard moves are also displayed so that the viewer knows that something is happening even when nothing moves on the front The basic traffic flow is this

bull Through the night arrival and unloading of parcels news and mail

bull Early morning preparation and departure of principal trains to London and West Country

bull Throughout the daytime DMU services to local destinations and loading of parcels

bull Early evening arrival and berthing of principal trains and departure of parcels

There are just over 50 arrivalsdepartures and there are 103 moves to achieve this A pictorial sequence that summarises all the moves is displayed here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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  3. Return to index
Page 13: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 13131313

What nextWhat nextWhat nextWhat next

The most pressing requirement at present on Bradfield is the signalling I have finalised the design in my head and started construction The signals will be semaphore LMS style and hopefully operational Thatrsquos about it really apart from a few tweaks here and there because I want to start the next project AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

Quite frankly there are so many that I would bore the reader and inevitably leave someone out For inspiration though thanks must go to all those modellers throughout the years who have been brave and kind enough to share their experience and skills with us through exhibitions published media and of course now the internet and hopefully those yet to come Me Irsquom off to the Ring O Bells for a refresher now Oh Next project ndash Leeds Wellington Watch this space

Some weak evening sunshine illuminates Black Five 44781 standing in for a failed diesel on the 718 arrival from St Pancras An unidentified Derby Type 2 sets back onto the York parcels in the centre road

The Ring O Bells pub stands on top of the tunnel and is no doubt host to many an elaborated tale of footplate hardship and heroism from well lubricated throats Originally built from stone the brewery has had a go at tarting it up a bit with a coat of render This half relief model is based on the actual pub located in the back streets of Bradford The photographic wizardry really brings this building to life

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 37373737

The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 39393939

There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 14: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 14141414

Bradfield on show

Exhibition bookings confirmed at present are

Tonbridge 18 February 2012 Nottingham 17 amp 18 March 2012 Lutterworth 19 May 2012 Manchester 6 amp 7 October 2012 Rochdale 3 amp 4 November 2012

As soon as I saw Bradfield on RMweb I could see there was a winning formula here a layout of achievable scope that really captured the feel of the locality with an absorbing consideration of operations Seeing Bradfield in the flesh I was impressed with how the hand-built pointwork flows so beautifully and the smoothness of running that this gives Irsquod like to thank John for pulling together a really engaging article in record time Irsquom truly proud to feature this layout in our first edition

Johnrsquos progress on Bradfield can be followed by clicking here here here here Andy

EE Type 4 D325 eases the last mainline departure of the day out of Platform 1 the 1038 Paignton The DMU from Ilkley running late slips in to Platform 3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

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Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

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Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 15: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 15151515

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 39393939

There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 16: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 16161616

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

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The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

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The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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  3. Return to index
Page 17: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 17171717

Show preview Show preview Show preview Show preview ---- Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition Wigan Model Railway Exhibition ---- 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December 1011 December

Before moving to its new June slot in 2012 the last large exhibition before Christmas takes place on 10th11th December with a line up which includes 38 layouts and over 50 specialist traders and RTR retailers The pound10 admission charge includes a 40-page exhibition guide to ensure that visitors can get to know more about the layouts whilst theyrsquore visiting the show Aiming to reduce admission queues there is a discount available for advance booking via the website at httpwwwwiganfrmorguk2011_ticketshtml and an offer of four tickets for the price of three as part of the organisersrsquo initiative to encourage car-sharing Accompanied children are admitted free of charge and receive a free gift to help make a family or lsquolads and dadsrsquo day out before Christmas With a show which is as large and quality driven as Wigan there will undoubtedly be people wishing to visit on both days two-day entry tickets will be available on the door on the Saturday The Robin Park Arena is adjacent to Wigan Athleticrsquos football ground but they are playing away that weekend and there is plenty of parking in close proximity on the retail park Book it in your diary now and enjoy the show

Layout lineLayout lineLayout lineLayout line----upupupup

Abhainn an ScailAnnascaul - OOn3 Barmouth Bridge - O Burntisland 1883 - P4 Carreg Lwyd Wharf - OO9 Cripps Bottom Yard - OO Crumley amp Little Wickhill - OO9 Eaton Gomery Cambrian Railway 1908 East Lynn amp Nunstanton - S East Rode - TT Engdorf [Engertalbahn] - O Foston Mills - O Gardiner Junction - N Gifford Street - O

Grathwaite - OO Guisborough in Preservation - OO Hospital Gates - O Iron Street Board Mills - EM Kepier Colliery - OO Kingsfield - OO Langholm - N LNWR Steam Shed 1901 - OO Loch Oran - N Marsh Chipping - N Millwall Goods amp Arnold Lane - O New Mills - OO Murrayville Yard - HO

North of England Line - N Oldham King Street Parcels - O Otterbridge - EM Pempoul - French Metre Gauge Poole-in-Wharfedale - OO Purbeck - OO9 Purgatory Peak - On30 Rea Bridge - OO9 Striven - EM Tetfield-under-Bolt - N Torcy [Sud] - HO Untermutten - HOm

East Lynn amp Nunstanton

Gifford Street

Images copyright and courtesy of Tony Wright and British Railway Modelling

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

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Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 18: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 18181818

A different era Graham Muspratt

Drummond T14 sporting an early British Railways lettering and number in Southern sunshine style

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Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

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The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 37373737

The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 39393939

There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 19: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 19191919

Post-war pre-nationalisation why do I model it

When one looks at the majority of steam era model layouts of the big four railway companies or the subsequent British Railways regions the majority tend to be set in either the 1930s or the 195060s - this also tends to be reflected by the choice of models and liveries from the major ready-to-run manufacturers Leaving aside the arguments of the least modelled and supported of the big four or BR regions the period that seems to get overlooked in model form is the immediate post-war to nationalisation period of 1946 to 1948 The politics of the railways in this immediate post-war period were fascinating the railway companies were just coming out of the heavy workloads and lack of investment caused by the war and many were in a pretty poor almost dire in some cases financial shape The Southern Railway however was not in quite such a bad shape financially as some of the others In reality the Government through the Railway Executive still actually had a strong element of control over all the railway companies that it obtained during the war and of course formal nationalisation was looming Despite all the gloom services were starting to get back to pre-war levels and following a particularly harsh winter in 1947 the summer season appeared on the outside to be returning to normal

The Southern Railwayrsquos top link engines were now starting to appear back in the favoured lined malachite green livery rather than the austere wartime black scheme although the use on the black of Bulleidrsquos yellow and green lsquoSunshinersquo lettering helped to lift the livery slightly However many of the less glamorous classes were destined to remain in black livery for the rest of their service By 1948 nationalisation had occurred and subtle changes to liveries were starting to take place Interim renumbering appeared on some locos by simply putting an lsquoSrsquo prefix in front of the Southern Railway number and there were instances of lsquoBritish Railwaysrsquo appearing on the side of some locomotives in a variety of font styles including the Southern lsquosunshinersquo style or no ownership branding at all on the loco sides Subsequently the new 3xxxx series numbers started to appear and sometimes these have been applied to locomotives that still retain their Southern branding From the middle of 1948 a number of the top link locomotive classes and a small amount of rolling stock appeared in new experimental colours such as lined apple green on Light Pacific 34011 lsquoTavistock which can be seen on Fisherton Sarum at the head of the Devon Belle One of the railway engineers I revere is OVS Bulleid As the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway he had an uncanny way of working around the previous wartime pressures and restrictions and by 1946 he was really getting into his stride and an ever-increasing number of Light Pacificrsquos and coaching stock were being introduced Experiments to improve the smoke clearance and cab visibility of his Pacific locomotives were in full swing and most versions can be seen amongst my rolling stock Further engineering innovation (although others may call it something else) was to come with the unconventional Leader Class There is also a family connection with the Southern Railway at that time as my grandfather was a ganger for the Southern Railway based at Salisbury for most of this period before he gained promotion to Sub Inspector

(permanent way) at Andover Junction during 1948 My father in his short trouser days used to spend many hours either stood by the railings at the London end of Platform 1 of Salisbury watching the struggle to start the heavy London bound trains on the sharp curving and rising grade or trying to sneak into the shed With his Southern background my first engine given to me by Dad in my younger days was of course a Triang Hornby M7 (which in a re-wheeled detailed and repainted form still appears on Fisherton Sarum along with the classic smell of its original X04 motor)

34011 Tavistock in the British Railways early experi-mental Apple Green livery

Follow Grahamrsquos latest news wwwgrahammuzcom

Malachite Green livery appears on top link engines such as Merchant Navy 21C6 here

My grandfather a ganger at Salibury until 1948 leans on his ballast fork

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 23232323

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

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Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

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The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

Click here to visit our site

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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  3. Return to index
Page 20: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 20202020

The Locomotive exchange trials The locomotive exchange trials took place from April through to September 1948 with Waterloo to Plymouth being one of the chosen routes and utilised during May and June 1948 I was keen to introduce some of the locos that ran on the Southern during the trials into the locomotive fleet on my Fisherton Sarum layout as it is based on Salisbury and as such was a stopping off point for the trials To provide a little background in the immediate aftermath of the formation of British Railways the newly formed Regions were generally allowed to continue the locomotive build programmes that had already been approved and put in place by the previous railway company up until the end of 1950 In the meantime it was decided to compare a number of engines from the previous big four in order to lsquosupposedlyrsquo consolidate designs and good practice for the future locomotive development of the new organisation after 1950 My own views on the success or otherwise of the trials may well form the topic of another post in the future The exchanges were to trial locomotives in three categories Express Passenger General Purpose and Freight Locomotives Locomotives and their crews from each region had a small number of runs on each route the week before to gain limited route knowledge (although generally recognised as not enough) prior to the main test runs for which dynamometer cars were attached

Hornby have already produced a limited edition model of Bulleid West Country Class No 34006 ldquoBuderdquo with a Stanier tender and complete with the correct extra long smoke deflectors The three Light Pacifics so fitted only did a couple of test runs on the Southern in this form which is a good enough reason to run ldquoBuderdquo

I have also matched a renumbered and named Hornby ex- ldquoBuderdquo and paired her with a standard 4500 gallon Bulleid tender as 34004 ldquoYeovil ldquoas she ran on return from the trials

Ex-LNER A4 class No 60033 ldquoSeagullrdquo took part in the exchanges on the Southern Region and was created by renumbering and naming a suitable Bachmann model which also involved the fitting of a replacement white metal double chimney from 247 Developments I also modified the tender as those tenders fitted to the A4s on

trial had the raves cut down at the rear to allow clearance for the water cranes at Euston Station Once Hornby produced a version of their Duchess class in LMS lined black of the lsquoSemirsquo variant (ie a de-streamlined version) I used this as the basis for ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo For this conversion I renamed and numbered Hornby ldquoCity of Manchesterrdquo and coupled it to a slightly modified Bachmann 2-8-0 WD tender I have also created a model of the Rebuilt Royal Scot class locomotives No46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo that also took part in the WaterloondashExeter trials utilising one of the recently introduced Hornby LMS lined black models suitably renamed and also fitted with a suitable WD style tender in the same way as above

34006 ldquoBuderdquo with extended smoke deflectors and paired to a Stanier tender Whilst this tender pairing was for when working off Southern metals she did test runs out of Waterloo in this condition

34004 Yeovil as back on the Southern reunited

with her original style tender

Rebuilt Scot 46154 ldquoThe Hussarrdquo fitted with WD style tender

Duchess 46236 ldquoCity of Bradfordrdquo on the main line passing Fisherton Sarum

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

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dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

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Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 21: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 21212121

Some time ago I read about water mixable oils on the ModelTrainsWeatheredcom forum and have only just got round to giving them a go I wish Irsquod tried them sooner Theyrsquove proved spectacularly useful for a number of subtle effects which is good as subtle is by far the hardest thing to do convincingly As part of the stock building for the next layout project Irsquove been working on some oil tanks that need to be quite subtle as these Total tanks were kept in pretty good condition during the early 90s with many of them being repainted in 198788 To this end subtle variation in colour was going to be required to fool the eye into thinking that itrsquos seeing something larger than a model Irsquom no scientist but Irsquom going to try and explain some of the reasoning behind this now Every surface you look at in the real world never appears as one straight colour due to the various interactions between reflected light and surface imperfections One of the problems with models is because of their size they donrsquot have this natural variation In this first picture there are sections of the tank barrel that look as if theyrsquore pretty much one colour if you ignore the faint rust streaking at first glance especially the areas either side

of the image at the apex of the barrel

However if you look at it at somewhere near 900 zoom you see that it is in fact made up of lots of small patches of very similar colours So the best way to replicate it that I could come up with was to randomly dab on these oils and spread them around to provide the subtle variation in colour that I was after

Itrsquos not an entirely new technique Mig Jimenez uses something similar for fading tanks in his FAQ book but he uses lighter shades for this with the precise colours dictated by the base colour of the tank I also derived the colours to use on the wagons from the FAQ book grey tanks respond best to blue and brown filters (which is a different technique again and one I havenrsquot tried yet) so thatrsquos the majority of what Irsquove used in the examples below Irsquove used the following colours Titanium White Phthalo Green (blue shade) French Ultramarine Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Yellow Hue Raw Umber and Ivory Black All are from the Winsor and Newton lsquoArtisanrsquo range of water mixable oil paints They work just like conventional oils but clean up with water They dry faster than conventional oils but still take a very long time compared to the acrylics and enamels normally used for weathering the finish when

Colour variation with oils Pugsley

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

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Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

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Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 22: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 22222222

dry also seems to be a lot more robust than gouache Some of the colours cover better than others for exam-ple the yellow is a very strong pigment so can over-power the effect if used excessively

If Irsquove managed to hold your attention so far then before I run through how itrsquos done the image below will hope-fully demonstrate how effective the technique is The treated area is that on the left-hand side which is both slightly shinier and bluer that that on the right The area on the right is suffering from the normal model problem of looking like it is one colour due to the smooth surface and lack of imperfections to change the refraction of the light You can also see that the predominantly blue based variation has added a slightly cooler tone to the grey The variation on the left is subtle in fact you have to look quite closely to see it but it does change the appearance of the model for the better

The first stage is to apply the colours as desired ran-domly over the area to be treated I use cocktail sticks for this but a brush can be used for larger patches if re-

quired but lots of small patches are more desirable than larger ones Irsquove gone for a bluegreen bias but other colours could be used as the dominant colour

Stage two involves scrubbing the paint patches around with a clean dry stiff-ish flat brush Irsquove predominantly gone from top to bottom but side to side and around are equally valid motions

The third stage involves softening the effect and remov-ing most of what yoursquove just put on For this use a softer clean flat brush which is moistened with the ap-propriate thinners Irsquove been using water with a drop of screenwash which seems to work pretty well with these paints Additional areas of colour can be added at this stage ndash in the images in the right-hand column Irsquove added spots of colour and then dragged these down the barrel with the moist brush Itrsquos a subtle effect but I think it adds a lot to the model The left hand end needs a little more to bring it up to the same as the right this is what happens when you come back to something after a few days

The final effect in close-up is shown on the next page

If you want to see more examples there is some more of my playing with these paints on my blog on the main site wwwrmwebcoukcommunityindexphpblog8-pugsleys-workbench

1

2

3

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 23: Modelling Inspiration #1

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Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 39393939

There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 24: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 24242424

Trains4U is one of the largest Model Railway specialists in the east of England Occupying an enormous 3600 square foot showroom we offer thousands of products from over 50 manufacturers

Trains4U was formed in July 2004 in response to the closure of the last Model Railway shop in Peterborough the previous year Owned by Father and Son Steve and Gareth Helliwell the business opened with a small stock of Hornby Bachmann Peco Gaugemaster and Fleischmann products in a 900 sq ft unit in Peterboroughs St Davids Square trading estate Demand for products and services was unprecedented and we quickly diversified into N gauge DCC and slot cars whilst expanding our range of suppliers to provide more models scenic materials tools and paints Our initial website solution soon became difficult to manage so we suspended our online service whilst our walk-in business rapidly grew and we soon filled our showroom to bursting point

Fortunately at this time the 4000 sq ft unit directly

opposite became available so in Summer 2008 we decided to take the plunge and move in This allowed us scope to expand our ranges even further and display them in a way that was even more accessible and welcoming for our customers The move allowed us to diversify further into plastic kits much larger ranges of slot cars and scenics and provide previously unavailable services and facilities for our customers All of our railway rolling stock and our slot cars are displayed in large glass cases for easy browsing All of our products are on the ground floor with easy access for disabled customers or customers with mobility problems Trains4Ursquos upper floor now forms the home of former exhibition layout Runswick Leamside

Macclesfield and District Railway Modellers retain ownership of the layout and they have generously agreed for the layout to be housed at Trains4U where it can be used and operated rather than stored out of use in a disassembled state

At present the layout resides on our first floor mezzanine and whilst this is not a public area of the showroom it can be viewed on request (provided there is staff coverage to do so)

Model shop profile - Trains4U Unfortunately we do not have the quantities of rolling stock that would have been seen at shows in the past but we are adding new trains all the time and you are welcome to test your new purchases on the line again subject to staff availability

The layout can still be viewed in its full operational glory at our annual open day in September when the Macclesfield and District Railway modellers have agreed to fully stock and operate the layout to exhibition standard

Trains4U is planning to hold running sessions for visitors to run their own stock and operate the layout ndash please keep checking the website for details of dates and spaces (There will be a modest charge to cover staffing and associated costs) The layout is not DCC though decoder fitted locomotives will run on the layout

28-29 St Davids Square Fengate Peterborough PE1 5QA

01733 895989 Open Tues-Sat 9-5

32-925Z Class 1501 Original Provincial Livery EXCLUSIVE TO Trains4U

pound9500

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

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This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 37373737

The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 39393939

There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 25: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 25252525

Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson Letrsquos start with a quick history lesson

In the beginning there was this A brass and whitemetal body kit marketed by Jidenco and Brass Cast I wonder if any actually got built The first ready-to-run product was the Lima 50 which to be fair wasnt all that bad Its biggest problem was its use of HO bogies but by changing them for something 4mm scale plus a fair bit of body work you could get something quite acceptable Now we have the Hornby Class 50 ndash all wheel drive centre motor opening cab doors etc so really this is the one to currently go for It doesnt come without a to do list though it goes something like this

bull body-side grills yes they open but they look dire because of it

bull the wheels are too small bull the gap between the bogie and the body is too big bull the all wheel drive is too rigid and in P4 itrsquos a bit of a problem

bull the top of the nose is the wrong shape as are the cab windows

bull the roof fan is crude and too small bull the exhaust posts are the wrong size and in the wrong place

What to doWhat to doWhat to doWhat to do The body-side grilles have to go Someone was selling resin replacements at one point but you may wish to cannibalise an old Lima shell to obtain these As the grilles are usually pretty dirty it doesnt really matter if the colour match for the new grilles isnrsquot spot on to the Hornby body as you wonrsquot tell under the weathering The BogiesThe BogiesThe BogiesThe Bogies If you remove the bogies you will find a small pad cast

into the bottom of the chassis block You will need to file it off to reduce the ride height of the model I was changing the wheels anyway and in P4 there are 3 options ndash Ultrascale Alan Gibson and Branchlines The latter two require you to re-use the Hornby gears and I use the Branchlines ones as standard although I have used the Gibson wheels on a couple of the fleet In 00 gauge it might be worth seeing if someone has thrown out the Hornby class 31 wheelsets as the other wheels are the right size However with the right sized wheels deep flanges of the RTR 00 stuff and the lowered bogies there might be a chance the wheels will touch the chassis and cause a short I havent tried this so I dont know but

Jim Smith-Wright

Modelling Class 50s in 4mm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 26262626

You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

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Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 26: Modelling Inspiration #1

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You might find that its performance in the finer scales is a bit poor Itrsquos because the axles are all held very rigidly in place meaning the bogies sometimes rock on the middle one One crude but effective fix is to solder the centre bearing in place and then open it into a slot using a cutting disk in a minidrill It does work

The faceThe faceThe faceThe face

Shawplan do an etch for the windscreens and the top of the nose ideally needs building up a bit I couldnt actually decide if the top is too low or the edges too high and I am still undecided However I decided to leave the nose as it comes and adapt the windscreens Hornby have painted the black down to the top of the nose while looking at the real thing the yellow actually comes up to the bottom of the windscreen frames Painting this little bit of yellow does go a long way to improving the modelrsquos face

The RoofThe RoofThe RoofThe Roof

The above picture shows the original fan furthest away the old Shawplan fan in the centre and the new Extreme Etches fan at the front You can see just how lsquotoo smallrsquo

the original fan is The nearest model also shows the Extreme Etches parts to correct the roof but in the end I decided to just use the fan and ring on the rest of the fleet So there you have it Simple steps on how to get your Hornby class 50 looking more like an English Electric class 50

Follow Jimrsquos latest work wwwp4newstreetcom

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

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The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

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Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 27: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 27272727

In these times of upwardly spiralling costs within our hobby finding first hand RTR models under pound70 can be difficult so when the opportunity to purchase not one but two Heljan Class 26s for around that price came along I couldnrsquot resist Having detailed and weathered each example to the best of my ability it wasnrsquot long as with nearly every loco I buy that I decided a fitting diorama would be useful to present my growing fleet of Scottish traction This thought was later to spawn probably the most successful photo diorama board Irsquove produced to date not for accurate representation or even precise execution of scratch building but simply because when finished and through the lens it oozed atmosphere and evoked many memories for me of teenage days on lsquoFreedom Of Scotland Roversrsquo chasing elusive 37s and visiting their iconic home in a grotty suburb of Glasgow My representation of Eastfield was basic a 3ft by 2ft baseboard with two out of the four sides covered using a fascia of the main depot building made from balsa and plasticard The inclusion of four of the well photographed yellow amp black shutter doors set a perfect scene to photograph individual locos against Irsquom not one for maths or pondering over measurements or proportional calculations just a decent set of prototype images and a OO gauge 47 was all I needed to work out how tall how long and how thick everything should be Deciding on a level of weathering was easy letrsquos face it Eastfield was a grotty black hole even when the sun came out Several coats of weathered black and sleeper grime spray paint over the freshly laid ballast were enough to portray years of contamination by diesel locomotives Modelling clay pushed into the sleepers was painted with a thick coat of glossy black enamel and this helped to create those puddles of oily saturated ground that when visiting depots you would always try to avoid stepping in but never quite manage to dodge Itrsquos hard to pick out a favourite image from this project Many of the individual loco images turned out well and many had an air of realism about them but for me this collection of nose ends taken from the ballast on a dull damp November morning puts me right back amongst the sounds and smells of this once iconic depot

Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture Story behind the picture ---- Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills Eastfield depot by Sandhills

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 39393939

There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

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Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 28: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 28282828

This article was originally written for the Railway Modeller magazine to look at how easy it was to fit a DCC sound system to a small locomotive and in 2007 was one of the first such installations of its type Irsquove been following the DCC debate for a while on-line in face to face discussions and of course in the printed media From many of the discussion points I could see that DCC did not have significant amounts to offer me and I certainly wasnrsquot bothered if I should fall behind or if Irsquod be accused of being a Luddite as being espoused by some of the more evangelical style preaching which Irsquod read or heard from DCC enthusiasts Having always had an interest in broadcasting and live music when I started to read in American magazines of lsquosoundrsquo being available my interest was significantly raised I guess in our modelerrsquos book of dreams wersquod want steam sound and weather too Well here was the possibility of getting at least one of those all I needed was living proof that it worked and wasnrsquot gimmicky The last thing I wanted to do was spend money on something that didnrsquot match up to my expectations I was very fortunate that living close to Lincoln there was a local dealer Digitrains who specialized in DCC and had significant experience of it a working layout to see and for me critically in this leap of faith to hear

A visit to them left me in no doubt that sound was worth investigating further To do this one step that I had to consider was going DCC and with what I wanted a simple to use and set up system with high specification at reasonable cost Primarily to fit and function test chips once they were installed My brother coming over from Kansas on a business trip brought an NCE Power Cab DCC controller as a surprise gift So I now had my lsquocontrolrsquo but nothing to run with it The last thing I wanted to do was convert my layout over to DCC and not be able to run the majority of my locomotives due to the cost of putting chips in them Whilst watching a demonstration of programming chips at the shop I was taken by a rolling road they used and I realized that this would be very useful for testing and running in locomotives but would also allow me to play with DCC before committing one way or another to it The Bachmann 97xx is an cracking example of current ready to run products for most modellers the locomotive is excellent straight from the box and I have to admit until recently for me that was the case too Like many of us Irsquod do a little more to it to customize it and then itrsquod join my stock on the layout whirring backwards and forwards as it went around its allotted shunting and branch passenger or local freight services a real local hero Irsquod seen in much of the DCC debate the scales here

in the UK were and at the time of writing early 07 still are tipped firmly in the direction of diesel powered locomotives rather than steam Because I have a wide range of interests steam sound was important to me as my layout is operated in one of its phases in the BR steam or transition era therefore I chose steam as the introduction to DCC sound Having looked at DCC sound diesels it was clear that there are usually relatively easy ways of locating a speaker in the locomotive inside them without too much hassle likewise with a tender loco the task is also relatively easy in terms of finding space My specific interest was to get sound into a 9757xx pannier as I have a couple of them for a latent idea to do a Forest of Dean layout having been inspired on many an occasion by the photographs of Ben Ashworth in particular A little bit of research uncovered South West Digital (SWD) whose range included a 2-cylinder GWR steam sound chip recorded on the West Somerset Railway from a Manor (SWD reference number 520GWR) so I had a chat with them to determine which chip and speaker combination would be the most appropriate for me to try The chip which we determined to be the best to try was the ESU LokSound Micro which was duly ordered and arrived very promptly The loco selected is the lsquoDCC readyrsquo version of the Bachmann pannier This is subtly different inside to the regular model in that the boiler weight has been reduced in size to allow the easy installation of a DCC chip The body is easily removed for access to the chassis first take the couplings off and unscrew the body from the chassis at either end On the top of the chassis you will see the DCC blanking plate for analogue operation this needs to be removed keep it safe if you need to convert it back at some time in the future The chip comes with a comprehensive instruction leaflet including the fitting instructions This is a very simple installation as the loco does not have lights externally or internally and will be hard wired into the loco This simply means Irsquoll attach it directly to the motor pickups

DCC Sound Bachmann Pannier Paul Marshall-Potter

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

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Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

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The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

Click here to visit our site

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 29: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 29292929

and the motor terminals rather than via a multi pin DCC connector to the DCC board on the chassis To access the loco pickups there are two screws underneath the loco - unscrew these and the keeper plate drops away which has the pickups attached to it There is a simple rhyming verse which will help here in attaching the wires from the chip lsquoRed and Black to the track orange and grey the other wayrsquo

So attach the red and black wires to the pickup strip red to the right hand side and black to the left hand side A very quick touch of a soldering iron is all it needs with one wire connected either side of the pickup strip as above The orange and grey need attaching to the pick up terminal on the motor frame Not a problem on this loco but you must always make sure that the orange and grey wires only touch the motor connections

If they have electrical contact with the chassis or wheels then you will have big problems and potentially need to replace the chip which in this instance costs more than the locomotive There is a yellow capacitor which needs to be removed this is easily done with a pair of sidecutters You will now have your loco DCC sound chipped At this point place it on your programming track and check the functions work With a rolling road as I have used you can check the lsquomovingrsquo sounds like chuff rate for this loco or diesel throttle acceleration and deceleration but Irsquod suggest leaving getting into that until a little later Probably one of the next thoughts going through your mind is lsquothisrsquoll never fit in thatrsquo Well it does and we will now turn our attention to the body modifications required which are very few The loco is available as a low and high cab variant the type illustrated is one of the late high cab variants but the process is the same for either We will be fitting the speaker into the locomotives coal bunker it can be fitted into the cab but unfortunately is visible from many normal viewpoints By undoing the two retaining screw underneath the bunker the back of the bunker and the weight simply lifts out To make this installation as simple as possible we wonrsquot get into swapping speakers Irsquoll just use the chip as it comes The weight will have to be discarded which means losing 25g of weight My loco still pulled six Bachmann Bullied coaches afterwards with no lsquoill effectsrsquo so donrsquot worry unduly about losing weight The bunker has a floor which needs to be removed to

allow the speaker to fit I cut this out by scoring around the edge with a Stanley knife and cutting slits with a razor saw until it would break free the rough edges being dressed with a file The bunker will still fit on the loco as an interference fit but as we have removed the mounting holes when we refit it it will need to be fixed with PVA glue or similar which will hold it in place but allow removal if need be At this point test fit the body The chip will lie on top of the chassis in front of the motor As you fit the body be careful to thread the speaker wires around the motor so they enter the cab at the bottom of the backhead by the floor There is sufficient space to do this even if a little bit fiddly

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 39393939

There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

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Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 30: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 30303030

Now you can press fit the bunker and get a good idea how the speaker fits and indeed run it to see what it sounds like At this stage the sound will be quite a full sound as in reality the speaker in not enclosed I wanted to get a better appearance so I made a replacement bunker front out of scraps of plasticard and left the coal door open for the wires for the speaker

See the photo (left) showing the white bunker front and green bunker a picture after all speaks a thousand words

Once I had done this and fitted it again made as an interference fit the sound changed completely being less in volume and a considerable amount of the bass sound had gone Clearly the sound had to escape and I had to think of a way to do this effectively whilst keeping the speaker hidden The first thing I did was to drill hole in the coal load in a random pepper pot type of style of 15 to 2mm drill size This had an improvement releasing more bass tone to the noise and it dawned on me that the original mounting holes for the bunker were not required and these could be opened out too I did this in stages listening for the change in tone and volume as I

did so using different size drills increasing them gradually in size and eventually stopping at around 7mm diameter on each side This prevents the hole appearing in the cab floor and retains the original chassis mounting point too At this point the sound had changed again to a nice lsquofullrsquo sounding noise with no significant bias to tone or pitch The sound installation was now complete a very quick and simple fit for my first DCC sound loco I was very fortunate in that the lsquochuffrsquo synchronization was spot on for the loco the loksound instructions provided with the chip give details on how to synchronize the wheelchuff rate if you need to I was very pleased with the relative simplicity of this installation whilst not lsquoplug and playrsquo itrsquos pretty close and anyone who takes a bit of care with a soldering iron will be able to manage this installation in a couple of hours at most At this point it is just the final touches to complete The loco and body can be reassembled and the bunker front attached with a dab of PVA as can the bunker The speaker will be held in place by these two and the PVA or similar can be broken easily if access is needed to the speaker or to remove the body from the chassis The only thing that now lsquojarsrsquo is the pepper pot coal in the bunker It doesnrsquot take much effort to place coal around the holes making sure they are not blocked and the loco is ready is ready for traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

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Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

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The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 31: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 31313131

So now it was installed what is it actually like Well the running has no noticeable improvement in terms of controllability from my existing DC system a 20 year old Hammant and Morgan walkabout The inertia works well certainly with my NCE Power Cab and is easy to configure and adjust settings The sound is in the main very pleasing The volume even at maximum power is not particularly loud I donrsquot have a problem with that itrsquos sort of scale sound if that makes sense The recordings are very clear and therersquos no noticeable distortion of them in this particular configuration Having heard it myself I wanted othersrsquo opinions of it and to this end took it to a couple of shops and also to a few friends houses for them to hear it too The reception of it has been very positive particularly as sound in general has previously only been fitted in larger 4mm locos Those in the trade and at the small meeting I took it too had not seen sound in a loco this small Those that had seen sound in BR Class 08rsquos commented that it was nice to see that the speaker was hidden I got the most reaction from my daughters who were really taken with it one of whom has insisted on showing Dadrsquos toy train to her friends Again her friends too thought it was lsquoreally coolrsquo which Irsquom led to believe translates to its good This is my first step into DCC but on my layout apart from the sound the DCC has no advantage over traditional DC control This is because my layout is designed for one engine in steam operation so all tracks are live anyway and the quality of control thatrsquos available from the walkabout some 20 years on is still remarkable I can see significant advantages with DCC if you have a layout with double heading a large MPD or simultaneous movements Where the ability to move a loco independently is important or combined then DCC will be a useful tool indeed Itrsquos certainly been an interesting conversion and experience The biggest disadvantage at the moment is the cost which in time may come down if the market increases This installation with just the locomotive and the sound chip had a cost in early 2007 in the order of pound14000

On the following comments Irsquom bearing in mind that the recordings are from a Manor and therefore not a true recording of a small pannier Within the sound files there are three whistle sounds a single toot and two longer whistles Both of the longer recordings are similar Irsquod have preferred to have a longer single tone whistle and perhaps a double toot The hisses and gurgles of safety valves and cylinder drain cocks are well captured as is brake squeal The brake squeal is only available within the deceleration phase and again it would be nice to have that as a separate sound file to select I donrsquot know how much of the capacity of the sound files within the decoder are used but itrsquod be nice to see a wider variety of sounds If the decoder is full of those sounds currently included Irsquod be happy to lose the shovelling sound or coupling lsquoclankrsquo in exchange for a different whistle or separate brake or flange squeal sound Having said that the quality of the recordings and the decoder make this a very effective installation and certainly something different I wouldnrsquot change to DCC on the basis of this exercise Irsquom fortunate in that my layout as configured works as both DCC and DC by changing the controller over It has caught my imagination though and I have another steam loco at the moment on the lsquosoundrsquo work bench I like to weather my models and this would be no exception I had already got an idea from a good number of references as to how this loco should look in particular lsquoSteam in Deanrsquo from the Lightmoor Press ISBN 0 899889 06 a stunning collection of photos from Ben Ashworth with plenty of atmosphere of that area and era All that was needed to complete the loco was for me to choose a replacement number 3737 which was a loco that worked in the Forest of Dean area Long since departed but with sound something of its soul had returned

Follow Paulrsquos latest work albionyardwordpresscom

Howes Sound Decoders

For all major UK classes of diesel and electrics with an extensive steam catalogue from pound11750 Remember we can re-blow your existing ESU LOK-SOUND decoders with our own sound recordings (as listed below) if you are un-happy with the sound pro-vided on them cost is pound1295 per decoder plus pound550 return insured carriage This service is also available for models which are supplied with on-board sound Click the video below to see and hear a Howes Sound Bachmann Class 70 in action

Click here to see the full range of sound decoders

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 32323232

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 33333333

Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

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The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 39393939

There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 33: Modelling Inspiration #1

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Ian (or to give him his forum alias ian) has been around RMweb since our early days both as a problem solver general wit and originator of several recent layouts including Hatton Parkway and Shake the Box which have been documented in Hornby Magazine Knowing that Ian was setting out on a new enterprise I went over to his rural workshop north of Shrewsbury to find out a bit more about the new layout building services as it promised to be somewhat different from retail propositions and have a chat over a cup of tea Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic Andy Given that the news is full of ongoing economic doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a doom and gloom it seems a strange time to become a professional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builderprofessional model railway builder

Ian Earlier this year I was made redundant and there are a lot of people chasing what few vacancies there are It was either sign on or go pro Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after Andy Is there a lot of demand for layout building after all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at all itrsquos a significant spend which people seem averse to at the momentthe momentthe momentthe moment

Ian That is a common misconception You donrsquot have to be a millionaire to have a layout built for you In fact it is far more common to have part of the layout built for example the baseboards built with the track laid and wired The client then does the lsquofun stuffrsquo with the scenery themselves Andy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modellerAndy How does that approach benefit the modeller

Ian It depends on the individual People who live in apartments often donrsquot have the facilities to build baseboards Some people canrsquot manage the heavy work others donrsquot have the time skill tools or inclination to do what they regard as the lsquoboringrsquo bits If you have ever struggled with wiring that you donrsquot understand baseboards that you canrsquot get square or ballasting that you just donrsquot want to do then you will understand the

appeal of someone else doing the work for you Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout Andy Do customers go for having a complete layout built surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the funbuilt surely thatrsquos part of the fun

Ian They can do but most want to put their own individual stamp on the visible section I do the bits that donrsquot really get noticed but need to be right Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment Andy I can see several projects underway at the moment in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of in here what are you working on and what sort of customers are theycustomers are theycustomers are theycustomers are they

Ian There are three layouts under construction at the moment The first is an lsquoNrsquo gauge layout that is designed for fun It has a double track main line and goods yard on the

bottom level with a branch to a high level terminus The high level also has a town with a Faller CarSystem layout built in The railway is DCC controlled including the points and uncouplers while the car system is controlled from an ordinary control panel Whilst the client will provide the buildings I have installed lighting circuits ready for them along with street and platform lighting The second which has just had the baseboards completed is an lsquoHOrsquo scale Faller CarSystem layout for an academic institution They wanted a townscape with moving vehicles that could be used to test and demonstrate systems that monitor road traffic Unusually the baseboards are on a metal frame rather than the usual wooden legs to make it more robust It measures about 10rsquo by 4rsquo at the moment but there are plans to expand it by adding more facilities and a railway in the future

RMweb people - Ian Morton

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 39393939

There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 34: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 34343434

The third is a small OO9 layout for a customer who is recovering from cancer He is an accomplished modeller but is currently restricted as to what he can manage My job is to provide him with a small working layout that he can then add scenery to Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller Andy You seem to be doing a lot with the Faller CarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layoutsCarSystem but itrsquos not that common on layouts

Ian To most people it seems expensive especially for something that isnrsquot actually part of the railway but it can add an extra dimension to a layout if it is properly planned and modelled It certainly gets peoplersquos attention as the vehicles seem to move around by magic Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove Andy The Faller CarSystem is quite fascinating but Irsquove heard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance systemheard therersquos an art to laying the guidance system

Ian Well I happen to have this video demonstrating laying the Faller CarSystem guide wire for people DIY-ing

Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what Andy Do the customers give you a clear brief as to what they wantthey wantthey wantthey want

Ian I donrsquot want to build something that the customer isnrsquot happy with so there will be a lot of discussion guidance and advice before the first piece of wood is cut That is all part of the service Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart Andy What other services do you offer people apart from the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout buildingfrom the layout building

I will act as a consultant on DCC and electrical matters Recently I provided details of how to install DCC on a

large layout so that the owner could install the necessary feeds breaks and buses with confidence Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to Andy I notice that you have a stock of materials useful to people building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts toopeople building their own layouts too

Ian Yes they are things that I tend to use and it made sense to keep a stock on hand rather than hold a job up waiting for bits to arrive and to make them available for other people to buy as well Currently I have stocks of Lenz and TCS DCC decoders various electrical bits like wire switches and those hard-to-find coloured covers for small toggle switches scenic materials a few tools and some baseboard bits like cabinet makerrsquos dowels and toggle catches Andy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fullyAndy Are there any aspirations toward becoming a fully----fledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shopfledged model shop

Ian No I see my niche in making layouts Model railway retail is a different matter The various things that I do sell are listed on my web site and online selling sites Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can Andy Itrsquos a lovely location out here to work but can potential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshoppotential customers visit the workshop

Ian Of course and the kettle is usually on but I do ask that they email or telephone first As I work on my own I canrsquot guarantee to be here if you just drop in I could be at the post office timber yard or in the en-suite Oh and despite not wanting to become a retailer I do have a selection of secondhand items that arenrsquot on the website that visitors can rummage through

Useful linksUseful linksUseful linksUseful links

Ianrsquos website Ianrsquos eBay Shop Ianrsquos RMweb Marketplace store

Unit 8bc Rodenhurst Business Park Rodington Shrewsbury Shropshire SY4 4QU 0775 499 4095

RMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offerRMweb MI special offer 5 off all goods (exc post-age) during October Use code RMW10 on website link

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 35353535

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 37373737

The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

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Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 35: Modelling Inspiration #1

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Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 37373737

The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

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Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 36: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 36363636

Kylesku is the terminus of a Scottish layout set around the latter days of steam but with a slightly different timeline than the real thing As can be guessed from its title it is based on Kyle of Lochalsh but modified to suit my needs For example the station building is loosely modelled on the one at Brora and is some of the Townstreet stone castings which made for an easy method of construction The original Kyle building is too large for my available space and a mock-up of a reduced version just didnrsquot look right This was the trigger to go Highland Railway freelance and do a what-if but making the buildings come from the relevant area - I think it does convey a Highland atmosphere

Some of the far side sidings were brought to the viewing side to make shunting easier and the station approach has elements of the original but operations took priority over copying the real thing As prototype operations were fairly limited I have cast my sights wider and the day to day activities include aspects of traffic at Oban and Fort William including sleepers and Post Office van trains and a branch service on the style of the Ballachullish line uses the bay platform Running is ad-hoc a timetable is one of the future projects but a broad sequence is usually followed Black 5s and Class 26s are the normal motive power but a liberal approach to visiting strangers is taken

Track work is CampL OO with Peco Code 75 pointwork with all the plastic gubbins around the tiebars removed This tidies up the appearance of the point no end and is an acceptable combination to my mind as making pointwork has been a bit of a hit and miss affair as far as I have managed so far As most of the pointwork consists of curved turnouts I felt that reliability came ahead of creativity here

Kylesku and The Mound Ben Alder

Follow Ben Alderrsquos latest work RMweb

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The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 37: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 37373737

The typical Highland style wooden goods shed that graced so many stations on the line is planted on one of the sidings in the station approaches and was built with Midwestern wood sheets of board and batten and finished with wood stain which does give a realistic finish Although Kyle did not have one here- there was a small one at the far side of the platforms and hardly ever photographed- I felt that this structure needed to be included to give that Highland feel Until quite recently there were several of these still standing in various degrees of disrepair but their numbers are few now

The coal shelter as obligingly modelled by Ratio might seem out of place in a station such as this and I suppose it is to an extent but there were several of these buildings throughout Scotland with one of them being at Nairn which I passed by many times in the seventies during my student days and it always fascinated me with its run down appearance and general collection of debris around it There is still work to be done in this vein here The cattle dock roughly in the prototypical location can also be seen here- another source of traffic The largest vessel in the harbour is a Langley model of the West Highland ldquoPufferrdquo immortalised in the BBC Para Handy series which drew on the novels by Neil Munro of life in the coasting trade around the turn of the twentieth century These flat bottomed boats were the mainstay of island life for many years often beaching themselves in order to unload at places with no harbours It is a resin kit and can be bought as a full hull or waterline model and needs very little work done beyond painting

Then one of the skipper- Para Handy himself- A Preiser HO figure but it doesnrsquot look too small

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

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Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

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would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

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One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 38: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 38383838

The other fishing vessels are by Anchor Models of Skye and are currently unavailable but represent Scottish boats of the period Again resin and lost wax construction make for a robust model - Irsquom forever catching the masts with my sleeve and to date no real damage has happened First on view is the ldquoRivalrdquo a motor Fifie based on the earlier sailing type and was a common sight for a long time all round the Scottish

coasts The other larger vessel is a model of a ringnetter a type designed for longer further voyages than the Fifies and many of these bigger boats followed the herring shoals around the coasts of Britain Built c1950 onwards they lasted till the inshore fish ran out and the new generation of much larger boats began their

hoovering of the seas These earlier types are far more attractive to the eye although working on them was another matter The last model is a half decked sailing Fifie and dates originally from the 1860s although they were built for years after that Original power was a mixture of sail and oars and latterly many were motorised but I have this one as a sail boat- a bit out of time but it looks in keeping with its harbour companions

Kylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku ShedKylesku Shed

Like other parts of this terminus the shed area is based roughly on that at Kyle of Lochalsh and is recognisable as such but a bit extra has been added to incorporate available models and to give some extra storage capacity for the level of service I tend to operate Firstly a general view showing the layout

The shed is accessed from the running line as per KoL and runs to a turntable where the roads radiate backwards to the shed as the prototype but an extra two were added to serve a Stranraer type coaling stage as fitted by the LMS at Wick so I felt justified in having one at my Highland shed Letrsquos take a trip round the shed and see what is about Firstly two shots taken from the hill opposite the approach to the yard The turntable can be seen hewn from the solid rock and can be a tight fit- some of my visitors find turning difficult

Two of the usual inhabitants are around- these Black Fives are the mainstay of the services although other types do turn up These are Hornby models and had various tweaking to improve both looks and running but have been a blessing to LMS modellers everywhere

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 40404040

It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

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Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 39: Modelling Inspiration #1

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There are some crews about the shed putting the world to rights or perhaps discussing the state of their engines- some more varied motive power can be seen in some pictures A Caley 0-4-4T is usually the station pilot and is visible as is an Ivatt light 2-6-0 which is used on the Dornoch branch and is serviced here Geography is slightly different in this parallel world by the way as explaining this away in real terms is beyond me Another tank engine used on the branch is also on shed a GW 16xx and can also be seen sharing shunting duties at Kylesku when around An old coach is used as a mess shed and dormitory for overnight turns and an off-duty footplateman can just be spotted behind the coach

This whole shed site was done as an afterthought when I shifted the layout firstly because I thought I had no room to fit an engine shed (the previous set-up had a straight through arrangement and wouldnrsquot fit at all) and I was contemplating a squashed model of Dornoch to go roughly where the shed is but when I clicked that using a Kyle kickback layout for the track and found a small diameter turn table the whole thing fell into place and I am pleased with how it worked out It certainly has more operational and photographic potential than a branch terminus and made Kylesku far more of an entity than it was before

The Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound StationThe Mound Station

The Mound is a station on the old Highland Railway Far North line to Wick and Thurso and was the junction for the Dornoch Branch until it closed in 1960 and the last two Highland Railway engines worked their days out here- small 0-4-4-Ts The actual station is in the middle of nowhere but fortunately a lot of it remains the station building being a private home and the waiting room and a tin shed still stand while the platforms are kept clear of vegetation giving an impression of Brigadoon type waiting to spring into life again one day

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

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If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

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Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

Click here to visit our site

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

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Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

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BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

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Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

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Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

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Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 40: Modelling Inspiration #1

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It is set in beautiful surroundings with Loch Fleet on one side and mature trees providing a backdrop on the other It could have been designed with modellers in mind- fairly compact and on a curve with a road bridge at one end and disappearing into trees at the other It had only one platform handling main and branch traffic with a main loop that was to allow freight only to pass For many years a restaurant car was attached and removed here and in the 1900s a Pullman service was briefly provided for Dornochmdashscope for modellers licence here I think Latterly main line steam was the usual Black Fives but the branch had its share of visitors- a BR 78XXX Caley 0-4-4T and of course the GW 16XXpanniers that ended their days far from home The branch line also ran mixed trains with goods vehicles attached to passenger trains which adds to operational interest All in all a very good station to model It is unusual for the Highland in that the station building is built of brick and does not really tie in with any of the generic styles of the rest of the line which was built in fits and starts by several local companies but always operated by the HR The model is compact but it is a fairly faithful representation of the prototype and although the loop sidings and signal cabin have been moved to fit in the available space the buildings and signals are copies of the original My timescale is around the end of the branch era-c1960- but in this world steam didnrsquot contract and die I have modelled it in 4mm oo with the track being CampL and pointwork Peco Code 75 with all the plastic protrusions around the switch blade removed which tidies up the look of them no end Onto the model - a Black Five entering the station with a passenger train from the north

And looking the other way showing the signal cabin and the exchange sidings for the Dornoch branch

The GW 16xx pannier brings its single coach train in There is an inspection saloon resting in the siding where the restaurant car is usually stabled between trains and the branch service has just arrived so a connecting train must be due in soon This station is not the most heavily worked by any means but there is plenty operational scope for shunting and it is something different from the average Highland one and its compactness means that hopefully its character can be captured in a small area- something often difficult with other places Many HR stations sprawled over quite large areas land being plentiful and relatively cheap and many were built with over-optimistic ideas of their traffic potential

The real Mound Irsquoll start by showing some I took in 1990 on a site visit showing the station as it was then and still is today This view looks north with the main line to the left and the branch curving to the right

And looking south with the ramp from the main plat-form running down from the right

Now two shots of the unique station building A beau-tiful location but no habitation for miles around- it was a junction station only with minimal traffic

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

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To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

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Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 41: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 41414141

Highley Station is situated on the Severn Valley Railway roughly halfway between Bridgnorth and Bewdley Pleasant Shropshire countryside is not an area immediately associated with mining and quarrying but that is the reason for the development of the village

which sits some half a mile from the railway and some 300 feet higher up above the valley The railway came in 1862 and the Highley Mining Company in 1874 opened a new mine in the area shown at the top of the map on the opposite bank of the River Severn This has since become the Severn Valley Country Park after the mines closure in 1969 Traffic from the colliery and agricultural freight became the main reason for the existence of the railway The need for passenger services was limited with normally four services in each direction daily Closer to Highley Station is the site of Stanley Quarry which was rail-served from Highleys yard The connecting spur still exists crossing over Station Road the lane which leads down from the village The site of Stanley Quarry now forms the facility for storage and display of out of traffic stock in The Engine House which opened in 2007 Passenger traffic ceased in 1962 freight in 1969 The recently formed Severn Valley Railway Company then acquired ownership and prepared the line south of Hampton Loade with services resuming in 1974 The station is still very much as it has always been with the exception of the removal of a lattice work footbridge from the south end of the station in 1973 which was recognised as a costly renovation and ongoing cost that could be managed without Highley lacks the bustle normally found at Bridgnorth Bewdley and Kidderminster The station always seems quieter than the normal passing loop stations of Hampton Loade and Arley but in my opinion is all the better for it

Time your visit in when timetables C or D are in operation and the reward is still a quiet station with trains in alternating directions every 20 minutes or so Gala events bring more visitors but with the possibility of seeing services turned around at Highley and frequently the scene of freight operations also There is very limited parking at the station the alternative is to walk from the country park about 400m up the hill from the station where there is normally ample parking Access to the platform via the yard is over the barrow crossing so due caution is advised Once a train has arrived you will find you are unable to access the barrow crossing due to the fact that Highley Station platform at four coach lengths is shorter than the regular trains A track plan of the station is shown below as it is was before the replacement footbridge was installed in 2009 but far from being to scale it purely shows the general arrangement of lines and how this could then be adapted to modelling practicalities The platform length is roughly equivalent to four Mark1 coach lengths To the left of the plan is the line north to Hampton Loade and Bridgnorth to the right the line south to Arley and Kidderminster The line to Stanley Quarry is shown crossing Station Road to the right Selective compression of the sidings should mean that the plan is achievable in around 8 in 4mm scale Shortening the loops further but retaining the station length is possible obviously but substantial reduction would lose the flavour of this pleasant spot

Prototype inspiration - Highley Station

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

Click here to visit our site

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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Page 42: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 42424242

If you are wondering why the signal box looks so familiar it was also the basis of Ratios GWR box and gives a good idea of the various shades to replicate in the lower level brickwork The signal box was also produced in the Bachmann Scenecraft range for the SVR A wider view of the box below shows the loading gauge on the siding to the rear of the box

A Western Region TPO formed the visitor centre for Highley Station before the building of the Engine House A small crane on a brick built platform is used as a goods stage for the removal of goods from the wagons to adjacent storage or vehicles proving it is not essential to have a goods shed in a small station yard

A closer view of the stone built station is shown below with the majority of windows having an arched stone lintel above The doorways are set quite deeply into the walls The waiting room block below is a little more ornate on the platform frontage with its canopy and brackets The brick built gable end and chimneys show that some architectural continuity was respected despite economies of materials in other areas A small timber office is adjoined to the gable end

The Severn Valley Railway can be relied upon to give the stations the right atmosphere with a wealth of paraphernalia including this finger board train indicator A selection of boards lie vertically in the storage housing to the right of the picture with the appropriate board being pulled up into a horizontal position to indicate the stops for the next train

To the north of the waiting room building an ex-GWR horse box is pressed into use for storage The lurid tarpaulin may not be to many tastes though

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

Click here to visit our site

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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  3. Return to index
Page 43: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 43434343

To the south of the main station building an access gate to the properties lower down towards the river separates two small lamp huts from the unusual platform ending

Looking south towards Arley is the seemingly lightweight girder bridge over the lane It canrsquot be that insubstantial however with the capacity to support weighty Pacifics throughout the railwayrsquos 40+ years of preservation existence There is quite a pronounced hump to the bridge as the hillside banks of the Severn on this stretch of line are prone to slippage which has resulted in some severe speed restrictions over the years A roadside view of the bridge is shown at the head of next column The water tower at the south of the station sees limited use but there is still a brazier at the base to reduce the

chance of freezing and subsequent damage The home signal shown has quite a pronounced lean when viewed from the platform as have many of the signals and

telegraph poles due to the subsidence mentioned above The small cattle dock seems to be in an awkward place but at least it was distant from the passengers

The uneven nature of the track due to subsidence can be seen above also that the site is far from level with the right hand loop being some 12 higher most of the time than the platform road The signal and point rodding crosses the loops and station yard underground and emerges in the cavity seen in the platform face beneath the waiting room

Modelling the Severn Valley Railway in its preservation form can give a model full of variety with many of the railways key rolling stock items available in RTR formats from major manufacturers over the years Taking the project onwards many accessories are available to recreate a classic small station in detail Add in the diesel galas and you could probably justify a wider range of stock using this as a basis than many other scenarios

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

Click here to visit our site

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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  3. Return to index
Page 44: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 44444444

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

Click here to visit our site

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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  3. Return to index
Page 45: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 45454545

Win a Dapol Class 121 lsquoNrsquo gauge Bubble car

Dapol will soon be releasing an excellent model of the Pressed Steel Class 121 The real single car DMUs were predominantly found around Western Region branches from West London to Cornwall with limited usage on parts of the London Midland Region The winner could be the first person to have one of these beauties in their hands as this is a review sample in BR blue numbered W55024 which was shipped ahead of main deliveries to retailers To stand a chance of winning the prize you donrsquot even have to do any modelling but we do want to see some inspiration and creativity On Page 48 we show you how to take pin-sharp images like the one above and wersquore looking for the best image submitted using the lsquostackingrsquo technique Get your camera out and have a play with your layout or an item of rolling stock and email your entry to informwebcouk with lsquoDapol 121rsquo in the subject line by the 21st October the winner will be decided by (Irsquod like to say a panel of experts but Irsquoll have to do) me and the winning entry will be illustrated in the next issue of Modelling Inspiration Good luck

Precision track design for

model railways

Make your handbuilt trackwork flow as it should

Standard Licence - only pound4650

User guides amp tutorials plus support forum to help you get the most from Templot

Click here to visit our site

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
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  3. Return to index
Page 46: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 46464646

Questions periodically arise on sleeper spacing rail and sleeper painting in addition to ballasting At a couple of recent demos I was playing with a short plank and talking folk through some of the materials used Peco track is the staple diet of modellers moving on from train set track A basic limitation of the prototypical accuracy of the track is obviously the fact that it is OO gauge and any acceptance of it as it comes or to what it can be altered to is always a question of compromise Improvements can be made that take the basic product beyond the common lay and ballast approach

The first step is to turn the track over and cut away the plastic webbing between all of the sleepers A sharp craft knife will suffice but dont go too heavy handed as too much pressure will cause the sleeper to spring away where the narrow clasp of the chairs grip the base of the rail The sleeper spacing is then widened to a more acceptable compromise of around 75mm centre to centre PH Designs produce a useful tool if you have a lot of track to do the whole length of track to be used has the sleeper web cut away and spaced using the tool

I fix the track using latex based adhesive (eg Copydex) or a thin line of PVA glue beneath each sleeper The track is then laid and positioned It will be necessary to use the sleeper spacing tool to tidy up any movement in the individual sleepers which will inevitably happen during handling gluing and laying This makes a significant difference to the appearance making the track look lighter weight

Once the track is laid and tidied I use Tan Plastikote Suede Touch spray paint to give a base coat onto the plastic sleepers and nickel silver rails

After the base coat is dry each sleeper is painted with a mix of acrylic paints in this case a mix of Tamiya Flat

Earth (XF-52) Buff (XF-57) and Light Grey (XF-66) Before steaming ahead in painting the sleepers take some photos showing the actual track you wish to model you should ideally do this in different weathers and observe the difference in appearance in dry sunny cloudy and wet weather conditions The colour that you then choose will at least have some foundation in fact rather than just a guesstimate and it will then be appropriate to the area and conditions you are modelling In this case the sleepers are intended to look dry and sun-bleached with some time having passed since any treatment was used

The same research criterion is relevant to the colour of the rail sides and chairs The colour will vary with traffic types and volumes and the ambient light A little-used track in sunny conditions will look rusty orange whereas a busy track seen in dreary light on a wet day may look a very dark grey In this case I use a mix of Tamiya acrylics Nato Brown (XF-68) and Nato Black (XF-69) to taste and with tones varying slightly on different lengths of rail Once the final colours have dried and all of the track is laid its time to consider ballasting Rewinding to the research really look at the type of ballast thats there The chances are the actual chippings will be smaller than the size of most of the ballast sold If the grains in your model ballast are over 1mm in length that means each stone

Improving the appearance of Peco Code 75 flexible track

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
  2. Next page
  3. Return to index
Page 47: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 47474747

would be 3 Were they really that big The easy solution is to then use finer ballast intended for the 2mm modeller Rewind again and look at the colour of the real ballast Is it uniform in colour What colour is it Take care to select something that looks right for your model In this case Ive used Green Scenes GS408 ballast which has fine grains (intended for 2mm) and a nice variation in colours (light grey in this case) There are tools that make the job of laying ballast quickly easier but I find something very therapeutic in laying the ballast I like it to sit a little below the level of the sleeper and rail to preserve the lightness obtained earlier on with the removal of the sleeper webbing Along the side of the laid track Ill lay some masking tape to achieve a tidy straight line at the edge or cess The ballast is gently spread between the sleepers with a brush and tamped down with a fingertip Ballast is laid along the edge of the track and gently brushed into the spaces between the sleeper ends Running a fingertip over the sleeper ends moves loose ballast grains into position forming a gentle slope down to the edge of the masking tape Run your finger along the masking tape to remove loose ballast and tidy the edge The loose ballast is then fixed in place with a 21 mix of Johnsons Klear or Pledge floor wax and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) with a few drops of detergent The picture is that of the new formulation which is readily available at supermarkets (I keep the old Klear for other more important varnishing)

The mixture is then sprayed on with a cheap plastic bottle spray or perfume atomizer these are available from Boots for pound165 Give the ballast a good soaking so the varnish can penetrate and adhere to the ballast granules through to the board As this product is intended to form a shiny coat on hard floors there will be a sheen on the track which can be dulled down with a matt spray varnish

Once the ballast has set (normally overnight) I remove the paint on the top surface of the rail with a fine razor blade the paint peels away leaving the clean rail head behind Its worth checking that no ballast granules have moved and stuck to the sides of the rails they wouldnt stick there in the real world so well try to make sure that is reflected The cess at the side of the track in this case is treated with a painting of Tamiya Acrylic Flat Earth (XF-52) with a sprinkling of Treemendus Earth Powder on top The end product looks better for the time and attention given to it This article isnt intended to be prescriptive but to get modellers at a certain stage to think a little more about the track appearance

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
  2. Next page
  3. Return to index
Page 48: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 48484848

Having bought a Flangeway Mermaid and being pleased overall that it has a lot of positives the big negative for me was the solid panel on top of the chassis which detracted from the fineness of the rest of the model Given the price at pound1595 Id have expected something a little more but having looked at it I felt comfortable that something could be done to improve it Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 Step 1 - Separate the wagon body from the supporting frame maybe it should unclip but I could see glue residue down there so I slide a scalpel beneath the body

Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 Step 2 - Separate the tipping frame from the weighted chassis again there was evidence of clips beneath but it didnt want to budge and I reverted to the scalpel

The tipping frame is clipped to the chassis with two awkward clips on each side placing pressure on these from inside moves them out sufficiently to remove the tipping frame from the chassis

Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 Step 3 - Remove the weight from the chassis by drilling through the melted plastic peg in each corner of the weight

Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 Step 4 - Replace the tipping frame onto the chassis At this point I had intended to build up the chassis frame with plastic strip but given that it will be relatively obscured most of the time and looking at a skeleton chassis on Paul Bartletts site I thought Id leave it at that

Once the wagon body is replaced I think the result is reasonable and certainly an improvement The body and chains will be fixed back on after the wagon is weathered The wagon will obviously need that weight that was removed in this case it was cut down by 5mm off the length and placed inside the wagon and with additional weight hidden beneath the wagons load

A dry mix of ballast was placed in the weighted load area of the Mermaid Johnsonrsquos Klear was given isopropyl alcohol and a blob of washing up liquid as additives and sprayed straight onto the dry mix It soaked in like a dream with virtually no disturbance of the dry ballast A few hours later its rock hard Any slight sheen is taken off with subsequent matt spray varnishing

Improving RTRmdashFlangeway Mermaid

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

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Page 49: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 49494949

BR introduced a revised design of Presflo for ICI Salt These had a pair of silos instead of just one and could be distinguished by duplication of the discharge pipes and valves and a different bottom to the hopper One batch of twenty was built within lot 3029 (a batch of 100 wagons) No separate diagram was issued and at some time during the 1960s they transferred to other traffic powder A conversion of Bachmannrsquos excellent Presflo wagon is thus explained

The starting point was the Crown Cement liveried Presflo with the correct buffer types shown left and the adapted wagon on the right in the above image The principal difference to the twin silo version is just that twin silos

with separate feeds at top and bottom After dismantling the wagon the hopper bottom was removed with a saw and a replacement with twin discharges was knocked up from 160gsm card

Although the wagon runs fine I decided to add some cheap weights from the change tray whilst the top was off The replacement piping was formed from 0020inch round brass rod the handrails from Alan Gibson 45mm wire the small valve knobs from plastic rod cutoffs one larger valve handle was temporarily removed from another Presflo until I find a handle that better matches that in the prototype images and lastly brass offcuts for the notice panels

When considering the job I thought Id have to use two wagons to generate enough bits but other than the valve wheel it was achieved from what happened to be lying around Cheap job takes about an hour The wagon was completed by formulating a greenish blue acrylic paint Modelmasters produce a transfer sheet specifically for these comparatively rare wagons With thanks to Paul Bartlettrsquos reference page - httppaulbartlettzenfoliocompresfloslate

Butcherrsquos Shop - Twin-silo Presflo

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
  2. Next page
  3. Return to index
Page 50: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 50505050

Occasionally wersquore fortunate enough to see content on RMweb that weaves a story or sense of time and place around a model Doing so expands the readersrsquo minds beyond what they simply see and read and helps place the reader within a developing tale Too many models try and tell a short story within a cameo and fall into the trap of portraying a prototypically unusual clicheacute Real life is about the mundane and everyday and seeing into the life of a model makes it far less ordinary as a result of portraying ordinariness Our online medium makes it possible to do this in a way that really talks to those prepared to listen it would take a rare brand of story-teller to do this over an exhibition barrier without unsettling or distracting the layoutrsquos viewer Whatrsquos refreshing about this absorption is that rulers reality and rivets are totally unimportant our minds fill in those details in the same way as we do in reading enthralling literature Those who end up disappointed in the film of a book have frequently woven something around the story very different from the directorrsquos vision Take a look at this advert cut from a 1920s newspaper it tells me of an age of aspiration class division and a life of leisure far from the gritty reality of the working railway It does however form part of a small story of growth in the railway network as told within SouthernboySouthernboySouthernboySouthernboyrsquos lsquoFranklandrsquo

and its portrayal of the expansion of railways with suburbia in Art Deco world Me I could even hear the music before I played this video

Frankland is certainly a railway I would travel a long way to see as and when it nears completion Model railways donrsquot have to be big clever or technical to be interesting Maybe they have to be different to catch our eye in an age where itrsquos ever easier to be competent The modellers featured on this page are potentially taking us in a direction where through modern technology we can be immersed into the context of a model in a way that pure scale diligence cannot In this way I see a bright future in how modellers can potentially communicate far more than words and pictures can ever do Mikkelrsquos lsquoFarthingrsquo layouts are a collection of working dioramas that will build into a whole over time but already they have the capacity to engage readers in a way that mile after mile of track or a detailed MPD will struggle to achieve in an information hungry mindset Clever angles and viewpoints the style of images and film from different ages and complementary music take us within a model and immerse us to the point that Mikkel

puts us the viewer precisely where (and when) he wants us to view the model from This is clever stuff and if it is a future of modelling I am happy

Sixty years of history which stops just short of Neil Amstrongrsquos famous words ldquo Thats one small step for a man one giant leap for (modellers)rdquo Irsquoll throw down a challenge here and see who can take this concept and portray their existing layout in a way that immerses us in that time and place Please do get in touch with links to any such content so I can make sure it gets featured in a future edition

Telling taleshellip

Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served Stationmaster AWoodcourt served the GWRthe GWRthe GWRthe GWR for 27 years Farthing was his last post Throughout his career with the company he was known as a disciplined meticulous but also somewhat cautious man It therefore came as a surprise to many when the day after his retirement he with-drew his entire savings from the bank boarded a ship for Brazil and disappeared into the Amazon jungle

Follow Southernboyrsquos latest here

Follow Mikkelrsquos latest here

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
  2. Next page
  3. Return to index
Page 51: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 51515151

One of the key foundations at the start of RMweb over six years ago was the integrated capability to upload images to the site for inclusion within discussions and narrative This fact and the mix of contributors were the prime reasons for the rapid growth of the site Imagery is immensely important in communicating to the reader about layouts and projects Our hobby relies on producing tangible and visible output and the medium to display that to others is via images in addition to explanatory text It would be a hard task to undertake to improve contributorsrsquo narrative but I think itrsquos possible to improve the average standard of images used on the site This article is aimed very much at modellers who want to learn to improve their pictures Photography is a wonderful and wide subject for many but our use of the skills within the context of modelling and railways is a very narrow channel of interest We are fortunate in having competent and professional photographers in our midst who create jaw-dropping images and it is that inspiration we can choose to learn from and improve our portrayal of our work

Unless there is anything unique or essential within an image it doesnrsquot do the contributor or reader any favours in displaying a poorly lit out of focus or poorly composed illustration of their hard work The digital revolution in cameras that has changed photography largely over the last ten years is a blessing and a curse The blessing comes in post camera acquisition costs in that the number of pictures we take at any one time is largely irrelevant we can just fire away without worrying how many shots are left on the roll to plan against how many more shots wersquore likely to need that day Our results are near instantaneous too with the ability to review the image taken giving the golden opportunity to potentially take a better shot to replace the duds We no longer need a darkroom to have control of the images quality after shooting and nor do we need to wait for the chemist to lose our snaps Our curse comes from the simplicity of taking point and shoot shots without considering the basics of photography The manufacturers of mass market cameras extol the virtues of simplicity rather than complexity to appeal to the majority of buyers who seek effortless satisfaction As it is so easy to fire off basic photos we generally think less about the factors that determine whether a picture is good bad or mostly indifferent After a decade of mass market digital cameras we now have a generation who havenrsquot had to think about the basics and that is where we shall start The basicsThe basicsThe basicsThe basics Film and digital cameras on a basic level need the same ingredients to produce a good image image quality light and interest Those three factors can be controlled considered and composed so wersquoll look at how to make the best of them in the context of model photography The following works on the basis that your camera is one that isnrsquot just point and shoot with no control over anything at all The good news is though you donrsquot need to splash out on a new expensive camera to make some improvements

Image qualityImage qualityImage qualityImage quality Donrsquot move Taking still pictures of moving models will almost certainly result in failure Stop the model world and give yourself a chance of success The only real exception to this is when taking dynamic or panning images to illustrate movement within a still frame

Put the camera down Down on something solid I mean be it a tripod the layout or some other support Hand-holding the camera for the sort of images we want to get to is pretty much a no-no Donrsquot get sucked into anything expensive simple mini tripods cost a few quid on eBay and the like use some polystyrene beads in a polythene sandwich bag as a bean bag or an offcut of an anti-slip mat from the car boot

Hands off the camera Using the shutter button will cause fractional movement at very least to the camera which will lead to blurring or even affect whatrsquos in the shot Many cameras have self-timers learn how to use that feature on your camera and yoursquoll get an instant improvement

What is ISO ISO isnrsquot really a photography term as it stands for International Organisation of Standards which apply standards for all manner of things In this case it referred to how much films reacted to light and standardised film speeds Many digital cameras will have the capability to change the ISO setting within the camera although its technical definition is now largely defunct The lower the ISO number the sharper the detail will be High ISO settings are useful for low-light and fast moving situations the latter as previously explained is not something we want to do before we can master the basics

Itrsquos important to stay focussed Virtually all compact cameras will autofocus on what it believes the main subject to be as part of their drive for ease of use Sometimes they struggle to do this in poor light when they canrsquot define edges of objects particularly well Some cameras will allow you to select different parts of the display as the focal point find out what yours can do and think how that can be used

Model Railway Photography Basics and Beyond

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
  2. Next page
  3. Return to index
Page 52: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 52525252

Up close and personal Wersquoll need to get in close to our miniature world to capture detail but lenses can often only focus down to certain distances Compact cameras often have a macro setting which means that the camera and lens will focus on things which are much closer See if your camera has this capability and practice using it In summary donrsquot take pictures of moving trains fix the position of your camera select the lowest ISO setting possible and use the self-timer LightLightLightLight Flashing is an offence In model photography we need to work with the light that is available or which can be provided Using a camerarsquos inbuilt flash is rarely compatible with taking close up shots as it will bleach out the foreground with too much light whilst leaving the furthest parts in darkness as the flash doesnrsquot light that far Most digital cameras will allow you to turn off the flash find out how to do it Yoursquoll also be more popular at exhibitions if you find out how to turn it off

Where do I find this lsquolightrsquo stuff The best quality light for making models look like the real thing is outdoors it comes in all sorts of brightness and colours but I appreciate that not all of us can take the layout outside so wersquoll have to make use of whatrsquos around

Comes in different colours Our eyes readily adjust to the intensity and tone of light and with our brains compensate for the variations cameras struggle to do this as they see the intensity and tone as it is Different forms of lighting will give different colour casts to pictures the old domestic incandescent light bulb will give an orange bias to a picture fluorescent lighting will give a blue-green tone Some cameras will try to compensate for this with varying degrees of success Find out if you can adjust the white balance or change the settings for differing light types on your camera White balancing means you can lsquotellrsquo your camera what is white and it will compensate the other colours Look at your model through the display and see how it changes the colours and find out which looks most natural

Where is the light coming from The best way to look at the impact of the light is to look through the viewfinder or display to see what the camera sees Can you move the model or the light source so it is better lit You donrsquot need anything fancy even a hand-held lamp can help you see the difference the position of light can make If you have any form of lamp with a daylight bulb then try this

Eyes wide shut A camera lens is like the pupil in your eyes in dim light the pupil will dilate to capture as much light as it can and will contract when faced with bright light In the context of your camera when the lens aperture

is wide open it will struggle to keep much of your chosen subject matter in focus when the aperture is a smaller opening more of your picture will be in focus Traditional cameras relied upon the ability to change the size to which the lens is open (via shutters around the perimeter of the interior of the lens) to improve the amount of the picture that was in focus (depth-of-field) The quantification of this opening was referred to as f-stops the lower the number the poorer the depth-of-field Although our eyes only have an incredibly short depth of field we can re-focus them to objects far and near within hundredths of a second which makes us perceive that more of the world is in focus at any one time than our eyes can actually achieve Therefore we look at a two dimensional image on a screen or page and perceive it to be more realistic if itrsquos virtually all in focus Your compact camera may allow you to choose whatrsquos known as lsquoaperture priorityrsquo this will mean you can get more of your picture in focus If your camera allows you to set the aperture with f-stops aim for the highest number you can with your camera f8 is better than f28 Think of it this way your camera will pick one point to focus on the narrower the aperture the more will be in focus in front of and behind that focal point

A little later we will go massively beyond this but itrsquos important to understand and be comfortable with the above before moving on

Speed isnrsquot everything Model photography is the complete opposite of taking photos of the real railway with moving trains where a fast shutter speed is necessary to freeze the world in sharp detail If wersquove got all of the basics right in the preceding paragraphs the speed is irrelevant but to achieve the greatest depth of field the shutter speed needs to be as long as is needed which is the main reason for making sure your camera stays absolutely still In summary turn the flash off find out how to make best use of the light available use the smallest aperture you can and a slow speed InterestInterestInterestInterest Although what may be considered interesting is subjective itrsquos worth taking time to think whether the image communicates anything that will interest the potential audience In modelling terms a snap of a Bachmann 66 which has just been taken out of a box and placed on a piece of set-track without anything being done is not interesting to the majority of people It just tells us that the photographer owns it a fact which is pretty irrelevant to everyone else in the world Now if that same modeller carries out a modification or weathers the model and wants to show it they are then illustrating their skills for approval or further advice For that to work the photo needs to be of sufficiently good quality to show what has been achieved If it isnrsquot therersquos just no point I suppose we could consider that to be the technical side of illustrating something if we want to show our wider skills in whole layouts for example it is worth considering the composition of images Look at the scene through your camerarsquos display can you see everything you want to show and can you exclude what you donrsquot want to be seen

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
  2. Next page
  3. Return to index
Page 53: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 53535353

Solely using shots from 3 foot away and 3 foot above layouts was a staple diet of most layout articles within the hobby for years (they were easy to take) they may be fine as a general illustration to show the overall layout but it doesnrsquot place the viewer in a position he can identify with if he were part of that world Sadly few of us can afford to look at the real railway from a helicopter passing viewpoints at 250rsquo Thankfully the last decade has seen more imagination in imagery Placing the camera into the viewpoints found within layouts can give more of a feel for the railway environment from a more familiar perspective Compact cameras are a lot more practical in this context than a huge digital SLR camera Obviously you canrsquot just go plonking your camera down at track level on someone elsersquos layout unless they agree so itrsquos worth practicing how to use your camera on your own layout (or even workbench with objects) in that position using all of the techniques previously mentioned so that you can get comfortable in doing so for when chances arise I find model photography a fascinating off-shoot from the hobby which helps complement the attention to detail shown by skilled modellers and the thought they put into constructing that small world You could be the best modeller in the world but unless you can get good photographs of your work no-one would ever know

Click here to enter the forum to ask any questions relating to this article or submit your own images for ad-vice in correcting basic problems

Get greater depth of field in your photos - for free Taking photos of the real thing will generally give a greater depth of field than a photo taken of a model Greater depth of field in an image of a model makes us perceive it as being more realistic The limitations of the camera have been discussed but this can be overcome through the use of rsquostackingrsquo software which is used to blend several images with different focal points together Yoursquoll need to take a set of images to work with

bull Keep the exposure constant ideally through manually setting the shutter speed and aperture on the camera

bull Keep the camerarsquos position fixed the technique will not work if the camera is moved relative to the subject

bull Focus on a range of points from the nearest point you want in focus through to the farthest

You will of course need some software to perform its magic I have used a product called CombineZP for several years which is available free of charge which was primarily designed for macro and microscopic photography where the depth of field is even more limited than our field of interest The same functionality is available in Adobe Photoshop and Helicon Focus (which has a free 30-day trial) CombineZP takes longer to perform the calculations but appears to balance and sharpen the images as part of its processing

When you have installed and launched the software there is a

menu bar at the top of the screen Click on lsquoNewrsquo and you will be prompted to select the images you wish to lsquostackrsquo The software will open a pop-up box which shows the images being loaded When this is complete use the drop down menu to the right of the lsquoNewrsquo button to select lsquoAlign and Balance Used Frames (Through)rsquo The pop-up box will then show you that the software is slightly re-aligning the images as there will be a few pixels movement no matter how careful you were to keep the camera still When this is complete the main window will re-open showing the first image in the stack Head for the drop down menu and select lsquoAll Methodsrsquo and go and make a cup of tea whilst CombineZP carries out its calculations When complete the main window will open up again hopefully with an image where the main subject matter is pin-sharp If it works first time yoursquore lucky as it may need a little practice and the following may help

bull If there are blurred areas between in-focus areas you didnrsquot capture an image in your range that was in focus there

bull If there are areas of aberration the camera may well have moved more than the software can compensate for

bull Combine ZP creates a larger canvas and mirrors the edge of the image This is used as spare ground in the alignment process and can be cropped out

If you are happy with your image you can click on the lsquoSaversquo button The main images in the Bradfield (Gloucester Square) article the Dapol 121 competition page and Jon Grantrsquos lsquoPicture of the monthrsquo on the last page of this edition of MI were created using this technique Give it a go yourself itrsquos very rewarding when it woks well and you also stand a chance of winning the Dapol 121 on Page 42

Download CombineZP here httpwwwhadleywebpwpblueyondercoukCZPfileshtm

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
  2. Next page
  3. Return to index
Page 54: Modelling Inspiration #1

Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page Modelling Inspiration October 2011 Page 54545454

Modelling Inspiration

Jon Grant - Sweethome Alabama

Pic pick

  1. Previous page
  2. Next page
  3. Return to index