Is DAS OK?

I managed to spend a few hours working on the layout this weekend and started by adding more DAS modelling clay for the base of the Cornish Hedges that border the Wharf sidings. This led onto thinking about how to represent the lane that crosses the track and I then plucked up courage to start laying down the hard standing around the Wharf sidings again using DAS.

After trialling a couple of solutions I've decided to follow Gordon Gravett's technique for the lane. This is using plasticard for the base, painted with gloss enamel paint followed by a sprinkling of Talcum Powder.

 So far I've only installed the plasticard base and may run a few more tests to find the best combination of paint colour and amount of Talcum Powder to use.

I've also spent a little time mulling over the position of two large trees. One feature of this line is that there are a number of large trees that were allowed to grow very close to the track. I want to add this feature to the layout. The problem I face is positioning the trees without them getting in the way of uncoupling wagons when using three link couplings. The two skeleton trees in the photo have been temporarlity positioned in what I think is the best position. I'll make the final decision after a few running sessions and once I've added more scenic detail.

There's still much to do to get the picture right but I feel like I've made some good progress.

Progress on the Barn

I've been using the following photograph as a colour guide for the stone work on the barn. It was taken a few years ago when I was in Cornwall and shows the wall opposite the cottage next to the old track bed at Helland Bridge.

My interpretation below...

After my attempts at representing weathered wood on wagons, I felt I could attempt the barn doors. A different combination of colours was used than those applied to the wagons. This time I started off with a light grey base coat then built up the colours by dry brushing dark grey, followed by Lifecolor's Dark Shade and a few strokes of Bestial Brown.

There is still the roof to get to grips with, along with a little more weathering and tidying up of the rendered walls. I'd also like to add some moss to the roof but at the moment not sure how best to do this?

Weathered wood (Part 3)

With the repainting of the 7 plank progressing more to the warm dark shades of browns, I thought I'd try a different approach with the Bachmann 5 plank wagon. Below is the start of the process...

On this wagon I thougth I'd start with a light base coat so applied Lifecolor's Cool Base. You can see on the right od the wagon the start of dry brushing some light grey over the base coat to try to acheive a sun bleached effect. Unfortunately after further dry brushing of a darker grey, along with good old Bestial Brown from Citadel followed by a few strokes of Lifecolor's Dark Shade the result is again not totally what I'm after.

Further work is required on the internal woodwork of the above Bachmann wagon and I've only worked on one external side. Not sure if I have the courage to apply some light stokes of a silvery grey over the wagons current state but I think that is what it needs...

Below is a further photo of the current state of the revamped 7 plank. I think this one will eventually need more black (coal dust) washed over the sides as I'm not really happy with the way it's turning out.

Both wagons require numbering, then once I've added the brake gear, axles boxes and springs to the 7 plank, some delicate weathering will be applied to the sides and running gear.

Well... I'm still not quite achieving the results I'm after with these wagons but nonetheless I am enjoying the process.

Weathered Wood (Part 2)

Well the attempt at creating a bare wood effect on the old wagon is going OK but I'm still ending up with warm browns not the more washed-out effect I'm really after.

I'd recently purchased a set of Lifecolor's Weathered Wood acrylic paint. On the face of it this set contains some vibrant colours so I did wonder what all the fuss is about from good reviews. To find out I thought I'd trial the colours on this wagon.

I started off applying the UA714 Warm Base Color with a small brush to try and get an uneven coating. Next using the same technique, the UA715 Warm Light Shade was applied, followed by the UA716 Warm Light Shade 2. All seemed to be going well although the result was too bright for my liking. It was toned down after applying, again with a small brush with thin strokes the UA713 Warm Dark Shade which allowed some of the underneath colours to show through. I then tried to apply highlights using UA718 Cold Light Shade with an almost dry brush. To finish, a very thin coat of black was washed over the wagon to pick out the plank edges. For the moment the Iron Work has only had a coating of Chaos Black. Tomorrow I'll be weathering the iron work, also trying to pick out the bolt heads, and tidy up the plank edges.

Overall the result is not too bad, once finished it might pass muster and appear on Tredethy Wharf. Still room for improvement though especially as it has not given me the effect I'm trying to achieve.

Weathered wood (Part 1)

A few years ago (blimey it was in 2011) I built a 7 plank private open wagon and tried to paint it to represent bare weathered wood. Though I liked the outcome at the time, on reflection, I feel I'm a little off the mark...I now think my attempt was a tad too yellow. It needs to be a little more silvery-grey with subtle light grey-brown tones along with hints of yellowy warmth. With the doors on the barn for Tredethy Wharf requiring similar effects, I though I'd return to some wagons to trial weathered wood painting techniques

I'm going to use the following three articles off the web along with Craig Welsh's article in MRJ 200 as examples.

Craig Welsh rmweb blog
http://thief.washboardabs.net/textures/wood/ 

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/weathered_wood/
(If you explore the last link you should find some nice techniques for wooden effects when startng out with a blank piece of white plasticard).

So, to start this little project off, I dug out a very old, part built, wagon which, I believe, is an Ian Kirk kit.

On the left: 7 plank built in 2011: On the right: old 7 plank kit to be used as a test

In the picture above is the aforementioned 7 plank wagon on the left, on the right is the very old kit with a poor attempt at representing bare wood. We all must have some items that have been put away in disgust at our attempt to create an effective model and this one must have been languishing in a drawer for over 20 years. Behind the two 7 planks is a Bachmann 5 plank wagon that is also up for a bit of a repaint

More to follow...

The clock is ticking

Only 208 modelling evenings before the Lincoln Show. This should be plenty but I'm starting to panic a little.

At the beginning of June I started with the best intention to really crack on with Tredethy. Unfortunately it's not turned out that way, a new pastime has grabbed my attention more than I expected. I'm now planning my days differently in the hope that I can claw back some lost time.

So during Sunday and early this morning I put in a few hours in the "Man Cave". I've solved a few issues with the track where there had been some random derailments as well as continuing the construction of the farm cottage and barn.

I think somewhere in a previous post I'd explained that for many years, after a failed attempt at scratch building Bodmin General's Weighbridge Office, I've been carrying a mental block about constructing buildings. So to get me started on the two I need for Tredethy, I chose two Wills kits. I'm building the cottage as a mirror image to the instructions that comes with the kit. This should enable it to fit well in its location on the layout. As for the barn, out of the box, its style is not very Cornish. When standing back and having a re-think I thought I could make a few minor alterations to suit its location on the layout. I moved the small door from the back to the side of the barn, along with replacing the timber walls with render and making the barn taller. I'm hopeful that his should bring it closer to what might be seen in Cornwall

Apart from the above, I'm only at the very early stages of constructing another rake of 8 clay wagons.

There is still much to do and the pressure is mounting...