Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building part eleven

The low relief warehouse has now been fully integrated into the layout with the groundwork painted with 'tester pots' mixed up for me by my local DIY store with the first layers of static grass and ground foam added over PVA glue.

I have started to add the items of clutter - wooden barrels old drums and odd bits of greenery. There are still some additional items I want to add before I call it done (well as done or finished as any model railway layout can be).

You can also see the painted sign - G.J.H and Sons Ltd. The bare sign was designed in WORD, printed on to plain paper and then painted with acrylic paints before being glued in place with Pritt paper glue. The name is the initials of my son and the Sons are my grandsons Finley and Charlie. A family affair.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building part ten

The warehouse was mounted on to a piece of 5mm thick under floor insulation to raise it up to the correct height. I used a mixture of PVA and superglue to keep everything in place and give a good strong join.

Then DAS modelling clay was used to model the groundwork. Once again the DAS was laid over PVA glue. When everything had fully set I added the rusted air tank to the side. This was built from a simple cardboard tube wrapped in plastic card and with a deodorant roll-on ball for the top. It was painted in browns and orange acrylic paints and when fully dry brushed with some rust powders.

The low relief warehouse was mounted to the small Inglenook layout base with the help of some scrap wood which I held in place while the glue dried, this meant that it was 'square' with the MDF layout facia.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building part nine

The windows came from a HO-OO plastic building kit that I purchased second-hand some time ago (see below). I had six large windows that were first cut from the kit walls then trimmed with plastic card and glued in place with superglue.

I still have the smaller, end wall windows and green coloured doors for future projects.

The final image this post shows the nearly completed low relief warehouse on the Cold Comfort Lane layout but still to be glued in place and bedded-in.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building part eight

More detail painting following the original plan and Kidderminster building inspiration. The doors have now been finished with metal bars and the main sign painted green, both doors and sign have been 'aged'. I have also added damp stains to the lower walls this was done with washes.

The roof has been painted as asbestos sheeting with earth coloured ageing and even some bird droppings on the very apex.

The next stage will be to add the windows and I would expect this to be done soon.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building part seven

I have started the detail painting. The concrete plinths above the doors and windows have been painted in a muted grey/cream colour. I have tried to add some variation in the colour as seen on the original inspiration. The doors and large wooden support above them has been painted in a utilitarian green colour which was highlighted to show some worn woodwork.

For larger images, please click on the image.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building part six

I have used a couple of techniques to paint the brickwork, first I 'sponged on' a pale orange to the whole surface, then drybrushed certain areas with a deeper orange/brown colour and then picked out individual bricks in a wide range of brick coloured acrylic paints. I have used orange, yellow, brown, black and white acrylic colours to add variety to the brickwork.

I have used  a number of different brushes to achieve this effect and a mucky grey wash (dirty water) helped to bring everything together.

The brickwork took most of the day to complete but far from being boring I found it therapeutic.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building part five

The building was basecoated with a dark grey acrylic paint to which I have added some ModPodge matt medium.

 

I find that this helps with both sealing the foam and bringing all the various material together ready for painting.

The first real colour was a dull putty colour or dirty cream which will be the basis of the mortar, the gaps between the bricks as well as acting as a base for the orange/red brick colours.

The next step will be the painting the bricks. Please check back for further updates very soon.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building part four

With the construction of the walls finished it was on to the roof. I had some railway wagon siding or contoured plastic card profiles in my collection and cut this to length before gluing the panels in place with superglue. Once in place I trimmed the panels to size and later added more 3mm thick plastic card to the apex. The large sign was also constructed from plastic card.

Any gaps or missing detail on the roof/sign joins were either filled with DAS modelling clay or the joins were trimmed with lengths of tape which was sealed with superglue. I cut small squares of plastic card to act as fasteners for the roof panels and these were glued in place with liquid cement.

The final image for this post shows the low relief warehouse in place on the layout (Note - not glued in place). My next posts will give details of how I painted the building, but for now you can start to see how the building will fit in or on to the layout.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building part three

With the brickwork done (see earlier post) it was on to adding detail. I have used a number of different materials to decorate the warehouse such as plastic card and balsawood then watered-down ready mixed filler and acrylic paste to add additional texture and cover up any gaps particularly to the left where the insulation foam on the side meets the front.

Ideally I would have liked to have set the doors back a bit more but as this is a low relief building I can live with it.

As you can see I have tried to copy the design seen in earlier posts as closely as possible.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building part two

The cardboard 'core' has been clad with insulating foam, the sort used as underlay for laminate flooring. The foam has been glued in place with a mix of PVA and superglue. Once fully set, I have trimmed the foam to fit the core and then lightly sanded the edges to make them flush.

The next job was to cut out the windows and door (see previous post) and then start the laborious task of adding the brick texture.

Each scale brick was 8mm x 2,5mm and first had the horizontal cuts made with a scalpel guided with a steel ruler the individual bricks were cut with a scalpel and then later opened up with a sharp pencil. This process took most of the day, but as I was watching/listening to the tennis the time went quickly.

The roof was clad with thinner card and glued in place with the PVA and superglue mix.

The next post will show how I have started to add detail to this low profile building.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - Low Relief Building

It's been a while since I have posted any progress on this layout. In truth 'other projects' have taken priority but all that changed this week.

If you check back on earlier Blog posts you will see that the area to the rear, right has not been detailed. This is because my plan from the start was to include a low relief building, a factory or workshop. The image above was inspired by a derelict building seen in Kidderminster. The drawing is my scale plan and the cardboard 'core' below is the start of this series of Blog posts..

I have used materials that I had on-hand - a real mismatch of scraps I had in my shed, corrugated cardboard, foamboard with 4mm and 6mm thick plastic card (ex- advertising signs picked up for free). I have used both superglue and my hot glue gun to hold everything together.

The core is 290mm long x 70mm deep x 215mm tall.

The final image shows the building 'core' with one of the scratch built wagons (that have featured in earlier posts) shown for scale.

Expect updated soon.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - 1/35th scale narrow gauge layout - flocking and ground cover

For anyone not familiar with this project - you can see just how small the overall layout is at just 44 inches x 23 inches. Over the last week I have been flocking and adding ground cover texture to the major parts of the layout and now, with the exception of the back right (which will house a building or warehouse) the flocking is done. I have used a wide variety of different materials from home made ground foam, hanging basket liners and static grass mixed with ground foam. All of the flocking materials have been applied over a PVA Mod Podge mix with hairspray layers over the top. The materials have been fixed in place with a diluted mix of PVA and Mod Podge matt applied over a light spray of  isopropl alcohol.

The flocking has been done in sections about 1 foot square and allowed to fully dry over night before adding more. The tree was built from a mixture of thick plastic coated wire (a stalk for some artificial flowers) and picture hanging wire covered in acrylic medium and filler. The tree foliage was built up over ground foam clumps and lighter ground foam used as a highlight.

Throughout the flocking I have been testing and running trains to make sure that the flocking has not interfered with the track. For bigger images, just 'click' on the photographs.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - 1/35th scale narrow gauge layout - working electrics

Another weekend working on the layout - a 1/35th scale Narrow Gauge Railway Layout that uses HO-OO or 16.5mm gauge track and mechanisms to imitate 2 foot or 600mm narrow gauge engines and wagons.

In this second image you can see how I have used coco matting (lining for hanging baskets) and yellow imitation flowers bought from The Range to model wild gorse bushes. The yellow flower cost just £3.50 and I have enough yellow flowers to cover over half of the layout! Click on any image for a better view.

After a number of failed and miserable attempts at electrifying the track and getting satisfactory running. I have now fitted this 12volt PWM or pulse width modulation unit into the board. I can confirm that the 0-4-0 Hornby 'Smokey Joe' chassis run well (but not perfectly) on the modified Peco 'crazy track and flexi-track points. 

The PWN unit was bought from Amazon.

I have mounted the unit on to a scratch built brick and concrete base. To help with service the unit, I have mounted the concrete slab to magnets so if needed the unit can be easily removed for servicing.

The electrics have been very frustrating with a number of Hornby transformers or controllers failing to give satisfactory running. The new PWM takes some getting used to but I am so far happy with the results and the fitting.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - 1/35th scale narrow gauge layout - Groundcover

With the electrical work having stalled - I needed a distraction. I decided to start the 'flocking' or static grass application. I have used static grass, ground foam and dyed sawdust as well as sieved soil and ground up sandstone all applied over a PVA and Mod Podge base which was later sprayed with isopropyl alcohol before I added dilute PVA glue with a pipette. In these images you can see the still wet PVA mix pooling at the bottom of the terrain slope.

The bright yellow gorse flowers are cut down artificial flowers bought from Dunhelm - a UK based home decor store. The Gorse bushes are constructed from cut up coconut matting with ground foam glued to the upper edges. The individual flower stalks were then glued in place with superglue.

I have tried to add variety in terms of both colour and texture to the groundwork - something I have read about in various magazines and seen demonstrated on You Tube tutorials.

I will progress the ground cover over the rest of the board later as it does take some time to apply and ages to dry!

Tony

Home-made ground cover

This weekend, while waiting for the glue to dry on the newly laid ballast I had fun playing around with various home-made ground cover.

From top left they are;

Paint brush bristle stalks glued with PVA

Snow scatter that I have dyed green

Static grass tuft

Ground sponge (I used a wire brush to get the fine ground foam)

More static grass tuft

Minced foam dyed dark green (less effecting than the wire brushed sponge)

Dyed rough sawdust collected from my chop saw

Coconut hanging basket liner cut into short strands and then glued with PVA

I am confident that all can be used on the Cold Comfort narrow gauge layout.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - 1/35th scale narrow gauge layout. Clean up

I have spent most of the day cleaning up the track and ballast. I really want to get a dedicated power supply or transformer wired up but all attempts so far have been poor. I will need to purchase a better controller and will be looking out for one this week.

I am really pleased with the progress so far but frustrated with the poor running of my models. Hopefully I will have a more positive update soon.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - 1/35th scale narrow gauge layout - ballasting

I have just spent a couple of hours ballasting the track. I have used a mix of Green Scenes ballast, stones from the beach and some sieved sandstone. Once the loose ballast was in place I misted on some Isopropyl Alcohol and then a 50/50 mix of Mod Podge and water with a touch of washing up liquid dripped on with a pipette. In these images the ballast glue is still wet but as long as I don't touch it, it should be OK by the morning.

I purposely built up the ballast around the buffer stops in a haphazard manner as I wanted the area to look un-kept.

I did have a slight issue with the 'wet water' getting in to one of the points, but is seems to have dried up now and both points looks to working freely.

I'll try tidying up the track tomorrow so expect another update soon.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - 1/35th scale narrow gauge layout. Now wired

Another landmark - I have now wired the track and earlier today I finally got around to running a loco..... I'd like to say that it all went well but the little 0-4-0 was really very jerky and one of the wagons fouled the wire-in-tube point rod. So still lots to do but at least we now have an operational (well almost operational) layout.

The second image shows the wiring. Even though it is just a simple Inglenook Puzzle, I have electrical feeds to all of the spurs as well as the main line - you can never be too careful.

I used an old transformer and not the main unit I have planned for this layout - it worked but not perfectly.

The final image shows the three scratch built buffer stops, each one built in a slightly different design. The top one is built from layers of plastic card with wood nails down the centres for support while the two remaining buffers were scratch built from wood scavenged from an old fruit packing crate. The white areas are DAS modelling clay used to blend in the buffers and cover up the wire feeds which now exit below the board.

The weather is just too warm to be working on the layout this afternoon. So for now - that's all.

Tony

Cold Comfort Lane - 1/35th scale narrow gauge layout another update

Another weekend and more progress on my narrow gauge Inglenook Layout - Cold Comfort Lane. As you can see I have now installed all of the track - Peco 0-16.5 'Crazy Track' that has been modified to be more in scale with my 1/35th scale choice. I have removed every 4th or 5th sleeper and re-spaced the distance by increasing the space between sleepers. The turnouts are also modified Peco Set Track units with re-modelled and enlarged sleepers made from balsawood.

The galvanised iron cattle feeders or water troughs were scratch built from plastic card and house the remote wire-in-tube points operating levers. My intention is to add a larger knob on to the ends to make them easier to use, but I can confirm that they work perfectly as they are.

Not much more to add at this time but I will post more once I have any more updates.

Tony