Scenic work is gaining momentum. The backscene has had some definition of horizons added and coloured with artists acrylics to give a vague impression of vegetation receding towards the far horizon. Detail may be added to this as the build progresses, depending how everything looks together.
Over the last week or two, scenic treatment has begun in earnest starting at the western end of the site. The first task has been to lay the cobbled yard surface around the ‘new’ shed. This was done using Wills sheets which have a very good surface texture and a believable irregularity. Early experiments with this material gave encouraging results and a painting scheme was developed that looked acceptable.
The first stage was to build up the ground level to match the height of the sleepers. Grey board of suitable thickness was used for this purpose, cut to fit and fixed with PVA.
Next, the rail sides and the gap between check rails and running rails was painted with a mix of matt black and sleeper grime.
The plastic sheets themselves were marked out using marker pen ink applied to the rail tops to transfer onto the underside of the sheets as a cutting guide. This worked well and close-fitting sections were achieved with minimal fettling. The sheets are quite thick, so care, patience and a sturdy blade are required.
Once the sheets had been cut and fettled to a good fit, they were stuck in place. Some work was done where the edges sit against rails to ensure that the rail head is proud of the surface so that rail cleaning will not cause damage to the finish. This meant slightly thinning the edges and removing some material from below to ensure a neat fit.
A quick check with the building in place to make sure everything fits correctly.
Due to the size of the sheets, joins were unavoidable. A little filler was used to disguise any small gaps.
This filler has become my favourite. Apparently, it’s good for decorating too!