7mm Layouts and Dioramas by Stephen Fay, including Pontycwm, Newton Mills and St Stephens Bank

[Compton castle]

Coping stones added and fencing, more weathering washes needed and the fence will get some rust.

 

[Compton castle]

Passing expresses on a summer Saturday in 1961!! Glorious South Devon ☀️
I’m not sure if the driver of Compton Castle is looking on in admiration at the Warship or with scorn!!

 

[Compton castle]

Penzance- Swansea making good progress along the sea wall

 

[Compton castle]

Lightning heads west on a Wolverhampton to Goodrington sands Saturday extra, Meanwhile at smugglers retreat the PWay gang have been busy adding slaters stone walling around the underpass and making up some fence panels these won’t get fixed in place until the track is fixed and ballasted.

 

[Compton castle]

Lightning on a Liverpool Plymouth

A rough coat of grey this morning then brown this afternoon on the walls at Smugglers retreat

Fence end posts on Mermaid Cove

 

[Compton castle]

Building up paint layers on the walls. This will get sealed now and the grey washes can start

 

[Compton castle]

I’ve been experimenting with a new product, A clear thick gel paint as used in a lot of military modelling dioramas.
It has to be built up in layers and so far this has taken about a week, I only added another coat this morning and it takes a while for it to dry fully clear.
I’m very happy with the results so far.

 

[Compton castle]

Ply fascia fitted and painted today

 

[Compton castle]

after an epic journey across the length and breadth of Wales to collect Kelham Hall from Conrad Cooper and a Stanier 60’ period 2 from David Magill I’m finally back home. Here they are on Mermaid Cove again apologies for the poor lighting!

 

[Compton castle]

Moved Mermaid Cove from the workshop to the kitchen with a brief stopover in the garden for a few snaps

 

[Compton castle]

Early morning at Severn Tunnel East circa 1967
This layout is for sale please contact me for details

 

[Compton castle]

A sneak peak at a few of the locos and stock used today for the Model Rail Photo shoot.
Thanks to Rob Haskins and Gareth Jones forbringing their models.

 

[Compton castle]

I’ve painted the internal Tunnel mouth wall today,
The usual slaters brick sheets. I’ve also cut in the missing stone wall section on the wall and given it a base coat of red.
The gel paint has now dried clear.

 

[Compton castle]

The cycle of washes and sealing continues on the wall sections,
Ive been playing about with some tree placements, not all of these will get used as I’ll purchase a forest in a box kit at some point but hopefully it shows the overgrown look I’m going for on this section.

 

[Compton castle]

The underpass at Smugglers retreat is looking very overgrown! Ferns aplenty but Watch out for those stingy nettles!
Severn Tunnel East is being dismantled, the tunnel mouths and bracket signal are available for sale
.

 

[Compton castle]

Up line now laid using peco flat bottom, down line will be C&L bull head.

 

[daifly]

Aside from Rule 1, why is there a road bridge diamond plate under a bridge carrying a railway line?
Dave

 

[Compton castle]

Rule 1
I had them custom etched for another project and they are too nice not to use. Although the writing is legible you don’t really notice until your very close.

 

[Compton castle]

Ballast down and now covered in glue, I’ll finalise the ballast in and around the Tunnels once they are in place.

 

[Compton castle]

Track weathering today