Chris' Toy Chuffer Pix

[Chris Nevard]

Personally I never add odd backgrounds (like landscapes, buildings etc) to commissioned layouts shoots for publication, I just drop in a little graduated blue (that's what the client wants) to hide the layout owner's walls or room the layout is in should the backscene not be high enough or there isn't one.

BUT, on some of my own stuff I occasionally add real skies like with the glint Q1 show above, but I'm only doing those for me and happily admit that they're Photoshop fun.

I've noticed that some do add all sort of hills, fields, country houses and other oddities that are far removed from the layout. Not my magazine though! Fake smoke is Marmite (and I don't want to debate the pros and cons here, but most favour and out of 30, 000 readers a month 13 x year only one person has ever complained, most layout owners actually request it), however a set of photos is always supplied with and without for commissioned works, again at client request but I do suggest that we don't use the smoke option for every shot.

Moving on, I acquired one of the new Thompson O1 locos in LNER livery week before last, it was not in my livery so this afternoon I repainted, renumbered and weathered it at Stratford's 63650 and here it is on Cement Quay looking very at home I think.

 

[daifly]

An interesting phenomenon on the front cover of the new Jan BRM. A winter snow scene, steam loco working hard with several coaches on and a boiler covered in snow! How does that work?

 

[Chris Nevard]

An interesting phenomenon on the front cover of the new Jan BRM. A winter snow scene, steam loco working hard with several coaches on and a boiler covered in snow! How does that work?

Maybe the train on the BRM cover is stranded and run out of steam. I must admit to not having looked at it (AY is a mate and fab snapper so it's mot right for me to comment here).

To be honest I buy few modelling mags these days (a bit bored of them since the photography has become the day job), but prefer prototype historical publications like Railway Bylines or Steam World. From a modelling perspective I can get alot more out of these, always preferring the real world for inspiration. This is probably because I get my layout fix 3 times a month whilst photographing them. The 4-6 hours required for a proper shoot, exploring angles and lighting to get the best out means you get to know a layout really well by the end of it - more than I ever could at a show or in a magazine.

 

[Chris Nevard]

Another snap, this one just taken under the layout's own mixed lighting with no photoshoppery (the backscene is high) 59005 'Kenneth J Painter' slowly eases a short rake of MFAs high sided aggregate wagons out from under the screen at Cement Quay Old Wharf during the late summer of 2007. The scene here is two self contained modules, each with their own curved backdrops, this allows Cement Quay to be exhibited in compact mode (fits in my Mondeo) or with this extra bit (van required). Confused? - look here.

The loco is a much chopped up Limby Class 59, the front end modified with correct lighting clusters and some Shawplan bits of etched brass etc. Looks great, but despite lots of extra weight still pulls like a mouse.

 

[28ten]

Maybe the train on the BRM cover is stranded and run out of steam. I must admit to not having looked at it (AY is a mate and fab snapper so it's mot right for me to comment here).

To be honest I buy few modelling mags these days (a bit bored of them since the photography has become the day job), but prefer prototype historical publications like Railway Bylines or Steam World. From a modelling perspective I can get alot more out of these, always preferring the real world for inspiration. This is probably because I get my layout fix 3 times a month whilst photographing them. The 4-6 hours required for a proper shoot, exploring angles and lighting to get the best out means you get to know a layout really well by the end of it - more than I ever could at a show or in a magazine.

I think that is very true, I only read two railway mags on a regular basis, preferring other areas for inspiration, htere is a danger other wise of making models of models.

 

[Chris Nevard]

Today's reminder of a less wet rose tinted world....

Thompson O1 2-8-0 loco No. 63630 arrives at Cement Quay with an empty mineral train.

 

[Chris Nevard]

A close up of the O1 again; and looking at this, which has only had a repaint, weathering and renumbering shows just how far ready to run has come. Non-modelling frothers will moan I'm sure, but most here on this forum I'm sure have been in the hobby long enough to see where we've come and just how fabulous these new releases are.

When I pulled the top off (prior to voiding the guarantee with my meddlings here) to take the official model rail photos I was surprised and delighted to find a proper brass flywheel in there too.

This is after the first weathering session, I'll have another go tomorrow; this will be finer weathering detail like a little lime mostly under the smokebox door and alittle around the outside of the firebox. Lime is a tricky one to pull off, done badly and it looks too contrived, so I'll will probably use a water based paint (house hold matt emulsion!!) which can be removed and repeated until I gt it right - then it can be sealed under a little Tamiya Matt.Any tips for lime greatfully received - but no airbrush, the reason for this project is to demonstrate brush weathering.

 

[Chris Nevard]

Here's an old repainted Airfix grot box. I think I bought this one around '82. It still runs and sounds like a bag of nails - but I recall the real thing does much of he time.

 

[Chris Nevard]

Today's bit on nonsense on my photo plank, but with a 5th raised track behind! The o1 has just passed through its second weathering stage after finding more colour photos to copy - lime scale and lots of it!

 

[28ten]

I do agree on rtr, it has come a long way from the Lima king I had back in the 70's. I do like the hazy hills in the bg of Cement Quay, subtle and effective

 

[Chris Nevard]

Thanks - the hills are just a little black paint mixed into the sky coloured paint (Stormy Monday from Focus DIY).
Remember back in the late 1970's we all thought Lima was fab, it was cheaper and better than Hornby. I still have my old Lima Deltic.

 

[Pennine MC]

To be honest I buy few modelling mags these days (a bit bored of them since the photography has become the day job), but prefer prototype historical publications like Railway Bylines or Steam World. From a modelling perspective I can get alot more out of these, always preferring the real world for inspiration.

That's a reasonable enough reason; I'm another who can find as much if not more 'inspiration' in prototype mags (Steam World and Steam Days in particular seem to come up with the goods, and often in colour). With me, I think it's that I know - or hope I do - how to achieve the effects I want to achieve, and whilst I'm open minded, I'm not especially interested in spending a whole lot of time learning new techniques or trying 'wonder' products; whereas others at an earlier stage of the learning curve would want to know the 'how' as much as 'what'.

 

[Chris Nevard]

A couple of snaps taken as diversion from cold turkey (which I hate) etc....

That Bulleid again, but on Catcott which I haven't had up since last summer....

'Guildford Shed's Bullied Q1 No. 33019 storms through Catcott Burtle with Bananas for Burnham.'


And that Bulleid again, but taken on the morning I took Cement Quay down because guests needed the room....

 

[Chris Nevard]

Dropping off water churns at Catcott Crossing. Smoke is the only addition, this layout having a huge home grown printed photo-backdrop running along the rear taken near the actual location.

 

[28ten]

I like that its 'flatter' than some other shots but it works for me, I would imagine it could be made quite 'Bradford Barton' in black and white

 

[Chris Nevard]

Cheers - a slight telephoto was used which will give that compressed flatter effect....

 

[Chris Nevard]

Finally for tonight just a bit of fun, it's the only road vehical in my collection with anything slightly resembling underside detail. Of course in real life there'd be mud torn grass and mangled metal but I was not prepared to mess up my toys for a quick snap... it's lunchtime should anyone ask....

Catcott Crossing, and the aftermath of a lorry ending up in the rhyne after too much cider. The roads here are too narrow for a road crane to extract the lorry, so a BR crane was hired in to perform the task.

 

[Phill Dyson]

Superb pic in post #200 Chris .......especially like the colour of the road surface, road side undergrowth & the telegraph wires

Phill

 

[lancer1027]

Excellent pics,

That lorry is'nt a result of some dodgey shunting by Simon is it

Rob

 

[Simon]

Excellent pics,

That lorry is'nt a result of some dodgey shunting by Simon is it

Rob

Not guilty!

Does remind me of an upside down TR7 I saw in a field at Wyre Piddle halt though, I'll have to dig the picture out

Simon