The Chronicles of Canary Sidings - the Tale of an Untidy Workbench

[simond]

whatever floats your boat... We all do it for fun, who's to say their fun is better than yours or mine?

 

[Lyndhurstman]

An interesting post. And a nice collection of locos. I've always had a soft spot for a fully valanced GER loco... there's something stately about them.
The mindset at Watkins Wharf is very much in reinvigorating things that might have witnessed Better Days. And to celebrate the care and attention of Others Who Have Gone Before. Especially in wagonry. Of course, some things - like the little bustle and chunk of the Y4 (still a a WIP) end up like Grandad's Spade, with little left of the original (or Originator). But I know they are there.

Cheers

Jan

 

[Herb Garden]

whatever floats your boat... We all do it for fun, who's to say their fun is better than yours or mine?

Totally agree

 

[Herb Garden]

The mindset at Watkins Wharf is very much in reinvigorating things that might have witnessed Better Days. And to celebrate the care and attention of Others Who Have Gone Before.

That's exactly the sentiment I was trying to imply just put a lot more eloquently

Of course, some things - like the little bustle and chunk of the Y4 (still a a WIP) end up like Grandad's Spade, with little left of the original (or Originator). But I know they are there.

Very true, sometimes it's a hard decision to work out what to preserve and what time rebuild. I don't have a hard and fast rule for this just a bit of gut instinct

 

[Herb Garden]

And here's the proof I do listen to @simond s suggestions!
View attachment 216825

Just in case you all were worried about me I've made it back from Birmingham and been able to sneak the tins back into the cupboard without anyone noticing they were missing!

 

[Herb Garden]

I'm back and taking the opportunity to get modelling again.

This is a simple little warm up job, nothing too taxing but fun.

This little marshal is from the Rowland miniatures kit. A lovely offering and very relaxing to put together.


I will probably add a few extra details but the model is coming together nicely. This does have a purpose though. The aim is for it to be placed in front of the rear cottages on Skeetsmere hauling a log or something like that

 

[Liver & Fry]

"...but in the meantime I would welcome your thoughts on collecting and collections?"

I confess that in the past I have found myself getting sliggtly overwhelmed by the idea of how much I have to do, before being a total hypocrite by finishing a project and buying two more...

I'm very much into my kit "era" but I have rtr locos and detailing projects still waiting to be done. What I've found is I'm going with what I fancy and as my interests have developed, it's OK not to finish something else as quick as you'd intended. At the end of the day this is a hobby and it is for fun, so if I'm sitting and fettling with something, it has to be something I want to see finished at that point in time.

That said, for the most part, I do try to stick with one rule:

If I've started something, I have to finish it.

The order of the queue behind might change. But what's on the bench is what stays on the bench til it's done.

In the meantime, the collection keeps growing, but I do occasionally thin it out. Usually things I've had sat for a long time that have lost the appeal I once had for them (and given how I previously collected, this is pretty much all RTR stock).

- James

 

[Herb Garden]

I find it's an invaluable thing to have a voice of reason that sits on ones shoulder and whispers positive and pragmatic wisdom in your ear to counter the voice on the other that seems intent on taking you a merry dance hither and thither.

In my modelling world this first voice often takes the form of Norfolk's very own @Liver & Fry who has once again had to reign me in and remind me that building locos won't get the layout done. When you've known someone for over 15 years it's easier to take it from them. (Although we still don't agree over KitKat)

So sorry folks it's going to be hardcore layout building between now and October.... Brace yourselves.


The current challenge is at the base board joint. What I should have done when I built the turnouts is left extra length on each rail so in case I. Had built them too short I would have SIM material to work with. Welli know for next time....


A bit of slicing and dicing later and the gap is filled.... It ain't pretty but I can be hidden well enough.


A wagon runs happily through the junction now so I'm happy

 

[Herb Garden]

A wet Sunday afternoon in Newcastle has driven me out of the garden and back to the railway....
A few more track tweaks later and I was sick of what I was doing so I thought it worth doing something different

Now let me let you all into a little secret.... I've not got a layout past the track and wiring stage since 2010.... And that probably aligns with why I've had very little fun in my futile attempts since then to build something.

So today I thought I would have a go at turning a bit of my track into a scenic element.... And what fun I have had!

I've taken inspiration from Chris Nevard and @NHY 581 and had a go at using DAS clay to start transforming the landform into something a bit more landline. And it was great fun doing it. I used a stiff brush to create a stippled effect hopefully it will simulate ash ballast.

I've done it on the rear sidings so if it was horrendous it could be easily covered

Should I have painted the track first....? Possibly
Should I have added track details first? Maybe
Should I have used white das rather than brown ? Dunno....

I really like the effect but Would welcome thoughts and guidance from the assembled readership as I'm out of my depth here and flying blind....

 

[Herb Garden]

So I don't know if this adds anything but I've had a go at adding track spikes....


It's only really possible on the wooden sleepers the copper clad has too many blobs of solder...

I don't know it might be adding something.... Or I might just be making a rod for my own back

 

[Dave Sutton]

I'd be tempted to cover the areas that will be 'ground' in a thin polyfilla type material and sculpt it to smooth it, then give it a thin coat of light brown watercolour. It makes it stand out a bit more and then you look in more detail about what effects you'll do. (Not used DAS so don't know the difference)

 

[NHY 581]

Morning H,

I'm aware of Mr Nevard's DAS methods but honestly never fancied it myself. I use the finest ballast I can find, normally Woodland Scenics as I'm yet to find any that is finer. However, DCC concepts 2mm Legacy ballast is pretty close, if not the same but not tried.

WS's fine cinders, if time is spent tamping it down works well enough for me. In stages then,

I paint the track a brown base colour. From then on it's weathering powders for the rail sides and sleepers until I'm happy, then seal in the powders with matt varnish. Only then do I ballast then add the PVA/water/W.U liquid to glue down. Then you find out how well you sealed the powders !!!

So my track looks like this before ballasting.



Then add ballast ( Woodland Scenics fine cinders )



But this obviously won't work when using DAS.

I know Tim Maddocks uses a different technique, more suited to a slimmer sleeper, rather than the above which I use on PECO Streamline. His approach involves PVA being painted between the sleepers, then the ballast is sprinkled on.

Hope this provides a different perspective,

Rob.

 

[Herb Garden]

Thanks Rob & Dave for your thoughts and perspective.

On looking at yesterday's results in daylight I think I needs to see how the test area I've done paints up and what effects I can get. I'm not a fan of using any of the products sold as ballast as ballast because even if the grains are to scale they dont pack together well, as in the gaps between grains is too large .... Or at least that's how my eyes seem it.


In the meantime I've continued doing the bank in DAS as I see the low moisture content involved much better than polyfiller

 

[Rob R]

Thanks Rob & Dave for your thoughts and perspective.

On looking at yesterday's results in daylight I think I needs to see how the test area I've done paints up and what effects I can get. I'm not a fan of using any of the products sold as ballast as ballast because even if the grains are to scale they dont pack together well, as in the gaps between grains is too large .... Or at least that's how my eyes seem it.

View attachment 217307
In the meantime I've continued doing the bank in DAS as I see the low moisture content involved much better than polyfiller

If you are doing pre-group GER then the best quality Stratford loco ash is what you need for ballast.
If an independent line (Middy etc) then a locally sourced alluvial gravel will suffice.
East Anglia is a long way from proper ballast quality rock....
R

 

[Phil O]

Sidings tend to be ash anyway, plenty of it available from loco sheds for the price of transport and it has to go somewhere.

 

[NHY 581]

The Middy's ballast intially was a mixture of gravel, sand and burnt clay and some ballast from pits near Haughley. However, from 1903, it was ashes and clinker, brought in by the wagon load from GER engine sheds and from the 1920s, such ballast also came as a by product from various factories. Ash and clinker continued through LNER days to BR and closure so my Flaxfield project will use Woodland scenics fine cinders, though I'll probably add a bit of brown and grey to break up the black which will predominate.

Rob

 

[Herb Garden]

The Middy's ballast intially was a mixture of gravel, sand and burnt clay and some ballast from pits near Haughley. However, from 1903, it was ashes and clinker

Best thing about Skeetsmere it's set in 1912 go I can have a variety of all of the above!

But my point about the problem with most scatters being not the size of the partical that matteres but the gaps between. So I'm going to stick with the DAS method I think.


Especially when I get results like this.


I've tidied up the sleepers a bit and added track spike detail and I couldn't resist posing 407 with a diag 17 wagon. I think a series of acrylic washes and some dry brushing should create the effect required

The wagon is from one of my own kits and is of one of the later batches of GER diagram 17 opens


In the distance you can see some wet clay as I press onwards to the board join

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Hello George
That's a very nice wagon; is it commercially available? #askingforafriend

Cheers

Jan

 

[Herb Garden]

Hello George
That's a very nice wagon; is it commercially available? #askingforafriend

Cheers

Jan

Thanks Jan

They aren't technically commercially available....

Most of the etches I design are for things it's very unlikely that anyone else would want and they are very much designed at build methods that suit me.

That said if someone is really interested I'm happy to do them some at the same time as I order a run for myself if they are at least happy to cover the cost of the manufacture of Thier parts.

I've a variety of GER wagon types available as kits and a few etched sheets for scratch aud loco building. Also some proper GER numberplate etches as seen in this thread.

As i said I would doubt anyone would want any of that....

I hope that sort of makes some sense?

 

[AJC]

Interest depends whether any of the wagon designs you have made it to the late ‘30s…

Adam