May 2020 update

I was intending to do this at Easter but decided I was having to much fun on actually doing stuff on the layout rather than write about it.

I have copied some stuff from the Facebook site as it has been updated more regularly than the blog as it is easier.

January - I finally got around to making these name plates for my layout and after just under 8 hours of 3D printing these beauties were done.

Very noice!

Layout name is Illavearf, split into two areas. Rural village of Kensington Hill and industrial town of Bray.

February and March - mostly continued kit building and preparation for hopefully time at Easter to do airbrushing.

April/Easter - My Good Friday was spent in self isolation in the Shed. The circumstances and the weather we're good for spending a day under the tin without boiling. So out came the air brush booth, compressor and airbrush to finally get around to painting some models I had put together before Xmas last year. Still some hand painting of small details required but a very productive day. I progressively placed the airbrushed kits on the layout during April.

airbrushing box and table setup

water tank and loading gauge

Dapol trackside hut and coal office

Dapol water crane. I am very chuffed how this one turned out.

Ratio water tank, water crane and grounded carriage

Kensington Hill fettler corner

Grounded carriage. I particular like how I weather this. Looks like Dr Who is paying a visit as the TARDIS is hiding behind the green house.

Temporary placement of the hut and coal office. Still a WIP in this corner.

View of Kensington Hill. Still a few things to do.

The Ratio water tank and crane kit came up pretty well with my weathering (IMHO)

May - Labour Day Long Weekend - After years of gathering dust I finally took the opportunity of scrubbing the rails of my layout with a track rubber followed by a coating or two of Track Magic. I wasn't overly impressed so taking a recommendation from Mr Mackie I bought a bottle of Wahl Clipper Oil and applied it then ran a loco around for a bit. I am impressed. Improved the locos as well. Also out came the laptop (as I didn't have a spare Raspberry Pi) to run JMRI on the layout. Everything still worked fine from the touchpanel of the laptop via a JMRI panel. I now have found my layout mojo again.

Whilst working from home due to COVID-19 I also finally got around to printing a static grass applicator (grassinator) STL I found on the Prusa 3D printers site of all places. I was able to re-use the ion generator and metal grill from my earlier model I made years ago out of PVC piping. I think the new model is much better and a hell of a lot cheaper that a bought one. I had to modify the design by making some 'plugs' to accommodate a LED and a push button. The end product was field tested yesterday by applying some grass to a section of Bray.

The two grassinator models. The original that I made years ago is on the left. The new model is on the right. Works a charm.

I have also a started making a concerted effort on the Bray side of the layout focusing on the industrial areas.

Matthew's layout - also during this time Matt and I have been spending time getting Matt's layout up to spec. Last weekend I cleaned the rails and this weekend we had trains running. Woo hoo.

Mr Mackie's beehives have found a spot on the layout

Until next time, maybe keep an eye on the Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/GregsRailwayModellingMusings for updates.

December 2019

Well where did that year go? I thought I should finish the year with a blog update.

So over the year I have been busy with kids soccer, work and kids schooling. One week blurs into the next and before you know it Christmas is here again followed shortly by another New Year.

My modelling year has been spent getting stuck into numerous Metcalfe card kits for my British railway based layout. While I was in the mood I also knocked over a few plastic kits. I have yet to paint the plastic kits so I haven't included photos of them in this post. For my 50th birthday I bought myself a 3D printer which I really enjoy. I am still getting to know it and the various apps needed to produce a print. However I have printed a few railway based prints which will appear on the layout in due course.

My youngest son's layout has also taken precedence in the spare time slot. It is moving along nicely and I have taken some time on my current Xmas holidays to move it along further. I have to admit I am using his layout as a test bed for some techniques I have read about so as to practice before deciding whether to adopt them on my layout.

I finally took possession of a number of Qld Rail based locos which I have been waiting on for the last couple of years. The wait was well worth it as detail and sound on these locos is great. 

I 'll leave my followers with some photos of recent modelling activities mentioned above and to wish you all a great 2020 and hope it brings you peace and prosperity.

Terrace Houses with added 3D printed chimney pots

The Art Shop (for my wife's hobby)

Yard Office

Yard Office close up of 3D printed ridge capping and chimney pots

Engine Shed front on (sorry about the brightness, I didn't realise the flash had gone off!)

Engine Shed from the side

ABC Engineering from the back

ABC Engineering from the front

Some more different styles of chimney pots

Bray Engine Depot and recent corner scenery

Bray corner hill fills in a dead zone. I used foam as the base and then applied PK's no more gaps recipe. Once dry, I painted in the earth tones and then scattered some grass flock on. I will add static grass eventually.

Close up of the corner hill

Progress of Matt's layout with ballasting done (yes different shades as I couldn't easily source the darker shade) and grass flocking done. Matt added some bushes flocking and puff ball trees that I had made.

Close up of some shrubbery (not for the Knights Who Say "Ni!"). Static grass will be added eventually.

Recently I read an article in Hornby magazine where a modeller had used tiling grout and PVA for track in filling. The tile grout gives the concrete texture needed in some scenes such as a wharf area or engine shed. I thought I might give it a go. I had some pre-made up tiling grout in a tub in the shed when I re-grouted the kitchen a couple of years ago. I checked and it was still moist. So I dug out some, added the PVA (which is supposed to give it some resilience against cracking (we'll see)) and added a squirt of black acrylic paint. Mixed it up and it had the right shade for concrete. I then smeared it on using a plastic grouting spatula. Earlier I had super glued some old track of the same radius in between the main tracks as infill barriers / flange guides. Once the grout had dried about 24 hours later, it had sunk in some places like the sleepers. I should have bogged these up beforehand to provide a sturdy foundation. However it wasn't that noticeable and I didn't want to do a second coat just in case I buggered it up!

I asked Matt did he want concrete or bitumen over the crossings, and he said bitumen. So out with the black acrylic paint and the concrete was painted over. For some reason one the flange guide rails came away and you can see it on the grass. It was going to be too fiddly to put it back in, so I am thinking of using it as a scene with maintenance gangers removing it for repair.

I will definitely use this technique on my layout for a Bray side rail crossing

The small farm access crossing had another feature. On the town side the groat was used, but in between the rails and the farm side I used match sticks as the 'road'. Glued the lot done with PVA and let it dry before applying a marker with a brownish shade.

Concrete became bitumen again. The black around the farm side sleeps will be grassed over and/or muddied up.

The marker pen I used for the sleepers. It is a water based artist's marker I picked up at an Art Shop for another reason, but found it 'stained' the match sticks just right.

June 2019 update

Easter saw me spending some quality time on the hobby desk for myself this time! I had a number of Metcalfe card kits for my layout that have been waiting patiently a number of years for me to dig them out of storage and start to put together. A factory kit which I opened last Easter but didn't put togther as 2018 got in the way, finally was put together. This was followed by a two road engine shed. I am currently putting together the last of the kits of a set of terrace houses. All of these will be placed on the Bray MPD side of my layout. I'll put some photos up once these are in place.

Matthew's layout has been progressing with the initial soil down and grass scatter started.While surfing the web I stumbled on a free 3d file for a ballast spreader. Not having a 3d printer of my own but knowing a work colleague had one, I asked her to print it off as I was interested to see how it performed. I received this last week and did a test run on the quarry siding on the weekend just gone and it performed wonderfully. It will be a great time saver. I still had to brush the ballast between the sleepers, etc but just to get the bulk of the ballast down it was perfect. I might just have to buy myself a new toy for my upcoming milestone birthday ;-)

So here are a few photos of the ballast spreader test run and an update photo of Matthew's layout with some temporary buildings placed to make the village scene.

The ballast spreader in black PLA plastic. Its positioning slots fitted the rails fine.

Looking down the barrel to the dispensing slots. What can't be seen is the approx 45 degree ramp starting just below the slots and ending on the side wall (against the chock) which assists the ballast to free fall into the dispensing slots.

The rail positioning slots underneath the spreader. The dispensing slots are located at the ends of the raised sections.

Ballast in the spreader and drawn along the rails. Wow that was easy!

The finished siding. It took three refills of the spreader to get this length done. Tidied up with a brush before gluing.

The glue has now dried to make the ballast a darker colour. The reason why it is a brown-grey mix is that I wanted to give the impression of quarry soil spilt on the tracks from the loaders. The main line will probably be grey all round.

View of the layout to date with some village buildings temporarily in place to give the reader an idea of what is intended. Still some grass scatter to do, then it will be completed by adding static grass, bushes, trees, etc

 

March 2019 Update - what's been going on (or not!)

Since the November update, progress was made on Matt's layout over the three weeks I took off over the Xmas-New Year holidays, between other activities.First we painted everything brown as the undercoat. We then painted the no more gaps mix over the foam a variety of earth tones with the odd fleck of green. The inside of the tunnel was painted black. Lastly we scattered dried dirt and glued it down. This dirt has been in the shed for a number of years so should be well and truly baked through! We stopped at the village boundary as we mulled over a number of options of what to do there. That will be the next update.

As for my own modelling, nada! I have been busy in the pre-season of soccer/football doing 'çlub secretary' stuff getting ready for the 2019 season. Glutton for punishment!! I have since resigned from that position as Matt isn't playing this year and my eldest son Lachlan changed clubs for a higher division. So no point hanging around. Just giving them a hand with registrar duties.

So maybe I'll get some modelling time back finally. Time will tell.

Here are some progress photos of Matt's layout.