The fun part for me in the model railway build is making the
scenery. This is where progress really
takes shape (so to speak) and the rewards for your efforts in the preparation
all come to fruition reasonably quickly. The pictures probably say more than
the text, needless that to say that they are pretty much tried and tested
techniques. Insulation making the base,
covered with kitchen towel impregnated with a watery PVA glue mix. This is then covered in plasterboard joint
filler mixed with green paint. I prefer
this to normal filler as it can be bought in large quantities, it takes longer
to set (and therefore more time to work it into place) and can be sanded
smooth. Normally I apply 3-4 coats to
get it to the final stage, with lots of sanding in-between!
This shows a Hornby ‘Bell Inn’ which was previously made,
with Slaters embossed card overlays, and signage partly in place. A false floor has been inserted to allow just
the downstairs to be lit with an LED bulb.
On the top of the hill is a Dapol church, and although the model has
been around for a while, I think produces an excellent model of such a typical
British village building.
The start of forming the bridge
Much sanding and a
coat of green paint gets us here!
Another coat of filler is required to finish everything to a better
standard.
Platforms made from
Peco Edging, covered in embossed stonework, and tops made from Foamboard and
painted in car primer produces this finish.
The roads have received a guide coat of paint, so that any ‘pot-holes’
can be filled in now!
Ballast in place, tunnel mouth and buildings placed in
temporary positions, and lights in the process of being wired up
And at last,’KellyBridge’
! The bridge sides are completely
scratch built, using Merit Stone Abutments, Peco Embossed Stonework, Evergreen
Strip and various thicknesses of plasticard, and of course a number of spares
hours of patience !
All of the buildings are placed in their positions
although not fixed at this stage. It
helps to position the street lights and easier to work if they can be moved
away while soldering. Also, my standard
practice is to have ‘mud’ along the edge of the road has been glued down and
now ready to accept the grasses
This is after the
first application of Static Grass, it’s starting to look like a model now!
Almost complete now,
just the small cameo scenes being added.
This is a Dapol crane, fitted in a small space, but generates that much
needed ‘working’ railway look.
If you wondering why there was a brown patch in the
field, this is the answer, pigs
And of course, KellyBridge,
now complete with height restriction signage
This has to be the
best job of the day, repairing the fence next door to the Railway Hotel. No guesses where they will be going for
lunch!
Rubbish - outside the engine shed
A rather overgrown looking siding at the goods
shed. Clearly the weed-killing train
hasn’t visited here for a while
An overview of the
left side of the layout, showing just how much depth is provided by the
backscene.
The engine shed at
night. This is before the final
decoration but indicates the glow that can be achieved with careful positioning
of lights.
This is the Railway Hotel, with the lighting being
checked before final placement of figures and suchlike
A somewhat cruel close-up picture, but if you consider
the figures are about 20mm high, the detail that can be produced is quite
superb
And if I am fortunate enough to have held your
interest so far, have a look a this video of everything in action
