These days I like to see my past life safely in the form of photographs or looking at this blog!

Out on a bike ride I came across this.

There are moments in life where your life passes in front of your eyes and this must have been one of them for who ever went through the canal bridge parapet.

As you can see its a sheer drop of about 15 feet which must have seemed a lot more for the occupants who, from what I understand, survived without serious injury. These days I like to see my past life safely in the form of photographs or looking at this blog!

Back at WMD HQ it was time to determine how to mount the control panel carcase that I have been putting together over the last few days to the layout. I could have just screwed it in place but I need it to be removable, especially during the wiring process so I have put two screws into the layout baseboard and drilled suitable holes in the carcase so that it can be slid on and off.

 I just need to tidy the holes up and paint the raw edges of wood.

It does actually fit as intended which is an achievement for me!

Looking from a distance it fits in well with the structure of the layout. I just need to think about the top and wiring now!

Out with the grey paint!

 After yesterday's caravan cleaning capers I am fairly worn out so just a small model related job of painting the carcase of the control panel for my Last Great Project layout.  So it was out with the grey paint which matches the profile boards already on the layout so I may rename the Slate Grey to WMD Grey! 

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Now I could go out and buy some proper wood filler !

One of the long outstanding jobs on the My Last Great Project Layout has been to construct an operating panel. The wiring and point motors are all installed but I need to build the panel in order too control it all. At the moment there is a bit of a spaghetti of temporary wiring to allow trains to run which is not good. However, whilst cleaning up the WMD garage I found some suitable plywood to construct the carcase of the panel. In fact it was some plywood from the baseboard of the first and aborted Last Great Project Layout! Cut to suitable sizes the parts were screwed together to form a rectangular carcase.

As it was pre-used wood there are various nail and screw holes in it that need filling. Now I could go out and buy some proper wood filler or I could just stay in and use the plastic filler that happened to be conveniently located on the workbench.

So the plastic filler won!. I just need to let it dry and find time to sand it all down and paint it next.

It will be a nice addition in some far flung corner or hidden spot on the layout!

Having given the 3D printed plate layers hut some additional detail and primed it, the time had come to paint it.

The bricks on the chimney breast got the three pencil treatment, the windows and door were painted the same blue as the signal box woodwork and the walls were painted in a light brown. It all needs a good doe of weathering but it will be a nice addition in some far flung corner or hidden spot on the layout once finished!

Galzing time!

 Just a small model making job - glazing the windows of the 3D printed signal box. For this I used my trusted glazing product Glue n Glaze. For small panes it is a great produce. It looks a mess when applied and there is an art to getting it to spread across the aperture of the window pane but once mastered it is a fairly quick process.

Just about dry now and changed from a white mess to clear!

Another job done on this structure so hopefully before too long I can get it back on the layout1

The platelayers hut comes on!

As you can see and following on from yesterdays post I have added some window frames from plastic strip to the 34D printed platelayers hut. I have also put some filler around the top of the chimney breast to simulate the cement flaunching that is there in rea life.

With that done it was out with the rattle can of grey primer to give it a base coat.

Once dry I can start the colouring!

Corrugated iron plastic sheet.

Having added some brick detail to the chimney breast of the 3D printed platelayers hut it was time to add some texture to the walls. A sheet of embossed corrugated iron plastic sheet provided this. Some careful measurements and cutting produced the necessary parts.

I even added some plastic strip for the door. Just need to do something about that window and then it will be paint time!

Looks a bit more interesting then what it started out as!

A bit disappointing but it can be fixed!

Whilst waiting for the weathering on the 3D printed signal box to thoroughly dry, I dug this 3D printed platelayers hut from the WMD 3D Printed Items Secure Store and there is no acronym to that that I will print!!

I must admit that when I bought it I did not examine it that closely otherwise I would have noted the lack of any detail surfaces. No representation of brick or stone on the chimney breast or wood planks for the hut itself. 

A bit disappointing but not a problem especially when the WMD Stores have the necessary items to improve matters in stock! So work has started on the chimney breast with some embossed brick plastic card being cut to size and glued onto the flat surface of the 3D print.

Took a bit of time but worth the effort. Next up are the walls of the hut which should give a bit more interest to the model.

 

Tone it down!

Given the rather garish nature of the blue paint applied to the 3D printed signal box, it needed toning down. That was done after the tiles on the roof were painted and the ridge tiles painted a contrasting clay colour. Several washes of dilute black paint and gravity have tones it all down making it look a bit more life like.

still a few things to do like glaze the windows but it is progressing well!

The three coloured pencil method!

I removed the masking tape from the signal box with some trepidation having airbrushed the wooden parts. There is always a danger of bleed through or slight misalignment but happily and probably unusually, my efforts were fairly successful with only a slight bit of bleed on the roof which will be painted over.

With the masking off I attended to the brickwork using my favourite method where the brickwork has some relief to the mortar courses which is the three coloured pencil method! By randomly rubbing the pencils over the brick faces a random and varied brick colour appears whilst the mortar remains a grey colour.

With that done I have started picking out the roof tiles in random shades of grey to provide some variety to the overall look of the roof.

More to do on that but the signal box is taking on some character!

It all looks a bit garish at the moment like an explosion of blue!

Whilst I wait for the paint to harden on the Italeri Mercedes MP4 truck cab parts I made use of the time by digging out the 3D printed signal box from its resting place on the My Last Great Project 00 gauge layout. Apart from playing operating it over the last few months nothing else has been done to it since probably Christmas time so it is time to get something done!

I had already primed the signal box with a coat of rattle can grey so I had a base on which to put some top coat. As with the station building built from a Dapol kit last year, the woodwork is a dark blue. Given the expanse of wood and the intricacies of the window frames my choice of paint application system was the airbrush! First off though I had to mask the parts that were not to be blue as it would be a job to paint over the blue with other colours. 

There were a few interesting geometric cuts required to the masking tape to get it to fit where it should but after a while things came together.

With the masking done some suitable blue paint was decanted and thinned and then applied to the model.

It all looks a bit garish at the moment like an explosion of blue but once the other colours are applied and some weathering is done it will all tone in together.

In the meantime I need to let the paint dry and then see how effective my masking was!

Wonderful Wordless Wednesday - Just playing trains!

Took the day off and just played trains - Wonderful Wordless Wednesday!

If you cannot get to sleep tonight this may be just the thing to bring about the Land of Nod!

Well, it is Christmas Eve and in one more 'sleeps' I will know tomorrow if I have been good and get some presents! In the meantime, the WMD film crew have been out in the Man Cave with another layout update and a bit of train running which if you cannot get to sleep tonight this may be just the thing to bring about the Land of Nod!

Its a cold one today!

Its a cold one today so time in the Man Cave is limited but I did paint the kerb stones on the pavement sections for the road over over the bridge/tunnel structure and once dry they will be glued in place.

 I also started 'wilding' the last of the three scenic sub-bases presently under construction. The various bushes and undergrowth just add to the texture. Hopefully that will be completed in the next day or so unless I become waylaid by the heating inside WMD HQ!

Pavements take shape!

I decided to construct the road section over the bridge/tunnel that was in the photo in yesterdays post. I had already cut the main base to size and painted it with some rattle can grey primer which is a bit darker than my usual brand but it was half the price! What I needed to do was to cut the pavements out of mounting card for either side of the carriageway. As usual, the WMD Stores had card in stock so after some measurements, head scratching and more head scratching the pavements were cut to shape. I then scribed the kerb stones at the edges which will be painted later.

The two pieces of card were then painted using the same rattle can as the road. Given that the shade of grey was far too dark for worn and weathered tarmac I used some light grey paint and airbrushed it in random patterns to give the real life effect that you see on real roads.

Once the paint dries it will look less stark. I then need to paint the kerbs and glue the pavements in place. The dark grey areas will be 'grassed' in some form!

I have plenty to keep me occupied as I keep telling Mrs. Woody!

There is much more to do but I placed one of the scenic sub-bases in place just to see how things were going towards the final scene and I think it fits in well. I need to finish that bridge/tunnel section and paint the 3D printed signal box so I have plenty of things to keep me occupied as I keep telling Mrs. Woody when she adds more jobs to her list of things for me to do!

In the meantime, I have also treated the second of the three current sub-bases to some additional 'wild' vegetation which makes it look more realistic. 

Will I get most of all this scenic work done before Christmas? Who knows but it is a hobby to enjoy so it takes as long as it takes which i also tell Mrs. W!

A 300% increase in price over six years but is it still cheap?

 

I have been using a lot of PVA glue over the past few weeks. This has led to a need to restock the WMD Stores so I have been on the look out at my normal suppliers who all seem to be out of my usual cheap glue. I don't use expensive PVA. The stuff I need it to glue is not structural and it just needs to stick things down or together so the cheap stuff is good for me. I did find some in The Works which is a UK chain of shops that sells books and arts and crafts materials at cheapish prices. The problem is the glue is no longer cheap. Or, maybe not as cheap as it used to be. Before Covid, I could pick up the same size bottle as in the picture for 99pence. Two years ago when I last restocked it was £1.99. Today £3 which is about a 300% increase in six years which is a lot. Or is it? In my mind I am used to paying a very cheap price and a 300% increase over six years makes me feel as though the glue is now expensive. However, trying to get things into perspective, £3 for a large bottle of glue that has to be manufactured, distributed, stocked and sold is still a cheap price when compared to the cost of other model making materials which have all also gone up - a lot more than 300% in some cases. I guess we have to accept that there is a cost to things and these things have gone up in price over time but some, in comparison, are still cheap when you consider what you actually physically get for your money. 

All very philosophical today but there is a logic in all that which I will no doubt find out if it is an understandable logic once Mrs, Woody reads it!

Its all in the browns!

The before weathering the brickwork photo...

and the after photo....

Not  a missive change but enough to give that realism of the aging effects of time and weather and take away that pristine, built yesterday look that make a model look a little toy like. The weathering on the brickwork was just dilute brown paint airbrushed on in random patterns whilst the rock faces were just brush painted with dilute brown paint - all in the brown!. I'm pleased with the overall effect and even Mrs. woody who is hard to impress, made positive comments!

Adding some additional greenery.

Having added hanging basket liner to the scenic sub-base to simulate the wild undergrowth of an unkempt area, it was time to add some additional greenery to break up the scene and add some more realism. The WMD Stores have a good stock of various scenic products and theses were put to good use.

The intention is to introduce various different greens and other vegetational colours along with suitable textures. Whether I have achieved that is down to the viewer but from a distance I think it looks realistic.

Even getting in close their is realism - it certainly looks like the WMD garden! 

Next job is to weather the brickwork and paint the rock faces which will se a switch from greens to browns!

Time for some retaining walls!

Having constructed the retaining walls for the area where the signal box is going in the scenic sub-base I needed to make some corner and end piers which would both strengthen the joint and hide the join in the brick paper. Some mounting card was cut to shape and then covered in brick paper. At the same time I also cut some strips of brown card and marked it up to represent joints in coping stone that would go on top of the retaining walls.

With that done it was time to glue all the components into place on the sub-base.

Looks OK to me and when I posed the yet to be painted signal box in position it really began to show promise!