Tuesday 25 October 2011

Steady progress and a name at last!

I've had a rather busy week out snapping other people's model railways and taking care of the airwaves for a minority satellite TV sports channel. I have however shoe-horned a little time to carry on with the 'Cornish Project' which now has a name in the form of 'Polbrock' which is one of the places the Bodmin to Wadebridge line passed through. I'm not going to be too specific on the history, that way I'll hopefully avoid being nobbled by all the 'model railway experts' who've never even pinned a length of set track to an old door.

As you can see from the snap, the track is now down and wired up. The scenic basics are now taking shape, the not too obvious curved perimeter will allow for the curved backscene to fit between the edge of the layout and the diorama box the tiny little layout will sit inside when finished.

The backscene has been created, well electronically anyway from various bits of West Country photographic imagery, and is now a 4ft x 1ft 300 dots per inch PDF ready for the local printers to print off onto a suitable material as with Catcottt Burtle. No Peco-Disneyesque 3 inch high backscene here, time really has moved on with the advent of the home computer, high street repro houses and commercial printers that will print anything on to anything for a few sovs.

Since the above snap was taken the siding has been ballasted and the scenic sub base built up with tissue paper dipped in PVA coated in coloured plaster.

Jobs still to do...
  • Ballast the through line 
  • Complete the fiddle/staging yards 
  • Finish the presentation diorama box with backscene and built in lighting 
  • Ground colour 
  • Scratch-build 2 buildings for the scenic break behind the camera (pub/old barn) 
  • Scenics

3 comments:

  1. Any hints on the high street printers ? I had an A2 print done for our boat club a couple of months ago and the colours are fading to brown even though it's not in direct sunlight.

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  2. Hi Chris,
    How many layouts do you build a year, I can't keep up with you :)
    I do like that bridge and the way the scene is coming together.
    Just love this quote of yours as well, spot on :)

    " I'm not going to be too specific on the history, that way I'll hopefully avoid being nobbled by all the 'model railway experts' who've never even pinned a length of set track to an old door "

    Geoff

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  3. Thanks Chaps,

    Phil, I'll let you know what I fond out - theer are various options. I might go for stocky backed plastic as with Catcott B - 4 years on and it looks fabulous!

    Geoff, over the years I've learnt lost of short cuts. I think people spemd too much time on the net and pontificating. It's amazing what can be achieved by rationing web time.

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