Tuesday Photo

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44417 carefully propels a rake of empties up the gradient in to Polbrook Gurney Colliery. Note the ancient tipping wagons to the right. It's likely they were used for removal of spoil.

The 4F started life as an Airfix model dating from around 1982. Recently I commissioned Phillip Hall to pop a decent chassis under it. Phil, with his amazing mechanical skills has made it fully compensated with pick ups on every wheel including tender. It sticks to the track like a limpet, and has an incredible pulling power. To try to match the fabulous chassis, I performed some cosmetic work on the rest of the engine with a new paint job and lots of extra detail. This one really is a keeper, and the odd time I do an exhibition, this little beastie will run all weekend even on the dirtiest track without missing a beat.

The contractor's wagons are part of a rake of 3, from the excellent RT Models white metal kit range.
http://www.rtmodels.co.uk/rt_models_033.htm  

Lower Writhlington Colliery

nevard_110601_writhington_DSC_2419_web, a photo by nevardmedia on Flickr.

This is my first post for over a week, that's because we needed a well earned break. However whilst away, we all know that a train buff will never really switch off, especially when close to such a former rich industrial area like the hilly landscape a few miles south of Bath. For some time, I've been gathering information and constructing buildings for my Mendip Colliery project, so a spare hour of so in the Radstock area which was the centre of the North Somerset coalfield was far too tempting to miss out on.

Lower Writhlington along with Kilmersdon were the last working collieries in the area closing in 1973, but less that 40 years has seen the latter disappear under housing and other brownfield redevelopments. However, a glance at Google Earth shows that apart from a private house, the site of the former Lower Writhlington colliery has yet to be developed.

The link below, shows what I found on Wednesday 1st June 2011...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/sets/72157626758889773/with/5797145522/

Here is the location..
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=writhlington&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=Writhlington,+Radstock,+Bath+and+North+East+Somerset,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.295838,-2.424186&spn=0.000985,0.003862&t=h&z=19

Cornish Pump / Model Rail 156

nevard_101015_cornish_pump_IMG_8138_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

The Cornish Engine that's popped up on this blog from time to time now has its full construction revealed in the May issue of Model Rail Mag. In there I go into a lot more detail about the way the various textures and colouring where achieved.

Also in this issue:

• News section including launch of the exclusive Model Rail Sentinel locomotive.
• Big Picture x 2!
• Model of the Month - Heljan 'Lion'
• Reviews
• Model Mail
• Torrington 'OO' layout
• Carry on Camping
• Crockherbtown 'OO' layout 
• Masterplan - ironstone quarry
• How to solder a wire
• Cartazzi Upgrade (george)
• Install telegraph wires
• Build N gauge canal basin
• Supertest Track Cleaners
• Make Buildings - Building a Cornish Engine
• Make better road vehicles
• Q&A
• Show & Tell
• Model Rail shop
• Competition
• Exhibition Diary

Mendip Colliery in Model Rail

nevard_100705_pithead_IMG_7394_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

 

 If you buy Model Rail Magazine, you might have read my little piece about Mendip Colliery, my 4 x 2 foot coal mining micro layout project. Due to space restrictions the finished shot of the pit head building is couldn't be shown too large, so to prop the feature up here is a BIGGER VERSION of the photo of the finished building.

They say that conventional communication using pen and paper is dead; not quite the case, for a very helpful and knowledgeable gentleman mailed my via the editorial office some most useful information about coal mining in the Mendip area after reading the feature in the mag. He said all that is missing from the above model is a ladder to allow access to the wheel (shieve) and possibly some ironwork above to allow the wheel to be winched out and replaced. These can be addressed at some stage pending some suitable prototype photographs. Thank you sir!


The next installation of Mendip Colliery in Model Rail Magazine will revolve around building a Cornish Pump house, not using ready to plant bits and pieces as a bases, but a full scratch-build. 

On the left is a sneak preview of the almost finished structure.

"Chim chiminey Chim chiminey Chim chim cher-oo!"

nevard_101015_cornish_pump_IMG_8141_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

With the near completion of the long-winded cornish pump for Mendip Colliery, last night a chimney was built up from plastic sheet and earlier today a little paint splashed onto it. Read more about it in Model Rail Magazine in due course.

Cornish Pump Engine: Update 11 Oct 2010

nevard_101006_cornish-pump_IMG_8079_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Cornish Pump Engine: Update 11 Oct 2010.

Today's work included making up the beam from plastic sheet, wooden shutters and additional paintwork. Ignore the gap around the base, that will be filled when the structure is set into the ground. There is still quite a bit of detail to be added to the area below the beam. I'll post a snap in due course.

Disheveled Looking Cornish Pump

Disheveled looking Cornish Pump, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Mendip Colliery - Cornish Pump: after the result of basic painting, windows, beam etc still to add along with local colouring. This will form part of Mendip Collery 3 (working title) in Model Rail Mag in due course....

Stone by Stone

nevard_100804_cornish-engine_IMG_7535_02_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Rather than clad the Cornish Engine currently on the workbench as part of my Mendip Colliery project (posed with a bit of CGI in the form of Priddy in Somerset very near to the caver's Mecca of Swildon's Hole in fact) in embossed stone effect sheets, I wanted a more rustic random effect. There's only one way to do this, and that is to carve each stone individually using a sharp object into a surface that will take such abuse - which in this case is Humbrol Air Clay.

Obviously the colour is way off, it being the native red colour of the clay - this will be addressed in due course with paints and weathering. Some of the clay crumbled a little - something that I'm quite pleased because it's part of the effect I'm after, and something that could not be done with embossed plastic. The random cracking is also a useful 'feature' of Air Clay, to further the rustic effect.

To date I've only done this one wall leaving the rest of the structure to be done another day - infact something which is ideal for passing time by when supposedly doing something else like watching dull TV...

Cracking on with the Cornish Pump

nevard_100728_cornish-engine_IMG_7508_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

This afternoon it was a nice sunny one, so I moved out into the garden under the apple tree and made a start with the Cornish Pumping Engine for 'Mendip Colliery'.

Rather than build around a resin or metal 'ready to plant' structure as before, a basic inner has been made up from 4mm foam board which is a fabulous material to quickly put together a sturdy base using PVA as an adhesive.

Stone effect will be scribed onto a layer of Air Clay rather than use embossed plastic overlays. This will allow finer stone detailing around the curved apertures and corners. The slightly uneven surface will also help to create the rustic effect I'm after. Tests earlier today with this worked rather well.

Cornish Pump Engine

nevard_100716_cornish-engine_COLOUR_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Cornish engines were steam powered beam pumping engines and mainly used to stop mines from filling up with water. Also in the early days they were sometimes used to winch miners and their bounty in and out of the pit. The design developed strangely enough in Cornwall and was exported all around the world. Click here for find out more.

To try and keep that unmodernised rustic feel with my Mendip Colliery project (formerly Coal & Steam) I've been doodling about putting together an idea based on a mirror image of the Cornish Engine that used to be at Kilmersdon Colliery near Radstock. The side here is a bit of a mystery, however the web and mining books as always have many images to get inspiration from. It's likely that I'll incorporate a nice chimney to the rear of the buildings - that has yet to be illustrated. Construction will be mixed media of foam board for the inner shell, embossed stone plastic sheet and paper. Whilst a brief precise of the contruction will be show here, it will form part of a greater feature for the printed page.

Dining Room Table Mock-Up

nevard_100706_pithead-8F_IMG_7410_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

A mock up on the dining room table with 'Coal & Steam' buldings so far completed. In case you think this project is further down the road that I've let on, the living room wall has been replaced with a blurry sky from the Bridport area using Photoshop to help me gauge where I'm going with this project.

Since the previous update, I've addressed the brick areas on the shaft buildings at the rear, they now blend in alot better with the stonework and look far more natural. I'll post an update of that aspect in due course.

The plan is to to feature this project in far greater detail on the printed page in due course, this will be with stage by stage illustrations backed up with my often offbeat but simple and very speedy techniques.
Want to see a bigger version of the snap above? If yes, click on it and then follow the 'all sizes' option.

Progress!

nevard_100704_pithead_IMG_7389_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Mendip/North Somerset style scratch built pit head building based around a Bachmann Scenecraft pit head - nothing like a good day taking in the sun as well as some model making to get good progress!

Model Making in the Garden

nevard_100703_pithead_IMG_7372_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

I love this time of year, because I can sit under our apple tree to do some model making. The other joy is that the odd tiny bits of detritus that would need to be hoovered up end up on the lawn, these then disappear when I cut it in a day or two.

The building here is styled an amalgam of various North Somerset style pit head buildings, many of which were made up and extended from various materials - ideal for using up all those odds and ends of embossed plastic sheet.

The pit head is Bachmann Scenecraft with some of the toy like corrugated iron (well I think that's what it's supposed to be) removed with a hacksaw and then incorporated into the scratchbuilt building here.

If you want a closer view, click on the image above, then select the 'all sizes' option.....

Stone Cladding

nevard_100702_windinh-house_IMG_7350_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

Stone cladding was a popular move in the 1960's and 1970's with the lower middle classes who wanted to make their semi or terrace look more 'upmarket' or individual. It's one of those ghastly fads that went hand in hand with owning a beige coloured Austin Allegro and drinking Blue Nunn.

My reason is simply that I had this Bachmann Scenecraft 44-026 Hampton Heath Colliery Winding House in brick, and a desire to make it look more in keeping with the North Somerset with its distinctive white Lias limestone.


Of course, matching up the overlays isn't the easiest of tasks, with that in mind the time factor is probably about the same as building from scratch! Clever people will spot the badly matched stones where they meet at the corners - remedy will be to add a downpipe just in the right spot to hide my botched model making!

In addition to cladding the building with some stone effect sheets I had left over from Old Quarry Wharf's edge, I also decided to hide the rather clumsy slates with some corrugated effect sheeting.

This project is more 'because it can be done' and it could be useful to those who already own such buildings and want to have a bash at elevating their ready-to-plant buildings to something better than the Jones' next door.

I'm in Trouble!

nevard_100613_coal-steam_DSC_7863_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

At last construction has started on my coal mine project with a bit of kack handed carpentry this morning moving this project on from 'arm-chair' firmly into 'cuts-and-bruises' territory. As with most of my recent projects, this one will be housed in a diorama style box with built in lighting and a curved corner-less backscene (missing here) as with Catcott Burtle, Cement Quay and Arne Wharf.

The size of the module here which is being checked out by Fleur is 4ft long x 20 inches deep x 2 ft high. Why so high? Because there'll be a chimney and I want a backdrop to be seen behind it all the way to the top as well as protecting the highest part of the layout when in storage and in transit.

I've decided to use conventional materials this time too - simply because of what the previous owner of my house left in the garage and an offer on some ends of 6mm ply at B&Q. I don't need to build any fiddle yards this time for I'll be using Catcott Burtle's ones, I'll also be able to use Catcott's trestles and drapes.

The trouble bit is that I have yet to get planning permission for this project - but because I won't be making extra fiddle yards, legs and so on the amount of space it will take up is marginal.

Colliery Test Arrangements....

Test arrangements...., originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

A little more progress with the Coal and Steam project; I had a few spare moments earlier so had a play with possible arrangements based on various prototype colliery photographs of what goes where. The joy with the real thing is that it varies enormously thankfully! I must apologise for the photo quality, it being simply grabbed on my mobile phone!

The various buildings, once selected will then be customised extensively to take on the regional look of the North Somerset area, with much of the brick being replaced with a stone veneer and the rather heavyweight slates replaced with corrugated iron. The chimney, which will be scratchbuilt in due course has simply been borrowed from Cement Quay. Loading screens not seen here will be scratchbuilt using various plastic sheets over a foamboard base.

Buildings here from left to right; a Bachmann Scenecraft smithy, Skaledale pit head (with a few mods started), a Scenecraft 'stone engine shed' which will turn into a boiler house, and to the far right a Scenecraft winding house which will be stone clad and gain a corrugated roof.

The layout floating in the sky above is Catcott Burtle, my little bit of the 'Somerset & Dorset' on the 'Levels'.

Delivery from Bachmann...

Delivery from Bachmann..., originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

I'd been promised a few Bachmann Scenecraft seconds to play around with, though I must admit it as quite a surprise to find this giant box stood in our hallway earlier this afternoon! My wife was a little concerned thinking that I'd blown what looked at least 5 years railway modelling budget on toy trains - not so I assured her!

Those who know me know I'm not too much of a fan of 'out of the box' railway modelling, but these 'ready to plonk' buildings (various colliery buildings from Bachmann Scenecraft) make an ideal bases to modify and personalise which in this case is likely to be for my semi moribund colliery project which needs a well overdue a kick to get it properly off the ground......

I'll post more as this progresses.....

Back of an Envelope Fun

Right (click on) - another idea scribbled on the back of an envelope last night during a tea break which was then cleaned up in Photoshop over breakfast this morning. I could use Catcott's fiddle yards I guess. Having acquired several Bachmann Scenecraft seconds and some Skaledale stuff which could be bashed about a little mixed in with a dash of scratchbuilding, something could be hacked out quite quickly I guess.

The curved nature would be a break from the norm, with the tandem pointwork being a good focal point. Trackwork will all be done properly this time, either useing C&L as with Catcott or maybe even handbuilt using spiked code 55 flatbottomed as Brian Harrap has on his super Quai: 87 layout. Of course a mix of the two could aslo look good.

A diorama approach will work well with what could be quite a deep layout height wise, starting low at the front with the brook rising up by 18 inches on the left hand side with an old 'batch' (slag heap) balanced by colliery buildings on the right.

The two parallel lines crossing from the middle to the left hand side are a possible aerial cable way to remove waste - if that could be made to work that would be great fun. Additional fun and games could be had with actually loading wagons too via a hidden shoot from the rear of the layout down to the screen which is middle right.

The look I'm after is a cold winter's day (even though this sketch looks 'summer') inspired by the last days of steam at Writhlington on the old S&DJR. Wagon stock would be 99% open wagons and locos anything from a Sentinels, 'Bagnalls' (Jinty), Pugs and maybe even a Hymek - no hard rules!

Gilding a Lily

Modern 'ready to plant' resin models are great way to get a quick result. With a little extra work they can easily me modified a little to make them different from the chap's next door. Here's how I changed a Skaledale R8956 Mine Shaft Building with a new roof and some overlays.

A bit of trial and error was used to mark out and then cut up some stone effect plastic sheet. I used what I had to hand which looks a little like the smaller stone used in the Mendip area.

Colouring at the later stage is probably more important that the type of stone effect used.
The card, once a good neat fit was then fixed into place with impact adhesive. I was care careful not to use too much glue in fear that it might melt the plastic.

Where 2 sides met, I filed the plastic overlay at a 45 degree angle to avoid an unsightly seam. Some liquid plastic solvent was then washed over the corners to smoothen the effect.

To further change the look of the mine shaft building, I added a hipped roof, again from plastic card. Some Wills corrugated sheeting was laid over to complete the effect. Masking tape was used to create the effect leading between the roof and the shaft.

The next stage was to add some colour. I’m impatient so I like to get the basic colour on quickly. For this I utilise Halford’s aerosol primers. In my arsenal I always have grey, red, white primer and matt black. The can have many applications on model railways from track colouring to weathering.

For the building here I used a mix of red primer and matt black, misting on the paint randomly from a couple of feet away. I used more red on the roof to suggest rust. After this application all over I then masked off the sides and misted on white and grey primer to suggest the effect of dust.

Mendip stone in the Radstock area is very pale, so the next stage was to dry brush on some very pale grey Humbrol matt enamel.

‘Dry brushing’ if you're not familiar with the practice involves using a fairly stiff brush (I favour those cheap children’s one from craft shops like Hobbycraft). A small amount of the chosen paint is applied to the brush, then with some old newspaper or cardboard most of the paint is then removed.

The roof was treated in a similar manner by drybrushing the Wills corrugated sheet to make it look like asbestos.

Pug!

nevard_091118_pug_IMG_6028_web, originally uploaded by nevardmedia.

A detailed, repainted and weathered Hornby L&Y 0-4-0 'Pug'. 51202 was based at Radstock from the 1930's through to the early 1950's.

The motor protrudes into the cab, so to disguise this, a cloth screen from painted tissue has been added. Screens like this were an occasional feature on the real thing.