In all honesty Q4 hasn’t been marvellous for modelling although much work has gone into getting locomotives running smoothly. Much of this is down to our usual autumn exhibition. However, in the last update we promised trees and trees there have been. Here are some photos of the woodland that has suddenly grown at the left hand (Southern) end of the layout. In the next update I’ll do a report on how we make the trees. Enjoy.. and happy new year.
We seem to have slowed down again over the summer due, I suppose, to other commitments, but also to much activity focused on ‘slow’ areas. In particular, Paul has been devoting nearly all his time to setting up DCC and chipping locos and then trying to get them to run – the brass ones are particularly difficult. We went for the NCE DCC kit in the end which seems to do everything we want. We are also using basic Hornby chips which do the job, although some locos came with sound chips ready installed. The best bit about DCC for me (old misery) is that we can turn the sound off the sound chips!
In the summer, Dennis Morley, an O-Gauge modeller, delivered the brass locos back after painting – he’s done an excellent job. Weathering still to be done. Here are three of them, the 4-8-0 was finished later.
Steve spent most of the past six months doing shop interiors using various materials from Langley Models (UK, 4mm to the foot but manageable) and Preiser (right scale but not cheap!). He also made good use of the colour printer and photos of old shops that he’d been accumulating. Three examples are shown here, but you can’t really see very much once they’re in.
To finish them off Steve’s been using computer written signs and scanned and reduced posters. Home made decals have also been employed with extensive use of various free and not-so-free software. The signs and buildings still need a fair bit of weathering but it’s getting there. Susquehanna Street is pretty much done now, except the sidewalks and ashphalt.
Chris has finished the detailing on the freight house and only the weathering of the roof remains. Dave has finished the gas station on Susquehanna Street, again awaiting only weathering.
And to finish off a few extra photos from our last open evening. We’re counting down to the Exhibition at the end of October now – Pete Waterman is opening it (you’ve either heard of him or you haven’t). Trees next…
We have really sped up our modelling since the new year, mainly as a result of a number of all day sessions. It feels as though we have nearly completed the buildings now and have moved on to weathering rolling stock (initially coal hoppers). There is now a definite plan to take Mauch Chunk to our exhibition in the fall (end October 2010) so we have a deadline – help!
So firstly Chris has pretty much finished the Freight house – which is now my favorite building on the layout. Here it is under construction and in its finished form on the layout.
Secondly, Paul has finished the Central Hotel with only the Hotel Switzerland’s back and sides to do now. In the picture he is making an RS3 work again (how? haven’t a clue!). He also fixes the trackwork and wheels when stock doesn’t run smoothly (i.e. falls off) – also a mystery
Steve Rogers, from the Leigh Model Railway Club, has been joining us for modelling sessions and painted the roof of Chris’s Station Building. He has also finished off another cliff face, most of which will sadly be hidden by the buildings on Susquehanna Street. Chris has also been working on Paul and Steve’s Hotel and Iron Works respectively to get a consistent brick finish (below).
Dave has worked manfully on with the gas station and associated buildings on Susquehanna Street, which should be finished soon now. Steve (Hales) has painted and weathered the buildings on Susquehanna Street. Still work to do with blinds and interiors, but it’s coming along.
Steve has also had a go at weathering the coal hoppers on the layout using weathering powders (mostly Carr’s).
All the remaining photos below (nearly all) were taken at the Spring Open Day in mid April. Some have a temporary backscene put up during the Open Day, which gives a much different feel. The old-style cabooses were built for us by Bill (Rails2) after a contact through eBay – beautiful.
Chris suprised us at one of the Christmas open evenings in December by bringing down the nearly complete Freight House. Shows what retirement, lots of time, care and just a bit of skill can produce – it’s looking very good!
We continued modelling in the Autumn (Fall), still continuing with completing buildings and with Paul re-wheeling freight cars, building coal hoppers and putting coal in them. I’ve not managed to do a separate Q3 page because of the Model Railway Society exhibition at the end of October – but this was my last year as manager so should be able to do one next year (?!?).
Chris made good use of the etched brass lintels and doors in building the freight house. These photos show the very early stages of construction. Construction is in plasticard – mainly from Slaters. The next three photos show the painted fire escape (built by Paul) on the Hooven Building, Dave’s frame of the Susquehanna Street petrol (gas) station and Chris’s station building.
Paul is quietly building the Central Hotel at home (he is a first class modeller – see the Woodside page) and brought it in for the club open day. We sneaked a picture of it while he wasn’t looking. Steve has now “finished” the last building on Susquehanna Street (almost – Chris is going to build the still card outline building just visible in wood). We are going to have a finishing off session (or several) in the New Year to finish the details, the shop contents and then paint them all together.
The final three photos show the model at the Open Day at the end of November.
We continued modelling in the early Summer, continuing with completing buildings. Paul is still re-wheeling box cars and has managed to get our 4-8-0 running smoothly and is now working on the more recalcitrant locomotives.
Steve has pretty well completed the next building on Susquehanna Street making good use of the brass etched windows and has now started on the last – the end is in site.
Steve used brass etching to prepare all the windows, doors and archways for the Freight house which Chris has moved on to having completed the Station. Some additional architectural details were also etched for use to detail the other Susquehanna Street buildings.
When not working on the station, Chris has been carving the war memorial. He has now finished this (note the statue was modified from a plastic one) but with the statue facing slightly towards the front of the model – artistic licence!
We continued modelling in the Spring, focusing on completing buildings. Paul started work on the Central Hotel but owing to a confusion with drawings, the first version was slightly overscale. Despite this delay he has now made a start on the correctly scaled building (note: this was Steve’s fault!). He also continues rewheeling trucks and is now working on the more recalcitrant locomotives.
Steve has continued adding to the last six buildings on Susquehanna street, completing the building started by Alisdair and fixing all six to perspex bases. This last is so that they can be removed in transit as some sit over baseboard joints. O-scale paving slabs were individually cut and mounted (see 1st picture) to give a fairly good representation of the paving slabs seen in photos of the period.
Steve also experimented with Brass etching to prepare a revised set of windows for the Iron Works and used the spare space to make sash windows for the next Susquehanna street block of apartments. The Iron works certainly looks a lot better.
When not working on the station, Chris has been carving the war memorial based on a set of scaled photos – both period and current. In the photo (L) Ian is working behind Chris.
Chris carried on with the Station building adding the roofing beams and then the roof. Getting the line of the roof over the change of direction of the platform awning proved a challenge! The roof was initially painted for the current roofing colors, but will be repainted grey soon to match the roofing of the late 40s.
Chris and Steve bought BLI Mikados on eBay with the intention of modifying them to M3s. To their surprise and delight, both have sound chips and the result is far more pleasing to the ear than the F3A and B purchased last autumn.
The station was placed on the layout for the Spring Open Day in early April and really added a lot to the overall impression. I think we are beginning to see how the final layout might look, although still a long way to go.
To our great pleasure, Dave Williams joined the group in February (photo left). He was a club member many years ago and is again starting up with the hobby as he has now retired (and done the obligatory DIY at home!). Welcome Dave. He is working up to modelling the petrol station and associated buildings on the front side of Susquehanna Street.
The final set of photos show the layout at the Spring Open Day – as usual with some slightly non-prototypical stock running!
We continued modelling in the Autumn (Fall) as before, focusing on completing buildings. These first photos show the layout at our Club Open Evenings in early December. The Athearn Genesis F3A/B unit in the foreground of the first photo has DCC sound – but without DCC the volume is loud and rather irritating after a full evenings operation!
Steve has continued working along Susquehanna Street and several more buildings are nearing completion using the perspex core technique previously described – although painting will now be left so that all can be painted and detailed together. Paul has also now finished the fire escape on the Hooven Mercantile building – which again needs painting.
Chris has continued with the marathon project of the station building making very extensive use of jigs – and including pre-printed windows (more successfully than on the Ironworks), brass tubing for platform shelter supports and the wooden core of the tower. The model is being built on a section of platform that will lift into a slot on the baseboard. All other work has been done with plasticard:
We continued the year still working on two of the large buildings. Chris has made fantastic progress with the station building – the circular tower has been built on a wood core made by a friend. The supports for the awning are made of brass and much use has been made of jigs and templates.
Steve has finished a second version of the Mauch Chunk Iron Works but is not so pleased with it – but it will have to do for now. The windows will be replaced once some etched brass frames can be made.
Paul has been quietly working away at the staircase for the Hooven Mercantile building modifying three etched brass kits and making a fantastic job of it. These photos don’t really do it justice.
We have started the year well working on two of the large buildings. Chris has moved on from redrawing the plans of the station building to modelling it – a true labour of love; The circular tower will be built on a wood core made by a friend.
Steve, meanwhile, is using the perspex shell technique with the Ironworks – currently looking much cruder (but wait and see!). The dark-blue window frames have been printed out onto overhead film to make the windows and then painted on the inside with thinned grey enamel to simulate dirty factory windows. They are attached to the plasticard wall with liquid poly with the rough side (printed onto) outwards. For once the walls were painted before assembly.
Paul has been fettling the freight cars – specifically replacing all the wheelsets with metal wheels and getting the Kadees sorted. An important if tedious job.
