Category Archives: Progress

October 2010

Having settled in in our new room in the new premises, we had put down the rest of the sidewalks. Next was the roadway. This was made with a material we know in the UK as ‘Artex filler’. Artex was used back in the 1970s for creating swirling patterns on ceilings and walls but has now fallen out of fashion. It is a soft, flexible plaster with ‘higlights’ in which can be rewetted at any time and lightly reworked. In this case it was mixed with black acrylic to get various shades of grey.

Although the surface was rough when first laid after a few days of drying (our room is rather damp). the surface can be rubbed with fingers to give a smooth surface, and additional layers can be painted on and reworked in a few hours. As the material hardened, drain covers and kerb grills were pushed into it (for later painting).

Meanwhile, Paul and Chris started to get the front panels and lighting supports ready. Unfortunately, because of time constraints, we had to use a central support at the front which broke the panorama. The first picture below shows the addition of an unpainted backscene and the second shows the layout with only the layout lighting on.

Steve Painted the back panels assuming an angle of view that proved to be inconsistent with other perspectives but, hey, it worked on the day! These panels were only temporary for the exhibition, so he can have another go.

The park was ‘turfed’ with static grass using our Noch GrasMaster and four trees were added using the previously described techniques. Finally we started to dismantle the layout to take the boards to the show!

See out Exhibition page for more views of our incomplete, but now exhibitable, layout.

Moving – August 2010

Since May we have moved to new premises, still in Birkenhead, where we are fortunate to have our own room a little smaller than in our old premises. Despite this, progress is now good because we are committed to exhibit Mauch Chunk at our [end of] October Exhibition. Although it won’t be ‘finished’ it needs to be reasonably complete.

First the move. The layout was dismantled – this proved surprisingly easy and the boards were lighter than we expected which, as we are getting older, was a pleasant finding. Here it is in the original clubhouse prior to the move… …and in the new clubhouse afterwards before moving into our new room.

We (all) painted the walls and then started to clear the mess into the right rooms and then made ourselves at home. As there is now much less room we put shelves behind the layout for all the modelling tools and materials. Our pictures and plans are once again on the wall.

Everyone is lending a hand (Dave and Paul below) to work on the sidewalks and final bedding down of the buildings. Paul and Chris have also fixed the spur in front of the Hooven Mercantile building.

May 2010 – more trees!

Q1 2010 was really a continuation of the tree/woodland making that started in the last quarter of 2009. Here are more photos of the woodland – now pretty much complete. A separate page shows the techniques used which, although not radically different from most, have a bit of a hairy twist! The trees do transform the appearance of the layout.

Chris is working on the Hotel Switzerland to go next to Paul’s Central Hotel. We are seeing this hotel from the back so it shouldn’t be too complicated. Even time for a cuppa tea.

Most of our attention then (and now) has been on moving clubhouse – which finally happened at the end of April – more in the next instalment. However, we are committed to taking Mauch Chunk to our October 2010 exhibition so we will have to speed up and get all the basics finished.

Quarter 4 2009 – trees!

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.

Quarters 2&3 2009

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…

Quarter 1 2009

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.

December 2008

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!

November 2008

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.

Quarter 2 2008

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!

Quarter 1 2008

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!