Making a start in O gauge

[4COR]

I think the brambles (or it is some climber like old man's beard or ivy?) look very convincing! The subtle rust variations on the rails/buffer stops/etc and the track weathering is very nice as well. Rapidly coming together!

 

[Cowley]

Inspiring modelling, @Cowley I keep finding new things in the scene, when I look at your photos.

I've a mental image, of an abandoned rusted-up MCV or HTV against the stops on the lesser used siding.

I’ve got a couple of Railfreight wagons, an HEA and OAA (I think). They need a bit of a tidy up and weathering though.

That has come together really nicely, great work! Maybe some smaller bits of litter required just to finish it off? You know, beer bottles/cans or food wrappers, soggy magazines that kind of thing...

That’s exactly the kind of thing I need. Not sure where to get them though? I’ve been looking but I’ve had to temporarily ban myself from eBay again…

I think the brambles (or it is some climber like old man's beard or ivy?) look very convincing! The subtle rust variations on the rails/buffer stops/etc and the track weathering is very nice as well. Rapidly coming together!

Thanks for that. I’ve used one of the MIG acrylic paints for the rust. They do some really good stuff.

 

[Ghostbus]

Also a modern hard standing has been added so that locos can be refuelled by road if need be.

It's probably a bit small, but if you thought of that as an overnight servicing platform, you could add all sorts of stuff, standpipes, hose reels, electrical supply boxes, secure storage lockers. All manner of muck and fifth.

Some nice manky looking water in the bottom with two pipes draining the track area and a chamber to catch it all. Is that how these things work? I don’t know. It’s gone a bit rusty, but hopefully nobody will fall into it...

Not sure about anyone else, but for me there is a certain ick factor in seeing something modelled that, at scale, would most definitely be a very effective dog/toddler trap and torture device.

If such a pit existed in real life, which for an industrial/waterway management purpose seems realistic, it would almost certainly have a solid metal hatch secured with industrial padlocks. It's very doubtful it would be permanently sealed with rails. But unless you wanted to model a scene where it's currently undergoing inspection/maintenance (could be fun), obviously you lose the benefit of depth. Perhaps a small thin wire mesh to simulate a sturdy grate with only one rail for support, if you want to cheat a little and pretend there would be a need to look down into the pit, but not gain access.

Not that I have the patience for any of this sort of stuff. I just pin the track, install platforms/sheds and play with the trains. Sorry, entertain the kids. If a toddler isn't in the vicinity, I'll break out my vintage (lead core and lead painted?) two lever semaphore signal.

 

[Cowley]

We don’t get snow down here very often so I felt I had to get a couple of photos of the 26 outside!




Hope the cab heater’s working.

 

[Harpo]

We don’t get snow down here very often so I felt I had to get a couple of photos of the 26 outside!
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Hope the cab heater’s working.

Don’t want a frozen horn either.

 

[Sun Chariot]

We don’t get snow down here very often so I felt I had to get a couple of photos of the 26 outside!
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View attachment 169667

Hope the cab heater’s working.

A McRat in a snow McFlurry (sorry to fans of McDonalds!). Didn't Moors View satisfy your desire for snow?

I've just seen a YouTube clip of last Saturday's Portsmouth MRC gig - great stuff, it looks like a good day.
I spy a brace of Tractors with snow clearing duties. Time for a 7mm plough?

 

[Cowley]

Don’t want a frozen horn either.

Oh yes. That would smart.

A McRat in a snow McFlurry (sorry to fans of McDonalds!). Didn't Moors View satisfy your desire for snow?

I think it might have to as yesterdays snow was out of scale.

I've just seen a YouTube clip of last Saturday's Portsmouth MRC gig - great stuff, it looks like a good day.
I spy a brace of Tractors with snow clearing duties. Time for a 7mm plough?

That would be nice. I don’t know if I could justify it for snow once every five years though!

 

[Peter C]

I think it might have to as yesterdays snow was out of scale.

The technical term is 'the wrong kind of snow'...

(On a serious note - those photos are brilliant!)

-Peter

 

[Cowley]

The technical term is 'the wrong kind of snow'...

(On a serious note - those photos are brilliant!)

-Peter

Snow! That’s where we were…

Just after some opinions here really. First off, I finished extending the wall and in the end opted for having one of the windows bricked up. I’m fairly happy with that now. So what I’ve got here are a few views taken with that finished (in fact the board is pretty much finished really):




You can see that eventually the trains will be able to be seen through the remaining window gaps as they roll into the station.




Then what I’ve got is some photos of it with a gentle dusting of snow.
I don’t want to go too mad, I just want it to look cold:








Any thoughts? Do I go more/less/no snow on it?

I could possibly leave it loose, but I’d be a bit worried about it ending up in the mechanisms etc. Quite good fun trying to work out where it settle though.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Looks fabulous @Cowley a credit to your modelling skills.

Re: snow. I find snow settles longest upon cold steel, so the tops of the yellow barrier and depot sign probably deserve a little dusting too.
The rest wonderfully captures a cold Scottish morning.
That view of the 26 through the old shed's former window - I have a photo of a "Dutch" cl.26 peeking through one of Perth station's stone arches. Your image takes me back to a 1990 Scottish Rail Rover.

 

[Cowley]

Looks fabulous @Cowley a credit to your modelling skills.
Re: snow. I find snow settles longest upon cold steel, so the tops of the yellow barrier and depot sign probably deserve a little dusting too.
The rest wonderfully captures a cold Scottish morning.
That view of the 26 through the old shed's former window - I have a photo of a RF 26 through one of Perth station's stone arches. Your image takes me back to my 1990 Scottish Rail Rover.

I’d love to see that photo if you’re able to post it?
Good idea about the cold metal actually.

 

[Iskra]

Looking excellent, I agree that it should be on the steel, but also feel it should be continuous along the base of the retaining wall. It would effectively act as a windbreak with the snow dropping at the base.

I don’t know if these old photos may be of any help…

 

[Sun Chariot]

I’d love to see that photo if you’re able to post it?

@Cowley Here's a quick "photo of the photo". It's fairly rough, it's merely a digi compact shot of the original 35mm print. It transpired this was a Civil Engineer "Dutch", not RF, example.

It looks like Perth stole your idea re: bricking up an arch.

If I can devise a better way to capture the 35mm prints, then I'll do a thread akin to Richard's. I have a couple of hundred shots from 1986-1995.which I think have decent potential.

 

[Gloster]

Did light snow settle between the rails and on the outside of them due to the oil and grease that accumulated?

If the car has only recently arrived, witness the tyre marks, would the snow have settled on the warm bonnet and quickly blocked the windscreen?

Really, it is very impressive.

 

[Sun Chariot]

If the car has only recently arrived, witness the tyre marks, would the snow have settled on the warm bonnet and quickly blocked the windscreen?

That's a really good point.
If it was a BL, rather than a Ford, then it had probably failed to start and was left there for days, gathering layers of snow.

 

[Cowley]

That's a really good point.
If it was a BL, rather than a Ford, then it had probably failed to start and was left there for days, gathering layers of snow.

It’s just going to end up in a ditch the second it’s driven anyway.

Food for thought anyway chaps. Thanks for your replies (and the photos @Iskra).

 

[Iskra]

Have you considered some patches of ice? Or icy puddles? I saw a recent video from the guy who does the big O gauge Heaton Lodge Jct/Healey Mills, and he used plastic Microscope Slides to create a puddle-effect. He painted them shades of mud brown, but by using a different colour palette you could go for a more icy look.

Anyway, it's looking fantastic, great work.

 

[Cowley]

Have you considered some patches of ice? Or icy puddles? I saw a recent video from the guy who does the big O gauge Heaton Lodge Jct/Healey Mills, and he used plastic Microscope Slides to create a puddle-effect. He painted them shades of mud brown, but by using a different colour palette you could go for a more icy look.

I have been thinking about doing that. I saw that video on YouTube but I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet. I’m still not totally set on going in this direction yet, but I’d like to do something a bit different.

Anyway, it's looking fantastic, great work.

Thanks Iskra

 

[Sun Chariot]

Hello @Cowley was post #43 photo of any use?

 

[Cowley]

Hello @Cowley was post #43 photo of any use?

Yes that’s brilliant. I think I missed it because you added it after the thread had moved on but I did find myself looking at photos of the arch the other day! Kind of wishing that I’d copied it a bit more actually…

Anyway I had a go at a little recreation so thanks for finding it:

 

[Sun Chariot]

Kind of wishing that I’d copied it a bit more actually…

Anyway I had a go at a little recreation so thanks for finding it:

View attachment 172052

That oozes the days of proper traction.

With the main station area, will you have an opportunity for a retaining wall with arch?

 

[Cowley]

That oozes the days of proper traction.

With the main station area, will you have an opportunity for a retaining wall with arch?

Yes I think along the back behind the station I’ll have a long wall hopefully. So you’d be able to see it through the window gap.

 

[Cowley]

It was my birthday last week so Mrs C kindly got me a Dapol/Lionheart mk1 and I bought another one after selling a Darstead blue BG van - mainly because I saw Paul’s blood and custard Dapol/Lionheart mk1 and thought it looked a better model than the Darstead one (I mean relatively speaking, as they’re both very good).

Just took them out of the boxes for the first time to have a look at them and they’re superb. They also come with digital lighting which I’ll get to grips with at some point.




They come unnumbered but I need to add Scotrail lettering anyway so I’ll get some transfers.

Some detail stuff - Inside the 1st class compartment:


And the 2nd:


The dynamo equipment is nicely captured:


They have working buckeyes, but there’s also magnets in the corridor connections and they work really well:


Really pleased with them. Being that I don’t need a lot of stock for what I want to do, hopefully once I start on the construction side of things I’ll have stockpiled most of what I need!

 

[hexagon789]

It was my birthday last week so Mrs C kindly got me a Dapol/Lionheart mk1 and I bought another one after selling a Darstead blue BG van - mainly because I saw Paul’s blood and custard Dapol/Lionheart mk1 and thought it looked a better model than the Darstead one (I mean relatively speaking, as they’re both very good).

Just took them out of the boxes for the first time to have a look at them and they’re superb. They also come with digital lighting which I’ll get to grips with at some point.
View attachment 180704

View attachment 180705

They come unnumbered but I need to add Scotrail lettering anyway so I’ll get some transfers.

Some detail stuff - Inside the 1st class compartment:
View attachment 180706

And the 2nd:
View attachment 180707

The dynamo equipment is nicely captured:
View attachment 180710

They have working buckeyes, but there’s also magnets in the corridor connections and they work really well:
View attachment 180709

Really pleased with them. Being that I don’t need a lot of stock for what I want to do, hopefully once I start on the construction side of things I’ll have stockpiled most of what I need!

Very nice @Cowley.

If it helps at all, plenty of ScotRail allocated vehicles didn't carry ScotRail branding.

The Express routes were very much prioritised, then Central Belt to Inverness and only finally the rural routes. The branding was done very much ad hoc, so there is great variation in application of same - plenty of squinty transfers!

 

[Ash Bridge]

Those really do look superb Mr C! Just out of interest are they also available fitted with Commonwealth and B4 bogies?

 

[Cowley]

Very nice @Cowley.

If it helps at all, plenty of ScotRail allocated vehicles didn't carry ScotRail branding.

The Express routes were very much prioritised, then Central Belt to Inverness and only finally the rural routes. The branding was done very much ad hoc, so there is great variation in application of same - plenty of squinty transfers!

That’s good to know. I’ll probably do a bit of research into it once I’ve got to the point of weathering etc. I’ve got to fit all kinds of digital shenanigans at some point too…

Those really do look superb Mr C! Just out of interest are they also available fitted with Commonwealth and B4 bogies?

I’m not actually sure Mr B. I grabbed these because they were reduced to £125 each (I’d actually like to get a TSO and a BG as well, but that might be pushing my luck somewhat ).

It might be possible to get different bogies separately though.

 

[Ash Bridge]

That’s good to know. I’ll probably do a bit of research into it once I’ve got to the point of weathering etc. I’ve got to fit all kinds of digital shenanigans at some point too…


I’m not actually sure Mr B. I grabbed these because they were reduced to £125 each (I’d actually like to get a TSO and a BG as well, but that might be pushing my luck somewhat ).

It might be possible to get different bogies separately though.

Talk to Mrs Cowley nicely - a BG on commonwealths would complement them beautifully!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Super stuff @Cowley I am envisaging the guttural EE growl of an Oban-bound mid 1980s service.

 

[4COR]

They look absolutely super!

 

[Cowley]

They look absolutely super!

Thanks @4COR

Talk to Mrs Cowley nicely - a BG on commonwealths would complement them beautifully!

Stop this terrible behaviour. I’m struggling (seriously) not to buy these things!

Super stuff @Cowley I am envisaging the guttural EE growl of an Oban-bound mid 1980s service.

Oh yes.

I definitely need a class 20 with a wee doggy on the bonnet soon as well!