Midsomer is my new module layout. The name may not be the same when it hits the British exhibition circuit so this more of a working title.
My Petite Properties blog has so far seen 17 structures completed. They currently live on a shelf in the dining room.
One evening after my lovely wife had enjoyed a couple glasses of fine Australian red wine I posed the question. "What do we do with all these lovely buildings"?
Before you knew it two boards totally 8 ft by 2 ft were erected in the lounge for the "new" layout. The boards are laser cut kits by Grainge & Hodder and go together very easily with panel pins and wood glue. They are very light being made of 6mm hardwood. The trestles in the picture are those used on "Red Hook Bay".
Mike
The boards have been aligned together with brass cabinet makers dowels and then joined with bolts and wing nuts. Normal practice for exhibition purposes as this gives perfect alignment every time.
Next having traced out the trackplan I glued Woodland Scenics 1/8 inch modeling sheet c1175 using PVA to the boards. This will be my track bed. Model Rail magazine's Chris Nevard used this recently on his small micro layout. I then used some Peco track plan turnout templates downloaded from their website to plan the turnout placing
The buildings in the picture are models of the signal box and station at Midsomer Norton on the old Somerset & Dorset Railway.
Mike
I am using just 5 Peco small radius turnouts on this layout. This will create a run around, head shunt, siding to the goods shed and a two track fiddle yard.
Here is an electrofrog turnout that needs to be modified for power routing on a DCC layout
First off the middle connections 4 sleepers to the right from the left hand wires are snipped. Then wires are soldered to the outer and inner rails using in my case blue and red wires. These wires will be attached to the spring terminals 1 and 2 of my switch motor - DCC Concepts Cobalt digital IP. The green wire (right in the picture) from the frog (frogs are green) is connected to terminal 3 on the switch motor. The wires are just stripped and then inserted into the spring terminals. It is suggested they are not tinned.
In the second picture please note the rail connectors - the two inner ones on the V are plastic. - Peco SL-111.
Mike
Here is the diagram of the wiring set up. These turnout motors are similar to a Tortoise. However you do not need to solder anything and the terminals for wires and switches are clearly shown. This turnout is also digital meaning it has a decoder built in enabling you to set an address between 1 and 2049. Apart from a lifetime warranty you can add panel LED's and trigger interlocking. Simples..............
Mike
Here are the five Peco electrofrog code 75 small radius turnouts suitably wired up for DCC.
Three were being reused so I soldered the correct colour wires (red,blue,green) on the correct rails on each turnout depending where it was positioned on the trackplan. Some I had to swap over as they now faced in a different direction to when previously used. ::)
Mike
Are you going to include a murder, and the appropriate CID inspectors from the TV program?
dave
Yes I think there needs to be a murder or three...........
Mike :D
Quote from: madharry on January 22, 2017, 06:08:00 PM
Yes I think there needs to be a murder or three...........
Mike :D
Yeah, that show can get kinda bloody (but in a terribly proper and reserved English way) at times... I read some stats somewhere about the number of people killed over the years that's been running, it was in the hundreds.
dave
Looking good Mike. :) 8)
Stay cool and run steam...... 8) 8)
Thanks Bob I appreciate it.
Mike :)
Nice work Mike.....I'll be watching. 8)
Hi Mike:
Looks good I'll be following along.
Karl
Thanks Greg and Karl for following. Now the "castle" is completed I will stop procrastinating and get on with building the layout.
I have decided to use some C&L finescale track depicting the scale British track spacing and ties of a scale size with five Peco small radius code 75 turnouts. This is a bit of a trade off. C&L do not offer a built up turnout. They only offer kits. I bought one but for now that is step too far.........The cost is about three times more than a Peco turnout.
Mike
Here you can see the difference between C&L Finescale track and the Peco code 75 on the right. The different tie spacing and size is obvious.
I am going to drill the baseboards to fit three magnets - I use the Bachmann ones which work perfectly with Kadee 17,18 or 19's on Britsh stock.
I have kitted out the 5 turnout motors I will be fitting to the layout. These will be DCC controlled and come with their own decoder pre-fitted.
Mike
Continuing........
The position of the magnets has been worked out and the baseboard has been cut to accept the magnets which will be directly under ballasted track.
Mike
Continuing.........
The third magnet's position is determined before a hole is cut into the baseboard.
All the three magnets are on just one of the boards. I flipped it over and covered the holes to the hold the magnets. I found a piece of Wills plastic scenic material was just the right size when cut into three. I glued these to the bottom of the baseboard using a contact adhesive - Thixofix.
Mike
Continuing........
As the boards are apart for the above exercise, I thought I would show a picture of the male and female brass dowels that align the boards together.
Mike
Continuing............
The boards have been joined again using the dowels to align them and then bolts and wing nuts are used to keep them together.
As I am about to start laying track I have inserted two pieces of 1mm plasticard between the boards. The tracks will be laid across the join in the boards and then cut with a slitting disc. Once the plasticard is removed the gap in the tracks will be closer together.
Mike
Continuing.......
I decided to test the magnets first before laying the track. A Hornby coach was retrofitted with a Kadee #18 coupler and run over the buried magnet. Everything works fine!
Mike
Continuing...........
Time to lay the track. First the two turnouts leading to the goods shed and loco release.
I soldered two sets of wires under the small section of straight track which is going to be the loco release. I drilled holes through the baseboard and carefully treaded the wires through. I used small sections of double sided tape to hold the track in place . This will suffice until it is ballasted.
Because the ties on the C&L Finescale track are thinner than the Peco ties I placed 1mm cardboard under the C&L trackage to bring it to the same level.
Mike
Continuing..........
I added the goods shed track and I could not resist posing my LSWR Adams Radial and a beer wagon (what else?) on the newly laid tracks.
Mike
A slight hiatus on the layout while I await two turning loops to arrive from the Netherlands.
I have decided to incorporate a Magnorail scale road system into the layout.
Magnorail uses a plastic chain in channelling powered by a 12volt DC motor equipped with earth magnets. The magnets circulate within the chain below a road surface. their speed and direction can be controlled by a transformer.
Here is a picture of the chain and motor.
Mike
Continuing...
Here is my fleet of Oxford 1930's British cars - a blue Morris 8, a maroon Jaguar SS and Austin 7 "Lipton Teas" van. Also pictured is a Magnorail cyclist which has working legs as he pedals along the street.
All the cars and the pedalling cyclist will be used as they move along a street scene behind the railway station area.
Mike
Mike,
I missed this thread while recovering from surgery. Great thread and very informative. Thanks for taking the time to explain all the steps.
I love the Midsomer Murder series. Great show.
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom you were sorely missed. I have a friend who went in yesterday for the same op. I'm glad you are back.
Kindest regards
Mike :D
I've been following along, but want to thank you for mentioning Magnorail - it appears to offer much more flexibility regarding vehicles than the self-propelled wire-guided systems I've seen here and in the Netherlands. But doing business with them from outside the EU might be complicated...
James, I agree the models are far more controllable using this system. I get mine direct from Holland. They accept paypal and their website will compute mailing charges to the US. You can also pay by the normal credit cards. I intend using the system on three layouts i am building.
www.magnorail.com
Mike
CONTINUING...........
The best laid plans.........I decided to add a third board to my little empire specifically as a "fiddle-yard". I have a used board but I found the prefitted dowels did not line up with my new boards. The only way I could fit it was to reverse the trackplan. So I had to take up the track, turnouts and magnets I had already laid and plug the holes. I then relaid them in the reverse direction.............ouch!
That is now done and the next stage is to lay the track across the board joints using copperclad. I have cut the long strip into tie lengths as I need 16.
Mike
Very nice Mike. I really enjoy the how to aspect.
Thanks Curt,
I am intending to show the complete build all the way through to a finished exhibition layout ready for the British Model Railway shows circuit.
Some of the steps may be mundane but I am always learning something new from other modellers. So............
Mike :)
Continuing.............
The turnouts are being relaid and it is almost time to bridge the gap across the two boards.
First I need to make a cut in the copper clad ties in the middle to prevent a short occuring when the copper clad ties are soldered to both rails of the track. It is best to have at least two ties either side of the break in the boards.
Mike
Continuing............
I am using Paxoline copper clad material cut to the size of ties. I tinned the underside of the rail before soldering the ties into position.
I use four ties, two each side of the join.
Four lines cross the boards. The copper clad material is mounted on a wood base and glued to this with contact adhesive.
Mike
Continuing............
Once everything is soldered I used a slitting disc in my Minicraft electric drill to cut the rails at the join.
I then separated the two boards.
Mike
Very nice work.
Mike,
I agree, very well done.
Tom ;D
Thanks Curt and Tom.
Whilst I am building a portable module the same technique could be used for the removable door access on an home layout.
Mike
With all this boring track laying I could not resist a photo of my little tank engine fleet.
Left to right from the front.
DJ Models Southern O2, Oxford Rail LSWR Adams Radial
Bachmann Southern E4, Hornby Southern M7, Hornby LSWR M7
Back row: two Hornby Southern Ex. LSWR Non-Corridor coaches
Mike :D
Beautiful looking locomotives.
Thanks Curt. I am really pleased with the models. Southern Railway locos have been a little light on the ground as ready to run until recently. Previously you had to build your loco from a white metal kit. All the prototype locos shown were built between 1882 and 1897 and at least one example of each type has survived into preservation.
Mike
Continuing.........
Hurrah! I have finished laying track on the last board - the fiddle yard. This one is a little narrower than the others as it will be "off scene". I plan to mount a scenic module in front of it - possibly a canal scene with a lock and pub. There will be a backscene behind this and then behind that the two off scene tracks.
Once again this is connected to the middle board with dowels and the crossing tracks are held down with copper clad sleepers. the last turnout before the fiddle yard is planned to be off scene in a tunnel.
Mike
And I am back.....................I have been exhibiting Red Hook Bay...........
Hurrah the electrics are done and the track has been ballasted in Woodlands Scenics N scale grey ballast. I have cleaned the track and tested everything works with a sound equipped loco. I have linked in six Tam Valley frog juicers to the DCC Concepts Cobalt IQ turnout motors.
Now I can get on to more interesting stuff!
Mike
Continuing..............
The new layout is going to run a combination of steam and electric trains. The Southern Railway started electrication in 1929. The 2-HAL shown was out shopped in 1938. The two car sets had a top speed of 75mph and carried a maximum of 32 in First Class and 102 in Third Class.
So I will have to add third rail to the layout. Peco offer the conductor chairs which are fitted to the outside of every fourth sleeper/tie. Code 60 flat bottom rail is threaded through the chairs. First of all I have to paint the top of each conductor chair brown.
Mike
Continuing..............
The third rail was a a trial. I tried five times to lay the outside rail using the Peco code 60 rail. Everytime the outside rail ended up higher than the running rails and caused the current collector on the Electric Motor Units (EMU) to foul at the turnouts. In the end I found some narrow gauge Micro-engineering code 55 track instead and it eventually worked out.
Mike :-[
Continuing............
Now to the fun bit................
On the middle board towards the backdrop will be a country road.
On the road will be a Magnorail scene of peddling cyclists.
In readiness for this I purchased a 3/4 inch plank of wood some 4 ft long. I then mounted the channel on the board using the screws provided. There are two turning circles with one at each end. A flexible blue plastic cable is driven by a 12v DC motor within the channel. Within the channel at three points I have inserted two small magnets 14mm apart. Then a plasticard sheet representing the road has been kept in place by clips to test the equipment. Small HO cyclists are then attached to road above the positions of the embedded magnets. Once power is applied the chain moves through the channel below the road surface propelling the cyclists above.
Mike
That is cool as hell! ;D
Thanks Curt and Jim, when I first saw this at the ONTRAXS show in Holland I thought it was wonderful............
Mike
I've never seen this before. Very interesting, cannot wait to see how you incorporate it into the layout.
Thanks Jerry I am hard at work trying to figure out scenery right now!
Mike :-\
Continuing.........
The station platforms at British railway stations are raised. I am using card to make a foundation for my station platform which must fit perfectly between the tracks without fouling equipment.
Continuing............
I have cut a piece of 2 inch high foam 8 foot long for the front edge of the layout. I am trying out my buildings for viewing angles. The railway is in a cutting behind the houses and behind the railway will be a raised street scene.
Mike
Looking good Mike. Your usual blinding speed is hard to catch up to!
Do the cyclists run as smooth as the videos show? Been thinking of buying a set up for some displays I am working on.
D
Hi Darryl,
Yes they do. However I bought the ready made ones rather than the kits. I experimented with the surface of the road and it is best not to have any joins which might disrupt the cyclists. I am using heavy grade (2000) wall lining paper as it comes in a roll and I was able to cut a piece 4 foot long and 3.5 inches wide without a join.
I have had my three cyclists peddling for the last seven hours while I have been modelling without any accidents. The FAQs on the Magnorail website are very useful and if you need any further advice you know how to reach me.
Mike
Nice job on the station.
Thanks Curt,
Everything is a steep learning curve as I normally model "american". This is my first "british" layout and it has to be up to exhbition standards.
So keep watching this space .........................I am concerned with "rivet counters" here in the UK............so NO PRESSURE!
Mike 8)
Coming along nicely Mike.....great work. 8)
Thanks Greg it is much appreciated..........
Mike :D
Like you said- No Pressure! ;D
Continuing.............
Here is the completed platform on the left hand board. the picture is taken from the rear backscene side. I covered my cardboard formers with 2mm card to form the platform and then covered the card with Redutex Stone Setts Uneven Light Grey. I then carefully painted the edges white.
The second picture shows how the station will be sited.
Mike
Continuing.............
Here is a view from the front. The platform in the picture is 22 inches long. The extension of the platform on the second board when built will add a further 11 inches. More than enough for a small surburban station. Once the second platform is built I am going to push the envelope and add point rodding to the layout.
Mike
Very nice job on the platform and station.
Thanks Curt much appreciated..........
Mike
Mike,
Well done, very well done. Great job.
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom, I was very distressed to hear of your site crash.
Mike
:)
And I am back..................the last few weeks have not allowed too much modelling.........
The layout has an official name "Cheffley". Made up but the boss likes it!
The station area is nearly there just a few more extras needed such as benches and people which will be added in time.
The station building sits on a scratchbuilt platform - namely card covered in Redutex sheets depicting grey setts.
Mike
The embankment to the right is foam which will represent the upper town which is connected by a modified footbridge (Ratio). The station building and signal box are based on surviving structures at Midsomer Norton on the old Somerset & Dorset
some more...........
some more............ the goods shed is a modified Scalescences download kit painted in the salmon/brown of the old LSWR.
Mike,
This is coming along nicely, I'll be looking forward to your progress.
some more..............the lorry is a 1930's AEC built from a Cooper Craft kit. The buildings (Petite Properties) behind the station will be backed by a backscene and will be raised by foam to march up the hill to the left of the station. This will form the valley the railway sits in.
Mike
Darn good work Mike..... 8)
Excellent work. I especially like the pedestrian bridge.
Thanks very much Jerry, Greg and Curt. The covered bridge was a bit of a trial but I got there in the end! The instructions need a complete re-write IMHO.
Mike
Mike,
This is going to be a great exhibition layout.
Thanks Marty, that is the intention. The layout has already a firm invite to a show next year.
Mike :)
Continuing.............
I painted the foam black and after distressing the edges with a knife it is time to add some greenery.............
Mike
Very nice.
Thanks very much Curt.
With the hillside edge done, it is time to plan the "upper town". I'm going to try adding "part" of a farm scene to the layout. Most of the farm which is obviously too big to depict in my 9 feet is off-scene. But the farmhouse, a scarecrow, ploughed field etc might work?
Mike
Or maybe some fence with a few cows or sheep?
Mike,
Really great stuff in this thread. I enjoy following your work.
Tom ;D
Quote from: jerryrbeach on April 09, 2017, 09:12:25 AM
Or maybe some fence with a few cows or sheep?
Hi Jerry,
This is going to be difficult...............I have a flock of sheep, a scarecrow figure, a tractor, seven horses, a hen house with chickens and roosters, some cows.....all to fit in 12 inches by 9 inches? Hmmm.
Mike :-\
I had a dream 2 nights ago where I was in Midsomer, watching DCI Barnaby solve a mystery :-)
dave
Quote from: ACL1504 on April 09, 2017, 11:16:44 AM
Mike,
Really great stuff in this thread. I enjoy following your work.
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom..........I am enjoying myself too. I keep finding stuff in my stash and my "do not throw anything away box" that I would like to incorporate into the scene. Nothing is planned so watch this space.
Mike ;)
Mike
I just got caught up on your thread - very nice work. I'm looking forward to your placement of all those details.
Hi Mike:
coming together very nicely.
Karl
Looking good Mike..... 8)
Thanks John, Karl and Greg for your nice comments. I have been working on the peddling cyclist feature on board two for a week or so. I have finally got the road surface right and the little fellow takes about 2 minutes to do a circuit without falling over. Mind you with three pubs in town that could be a problem in the future...............
Here are two pictures of the station building, signal box and goods shed on board one. These are all modelled on the actual buildings at Midsomer Norton in the original colours of the London & South Western Railway.
I have got a couple exhibition weekends with Red Hook Bay coming up, the second one is in Lille, France; I hope the natives are friendly when we cross the Channel?
Mike
Excellent modeling.
Looking great Mike.
Thanks Curt and Jan, it is much appreciated.
I have a two week break between railway exhibitions so I will get back to modelling.......Yipee!
Mike
And I am back............
I have mounted the Magnorail road system on a plank of wood and covered the channel and plastic chain mechanism with thin plastic painted grey to represent a road. The cyclist moves along the road following magnets in the moving chain below the road surface. My problem was if the road surface became detached the chain was likely to jump out of the channel. I have solved this by using a thin skim of Sculptamold to seal around the road surface (white in the pictures).
Now I need to position the castle keep and some castle walls I have made from DAS clay to create an embankment to hide the plank.
Mike
Continuing............
I needed a custom made tunnel portal to hide the tracks as they disappear from board 2 to the fiddle yard on board 3. So I measured and cut some foam board and covered it with DAS clay before scribing in the stonework. I decided to add some derelict castle walls using the same method. One down and another being worked on................
Mike
Nice job on the portal and wall.
Thanks Curt.
To make the walls. First I cut out a suitable wall from foam board........
I then roll out the clay on a flat surface (my wife's marble worktop will do nicely), I use a brass tube to roll it flat.
I then apply some Elmers white glue to the wall using a little on a paint brush.
I then detach the clay from the work surface and apply it to the wall. I roll it flat with the brass tube.
Once the wall is covered I use some cheap scissors t cut the excess of the wall.
Mike
Continuing.....
I have roughly painted in a meandering road and have started placing the town buildings. Rather than have all the buildings in a line, I am placing two with their backs to the viewer and others on a curve of the road to offer different viewing angles.
Mike
Like real village building placement. Great idea.
Thanks Curt much appreciated.
I am planning the Cemetery. I am using a herringbone brick path from the lych gate to the building. I have painted the gravestones and checked that they all face west.
Mrs C is going to make me a yew tree. Next up to plant the wall and grass the area.
Mike
coming along nicely!
Thanks Darryl nice to hear from you again. I keep giving out details on the sternwheeler kit at exhibitions and I hope it translates into some sales.
Mike :)
Here is the little cemetery nearly complete. Mrs C is taking her time making the yew tree from scratch. The walls were made of foamboard painted with PVA and covered with a mixture of grey and brown ballast. The stone capping is just card.
Mike
A few more.............
I really like the stone wall. Everything is looking great.
Jeff
Absolutely wonderful Mike..... 8)
Keep your fingers crossed, the plans are due in about a week or two. :)
Beautiful Mike.
Thanks very much Jeff, Greg and Curt - much appreciated!
I still have three Petite Properties kits to make..........
Here is a little shop that I have named after my paternal Grandmother who worked in a butchers when my Grandfather first met her. He was delivering supplies by horse and cart back about 1910.
Mike
Nice build. Is that what the building looked like that your Paternal Grandmother worked in?
Thanks Curt, as best that I can tell from old photos it certainly has the styling of the old shop.
Behind the station I needed to create a road on a gradient of 8%. It has a length of 23 inches and a rise of 2 inches. I toyed with the idea of Woodland Scenics foam roads but the steepest I could find was only 4%. In the end I traced the grade out on paper and attached this to some foam and cut that with a sharp knife. Once it was glued in place I used a skim of Woodland Scenics Smooth-it.
Mike
Here are a couple of little scenes I am working on.............the old stables next to the cemetery where the landlord of the George Inn stores his beer barrels and Carter's Coaches next door to ER Allen the butcher.
Mike
Hi Mike:
Your latest kits came out great. Always glad to see your work.
Karl
It keeps getting better Mike..... 8)
Great work Mike. The shop fronts take me back to the 70's when I visited England and Scotland.
Thanks for following Karl, Greg and Curt, your comments are much appreciated.
Mike :)
Between railway shows I have been steadily working on Midsomer. School Lane and Market Square are nearly complete structure-wise. here are the latest pictures..........
Mike
Here are some more.................
A few more..............
I will keep plugging away.
Mike
Beautiful work Mike. To this Yank it has a real English feel to all of it.
Great work Mike. Keep showing more.
Jim
Beautiful modeling Mike. Please keep them coming.
Wow , Mike the structures look great, I watch BBC's Escape to the Country as much as I can and your buildings remind me of all the villages in the episodes of that program.
The temptation to start a British layout is so much , but alas I have no room left.
Thanks Curt, Jim , Donato and Janbouli for your kind comments, it is much appreciated.
Mike :)
and better and better..... 8)
It's coming along very nicely. Time for the details, including a Midsomer Murder or two :-) :-)
dave
Thanks Greg, Dave I have a British police car but I got to source some policemen, a Barnaby and a Jones before we can get into some seroius detective work!
Mike ;D
Hi Nike:
Looks like this project is coming along quite nicely. I'm very much enjoying you builds. Great looking structures.
Karl S.
Thanks Karl for following along.
Mike
Mike,
Unbelievable modeling. I love the details on the houses and the entire diorama.
And just think, you and I finished 16th and 17th in the old forum model building contest out of 18 entries.
Go figure.
Tom ;D
Mike, Beautiful set of structures. I can't tell if they are card, resin or plaster - the essence of a master modeller.
Thank you Marty, the buildings are predominantly MDF carcasses covered in either clay or plaster........Thanks for following it is much appreciated.
Mike
Quote from: ACL1504 on July 17, 2017, 05:23:39 PM
Mike,
Unbelievable modeling. I love the details on the houses and the entire diorama.
And just think, you and I finished 16th and 17th in the old forum model building contest out of 18 entries.
Go figure.
Tom ;D
Thanks Tom I really appreciate your comments. You are not suggesting that the jury was rigged or biased in anyway are you? :D
Modelling is subjective I find and I am enjoying the challenge of modelling "Britishness" after so many years of modelling America.
My next challenge will be Norway and possibly after that Austria............
Mike
Quote from: ACL1504 on July 17, 2017, 05:23:39 PM
Mike,
Unbelievable modeling. I love the details on the houses and the entire diorama.
And just think, you and I finished 16th and 17th in the old forum model building contest out of 18 entries.
Go figure.
Tom ;D
They must have been counting
(https://content.linkedin.com/content/dam/business/sales-solutions/global/en_US/blog/2014/01/backwards.jpg) (https://content.linkedin.com/content/dam/business/sales-solutions/global/en_US/blog/2014/01/backwards.jpg)
"The lord say'th The first shall be last and the Last shall be first"
Jim
Thanks Donato and Jiim!
Here are a few more of the 15th century old George Inn.
Mike
And here are a couple more. I noticed that the front of the building needed some dirt where the building meets the road. Photos really help modelling.........
Mike
Maybe 30 years ago we ate at a coaching inn like that one in Salisbury.
dave
Beautiful modeling Mike.
Magnificent modelling Mike!
Thanks very much Dave, Curt and Marty fpr your support.
I am currently working on placing the next building - the farmhouse...........
Mike :D
Great thatched roof Mike.....looks like it just came out of the Cotswolds. 8)
A 15th century Inn, do you have a 20th century fox to go with it ;)
I hope to see this layout in real life Mike, Ontraxs 2018?
Thanks Greg and Jan much appreciated...............
Here are a few more.............I am working on the farmhouse scene, the hay cart, the horse being readied by the groom, the embankment leading to the folly and a lonely cyclist.............
Mike
Great looking scene Mike. I have seen that type of building in movies that take place in England and very similar ones in Germany.
Thanks Curt, here are a few more. I built a hen house and painted the farmer's wife and a few chickens. The farm is at the front edge of the layout and there is a hedge and five bar gate separating it from the road. The farmer will not have to go far for a beer!
Mike
Beautiful Work Mike.
Thanks very much Curt. The layout has to be finished by 3rd November for my club's model railway exhibition. The layout has been allocated a space opposite Chris Nevard's new layout. Chris is a renowned modeller and writes for the UK's Modelrail magazine, so my effort has to up to snuff as they say. No pressure!
Mike ::)
Mike,
I really like the hay wagon scene. Okay, I love the whole dang thing. Very well to Mike.
Tom ;D
SUPERB Mike, just superb.
Quote from: madharry on July 23, 2017, 04:48:08 PM
Thanks very much Curt. The layout has to be finished by 3rd November for my club's model railway exhibition. The layout has been allocated a space opposite Chris Nevard's new layout. Chris is a renowned modeller and writes for the UK's Modelrail magazine, so my effort has to up to snuff as they say. No pressure!
Mike ::)
I bet Chris is thinking the very same thing ;)
Thanks Tom, Donato and Jan for the support.
Mike :)
Mike
Really looks beautiful!
Thanks very much John.
Mike :D
Quote from: Janbouli on July 24, 2017, 03:10:42 AM
Quote from: madharry on July 23, 2017, 04:48:08 PM
Thanks very much Curt. The layout has to be finished by 3rd November for my club's model railway exhibition. The layout has been allocated a space opposite Chris Nevard's new layout. Chris is a renowned modeller and writes for the UK's Modelrail magazine, so my effort has to up to snuff as they say. No pressure!
Mike ::)
I bet Chris is thinking the very same thing ;)
Yes he is bringing not one but two layouts to the show................see link to pictures https://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/sets/72157616702004648/
Mike ???
And here is the link to the other one...................https://www.flickr.com/photos/nevardmedia/sets/72157630147083992/
Mike
Wow, that is outstanding modeling!
I agree, Chris' work is fantastic.
Tom ;D
Great work! As usual...
I am a subscriber to ModelRail and I am a big fan of that style of modeling and, particularly, of Chris'. His photographs and scenery are so distinctive. You can spot them a mile away. I picked up a lot of inspiration in the past couple of years of those British modeling magazines.
John
Wow , that is excellent modeling, I see a layout that has a lot in common with Troels Kirk and Martin Walberg, the coloring is very Troels like and the scenery , grass, bushes , trees are very Martin like . Now I don't know who was first but just see the resemblance.
When and where is this show Mike , you probably already told us , but I'm lazy ;)
Quote from: Janbouli on July 25, 2017, 03:29:16 PM
Wow , that is excellent modeling, I see a layout that has a lot in common with Troels Kirk and Martin Walberg, the coloring is very Troels like and the scenery , grass, bushes , trees are very Martin like . Now I don't know who was first but just see the resemblance.
When and where is this show Mike , you probably already told us , but I'm lazy ;)
Jan, these layouts will be at my club's exhibition - "Wycrail" Saturday 4th November at High Wycombe. In all there will be 26 layouts on show. If you can make it to Heathrow which is 20 minutes from me, I can pick you up and we can offer you a guest bedroom with en-suite...................
Mike :)
Very tempting Mike , thank you very much for the invitation , I'm going to look into getting a couple of days off in November.
Some inspiration? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4742650/Find-inner-peace-muder-victim-s-villa.html
dave
Hi Jan,
Looks like your layout is up to snuff to me. Very nice.
I built a little storage shed for the farm using Railroad Kits "Ole Man Simonds Garage kit. This is of board on board construction and I etched the roofing in ferric chloride for a nice rusty effect. Inside are some hay bales, some shelving and gas cylinders etc together with a weathered Fordson tractor.
Mike
Nice work on the shed Mike.....actually the whole layout is great!
Beautiful work Mike. I also think the details inside the garage are a nice touch.
Thanks Mark and Curt for your nice comments.
Mike ;)
A few years ago I built Scalescenes Lock and Canal Bridge kits. These are ultra cheap - £3.99 and £2.99. You provide the cardboard and download the instructions. The cover sheets for the cardboard are printed off in colour.
The results are very good. However..........
I have decided to add the Wiffen Canal to Midsomer and as it is going to be right at the front of the layout I wanted the lock and canal to have texture. So I de-constructed the kits and added Redutex brick and grey stone setts to the models.
Here are the originals.
Mike
Canals and 19th century railroads go well together (historically and scenically) Looking forward to seeing your canal!
dave
Mike...
That is Coooooooooooooool ! ! ! ! !
thanx
Bob
Very nice.
Thank you Dave, Bob and Curt for your nice comments. I agree canals and railways go together like peaches and cream!
Here are pictures of the enhanced models. I have used Redutex Flemish Bond Brickwork and Uneven Light Grey Stone Setts to cover the cardboard formers in order to give texture to the finished structures.
Mike
I love it! Jeff Grove and I have talked a couple of times about doing lock hardware, he's not sure there's much of a market for it.
dave
Great modeling Mike.
Mike...
You mentioned Flemish bond brick work. That exists a lot in the eastern part of the country here but not so much in the west. I think some of best examples are at William and Mary College at Williamsburg Virginia.
It is truly brick art.
Thanx
Bob
Thanks Dave, yes it is probably a limited market. We have a lot of canals in the UK, so it is a fairly common subject on dioramas.
Thanks Curt as always.
Bob, yes I agree. I visited Williamsburg way back in 1985 and the buildings are amazing.
Mike
The houses/shops on the backscene took some head scratching as they are on a hill. I eventually measured the width of each building and built a base for each structure made from layers of balsa wood. I then drew the outline of the building on the base and covered the piece that was uncovered (pavement/sidewalk) with Redutex stone setts. The bases were then staggered down the hill with steps.
Here are some views of the finished street. The backscene is yet to be decorated.........
Mike
Mike,
WOW, that looks wonderful. Excellent modeling my friend.
Tom ;D
Mike,
Like the new pics very much. Cool scene. Reminds me of a scene from Shining Time Station or something. 8) Is Richard Starkey going to start telling a story now? ha. I feel like I've been there. Very cool. Thanx Thom...
Thanks Tom and Thom, it is much appreciated.
Here is the right hand board from overhead. It is roughly 4 ft wide by 2 ft deep. It will connect to a middle board of the same dimensions and then the left board which is 3 ft by 2 ft. The backscene and right hand end board are to added next.
Mike
Beautiful work. We live about 2 hrs from Williamsburg VA.. Over the past 60 years my family and I have visited too numerous times to count. I agree that the brickwork is fantastic especially the serpentine walls. Our family has a direct connection there as my father was the consultant for the plaster formulation when the Rockefellers began the restoration in the 1930's. jim
Mike, I just became aware of your beautiful modeling. Superb job.
ed keen
Thanks Jim and Ed!
Here are a few shots taken outdoors. The police car seems to be lurking in some of these pictures. The loco is a Southern Railway E4 0-6-2.
Mike
Superb Mike , love the scene.
OUTSTANDING!
Thanks Jan and Donato. This is my first "british" layout and I appreciate all critique/encouragement.
Mike :)
Nice. I looked back a few pages but didn't see how the pedestrian overpass came about. Kit or scratchbuilt?
Thanks James. It is a Ratio kit which I modified at the town end by reworking it to go straight ahead rather than at right angles.
Mike
Here are a few more pictures of the middle board. the cars in the pictures are by Oxford - a Riley and a Morris 8.
Mike
And a few more..........
Beautiful 1:1 countryside Mike.....thanks for posting the photos. :)
Great progress on the scene..... 8)
Thanks Greg, I appreciate it!
Mike :D
Mike, if you can fix the depth-of-field so everything is in focus in that last shot, it'll be a contest-worthy photo (and might even work as a RR magazine cover)
dave
Thanks Dave, yeah my camera work needs working on I agree.
I could not resist these next pictures of my new Oxford "Fowler BB1 16nhp Ploughing Engine" posed outside the George Inn.
Mike
Here is another one experimenting with the focal length..... still needs some work.
Mike, take a quick look at this (stop when you get to the math), then go to the bottom of the page to find a link for a calculator: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocal_distance
dave
Some very nice modeling here, kudos Madharry!
Thanks Longhorncaddy.
Continuing..........the right hand board (3 ft x 2 ft) is the fiddle yard. It has 2 tracks hidden from the public view where the trains disappear to be turned. I have decided on a very simple affair of just two tracks. The electric trains are double ended so there is no need to touch them at all as they just travel in reverse as in real life. The steam hauled trains will have to have the loco "fiddled" and moved by hand to the other end of the train, so this will the rear track nearest to the operator for ease of handling. The area has been painted black.
At the front of the fiddle yard (public side) will be a canal scene just 8 inches by 3 ft as I think this is a better use of space.
The next stage is adjusting the height of the scratch built bridge to allow all the railway equipment to pass through with enough headroom.
Mike
The Ploughing Engine is an impressive looking piece of machinery. The scenes are coming out great, Mike.
Jeff
Beautiful modeling Mike.
Hi Mike:
Beautiful modeling as always. Much enjoy your modeling.
Karl
Thanks Jeff, Curt and Karl. The last board is giving me some trouble but I think I will get there in the end.
The ploughing engine is just superb. It still exists today and the model is just perfect.
Mike
The last board is finished. The scenic side is 3ft wide by 1 ft deep and it hides the fiddle yard / off-scene area from the public.
It features a gray narrow boat appearing from the left under the canal bridge which has been given "the water" by the lock keeper to enter the lock. A coal barge is waiting at the lower level for this boat to pass before being raised. Wildlife includes a trio of grebe and a pair of swans. A carter has arrived with his horse and cart and after a swift pint in the Kings Arms he will transport the empty beer barrels back to the brewery.
Modellers note: the canal bridge, lock, row of cottages and pub are all "enhanced" Scalescenes downloadable kits. The toilet block are outhouses left over from a couple of Petite Properties kits. The horse and cart are by Bar Mills. The narrowboats are resin kits by Mountford.
Mike
And a couple more.
Mike
Beautiful work Mike. I watched the 2 part video that Kathy Millett (spelling) on English modeling and train shows so I understand now how everything works together. I wish I had a trip to the UK in the future to enjoy it in person.
Very nice!
dave
Thanks very much Curt and Dave.
Here is the trackplan of the layout which goes to its first exhibition in less than 2 weeks time! This layout build was started on my birthday back in January. Despite a busy schedule of exhibitions with Red Hook Bay it is finally finished, if a layout is ever finished......... Now I need a bit of a break before starting another one?
Mike
Great job Mike.....love the scenery and detail you packed into a small area. Well done track plan also. 8)
Mike,
Ha-ha! What a fun pictorial! Nice job all around, what fun to see so many things happening. Thanx Thom...
https://youtu.be/vYEXzx-TINc?t=7
Thanks for your comments Greg and Thom.
Mike :)
Hi Harry,
I have been off to the side reading about Midsomer, or what it gets called eventually, it looks sensational!
I'm in Southern Florida, although an ex pat of now 32 years. I am currently building a layout that has Magnorail as a feature, in fact that comes first, then Faller Car System with the trains bringing up the rear! I developed a Magnorail layout in 2004, using a slow geared motor, nylon roller chain (not cheap) L shaped aluminum for the track to hold the sub-carriers with magnets and then the vehicles were pulled around by hefty neo-dimian magnets through an membrane of Formica! It was extremely heavy with an angle iron frame, and half inch ply (I had to hold the thing together, some how, also so it didn't warp)! Well here we are years later, and having been through a divorce and retired and forcibly downsized, here I am again at! This time with Magnorail (much easier to build than thinking of it all yourself), this time no angle iron frame, quite the reverse, I am using polyurethane sheet.
Hopefully you'll be premiering your layout at the Exeter event this weekend, if so you'll be rubbing shoulders with my friend Tony Hill from Folkestone, he'll be very interested to see Magnorail in action.
Great work, love the buildings and the use of Scalescenes too, one thing ... I believe the Ford/Fordson tractor (the blue and orange one) is a little bit out of the era you're modeling, that would be 1951 onward!
What did you decide for a name of the Layout?
Robbie
Robbie,
Thanks for your comments. The layout has been called Cheffley. This weekend I am at Weymouth with my American layout "Red Hook Bay". Cheffley's debut will be at the High Wycombe show next weekend - 4th November.
Well spotted on the tractor. I had tried to bury it inside the shed to disguise the fact. I am on the look out for a correct era one all the time and it will be eventually replaced.
By the way I was only exhibiting at the Folkestone show the other week!
Mike
Really nice work Mike.
Hi Mike:
Looks just great. Love the canal with it bridge and the boats.
Karl
Thanks Mark and Karl for your support it is much appreciated.
Mike :)
Ontraxs 2018 Mike ?
Jan, we would love to I just need an invite.
The layout has just been accepted for the Warley show in 2020 (the delay is that there an enormous amount of quality OO layouts in the UK for them to choose from). But pretty good considering no one has seen the layout in the flesh yet!
Mike :)
Mike you are truely "mad"... Beautiful work.
Hi Mike,
I have not seen any video online of your wonderful layout, what there is online didn't cover Cheffley.
Although I see Petite Properties are quite pleased with your use of their products, they had one static shot.
Can't wait to see some moving images. Robbie
Hi Robbie,
I am not sure if anyone took some video at our recent show. Everyone was talking about the peddling cyclist! What I do know is Cheffley has been invited to 5 shows already including the London Festival in March. Hopefully some videos will appear sometime soon. See https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/shows/show/the-london-festival-of-railway-modelling/layouts
Mike :)
Congrats about the bookings at these exhibitions! :) :) :)
Mike
Very nice work. I enjoyed going through the pages of your build thread. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Congratulations on the invites Mike.
Thanks John and Curt I appreciate your comments. It was a fun build. Mrs C says I turned the whole house into a man cave while making it!
Mike :D
How many people asked about murders? ;)
dave
Cheffley was at the London Festival of Railway Modelling last weekend and drew the crowds. The layout has a further eight invitations to exhibitions so far........The latest Petite Properties kit - "Gardener's Cottage" was a hit but it was difficult to see as it at the back of the scene. So I have moved it to next to the George Inn. Halfpenny Cottages has taken its place instead......
Here are some pictures.............
Mike
Well done Mike..... 8)
The finished build looks great.
Thanks Grreg and LynnB, it is much appreciated.
Mike :)
Looks really nice in that location , picture perfect.
Thanks very much Jan.
Mike :)
Hi Mike:
That house looks really cool. Keep up the good work.
Karl
Thanks very much Karl.
Mike :)
Mike ....
The vines and flowers climbing the wall is a really cool touch.
Thanx
Bob
Mike
Very nice modeling!
Thanks Bob and John. Recently Cheffley (Midsomer) has been invited to the top-class OntraXs exhibition in Utrecht, Netherlands next March. We deem it an honour to be included in a show that includes IMHO some of the best modelling Europe has to offer. Our Red Hook Bay appeared there in 2016.
Mike :) :) :)
Congrats, Mike. I'm sure Janbouli will send us photos :-)
dave
Congratulations Mike, you must be very happy about the invite.
Quote from: deemery on April 17, 2018, 09:34:08 AM
Congrats, Mike. I'm sure Janbouli will send us photos :-)
dave
He sure will ;)
Mike,
Just finished getting caught up on the Midsomer build. Stunning, absolutely stunning my friend. Your talents go far beyond what is shown in the photos.
Congrats on the invite to display the diorama. Very well deserved honor.
Tom ;D
Quote from: madharry on April 17, 2018, 09:19:29 AM
Thanks Bob and John. Recently Cheffley (Midsomer) has been invited to the top-class OntraXs exhibition in Utrecht, Netherlands next March. We deem it an honour to be included in a show that includes IMHO some of the best modelling Europe has to offer. Our Red Hook Bay appeared there in 2016.
Mike :) :) :)
Congratulations on your invite Mike.....we all here know it was greatly deserved. 8)
Thanks very much Curt, Dave, Tom and Greg. Jenny and I are looking forward to the show in March. The Dutch treat us well and we thoroughly enjoy the show.
Mike :)
Quote from: madharry on April 18, 2018, 07:12:09 AM
Thanks very much Curt, Dave, Tom and Greg. Jenny and I are looking forward to the show in March. The Dutch treat us well and we thoroughly enjoy the show.
Mike :)
I sent you a PM about the show Mike
Thanks Jan I did not receive it as my email has changed to mwfcarter@gmail.com The previous email address has been de-activated.
Mike