Cramdin Yard

[ElDavo]

Not much seems to have got done this week, been too busy trying to finish off a number of projects in the Trainz simulator world. I did manage to tweak a few bits on the wagon works main building today and it now has a temporary roof though I need some more corrugate iron embossed plasticard to finish it.

Laid down some basic foundations for the building using card then thought I really ought to check clearances. An excuse to play with the trains if nothing else. Broke out Gronk number 2 and had it shuffle around a couple of my latest ebay acquisitions. At £2 a wagon in as new boxed condition you can't complain.

Here we are checking out clearances on the front doors...



The building is a rather odd shape due to its location so only one track passes right through so I sent the Gronk through just to make sure.



Lots more to do.

Cheers
Dave

[ElDavo]

Not so much a workbench, more a kitchen table. With cold weather it's been a case of doing things that don't involve going into the garage. So no alternative but to press on with the wagon works main building. The postie finally came up with some embossed plasticard for the corrugate roof so on with the work. Here are a couple of shots of the building on the workbench after too many hours of fitting corrugated sheets.





It seemed like a good idea to lay the stuff in scale 1m by 2m sheets (when I started!). After an hour or so of messing around I was regretting my decision. After 2 hours and the glue starting to melt the plastic I was seriously regretting my decision! Don't believe the instructions that come with South Eastern Finecast stuff. When it says use PVA for transparent sheet it means use PVA for EVERYTHING! This stuff melts at the sight of every glue on my workbench except PVA. Grrrrrrr!

Given that the stuff is overpriced and that each A3 sheet has 10% wastage as it is moulded in panels rather than as a seamless sheet, I definitely won't be buying it again.

The roof will now be concrete/asbestos corrugated sheets so I can hide the bad bits with some mould. Rant over, here is the building roughly placed on the layout.



Must sort out those gutters!

Cheers
Dave

[DriffCharlie]

Shame about that corrugated Dave, I was gonna try some. I think after your exploits I will give some of the pressed alluminium sheets a try, still it did look thin enough to prevent the awfull effect you get when 3 sheets overlap at each lower corner?

Cheers

Charlie

[peak]

Excellent work on the roof!
What do you use for the gutters and drains?

[ElDavo]

...What do you use for the gutters and drains?

Gutters are thin card scored and folded (hence the wavy lines!) with downpipes made from a bit of coathanger wire. High tech eh?

Cheers
Dave

[peak]

You can trust this forum to save money!

Gutters are thin card scored and folded (hence the wavy lines!) with downpipes made from a bit of coat hanger wire. High tech eh?

Just the info/idea I was looking for.
Now I put a coat hanger in the wardrobe the other day there should quite a few there now!!!

[ElDavo]

This weeks progress. Last bit of track ballasting so that the wagon yard is now a sea of PVA!



Also been doing some more work on the main works building after the grief with the plasticard on the roof. The whole thing has been weathered to give a general look of neglect. Although they maintain wagons here they obviously don't bother to look after the buildings as the gutters are leaking!



After a fair bit of work with the paintbrush I think I am more or less happy with the corrugated roof. Now it's weathered it isn't so obviously a disaster so I'll probably live with it. Here a rather extreme close-up in which the eagled-eyed can spot the dissolved plasticard.



Cheers
Dave

[Black-Marlin]

What a brilliant layout! You've answered so many questions for me - cheap long grass, cheap guttering... again, brilliant!

Seriously impressed mate.

Gavin

[80064]

And you think that roof looks bad? Sheesh! Great layout!

[Chuffer Chuff]

Fantastic work on the shed there! Looks awesome!

Eagerly await more progress!

[ElDavo]

Having got the last of the ballast down in the wagon repair works area it was time to splash some paint around and generally make things look like a bunch of messy railway sidings...



Paint dry and it's time to play trains for a bit. Newly arrived Freightliner Gronk is seen here alongside it's EWS counterpart that appears to be hiding in the works. A small shunter's/yard office has also appeared courtesy of my stock of Linka castings. Obviously I need to acquire/create a whole bunch of clutter to make this whole area look a little more lived in.



Finally just a couple of rather telling close-up shots around the yard office just for the heck of it and also so I can see whether it's convincing. This is the rear of the office with the EWS Gronk parked up.



Looks pretty small in comparison to a railway wagon!



Not sure what I'll do next scenery-wise. I have a gap at the end of the backscene opposite the wagon works and a patch of bare board at the works yard throat. Got a few sketchy ideas but nothing solid yet. I suppose that means I have no excuse but to iron out the remaining trackwork and pointwork glitches. Found a couple of my frogs are not getting powered properly so the switches may be kaput. Always something to do in this modeling lark.

Cheers
Dave

[davek]

Nice pics and the layout is coming along excellent Dave!

[d74]

This has become one of those layouts where some of the the pictures could be mistaken for real at first glance. It's excellent and has both detail and atmosphere.

The vegetation looks very realistic and I'm going to try the hanging basket liner tip for grass on the layout I'm currently building.

[MrT]

This layout is stunning Dave, nice work. Your wagon works building is brilliant, and just the kind of thing I need to build for my depot. Can I ask where you got the corrugated plasticard from please?

[ElDavo]

...Can I ask where you got the corrugated plasticard from please?

Sure, now all I need to do is remember. The corrugated stuff on the sides is Slaters I think while the stuff on the roof is South Eastern Finecast which is a finer shape, is a bit more tricky to work with as some glues dissolve it, is expensive and there is a fair amount of waste in each sheet. I had a bit of a rant on this subject in my RMweb thread in one of my grumpier moments.

Cheers
Dave