METCALFE JUNCTION UNDER CONSTRUCTION

[Bushey Troughs]

Class piece of work Sir. Metcalfe you know it makes sense...

[boyofbears]

as said, very good piece of work, it looks real!!!

[father and son]

As my town slowly develops, I think it will be a market town set somewhere in the midst of England, around 1985-90. I will try to build a variety of houses in a small hill from the station towards a market place in the upper left corner, the track going underneath the town in a tunnel.

Having worked on one of the streets leading up from the station, I'm not quite sure yet if I will bother to make a back side of the houses lining the rear side of the main street, or just put them right up to the backscene.

Got underway with a tudor style building today. Need to do a bit computerwork to make the windows, + finish the roof and chimneys, but I think it will fit inn well beside the "Black Horse" pub, at the top of one of the streets leading from the station.

Here is how it was built:

[boyofbears]

do you make your figures? they look really good, and individual.

also great work on that house!!! it looks very real, is the black card?

[father and son]

Thank you!

The figures are in fact cheap chinese stuff, but I have repainted a few of them, creating a blonde look on some, as all had black hair initially. Oh, no, shouldn't have said that. Of course they all went to Wilson the hairdresser in 25 Mill Street...

The black on the tudor house is from card as are most of my other buildings. Might be from a box of shredded wheat, so don't be surprised if Big Jackie Charlton emerges from the house one day, even though I'm not sure if he's been to the hairdressers though...

[joshing_man]

Very clever way to do the house and give both colour and dimension. Nice work again. I like it a lot.

Andrew

[father and son]

Finally some progress after months with hardly anything done. We have settled for a transportable layout that both can be run at home and be brought to exhibitions. 3 baseboards, each about 6' x 4' joins together to form a section of double track running into a small town station, with a single track branch running of into the fiddleyard. I want to be able to run trains continuosly and because of that the double track is a loop, entering tunnels in one end and disapearing underneath a bridge on the other end. A farm occupies the position above the tunnel, while at the other end of the layout the town will be situated.

The fiddleyard will occupy 7 inches at the back of the layout, making room for a few storage sidings.

Basically the layout will depict a northern setting in the late 1980s or early 90s before privatisation. However, my boy insist on running steam, so we might incorporate a "Railway Preservation Society" in the old engine shed (still not built). To be able to do a bit of shunting we will also incorporate a goods yard, although probably not right if I had to follow the timeline accordingly.

Tracks are down on one baseboard, with the middle to follow in a few days time. Still a bit planning to do when it comes to the goods yard, to figure out the best possible track plan there. Many of the houses for the town scene are built or half finished, and we have had a go at the tunnel section on the far end. Today I have made a dummy for a bridge spanning the joint between baseboard one and two. Planning to use short rails to join the track across the baseboards, as I am not too clever when it comes to building track with copper sleepers etc.

The baseboards are increadibly messy at the moment, but we are getting there...

Here are a few shots:

[boyofbears]

its changed!

question 1: last pic, wall, how you do it?

question 2: can we have an overall shot?

great work!

[father and son]

Question 1:


Cut out thin embossed plasticard (unsure which make, maybe Slater or Wills). Start painting with a cream/bright yellow acrylic colour, with an artist brush. When it is dried I rub a darker yellow colour across the card with my thumb. Then light brown, and finally a dark, almost black colour. I am having a bit problem making the butresses as the thin plasticard won't bend easily without breaking. Tried to bend it in hot water, but wasn't totally satisfied with the result.

Planned to ask someone else on this forum about how they bent plasticard. Maybe they use a thicker card?

Question 2:


Very messy at the time being. Steady progress though, even though it is in it's early stages yet.

[boyofbears]

never tried bending plasticard, but you could try using a soldering iron along were the curve would be (on the inside of the plasticard though)

as i said i have no idea if this could work

[father and son]

Been working a couple of days on an approach to the railway bridge, building it from thick card and covering it with brick paper.

Quite pleased with the result, even though a few things remains to be done, like putting more weeds and vegetation in the hill below the brick wall. I will also get a brighter less glossy tarmac for the road.

The hill and bridge approach will form the background for the goods yard and sidings.



Hope to cover the bridge itself with brickpaper over the week end.

[edwardholmes91]

Lovely layout, really progressing nicely, the scratch built buildings look brilliant, they have a lot of character to them. Also I have just realised that you come from Norway, do you know where Nordagutu is?

[father and son]

Wonder how many beginners go through the same stages when it comes to building the first layout as I have done myself. Numerous templates both on paper and on the computer. A couple of baseboards built (6x4) only to realise that your project is too large and ambitious, and probably will never get finished.

That's why Metcalfe Junction has ended up being no junction at all, but a country town station with a double track and a short siding for trains like pacers and sprinters to terminate after a service from the nearby city. As the HST is a personal favourite, I can't imagine building a layout without them, so at least diverted 125s will run along my line.

Baseboards appr. 6x2 are practical, as they are fairly easy to move, and put together for a running session. I have constructed a couple from my original baseboards twice that size, and use metal trestles for support. We have a spare room where I can store the baseboards when not in use, and if we ever should consider going to an exhibition they will be fairly easy to transport as well.

I have decided to finish baseboard 1 before I start on the next one, apart from a few points which have been pinned down just to see that the baseboard joints work ok. The plan further on is to build a couple of track-only-boards to be able to give the trains a fair go across a straight stretch, and if we decide we want more scenery we can add on board by board, maybe finally ending up with a layout covering the most of our living room when assembled.(?)

Last few days have seen work on the small hill behind the up platform. Still need to make a lot of weeds from seamoss, but it is starting to take shape. Nearly all structures are made from card, some from Metcalfe and some scratchbuilt. A local art shop supply me with free waste card, ideal to support buildings, hills and platforms, and I have found a local printshop who print A3 sheets on fairly thick card for about a pound each, which are great for scratchbuilt card-buildings.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics showing baseboard no. one:

[father and son]

View from corner of baseboard towards station area. Been busy the last few days constructing a parking area beside the station, as well as a road going up a hill towards an overbridge. Not yet decided if this will be the end of the visual part of the layout, or if I will go for another baseboard beside it.


A GWR spear fence in place. Will be continued around the whole parking area


Another view of the parking area. The skip, deck of lorry and girder bridge have all been constructed from card, and painted by my 7-year old son.


Done a bit of ballasting and weathering of the track around the station.


Houses in place in the backscene, but need to do a lot of work on the hill behind the platform, including "planting" a lot of trees. The platform at the front is a disused one, thus being overgrown with weeds and grass.

[father and son]

A few pics to show last week's progress.


View from station end, where I still need to construct a small baseboard taking the track 'round behind the backscene, where I will have a fiddle yard.


On the other end of the layout, I have started on constructing a canal. Built the lock gate from card and a couple of long match-sticks. Still need to put a bit of thin wire on it.


Today has seen the bridge being clad in brick paper. (From NRM, thank you!) Also covered the banks around the bridge with grass and bushes, as well as adding a path along the canal.


Another view from underneath the railway bridge. Need to figure out how to create a gloss finish to the water. Have cheated a bit with this one, but eventually I will paint a board black (or another suitable colour) along the front of the layout.