Mixed Media in the Creggan

Time flies, last November I noted my start on Tay Creggan (http://vrlatestupdates.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/tayming-inner-creggan.html), however shortly after I had an self-imposed break from scenic work while we sorted out whether the layout was going to move - no sense building what might be chopped in half! The decision isn't finalised yet, but it looks like it will stay put and building can continue. The time between has been well spent filling out some long wanted tasks in rolling stock but there's only so much rolling stock I can put together before I'm challenged to try something a bit broader.

To the Creggan and "Mixed Media". It's a term I couldn't help but use, particularly as it often seen in close proximity to some assemblage of feathers, a stick and perhaps a used tissue that some modern artist wants to have you believe is his/her acknowledgement of an important emotion or some such. We modellers of course pursuing a far finer art know what mixed media really is, to whit here's the compressed Tay Creggan pre-painting/finalising:

The build comprised:
- Balsa - mounting height block
- Styrene board - base
- Card - walls, porch roof and window roofing
- Paper - flashing
- Tichy Products - sectioned windows and gable detail from cut-down railing
- Etch brass - hatching at peak of gabling
- Scale wood - bargeboards
- White metal - chimneys (perhaps Kerroby?)
- PVA - gap filling
- Resin Cast - Marseilles Tiles courtesy of VMRS excellent rendition
- Styrene - gutters, detailing
- Acrylic paint - base coat
- Marker pen - base tudor lining
- Lead sinkers - weighting to retain upright

A note on the building reiterated from the earlier post, it is sited approx. 3ft away from the nearest viewing point and partially obscured, hence the coarser scale that is observable particularly in some of the detailing, as against those buildings closer to the viewing/front of the layout, and also that it has only been completed above the mid-point, below this is simply not visible. I only have so much time to model, if there is a short cut, I'm interested in it!

And here it is above following a paint/weather and adding further Media :^ )
- Woodland Scenics coarse grass
- Acrylic paint -weathering and dyeing the grass "vines"
- Dirty brown turps - weathering
- Spray paint - Dullcote

Nb. Those chimney pipes were straightened once it was in situ on the layout!

And after emplacement on the layout, per the earlier mail, the building being formed as a foil/cover for the suburban/country passenger stabling yard.

[above] As seen from typical viewing height and distance showing the look I was trying to achieve.

[above] Showing actual locational aspects.

The suburbs between Camberwell and the Yarra are not just full of small cottages/semis and houses, there are some more ritzy residences and this represents that part of the section, on the hill above the suburb of Glenburn.

Breaking the Rules, then obeying the Rules - A dose of operating reality

I marshalled the Up Suburban Goods a few days ago and it was sitting awaiting haulage back to Melbourne in the yard this afternoon. With a few minutes for some running I decided to run it back, typically a run of 9+ laps of the Glenburn circuit. Looking for motive power the Steeple had been rostered on as Yard Shunter all week, and this was typically an electric diagram. So, per prototype, I decided to assign the Parcels coach as a substitute. With a load of 11 including brake I thought this load Ok, however the Parcels coach only has a single motor so was challenged a bit on the 1 in 50 on the immediate Dn side of Glenburn station. Below it is seen coasting through the station city-bound with the Goods having surmounted this grade after some slipping.

 

 

It was this slipping that got me thinking that I had seen in the Working Timetable some specific instructions for working of suburban motors (as opposed to the Steeple and Box Cab electric locomotives). So I went to my rather small railway library and pulled out the requisite tome:

 

 

Before you say it, Yes, I know it is 10 years after my end date however it is the closest I have and is likely quite close to the same for my era, new/obsoleted rolling stock aside. And there was the requisite section:

 

 

Note 1. - 8 vehicle maximum including van. ie. This train was 3 wagons over load. So, a stop at the next yard and removal of the first three wagons (including the IG with the cast boiler load which weighs heavy). Here's a hazy shot of that, the 3 wagons stored as "Other" in the yard and will need picking up by the next appropriate goods:

 

 

And off we went, with the now correct loading of 8 wagons.

 

 

And as the now lightened consist worked around the layout I continued to flick through the rules as I was sure there was something else. Sure enough:

 

 

Two motors - 200 tons on this line, I guess one motor 100 tons (motor excluded). Oh, but that's Passenger Trains, so the 125 Ton loading for a 1 in 50 ruling grade still applies. Hmmm, wonder what my loading actually weighs in at? Time to find the requisite pages with both empty and loaded weights for calculation, for example:

 

 

So, using this, (and I am still learning how to do this so, corrections welcome if I have this wrong) my train was:

 

1 11 Ton U van - loaded with fruit from the foothills - 12 Tons

1 tarped "Tommy Bent" I but quite full, let's say it's wood or like under that tarp - 12 Tons

1 tarped I wagon - 11 Tons

1 loaded shandy I - 14.5 Tons

1 loaded "Tommy Bent" I full with coal (not quite sure why that's heading back to Melbourne....) - 14 Tons

1 empty O hopper - 9 Tons

1 empty IZ - 10 Tons

1 Z van - 13 Tons

 

Total consist weight: 95.5 Tons!

I had to stop before completing the running of this Goods but can now retake it up knowing it is right. Who would have thought? Does it matter? Why wouldn't getting loading right be any different from every other detail of the layout - scenery, rolling stock, signalling etc. etc.? For me, I have much to learn on operating matters and will not be surprised if I find out I have been making all sorts of mistakes for years - these kinds of loading considerations are a long way from being second nature for me, and frankly I need to do some more work to get better acquainted with them.

Fade to Brown

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I have now completed repainting my wagon fleet. A couple of years ago (covered in http://vrlatestupdates.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/colour-blind-spot.html), I realised I had painted my fleet in the wrong shade of red/brown. Since then all new stock has been painted in the correct shade, however this left the majority of the fleet still in the old colour. Over Christmas I worked through these wagons repainting in a variety of shades. Weathering outcomes today brings variety, and this was no different back in 1925-35 when more basic paints had a range of outcomes also.

Pictured below are the key paints and elements used:



In the above picture (from left):

1. Brushes - tape separating acrylic from enamel brushes, the twain used to meet but I have learnt they shouldn't

2. Tissue, cotton bud and toothpick - for re-decaling where this was done and the toothpick for chalk scribble

3. Humbrol Satin #166 enamel - for lightening my tarps (previously they were darker green/grey, photo evidence shows tarps in this period were generally lighter than later), diluted with turps

4. Tamiya XF19 Sky Grey acrylic - same use as above, diluted with water

5. Floquil concrete enamel - same use as above, use of three colours deliberate as tarps vary as much as paints, previous paint undercoat means even more variations

6. Tamiya XF2 Flat White - for brake squares and also chalk scribble on wagons, chalk writing of destination and like details on wagons during this period was near universal and in some cases prolific covering entire sides and ends!

7. Vallejo flat black - for buffer heads and couplings (I use it for axles also, but as this was a repaint of wagons they typically didn't need re-doing)

8. Steam Era Models Imperial decal sheet - where decals were re-applied, added or corrected (some of my early wagons had the incorrect later larger decals)

9. Testors dullcoat spray - used sometimes as a sealing coat for decals, and always as a last coat for all rolling stock

10. Tamiya XF-10 Flat Brown Acrylic - see below for use

11. Humbrol Matt #160 - see below for use

12. Australian Export (SuperCheap Auto generic brand) Indian Red spraypaint - see below for use

13. Floquil Roof Brown - see below for use

 

The brown selection used was primarily items 10,11,12 and 13 and typically in the combinations below to bring a range of colours, with 13 (Floquil Roof Brown) always drybrushed as weathering to various degrees but typically quite heavy on the chassis. I have also included a note as to how common this paint type is in my stock to give some ides of degree of use.

 

1. Using (12) Australian Export (SuperCheap Auto generic brand) Indian Red spraypaint, with (13) (Floquil Roof Brown) drybrushed and/or thinly coated as weathering to various degrees but typically quite heavy on the chassis. The following results typify the outcomes:

 

These two wagons have the spray applied directly to Steam Era Model's dark grey plastic, bring a more weathered outcome. Variations on this are my most common outcome.

 

This hopper has the spray applied over the previous Floquil Zinc Chromate Red, bringing out a more freshly painted outcome. Variations on this are relatively common outcomes.

 

This horsebox has the spray applied over a red-brown etch primer, again bring out a less common chestnut-type of weathering for a wagon that doesn't see much dirty use and is probably a few years into its paint. This is a rarer outcome.

 

2. Using (10) Tamiya XF-10 Flat Brown Acrylic: 

For a van that has not been repainted for many years, has been in much traffic (large percentage steam in those days remember) and is at the dark end of the outcomes. Variations on this are common outcomes.

 

3. Using (11) Humbrol Matt #160:

For a cattle wagon that has also not been repainted for many years, however has had less use and hence the paint has weathered to a lighter outcome. Variations on this are less common but nonetheless in some numbers for appropriate stock.

 

4. Using (13) Floquil Roof Brown: 

For a wagon that has not been repainted for many years and has been engaged in dirty traffic, in this case coal, hence the discoloured outcome. This is an uncommon outcome.

 

Three related notes:

1. There's obviously a range of weathering outcomes between these as I have tried to note, here restated for emphasis. One weathering outcome I haven't tried yet is where a wagon (eg. a W&W wagon) was parked with little use for some time where the outcome seems to have been a lighter brown-purple.

2. Cameras, screens, eyes and layout lighting make changes to colours so what is seen here may be close but is likely not exactly as these wagons actually appear

3. My choice of this colour range was based on what I view as the best evidence of colour for wagons during this era, others have different views so if embarking on a fleet during this era I recommend you look at the evidence, make a choice and (most importantly) stick to it.

 

All done with some relief at completion, and it has been great to get back to building new things in the months since. Trains looked different back then, and Glenburn's trains now show this:

 

 

First light

Most pictures on this site (except for some shots in the Gallery section), are taken under full layout lighting. Here's some taken early on a Sunday morning with just the natural light from outside filtering in. Basic camera means basic results, but I think most modellers with feeling in what they do will get the point.

Well away from the weekday hustle, picture a quiet Sunday morning, little breeze, somewhere distant a passing car rumbles, otherwise all is quite still.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Layouts are about quite a bit more than just trains.

Finished before it started.....almost. Occasional notes hereon

Actually, by the time of my last post the rest I mentioned had been going a month and was just about to end! So much for accuracy in reporting.... the VR bug bites strong, and "Glenburn" modelling has been continuing at a pretty regular clip since then. The break did provide for reflection on this record of the layout - Initially I set the site up to share layout development and show the build from the first thinkings as there didn't seem to be many such records in the online world at that time. It also became a way to share my VR modelling with fellow VR enthusiasts, most of whom were interstate and unable to see it first hand. Since then however it has now been shared well here and through publication etc., and the skills and approaches used from here until completion of "Glenburn" will pretty much just be repeated as I work my way around the remainder of  the room. So from now I will just put in the occasional post if there is something I think noteworthy in the layout's development. I will continue to update the rolling stock section as items are added to the roster. As always, comments are welcome and if there is a particular interest or focus of the layout you would like to discuss, just contact me via here and I will try to help.

The picture shows an Up livestock extra working running the short wrong road section on the Dn Main to access the Main Yard. It's one of a set I took to celebrate having finally repainted my goods stock in authentic livery.

Recent visitors & To rest

I have been honored to have a few more visitors to Glenburn lately including Jonathan Milne from Canada:

John is one of, if not the most gifted modellers of the Victorian urban scene. I only became aware of his work when he reached out a few years ago regards Glenburn as he had grown up in the area and recognised it. John was a commercial artist working mostly in card for his career and his capabilities to work the medium are borderline unbelievable. It was great then to have the chance to meet him and catch up on urban modelling matters when he was in Sydney just before Christmas. Coincidentally an article on John's current layout "Moorabool Street" is in the current Australian Railway Modelling Magazine:
http://australianmodelrailwaymagazine.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/december-2013-amrm-nearly-here.html
If you do not have it, and are interested in either Australian urban modelling, or just sensational modelling, I recommend the article.

 

During December Iain Stuart, Peter Ennis and I again caught up for the 3rd (or is it 4th?) meeting of the like minded VR modellers in Sydney. Keeping with tradition Iain brought his newly acquired Auscision 280hp Walker which ran beautifully smoothly straight out of the box around the layout and provided a sight perhaps of Glenburn in a later time (above). Peter brought his Trainbuilder H220 similarly for it's first run and I was quite looking forward to a shot of it with a suitable load strung out on Glenburn bank. It was not to be, suffering a catastrophic valve gear failure within just a couple of feet of its' start. A sad moment indeed for us all and hopefully next time we reconvene Trainbuilder will have repaired/replaced it and we can give this another go.

 

Ok, Phew - Nearly six years of building, approx.40 sq. ft of scenery, 65 pieces of either scratchbuilt or kitbuilt rolling stock, 98 layout posts, 50 rolling stock posts, five web pages, three published articles, a VMRS presentation, a couple of "how to" yarns in forums and plenty of other on-topic and non-specific rambling in forums both real and virtual ago............I started work on my Inner East Suburban layout, or as it has become known "Glenburn".

It is now time to rest.

Thank you for your interest in the layout to date. I don't know how long the rest will take, but it will end.

For now...........

 

End of the evening peak, Glenburn Rd, September 1934

 

[Photoshop image alterations to picture above: Darken, add light effects, smudging]

Jesus

.......Because again this year, make no mistake, if I have any skill in modelling it is only because it's a gift from Him.

Tayming the inner Creggan

I grew up mostly in Ringwood East but early in 1983 my family moved closer in to the city to Balwyn. Realising the city wasn't far away, one day I went for a ride just to see how far I could get toward the city, weaving my way through the backstreets where possible to avoid heavy traffic. From memory I didn't make it the first time, but I did the next and many times afterwards, it becoming a regular Saturday or Sunday afternoon ride generally ending up at Spencer St station to watch the train movements. I still have a map marked with the route I usually took. Along the way I rode up a path and came across what for an East Ringwood boy seemed an apparition, a house of such interest, detail and fascination that I couldn't help but always pass by this place and stop there on my way to town. Here's the "house", "Tay Creggan"....

 

Picture: Google Street view with enhancement

Later I was to find it was actually an ex-house being near-completed by the gifted architect Guyon Purchas and passed through some hands before being purchased by the Baptist Church and made into their Stathcona Girls school. Today it is Heritage listed and recognised as an architectural item of some merit, built in the Arts & Crafts style of which I am very fond. None of these base facts means too much to me though. Rather Tay Creggan is a symbol of those times in life when you are confronted with the reality that there is an impressive and entirely different world that you knew nothing about and that you might aspire to get closer to.

So......thanks for staying with me, there is a point to all this......parts of the ride and this experience had a lot to do with why I model this section of railway. When it came to finding an appropriate building for one of the far corners of the layout, Tay Creggan was a not unsurprising choice. Given the distance from viewing and place it occupies though, this is not a building in the sense of the others that now inhabit Glenburn:

Construction is basic - cut and bent card mounted on styrene sheet:

While the fascia (incomplete above) of the building approximates the prototype, the shape of the building is entirely dictated by the space it occupies:
 

The building straddles one and a half of the Suburban storage sidings and as such has been kept narrow and indeed has only as much of the second side as will clear the pantographs. This will work on the layout though, as the typical viewing position is not that above (I was standing on my step ladder), but rather that below:

Work on Tay Creggan continues with roofing, detailing, weathering and myriad other tasks remaining to be done before final emplacement on the layout, however this view gives an idea how it will eventuate. Once I have completed this far corner I could probably turn my mind to finally starting to scenic the yard in the foreground including covering the ermmmm inspection pit....

The Box - Goodbye Femininity!

Regular followers of the Blog and my rabitting on elsewhere will be aware that the presence of a real (black) boxcab E Class on "Glenburn" has been some time coming. Finally I took the plunge and backdated it in details and via a repaint from the effeminate blue/gold (see: http://vrsuburbanrollingstock.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/electric-loco-box-cab-e-class.html) to the incomparable all black.Hence I got a bit carried away with photographing it's first revenue run......