Revised Terraced Houses...................

Right, this is the last model that I’m going to build, before I get myself up into the loft and start my layout. These are the new revised T022a Terraced Houses from Scalescenes. I’ve built the old version a couple of times already, including a row made up into the shops, with the burnt out chippy. I’ve not built the row any longer than four houses up until now. I’m going to make the row eight houses long. I may even put them together on an incline. Time will tell.
They are of a total new construction method, and in my opinion, much better than the old version. There’s the addition of back yard walls with outhouses and front garden walls. They are built in two houses per section, and as I said earlier, could be easily configured to be installed on a bank.

First I like to cut out and mount all of the windows onto acetate, ready to be fixed to the relevant walls.
 
Now here is where the walls and floors that make up the interior structure come together. They are much better than the old version. Inter-locking sections, that’s much stronger and stable. Top tip, keep a small piece of 2mm scrap card to use as a gauge and check that the slot is wide enough when cut out. This makes it much easier to fit the sections together without damage to the walls, if the slots were too tight.
 

  
Gluing the interior walls to the main wall in sections, again adds rigidity and strength.
 
The small sections of the exterior walls come next. Two sections, with one of them having an interior wall incorporated.  
 
When the main wall is added, there is an extra layer which is slightly wider than the outer wall, and this layer has the drain pipe on. So when glued together, the drainpipe can’t be knocked off.
 
Now to build the front wall. Exactly the same as the rear walls. I have to ask you to look at the curtains. On a previous build, where there were curtains, I put them all in place all random and uneven. My wife informed me that “No self-respecting, house proud woman, would have uneven curtains.” She would straighten all of the curtains on a morning when they were opened. So I did as I was told and straightened all of the curtains. That’s me told!!
 

Once the walls are in position, it’s time for the ceilings, incorporating the guttering.
  
The end gable wall comes together at this stage. Again with incorporated drainpipes.
 
That’s as far as I want to go with this section. I want to build all of the sections to this stage so I can run the roofs in one go.    

Time to crack on and build another three houses.
Until Next Time………..  
 

 
 

The "Shed That Jack Built"

Jak and I had the pleasure of having our Grandson Jack for a sleepover last night, and trying to keep him occupied without just sitting him in front of the TV, is a challenge. Now Jack has a very inquisitive streak in him, and he often sits with his Gran and crafts away making cards with her. He also sits and watches me making my models. He asks question after question, just like a six year old should do. So, to try and help his developing mind, I asked him if he would like to build his own model. “Yes” came the reply. So I printed out the the Small Goods Shed for him, and away we went. He enthusiastically   stuck the printed elements to the card, and I dutifully cut them out for him. We had a couple of little mishaps along the way, and with a little help from Grandad, we got there in the end.

 

 

He was so pleased with his results, he’s done a video tutorial to go with it. Just click on the video below to see his efforts. Now he reckons, the next time he comes to stay over, we have to build something bigger. What have I started?

Dilemma.........

I have to say I have a little bit of a dilemma. It all started a couple of years ago now. I built a table in my loft to accommodate a train layout. It was a reasonable size table and I was really looking forward to putting together my layout. I think I made a huge mistake. I had this vast blank canvas to fill. Well, I totally filled the table with track and rolling stock and in my hast to make my layout, I didn't realise I had no space for any scenery or buildings. So I completely took it all to bits ready to start again. I had to get some buildings put into place and set a scene ready to lay the track around them. Now here is where the problem started. My Wife Jak found a website called Scalescenes, which offered a wide range of downloadable models geared to railway layouts. I picked a free track side shed to download and build. Well that was it, I was hooked. Well, one thing led to another and I've really enjoyed building kit after kit. I think I might have gone a little overboard. I've been putting completed models to one side the starting on a new one. I didn't realise what I had until I put the all on the table together. The problem I had before was, there was no room for track. "Houston, I have a problem" I may have gone a bit overboard.

 

 
 
 
 

I think I may have just built my way though the whole Scalescenes catalogue. I now have to get my lazy backside into the loft, and in the new year get a start on building my layout. Wish me luck.

Until Next Time.............