Arches For The Fiddle Yard……………

I’ve put away the shops off the fiddle yard (Honest) and set to making some R018 Low Relief Arches from scalescenes. I plan to cover the complete front of the fiddle yard with the arches. It is about five feet long, so I have quite a few to build. Luckily though, I can print and build as many as I need thanks to Scalescenes.

The construction couldn’t be simpler. The main sheet makes two pairs off arches.

Before applying the backs to the arches it is advisable to colour in the raw edge of the arch before adding the infill walls and the brick edges. This helps to hide any raw edges that might show through.

I think you might agree that the detail is incredible.

The individual sections fit together and the join is hidden by the buttresses.

These arches could not be easier to build, thankfully, as there is quite a few to build. There is a parapet wall to go on top yet to finish them off. Hopefully I will get a lot done tomorrow as I have a day off work. I have my Wife Jak to take to the train station first thing in the morning, as she is off to Peterborough to the Ideal World studios for two shows. So I have the day to myself to unwind, relax and set to and get some modelling done.

P.S. Yes David, there will be access for derailments.

Until Next Time………..

Chris

Fiddle Yard?…………

Well I got up into the loft eventually and made a start on the layout. Well sort of. The trouble is, it is so big that I don’t know where to start. So I had a word with my work mate Andrew. Him being a scratch builder and having a lot more experience in building layouts, I valued his opinion. His ideas he suggested made a lot of sense. One of the ideas he had was to make a raised fiddle yard at the back end of the layout to hide all of the rolling stock when not in use.

This is the where I intend to put the fiddle yard.

So I set to and made a raised fiddle yard. I know it doesn't look much, but it is serves two purposes. The first purpose is to hide the loco’s and rolling stock and the other to provide a platform for a High street scene.

I Know that I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but I just couldn’t help myself. I had to see what the shops would look like on the platform.

 

I promise I’ve taken the buildings off and put them away again. The next stage is to build some scalescenes R018 Low Relief  Arches for all along the front of the fiddle yard and a ramp for access up to the high street. I’ve made a start on these and I may make some of the arches into workshops and shops.

Until Next Time………………..

Chris

Test

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Regards
Chris

Desperate Measures………

Well I’ve had to do it. It is the only way I can think off to get me up into the loft. I have been guilty of neglecting my duties in the loft and I’ve ran out of excuses. I’ve been to wrapped up in building projects from scalescenes that I’m looking for anything at all to build. I’ve even built some more houses that I don’t even know where I’m going to put them on the layout! So now that there is nothing I need to build just yet, I have made the ultimate sacrifice…………..

I’ve gone and cleaned up my half off the craft table and put away all of my model making tools. This I hope will make me go up into the loft as I will have nothing to do and I can’t just sit down and build something. Well that is the plan anyway. I think it will only last until scalescenes bring out their next creation. Here’s hoping that I can get some progress made before this happens.

Until Next Time………

Chris

Gantry Crane Hand Rail…………

I’ve been asked by a couple of of people about the hand rails that I used on the Gantry Crane and where I got them from. Well I can tell you that I have cheated and not used a model handrail. It is made from a mesh bird feeder bought from a Pound Shop. I first used the idea for the Cargo Ships handrails. It is so easy to do, and you get loads for a £1. I’m sorry I haven’t got a picture to show you what the feeder looks like, but I think you know the ones I mean. The ones that you fill with nuts and hang from the bird table.

Once I took off the top and bottom, I was left with a cylinder of mesh which I opened out to have a flat sheet of mesh.

Next using a pair of cutting pliers, cut off a strip the edge.

Once I’ve measured how long the piece needs to be, I can the start to shape the hand rail with a pair of pointed nose pliers into the final shape needed for the handrail.

By cutting the mesh with pliers I was left with a sharp edge along the length of the handrail. This is easily rectified by using a fine toothed file to smooth off the sharp edges. This also give a better looking handrail.

I didn’t have any yellow paint to paint the handrails, so I had to paint them white.

This worked to my advantage as I got to use my Wife Jak’s air brush and her vast collection of Copic pens. This worked well, as I didn’t end up with a solid colour, that I would have if I sprayed with yellow. But I used different shades to build up weathering. It looks brilliant.

I hoped that this has answered your questions and has given you some ideas on how to make a hand rail.

Until Next Time……………

Chris

I’m Not A Happy Chappy……………

I came in from work last night only to find my work space had been taken over!! I have one corner of the table that both my Wife and I share, but apparently that’s too much. She’s taken all of it now. She had to take some pictures to take of some freebies that she is giving away on her craft blog jakheath.com so she only used MY SPACE. I think she thought she would have it all put away and my space put back to normal before I got in, but I caught her.

Thankfully all has been moved back to her side now, and peace has been restored in the Heath household.

Until Next Time………….

Chris

Corrected Gantry Crane………….

I have to let you know that I was corrected by John Wiffen, the clever guy form scalescenes. He very kindly pointed out that I had made a school boy time period error. The bridge beam I had used with the “freightliner” livery and the “BR” logo on the plant room were from two different periods. In my defence, you may or may not know, that I have only been modelling for just over a year, so if anyone sees anything that shouldn’t be, please let me know.

So, as soon as I could, I replaced the bridge beam cover to bring it back in line with the BR period. I also managed to get the hand rails painted and fitted. I think they set it off really well.

Until Next Time…………

Chris