However, after seeing a few photos of the Cambrian Coast railway and recalling a couple of very pleasant trips along the coast, I purchased my first railway DVD, a driver's eye view of the section between Machynlleth and Barmouth. I am concerned, by the way, that this is the start of a steep descent into the crepuscular world of rivet counting from which there is no return. Anyway, every few seconds brought a captivating scene which I would have loved to try to model, so I am going to have a go at a short section of an imaginary line and have started on a station halt with a wooden platform.
I thought about Wills wooden planking for the platform but I find it just too thick to work, difficult to join seamlessly and, in any case, space means that the platform must be slightly curved. Instead I have experimented with some cheap oak veneer. We'll see what it looks like after sanding and painting.
Losing your modelling motivation is perfectly normal Chas, we all experience it from time to time, and it always returns. And don't worry about turning into a 'rivet counter' (I hate that term!), a little self criticism and prototype knowledge only helps make better models.
ReplyDeleteThis looks to be an interesting little project, small wooden halts always appeal.
Thanks Paul. You're absolutely right. Studying real life more closely and trying to copy it is far more satisfying.
DeleteHi Chas,
ReplyDeleteSo you have seen the light :-)
You have made an excellent start and I shall be watching your progress with interest.
" I am concerned, by the way, that this is the start of a steep descent into the crepuscular world of rivet counting from which there is no return."
Don't worry on that score, surely there is nothing wrong in wanting to improve your modelling and standards ? I class a rivet counter as being someone who talks a good model whilst sat in his / her favourite armchair. A person who takes delight in telling everyone where they have gone wrong but sadly has little or nothing to show for all their knowledge.
You carry on as you are Chas because I think you will be pleasantly surprised how the simple Cambrian project you describe goes on to give you an awful lot of satisfaction.
Hi Geoff. I like your definition of a rivet counter - it should go in the Oxford Dictionary. And yes I might have seen a bit of light. You said I would!!
DeleteI find working with wood veneer very satisfying, it's a beautiful medium...of course, it will accept Allan Downes's Colron wood dyes, too...although they will eat into any solvent-based adhesives. I know what you mean about faffing about. When I'm working on a project, there's usually a lot going on in my head about "the next project"...then when I finish, I am overwhelmed by the possibilities...result: stasis! What you've done so far looks great..it's going to be a superb model. I do enjoy the occasional bout of prototype fidelity and accuracy, it's good for the soul in reasonable doses :-) Maybe there's more to the umbrous world of rivet-counting than meets the eye! I still like just "winging it" best, though...
ReplyDeleteThanks Iain. You're right of course - it would be most unsatisfying not to want to improve by copying the prototype but it''s good to have a bit of licence - or in my case an excuse for not getting it quite right!!
ReplyDeleteLooking great Chas!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lee!
ReplyDeleteHi Chas,
ReplyDeleteVery interested to see that you are doing a halt. Although there are popular kits available I have always felt that there was a dearth of models that really tried to capture the atmopshere around a halt. Tim Venton has done one that I really liked, and yours already has loads of atmosphere. That veneer looks very effective to my eyes.
I'd like one day to model one of the characterful halts on the Lambourne Valley branch:
http://www.lambournvalleyrailway.co.uk/pages/speen/speen.htm
There's a whole little world hidden in these simple structures. Looking forward to seeing progress on this.
Thanks Mikkel. I wish now I'd seen Speen before I started this. What character! I'm basing my effort on Penhelig which is in a lovely setting, partly hidden from view by a row of old rangy conifers. You are absolutely right about capturing atmosphere. I wanted to abandon the idea of a full scale layout and try to capture the atmosphere of a scene as you do so well in the Farthing Layouts. (For anyone reading this and hasn't seen Mikkel's blog, take a look at http://farthinglayouts.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/the-treachery-of-images.html)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the plug Chas :-) Glad you're doing Penhelig though, it's simply oozing character.
ReplyDelete