Making a New Start

Granitechops
 Cattewater, is there one in US?  reading this brought back memories of Cattedown Wharves on cattewater, Plymouth, Coop coal wharfe,  

 
Got it in one, but I don't suppose there's a real place with that name in the USA - unless you know differently. The name was inspired by a visit to Plymouth many years ago but I actually spell it without the middle T and E, however the spell-checker on this website will not allow it onscreen in that form.  The names on the line are mostly derived from our two cats.
 
The rock mouldings are from Woodland Scenics moulds,  specifically C1235 Lace Faced Rock, C1240 Rock Mass and C1244 Facet Rock. The detail on the first is a bit small for G scale, but the other two are much deeper moulds and can produce quite a variety of shapes, depending how full you fill them or if you tip them up a bit when casting, to emphasize one side or other of the mould. All three moulds were used to make up this cliff, seen here before being coloured. Having stuck it all in place I realised that the geology is extremely suspect!
 

 
Thanks for the kind comments. Meanwhile, the work goes on.................. more buildings next, I think.

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G scale hamsters? What's this going to be? 
 

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A Playschool branch line?  "Who is through the round window...."?
Indoor watermill?
Large washing machine?
Or is it a roundhouse  .....

 
Mike on the BCRR Railroad - A little bit of the Rio Grande in north Essex
Videos are shown by courtesy of Tony, who took them whilst visiting.......
http://www.youtube.com/wa...b8&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/wa...r0&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/wa...gE&feature=channel 

Took a picture of the next stage in the building's conversion, but it suffered camera wobble. Back soon!
 
Meanwhile here's a picture of the line's diesel switcher resting at Cattewater.
 

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Hi Giles
Just to say that Cattewater is a place preety close to Ipswich Slofolk (sorry,.. Suffolk)

Still looking very good.

 
Mike on the BCRR Railroad - A little bit of the Rio Grande in north Essex
Videos are shown by courtesy of Tony, who took them whilst visiting.......
http://www.youtube.com/wa...b8&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/wa...r0&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/wa...gE&feature=channel 

beavercreek
 Just to say that Cattewater is a place preety close to Ipswich Suffolk

 
Well, you learn something new every day! Always thought it was only in Plymouth. Think my version is a tiny bit too mountainous to be in East Anglia, though.

You try cycling up some of the Suffolk hills

 
Mike on the BCRR Railroad - A little bit of the Rio Grande in north Essex
Videos are shown by courtesy of Tony, who took them whilst visiting.......
http://www.youtube.com/wa...b8&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/wa...r0&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/wa...gE&feature=channel 

Had a little free time this afternoon, so the hamster house project has moved on a little. It's going to be the locomotive's sanding facility - something like this......... Still some way to go before it's finished.
 

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Very sweet....... as must have been all those lollies that you licked to make the fence

 
Mike on the BCRR Railroad - A little bit of the Rio Grande in north Essex
Videos are shown by courtesy of Tony, who took them whilst visiting.......
http://www.youtube.com/wa...b8&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/wa...r0&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/wa...gE&feature=channel 

Looking back to the first official day of operations on May 30th..................
Number 8 pulls into Hogwood Junction with a freight. The stand-in Barber's Shop is the little building beside the boxcar, and the "box" behind the depot will be the grist mill.
 
The Playmobil signal may one day get rebuilt as a US-style train order signal if running sessions prove the need to alert passing train crews of the need to pick up additional instructions. If so, it could be linked to a solenoid hidden inside the depot.

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Done some more work on the sanding plant, including reducing the height of the tower a bit, plus painting and weathering.  While clearing out the spares box I've just re-discovered a small cylindrical tank which will just fit in the gap beside the sand tower, to provide a refuelling point for the diesel switcher.

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Lost and Found Dept.  The "missing" box of rolling stock just turned up, and of course it was under the layout in full view, all the time. How does that happen?  Anyway it gave me the excuse to run a mine train - the first time these items have been put together.
  
  
 
The box also contained the 4-wheeled boxcar, which was immediately sent to Hogwood for loading.

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Thats my kind theme.  Looking real good so far.  I wish I had room for an indoor.

Kittatinny Mountain RR
http://kittatinnymountain.blogspot.com/

Shawn
Thats my kind of theme.  Looking real good so far.  I wish I had room for an indoor.

 
Very kind of you. I could say the same for yours/outdoors  - makes me wish I had the right sort of garden;  but sitting indoors, working on the layout when the rain is rattling on the window - magic!

 
Taking pictures indoors, my camera wants (quite rightly) to use the flash; trouble is, because I'm also using close-up, the colour gets washed out, like this. Can anyone suggest a solution? Perhaps I could use a small piece of tissue to cover the flash and soften the light?
 
P.S.  The drover caboose stables overnight at Cattewater, so this must be an early morning shot with some freight waiting to be loaded for the first trip up the line.

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Does you camera allow you to set the "film" speed, may in a Manual mode.. If set set if as to 800ASA or higher (though image quality will drop).  Alternatively bring in some extra artificial light if you have some portable lamps perhaps.  Actually a combination of the both would be good.

John
Principal Operator of the H&M Garden Railway & organiser Wellington Garden Railway Group
I don't take myself seriously, so I apologize if you do.

John,
 
Many thanks for that suggestion - as you may have guessed I'm not much of a camera buff. The camera itself is getting quite elderly, so it may not have all the features that would be considered as standard on a newer one.  Here's hoping!

Had a couple of hours on the layout today. The diesel fuelpoint at Cattewater is coming together, though I still need to make the delivery pump, which is going to feature the plastic moulding that was the case of a travel toothbrush - a useful tube with a domed end.  Also, over at Hogwood  the Barber Shop is beginning to take shape.  Pictures soon.

Its all looking good, amazing what pleasure you can get out of a small space, as you know I am working on the other end of the layout size, still good fun though but more gardening…..

 
The diesel refuelling point has moved on a stage.  It consists of a tank from a toy farm trailer with the cap of a washing-up liquid bottle as the tank's lid - all set on a base of 10mm foamboard with card for the pump compartment. Ladder and access platform came from an old tank-car. Not sure I'll keep the tank silver, though; perhaps a dirty green would look better
 

 
Meanwhile the Barber Shop has progressed beyond the mock-up stage; just need time to clad the walls. The roof will be corrugated sheeting recycled from an unused building from the previous layout. 
 
Both these views were taken using a piece of tissue over the flash - seems to have solved the colour-washout problem.

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Had a little bonus time with the layout today, after fixing the door hinges on the cupboards underneath the baseboard.  Decided to try and empty one of the boxes of scenic bits - this one with grass salvaged from the earlier layout. This had originally been made from ancient carpet underlay split to half thickness, then teased apart and stuck down in clumps, coloured with a dilute wash of various green and yellow Humbrol paints.  The area chosen for the work was the nearest side of the layout from the trestle to the outskirts of Cattewater. Now with grass stuck to the flatter areas it looks a lot better than raw painted plaster. I also added a couple of unused plaster rock castings, and these need bedding in and painting before the camera comes out again.
 
I should also finish off colouring the rocky face of the cutting opposite with a spray of black to show up the strata and crevices, and then work on the highlights. Not sure when there'll be time for this - perhaps on Sunday.

Despite the World Cup and an extraordinary Wimbledon match I managed an hour or so of scenic work today. Used the last of the spare rock castings at one end of the trestle and then sprayed some very dilute black paint on. It helps to bring out the detail on the already painted rocky cliff, but looks even better on the naked castings. Will have to be very careful when colouring them to match the rest of the surrounding area so as not to cover the effect already achieved.
 
Also pre-painted the windows and doors of the Barber Shop prior to fixing them into the structure's walls. There's going to be plenty to finish off and photograph on Sunday - luckily I shall be "home alone" for much of the day. What time's the match???

Well given both USA and England won today, definetly wont be getting anything done on my layout tonight, loking forward to new pics.

 Have fun with your trains

Today I just had to see whether it would be Isner or Mahut, but nevertheless managed to pinch an hour or two to work on the layout.   A little more grass has gone down, the new rocky cliff in the valley spanned by the trestle has been painted, as well as the fascia round the layout which improves the general look no end. Hopefully a bit more grass and some bushes tomorrow afternoon, and then.................pictures!

 
Some pictures of the hilly area between Cattewater and Hogwood. First the big cliff (actually more of a rockery)
 

 
Next a picture of one side of the valley spanned by the trestle.  More rock castings are needed to do the same on the other side, then I'll tackle the vegetation on the valley floor, and the bushes to go under the trestle - when it's been painted.
 (yes, Vic, I will get round to weathering those bogies and couplings soon!) 
 
Any trestle experts out there? Should this have horizontals joining the three bents to each other and the rocks on each side, or does the fact the uprights are sunk into the ground make horizontals redundant? 
   
 
Grass has also appeared along the back of the yard at Cattewater and that fence has finally had a coat of paint, not before time.
 
 
 
 
Finally a shot of #1 bringing an empty minerals train into Cattewater.  
   
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Some of today's new pictures - first off is #5 switching at Cattewatter 
  
 
#1 runs into Hogwood with a short mixed train.

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Having looked again at that last picture, I've made a start on a replacement for the cardboard mill in the background.

 
Began work recently on the new mill at Hogwood with some foam-core board, taking the old card mock up as a starting point for dimensions. Having put in two dormer windows, I thought it was beginning to look more British than American, so out went the left hand window. In its place will go a two-storey extension on the front wall. I also found a large HO scale roof (Revell bakery, I think) which nicely provides a semi-open covering over the end of the track through the building, and also stops viewers seeing that there is no room to model the interior. The first picture shows some 3D planning with the look-alike elements put roughly in the right places, while the sketch shows the direction I hope the whole thing is heading.
 

 

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Not much progress recently, owing to the tennis - so here's a shot from last week 
  
 
#1 hurries into Hogwood with a cattle train.

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Layout is realling starting to take shape.  I love it so far.  For the trestles I would add a least one or two rows of horizontal bents.  I believe they help the trestles from foward and back. 

Kittatinny Mountain RR
http://kittatinnymountain.blogspot.com/

Shawn
  For the trestles I would add a least one or two rows of horizontal bents.  I believe they help the trestles from foward and back. 

 
Thanks for that, Shawn. I suspected that was the case, so will add the extra supports once I've detailed the ground area immediately behind and under the bridge.  BTW I liked the "Summer days" shots of your line. Your engine house has almost exactly the same proportions as the one I've got to tackle soon, and your derelict mine scene is full of atmosphere.
 
Meanwhile, back on the C & S work on the mill has progressed. I've had to build the structure in two sections as it's too large to get into place all in one piece. Am also running out of balsa to clad the walls; not sure when I'll have spare time to get to a model shop for more.  Still. I've got plenty of foam-core board left in stock, so could make a start on the shell of the engine house, which is the last major project for the layout. If there's any board left over after that, there's a chance that a factory "flat" might be needed where the Clydes Creek line leaves the depot at Cattewater.

 
The planking on the main building is done, and the basic roof is on. No room for that top ventilator, though - shame!
 
Can't see more modelling time for at least a week, so new pictures will have to wait for a bit.

Something really odd has happened - all the posts are appearing in reverse order since my posting a couple of minutes ago. I'm sure I didn't do anything out of the ordinary except try to repeat a previous picture, which would not show on the new posting.
 
Mr Moderator - help, please!!
 
Mesasges now back to normal - many thanks

 
#1 indulging in a bit of switching at Hogwood.

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A small step forward at the mill - the walls have been planked, and some of the roof added, with slates (or should that be shingles?) to come. There will be posts to hold up the as-yet unsupported roof over the end of the tracks - I have a nicely weathered rocket stick from last Nov. 5th that should be just right. 

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The last picture above reminds me that Hogwood depot needs a bit of a rebuild to look more American. It was based on a tiny British station, and is little more than two garden sheds (see post #66). My plan is to make the roof pitch steeper with more overhanging eaves and decorative wood trim under each gable end.  There may even be a separate awning further along the platform. 
 
All that's a couple of months away - the cardboard engine house at Cattewater needs replacing first.
 
Something I forgot to add earlier............I'd like to add some decorative trim to the roof-peak of the depot. In real life it would be a strip of tiny spear-points, or something similar. Anyone got any ideas on how this could be done with "found" materials suitable for G scale? As with all the rest of the construction on the line, I'm looking for the cheapskate solution, as usual! 
 
My only thought so far is to use the top of some cut-down 00 scale paling fencing, but this isn't quite what I think I'm looking for.

 
Number 7 has been a bit camera-shy so far, so here's a shot of her heading up the grade towards Hogwood with a freight bound for the standard gauge interchange at Bonneyville.
 
Managed some layout work this afternoon - painted the mill's walls using very diluted acrylic paint about 15/85 paint to water; a pale grey which came out the colour of old sun-bleached wood. Then I dry brushed a bit of 80/20 paint mix in patches to look like paint remnants.  Also painted the Barber Shop walls. Much to my surprise a mix of a little Yellow Ochre and a lot of white resulted in quite a decent cream - much better than ordinary yellow and white. Next I need to repaint the frame and windows of the building - don't like the colour I used at first (Tamiya Hull Red) - will try NATO brown.
 
Will try and take pictures at the week-end.

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Just a note on #7's parentage. The inspiration came from a 2ft 6inch gauge logger on the website by Lennart Elg.
 
Basically it's an LGB OTTO, with a scratchbuilt stytrene cab, bunker and extended side tanks. A new US-style smokebox door was fitted and the sand dome was the conveniently-shaped cap of a sun-cream bottle I gathered up some time ago and put in the spares box. I also had to build up the steam chests with styrene and add a more typical pilot beam at the front and a rear beam below the bunker from LGB "Casey" spare parts.  These and the American style bell came from the "bits box" at GRS in Princes Risborough (as did the smokebox door).  The driver and fireman were formerly construction workers, bought for 25 cents each in a French car-boot sale, though both have been somewhat re-modelled into a more suitable poses, one with a new cap made from a shaped lump of epoxy filler and the other with 1940s era bib-and-braces overalls (see the pictures below, taken on the mk I version of the layout). 
   
 
 

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Looking back to the first posts on this thread I see that the C&S is six months old on Tuesday - and has just welcomed its 3000th visitor. Amazing - I never thought it would get anywhere near that total when I started posting.  Many thanks to everyone for your interest.
 
I haven't got any new train pictures to celebrate (must run a Special tomorrow) but meanwhile here's a quiet moment between trains at Hogwood Mills, with one of the employees doing a spot of work to the manager's new car. 
 

 

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Did a couple more hours on the mill this afternoon; almost finished bar a few small details and some weathering. It hasn't turned out quite as planned, as I decided against the tall chimney; instead I added a couple of bits of kit (possibly grain blowers) to the side wall - made out of Yakult pots and some sprue, two bits of tube and some zig-zag girder.  Have done some signs on the computer but they need a little more work before being attached.
 
 

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