Recent Stuff on the FBGR

[ge_rik]

Yes Rik, and playing around with the different inserts can give you a few different finishes.

Don't start with a whole building, just do a bit of a wall to get the feel of the stuff, as here,

JOhn

Excellent. Really impressed (sorry about the pun) with the worked-stone finishes you've achieved on that wall - I'm really fired-up to have a go myself.

Rik

[markoteal]

John - this is great - the brick and stonework looks so good - I'm going to have to have a go

I know this post covers how you do it (mainly on page 1 folks ) BUT the next time you are doing a wall or something, could you take a few photos as you go, starting with the board unmarked, showing a pic of you scoring the mortar courses marking the sone etc - then your painting technique - will help me and i guess others so much - my brain needs to see pics to help do something new

Cheers


Mark

[FBGR]

Yes markoteal, I could do that, and it would probably be best as a separate topic – next time I start something mainly foamboard perhaps, although the story of me filling up my scrap-bin until I have enough pieces that happen to fit together, and then slowly spilling paint over it may not suit everybody.

Foamboard has been used for some years, some of this was paper covered so not suitable for outside, but a lot of the techniques would be similar – see - http://www.009.cd2.com/members/how_to/nouaillier_a.htm

JOhn

[ge_rik]

http://www.009.cd2.com/members/how_to/nouaillier_a.htm

WOW!!!

Rik

[philipy]

Wot Rik said!

Those buildings are phenominal.

[Soar Valley Light]

What Phillipy said!

[Peter Butler]

I have always been impressed by the work at Pendon Museum but the building techniques on that site go to the next level and are just incredible.... the detailing is so good you could open the door and walk right in!

[markoteal]

I'll get my coat!

That is soooooooooo good - you could use some of those pics mixed in with the real thing and you wouldn't be able to tell which was which

[FBGR]

There is some good stuff out there, and if you don’t despair at never being able to get any where near the quality of these, you might just get a little inspiration.

Here is a couple more:

http://www.boredpanda.com/realistic-min ... an-france/

http://www.modvid.com.au/html/body_ande ... _day_.html
and there are others on this site.

AND of course there is also some regular contributors to this forum, who produce quality work that should encourage and inspire.

JOhn

[markoteal]

Stunning - thanks for sharing - very inspirational

[Lonsdaler]

The Goo I use to stick foamboard to foamboard and plasicard to foamboard is Wickes Solvent Cement, made for sticking together plastic RWPs – you have to ask for it as it is kept behind the counter. Its about £4 for 125ml pot – it goes un-runny in the pot quite quickly if you leave the cap off.

Here is another pic of the latest building – the brickwork bond is a continental form, not your normal English Bond.

DSCF4250.JPG

JOhn

Hi John,
I'm just catching up with your endeavours - I'm a fan of foamboard myself, and you've achieved some lovely textures and finishes. I had to smile at this photo though. Did you know that the bond you have used is called 'English Bond'? Not as common as the 'normal' Stretcher bond so prevalent in UK brick construction, and I think was originally an Elizabethan introduction, and ironically seemingly more common in Europe than this country now. C'est la vie!

[FBGR]

Another little building was taken down to the FBGR today, and the area of recently renewed decking is gradually becoming more populated.

This time something new (for me) was a corrugated iron shed. This was made using aluminium from backing trays, corrugated and formed over a foamboard and plasicard frame. The details are all plasticard and the base is foamboard. It will be interesting how this weathers.

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Also today we investigated the apparent movement and deterioration of the old decking under the engine shed. This area had originally been constructed in 2009, using tantalised timber framework and decking fixed to the fence.

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On uncovering we found that the timber had extensively rotted, even though a large air gap was provided underneath. Even the log roll that was supposed to have a ten year guarantee has not lasted

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This area will now have to be completely rebuilt.

The opportunity will be taken to refurbish the fence building (factory and Hotel Post) and the arches.

JOhn

[LNR]

Interesting as I have a similar construction situation under Leawarra, though built with Baltic T&G flooring, covered with roofing felt and some 3ft. off the ground. I originally planned to seal each track pin but that proved impracticable and I've wondered how much water goes down the holes. I know some areas have rot but its been there 10 years and still looks good for many more years yet. Had yours actually collapsed or did you just know it was rotten and decide to repair it?
Grant.

[FBGR]

Dear LNR,

We had been aware for a couple of years that some of the early timber-work on the FBGR had been deteriorating, and we had done some patch repairs to keep it looking tidy, but the collapse of one abutment where we have a lift-out bridge meant that we could no longer run trains over the whole railway, so that area had to be sorted – see 12th April above.

Having completed this (apart from the ongoing adding buildings etc. of the newly paved area) we moved on to the area of the loco shed.

This area was chosen because it looked quite bad, it could be done without restrictions on the running of trains except for a couple of sidings, and the Fence Buildings needed a repaint anyway. The extent of the deterioration was much greater than anticipated however.

Time and budget restrictions, and not yet knowing exectly how we are going to do some of the bits means we have no idea how long this area will take to rebuild.

What (and when) we do after the loco shed area we will decide later.

JOhn

[LNR]

Thanks for the explanation JOhn, I guess your railways in England see a tad more rain water than ours down here in Australia.
Grant.

[philipy]

John,
You may already know, but in case you didn't and for anyone else interested, "Foamboard Online" currently have a special offer on A3 size, 5mm white foamboard - £10 for 10 sheets, inc VAT. They add another £10 for p&p, though, but still a good deal.

[daan]

I think the problem is the roofing felt. I have several area's of impregnated timber where nothing really is happening. Those planks are fine, even after 7 or 8 years outside. But they are not covered. I guess rainwater is sucked in between the roofing felt and the wood and stays there a long time, keeping the wood beneath it moist.
The one area where I covered wood with a sheet, one of my old railways, was rotten within a year on some area's because of water being captured under the roofing felt.

I learned that when using roofing material, don't just cover the wood, but make a real roof out of it and there may not be any parts of the planks beneath it touching siol or be in contact with wood that is catching rainwater. The capilar working of water will cause any moisture to be sucked in the dry wood immideately. The roofing material on top will then capture the moisture and the wood will rot away.

It's a bit the same with isolating flat roofs from the inside out. That will also rot away in no time.

[FWLR]

What a brilliant thread, just read it and some of the buildings are brilliant. :thumb right: The more i read threads on the forum, the more i am learning, i have used foam board how ever on my N Gauge layout to great affect and i can see how it works for outside, have you thought about using the Woodland Scenics Foam sheets, they come in all sizes from 1/8” to 4” thick.

The problems most people seem to have with the wood they use is it seems troublesome, it does put one off, though not me, it’s all a learning process has i have said, but what do you think about the plastic sheet that is used for barge boards on building, would that not be a better material to lay track on. Just a thought.

Happy Modelling

[FWLR]

What you do think of this stuff i have come across,

https://www.filcris.co.uk/product/ladde ... gh-ladder2

This is as high has they go with it, but i guess you could buy longer posts. It looks fairly easy to put up and there is some wider top boards available so you could put a double track i think.

[FBGR]

The loco shed area has been re-decked in treated timber as before.

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Proper creosote was used, nice and smelly. This area is strong enough to be able to walk on – necessary while attaching the fence buildings/laying track etc.

The fence plastic retaining wall and the Post hotel have been re-affixed after repainting. The end section of the retaining wall, which had notches to fit over the fence rail and the cable that goes to the shed, is at home being modified as the cut-outs are now in the wrong place. The Factory building sections are also at home being refurbished/repainted.

Track has to be relaid of course, as well as the putting back of the engine shed.

The adjacent section of decking is in poor condition, and will not support much weight without flexing.

With regard to the more extensive use of plastic – [Thank you for your interest BCATRR] Yes, if I were to start to build a new garden railway that was to last at least ten years then I would make greater use of plastic materials and try and avoid using timber wherever possible.

Nowadays we use plastic square rain water pipe for the supporting posts. At first we post-creted these in, but now we just beat ballast (sand and stones) around them – this seems to work ok.

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Offcuts of PVC cladding (facias etc.) have also been incorporated into some recent work, and will be in the future, but this may depend on being able to get any of this material free of charge or very cheap, as well as being able to transport it to the railway.

The funding of working on the FBGR is just a steady trickle over time, probably averaging to much less than £10 a week between the two of us for everything. Owing to the higher initial cost of using plastic sections (which also has to include a shipping cost), against that we can buy just a couple of bits timber at a time as we work out what to do next, we are likely to continue to use timber.

The fact that I am nearing 70 years old and that the FBGR will not likely be around in ten years time may also have a bearing on how much we invest in infrastructure.

JOhn