Garden Railway Forum

I am seriously impressed with your work Rik, the detailing is top notch and no doubt the finished item will be superb.

At least as good as I was expecting and probably better! Looking foward to the next installment.

If I tried to do something like that whilst on holiday, I would now be speaking in a very high voice and probably divorced.

philipy wrote: ↑Sat Jun 30, 2018 11:10 am If I tried to do something like that whilst on holiday, I would now be speaking in a very high voice and probably divorced.

My missus loves just lounging by the pool and reading, so I sit in the shade and do something a bit more productive. I'm too fidgety - always have been.

Rik

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Sat Jun 30, 2018 10:14 am I am seriously impressed with your work Rik, the detailing is top notch and no doubt the finished item will be superb.

Thanks Peter. That is praise indeed from the Plasticard Maestro whose work I greatly admire.

Rik

Incredible Rik, it looks like its been CNC and is a commerical kit. You could easily do building commissions!

Water Tower (for the boiler house) more or less complete now (apart from painting and weathering).
Trying to decide, now I've put it together, whether it's a bit too narrow for its height. Might take a couple of cm off the base.

Rik

Brilliant work.

ge_rik wrote: ↑Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:55 pm
Trying to decide, now I've put it together, whether it's a bit too narrow for its height. Might take a couple of cm off the base.

Lovely job again, Rik.
I can see what you mean about the proportions, but If you do take a bit off the bottom, is there a danger of getting the window too low and making that look out of proportion instead? ( I'm assuming the door can simply be moved up a bit?).
It might depend on its exact positioning when in situ, if it is positioned so that it can't be seen directly end on, you might get away with it as it is.

philipy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 01, 2018 6:40 am I can see what you mean about the proportions, but If you do take a bit off the bottom, is there a danger of getting the window too low and making that look out of proportion instead? ( I'm assuming the door can simply be moved up a bit?).
It might depend on its exact positioning when in situ, if it is positioned so that it can't be seen directly end on, you might get away with it as it is.

Maybe if I took a cm off the top and a cm off the bottom?

Rik

Who'd have thought ........

http://bwtas.blogspot.com

Rik

Strewth... and people think railway modellers are weird!!

ge_rik wrote: ↑Sun Jul 01, 2018 7:11 am
Maybe if I took a cm off the top and a cm off the bottom?

I hadn't realised that trimming the top was still an option, that could be a solution. Could try just sticking temporary black tape round to make a visual break and get the eye to re-judge things?

Decided to take 1.6mm (ie four brick courses) off the bottom. I think it looks better. Just trying to decide whether to take another couple of courses off at the top.
I know they say, "measure twice and cut once", but I decided to make the water tower while I was away in France. I had just enough foamboard with me to make it and so pressed on, guessing the dimensions. In an ideal world, I could have made a cereal cardboard mock-up first, but the PLR is a bit like Topsy ..... things get added as the fancy takes me - there is no master-plan.

Rik

Rik, if you Google 'Bluebell railway water tower' you will see a newly built one similar to yours. Might help with your dimensions.

In actual fact, the idea for the water tower came after buying a French model railway magazine while in France (Le Train - Le reseau modele) which featured an 0-16.5mm line (see http://www.gilbert-gribi.com/GGribi/reseau.html ). His model is primarily a logging railway, with sawmill at one end and forest at the other. Beautifully constructed with tons of fine detail.

A mate in Tasmania also sent me some pictures of a sawmill near where he lives. The boiler for its steam engine was from a railway loco (image 22) and the water tank was its tender (image 28). If only I'd seen that before I started work on the boiler house!

http://www.grandchestersawmill.com.au/gallery.html#

Rik

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Sun Jul 01, 2018 8:53 am Rik, if you Google 'Bluebell railway water tower' you will see a newly built one similar to yours. Might help with your dimensions.

Thanks Tom - yes, very similar. I might even start counting brick courses ......

Rik

ge_rik wrote: ↑Sun Jul 01, 2018 8:34 am Decided to take 1.6mm (ie four brick courses) off the bottom. I think it looks better. Just trying to decide whether to take another couple of courses off at the top.

I'd vote yes, FWIW.
Since its for the stationary engine you don't have to worry about loco height for filling and a squatter shape would improve it, I think.

BTW, I love the fire engine on that French site.

philipy wrote: ↑Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:16 pm Since its for the stationary engine you don't have to worry about loco height for filling and a squatter shape would improve it, I think.
BTW, I love the fire engine on that French site.

I'm thinking I might use it as a dual purpose tank - and position it between the main tracks (as per the photo) to also act as a filler for locos.

Yes, some really exquisite modelling on that French layout - most of which is scratchbuilt or kitbashed. Spent a few happy hours with a dictionary and Google Translate reading the text in the magazine. Amazing how many French words have different connotations depending on the context. I was puzzled by one bit that kept mentioning 'boudin' which my little dictionary informed me was a 'black pudding'. Turns out (thanks to Google Translate) that it also means 'flange'. I was also interested to learn that the French call the frog on pointwork the 'heart' of the point.

Rik

Just caught up with this thread. A masterclass in building with foamboard scribing, can't wait to see them painted.

What thickness do you use Rik? Do you laminate sheets for strength? My engine shed has a slight bow, I used a single 5mm sheet so not sure whether the glued wood is the cause.

bazzer42 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 01, 2018 9:02 pm What thickness do you use Rik? Do you laminate sheets for strength? My engine shed has a slight bow, I used a single 5mm sheet so not sure whether the glued wood is the cause.

Hi
I also use 5mm. So far I've not experienced any distortion. The water mill had a first floor which acted as a stiffener. I noticed the walls of the boiler house had a slight bow despite right angled triangular braces in each corner, but this disappeared when I glued on the roof. I use accelerator spray with superglue for some joints like the roof, when I can't get clamps or straps to hold joints in alignment while the glue sets. I'd probably use stiffening braces if I made a larger single storeyed building.

Rik