Populating a quarrymen's train

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Trevor Thompson
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Populating a quarrymen's train

Post by Trevor Thompson » Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:31 pm

Last summer I built a rake of scratch built coaches to carry quarry workers, based on the drawings in the 7mm Narrow Gauge Associations Historic drawings for the Festiniog Railway.

The drawing is of the type 1b carriage, and by ignoring the roof, made it a type 1a.

I made 10 of them:
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Nothing fancy just the bare carriage made from recycled wooden blind slats. Each piece was cut out to a set of patterns, and painted. Buffers are turned from brass.

The idea was that a full rake of these with over a hundred workers in it would be what you look at not the coaches. The clothes and hats of the quarrymen were based on a photo on page 203 of "Welsh Slate" by David Gwyn, which I bought on a trip to the Welsh Slate Museum. The photo is of Dorothea Quarry workers in about 1890.

The first 6 workers were made on aluminium foil armatures and built up using oven curing modelling clay. The tricky bit wasn't the figures themselves but getting them to sit close together so that each carriage would accommodate 12 of them:
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Lots of fitting and adjustment between baking each additional layer. Ignore the colours - they are not final:
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Having finished the first six I made silicon moulds of each of them:
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To be continued

Trevor

Trevor Thompson
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Re: Populating a quarrymen's train

Post by Trevor Thompson » Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:48 pm

So a set of 6 moulds for 6 people:
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Each mould was carefully cut free from its figure to create a split mould. Held together with elastic bands they were cast from polyurethane casting resin in batches of 6:
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The original figures were carefully repaired (hands tended to come off when removing them from the mould). Slowly the train started to fill up:
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as they grew in number I started to paint them. Airbrush to start with different base colours under the white linen suits for most of them. The book mentioned that by 1873 about 70% of quarry workers were wearing white linen suits, and Bowler hats. The rest in their ordinary clothes. So that is roughly how they were painted:
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The last coach is a roofed coach given to me by my son, which was the inspiration for all of this!

Trevor
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ge_rik
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Re: Populating a quarrymen's train

Post by ge_rik » Tue Sep 01, 2020 7:26 pm

That's really impressive, Trevor. They look great!

Rik
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TonyW
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Re: Populating a quarrymen's train

Post by TonyW » Tue Sep 01, 2020 7:37 pm

Superb!

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LNR
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Re: Populating a quarrymen's train

Post by LNR » Tue Sep 01, 2020 11:40 pm

That's one hell of a modelling project, very well carried out.
Surprised at the white linen suits, suppose it's no different to marine engineers wearing white boiler suits. I always find researching period clothing for our modelling time frame very interesting, have never taken it to the extreme numbers as you have. Well done.
Grant.

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Re: Populating a quarrymen's train

Post by Soar Valley Light » Wed Sep 02, 2020 11:13 am

HI Trevor,

What an amazing project!

There have been previous topics about the production of figures but never on this scale. Mass production risks having twenty almost identical copies of half a dozen 'base' figures. You see to have avoided that admirably!

They are a fantastic achievement and a truly impressive sight.

Andrew
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"'cause I can't manage on three gaffer!"

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Old Man Aaron
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Re: Populating a quarrymen's train

Post by Old Man Aaron » Thu Sep 03, 2020 7:37 am

Hell of a job, that. You've more patience than I, painting all those!
Regards,
Aaron - Scum Class Works

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SimonWood
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Re: Populating a quarrymen's train

Post by SimonWood » Mon Nov 16, 2020 6:08 pm

Having seen the actually people - who look even better than they do in the pics - fascinating to see the illustrations of how they were built up and replicated. Thanks Trevor!

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FWLR
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Re: Populating a quarrymen's train

Post by FWLR » Tue Nov 17, 2020 8:51 am

What a brilliant modeller you are... Why have I not seen you before on here, your work is of the highest calibre and really well thought out. I do like your little wagon made from window slats. I have loads of them also.... :idea: 's

Trevor Thompson
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Re: Populating a quarrymen's train

Post by Trevor Thompson » Tue Nov 17, 2020 8:34 pm

Rod

Wow! Thanks for the complements.

Trevor

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