Time to build a railway...but where?

[Andrew]

Wonderful stuff, I love it!

[jim@NAL]

Very good Peter how did you ge5 the paint effect

[FWLR]

Thats why you inspire us Peter. You think out of the box and it gives me anyway the inspiration to look at things differently.

[Peter Butler]

Very good Peter how did you ge5 the paint effect

Thanks Jim, the finish was achieved by first spraying with grey plastic primer.......

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Following this a covering with Humbrol acrylic metalic gold and highlights with Humbrol bronze acrylic and streaks of dark green in the recesses and folds to represent verdigris. All of these stages are done before the paint dries so that colours run into each other. After allowing this to dry I apply a generous coating of 'Agrax Earthshade' which is an acrylic dark colour wash available from 'Games Workshop. It is a wonderful medium for settling in all the recesses to give weathering effects. Again after allowing drying time, a spray of Matt Lacquer gives a perfect 'flat' finish.
At our 16mm Local Area Group Meeting yesterday I handed it to one of our members and he prepared himself for receiving a solid lump of metal.... the look on his face was one of shock and surprise when he found it was as light as a feather.

[IanC]

That is awesome Peter. As others have said your modelling is an inspiration to many of us of lesser ability.

[FWLR]

Who are others………………..

[Peter Butler]

Yesterday afternoon was the first opportunity to get outside to paint my new wall sections. Up until then we have had annoying rain, not heavy but enough to prevent me working. All of the walls are finished now which means I need another full dry day to lay the road surface......

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The weather forecast here is for cooler weather but unsure about rain.

[ge_rik]

They look great Peter. How are the knees?
Rik

[philipy]

Amazing!
Knees are one thing, but how about the sanity?

[Lonsdaler]

Amazing!
Knees are one thing, but how about the sanity?

I think if conditions are right, this sort of task can be very therapeutic, I find Physically, it tends to be my shoulders that suffer - I always seem to rest on one hand or the other whilst working, with the body weight up through my shoulder. A kneeling mat is also good for sitting on.

[Peter Butler]

I have to admit I'm glad it's over! It required a lot of kneeling on a concrete surface, albeit with a kneeler, but still not good for the old bones. Secondly it was all low level which put a lot of weight (yes I know I carry more than I should) on my left palm and up my arm. Luckily my neck and shoulders coped well and today I feel fine. One of those jobs which I like to finish at one sitting rather than leave knowing I have to go through it again.
I have always had the philosophy of doing the worst or hardest jobs first and not leaving 'till last, after that everything seems easier.

[Andrew]

I have always had the philosophy of doing the worst or hardest jobs first and not leaving 'till last, after that everything seems easier.

A good idea I reckon, and one I've been thinking about - I've vowed to myself to start with the droplights next time I build a carriage... That said, it's not always apparent what the worst or hardest job is until you reach it, particularly if you're trying something new...

Anyway, the walls look great, looking forward to seeing more...

All the best,

Andrew

[Hydrostatic Dazza]

I see the need to ship Peter to down under and have him design and construct the villages for the POR
:-)
Bravo, I enjoy seeing your work in progress pics, please keep them flowing .

[Peter Butler]

I see the need to ship Peter to down under.....

I'm at your disposal kind sir.... I even have a cousin situated there, although I doubt she would be conveniently located to just drop-in?

[Peter Butler]

As previously mentioned, a dry day was all that I needed to proceed with the road laying and today I got my wish. After such a wet and squally day yesterday I was amazed at the conditions today which were perfect... no rain, no wind, sunshine and warm, just right!
So... out with the trusty wheelbarrow (again) and plenty of coarse sand, cement, black powder (not the explosive kind!) and SBR to create a nice black road surface effect. It took three (+) loads to complete the job, and most of the day as I was also left in charge of the dogs, as well as feeding both of them and myself, something I am not usually responsible for. However, the result is most satisfying and makes the scene much more coherent....

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At the moment it is under my 30 sq. m. tarpaulin which I purchased to roll-out over the village during the winter months, this project is still being considered as a yachting friend advises against it. At least it will offer some protection against rain and wild beasts while it gets a chance to set....

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[laalratty]

That is one of the best bits of garden railway roadway I've ever seen, looks very convincing. The colours does look bob on for freshly laid tarmac which perhaps isn't quite what you were going for although I'm sure it will soon weather in.
When is the first utility company coming in to dig some of it up...?

[Peter Butler]

Thanks for the compliment, I'm still playing with new ideas at the moment just to make my vision a reality. If you have seen others as comparison I would be interested to see what they have managed to achieve and what materials they use.
I agree the colour is striking at the moment, firstly because it is still wet and secondly, from experience, I know it will fade in time.

[philipy]

Superb as always Peter.
To me, one of the most impressive things is that you manged to get it to butt up to the pre-existing walls etc without getting black halfway up them! How did you do that?
Yes it does look very black and even, atm, but I'm sure that will soon weather down. Starting from the top of your latest post, one of my first thoughts was "Its going to throw it down today, hope you cover it", so I was glad to see that you did.
I'd tend to agree with your sailing friend about the potential dangers of a large tarpaulin. We have a cover over a swinging bench seat and the wind pulls it off at least 2 or 3 times every winter and when it isn't pulling the cover off it simply shifts the whole thing around instead.

[bazzer42]

It will probably fade as it dries as you say. Any work I've done with masonry colours or cement never dries the same colour as wet. Like Phili says the tarpaulin is going to be needed today!

I like the wider shots that show how the village blends in and how the road crosses the railway. Here's hoping this isn't the end of the good weather so we get to see the complete scene before 2019.

[ge_rik]

Looks great Peter. You've managed to get a remarkably consistent colour to the roadway especially considering it took 3+ mixes.

Out of interest, what are the potential problems with the tarp cover envisaged by your friend? Is it something to do with a damp micro-climate being created underneath it?

Rik