BUILDINGS AND ACCESSORIES
Photos of scenes on the layout and the buildings are in the gallery.
One of my best investments has been in an airbrush. It is worth splashing out a bit for a good quality product. It really did not take long to learn how to get a really even finish. One tip - it is also worth investing in a mini air compressor. You will very quickly use up cans of propellant and they are not cheap. I estimated that about seven large cans would cost the same as a 40psi compressor. If any readers want any help with airbushing I am happy to expand on this section. I do not claim to be an expert and of course there is plenty of good advice elsewhere.
BACK SCENE
These are made from sheets of MDF. They were firstly painted with some matt emulsion to act as a base. The sky / cloud effect was then built up using a mix of poster paints and acrylics (either would do). I am happy with the result. I found it helpful to take some photos of the sky / clouds first to get a realistic effect. For example, the sky fades to lighter shades towards the horizon. If you study clouds carefully you will see various subtle shades of grey through to white and depending on the time of day and year - other colours from the sunlight - soft browns etc.
 |
Regular visitors will have seen the general back scene several months ago. In January I added some distant buildings and also shrubs and trees - including this copper beech. The fence to the left of the footbridge is a mix of model trees and shrubs with painted vegetation behind. Acrylic paints were used.
The scene suggest the outskirts of an urban area in the north west - possibly near Wales - with foothills in the background. |
ELECTRICITY SUB STATION
 |
This was adapted from a Hornby model. The wall was snipped and filed away from the original and Knightwing security fencing used to complete the sub station. Small signs were made using Microsoft Word. |
ENGINE SHED - DOUBLE
The double engine shed (see gallery) is a Pikestuff model obtained from Modern Structures in Miniature. Although these are HO scale the difference is very small and the model does not look out of place. I think you can be very nit picking over this. In reality buildings, doors, windows etc vary in style and size anyway. Precise measurements may mean differences of a millimetre or so - who knows the size of the original door anyway?!
ENGINE SHED - LARGE
 |
The large engine shed (see gallery too) is scratch built using styrene materials in the Evergreen Scale Models range. The model has been sprayed using an airbrush and acrylic paints and given a light coat of matt varnish. Detailing was done by hand. Sign composed in Word and produced on Laser printer. EWS symbol found on internet |
OFFICE / WAREHOUSE BUILDING (shown above) (Low relief)
The lower part of the building was made from sheet bricks in the Wills range. The upper section, gutters, downpipes and roof - with products from the Evergreen range. The heating pipes (I'd hoped to be able to write something very technical here) were made with the plastic tubes from a lollipop!!! Isn't model making partly about improvising? The sheet upper section was sprayed with an airbrush, the rest hand painted.
FOOTBRIDGE
|
Several visitors have asked about the footbridge. This was made from about six Hornby R076 footbridges. I know what you are thinking - sounds expensive. I managed to get most of these at a lower price on ebay - in fact one or two had missing parts but this did not matter as long as the parts were present that I needed. I even managed to sell some of my left over parts!! The supports are made from brick sheets in the Wills range. The bricks have been darkened and weathered with acrylics. The metal parts of the bridge painted a weathered black. The bridge still needs some finishing touches - bit of rust perhaps here and there. |
 |
FUEL STORAGE TANKS
 |
These tanks are in the Piko HO range. If you have visited the website fairly frequently you will know that these have replaced an earlier version. I am much happier with these. They have been airbrushed. There is clearly more surrounding landscaping to be done. The fuelling points are made by Knightwing -they also need some finishing touches. I am planning to add lighting at a later date. |
LIGHT INDUSTRIAL UNIT
 |
The low relief building to the left in this photo is scratch built using styrene materials in the Evergreen Scale Models range. The bricks have been detailed by hand while the upper section has been airbrushed. The blinds in the window were fiddly but I think are quite effective. Both of these buildings were based on photos of premises in Adlington and the Hurdsfield Industrial Estate near Macclesfield in Cheshire. Burglar alarm and CCTV camera are hand made.
|
TMD OFFICE
 |
The TMD Office is almost finished. It was made with thick card - airbrushed grey. The roof is also card - hand painted. The windows are plastic with thin (very!) card to make the frames. Doors are plastic - rectangles cut out and clear plastic windows inserted. The shed is still a work in progress. The new Warburtons truck (see vehicles page) is in position - waiting for the construction of the depot on the upper level. |
WARBURTONS BREAD DISTRIBUTION BUILDING
This is another building made with sheet plastic from the Evergreen range. The building was initially constructed using balsa wood. It is quite a large building so has some internal bracing. The plastic sheets are from the Evergreen range and are in effect laminates glued to the balsa sheets. The base of the building has been hand painted, the green, upper grey and roof have been airbrushed. The Warburtons logo is a transfer.
(I plan to add a photo of the left (far end) as this is more detailed with the loading bays).
Privacy Statement
Personally-identifying information can only be collected on this website if you choose to provide it. This information may be in the form of, for example, joining the electronic mailing lists or providing an e-mail address in the Guestbook. You may opt out of the electronic mailing list at any time by emailing me.
Any information you supply will be used for the purpose specifically designated (for example, photos used on some pages).
