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Friday 21 August 2020

 A change in pace.

I trust fellow modellers are surviving the current pandemic and maybe using some of the restrictions to catch up on some hobby things. Since the last post I have been working on the milk factory, installing concrete aprons around the building, started the awning and boiler house as well as working on the cooling towers. The awning is a very flimsy structure built with evergreen channel and right angle section. I am being challenged to build it square and straight. Once the corrugated iron is in place it will probably be OK.

As mentioned in the previous post there is a great Facebook page dedicated to the Camden branch and there has been the odd glimpse of the boiler house at the milk factory in various posted photos, to allow construction. Some progress shots below.





Have also been experimenting with weathering wagons using a combination of airbrushing, water soluble pencils and dry brushing. Weathering is a very subjective thing and still have a way to go. I use acrylic paint mainly Tamiya and Gunze. For the grime a very light dusting is applied of a mixture of Tamiya flat black XF-1, Buff XF-57 and flat clear XF-86. Dry brushing is done with various shade of grey and white. Some examples below including an weathered and unweathered HG.

 

I have also been sorting out intermodule wiring. A  standard colour scheme is used and 4 pin DIN plugs and sockets for connectivity.  I can plug any module into module 1 and things should work which makes it easy for testing when modules are pulled apart which is a common thing at present while doing scenery and detailing.

All wiring is documented in a spreadsheet and diagrams done in CAD - can't rely too much on memory anymore. It does help with trouble shooting and if the layout gets sold one day the new owner will have an idea how it all goes together





Work is also progressing on rebuilding the Bachmann shunter into an early 79 class - those very long buffers on the 79 may cause a problem with buffer lock even though I have very long couplers installed. Should have some 79 pics next update.

Cheers for now