Diorama Developments - Humberston

I have managed to get a picture of the 'Humberston' diorama with both the figures and the train in place.

The figures and bench add the finishing touches to the scene and help set the scale, always useful when displayed in the same cabinet as some of my O9 scenes!

As is always the way with these things, the extra work on 'Humberston' prompted some work on one of those O9 scenes, more next time...

Colin

From the bench at Humberston

When I built my 'Humberston' diorama I always intended to go back and a little more, including a bench on the platform and a couple of suitable posed figures to bring a little more life into the scene. Looking at photos of the real LCLR revealed that the benches were most likely ex-LNER ones with a mixture of two and three support variations, seen to advantage in this picture of South Sea Lane and in the background of this North Sea Lane picture.

Looking at available 4mm scale benches I couldn't see anything that quite matched, at least something that wasn't going to either leave a lot of spare benches and be easily obtained. The Cooper Craft GWR bench kit looked like it had potential if de-Westernised, but getting hold of one is a tricky business due to supply issues. Luckily a plea on the NGRM Online forum turned up a pair of spare ends and from these I could build a reasonable representation of an LNER bench.

The seat itself is 30 thou styrene scribed into two planks and rounded on the edges, the back pieces are 30x40 and 30x80 strip. Underneath lengths of 30x40 strip sit under the join in the planking. The Cooper Craft ends have lost their GWR scrollwork to become a passable representation of the LNER supports

The bench was red oxide primed and then several attempts were made to get the colour right, a light maroon but not too, well, maroon... With some dry brushing of a lighter shade on the edges it looks about right. It has been joined by some new figures for 'Humberston'. Ironically none of them want to sit on the bench!

The figures are an assortment of Dapol ones, chosen to be a little "timeless" in style and to have the look of figures riding a seaside railway rather than being 1960s commuters. Modifications are few, the lady with the umbrella has had her hat removed and blended into her hair, and the little boy has lost his long socks and had his cap rounded to look less schoolboy-like. Positioned on the diorama they tell a little tale, the boy seems keen to watch the Simplex depart whilst his mum and sister look on waiting (no doubt in despair). The railwayman waits for departure time...

I will try and get some pictures of the complete diorama in due course. I have also been working on a few changes to another diorama, but that will have to wait for another day!

Colin

 

2020 Hindsight

With the end of 2020 in sight the O9 Keef has had a few jobs completed on it and to all intents and purposes is considered "complete" enough to be sat in the display case. Since the last set of photographs I have added (and weathered) glazing, lightly weathered the loco and fitted MicroTrains couplers. These were the first set of couplers I had assembled for some time, I had forgotten what I was missing out on...!

One thing I haven't made any attempt to do is secure the body to the modified Bachmann chassis, it will likely be a blu-tac job. A reminder that the basic 3D print for this loco it available from A1 Models on eBay - and that I have made several changes to model, especially around the underframe.

There is an air of indecisiveness about the future of the model, it almost, but doesn't quite fit with my plans. A bit like 2020 really... I'm really happy that I have been able to continue modelling throughout the year but with hindsight, what has emerged is something of a mixed bag, a collection of individual models that actually achieve no real collective "whole". I started in this vein with MG Models 'Classic' loco, two paint jobs later and whilst it looks OK it might not be what I really want it to be.

Of course 'Beck Bridge' had a makeover to include a backscene, as seen above, which whilst successful it has still not found a real home for display!

At Easter, with time on my hands I started a micro layout based on Julian Andrews brickworks plan, this has never got beyond the initial phase other than a few tweaks as I searched for a suitable aesthetic for the rolling stock, and failed to get the result I wanted using KB Scale kits (nothing against the kits - just how I wanted to use them), and then some doubts over alternative scratchbuilds.

Not everything has been inconclusive, a Meridian Models Ashover coach kit received as a gift actually led to the one completed project of the year, the 009 diorama 'Humberston'. What started as a plain Manilla build of the coach in original condition turned into a customised rebuild of the coach to represent the LCLR modifications and a Simplex scratchbuilt to match, along with a suitable display base with platform and signal.

I hate to admit it but the other real success story was also 009, although the door is open for an O9 reworking for next Christmas!

Don't worry, I'm not about to rename the blog, plans are slowly coming together to revive the O9 micro layout and the locomotive and rolling stock aesthetic might also be resolved. Watch this space in 2021!

Happy New Year to our reader(s)

Colin 
 

Humberston - 009 Micro Diorama

Regular readers of this blog will be familiar with my Micro Dioramas, 70mm deep scenes designed to fit on the shelves of a wall-mounted display unit. There's a bit of a history here: A Brief History of Microramas

'Humberston' is a representation of the platform end of the original Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway terminus at North Sea Lane, Humberston as it might have appeared before the line closed there in 1985. The line had operated at Humberston from 1960, initially on a formation a short distance to the east, before moving lock, stock and barrel to a new formation to make way for an expanding camping and caravan park.

The line was slowly reborn at Winthorpe near Skegness during the 1990s and 2000s and has become a successful heritage operation, celebrating 60 years 2020, but sadly without any public operation.

Construction and conversion of the ex-Ashover coach from the Meridian Models kit has been described on this blog in The Humberston Amendments and Next Stop South Sea Lane, as has Wilton - 009 Simplex of Deception. 

This is not a fine-scale representation by any means, I have used commercial parts where possible to represent the prototype as closely as possible, including a Wills platform kit and model boat stanchions, as described in The Road to Humberston.

I had wavered slightly on the issue of the ex-GNR somersault signal but in the end felt that it was such a distinct feature of the prototype I had to include it. It also really balances the scene out visually.

I never saw the LCLR at Humberston. Last weekend I drove past the station site and you would never know that it was ever there, under the sprawl of the current caravan park. To find out more, I always commend a visit to the LCLR Pages on Dave Enefer's Website.

Colin

The Road to Humberston

Earlier in October I completed the paintwork on my 009 LCLR Simplex 'Wilton'. Citadel 'Lothern Blue for the main bodywork, which had 4 slightly-thinned coats; Vallejo red on the bufferbeams, and a slightly lightened black on the frames, all hand-painted. Humbrol matt acrylic aerosol varnish has done a reasonable job of hiding the brush marks.

Glazing was almost as tedious as I thought it might be, 20 thou sheet cut to size to fit the apertures and held in place with Johnson's Kleer. Just for an idea of scale, the cab front window is 4.5 x 15mm... Just visible in the cab is the driver, a Hornby figure with his raised right arm lowered to about the position of the handbrake wheel on a Simplex (don't tell anyone but I haven't modelled it!). Primed, given a black wash and then dry brushed with flesh colour and overall blue in appropriate places he is certainly minimalist. Once he was fixed in place the cab roof was secured in position.

I realise I have been a little remise and not mentioned anything about the LCLR diorama for the coach and 'Wilton'. Here is a glimpse at an early stage or development, the platform is a much modified Wills station halt kit, reduced in height and with alterations to the support structure.

The track was painted using Halfords matt brown sprayed at the rail sides, and Humbrol matt brown (a lighter shade) sprayed down on the sleepers. Ballast is Woodland Scenics fine grey mixed with ash and AK smoke grey pigment, secured in place using Johnson's Kleer. Ground cover is my usual PVA/polyfiller/brown paint mix with WS fine turf sprinkled on, and grass from hanging basket liner. This was manicured with nail scissors and hair clippers, the various effects added with hairspray and scatter and some Martin Welberg weed tufts to add extra colour and texture.

The platform was sprayed in grey primer and then painted using washes of dark grey and brown followed by dry-brushing to give differing wood shades. The white line was masked off and off-white dry brushed on, which looked far too straight so I added in a few points of disruption...

The wooden platform at the North Sea Lane terminus of the LCLR was backed with a stanchion/rail fence, no doubt recovered from elsewhere. It is seen to good effect in this picture on Dave Enefer's website: http://www.davesrailpics.bravehost.com/lclr/img337w.jpg 

As this would appear at the front of the diorama I had some reservations about building this as it might be a view blocker, but decided to rise to the challenge and obtained some 15mm 3-hole model boat stanchions from eBay. With the aid of a jig drilled in some scrap ply I soldered 0.7mm brass wire in as the cross bars. When setting the posts into the platform I drilled 0.9mm holes and then opened then out with a 1.9mm drill to sink the base down a little. The post at the end looks to have had a sign on it at some point but I'm not sure what it was.

The platform fence had a light coat of etch primer and was then painted in Humbrol red/brown, with some red and yellow mixed in in an attempt to lighten it a bit. A lighter shade was dry-brushed over this and Humbrol matt varnish sprayed over, maybe a little too heavily on purpose to get a bit of a ghosting effect. Once dry it was set in place, showing here how it isn't that much of a view block despite being at the front.

A distinctive feature of the LCLR North Sea Lane station was the ex-GNR somersault signal used as starter (although I get the feeling it was more ornamental!). Seen here in a rather overgrown state: http://www.davesrailpics.bravehost.com/lclr/img685w.jpg 

My attempt is scratchbuilt with the aid of a couple of etched parts supplied by my Dad. He also supplied the post, vintage Hornby Dublo, which (collectors look away now...) was cut down in height. Barring the ladder and wheel (both from old A1 etches) all other parts are scratchbuilt in styrene, with the bracket holding the arm being reinforced with wire to represent the operating rod.

The signal was painted, firstly with a waft of etch primer, followed once dry by a coat of white primer, and then some careful masking to apply the black and red with acrylics. Following a coat of matt varnish I applied some light weathering and posed it with the ladder in place. This is now ready to go in place on the diorama, update soon...

Colin

'Wilton' - the 009 Simplex of deception

On return from holiday at the end of August  I decided to start a new project that has been in the planning for a while now. Having completed the ex-Ashover coach in LCLR condition and with a micro-diorama in mind, I needed a typical LCLR locomotive to stand with it. Having done some research into the various options I had settled on no.4 'Wilton' in it's Humberston condition. It still had the original bodywork when I visited the LCLR at Winthorpe in 2013 but has since been rebodied in a different style.

Having looked into various options on Shapeways for an 009 3D print Simplex chassis I eventually opted to scratchbuild the whole model, but incorporating the 3D printed buffer/couplings designed by David Malton that I had purchased some time ago. Building the model in this way allowed me to incorporate most of the bonnet into the chassis, giving the opportunity to add strength. Construction started in 30 thou styrene on the 30th August.

The cab was added from 30 thou styrene and 10 thou material overlaid on the bonnet sides to create the effect of the side sheeting overlapping the chassis frame. Surplus brass from A1 Models kit frets was used for the bonnet top and (presently removable) cab roof to gain strength in thin material. Details were built up using styrene rod for rivet heads, the exhaust and grease points on the axleboxes. The grille material on the front is from an ancient piece out of an MTK kit, inelegant but so is the prototype... The buffer/couplings were fixed in place and the plate around the bottom added from brass strip. 

Underneath the model there is a little bit of cheating going on. It is of course a dummy loco and rides on two Farish wheelsets. These are held in brass 'U' shapes drilled to hold the pin points, then attached to a length of styrene girder. Further bits of brass add strength either side. The axleboxes were fabricated from 20 thou styrene strip (20x80 and 20x20) and shaped once set to the distinctive Simplex shape.

Just as I thought the model would be ready for the paintshop, something was bugging me about it. I'd mostly worked from indistinct images, downloaded and printed on copier paper. I was not convinced that I had the boltheads on the frame in the right places (or enough of them) and looking at pictures of the loco as rebodied eventually confirmed this. Why I hadn't done this previously I've no idea... Going to add them I realised that the scrap of 20 thou styrene rod I had been using had been used up... This led to an order with 7mm Narrow Gauge Association Supplies being made on Sunday morning, arriving on Wednesday this week. 

I was then able to correct the bolt head detailing and then spray the model in primer.

 

I also realised that I had not added a cab door handle, and that perhaps the bonnet top needed a representation of hinges...

There are a few tidying jobs to do but I'm pretty happy with the result, hopefully it won't be long before the blue paint is required...

Colin