Details
Some of the little things:
Bins - While cooking outside on a portable gas ring one evening, the gas canister needed changing and these were the canister caps. Rubbish bins with moulded handles! A quick spray coat of black and they were finished. However, when placed next to the figure, they look a little small.
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Two bins made for the Gn15 layout were made from milk pots found in cafes. They too looked convincing, especially when filled with rubbish. They could all end up on the layout somewhere.
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Drums - These oil drums and storage bins will be borrowed from the Belfield Engineering layout. In the days of office fax machines and before cardboard took over, replacement paper rolls had heavy plastic tube cores that often found their way to my home, rather than the bin. Years later, they still get used every now and then.
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Stationery - A simple lever arch folder as found in an advert on the web, prepared in Photoshop (squared-up and back panel mirrored from front), scaled, printed and either filled with a foamboard core or a stack of scale letters to enhance the office. Calendars, office wall charts, notices (including one for Covid advice) also graced the walls. Little squares of coloured paper for 'Post-it' notes, short lengths of plastic rod in a mug for pencils ...
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The quayside - some off-cuts of hardwood with various mixtures of stain and different amounts of wear and tear. A layer of resin will be applied along the front of the timber baulks once it's been decided what the waterway is - river or canal. And if a river, if the tide is in or out. The horizontal timber damage may have been applied a bit too soon, but being at one level, implies a regular water level so maybe leaning towards a canal?
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Buffer stops - These are only temporary in as much as they have to be removable in case additional boards are added in the future, or if the board is being stored on its end. They are fixed to the face of the baseboard and are secured by M4 bolts into tee-nuts, on the inside. Somehow, they don't detract from the overall effect. There are 4 - two on the front sidings, one at the back of the engine shed and one on the mainline, if the short extension isn't being used).
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Signage - When researching narrow gauge sheds a wide range of signs was found, particularly as most photos were of modern preserved railways. As the layout is also becoming modern-day, signage would be contemporary. A range of signs were sourced online, prepared in Photoshop and finally dropped into a Word document to allow easy resizing at different scales. Printed off, these were then used in different locations.
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Paint cans - The shed interior had to have some paint cans. A jig was made to make cutting 8mm dia plastic tube easier. An end cap was glued on one end and a piece of self-adhesive silver foil tape stuck on the end, for the lid. Signs were sourced online, either as labels in flat format or compiled in Photoshop from pieces of vintage photos on drawn elements.
Fire extinguisher - An item found in many workshops is a fire extinguisher and while I had the 8mm plastic tube 'in hand' for the paint tins, it made sense to have a go. Brass and copper wire provided the valve, handle/trigger and hose. A label was created from photos off the web. Close-up, the paper label is too thick. I could have made a transfer, but I don't have any white-backed sheets - at present.
Wall cabinet - This started as an open shelf unit made of lolly sticks, but then became a wall cabinet with the addition of a back panel and some doors made of plywood sheet. It was going to be modelled with the door ajar, so some boxes and bottles were made from plastic offcuts. However, the cabinet fits better on the rear wall beside the bench, so the door was glued just slightly open.
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Steps and Ladders - Sheds need a few steps or ladders to get up to both the vehicles and high-up places in the shed. I started out with a simple ladder and ended up with a nice selection.
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All made from plasticard sheet and rod following examples found on-line. Even examples of 'vintage wooden ladders' provided inspiration for painting, which turned out better than anticipated. The use of gunmetal colour for oily residues was pure luck.
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Fuel tank and delivery - Looking over some photos of an O-14 layout, a simple trackside fuel tank took my fancy. I was sure one could be squeezed in somewhere and started researching. The tank had no bund, which although not being very eco-friendly, would require less space than one with a bund like many proprietary units. While searching for detail information, a general arrangement drawing of a modern tank was found (with full fitting details and basic dimensions) which had an integral bund. Eco-friendly and small footprint! A small tank was made of 2mm plastic sheet and the fittings in the drawing added. Balsawood was used for the core of two support walls, which had sandpaper 'blocks' applied to them.
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When a friend asked about a pump, more research turned up several hand pumps, but none showing how they might be 'plumbed-in', in this sort of arrangement. I came up with a timber frame to mount the pump and the coiled-up hose. Referring back to the O-14 model photos, its simplicity was very attractive, so the modern fuel gauge was removed and a basic vent added. As the time to paint the tank got closer, I started looking at rust application and went through many YouTube videos before trying out the 'rock salt' method on a spare piece of plastic. It went very well and so the tank was painted the same way.
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