Multimedia Modelling

The foul weather over the last day or two has driven me indoors to do some bench work for the new layout "Steam on the Cambrian" in particular the Penmaenpool MPD module.

Why Multimedia?
Well, the diversity of materials available for railway modellers to use is quite amazing from solid timber through to today's Hi Tech stuff like 3D printing.

The last few days has seen me using wood, Plasticard and brass, to name just three materials in use at Dukedog Towers.

First of all wood.

This is the coal stage for Penmaenpool MPD.

Built to photographs this coal stage is made from Balsa and chopped down coffee stirrers, glued together with PVA.
Looking at pictures the stage was two sleeper lengths wide by two sleepers deep. estimating that a scale sleeper would be about 36mm long gave me the rough size for the model.
Looking again at photographs I could not see any access steps anywhere so have not included any.
The model was painted with Humbrol enamels mostly Grey, brown, black and light grey.I have never seen any pure brown sleepers so the usual "sleeper grime" colour was not used.

Next up, the water tank, also for Penmaenpool MPD built from Slaters Plasticard.

This is attempt No2 at modelling this tank!
I was quite surprised to lean how small this tank was.
The original tank was made from wood and the size was 12ft 6ins long. This tank must have been replaced before the grouping though by this,  a standard Cambrian item. I eventually found the correct dimensions from CC Green's book Coast lines of the Cambrian railways Vol2.
At 13ft 6 long by 5ft wid and 4ft 6in high it is very small for a shed tank holding about 2000gallons of water. Hardly enough to fill a GWR tender loco!

There is also a distinct lack of a water crane at the shed so, I assume that this tank only supplied the sinks and toilets and washing out the ash pans and boilers.
As I said the model is built from Plasticard with coffee stirrer planks for a cover (stops dead seagulls getting in!) Painted with Humbrol enamels. Job Done!


Finaly for today!
The third modelling material to be used Brass!

A start has been made on the down advanced starter signal that stood in front of the shed a Penmaenpool

 Although not finished I have included this job as part of this posting just to illustrate another modelling media.

The signal is being built from a mix of Ratio, MSE and home made parts and will be fully working when finished.







So, that's the state of play as at 19:00 hrs today!
If the weather is grotty over the next day or so more progress will be possible I hope.
I will keep things updated as and when.
Cheers!
Frank