O gauge figures

Been a while since my last update.. but then it's been a little while since I did any model railway related stuff. I've put the next layout on the 'back burner' for now as we may have a bit of a room swap coming up in our house, which might give me a little more wall space for a shelf.
Wargaming was my first hobby and I've returned to it with renewed passion lately. Apart from the joy of collecting and painting armies, the social aspect has been a real boon as I've recently taken voluntary redundancy and I am between jobs.
Anyway - I've admired Phoenix 43 O gauge figures for a long time but haven't really had a reason to buy any more. As I've been painting lots of toy soldiers, it occurred to me that maybe I ought to buy some, just for the fun of painting them - try using the techniques I have been using on my 28mm (about 1:54 to 1:64 scale) wargames figures. 
I'm really pleased with how these have turned out. It's not a style that is everyone's cup of tea, so I'm putting them up for sale on ebay, to see if anyone likes them :-)

 

I'm kind of tempted to start another blog, wargames related, as I don't think posting pictures of WW2 Russians and Napoleonic Prussians on 'mogtrains' makes a lot of sense.

The Bulldozers move in..

Work has started (inbetween painting more Landwehr) on the conversion on Winkford.

I took the layout out on the garden table , grabbed an assortment of tools and took a deep breath. Then, with a nervous chisel, the work started.

Actually, it always amazes me how quickly destroying something can happen, in contrast with the hours put in to creating it. In this case, I was trying to be fairly clinical.
The track and electrics need removing, but with a mind to laying standard gauge track. Some extra clearance would be needed too, and I think the history of the line will tell that either passenger services ceased upon the re-laying.. or that a new small timber platform was built.

Anyway - so far so good. Some more fettling to get things level once I decide upon the plan.. but this is the state of play so far..

time flies..

I just realised that it's been over a year since the last post.

Well, Winkford is still sitting on a shelf, waiting it's fate. My OO9 stock has been ebayed however, so if it stays in my hands it will no doubt see the major conversion to standard gauge. (OO or perhaps EM?)

In other modelling, nothing much has happened. I still have the notion to build another 3mm scale layout, trying out 12mm gauge track standards instead. 
I'm hoping to build another HO US outline layout, or perhaps re-jig my orginal shelf.. still playing around with plans.

However, I haven't been idle.. rather than continue to stew in my railway modelling cul-de-sac, I got busy re-acquainting myself with my one of my first hobbies and I have been busy painting up and playing with toy soldiers ..

Some Prussians here, as seen over on Scrivsland

Decision time for Winkford.. all finished?

Haven't had as much time for doing or posting lately. However, Winkford has reached a point where it is pretty much 'finished'.

I now have a dilemma. I am quite pleased with the layout as a picture. I've even managed to fettle and tweak so that the odd de-railments are less frequent. (Back to back on the wheelsets provided in the kits seemed to be the root of that issue). But..


I don't enjoy playing with it. 


I don't know if it's a 'OO9' thing.. maybe I just don't like the feel of it (had a similar experience with N gauge a little while ago).. maybe the track plan is just too simple for any interesting. I'm thinking it's the former. It's all lacking a bit of weight and momentum that I've found that I prefer from model railways.


So, what to do?


One option is to tear up the track, bring the time forward a few years to when the company is bought up, and a standard gauge line laid. I could lay a small 'yard'.. basically a fork or small inglenook. Maybe hand-laying track to keep it interesting.. I think long term it'll struggle to hold interest too, but as a 'project' it has promise..


Another option is to take apart the whole thing. Salvage what I can and sell off the stock.


Or, try to sell the whole lot.. layout, stock etc. 


Not sure. Anyway, some pictures to record the current state of build..

sticky stuff.. decals

Here's something I've never done before.. making your own decals (or transfers.. ?) . I knew it was possible but never really looked into it properly, so this week I thought I'd take the plunge and give it  a go.


Two reasons..First up, I still have a hankering to play with my American HO trains at some point, and liked the idea of re-badging some of my engines for the Yellow Pine RR, my own fictitious shortline. Secondly, On Winkford I felt that the side wall of that pub really needed some advertising on it. I felt that a local brewery was apt and might help to set the scene too.



There are two choices in inkjet transfer paper, clear or white. After some rather pointless head-scratching, I ordered a sheet of White inkjet transfer paper from ebay and printed off my designs..(this took a lot longer to do than to say - I chopped my A4 sheet into 4 almost 6x4 photo paper sized bits and had to convince the printer that it was okay to print!)

At this point I needed to spray the sheet with a clear varnish to seal the ink. I had a can of 'water based' clear sealant which I hoped would do the job. A couple of light coverings left a yellowish sheen, but otherwise everything seemed okay, so I left the sheet to dry overnight.


This morning, with much trepidation, I cut out the Home Ales decal for the side of my pub and dunked it in a saucer of clean water. At this point I expected to see all the ink run and / or the decal screw up into an unusable lump.


Actually, This is the result! I am pleased. Next up, applying the Yellow Pine decals to my engines..

By the way, the Home Ales brewery in Daybrook, Nottingham, was my local brewery. I remember the smell of hops filling the air on a foggy morning. Despite local loyalties, their bitter was generally pretty bad, although preferable to Shippos (Shipstones)!

Things to come?

Some more work done lately, pictures etc to follow. However, One thing that leads to another.. I was thinking about Winkford and how I'm not much enjoying the running. I know OO9 has a reputation for bad running, but I also know that there are many who make it work. I have taken care with track laying and building the stock etc..but I'm not satisfied yet. It could well be that my preferences are narrowing and I just like bigger heavier toys!


Anyway.. I got to thinking that if I really don't get on with it, rather than destroy Winkford, I should try something different, and change the gauge! Bring the story forward a few years, with the (newly named) Clumber and Rufford Railway being taken over by the NE or Midland, or a smaller group, and the track being lifted and relaid to standard gauge. Lose the passenger facilities and possibly the runaround.


It's a ways off if I do pursue it, but by way of a mock up to see what it might look like..

filling it out

Well.. slowly but surely, things are starting to take shape/settle in. Winkford is starting to look like a place.

Rather than build new tress and green stuff..I decided to re-use some handy wargames hedgerows to screen the back of the layout and they really help to frame the picture (well, they work for me!)

After trying to build a bank on the left hand side, with the track leading through an implausiblysteep cutting, I've ripped that up and changed things so that now a crossing gate marks the end of the line. The thinking is that the line is no longer in use beyond Winkford, but the original track remains, albeit slightly overgrown. A small gatekeepers box sits there too, now disused:

On the platform, I've started to build a water tower.. just a small one to suit the station hopefully. Th iron uprights are chopped from some crossing gates:

At the front I've placed a grounded van, which again feels to have balanced the scene a little more:

Main Street has been laid in card, awaiting some treatment.. I've scratchbuilt the house at front right from plasticard.. and at the rear I have finally settled on the low relief buildings which are awaiting painting and detailing:

We're getting there! On to detailing really, which apparently is where the devil is.