Herring wagon progres and lights on in the quay masters cottage

Modelling activity has continued to be sporadic recently, with only the odd hour here and there being found. Painting has also slowed down, with further coats of varnish required before I can add he transfers to severeal projects. However, something that has witnessed some incremental progress has been he Herring ballast wagon. This was a 3D printed kit from Skog and was the first 3D kit I had assembled. The basic elements of the livery are now in place, with a weathered black and rust finish being aimed here. 

I am going to try to get rid of some of the remaining 3D printed lines with a bit more varnish painted by hand to act as a filler. When viewing the digital image close up some of the print lines are still obvious - despite an awful lot of filing during the build. I am planning to build another, but next time, I will use a primer as a guide to further sanding before painting. Overall, I am not convinced by the quality of the 3D prints at present, although the potential is there to produce a huge range of wagon kits in O gauge, which is something that has not been previously possible. I think give it 10 years and the printing quality will be so high that these print lines will not be an issue. However, for now, a bit more work to do, before I can get transfers on this one.

Herring wagon, with the basic livery added.

Another project that has seen a little progress is the Quay Masters cottage, which has had its internal lights added, alongside the some interior details. There is a little more tidying up to do on the exterior, with a couple of the window/door frames have a little light bleed; so these need to be filled in and repainted. I might also add a curtain/blind to the window in the office - the window seems a little bare without it in place. The roof tiles are slowly being added and I hope to get the roof painted and guttering/downpipes added before the end of June.

On window in the cottage is illuminated as well as the office.

The office extension to the cottage, with the light on. I really wish I had fitted a blind now to the far window!

In June I am planning to take a week off work to work on the layout. The main tasks are to finish off the quay front, add in the backscene and glue some of these buildings down (and of course run some trains). I have also nearly finished the fiddle yard/turntable, so I am hoping I will have a fully operational layout. If I really get a move on, I might also finish the class 33 in time for this running session too. 

More O gauge progress - Quay masters cottage and some wagons

Over the last couple of weeks I have continued to make slow but steady progress on a number of projects. The biggest task has been building and wiring up the fiddle yard turn table, which is getting close to being finished. In the meantime, other projects have continued to tick over, including getting the airbrush running over the weekends. There are numerous wagons languishing around in the paint boxes and are a couple are on the final lap heading towards transfers. The first up is an GWR open wagon, which was built from the Parkside kit. With this wagon I tried to create a faded wood worn finish, as the wagon would have been at the end of its service life in the 1970s. There is a little more detail to pick out and blend in on the underframe, before varnishing and adding transfers.

Parkside 12T open wagon nearing the transfers stage.

Another wagon nearing completion is a Slaters 12T standard van. I have a little more fading of the body paintwork to do, alongside picking out a bit of detail on the underframe, before varnishing and transfers.

Slaters 12t standard van nearing completion. A bit more blending in and fading of the bodywork is required on this one.

Alongside a bit of painting of rolling stock, I have spent a bit of time modelling the quay masters cottage. The office at the end of the building has had some interior details fitted, including a desk with a telephone, chair, filing cabinet and a map hung on the wall. The tasks today are to fit the working lights into the office and the main building, before making a start on the roof and adding on the roof tiles. There are a few more blinds and curtains to be added to the interior, but all in all it is shaping up. I have modelled the office with an open door and plan to include a scene outside of the office when I add it to the layout.

 

Quay masters cottage and office, ready for the lights and roof to be added.

The door for the office is open, allowing the interior detail to be visible. My partners only comment was, the window needs a curtain rail!

The modelled interiors. The other windows will have blinds/curtains added.

The bigger overall itinerary is too finish the quay masters cottage, before setting up the layout in the lounge for a week or so Once the layout is set up, I will pour the resin for the quay front water and add the backscene, before gluing some buildings into place. Once this is all done, I am optimistic it will look like a model railway and the big bonus will be, with the fiddle yard finished, it will be fully operational and I can start to run some trains!