Project 20 - 0 Gauge Layout - Part 18

The second fiddle yard. This one is for the mill end of the layout. For build details see the first fiddle yard posting.

This fiddle yard is not strictly necessary to operate the layout. Access to the sidings is always from the fiddle yard at the other end.

This fiddle yard is only required if trains are to be run along the length of the branch line. However, it also offers the opportunity to drive trains on/off the layout to/from the siding that runs under the mill overhead walkway, thereby enhancing shunting operations.

To Part 19.

To Part 1.   

Project 20 - 0 Gauge Layout - Part 17B

The name of the mill is Hillson Paper Mills, which is an anagram of the prototype Hollins Paper Mills.

The walkway is made from 3D printed corrugated panels glued to card walls.

The sawtooth roof of the building is also 3D printed as individual panels glued to rafters.

The roof and 1st and 2nd floors are removeable in case I want to upgrade with lighting for each floor or change the machinery inside.

The second floor is a wallpaper design office, cuurently void of furniture and staff.

View from the brach line with chlorine tanker alongside.

Sidings either side of the building should be further from the building (it's the main compromises of 0 gauge to fit everything in on a small layout). Somehow, I did not test my Class 33 when setting the track distance from the building. On the left siding the hand rails that protrude from the 33 cab side hit the building corner and on the right siding, which is on a curve, the central body of the 33 hits the building wall. I had two options; remake the building to reduce its width or move the tracks, which are embedded in solid DAS clay.

The building took several weeks to make so I was not going there. Surprisingly, it was not too difficult to free the rails from the DAS clay. I used a chisel to gouge out grooves in the DAS clay and then broke the superglue joins of the live and guide rails with scalpel.

To Part 18.

To Part 1.  

Project 20 - 0 Gauge Layout - Part 17A

Time for another building. It is the Paper Mill, inspired by the large building in this photograph of Hollins paper mill in Darwin (now demolished).

A lot of work is involved in making the model so, it is presented across two Postings.

The shell of the building is made of corrugated cardboard. This is proving an ideal material for 0 gauge buildings, as it is 'free' and makes a robust large model.

Unlike the Hollins building there is a covered walkway from the large hole on the right across two railway tracks to an imagined building off the layout.

Decorative papers of brick and rendered cement were applied to the shell. Interior decoration is also provided. The model is of the low relief variety, meaning it is assumed to be much longer than shown with the rest of it being off layout. Even so it is quite large for a low relief model, which are usually not much more than a wall against a backscene.

The back interior wall is covered in perspective views of real mill interiors, one for each floor, giving the impression of the building being much longer, although it is barely visible through the windows. May be more noticeable if the inside was lit.

The window frames are DIY 3D printed in plastic.

I wanted to include machinery on each floor and pondered on this for some time concerned about the difficulty of making 3D models of complex machinery.

I had a eureka moment when I saw a photograph that was taken from an angle that was ideal when seen through a window from the normal viewpoint of the model on the layout.

The idea was to cut out the machinery from the photograph, stick it to board and simply fix this two dimensional scene inside the building.

However, a three dimensional element was introduced by cutting out the roll of paper and table from the photograph and mounting it about 5 mm in front of the machine.

The scene was replicated to fill the ground floor of the building.

I found another ideal photograph to treat similarly for the first floor.

This is the view throught the ground floor windows of the machinery shown above.

I may not get away with this trick for the second floor, as the flat machinery will be more obvious viewed through skylights in the roof.

To Part 17B.

To Part 1. 

Project 20 - 0 Gauge Layout - Part 16

I liked the use of railings on Arun Quay. I 3D printed some for my layout and what a pain that was!

Initially, I designed each 6 foot panel as one part. The horizontal bars extend slightly either side of the poles. When the panel is printed laid down there is a small gap between the poles and the print bed, which was enough to cause malformation of the poles in places. The solution was to make each panel from two parts such that the poles are in contact with the print bed and a separate horizontal bar side extension is glued in place afterwards

That was not the end of the story because each panel is glued to the next using Superglue and that was more successful at sticking my fingers than the plastic!

The ivy is teased out hairy string covered in real, minced dead tree leaves and then sprayed with green acrylic paint.

The spiky 'weed' is petrified lavender leaves from a bush that had died, sprayed with green acrylic paint.

To Part 17A.

To Part 1.