Cleveland Mills N gauge layout progress

After my trip away I thought it was about time to do some more work on the layout.

I started off by finishing off the girder bridge sections by rusting them up a little more and then once dried I placed them in their position.

The eagle eyed amongst you will notice a further change to the area as well..... Yes that's it the area has some foliage covering the hills.

I've kinda tried not to have uniformity as you will see there are some trees leaning over which was intentional I promise. lol.

I also put a base coat of grey primer on the raised part of the layout as well as painting the ramp leading to the building to which I know the window is wonky but there is little I can do about it now but I think it adds a thing to talk about on the layout.

With the left hand side of the layout coming along nicely I have now got to thinking about the other side of the board.

I'm kinda stuck for ideas that will flow into the depot area.

I know the picture is an old one but it's the only one I have with that side in so far. I know I'm going to have to hide the hole I have made so that the trains can disappear behind the layout to the fiddle area. But the tracks are wider than a standard double tunnel entrance as there is 3 lines I have tried extending once of the peco double tunnel entrances with disasterous results.

Any ideas are welcome.

Since it has been a while since I last updated I thought I would give a quick update on the layout.

There has been very little done to the layout to be honest because of waiting for little bits and pieces to be purchased before anything else could be done.

I was contemplating using the famous grout to create a railway crossing from the inside of the layout to the outside edge. It kinda failed so I have cleaned up my mess and made a decision to put the road way on the undone side of the layout which is on the right of the layout near the backboard area still to be done and use the proper pieces of track from Kato to which I'm just awaiting so that I can fit them to the lines.

I've also ordered from ebay some plaster mould archways for the left handside of the layout which funnily enough I picked up from the sorting office this morning after missing the delivery yesterday. So they are going to go onto the left handside of the layout on that wall area I have been struggling with for some time. I'm also going to include a banking as well as the plaster moulds are a little short in height so I'm going to use some balsa wood to build up to the connrect height and then have a banking down to the lineside.

Well that's it for now for an update. I'm sorry there are no pictures but I will have some on as soon as I make a start in installing the bits and pieces when they arrive.

QUOTE (harkins77 @ 29 Oct 2008, 08:52) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Since it has been a while since I last updated I thought I would give a quick update on the layout.

There has been very little done to the layout to be honest because of waiting for little bits and pieces to be purchased before anything else could be done.

I was contemplating using the famous grout to create a railway crossing from the inside of the layout to the outside edge. It kinda failed so I have cleaned up my mess and made a decision to put the road way on the undone side of the layout which is on the right of the layout near the backboard area still to be done and use the proper pieces of track from Kato to which I'm just awaiting so that I can fit them to the lines.

I've also ordered from ebay some plaster mould archways for the left handside of the layout which funnily enough I picked up from the sorting office this morning after missing the delivery yesterday. So they are going to go onto the left handside of the layout on that wall area I have been struggling with for some time. I'm also going to include a banking as well as the plaster moulds are a little short in height so I'm going to use some balsa wood to build up to the connrect height and then have a banking down to the lineside.

Well that's it for now for an update. I'm sorry there are no pictures but I will have some on as soon as I make a start in installing the bits and pieces when they arrive.

Good news its coming on Kain get that wagon sorted and lets have some pics of it ................ while i remember dont get pva glue on any area of the plaster mouldings that are to be stained/painted as once its soaked in it doesnt take paint as well.

I've been back in the shed today and with a little bit of work I've made a start on the banking that the archways are going sit on.

Once the wood glue has dried I'm going to cover the wood with either modelling cloth or more of the grout that has served me so well so far on the layout.

I've taken some pictures to show the progress so far.

I've also taken a pic with the archway in place but not fixed.

After a few days of steady progress I thought I wouldn't let the momentum slip so after the wood glue had finally dried on the wood being used to create the banking leading from the trackside to the archway I decided to cover it with my trusty grout.

I've also smoothed out the top of the arches as well and hidden the rop joints. The middle joints (where they join facing out to the rest of the layout) will be sorted out in a few days once I'm happy with the flow of the main part of the covering of the banking and I will use a mix of filling agent to hide the joins and also some foliage when I eventually start putting the scatter and bushes down.

I know it looks a little rough now but when I've finished with it hopefully it will look believable. That side of the layout will also come more to life when I start with the painting/weathering of the brickwork on the retaining wall as well.

Anyway here is the latest picture to wet your apetite.

comments welcome.

QUOTE (zmil @ 3 Nov 2008, 14:09) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi Kain

you do love that grout!

You are certainly progressing

Regards Zmil

Yeah I love the grout simply because it's relatively cheap and I have a big bucket of it to hand and not only that you can play with it for around 3 days before it totally goes off and then if it goes go off it is very easy to sand to the right contours as well.

I think I might change the name of the layout form cleveland mills to cleveland grout mills instead. lol.

Thanks

Zmil

Think we should make him the ''Grout'' king Zmil

Seriously though its coming on well Kain in the joins of the wall use a thin mix of plaster keep it nice and wet with a cocktail stick pick out the walls lines / pointing horizontally when its dry brush over with a stiff brush or old toothbrush in a circular motion.
Adding moss/bushes down the join lines wont look right.

QUOTE (harkins77 @ 3 Nov 2008, 14:15) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Yeah I love the grout simply because it's relatively cheap and I have a big bucket of it to hand and not only that you can play with it for around 3 days before it totally goes off and then if it goes go off it is very easy to sand to the right contours as well.

I think I might change the name of the layout form cleveland mills to cleveland grout mills instead. lol.

Thanks

Zmil

Looks good Kain, A good use of those alltogether awkard corners we always seem to get!. What are you putting on top of the retaining wall?.
Will it be a grassy area or road etc ?.

Looking forward to seeing more pictures.

Regards

Paul