Finally an update ;)

It sure took a while, but at long last there’s something to write about. A lot of things have happened recently. I moved back from Norway to The Netherlands, which really cost quite a bit of time and money. I’ve also been working on a new N-scale layout for my father, which is progressing nicely, but obviously taking up a lot of my time. And because of the move and the lack of a steady job for now, funds for my 0-scale project are … well … pretty non-existant. On the other hand, the Norwegian tax office is nice enough to give me back a fair amount of taxes which I paid too much in 2009. Part of that might just go towards buying a Lenz starter set ;)

That said, I’ve been getting a bit of a better idea of what I want to do with the 0-scale stuff. When I was still working on an idea for a H0 layout, I bought a couple of buildings, one of them being Faller’s “Bahnhof Trossingen“. I just really liked that station from the moment I saw it. Now that my H0 project is on hold (partly due to the fact that because of Lenz, 0-scale became affordable), I decided I want to try and build Trossingen in 0-scale. Also, with the announcement of a turntable by Wenz-Modellbau, the main focus will be Trossingen and a servicing terminal.

Before I get to that point though, I still have a diorama to finish. While I haven’t worked on it much since the last post, I do have a couple of updates. I’ve laid the rail profiles on the ties and fastened them with a LOT of tieplates, clamps and nails. It’s a lot of work, but it’s very rewarding to see a locomotive actually ride on the track you just hand laid. Here are some pictures.

I’m not entirely sure where to go next with the diorama. I had initially planned to add a semaphore signal and some trackside details. I’ll probably stick with that idea, I just need to figure out what I’ll need. In the meantime, I’ve ordered the 2010 Wenz Modellbau catalog, as well as a few workshop booklets on things like servicing terminals and trackside details.

Building a diorama 2 – more ties

As mentioned in the previous post, I sanded down the ties slightly, and used a brass brush to add some texture to the ties, basically simulating wood grain. Like pretty much everything else, the brass brush is also from Wenz-Modellbau, and can be found here.

 

The stain is also from Wenz-Modellbau (big surprise!), I went with a deep black version, since that’s what Mr. Wenz recommended. The stain comes in powder form, and you mix it with some hot water. Before using it, you need to let it cool down some. The stain smells pretty awful when you mix it, and make sure you have a pot or jar or something to keep the stuff in. 1 package of powdered stain is enough to last a LONG time. Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything to put it in, so I ended up having to throw it away. The stain I used can be found here.

 

The next step is laying down the actual rail profiles. I had already airbrushed the “rippenplatte” (tieplates) as well as the “klemmstücke” (clamps) and the rail profiles themselves a rusty brown. Painting all this on beforehand makes things a lot easier later on. The paint used is a mixture of various Gunze colours, and ready to be airbrushed right out of the bottle. Even better, my airbrush bottle cap was the same size as the bottle of paint, so I could hook it right up. One thing I noticed though, is that I definately need a water filter for my airbrush, as well as a new compressor. Not too happen with a smoking compressor that smells like burning oil … This is the paint I used by the way.

 

 

Not that the tieplates are about 10x5mm, the clamps are about 5mm long. Each tie gets 2 tieplates (1 under each rail), each tieplate gets 2 clamps, and the clamps are fastened with small nails. Needless to say, this is a LOT of work, but the result is well worth the effort. More on this later.

Building a diorama 1 – roadbed and ties

So, I have this really nice V 100 with great sounds and running characteristics, and lots of nice light effects. Or, so they say anyway… I haven’t actually been able to test mine due to the fact that I’m lacking a rather essential part of any railway, tracks ;)

I didn’t buy any of the Lenz track, something I regret now that I think about it again. I knew I wouldn’t be using it to build a diorama or module, but it would’ve been great to have a few straight bits to test rolling stock. Ohwell, I’ll just have to wait until they come out with the KöF II start set.

In the meantime, I started working on my diorama idea using a piece of Wenz Modellbau track. It’s just a simple straight bit of track with some signals and lots of trackside details. So, the first thing to do was build the base. I really just took some scrap wood I had left from the N-scale module I’m working on, and made a simple dam-like structure for the track to be on. I won’t go into detail how I did this, I would expect most people who’re into model trains will at least have some woodworking knowledge. As you can see in the picture, I messed up with the sawing, I really need to get a work bench and a circular saw =)

 

With the roadbed in place, next up was glueing down all the ties. I didn’t count them, but there’s a lot of them. Luckily, Mr. Wenz was kind enough to give me some advice before I bought any track, and he made me a list of all the things I’d need to get started. One of these things is the so-called “TieMaster 60“. It’s a little brass tool that makes placing ties with even spacing real easy. The tool comes as a “kit” of sorts, it’s an etched brass sheet which you need to fold and then solder the joints.

 

After about 45 minutes, all ties were in place. After they had dried up, I sanded them down slightly, and then used a brass brush to add a slight wood structure to the ties. The next step will be to stain the ties with a deep black wood stain, and airbrush the rail profiles and small bits and pieces. More on that later.