Nixnie - a minimum size 009 layout

[tedp]

The colours have certainly brightened up, and the brown stains have gone from the sky.

[tedp]

After a long interval due to extreme modelling block  ::)  I have taken Nixnie out of storage to have another go at the scenery, as I'm due to exhibit the layout at Valkenburg in just over a fortnight. I plan to write occasional updates of work done on the layout, with photos of each modelling step. The first area to have a look at is the river bed, as shown in this photo made last winter:



Note that the river appears from nowhere, hidden by the trees. The bottom level is a sheet of chipboard closed off by strips of thin ply which are a continuation of the contour boards along the edge of the layout. The river banks are styrofoam with a papier-mach

[tedp]

Well chaps, today I spent a few hours working on the river bed at Nixnie, and photographing the proceedings. Here are the results.

The river bed from above: bare chipboard and a few ply 'steps' for the waterfalls.


No this is not what you are thinking it is! Messy, isn't it? But it doesn't smell. Mixing the plaster powder with water and black dye.


Even worse, when the plaster mix is topped with a dressing of PVA glue. Mix carefully to get reinforced plaster.


The mix is put on the layout and prodded into odd corners. I made up low dams on the edge of each waterfall at the top of the picture, but this doesn't show up very well. Note the colour is much darker than that of the dried plaster on the river banks. This is done deliberately because it dries up much lighter.


The 'prodding' is completed and I have added some water to improve the flow and to spread out the ridges in the plaster mix on the river bed. Best done with your fingers. I warned you it would be messy!


Using a paintbrush with water, I clear most of the plaster from the cork rock formations in the falls, so their texture becomes visible again. Note the wet pools in the soft plaster. The water will be absorbed quickly, if not by the plaster curing process then by the chipboard below.


Next I add coarse gravel and boulders. This comes from a huge pack of aquarium grit I bought at a pet shop 20 years ago. Note the coarse stuff is accumulated at the edges of the flow, not in the centre.




Adding fine gravel (coarse sand with fine rock dust) all over the river bed makes it look remarkably like a dry river, don't you think? The fine stuff is pushed into the wet plaster mix by tapping on the surface with your fingers. This enables you to flatten the river bed into a tray shape. The plywood edges of the outflow are about 2-3mm tall, enough to keep the epoxy in when it will be poured (I hope!).




A few more views showing the waterfall area and a view under the bridge:




Now we will let it dry out for a few days before we start the more serious work of pouring the resin. Perhaps I will do something about other scenic cover at the station side.

Will be continued!

EDIT, late at night: I just checked and found some of the large 'boulders' in the river bed were coming loose which is what I expected, so I flooded them with a solution of PVA in water and a bit of kitchen detergent, just like track ballast. I may have to repeat that a few times so they are fixed enough to withstand the epoxy resin as it is dripped in, epoxy being heavy enough to displace loose particles.

[tedp]

Ballasting is one of the jobs I like least of railway modelling, as it needs constant attention to prevent spoiling the track. Here is a short outline of the universal PVA glue method: (1) pile a little ballast inside and just outside the track, avoiding the moving parts of the points, (2) brush it even and remove the particles from the rails themselves, (3) mix a little PVA glue with water and a drop of detergent, (4) flood in the PVA glue mix from the side of the ballast shoulder to prevent it pushing the particles away.

Whilst waiting for the river bed to settle and dry out, and the loose gravel I flooded with PVA mix to stick to the plaster where it had come loose, I decided to tackle a large area of ballast around Nixnie station. I used two sizes of (I think Bush or Heki) ballast, and a bit of the rock dust mix used on the river bed. If you think the result is rather coarse for 009 you are right, but it won't be left in its present state, as narrow gauge ballast is often clogged with sand and ash. For the moment, here are a few photos:





Note the balsa strips glued along the rails where a road will cross the track. There will be a small space beside the station building for a road vehicle to turn. This is indicated by the black lines on the baseboard. The station building, by the way, has been jacked up a little so it is on the same level as the platform.



I also ballasted the curves leading out of the station, to hide the N gauge sleepers. Note the bridge, which still lacks a wooden deck. The N gauge sleepers still show up rather painfully.

To be continued!

[tedp]

the waters start to flow!

Yesterday evening I tackled another messy job which is not without risk. I poured the epoxy in the dry river bed made the day before. The risk is mainly in the epoxy mix, which has to be exactly right or you will end up with a gooey mess that won't cure. I use an epoxy resin set with measuring pumps which I use for boat repairs. The job can also be done with a simple repair set for surfboards etc without any sophisticated pumps, provided you measure the quantities correctly with pencil marks on the stirring stick. I use a clean glass jar to mix the stuff. Mind you need good ventilation and you refrain from inhaling the vapour. The two components are stirred for a few minutes until tiny bubbles form in the mix.



Pouring the resin into the river bed is best done by using the stirring tool to drip the resin into place. Pour a small quantity from the jar along the stick and make sure it all lands in the right spot. Pour from the top of the waterfalls initially, so the resin flows naturally. It can be seen to flow down in the second photo. Later you can add resin at the bottom so the gravel flats in the foreground are covered.







Using the same stick again, the resin is prodded into tight corners, until the surface has evened out. Gravity will do the rest, so it is advisable to put several layers of newspaper under the layout to catch any resin dripping through. I had to put a small wedge under the front of the layout to prevent an overflow.





The resin is left to cure overnight and should be rock hard after 12 to 24 hours, provided it is left at room temperature. This morning I found a glassy surface with the gravel and boulders on the bottom showing through, just as I intended:







The last photo shows the waterfalls which still need some work. The resin level has dropped a little, probably as it soaked into the plaster. Apart from adding some white water, the resin level at the top of the falls and the intermediate level has to be raised a little. That will be the subject of some experimentation.

Will be continued!

[MickT]

What a splendid tutorial Ted and what a result!

Mick

[Graeme Dunbar]

Excellent! It must take some nerve to pour the resin! As you explain, thorough preparation (and experience) is everything.

I have made only a little ditch and used layers of varnish.  :-\

[tedp]

Thanks, both - right now I'm busy trying out waterfalls with cotton wool and epoxy, along the same lines I used for Rae Bridge. The idea is shown here.

The cotton wool is first fixed with a bit of 10 minute epoxy, then it is soaked in the free flowing epoxy used to create the river. This has to be done sparingly to prevent the new epoxy flow from reaching the mirror-like expanse of pebbles and gravel. The result is a greyish waterfall which has to be touched up lightly by drybrushing with white acrylic paint. I'll now have to wait until the epoxy has set. First results are encouraging.  ;)

[tedp]

waterfalls!

With the basic resin 'water' in place, creating white water on the tiny waterfalls is next. There are various methods to do so, probably better than mine, but here is my approach. First I glue tiny tufts of cotton wool on the waterfall faces, just below the start of the downward slope. The top of most smaller waterfalls is smooth, only when the flow increases, air starts to be sucked in which makes the white water everybody likes so much. The cotton wool is glued on using 10 minute epoxy:



Next, the level of the 'water' above the falls is topped up with a bit of newly mixed resin, so it starts to flow over the brim and reaches the cotton wool. The resin is prodded into the cotton wool so it is saturated. The result is a greyish and rough patch of resin on the downward slope of the waterfall. Do not use too much resin, as some of it always collects at the bottom of the fall and we don't want a huge overflow to ruin the glassy surface below. In this case there was a slight excess of resin, but it didn't turn out too bad.



This morning, about 18 hours after putting in the resin, it proved to have set so I could drybrush the falls with white acrylic paint. This has to be done very carefully not to overdo the effect. The semi transparent grey sheen of the resin below has to stay in place, and the (matt) acrylic paint only serves to brighten up some parts of the surface. The following photos show the end result:







Well, this concludes the river story. I have now turned to the Nixnie station area, which is rapidly filling up with plaster scenic cover.

Will be continued!

[MickT]

With characteristic British reserve: not bad!........................ In fact, grrrrrrreat!

Will you be leaving the N settrack as it is on the bridge or have you a plan to camouflage it in some way?

Mick

[tedp]

Not bad isn't too bad a comment.   ;D

Bridge deck: I plan to fit wooden planking. I still have a sheet of thin balsa that can be used to make cut-offs.

[Hugh Norwood]

Ted, this would make a great how-to article for the NEWS. Knowing how images get culled from this forum after some space of time, there should be someway of making this a reference work. (Perhaps put it on the Dutch 009 site?)

[tedp]

Yes, Hugh, I had been thinking of turning it into an article series for the News. But there is still a lot more to write for the News which I haven't yet come round to, like a tale on Coronel Lopez.

All my photos are hosted on the Dutch Group site so they won't go. There has been a page on Nixnie on the Dutch Group site for some time, but it has to be updated with the latest progress.

[tat2drod]

For some reason, the foto with the station and the background made me think of an American station with a mesa in the background. Maybe you should branch out!

[tedp]

Actually the 'mesa' is the Gap of Dunloe, Co. Kerry, Ireland!