HO Eine Sekundärbahn

[Tim Hale]

Testing the homemade scenic mat, the basket liner was cut into strips and dusted with MatteMedium before the static grass was drizzled on. It will be used where the static gun was ineffective and left bare patches on sloping ground and up against the backscne, a thinner base of industrial paper towel has also worked well. An added bonus is to gently apply glue to the grass and dust with fine flock, it makes excellent weeds.

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Tim

 

[Tim Hale]

This tiny (just 11mm long) pump and cistern for the allotment was challenging, the mouldings were excellent once the excess was removed but the water was rather tiresome.

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Rather than anything simple, the appearance of green, murky water was achieved by painting the inside of the tank a rather fetching cockpit green and then copius blobs of Kristal Klear were added which took five days in the sun-baked conservatory to set hard but it has the appearance of both depth and being liquid.


Tim

 

[Tim Hale]

Though still unfinished, the farmhouse is finally beginning to come to life as it is surrounded by greenery. There is a fine display of flowering hydrangeas at the base of the front wall but the slight 'untidiness' is utterly intentional for a working farm. In recent years, farmhouses in Oberfranken have become desireable homes for incomers, they are invariably very tidy.

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[Tim Hale]

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I couldn't resist just plonking the old tractor down beside the stable with some wild flowers, it still needs bedding-in but we just returned from a bimble around the lanes and felt it appropriate.

The stable (and farmhouse) are to be found within 25kms of Ebermannstadt as are almost* all the features on Pottendorf, well worth the effort rather than a generic layout.

Tim

*The cottage is the exception but it bears a remarkable likeness to a tiny fachwerkhaus (below) in the Bad Windsheim museum, also in Franken, Faller offer the building but so far it has eluded me.

 

[Tim Hale]

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Just a trial placing in order to see how it all the various buildings fit with each other, the idea was taken from an image on DSO of a farm near Berching-Plankstetten.

Please note, nothing is finished, there is a great deal of work to be done, if there are mistakes, it is best to find them now. For example, I do not like the silo, it is ugly maybe a tree would be a more 'natural' feature.

Tim

 

[Tim Hale]

The farm is a small dairy unit, these are typical, a 'midden' (with crane) and a sillage bund, the latter is for winter feed.

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Tim

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[timbowales]

View attachment 215157​

Just a trial placing in order to see how it all the various buildings fit with each other, the idea was taken from an image on DSO of a farm near Berching-Plankstetten.

Please note, nothing is finished, there is a great deal of work to be done, if there are mistakes, it is best to find them now. For example, I do not like the silo, it is ugly maybe a tree would be a more 'natural' feature.

Tim

Unfortunately, depending on your timeframe, silos become more common than trees the more you progress thriugh the century.
Tim T

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Please note, nothing is finished, there is a great deal of work to be done, if there are mistakes, it is best to find them now. For example, I do not like the silo, it is ugly maybe a tree would be a more 'natural' feature.

A gnarled old tree would be more aesthetic.

In my opinion it would be unlikely a silo would have been built there as there appears to be limited access for the original construction materials and crew (unless there is off scene acces at the rear of the building). The silo would have likely to have been built next to the wooden building.

I would retain the silo - in a different location - to add a nod to post-war farming modernisation and industrialisation.

 

[Tim Hale]

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The silo serves two additional purposes; 1. View blocker for the mousehole, 2. Stork nest, this latter role is one of the essentials of Pottendorf althougth all three of the agricultural structures are reasonably suitable except the silo is much taller therefore more likely. Maybe move the silo behind the wooden barn with clear vehicular access AND replace it with a tree thus blocking the mousehole and retaining its purpose as the stork family home?

Sounds feasible.......

Tim

 

[michael080]

I like this setup, but I think the silo is too large for the cattleshed it supplies.
Michael

 

[Tim Hale]

The silo is 15% too large, it is also 10 years out of sync, not in widespread use until the ‘70s but it balances the tree.

Tim

 

[Tim Hale]

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Just another go at trying out the layout of the buildings in order to see how they look as a group, nothing sees out of place. However, lots more work is needed but you can see where this is going......btw trees are definitely needed

Tim

 

[Tim Hale]

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Just trying out the grass applicator on the edges of the goods yard (with a wonky buffer stop) btw the gravel road is perfect for early '60s rural Bayern.

Tim

 

[Tim Hale]

I have been busy, these are the storage bins for Zuckerrübe, loading is done by the Polytrac, an early mechanical loader. In this case, bought cheaply because they weren't very good but it is a nice/bonkers model.

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[Tim Hale]

Dusty Roads and station yard

The roads are nominally 60mm wide pieces of picture mounting card covered with a base layer of Heki textured concrete road paint with chinchilla dust as additional texture. The dust is fixed with dilute PVA glue.

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This is an example of AK Interactive 8021 Light Earth, dabbed on with a stiff stencil brush.

Tim

 

[Tim Hale]

Just an observation, I post on the German DSO forum, not often (for good reason) but each time, the reaction is inevitable and usually from just one or two regulars. Despite meticulous research using standard works, there is always the same outcome, the declaration that the research is wrong and ‘this would never happen in Germany’ despite the initial post featuring images captured in the region. And invariably, when it is revealed where and when the image was captured, there is always outrage……whether it is merely the problem is confined to a few is uncertain but the reaction seems to be a trait and as expected, I ignore the adverse comments.

This is the original thread that has caused apoplexy amongst the pedants Click here it is my intention is to scratchbuild this tiny dwelling due to dissatisfaction with a commercial product.

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[Tim Hale]

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Although unfinished, the scene of a farm bisected by a railway line is slowly getting there, the 'mousehole' will be blocked by a carefully placed tree otherwise it is normally unseen.

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The green bits of Frog tape denote where the turnout lanterns will be placed, their fragility means that they will amongst the last details, whilst the station buildings remain stored until needed, no need to run the risk of damage whilst work is still ongoing.

Today, the much anticipated batch of Heki static grass is due to be delivered, work will re-commence on the layout.

Tim

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[Tim Hale]

After almost finishing applying vegetation to the far side of the layout, a start has been made on the long bare area between the trackbed and the front edge of the layout together with the working area of the farm. As soon as the scenic adhesive has set tomorrow, the excess will be recovered and the remaining area set out to grass.

Images of the old locoshed at Kößlarn have been most useful as that branchline shared many features with other Bayerische nebenbahnen. The loco shed was at the opposite end of the station yard and was surrounded on three sides by long grass, it still survives despite being abandoned by the DB., unfortunately, the images are unable to be shared.

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[Tim Hale]

Despite it being Sunday morn when progress is a priority, there is very little visible. Just some faffing around the farm buildings, mostly thanks to a trip along the road to Bradford Abbas. The roadside is a riot of lush growth as befits the area, the drainage ditches are choked with reeds and irises, a mental note to fill the ditch beside the cottage. Meanwhile, more greenery around the farm buildings is appropriate.

Tim

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[Tim Hale]

Beside the road

The ditch beside the rural road is nature’s highway, home to a wide variety of flora and fauna such as the common iris amongst which the stork will hunt for food.

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Noch offers an excellent iris that is easy to plant but needs a dab of yellow or purple as preferred (yellow on P’dorf)

Tim