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Some cracking scenes Sean, well done, excellent work. Regards Peter M

That's a proper job Sean, I love it. Very realistic. With regard to fixing with spray a lot of modellers use cheap ladies hair spray. Regards Peter M

If this is this the sort of effect you are after you can do it using acrylic craft paint. I washed the model (UH Power Major) carefully with a liquid detergent to remove any mould release agent. Then I painted the tyres including the side walls with a mix of dark brown and cream. I then ran the wheels over a previously dampened kitchen towel to remove the paint from the tread surfaces, The rest was lightly brushed with a dry brush to represent mud on the foot controls and footplate. Do all of these operations a little at a time, as it’s easier to add a bit more than take away. The effects using this method are permanent. Peter

I have just spent a very pleasant time looking at your layout on this thread. It really is superb and I’m looking forward very much to seeing it in the flesh at Wincanton later this year. It has atmosphere and character and that is something you can’t buy or glue on. Well done Tris. Peter

A view of the corner of the layout at Benson showing the Arkansas Feeds buildings with a truck making its way there to be loaded with chicken feed. The red brick building is a Metcalfe card kit. The white car next to the oil tank is a Ford Mustang, rare in this country but common in the States. The locomotive passing by is an Alco RS11, a 1500HP road switcher. The buildings and scenic features disguise the sharp curve of the railroad track. Peter

A high nose 3000 horse power GP40 in Guildford colours rolls over Colonel?s Creek having spotted some covered hoppers at the Farmers Co-Op elevator. The John Deere?s driver has parked his tractor by the side of the track while he gets his lunch at a small diner opposite. The hand painted back scene is supposed to represent distant rolling hills covered with Pine and Aspen trees. Peter

Richie . See www.modelmasters.co.uk they seem to carry a lot of Wiking stuff, might be worth a look.

A view looking down on the engine house at CC showing the servicing facilities. The rocky scenery to the right and also over the tunnel is made from rag soaked in plaster over a plywood and polystyrene block frame. Part of the control panel can be seen to the left of the picture. Peter

A general view looking down at Colonel?s Crossing showing Colonel?s creek in the foreground. Rockville building supply can be seen at the left next to the Purina Chow?s Grain store elevator. The Farmers Co-op Elevator is to the right and the grounded caboose belongs to the yardmaster who controls all freight movements in the yard. The track layout allows locomotives to run round their trains, that is to get to the other end of the train for return journeys. Peter

Another view of Colonel?s Crossing showing a bulk feed tanker being loaded at the Farmer?s Co-op (a modified kit). The Purina Chows elevator (scratch built) can be seen at the rear behind the Burlington & Northern switcher. The small green panel truck belongs to a local farmer who has called in to collect some bags of feed for his stock. The flush roadway is made of several layers of card tinted with matt grey emulsion paint. The backscene is hand painted with acrylics.

This picture shows a Southern Pacific GP60 arriving At CC with empty pulp wood cars and rumbling over the grade crossing (level crossing). In the background can be seen the wooden depot and the water tower. The red tractor waiting at the crossing is an International and the one at the front by the road a John Deere. Colonel?s creek can also be seen, this was made by covering coloured plaster with many coats of clear varnish to build up thickness. If you just pour on varnish and leave to dry in one thick coat it will wrinkle.

Two Southern Pacific F7 diesel units wait while a small end cab switcher works the empty cars through the bauxite ore loader at Colonel?s Crossing. The Kenwood truck in the foreground has brought in a load of pulpwood which will be loaded onto special flat cars for shipment out.

We will start the tour at the Colonel?s Crossing end of the layout. The whole purpose of any railway is to carry goods or passengers, at CC it is a freight only operation. The main commodities carried are Bauxite ore, lumber and agricultural products from local farmers. This section is 10 feet long and 18 inches wide. The next section is 8feet long and 22 inches wide and forms the east yard at Benson. It also joins colonel?s Crossing to Benson. There are two industries one is cement and the other is pulp wood, used in the paper making industry. The Benson section is 8 feet long and 2 feet wide. It also relies on local farms for some of its traffic, mainly grain into the large elevator. There is also a flour mill and Arkansas Feeds who produce mainly chicken feed.

It is a 1/87 HO scale model by Wiking it comes ready made. See www.modelmasters.co.uk According to a recent ad the model is part no is 3860016 and costs ?3.15 which seems very reasonable to me. Peter

I?m afraid the layout is firmly fixed in a spare bedroom at home so cannot be exhibited. The layout is a U shaped point to point set in south west Arkansas USA in the 1970?s. One end is called Colonel?s Crossing and the other end Benson. Both places are entirely fictitious. The best I can do is offer a virtual tour but it really has very little to do with model farms other than it represents an agricultural area. The scenery and techniques used to make them may be of interest as they can be applied to your own model farms. If you want me to do a tour I will happily do so. Perhaps we should ask the forum moderator for their advice. Peter

How about these two little carts Sue, the milk float and the tumbril I think it is called. I have had these since I was a child so they are over fifty years old. They were photographed on my HO scale railway, the red brick building you can see part of in the background is a Metcalfe brewery kit. The Waterloo Boy tractor is an Athearn model. Sorry about the poor quality pictures. Peter

Not really a tractor but a pulpwood loader seen here on my HO scale model railway. The model is by Wiking who make an extensive range in HO 1/87 scale. See www.modelmasters.co.uk These might be the answer if you are short of space and don?t have room to work in 1/32 scale. They look good with Manor farm from Metcalfe buildings. See www.metcalfemodels.com Peter

I like that Sue it?s a nice compact size. You may like to look at Manor Farm buildings by Metcalfe Models. They are fun to build and look very good when built. You just need to paint the raw card edges with water colour paint. They do a range of buildings you could possibly use. Be warned they might be addictive. www.metcalfemodels.com Peter

The problem I had on my model railroad was finding the space for a farm as I wanted to feature a few tractor models. There just wasn?t room for a farm yard as such so I came up with the idea of an agricultural contractor. So that is how KAP Lumber came into existence. They have a small yard next to the grade crossing at Colonel?s Crossing. The layout is set in south west Arkansas in the 1970?s and Lumber and farming are two key industries providing traffic for my trains. There are a pair of Southern Pacific locos rolling past the yard in the background.

Thanks Tris you are always too kind. The buildings are mostly scratch built using a Plasticard shell and scale plastic sheeting for corrugated iron or plain white card as a covering. It is then painted using matt Humbrol and weathered with acrylics to tone it down and make it look older. The picture is of a Matchbox Fordson Major that is almost as old as me but probably in better condition. It is parked outside the Continental Grain Companies Elevator at Benson, the other end of the layout from Colonel?s Crossing. The freight car is a covered hopper being loaded with wheat which will be shipped abroad via the one of the Gulf ports. The back ground behind the tractor I painted onto cartridge paper and stuck it to the back scene.

An Alco RS-11 hi nose switcher in Delaware & Hudson livery at Colonel?s Crossing rolling over the bridge over the creek. The tractor is an Athearn model and is a 2 cylinder John Deere.

Colonel?s Crossing my HO scale American layout, and it is county fair day. Some of the agricultural pageant entrants have arrived by rail on this pulpwood flat. This is the machine that brought the tractors to town, isn?t she gorgeous? It is a standard gauge three truck Shay.

I can?t think of any superlatives that have not already been used to describe your work. I think the buildings are fantastic. The tree looks superb as well, you?ve done an excellent job on it.

This may be of interest to you folks looking for backgrounds. As my layout is very small only 38? long and the area I am modelling is flat, I can get away without a back scene. If you are modelling a field for instance then a back scene can really make a difference. They are really for 1/87 scale but might be ok at 1/32. Have a browse at ID back scenes at www.cheshirerailwaymodellers.com . They are 5 feet long and 9? high and a pack of 2 that?s 10 feet of back scene is ?12.95 plus ?1.50 post and packing. Have a look at Into Town pack D that is just countryside.

Exiibiting Two Sister's Farm for the first time at Crewe on 27th January. See www.cheshirerailwaymodellers.com for details.