Hooper & Co Diorama

[Anglia105E]

Having carried out my first attempt at a trial fitting of the handrail, I find that the 300 mm length of 0.7 mm brass rod is slightly too short. The handrail on both sides is 10 mm too short, but I do have an idea. Some reference photos of Pannier Tank locos show two handrail knobs on the cab, so I could add a second knob and simply insert a 10 mm length of brass rod on both sides of the cab.

The bend at the boiler front for the handrail was the same curve as a Vallejo paint bottle as luck would have it  !

Started preparing component parts for the level crossing, which includes planks cut from lolly sticks . . . I will have 3 mm thick pieces of foamex board under the planks to bring them up to the level of the rails. I shall add small gates to one side of the crossing for a narrow pedestrian footway, and also the curved channel for the wheels at the ends of the large gates. The gates and posts will be painted white, with red circular boards facing the roadway.

 

David

[PHPaul]

On 1/23/2023 at 7:39 PM, Anglia105E said:

and I have picked up some handrail knobs in steel from Slater's . .

Could you elaborate on that?  I could use some of those fittings.

Handrail looks great!  Nice work!

Edited January 31, 2023 by PHPaul

[Anglia105E]

8 minutes ago, PHPaul said:

Could you elaborate on that?  I could use some of those fittings.

Handrail looks great!  Nice work!

Hi Paul . . . Yes, those handrail knobs are available from a local supplier of model railway fittings, and they are available in short, medium and long sizes. The ones listed as being steel were the ones I chose in medium size, and then I ordered some 0.7 mm brass rod from a different supplier. The brass rod was bent to shape, and then threaded through the handrail knobs that were pushed into drilled holes in the sides of the loco boiler pannier tanks.

I don't know if you have a supplier in the US who sells these fittings, but here is the link to the one in England . . . https://slatersplastikard.com/

David

[PHPaul]

Thanks, David.

Interestingly, a google search seems to indicate that handrail knobs are primarily a UK thing.  

[Anglia105E]

8 minutes ago, PHPaul said:

Thanks, David.

Interestingly, a google search seems to indicate that handrail knobs are primarily a UK thing.  

Yes Paul, that is probably true . . . So, what do you need the handrail knobs for ? Some aspect of your farm diorama ?

Here is a drawing of the part in question . . .

[PHPaul]

Don't have a current need, but can see where they'd be useful.  Was going to order a few just to have on hand.  Thanks for the additional information!

[Anglia105E]

Over the past couple of days I have constructed two ramp sections for the O gauge level crossing, as well as two sets of steps for the footway. So far I have fabricated one small gate for access to the pedestrian footway, and there will be a second small gate done shortly. These are made from matchsticks and I used balsa for the posts.

The smaller gates will be painted the same colour as the larger gates, while the ramps and steps will most likely be grey in colour. The paraffin lamps and the red circular boards seem to look right.

I found the brass bristle brush to be very good for creating the worn timber effect, and certainly the grey wash works well. Maybe a couple of years ago I would have used matt brown for the planking (not good).

 

David

[Anglia105E]

Further progress with the Hooper & Co. factory diorama has been achieved over the past couple of days . . . The railway level crossing is completed, apart from weathering the ramp sections. The pannier tank loco is almost completed, and having applied some enamel grey primer to the brass parts, these need a final coat of the darker grey wash. I have tidied up the 1:43 scale diorama and the O gauge railway line section needs some additional work to merge it with the whole setting.

Preparation is under way to produce some advanced photography, and also video filming of the factory diorama model.

David

[Anglia105E]

Here we see the Duke's Road area of the diorama, where the horse and cart is trundling slowly past the bus stop, just across the road from the Hooper factory. The man with his cart has finished all of his coal deliveries for the day, as the evening approaches. There is a lady wearing a head scarf pushing a pram on her way home from the shops. Just another ordinary day . . .

David

[PHPaul]

The black and white photo is particularly realistic.  It's the sort of scene and weather that I picture when I think of London.

[Anglia105E]

4 hours ago, PHPaul said:

The black and white photo is particularly realistic.  It's the sort of scene and weather that I picture when I think of London.

Thanks Paul . . . The following three photographs were taken shortly before the young mother with her pram turned the corner at the telephone box, which leads from Western Avenue onto Duke's Road . . . The refuse bins have been put out for collection on this particular day, and someone has left the door of the telephone box slightly open . . .

David

[Kenmojr]

Awesome work.

[Anglia105E]

40 minutes ago, Kenmojr said:

Awesome work.

Thank you Ken . . . These are 1:43 scale model cars, buildings and figures, with O gauge model steam loco, carriage and level crossing.

David

[Kenmojr]

Very impressive work. Is not 1/43 the scale of Corgi and Dinky toys?

[Anglia105E]

54 minutes ago, Kenmojr said:

Very impressive work. Is not 1/43 the scale of Corgi and Dinky toys?

You are correct Ken . . . The scale of Corgi and Dinky toy cars is approximately 1:43, but sometimes closer to 1:50

This why I tend to buy Oxford Diecast or Truescale, or Neo and Lansdowne model cars.

David

[Anglia105E]

It is late evening and Imperial Motors is closed for the day . . . A customer has parked his Ford Cortina outside the main gate, so that the garage staff can drive the car into their workshop when they open for business the next morning . . . 

David

[Anglia105E]

Here is a photograph of a 1936 - 1938 Rolls-Royce 25 / 30 which is parked outside the main entrance to the Hooper & Co. factory, and also a photograph of the Pannier Tank steam locomotive pulling a Great Western passenger coach as it is passing by Imperial Motors . . .

David

[Anglia105E]

These two photographs show the elderly gentleman wearing his flat cap, and he is standing alongside the Great Western passenger coach . . .

The O gauge / 1:43 scale steam locomotive is having some weathering work done, with dark rust using Humbrol Weathering Powder, and the railway line area of this diorama is receiving some further attention, in terms of painting and track ballast.

David

 

[PHPaul]

Very nice!

One problem with modeling a farm in general and in 1:64 in particular is that there are very few figures available, and what IS available is ridiculously expensive.

[Anglia105E]

1 hour ago, PHPaul said:

Very nice!

One problem with modeling a farm in general and in 1:64 in particular is that there are very few figures available, and what IS available is ridiculously expensive.

Thanks Paul . . . I know what you mean about a shortage of good figures in your 1:64 scale, and to a certain extent this is also true of 1:43 scale. The gentleman in the flat cap, and also the lady in the head scarf pushing a pram are both professionally painted (not by me) and consequently they are silly prices. My philosophy with realistic dioramas is that either we can use extremely realistic figures to good effect, or best not to use any figures at all if they are of poor quality . . . You have the problem of finding farm figures, and I struggle to find 1950's figures rather than modern ones.

David

[Anglia105E]

Several days work on the baseboard for the railway line have produced some good results. Two panels of 3 mm Foamex board have been attached together using double sided tape, so that the 6 mm baseboard mates up to the main baseboards of this Hooper & Co. factory diorama. Then a strip of 6 mm foamex board was mounted on top of the baseboard, also using double sided tape, both having been coated with Oatmeal colour emulsion.

Once everything was carefully lined up, I applied a coating of PVA glue to the strip, onto which the length of Peco track was mounted, and the level crossing assembly was pushed up to the track rails. While the PVA glue was still wet, the Woodland Scenics Medium Buff Ballast was sprinkled along the length of track. This will be allowed to dry overnight, and the excess ballast can be brushed off later.

Here are a few photos showing the progress so far . . . There is a 1:43 scale Series 1 Land Rover with a trailer that I had 3D printed some time ago, along with the O gauge Pannier Tank steam loco and the Lima Great Western passenger coach. 

David

[PHPaul]

When I was into model railroading, ballasting track was one of my least-favorite jobs.  Yours looks good.

[Anglia105E]

3 hours ago, PHPaul said:

When I was into model railroading, ballasting track was one of my least-favorite jobs.  Yours looks good.

Thank you Paul . . . Luckily, I only have to ballast one 36 inch length of track, as opposed to an entire model railway layout !

Also, this is O gauge, rather than HO / OO gauge or even N gauge.

David

[Earl Marischal]

Might be of use for the Pannier?

https://www.lightrailwaystores.co.uk/products/npp-409

steve

[Anglia105E]

4 hours ago, Earl Marischal said:

Might be of use for the Pannier?

https://www.lightrailwaystores.co.uk/products/npp-409

steve

Thanks very much Steve . . . Those plates for the numbers on the Pannier cab look really good, and they are priced very reasonably too.

The numbers that I have put on the cab sides are some old decals that a friend gave me, but those plates would be so much better.

Thanks,

David