Progress....

Welcome to 2011.

Here are a couple of photos showing that I do get to do some actual modeling occasionally. I promise I'll do a lot more this year..

Tasks to carry out in the near future include adding a proper Vietnamese city backdrop using photos from the web. The photos show part of a test backdrop but it is in fact over sized. Also I need to finish the level crossing and get the bridge done. You can see the pylons for the bridge on the left. I also have a Petrolimex petrol station on the work bench. It's a cut down Tomytec Japanese petrol station.

If you look carefully you will see my roadside markers with the red tops. I'm quite happy with those as well as the Uncle Ho billboard. More billboards will be added when I have time. The one on the top of the tall building is only temporary (the one with the young ladies, not the Vietnam Airlines one).

I have a couple of more flat wagons to be painted light blue for container traffic. I still don't have a locomotive, but that should change soon as well.

I hope to get a bit of work done this weekend so hopefully I'll have more photos to show.

The Internet.....

I've been thinking about the many ways in which the internet, and in particular, the World Wide Webb (thank you Mr Berner) has made modelling so much easier.

In the old days the only real source of information was books, and magazines, or going to the place and seeing with your own eyes. The amount of information I have collected over the past 12 months about the Vietnamese rail system would have taken me years BI (before internet).

A case in point. Level crossing gates. Over the past few weeks I have been able to collect a number of images of verious types of level crossing protection to help me protect my own level crossing on my module. Some photos are stills and some are captures from video. From these I have been able to design and produce two types of flashing light protection as well as the gates themselves. When I get a chance, they'll be going onto the module. they will help the module look 'Vietnamese'.

For me the Vietnam Railways Forum has been a life saver. The members are happy to share their knowledge. Despite being for most part in Vietnamese language, the judicious use of Google 'translate' allows non Vietnamese speakers to enjoy the 'flavour' of DSVN though some of the translation are quite puzzling. For example why are there constant references to 'doctors'?

The combination of all these resources has made it possible for me to work towards the completion of my VNR module. The actual visits I have made to view the system are therefore 'icing on the cake'.

When I return to VN for my third visit in March next year, I will be armed with all the knowledge I have gleaned from the internet and so will be able to focus on my information needs as a modeller, as well as just enjoy the scenery and the people.

Weekends...

I got a little bit done last weekend. But don't weekends go so quickly! Never enough time to do what you really want to do.

I bought some 'DAS' which is a kind of modelling clay. I'm going to see if I can make some of those big pot plant holders they have around Vietnamese stations and work depots. Also hope to try making some banana trees as well. DAS dries in the air so no need to 'cook' it to make it hard, and it is paintable. I'm told 'Warhammer' people use it to sculpt figures etc. Worth a try.

Not a lot of 'physical' modelling going on but a bit of planning. Two areas I'm concentrating on at the moment. The first is the level crossing and the second is the road bridge at one end of the module. I've worked out that while the roads are tar, most of the level crossings are constructed of concrete 'planks'. I've bought a special paint by "Faller" to represent concrete so should make it more realistic.

I also have some thoughts on paper as to what my military monument will look like.

Now to actually do some work!

Slowly, slowly.....

I've been very busy over the past few weeks. Nothing to do with my modelling unfortunately. I have a new position and I'm working at a different location, so I'm learning. Also I have now purchased a netbook with wireless broadband so will be able to keep the blog up to date while travelling the 90 minutes to work every day (and the 90 minutes home in the afternoon).

I have been a bit worried about the on again off again level crossing on the module. Mainly I didn't know whether DSVN would have a level crossing across three tracks, but I've now found a video which shows exactly what I'm modelling, including one of those sets of crossing gates on wheels as well as the more usual crossing lights.

At the moment I'm waiting on a package from the US which includes a couple of 40' flat wagons and a couple of tank wagons both of which look very similar to Vietnamese versions. Once they arrive and are suitably modified and painted I should have 8-10 pieces of freight rolling stock. Now I need a nice green brakevan and to finish my D12E class locomotive. The brakevan will have to be scratchbuilt (maybe using an existing underframe).


I also have some plans to use the Life Like coaches I bought. I had hoped that I could 'fudge' them into VNR coaches but I think now I will remove the sides and scratchbuild new ones, as well as adding airconditioning units to the roof.

I might have some photos for the next entry so stay tuned.....

A bit of scenery....

Whew! Doesn't life sometimes get in the way of your hobbies! Too often I think!

Since my last entry I have been adding a few bits and pieces to the module. Here are some rough photos to give you an idea.

Note that after two three reversals the level crossing is back and being worked on! There are also a couple of cattle near the level crossing (I think one has fallen over and is asleep! The skinny houses back scene will be replaced by something more in scale.

I also have an idea for a war memorial of some kind. I got a couple of 1/144 tanks to use (you can see one on one of the photos). I've also decided to go ahead with my Petrolimex petrol station. It will be on the corner next to the light coloured two story building. I'll have to make a 'site specific' concrete pad and then use the parts from the Tomytec kit.

I recently attended a model railway exhibition here in Sydney, Australia and got some ideas to add a 'circle' to the layout so that I can run continuous trains without having to build a full layout. And I haven't even started the planned 'corner' yet!

By the way, I haven't finished painting the sky board yet. It will be a lot smoother when finished.

Things don't move very fast do they, but they do move.

Have a look at this gentleman, at SaiGon station in August. I think he has the right idea!

Hmm. Maybe to much of that.

Progress....

It's been a while since my last confession, so here goes.

Some progress is now being made on the module. A backscene has been put in place and painted. It still needs a second coat. The first lot of scenery has been added, plaster soil, painted and covered in basic 'grass'. As well some minor changes have been made to the arrangement of buildings. The photo below shows the unpainted backscene in place with pillars in place for the overhead road/bridge. Notice the roads are still not 'in'! When the ground is complete I will then add lots more trees of various kinds as well as signs. I've also removed the cheap and nasty shiny plastic palm trees and replaced them with more realistic ones.

I have also bitten the bullet and started to build my D12E locomotive. This version will be the 'quicky' version (about as quick as the tortoise in the 'tortoise and the hare' I think!). I'm using a scaled down version of the card model, cutting out windows etc, and fitting it to the SW1200 chassis I have. Should look alright from a distance. This is a 'fudge' until I build a proper body in styrene. At least I'll have a locomotive!

Also notice in the photo above that I still haven't 'Vietnamized' the buildings. That's next on the agenda after the basic scenery (including the roads) is finished, as well as the completion of the overhead road bridge.

 

I know this sounds strange, but I've also been planning the next module. It seems to me that I need some sort of 'corner' module at the overbridge end. This would consist of a curved mainline, with the workshop/depot sidings branching off from this. Scenery would be much more rural I think. Rice fields etc. I might even move the pagoda there as it looks a bit odd where it is.

So what do you think so far. It's taken a lot longer than I thought but it is progressing.

Until next time.......

Slowly...slowly....

Things have been a bit quiet the last week or so. A bit of planning but not a lot of actual modelling going on. I'm sure everyone has these times where you look at what you've done so far and do some planning for the future but don't do a whole lot more.

I purchased a Bachmann 44 tonner. Lovely model and comes with DCC as well as the normal system, so not cheap for  such a small locomotive. I still haven't taken it's top off but the chassis measurement is around 60mm. If the Kato chassis are OK I might leave the top on and convert it to a New South Wales (Australian) 79 class, but your not interested in that are you.

I've also been eyeing off those  Japanese chassis you can get. They come in various lengths. The Kato 58mm one seems almost perfect for small locomotives. Unfortunately they only come with 4 wheel bogies can't be used for D18E's or D19E's etc.

I've also been updating my websites so what with time being limited (do you get the impression that they've changed the definition of an hour to 50 minutes?), I've not been able to put hobby knife to styrene.

I promise I'll try harder this week OK?