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HOW TO: MAKE A LIGHTWEIGHT BACKSCENE FROM ALUMINIUM

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LONDON BRIDGE PROGRESS UPDATE

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A weekend wonder

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Workbench

Layouts

**Paul Bambrick** reveals how he employs made-to-measure sheets of thin alloy sheet to form curved backdrops to his layout projects.

**I**f you’re thinking of starting a new layout project, or re-doing your backscene rear panel, here’s an idea that might be worth a try. Most of the backscenes that I produce now, even on permanently installed layouts, use 0.9mm thick, soft alloy sheet to do the job. This material has a great many advantages over inflexible wooden panels, as it’s lightweight and strong, but also very easy to curve into shape. The material can be mail ordered, already pre-cut to your chosen size (see panel).

In order to establish the dimensions, it’s best to set up the rear panel as a temporary mock-up using mounting card. or even regular corrugated cardboard with white paper spray-mounted onto the surface. Follow the line of your new rear panel around the back of the layout keeping it as far away from the model as you can allow, while also keeping the curvature as gentle as possible.

Once you have a temporary rear panel mocked up into place, you can determine where any joins might occur, factoring in the maximum panel length available, which is generally 2.5m. With smaller layouts and dioramas, this maximum length will sometimes allow the entire rear panel to be free of joints.

Always keep any panel joins as far away from curves as possible, as it’s much easier to locate a joint along a straight section. As usual, set up the baseboard viewing height to your optimum, usually dictated by an average sitting or standing position; 1.3m is an ideal standing height for an exhibition type presentation.

Pencil your distant horizon line onto the white surface of the mock-up, as well as any cut-outs required to cope with structural elements of the layout or for scenic breaks, where the trains need to pass through the backscene to hidden sidings or fiddleyards. Also mark out the locations of any joints between backscene panels, then remove the card panels for measurement. Once you have a series of rear panels correctly dimensioned, you can place your order for aluminium sheet to be cut and delivered to your door.

In the meantime, you may wish to use your mock-up panels to begin planning any colours, self-adhesive, photographic backscene images that you’ve chosen to use, remembering to always register the photographic image to the horizon datum rather than either the top or bottom panel borders.

Once your alloy sheet is delivered, ensure there is no damage to the consignment, peel off the protective film from both sides, which you won’t be needing, and transfer any markings from the card mock-ups for apertures that require cutting.

The aluminium sheet can be neatly cut using a steel rule and a good quality trimming knife (such as a Stanley knife) loaded with a fresh blade. Although you won’t be able to cut straight though in one pass, you’ll find that after a few deep scores the panel can be rested over the edge of a hard-edged table and the excess material folded repeatedly until it snaps away. To cut apertures for scenic breaks, trace the outlines from the mock-up card and follow the vertical scored lines up from the base with heavy scissors or tinsnips.

Whichever way you cut the material, always run around the cut edges with a medium grade abrasive paper, removing sharp edges, and rounding the corners as well.

The treated panel can be laid flat, outer face up and scuffed with a 120grit flat disc in an angle grinder and gently roughed up in long sweeping strokes, making sure not to dwell too long in any place, creating hotspots. Note that this process is extremely noisy, so you will need some ear defenders. Naturally, you can also abrade the surface by hand, rubbing with abrasive sheets wrapped around a cork block, if you fancy a vigorous workout.

The objective is to eliminate any remaining shiny surface, so make sure that everywhere on the front surface of the panel shows abrasive marks and feels slightly rough to the touch. The panel can be dusted over with a cotton cloth (not kitchen tissue) dampened to pick up dust, then allowed to dry before spraying a light coat of white aerosol primer.

If there are any curved sections that need to be formed to follow a pathway around the rear of the scene, these can be done by transferring the curve’s start and finish points from the card mock-up onto the alloy sheet. Next, the sheet is placed over the edge of the workbench, over some thick padding (such as cushions or pillows)

Ensure the panel is at a right-angle to the bench and gently bend the panel down until the required contour is achieved. It takes a few attempts to get right and always move the position of the panel relative to the bench’s edge when bending, so you don’t get a ‘threepenny bit’ effect. The idea is to get the smoothest possible curve, by doing it in stages.

The panel is now ready for its sky base coat which can be applied to just below the horizon line, with a mini gloss roller for an even colour, or two mini gloss rollers for a graduated sky blue, obviously with the darker more saturated colour above and the lighter desaturated, and atmospherically diffused base colour down to the horizon datum.

Joining the panels neatly on exhibition layouts can be done by adding an overlapping strip behind one of the panels, mounting it vertically with the joint line halfway between. This can be fitted and located into position using a series of small 2mm size countersunk pop rivets drilled and countersunk from the panel front

The panels stand up pretty well if you have already gently curved them to follow the pathway of the card mock-up, but along any straight sections you will probably find there’s a need to vertically support the panel every so often to keep it at 90º to the rails. It helps to provide uprights at intervals along the rear, formed from wood battens or 20mm by 10mm rectangular aluminium tubing.

There are many combinations of joining methods for aluminium panels, such as small diameter nuts and bolts, countersunk self-tapping screws, and countersunk pop rivets. The material can also be glued to a rear support framework with MitreBond or similar fast-acting trade adhesives (see your local hardware store) for additional strength, but the metal needs to be scuffed with a coarse abrasive (such as 60grit) to ensure adequate adhesion.

The upper blind of a window-type layout presentation case can also be done very successfully in soft aluminium panels, pre-cut to size, and ordered along with the rear panels to save delivery costs.

The same recommendations apply for this job, with the jointing of multiple sheets only along straight sections. Furthermore, for exhibition layouts in particular, it will need a lightweight framework to support the weight and keep everything supported. The fixing and preparation methods are the same, with a scouring with 120grit abrasive before priming and subsequent painting or addition of a printed photographic backscene. Adhesive and rows of small countersunk fasteners, duly concealed and smoothed over with auto filler, is fine, and this also applies to any brackets for nameboards, support posts, or attachment points for lighting fixtures and clips.

◆ Made-to-measure alloy sheet. Aluminium sheet (0.9mm thick) can be cut to size and delivered to your door. I obtain my stock from Orion Alloys in Harlow, which offers nationwide delivery, and orders can be placed over the phone or online, specifying your required dimensions and quantities. A free information brochure can also be downloaded from the company’s website.  
**Availability:** Orion Alloys  
**Tel:** 01279 434422  
**Web:** _:a[sales@alloysales.co.uk]{href='mailto:sales@alloysales.co.uk' }_

◆ Trimming knife and blades  
◆ Tinsnips/heavy-duty scissors  
◆ Steel rule  
◆ Tape measure  
◆ Cutting mat  
◆ Stable work table/bench  
◆ Abrasives  
◆ Angle grinder/power sander (optional)  
◆ Drill and bits (including countersink bit)  
◆ Riveting gun and pop rivets (optional)

Introducing a warm light source, emitted through a gap between the three-dimensional scenic landform and the painted backscene, creates an authentic sunrise or sunset effect, making for a very dramatic appearance. It helps to graduate the shades of paint on the backscene too, for a more harmonious appearance. If you fancy something a little out of the ordinary, this is certainly something worth experimenting with.

Thin aluminium sheet is lightweight and flexible, making it ideal for curved layout backdrops that follow the contours of a scene.

Provided that the aluminium sheet is prepared correctly, it can be painted with an impression of a landscape and sky, as seen on this superb three-dimensional diorama, which Paul described in MR327.

Hand-painting a backscene may not appeal to everyone, but a simple pale sky effect can be achieved with a mini gloss roller, or a printed photographic backscene can be fixed to the aluminium panel.

Painting a backscene like this allows the modeller to create a hazy, distant appearance to the background detail, as well as playing with perspective to exaggerate the sense of depth.

Read all the latest news in the May 2025 issue of Model Rail, including a report on Manchester MRS’ centenary celebrations and Hornby’s special RAIL200-themed models. Our exclusive Accurascale Class 31 arrives, and we also mark founding editor Chris Leigh’s retirement.

As usual, our Workbench section is crammed with inspirational projects, including a guide to replicating a rendered finish on a pair of houses, plus an ultra-realistic engineers’ wagon load YOU can build in a couple of evenings. As well as two superb readers’ layouts, in 4mm and 7mm scale, we also put some exciting new models under the spotlight in our review pages, including the Cavalex Models Class 60 and Dapol Class 88, along with the latest wagons from Rapido, Revolution and Oxford Rail.

It's all in the latest issue of Model Rail, on sale now!

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Various segments of his layout have featured in _Model Rail_ over the past few years, but **Grahame Hedges**’ mission to recreate London Bridge station and its environs in 2mm scale is really beginning to take shape.

**L**ondon Bridge is my long-term ‘N’ gauge layout project. It is not the first 2mm scale layout I have built, but it is the first to be permanently based at home. Previous layouts, ‘Hedges Hill Cutting’ and ‘Stoney Lane Depot’, were both portable and taken to several exhibitions over the years. However, age has crept up on me and I’m no longer comfortable in lugging layouts around, setting them up, dismantling them a day or two later and taking them back home.

For me the layout is a major project and is taking time to progress. The slow progress is due to a few factors. Firstly, it’s a one-person project and I’m undertaking everything myself. Also, with the layout being based on an actual location, all the structures and buildings (and there are plenty of them) have to be researched and individually scratchbuilt. Indeed, the processes involved in creating several of the key structures have been described in various issues of _Model Rail_ over the past few years (see panel).

My aim in building the layout was to have commuter trains from the 1970s and ‘80s, that I used regularly, running at an elevated level, winding through a recognisable landscape of commercial buildings, industrial structures and residential roof tops, all based on a real urban location. I appreciate that a gritty urban scene is not everyone’s cup of tea, but hopefully it is something different and provides interest and contrast to the more common bucolic rural idyll setting.

The planned period that the layout conveniently falls between are the two major rebuilds that the real station has undergone in the last half-century – firstly, the infamous 1972-78 rebuild under British Rail, and then the 21st-century redevelopment in 2012-18 under Network Rail. I’ve reduced that intervening period a little with an added backstop of the end of the Network SouthEast period in 1994 and the start of privatisation.

The plan was to include the most important features of the station and locality to capture the overall character, despite many buildings having since been swept away in the most recent rebuilding of the station and nearby redevelopment. Such has been the speed of change that it is very difficult to pin everything down to specific dates.

The layout is housed in a professionally built garden room in my small garden. The internal dimension of the shed is a fraction under 11ft 6in (3.5m) by a bit over 8ft (2.5m) which is not too bad for ‘N’ – double that to 23ft by 16ft for a ‘OO’ equivalent.

The limited space available has demanded significant compression and simplification. For example, the number of planned platforms is reduced. Instead of three high-level through island platforms the model has two, and there will be fewer terminating low-level lines.

Platforms are all reduced from scale length, track-work has been simplified and there are fewer approach roads. Buildings have also been similarly reduced and compressed. But I hope that the overall look, when the layout is finished, will be redolent of the real station and captures the appropriate atmosphere.

Track and points consist of Peco Code 55 on the scenic section and Code 80 set-track in the fiddle-yards. Although only a few lengths of plain track have been laid so far, the track plan is basically a traditional ‘dumb-bell’ type with the main running lines through the high-level station curving around and returning in loops off-scene with the terminus station lines branching off. These loops will also effectively provide storage and fiddleyard lines. This allows for continuous running for trains passing through the upper station and ‘out and back’ operation for the lower-level terminus.

Just about all the buildings are made from scratch and based on real examples. There are only a few kit-built structures, such as Portacabins from Knightwing and the gas holder, which is an American Walthers Cornerstone kit. However, the latter has been modified to represent a British-style column guided holder with a below-ground water tank and three ‘lift’ sections.

London Bridge station is located at the west end of a viaduct that begins at Deptford Creek in Greenwich. It’s a Grade II-listed structure, built between 1834-36 at a length of 3.4 miles, making it the longest run of arches in the UK, one of the oldest railway viaducts in the world, and the earliest example of an entirely elevated railway line. It was widened in 1842 for almost two miles between Corbett’s Lane and London Bridge on the south side to accommodate trains of the London and Croydon Railway and London and Brighton Railway, and also for 2.6 miles on the north side to accommodate the South Eastern Railway main line in 1850.

Consequently, the viaduct is an iconic and dominating feature for the layout which means I’ve needed to pay due deference in modelling it. The signature viaduct arches that run along St Thomas Street, at the front of the layout, were made from acrylic resin panel sections, cast in home-made RTV silicon rubber moulds formed from scratchbuilt masters. I made three different sections that could be cast in multiples and joined together; the lower three-arch section, the upper parapet wall and the taller train shed wall panel. The non-standard sections, such as the road underpass entrance arches, are scratchbuilt from embossed plastic card.

At the rear of the layout is Tooley Street which basically runs the length of the layout behind the viaduct. The buildings and structures on the north side of the road, in front of the backscene board (shed wall), are all low-relief types and modelled on actual buildings. Many of these buildings were warehouses and shipping offices for the wharves behind which directly backed on to the river Thames and were known, along with Shad Thames a little further east, as the larder of London.

There are some buildings that are missing and others reduced in width to help provide necessary overall compression. The buildings at the right-hand end, where the layout adheres less closely to the prototype and is of a more freelance nature, are based on those from other local areas of South East London so as to maintain a coherent feel. St Thomas Street and Crucifix Lane run along the front of the layout roughly parallel to Tooley Street but on the south side of the viaduct. On the layout there are several roads running northwards from the foreground, under the viaduct and bridges that offer many interesting vignette views.

Two major ongoing projects are the lower level terminus station with its overall train shed roof, and the huge forecourt canopy and myriad pyramid shaped skylights covering the ticket offices, travel centre and concourse, and extended over the station approach road to cover the bus and taxi stands.

The layout is unlikely to be finished anytime soon, but these ‘in progress’ views provide a peek into the current status and show how the various modules featured in _Model Rail_ fit within the overall setting. Work is required on the roads, to complete the pavements, add kerbstones, road markings and ironwork (drain grids and manhole covers), while most of the structures and buildings are not yet fixed into their final locations, so please excuse any leaning walls or subsidence!

##### ‘O’ GAUGE LAYOUT **WEEKEND YARD**

Building a layout over two days is challenging enough, but to do so in an exhibition hall takes things to a whole new level, as the Gauge O Guild discovered.

Words: **Chris Gadsby** Photography: **Chris Nevard Artwork: Andrew Mackintosh**

**This layout isn’t about putting in thousands of hours of painstaking modelling to accurately render a location. Rather, it’s an exercise in showing what is possible in the larger scale in a short time, and it plays its role perfectly.**

Question: is it possible to build a fully functioning layout over one weekend while at an exhibition with hundreds of people walking past you, wondering why your baseboards are bare when everything else is a completed layout with moving trains? Answer: yes, if you’re the Gauge O Guild. We’ve proven in the pages of _Model Rail_ before that building a layout in a matter of days is possible, but building one over just a weekend takes speed building to a whole new level. Tasked with proving to the public that a space the size of Lake Victoria is not required for an enjoyable ‘O’ gauge layout, members Nigel Smith, Neil Podbery, Paul Bambrick, Kevin Wilson and Thomas Hoy set about planning how they could draw people into the scale and the Guild, with a bit of a different exhibition to the usual handing out of leaflets. We spoke to the now custodian of ‘Weekend Yard’ Kevin Cartwright and the Gauge O Guild’s Chairman of Events Jackie Kneeshaw about how the layout came to be, the build, and life after that first exhibition in 2023.

“The idea was first developed at Warley 2022 when I was talking with Peco Sales Manager Steve Haynes,” outlines Jackie. “He mentioned that people still believed ‘O’ gauge was only for wealthy people who have plenty of space and a wide range of engineering skills. I wondered if the Guild could help dispel this myth to show that a modest ‘O’ gauge layout could fit within the room of a family home, and be constructed from products offered off the shelf. Of course, for a challenge such as this, the Guild needed a superb team of modellers to pull it off, so I approached Nigel to lead the team, and he recruited others to join him. We then approached several companies to see if they would support the build.”

As well as the team, companies rose to the challenge. The baseboards were supplied by White Rose Model Works, the track by Peco, point motors from DCC Concepts, wiring and scenic materials by Squires Model & Craft Tools, a range of lineside items by Skytrex, figures from Northumbrian Painting Services, paint from Omen Modelling Paint and a warehouse, bridge, retaining wall and water tower from L-Cut creative. Dapol and Ellis Clark Trains both provided models for the exhibition from different eras, but these were being weathered at the time the photographs were taken, so Kevin used some stock of his own. One key aim of the build was to show that any aspiring ‘O’ gauge modellers could go out and buy the components themselves if they wanted to build the same sort of layout, so the Guild made that clear on the front of the layout while it was being built where all the parts had come from.

> “One key aim of the build was to show that any aspiring ‘O’ gauge modellers could go out and buy the components themselves if they wanted to build the same sort of layout”

#### THE BUILD

“Each member was tasked with making sure elements were ready to go onto the boards on the weekend of the show. It wasn’t a case of pre-building most of the items, but ensuring they would fit on the baseboard and have enough time to sufficiently dry throughout the weekend. Although all the preparations went smoothly, the week leading up to the event threw a few challenges into the mix we hadn’t prepared ourselves for. Neil was caught up in an Air Traffic Control system failure and had to get home from Portugal via Switzerland, and Thomas had become unwell with Covid so was unable to attend. Fortunately, Kevin Wilson was able to jump in at the last minute to help out. The show went off without a hitch and the layout was well received by those who viewed it. We even had the idea of letting the public name the layout, and the name ‘Weekend Yard’ was pulled out of the hat towards the end of the weekend. A nice final touch was that Ron Connor of Totem Signs was able to create us a custom totem that we could place on the layout before the end of the show, when the layout went into Kevin Cartwright’s possession.”

With the show complete, the layout needed a home, so Kevin took custody of it for some much-needed TLC.

“Because it was built with speed, some of the solder joints weren’t as good as they could have been and the layout got knocked about a bit as people moved around it quicker than they usually would have done. Gordon Humphries was a great help with the re-wiring and firming up the woodwork, while I’ve redone all of the greenery with products from Green Scene and have been working my way through the rest of the layout, touching it up where required and making general improvements. The backscene is a prime example. Paul Bambrick expertly painted it onto aluminium so that it could be bent around the corners, but some of the paint got chipped as we were packing it away after the show, so I’ve had to go back and blend the two areas together again. The focal point of the shed still needs to be mortared and weathered and I’m hoping to knock a hole through the right side of the board so that I can attach a cassette fiddleyard to that end, allowing trains to run right through the layout rather than stopping and going back into the hidden sector plate. I think this would make it much more fun to operate.”

Kevin has also been able to add additional small details to ‘Weekend Yard’ that would have been too time-consuming to do during the build, such as adding suitable road vehicles and additional figures.

“I find that road vehicles are often a neglected part of model railways, as people spend hours getting the locomotives and the rolling stock looking just right, and then shove a pristine, ready-to-run car or bus on there. All of the ones now on ‘Weekend Yard’ have been heavily weathered to match the locomotives and stock.”

Although the build is now done, ‘Weekend Yard’ is still popular on the exhibition circuit, with an increasing number of people remarking that they have switched to the larger gauge. The price of ‘O’ gauge is decreasing all of the time and often people are buying the models before making somewhere to run them. If you’re one of those people, then the Gauge O Guild offers plenty of tutorials and advice to its members, with membership costing from £30 a year. Why not join today and benefit from the knowledge and support the Guild provides?

> _“All of the road vehicles now on ‘Weekend Yard’ have been heavily weathered to match the locomotives and stock”_

For further information about the Gauge O Guild, including details of membership and future events, visit the website: _:a[www.gaugeoguild.com]{href='https://www.gaugeoguild.com' }_

## Model Rail Accurascale Class 31 Diesel - 116 _RAIL_ Celebrity - from £169.99

First announced in late 2022, Model Rail’s first collaboration with Accurascale has now come to fruition, with the arrival of our exclusive ‘OO’ gauge Class 31 31116 _RAIL Celebrity_, in its unique British Rail Infrastructure livery. **:a[SHOP NOW]{href='https://www.modelrailoffers.co.uk/c/1855/Class-31-Diesels?utm_source=model-rail.co.uk&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=modelrail_offers&amp;utm_content=promo_article' }**

The hitherto anonymous Brush Type 2 was chosen to mark the first decade of our sister title _RAIL_ magazine, while wearing BR’s ‘Dutch’ grey/yellow civil engineers’ livery. Initially, the locomotive was named _RAIL 1981-1991_ in October 1991 but, two years later, it famously gained a one-off Union Pacific Railroad-inspired scheme of harbour mist grey and armour yellow, with twin red bands, with the colour scheme being applied at Derby Etches Park and sponsored by Pete Waterman.

To mark the occasion, 31116 was re-dedicated as _RAIL Celebrity_, and soon became a cult favourite with enthusiasts, turning up at depot open days and events around the BR network over the following few years.

In between its celebrity outings, Bescot-based 31116 was kept busy hauling engineers’ trains, plus the odd parcels and passenger service, and it carried this striking livery until withdrawal and eventual scrapping in 2003. Thanks to your votes, Accurascale’s Class 31 recently scooped first prize in the ‘OO’ Diesel and Electric Locomotive category in Model Rail’s Model of the Year awards for 2024, and our model of 31116 forms part of the follow-up production run focusing on later BR and post-nationalisation era prototypes.

As well as a wealth of authentic details, the model features an impressive all-round specification, including...

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## BR Class 26/1 26043 in Rail blue with DCE stripes and Haymarket depot logos - only £210.00!

Model Rail has teamed-up with Heljan once again to offer a special version of the all-new ‘OO’ gauge Class 26. **:a[SHOP NOW]{href='https://www.modelrailoffers.co.uk/c/1845/Class-26-Diesels?utm_source=model-rail.co.uk&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=modelrail_offers&amp;utm_content=promo_article' }**

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Our exclusive model depicts Class 26/1 26043, which holds the honour of being the last Class 26 to be outshopped in Rail blue livery, following refurbishment in 1985. After moving from Eastfield to Haymarket depot, 26043 was allocated to the Scottish Region’s Departmental Civil Engineers (DCE) sector, gaining a set of distinctive markings below the cab windows on the second man’s side, complete with ScR lettering. Haymarket’s famous depot logos, featuring Edinburgh Castle, were also applied.

After withdrawal, due to an electrical fault caused by snow ingress, 26043 was saved for preservation in the 1990s, and is currently operational at the Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway.

Our model comes supplied with optional miniature snowploughs and various other detail fittings, including air horn vent covers and alternative bogie steps to mimic the period when 26043 was fitted with Class 26/0 bogies.

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**Peter Marriott** sets out on a mission to see if he can create his own decals – and learns a few things in the process. {#block-5bcc4a3a-c5e2-4159-a690-b28d8ea4c232}

#### Peter’s **TOP TIPS** {#block-ba6d5eb4-ad23-4fea-b68b-7f40f0ac736d}

• Take photographs of graffiti while you’re out and about, on rolling stock or buildings. Take the photographs square-on to the subject where possible. {#block-9d1f8e8f-b98f-4b96-8b04-302579c59586}

• Choose white waterslide transfer paper when working on wagons painted in darker colours. {#block-22d6b0eb-a2fb-4352-b27c-cad41b397d5b}

• Clear waterside paper is good for recreating black ‘tags’, or coloured graffiti if it’s to be applied over lighter livery colours such as pale grey or white. {#block-7ce95f42-1a55-4914-9644-87be0a663825}

**F**or some years I have bought ready-made sheets of waterslide transfers of graffiti for use on rolling stock, buildings and retaining walls. I happened to have a BR VDA wagon knocking around and its vibrant Railfreight livery looked a little plain and pristine for my liking. It needed a bit of graffiti and weathering to bring it to life. {#block-b6fbe9e6-a7cb-46c7-b170-113b8e61d835}

Instead of using off-the-shelf graffiti decals, however, this time I thought I’d try my hand at making my own transfers. I ordered a pack of five A4-sized clear waterslide transfer sheets from Amazon and, although larger packs offer better value for money, I wanted to have a trial run first with a smaller pack, before committing. Accordingly, the cost of the sheets worked out at around £1.50 each, which is not bad compared to purchasing ready-made decals. {#block-15605ddf-1f0f-4eaf-9308-e217d104b25b}

I already had plenty of photographs on file featuring numerous graffiti-covered wagons from all over Europe, which I whittled down to a handful of examples, prioritising images that had been captured square-on to the subject, rather than from an angle. {#block-0f47f87d-7ee5-4741-8909-e98fe46b28bf}

I then set about experimenting with my printer, using sheets of plain paper initially until I had scaled the images to the desired size. Next, it was a case of choosing the ‘Best Quality Print’ in the printer’s dialogue window, plus setting the paper type to ‘Photo Paper’. The transfer sheet was then loaded into the paper tray, ensuring that it was set the right way up (models of printer differ, but I had to have the backing sheet facing upwards). {#block-140a8c30-4467-4f4d-ad29-9066c1c5de08}

I clicked PRINT on my PC, then waited while the first sheet was printed. The results were good, and I left the sheet aside, allowing the ink to dry for a few hours. {#block-184ea7e8-b86f-46f8-8c9c-1e818b39a9d3}

The next step was to seal the printed images with a clear acrylic varnish. Here was my first mistake – I brushed on a little neat matt acrylic varnish which proved too strong, removing and smudging some of the printed detail. I then tried diluting some MIG acrylic matt varnish in a ratio of 1:1 with cool water, applying it over the sheet with a wide soft brush. This worked well and I left it to dry overnight. The next day I recoated it with another layer of the MIG varnish and left it to dry again. An aerosol-based clear coat may be suitable, but I’d suggest testing it first to see if the paint formula reacted with the ink or transfer film. {#block-cd92a887-5044-49ac-91f8-79bd4aa0e112}

Having cut out the graffiti motifs from the sheet, they were soaked one by one in lukewarm water and gently transferred onto the wagon, dabbing away excess water with a small piece of kitchen towel. As the transfers dried, I began to feel disappointed, due to the translucent nature of parts of the graffiti. In hindsight I realised I should have used white transfer paper instead of clear, although these would have needed extra care when cutting from the sheet to avoid a stark white outline to each motif. {#block-be4341b1-1b1d-466b-9259-741305ac5b48}

Anyway, once the transfers had dried, I gave the wagon a weathered finish which actually improved matters. However, to take things a little further, I used paint to redraw sections of graffiti and give areas a more vibrant appearance. It took time but ultimately proved worthwhile. {#block-a53e373e-bdfd-423c-b9e2-de5fa603bac7}

#### What you will need {#block-ae7a5b36-a200-4398-b248-e69b911e1a99}

**SHOPPING LIST** {#block-e29648ce-56bf-4062-8121-3c853a5b28f9}

✦ A4 waterslide white transfer paper **Price:** About £8.99 for 10 sheets **Availability:** Craft stores or _:a[www.amazon.co.uk]{href='https://www.amazon.co.uk/' }_ {#block-06b89a24-ef55-46ef-8e9c-b071111deb6c}

✦ Micro Sol decal softening solution **Price:** £5.00 {#block-cace3ea1-7091-48f4-989e-d64dd0785a75}

**Availability:** Model shops or _:a[www.scalemodelshop.co.uk]{href='https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/' }_ {#block-279beccd-bf42-4bad-a69c-21974ccdc2bc}

**TOOLS** {#block-37ba56dc-415d-42ad-9fe8-92b0f5ceb085}

✦ Scissors {#block-4564a496-26d7-4330-97d4-215370516952}

✦ Tweezers {#block-6c03b8f7-0f2e-4e3d-90a7-5fa3ead0cdc4}

✦ Wide soft paintbrushes {#block-0033ff92-c39d-4a40-81d5-a78e2d722777}

✦A small dish for water {#block-ccd6cb8a-299f-4549-bd19-ceae91b022cd}

✦ Kitchen towel {#block-48176926-fcf0-43ca-a80b-1414e7230e0b}

#### **STEP** BY **STEP** {#block-c0d04dec-1244-4d07-be12-a1703c400907}

1 I set my Canon Inkjet printer to High Quality and Photo Paper settings, undertook a test print onto regular paper and, when satisfied, fed the transfer paper into the printer, ensuring it was the correct side up.

2 To show the difference between the results from the printer on different settings, here’s a test I created using plain paper (right) contrasting with the final sheet of waterslide transfer paper (left), which is far better defined.

3 After sealing the printed sheet with clear varnish, I used a set of small, sharp scissors to cut carefully around each of the pieces of graffiti ‘art’, being careful to leave a small margin around the edges to avoid too harsh an edge.

4 I placed the various bits of graffiti on the sides of the wagons to see which motifs worked best. Once the composition was decided, a small dish was filled with clean, lukewarm water and the first decal was submerged, as I waited for the film to loosen from the backing paper.

5 I brushed the model’s surface with Microscale Micro Sol decal setting solution immediately before sliding the decal into position. This liquid improves adhesion while also softening the film slightly to help it conform to uneven surfaces.

6 More Micro Sol can be applied over the decal if needed. When dry, this was the disappointing result, with the graffiti ‘art’ appearing translucent. In hindsight, I should have used white transfer paper. But at least my home-made decals adhered well to the model.

7 While I pondered what to do about the ‘bleached-out’ graffiti, I set about weathering the wagon with a dark enamel wash, applied sparingly with a block of sponge, dabbing it here and there. I also dry-brushed the chassis with a grey acrylic paint to pick out the relief.

8 The wagon’s overall grubby appearance ameliorated the faded nature of graffiti decals, and I was tempted to stop there. However, I came up with an idea that was worth a try…

9 I gathered up a few random acrylic shades and brush-painted colour onto the graffiti, using the existing dark borders as a guide. I know this isn’t ideal, but it did create some interesting results. After all, not all graffiti is the same.

**Chris Nevard** tweaks Peco’s new Highland Railway signal box kit and transplants it to a light railway setting in the South West of England. {#block-7b081a74-162e-48e6-a1a6-54792db4e269}

**L**aser-cut kits have been around for some time, especially in the USA, but they’ve only become mainstream here in the UK relatively recently, with several suppliers like Petite Properties, Scale Model Scenery, LCUT Creative and Fair Price Models to name just a few championing the medium which is frequently based around thin plywood, card, paper and MDF. {#block-3435e0b3-7987-43d1-ac69-6e1017bdaa95}

Peco has also joined the scene with a range of buildings, many of which are currently based on Scottish prototypes. The kit employed here is based on the now-listed former Highland Railway signal box at Helmsdale in Sutherland, Scotland. {#block-14f3fd75-80e1-471f-b1b2-393a8ebe855f}

I’d seen the kit lurking on the shelf in my local model shop several times, and wondered if it might just pass for a more southerly building on a Colonel Stephens-inspired light railway, with just a slight modification and a suitable paint scheme. {#block-2c54840e-ba6a-4946-826c-59e5a59a9342}

It’s a lovely kit, featuring lots of finely rendered detail. A choice of roofs is provided, with the laser-cut parts depicting a corrugated iron covering, while a generic set of plastic mouldings offer a slate or tile roof, although these parts require marking and cutting to size. {#block-cd9c0f5d-5260-4eb8-aa78-4d29017b8806}

After a little consideration, I plumped for some laser-cut roof slate strips from Scale Model Scenery, which are applied in overlapped layers, as per the real thing, providing a more realistic appearance. Indeed, I feel that a set of similar tile strips would be a great option for Peco to include with this kit instead of the moulded plastic parts. {#block-bc45a4a9-8bb7-47da-9585-501f72e07077}

This was a fun project, and it’s certainly nice to do a bit of (virtually) plastic-free modelmaking for a change. While the prototype is a Scottish one, having perused several old books, I see that the overall design isn’t too {#block-7e019f83-14f1-402e-9067-3377e4bbd436}

What you will need dissimilar to signal boxes seen elsewhere in the country, especially in rural areas. {#block-c14b3d83-64d6-4d05-8b04-ea96aa92d3b6}

So, what’s with the Wedmore name on my signal box? It’s actually the beginning of a possible new layout project for myself, based on a little-known Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway line which would have run between Shapwick Junction on the Evercreech Junction to Highbridge line, through Wedmore across to Cheddar, where it would have linked up with the GWR. {#block-58fc11bb-1e6e-4acc-8111-7ed4ae33d220}

A Google search suggests that there were plans for Wedmore to have a railway, but it never happened. But those rose-tinted glasses are so very wonderful I’m sure you’ll agree! {#block-779d96d0-d98f-4235-b05a-e425bc553a30}

#### What you will need {#block-e3a7f320-1fee-45c9-8425-585030ce9d89}

**SHOPPING LIST** {#block-b49f55d2-f433-4c50-8ebc-d19943d79e68}

✦ Peco LK-201 Highland Railway Signal Box kit **Price:** £26.50 **Availability:** Peco stockists **Web:** _:a[www.peco-uk.com]{href='https://www.peco-uk.com/' }_ {#block-f6db808a-5d4b-414e-b168-6e0397e43335}

✦ Laser-cut roof slates LX228-00 **Price:** £8.99 {#block-6eb2470d-df4a-46c7-8ad4-0bbf7d238452}

**Availability:** Scale Model Scenery {#block-b935efee-14a0-44c2-8fa9-faf18b5adf79}

**Web:** _:a[www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk]{href='https://www.scalemodelscenery.co.uk/' }_ {#block-a64f8c12-c65f-41eb-a21a-dc7e5d5f7ddb}

✦ Grey, Red, Filler (yellow) primers and Matt Black aerosols {#block-be6dd7ca-dbb6-482a-a2b7-b0429f94318c}

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