Building a small railway station - WIP

One thing missing form my scenic railway items is a small station. I have enough OO/HO rolling stock for a small continental or british train.

I went to a model railway exhibition last weekend and got some cheap bits to make the station with,
- Ratio platform fencing
- Peco platform edging

- Hornby platform station building extension.

Pieces cut to size as needed and a trial layout done

Bases for the station made, on MDF base with cardboard riser - a thin piece of cardboard overlaps the railway line section base ...

 Platform edging stuck to section boards and thin card used to make a platform surface, on top of which will be stuck some Metcalfe paving sheet ...

 Need to pick up a few item:
- station building, if possible a french style one as well as a british one
- line side fencing
- a couple of signals
- some telegraph poles
A nice little shopping list for the next local Toy & Train fair.

Trenches completed...

All the trench sections and associated bits & bobs have been finished off....

The gun emplacement

 a trio of pill-boxes

 the long trench set, with some of my home-made barbed wire in front

building some trenches - still going ...

Two small end-pieces to be used with other sections for smaller setups...

 Used here with the finished basic build gun emplacement ...

 the long section gets a command bunker ...

waiting for Renedra sandbags to arrive and then once those are added will start adding filler etc...

Building some trenches - WIP

I've been building some trenches ....

The above photo shows three sections, two ends and a longer centre section. The trenches are made using some thick shelving board (aprox 2cm thick) cut up into suitable lengths, stuck to some thick cardboard. The sides of the trenches are thinner cardboard, any gaps have been filled up with foamboard and cork tile.

I will be adding another section to contain a gun,

 the aim is to have enough trench sections to go across the table, representing a section of a beach for an invasion landing. Trench sections should be usable on their own as well.

I'll need plenty of sandbags !

Hanomag (Sdkfz 251) - Canvas Covers

Being lazy about putting sitting figures in my Hanomag's I decided to give them canvas covers..

I made up some small cardboard pieces and used some plastic bits and other cardboard pieces suitable shaped to make the 'hoops' ....

 each cardboard piece was then covered in some thin brown curtain lining material...

 when fixed on the covers were given a splosh of PVA, and when this was dry a light wash of tan brown; a most pleasing result...

peremiter wire fencing made - WIP

All the fencing sections have now been made up  

the gate can be moved to an open position ...

enough fencing to enclose an area of 3ft x 2ft.

lots to paint !

Making some peremiter wire fencing - WIP

While on a 'make stuff' bender I decided to make up some perimeter fencing, a couple of lengths done ...

made using large cocktail sticks cut to size for the posts with plasterboard joint tape for the fencing.

Tank Traps and Barbed wire - WIP

a few bits accumulating for painting, some Italeri tank traps and home-made barbed wire

barbed wire is made by wrapping some copper wire round a bit of dowling and sticking to wire posts on a cardboard base.

renovating a Lysander ...

A nice Ebay buy for  £3.99, a poor distressed Airfix Lysander - wings not straight,  wheels on back to front, missing propeller blade and an interesting paint scheme. A bit of careful wiggling and use of a craft knife got the cockpit and wing off plus the wheel assemblies...

wheels back on, gaps filled, new propeller blade made using wire & green stuff, wing re-assembled and cockpit & crew painted...

the wing and struts were carefully stuck back on and then it was painted, I had to paint round the transfers which was bit tricky, and touched them in as needed.

 on its maiden flight (using a small stand intended for aircraft strafing runs)

Small Coastal Ship - completed...

Finally got this little ship through the 'paint shop'...

first configuration two hatches and a derrick at the bow...

 second configuration (alternate deck) with central derrick and large crate

 the big crate replaced with its Q-ship style deck gun...

A small coastal ship, WIP-4

The ship with its alternate deck arrangement completed, a hatch and a large crate on deck.

The crate can be removed and alternate items placed where it was. The initial alternate replacement for the crate is the 'crate unfolded' - revealing a large deck gun. The gun is constructed from plastic sprue and bits of plasticard, a pin through the base enables the gun to swivel.

so a Q-Ship of sorts to take on a submarine ...

The german build up continues ...

General von Tiddenheim is out on an inspection tour, to check on the status of his forces.

He stops briefly to watch some of the manouvres by one of his panzer divisions

then on to inspect one of the reconnaissance units...

[new items: Panzer I command tank and Panzer II;  two SDKfz250s and three amoured cars purchased at Bovington Wargames show and re-based on my new scheme]

Some 'very light' armoured support for the British

First up a small armoured car (die-cast model of a Russian armoured car, but suitable), for the use by the Home Guard...

A Bren carrier for the regulars ( picked up at Bovington Wargames show, a slight repaint to match my scheme)..

Aircraft stands ....

I've been making some aircraft stands recently, mainly for some WW1 aircraft, but re-usable for WW2 as well.

a couple for the games table, for low flying aircraft (bases are tops from my partners empty makeup pots I'd been keeping, I knew they would be useful eventually...) . Hibachi skewers for the uprights which fit in a small hole drilled in the underside of the aircraft.

 something a little taller, with height variation. Adapted legs from a camera tripod, these extend up to 3 foot long; the tripod rubber foot is drilled out to take a small length of a Hibachi skewer. These bigger stands are for use in a larger area (outdoors or indoors), the variable height gives a visual portrayal of altitude

 Six of the big stands made up, enough for 3 planes each side.

 Need to find a suitable paint scheme for the bases.

A small coastal ship, WIP-3

Work has progressed nicely on this, I bought some doors and portholes plus a few other ship bits for it and have added the wheel house (to be glazed when painted). At the moment I'm working on an alternate deck configuration with the derrick in the middle.

A small coastal ship, WIP-2

for the ship I've gone for a simple freighter - the main deck and derrick are removable - allowing the ship to be something else (alternate main deck/derrick position).

A small coastal ship, WIP-1

Something a little different to work on ...

I picked up this hull and some parts cheaply at a local Toy & Train fair;  a part-built project - I've kept the most useful bits and the plan is to make up a coastal freighter of sorts.

British transports and bofors gun...

An Oxford die-cast lorry with a slight repaint and weathered a bit, plus a couple of smaller soft-tops from the Airfix 1:72 Scale RAF Vehicles kit

A 40mm bofors gun and tractor,  made from the Airfix kit.

German paratroops ...

German paratroops on manouvres...

General von Tiddenheim who had been observing the manouvres has a chat with the commander of the paratroops....

 

[new items: paratroops from Valiant Miniatures]

Various bits of transport and a fire engine..

A few die-cast items that can be used without much work (mostly Lledo 'days gone by')

German 105mm Howizters ...

General von Tiddenheim has started his round of inspections, he has stopped to watch divisional artillery practice at a firing range....

[new items: two 105mm Howitzers and crew built from the Amourfast kit]

Invasion Briefing...

The briefing room HQ Army Group C Normandy..  

{or the purposes of this Blog a fictional commander for Army Group C is used - General Von Tiddenheim- who also appeared in a couple of early blog posts on Somewhere in England  (e.g. A Planning Meeting ) }

 ---oXo---

Von Tiddenheim has just completed a briefing for the invasion of Britain, for Army Group C in the flank attack on Weymouth and adjoining areas....

Von Tiddenheim: thank you for your time gentlemen, I look forward to seeing your detailed plans for each division - 1st & 2nd waves etc - plus proposed drop zones for paratroops.

Von Tiddenheim returned to his office and checked his diary - inspections of troops, artillery and tanks filled most of days for the next week or so ....

Leaving for England ....

Lt. Abel, was due to be sent to England to work with his old colleague Col. Schmidt gathering intelligence on the disposition of forces along the coast and inland.  His orders came sooner than expected ....

Late one afternoon he was picked up by a car and he was driven to the nearby airfield. The car passed through the main entrance ...

 and pulled up in front of the control tower ...

 Lt Abel went out to the waiting Storch ...

Soon they were off and heading across the channel to Somewhere in England ....

[ New items: Storch plane, completed Hangars,  Control Tower and ancilliary buildings.]