Webbed Belt to Hurdle Fence

On a quest to make wagon loads typical of the freight carried on the line our reference book states that manufactured wooden products were dispatched from Cliddesden. What might that be exactly? We are two years into the first world war so it is hardly going to be fancy furniture. The answer could be a little more basic and rustic. There is a photo in the book showing a hurdle maker at his craft with stacks of  fence panels all around.

It was around this time (1916) that food was getting scarce and the populace were being encouraged to grow their own, keep chickens and fatten a pig. So, our wagon load could be hurdles being dispatched to a customer who is going to build a pig pen. Using the same raw materials (beech coppice) our crafty worker could also have been making bean poles for lawned gardens that were being turned over to vegetable growing.

What can be used to represent a hurdle in 'n' gauge? Initially, no idea. It is in this situation I find a steady stroll around the supermarket can reveal products suitable for adaptation. The first product found was a kitchen sieve with plastic mesh. Perhaps the interwoven weave could be created with a wool stitch? A little further on and a webbed luggage strap was found and on close examination I could not believe what I saw. It had the vertical stakes and interwoven weave of a 2mm scale hurdle! To avoid the expense I wondered if we had something similar at home.

Scouting around the garage, loft and cupboards some webbed belts were found with the same weave. Unfortunately, the belts were too thick. But then my wife said she had one and on inspection I found the thickness was acceptable.  She kindly exchanged the belt for a length of string and I went away happy.

I only needed about half an inch off the end for a stack of hurdles so it was a shame to destroy the belt. But I was careful and it is possible to repair it, although wifey may need to loose some weight around the waist to wear it again.

Once the hurdles are cut off  (to dimensions deduced from the photograph of the hurdle maker) the cut ends need to be sealed with PVA glue to stop the weave fraying. I guess for some people that would be job done, after a lick of brown paint. Not for me. Hurdles are made with extended poles for insertion into the ground. The extensions were represented by pushing and gluing very thin wire into the weave, difficult and frustrating task but worth it for the effect. The stack was made solid by gluing the individual hurdles together. Finally painted brown with a dry brush of white.


I think you'll agree the hurdles look right.

The bean poles are very small twigs tied into bundles with wire and soaked in diluted PVA glue with a spot of washing liquid to reduce surface tension..

I suppose I could make more hurdles from the belt and sell them on the web at £5 a stack. (Does anyone buy this stuff?). Trouble is, to do it properly with the pole extensions is time consuming. I'd be working for a lot less than the minimum wage!

If you have been following this mini series on wagon loads then this is the end.

David

Crated Vegetables

These were fiddly to make. A printed graphic artwork was made up as one large block of multiple crates, wrapped around a block of card layers with a matrix of inner side walls added to the top layer of crates.

The outsides were given relief by pressing and running the blade of a small screwdriver between the slats.

The vegetable representations may be of more interest. On the left are crates of potatoes made from very small cork granules. The centre boxes are carrots made from very small dead petals of the yarrow flower painted orange. On the right are cabbages, which are scraps of Woodlands Scenics foam.

These crates will reside on the platform when scheduled for transport by a covered van. We will not load the van in practice as the large single block will not fit through the van door! It can be placed in an open wagon but I don't think that would be used in reality for perishables.

David

Bricks and Mortar

Founded in 1900 the Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers Ltd was an amalgamation of 24 cement companies. In 1978 it became Blue Circle Industries PLC. In this wagon is a stack of Portland cement bags bearing the circular APCM logo.

Each bag was individually made with FIMO clay by pushing a lump through a rectangular hole in a piece of rigid plastic. As the clay protrudes it takes on the bulbous shape of a filled bag. Each bag is 'stuck' to each other (being clay they naturally stick to each other) to form the stack and then heated to harden. The blue circle logo is enamel paint picked up on the end of a very small metal tube and dabbed carefully onto each bag of the top layer.

The bricks are an artwork created in graphic editing software, printed and stuck to card to form a large block. Each brick has the 'frog' formed by pressing the end of a small flat blade screwdriver to create the indentation - a surprisingly effective finish to the model.

David

Timber

Freight marshaling is a fascinating operation because it demands planning for the efficient movement and placement of wagons in the Goods Yard. On a small layout it is an essential activity in order to increase operational interest.

Typical freight handled at Cliddesden are timber, wooden manufactured products and agricultural produce moved out; building materials and coal moved in.

The simplest product to model is timber but when you consider a 6 inch plank is only 1 mm wide then the practicality of modelling individual planks could be troublesome. My solution is a large block of balsa wood scribed to represent planks, although the scribing is barely noticeable until a sharpened lead pencil is run along the cuts. The planks are 'tied' in bundles using thin wire that is poked into pre-drilled holes.

The ends are 'painted' red using a felt tip pen lightly rubbed over.

All sides of the loads are modelled so that the same load can be used in a wagon or placed on the loading platform.

David