Friday Update: Bear Creek in H0…

This week’s Friday update is the penultimate of 2021 and documents the progress I’ve made on a personal project this week, the logging cameo I’ve discussed previously, ‘Bear Creek Siding’ in H0…

As I said last week, I find myself mentally and emotionally burnt out by this time of year. I need a break, I need something to rekindle my modelling mojo. This time last year I designed and built Kinross and it's no secret that for 2021 I’ve turned to another North American subject, a logging layout...

I discussed the plans for this last week, and have previously mentioned the melancholy link to my Dad. He passed away this time of year 11 years ago and even now, after I got over the depression brought on by grief a few years later, I still find myself missing him over the Christmas period and days of low mood. I feel like I’m building the layout Dad always had hoped to, and as a result it’s definitely carrying a little more emotional pressure… I’m ok though. I’ve got good friends and a loving family.

I share my mental health with you all because I think we don’t do enough talking about this side of our lives, the more we can normalise talking about it, the more lives will be saved. It's a sad fact but mental health leading to suicide kills more men under 35 than cancer…

This week has been about resting from work, letting my mind calm. The first few days I just sat around reading books and taking the dog for a walk, however on Tuesday evening I dug out some off-cuts of MDF and thin ply and set about working out if I had enough materials to build my 'usual' cameo box... through good fortune there was a good 9mm MDF sheet for the base, some tatty but usable 6mm for the ends and wings and some 5mm ply from several half used sheets I could use for the lid and back scene. Marked up these were cut out and glued together on Wednesday morning, using my usual (for this type of low structural strength requirement) method of PVA and masking tape clamps!

Alongside the baseboard I have worked on a few items for the layout / cameo. The Rivarossi stake car shown last week has now been joined by a second example, both now painted black with a yellow section on the centre of the beam for some custom decals I have drawn up, inspired by a photo from Alan Sewell's collection showing the Chehalis Western cars. You will spot centre stage though the Oxford Diecast Chevy pick up, this is now yellow (as of course, all forestry vehicles need to be yellow) and will gain some Hilton-Mears decals on the doors shortly.

In the period, logging lines were still users of caboose. I picked up an old unbuilt Walthers kit for a Union Pacific prototype - this included all the parts and details in bags, and drilling and fitting the wire grabs was a real test even for myself - the window bars have next to no material to drill through, but I think I've got it all on neatly. The model was stripped of it's UP paint in a bath of IPA before hand, and will also become a yellow peril in the coming weeks...

Dad's Shay has received some cosmetic attention this week. I removed and smoothed the old decals on the sides of the bunker and cab and cleaned up some of the paintwork on these areas before priming - later on in the post you can see I've then touched in the paintwork to match Dad's original finish and it's hard to tell what is and isn't original. The bunker is likely to receive a 'Hilton Logging' sign written name, I've drawn up some artwork for custom decals... I picked up a Lifelike tank car too, and am torn between making this a water car (and paint it silver) or a fuel car and make it dirty black.

Now the box was consrctured (lid above and behind in the shot above) I could begin to mock up the position of the two turnouts to ensure that despite it's theatre set presentation, and deliberate focus on presentation,  not operation, that you could still do a little switching and playing. I plumped for a short Y and medium radius right hand turnout, Peco Code 75.

The box was painted on Wednesday, and during Thursday the cork roadbed was fitted, and the edges smoothed with plaster which dried in time to paint in the same grey paint. The lid has also been fitted with it's LED lights and plug...

...work continued at a pace and with the roadbed dry enough, I placed the track in position and cut it all to length. I had determined I wanted to use Atlas Code 55 in Peco track bases for the spur and loop lines, and I'm pleased I went to this effort because here, contrasting with the Code 75 turnouts it is noticeably lighter in appearance, much more so than the Code 83 /  Code 70 contrast on Beaverbrook... hindsight is a wonderful thing! One thing led to another, and with a prevailing wind I have pushed on, last night saw the wiring completed and a locomotive run over every inch of track - fittingly this was bestowed upon the Shay that started it all...

Today's focus will be painting and weathering the ties and rails - and then we'll be on to scenic treatment. I have a real thing about this presntation format for a layout at present, as can be seen above, even without the backscene in place the LED lighting results in a lovely presentation of a scene that can just sit on a shelf in your home. This is the third 'shelf' based cameo I have built, and the speed at which you can go from bare wood to ready for scenery really holds my attention. Perhaps if you've got the space for an IKEA Lack shelf, you can find a home for a layout in your space? Is it time to look around your study, workshop or even lounge for somewhere that could be a home for your hobby?

I hope this post has helped inspire you all in some way, and that by even just touching on mental health I can encourage you to share the burden with friends or family - or even strangers - I find this hobby, my job, to be immensely satisfying and a great comfort even when I'm low. I hope others can do too... in the meantime, more soon...