Lochdubh: 8 miles to Dunbracken…
The beauty of our craft is the artistic licence to create a vision hewn from experience and love rather than perhaps the cold recreation of a prototype in exact scale miniaturisation...
Lochdubh is nowhere in particular and anywhere too - inspired by visits to the Highlands, train books as a child and Hamish Macbeth it has been a wonderful journey into 'the art' of N gauge modelling. I'm now into adding the 'finishing' touches and these need to be subtle yet important and personal details.
At the top of the ramp a small croft stands at a junction in the main road. Outside a fisherman enjoys some 'fresh air' (Brian McCulloch - who actually helped with the croft by sharing some sketches and dimensions for me to work from). The road sign points to Inverness, yes, but also the less well knock Dunbracken.
Dunbracken is another of the Hamish Macbeth references, as well as a nod to fellow modeller Tom Dauben's 009 creation of the same name - the sign is barely 4mm tall so basically only readable with a good close up photograph BUT I know it's there - and I know the connections it makes!
The sign itself? I'll spare you the 'how to guide' but it's a water slide decal on 5 thou styrene with 0.35mm brass rod posts - nothing ground breaking but proving to be effective in this scale.
Connections, those parts of us we imbue in our work - that's what sets this apart from 'playing trains' or 'model railways'. This is art, and I love it.
Lochdubh is almost complete - as in there will not be more to add... but it's not finished. I love it, I love I have it, I love I can switch on the lights and get lost for just a moment, the seagulls mewing, the waves lapping against the harbour and the 37 ticking over at the buffers.
The picture perfect Scottish Highland terminus that never was - until next time, more soon...
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Love the sign, and the wide shot of the whole layout really shows how effective the whole thing is. Sometimes I wish I had the patience for N but it drove me mad last time I tried.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark - I don't find it tests my patience. It does reward a slower approach mind, one that is more deliberate and careful. I enjoy what I can fit into the space available, and I'm glad it evokes certain nostalgic feelings for others too!
DeleteI think my main issue with N last time was thinking I could fit more than I could into the space I had (tried a roundy-roundy in less than a 1m square) using set track curves and mainline locos which led to terrible running. It was never ever going to end well. I should probably give a simple shelf layout a go at some point; just need to wait for inspiration to strike for a theme.
DeleteI looked at doing a 'pizza' but with fine track to run my 22 and clay wagons but I just couldn't get it small enough to fit here - as although the 22 will run on quite a tight radius, the coupling overhand is too large now I use DG couplings mounted on the body... good luck!
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