Tony’s Forest Scenic Details:
I have created this new page as there didn’t really seem to be anywhere else for the little details that take so long to think about and add.
The most obvious detail is people and I started off with a mixture of white metal characters from a variety of sources like S&D Phoenix figures which is where the crew cutting the fallen tree come from.
All the figures have been painted with acrylics, usually from Vallejo. More recently (2023) I have got figures from Modelu, especially their photographers. I had been looking for some suitable ones for the late 1950’s and was pleased when they introduce a number featuring the Kodak Box Brownie among others.
These have now been placed in suitable positions reflecting the fact that in those days you could pretty much wander where you liked after a friendly work with the work force or owner! There must be a railway society outing as there is a greater number of passengers than normal.
Quite some time ago I added some rabbits which were ancient white metal castings fro Derek Ascott. More recently I have added a bit more wildlife from the 3d printed range offed by Fine Scale Figures. I discovered these during their closing down sale – such a shame to lose an interesting range. (Apologies for the quality of some of these photos which were taken with my phone under poor lighting conditions)
Other items are from the likes of Skytrex (the oil drums and pumps), S&D Models, Duncan Models and the scrap box.
I am sure more details will be added in due course. I find it difficult to think of things to add that are subtle and not immediately obvious which is what I think would be the case in a relatively remote bit of forest.
I have a memory from my childhood of a portable forge that I thought would make a nice addition to Tony’s Forest. Although I found a few poor images on the internet I wasn’t too sure of dimensions. I struck gold in the cellar during a trip to a National Trust property:
Of course I didn’t have a tape measure with me but I estimated the overall diameter as 2ft so I could scale most parts. I figured that brass strip bent into a circle and probably a carved plastic cylinder for the bellows would be the best way to represent the lightweight and portable structure.
I started cutting, bashing, carving and burning my fingers.
The soldering is a bit messy but I think will soon disappear under a layer of paint. I decided it would be easier to carve the bellows out of a few layers of plastic sheet. The original was leather so I don’t need a particularly smooth finish.
The bellows are just balanced in place and have slumped forward a bit. The bellows was fixed with some small blocks of plastic between the fixed rim (the one with the air pipe) and the legs. The operating mechanism is all looks a bit small but I managed (after a fashion and some strong words) to add the bellows and linkage.
Not as neat as I would have liked but I think it will soon get lost under paint and weathering. Shown with a 7mm driver to get an impression of scale.
The main body was chemically blackened before I added these parts.
Whilst it is not exactly going to be hidden away on the layout it will probably be quite difficult to see the detail unless captured by a close-up photo. However, the overall style and fineness of the frame meant that I had to do a reasonable enough job of it or it wouldn’t have looked right.
I’m pleased to have “scratched that itch” as I have wanted one of these on the layout for a long time. It won’t be shown in use but will have some coke in it ready for use and will be situated near the anvil that just happens to be in the station area.
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