The canal & basin are wonderful! The way the light reflects is superb..

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Graham. I hadn’t expected the amount of difference having reflections in the basin and canal would make. She;I saw the lighted coaches go over the bridge for the first time it really surprised me. Stephen

Wow Stephen! That canal basin has turned out extremely well. Fantastic to see the reflections in the canal and the running session was great. Look forward to seeing what comes next. In the meantime just enjoy watching your trains running. Congratulations. Roy.

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks you Roy. The reflections make so much difference and I have been surprised how much. It is nice to sit back now and watch the trains for a while. Stephen

Wow Stephen, what a transformation the water is. With the lighting reflections it really is a grand little layout. Lots going on and great scenery…well done to you, great job 👏🏻👏🏻👌🏻

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Chris. I was very surprised how much difference the water makes, but very pleased with the outcome as you can imagine. Stephen

Loving the canal, turned out really well. Thank you also for the layout tour, not seen it from the angles you showed today. It all emphasises the tremendous passion, skill and realism you have put into this. Great work.

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks very much John you're very kind. I am very pleased with the canal. The difference the reflections make to the area are really surprising. There are times when I look at the layout and wonder if I really have done all that I can see. It is amazing what you can achieve when you really want to do something. Stephen

Well Stephen, what a fantastic result you've achieved with the PVA water! Good job you listened to Mrs Elvenhome and gave it that extra coat! The reflections of the lights from the carriages as they passed over the bridge were brilliant! You must be so pleased with the effect! I've looked at the Petite Properties buildings before, and like the look of them as they're so different from the more usual Metcalfe kits! I love how you modified them to make them look even better! I very much enjoyed the running session, showing off your eight years of hard work! Of course, I'm disappointed that you'll be reducing to monthly uploads! I know after binge watching all of your videos over a period of about three months a couple of years ago, I was disappointed when I caught up, and had to wait a fortnight for the next one! Lol! All the best, Ian.

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi Iain and thanks. I am so pleased with the result and I do just stand sometimes and look at the result. It maybe that I will have enough to put things up more than every four weeks, and it does feel very strange not to have a very long list of things to do. The Petite Properties kits are a joy to work with. The church makes a nice alternative to the Metcalf one (which is itself a great kit but somewhat ubiquitous on layouts) and really looks good sat a the churchyard. Stephen

Hi Stephen. That looks brilliant. The canal scene is excellent. Pete.

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks very much Pete. It has come out very well thank heavens. It was a very big area and I did wonder how the glue would behave. Stephen

Excellent bit of PVA work Stephen. Really looks the part. Running session eas particularly pleasing and is testament to all the effort you have put into the layout. Can completely understand the reason for moving to a monthly update. Interesting to hear of another possible project....... cheers Euan

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Euan. It really has turned out very well. I found it quite hard to film the running sessions because I kept stoping to look at the trains going by. Took several goes before I got the final footage. Stephen

Beautiful and good detailled scenery!

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thank you Susanne. I've enjoyed building this part of the layout. Stephen

The PVA water is fantastic! I wasn't sure Stephen when you first discussed your plan. However, it has turned out to be an inspired choice, congratulations! The water brings the layout alive and the reflections nail it! The night running was great too and showcased your fantastic work perfectly! Cheers, Karl

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks very much Karl. I was a little nervous whether over so large a space it would work with the PVA but the outcome is even better than I hoped. I have been very surprised by how much difference having reflections in the basin has made to the whole area. Stephen

Hi Stephen, thoroughly enjoyed the video and what a fantastic result with the canal and basin! Great to see the layout finally finished it really does look superb and testament to all of the hard work and dedication of the past 8 years! Great running session showing off all those reflections at a sunset was very atmospheric! As you say time to sit back and enjoy the trains running on the ‘finished’ layout but sure lots of little details to add and updates to undertake such as the church. Let’s see what you’ve been up to in 4 weeks time which will seem a bit strange after regular fortnightly videos for as long as I’ve been watching the channel, cheers Gary

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Gary. The PVA has worked remarkably well; better than I hoped. The reflections make so much difference even in daylight. You are right there is lots of detail to be done now. I’ve been noticing parts which I hadn’t finished off properly in order to get on with bigger jobs. But all the major building is finished and it is a strange feeling in some ways. I do hope to cure the dark patch in the layout by the next video but we shall see. Stephen

Your canal and turning basin turned out great! This is the best water effect I have seen in model railways, and I follow a number of utube model railway channels from the UK. Bill and Janet from California

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi bill and Janet and thanks very much. The use of the glue for the water really has worked remarkably well. It is just nice to look at the scene even without trains running. Amazing to think that only a few months or so ago it was largely white foam sheet and baseboard. Stephen

Hello, I've just found your channel, your canal basin is fantastic. I now have lots of catching up to do lol. Thanks Chris 😊

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi Chris and welcome to the channel. The canal basin has turned out far better than I imagined and having reflections now makes such a difference. There is quite a back catalogue to go through and I apologise in advance for the ropey quality of the early videos. I was learning my craft such as it is! Stephen

Very atmospheric, will try the neat PVA method,,well done

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Colin. You should definitely give it a go. I am very surprised how the good the eventual effect is. Stephen

Hi Stephen, The canal basin looks lovely and the pva technique has worked really well. Very Impressed. Those petite property buildings are really nice, allows you to cover the building to how it suits your layout and area rather than being locked in to what the manufacturer decides. Cheers, Michael

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks very much Michael. The PVA really has given a great result, even better than I had hoped. Seeing the lit carriages going over the viaduct for the first time after the fourth coat had dried was quite a moment. Stephen

Hi Stephen, I think I may have said in a previous comment I feel a little sad that Elvenhome has basically been completed, having been with you from the beginning, the bare room, waiting for the baseboards, and now going to monthly episodes. I hope you do have another project in mind as I do enjoy what you do and the way you go about things, it’s a good inspiration for me and others. The PVA has turned out so well, the reflections on the water from the surrounding foliage, buildings and lights gives it such a sense of realism. The running session really gave the whole place some atmosphere and looked so good, no wonder you just sat there watching the trains run round! I certainly know something that will keep you going is more people to populate the layout, I think most of Elvenhome were at the night market! To be honest it is something that will keep me going at Exehaven for years to come as I will need hundreds of figures!!! Looking forward to next months episode Stephen, cheers for now, John

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi John. I am so pleased with the PVA. It is far better than I dared to hope. It does feel odd not to have a long list of major bits of work to do and I do miss that. There is going to be something else but I am waiting on something I preordered over a year ago which is supposed to be arriving later this year. The main work on Elvenhome now is detail, and returning to bits of the layout that could be done better or need some tlc. A big part of that is people. I can’t quite remember how many are in the market, but I am sure it is well over a 100. I’ve got a few hundred the cheap painted figures I’ve shown before which need a bit more paint. I’ll see how things look once they are on the layout, and I will use Modelu figures for key sections. Stephen

Hi Stephen, I am impressed with the completion of your canal. It looks just as good if not better than when you described what you were starting. It’s hard to believe your near completion of the layout, soon we will just get running sessions, unless you decide to change something. Take care and look forward to the next instalment

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi Paul and thanks. I've just realised that the reply I thought I had sent when you posted this comment doesn't appear to have been sent. I suspect I pressed cancel instead of send. I am really pleased with the result and there is still a lot of detailed work needed in various places, without the bits which were done early on and could be done better. So I hope plenty to see for a while yet at least. Stephen

Morning Stephen, very impressed with the low relief No2 Station Road building, and its a shame they don't do more full size buildings. You were absolutely correct in the comment about the reflection of the lights from the coaches reflecting on the canal water - just so good and very atmospheric. I am at the stage when I just about finishing the canal basin but having second thoughts about the water - I think more wary about the standard of finish I can achieve but having seen your finished water has given me more confidence to tackle it. Thank you. Regards Steve

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi Steve. I really like the Petite Properties kits. They have a great range of complete kits in OO scale (including No2) but for some reason they have never produced them in N. If it would help to talk through anything about using the PVA for the water just drop me an email and we can arrange to speak. One thing that I think really helped me was to do a test piece. It allowed me to test out the technique for spreading the glue and avoid bubbles, and the painting of colour on layer 2. It also gave me confidence that it would work and to see the result, although the baseboard of the layout turned out to be a better surface than my test piece. I am very pleased with the result, and at 50p for the glue its is much cheaper and more certain than all the resin products. Stephen.

Oh, Stephen, the water works so well! Lovely. Thank you for the amazing journey so far, and I'm sure you will find stuff to delight and educate! Loved the night time filming, but it made me wonder if you could do more to add more subtlety to different areas, more variety in luminosity - signal boxes darker, maybe colour the LEDs in the engine shed to give it a more gritty industrial atmosphere. The two towers at High Elven are very bright and would benefit by greatly dimming them. Sorry if I'm being picky, but you raise your bar so high that it encourages your viewers to do the same! So many, many thanks as always, for sharing your progress!

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Dave again. I am so pleased with the PVA effect and indeed with the whole of that part of the layout. As with all projects you can see when you look around where you might have done things differently. Some of the lights share a power distribution board which does have the ability to vary the voltage, but of course it affects everything on that Board. It is too late to add resistors now, or at least I am not going to try to do that soldering upside down under the layout! Stephen

@davidrauger

3 ай бұрын

@@Elvenhome Soldering under the board can be hairy! But as long as you are careful. I've managed to get the iron caught up in my jumper, though!

Stephen really helpful to watch your experience with using PVA it’s certainly something I’ll be using on a river basin. Sad that you won’t be posting so often but completely understood. A topic for a future video that would be interesting is the relative performance of your locos particularly over the more complex pointwork in the MPD. Thanks Stephen

@Elvenhome

2 ай бұрын

Hi Stephen and thanks. The PVA has worked very well and I do enjoy just looking at the reflections whenever I look at the layout. That's and interesting idea as a subject for a future video. It's been a while since I last showed me running anything in the MPD. Stephen

Hello Stephen Once again some lovely work completed on your wonderfully atmospheric layout. The coach lighting reflected in the canal water is a joy to see, I could just imagine sitting outside on a summers evening at the pub there watching the trains go across the viaduct, just brilliant! Thank you for all this inspiration!

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Peter. I agree that it would be nice on a summers evening to sit outside the pub watching the trains go by. It's pretty good sitting in my office chair. Stephen

Thanks very much Paul. The canal is much better than I expected. There is quite a bit of detail needed. I finished many parts enough to be able to move on to the next big thing, and some part need TLC. But it is very strange to stand at the end of the layout and look at it and all parts of it now developed. Stephen

Hi St Stephen, I hope your visits to Euan are starting to pay off. I have to admit to being a little sceptical about the pva water, but it has turned out to be fantastic. The reflections it gives are beyond what I expected. Deserves a 10 ! The one criticism I have is that you are following Paul Sheedy down the road of awful music, I felt like I was having a nightmare, and trapped in a lift forever ! The sounds of the trains running around is definitely preferable.

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Mark. The PVA really has delivered and the end result exceeds my expectations. When I saw the lit carriages go over the viaduct for the first time I was astonished. Stephen

I must say, I'm astonished by the effect achieved with using PVA. The running session is simply splendid - so much atmosphere, the reflection of the lit carriages reflecting upon the canal in front of the buildings is stunning. Take a richly deserved pat on the back for an outstanding effort.

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks very much Donald. It is so nice to be able just to sit back and watch the trains. This has turned out far better than I hoped. Stephen

WOW, what an atmosphere you have created. The water looks fantastic, this area is now longer a problem but rather now the focal point. Well done Stephen.

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Chris. It is funny how this area has gone from being the bit I wasn't quite sure what to do with, to my favourite part of the layout. It is probably a good job I left it to the end though because by the time I tackled it I had the skills to do it justice. Stephen

Greetings Elvenhome and hello Stephen 👋 Still in shock at the news of the change to every four weeks 😢😢 following on from the demise of Hattons 😭😭 the world 🌎 is turning on its head 😉 I'm sure you will find a nice juicy project for us 🤞 maybe a Diesel Depot 😲 The canal 💡 reflections are magical 🤩 and the time away from the modelling table will be well spent just watching trains 🚂 Very best wishes from the Emerald Isle ☘️ PS the National Treasure 😇 is looking for script writers 🤔 if your really stuck for a project 🤭

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi Paul. There will be another project, just the timing is out of my hands but if the predictions for the arrival of the means of locomotion are correct should be here by the end of the year. I am so pleased with the canal and amazing impact adding the 'water' has made. Stephen

Hi Stephen. Nice video as always. Every four weeks !? Oh, no! In your terrace, there is a tiny amount of light-bleed from the left-hand shop (the shops look like they're from Petite Properties - though not the new ones, of course).

@Elvenhome

2 ай бұрын

Hi Paul and thanks. The two shops are from Layouts4U. I quite like their stuff but you can have problems with the laser cut mdf having warped in transit. Thanks for letting me know about the light bleed. I hadn't properly sealed the insert I had to make to go in the back of the kit. All sorted now. Stephen

Just needs a few ducks now for you to get in a row. Fab job with the water and running sessions. I really need to finish my scratch build and start work on the camera project to do some running sessions myself (having got a pen camera)

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Ducks in N scale? I think Faller do some, or maybe they are swans. We shall have to see once I get around to the detailing. I hope the pen camera works as well for you as it has for me. Stephen

Fantastic result with the PVA, worth being patient for and well done to Mrs Elvenhome for advocating for a 4th pouring! Chris

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Chris. It always pays to take heed of suggestions from Mrs Elvenhome. The end result is better than I expected and as you can see I am very pleased with it. Stephen

Absolutely brilliant. I must admit I wasn’t sure about the PVA water but it has worked a treat. Looking forward to seeing the houses lit as well. Also how about some train cam footage up to Highelven? Haven’t seen that for a while

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi David. I was fairly sure the PVA would work, but I wasn't certain and the results surpassed everything I was expecting. I do need to give the track a good clean for the branch which has not seen much traffic. I will include a trip to High Elven in the next video. Stephen

Before I even watch the video, I wanted to say your thumbnail looks absolutely lovely. A few people and it would look even more fabulous.

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Dave. I was very pleased with the photo when I took it. I need to put a lot more people all over the layout and where I have them they do transform the scene. Stephen

Hi Stephen, the canal basin area is looking great. The Petite Properties kits are lovely kits, I've built a few of them myself. Infact my grandson has recently started to build a couple of 00 guage kits which are destined to go on a 009 layout he is planning at the moment. I'm sure they will appear on one of his videos when he starts to build his layout. Nice evening running session at the end... Cheers James 🙂👍

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Thanks James. I am very pleased with the canal area. I do wish Petite Properties would do more whole buildings in N. Their kits are really very good and a joy to put together. Stephen

@DYLINGTONMODELRAILWAY

3 ай бұрын

@Elvenhome yes I've noticed that the N guage is more low relief. My grandson is really enjoying building them, and to be fair, he's doing a great job of them . But he's building 00 kits. I'll get him to put some photos on his community page when he gets time. Hopefully, he'll be starting his 009 layout soon ....cheers James 🙂👍

Am now pondering whether the pva water will work for the stream on my layout as what you have achieved looks really good. This is me now being a bit pedantic but I think most of the piles of sawn timber in the wood yard should be turned through 90 degrees. Otherwise the forklift would struggle to lift them. If you spend a minute playing with the forklift as if it were loading with a pack of timber you'll see what I mean. I hope that makes sense.

@Elvenhome

Ай бұрын

Thanks Alan. The PVA may well work for you. The main thing is to do a test piece first. The key to this technique is to paint the PVA in thin coats. If the glue is too thick, it may not dry fully through the layer. It will take several coats. I don’t think a fork lift would be used on the logs, just the sawn timber and final products. I am hoping at some point I will find an N gauge logging vehicle that has essentially a claw that can lift and manipulate the logs before they become sawn timber. Several are made in OO but no luck so far in finding anything in N. I may just have to have a go at scratch building a claw to fit onto a vehicle. Stephen

Hello there, your layout looks wonderful as always. For the corner at High Elven, may I suggest a fire station of the Auxiliary Fire Service (disbanded in 1967) and you could use the Oxford Diecast Green Goddess as they do them in N gauge. I just figured that the central fire station might be too far away to reach High Elven in time or an ambulance station, not sure if you've done one of them yet.

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi; Bob and thanks. Thanks for your suggestion. It’s made me think what I could do up there beyond houses or shops. It would have to low relief but that just makes it easier to build 😀. Stephen

You must be very satisfied with the results of your (almost 😊) complete layout. Very impressive 👏👏 Do you use a particular system for your lighting? Thanks

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi Rob. It is very pleasing to be able to sit back and watch the trains. There are still things to be done, but not large areas still to be developed. Someone recently asked about what I use for the lighting so, in best Blue Peter fashion here's an answer I prepared earlier. I have three 12V transformers powering three separate power buses. The long part of the L of the layout has a wiring loom (see episode 24). The lights coming off the wiring loom are either 12V lamps or they have a resistor fitted. Also from this loom are powered a number of power distribution boards which can step the voltage down to 3V which avoids me needing to fit resistors. I talk about the power distribution boards in Episode 133. When I started work on the shorter part of the L I had to get power for the points at High Elven (via a Capacitor Discharge Unit CDU) and the one I bought also allowed me to power a separate power loom for lights and a distribution board. Finally I also use the Woodland Scenics Just Plug system for the Hotel School and the low relief buildings (it give greatest flexibility with separate dimmers for each light) and that has a dedicated transformer (see Episode 57). Stephen

@robappleby2359

3 ай бұрын

Very comprehensive, @@Elvenhome I’ll enjoy running through those earlier videos and thanks for the pointers. For what it’s worth, I enjoy watching you put your models together - there’s usually some education in your methods. If you’re short of content, I bet there are others who would also appreciate seeing more of that type of content. Thanks again

Where do you get your lights from please for rolling stock and buildings. Many thank

@Elvenhome

2 ай бұрын

Hi Graham. The coaches are made by Dapol and they have their light bar system built into them. You just have to buy a light bar, remove the roof, which generally comes of reasonably easily, plug the light bar in and put the roof on again. It is possible to fit lights to other makes, but it is far more involved and also it is often difficult to get access to Graham Farish coaches because they aren’t made with the expectation you will want to get them apart. Many of my street lights and some lights inside buildings are from either Kytes Lights, Layout4U or sometimes eBay. Some buildings are lit with the Woodland Scenics Just Plug system which is an expensive way to do it but it gives very fine control over the brightness of each lamp. Lastly some are lit using just very small LEDs. Stephen

Thank you I’m totally new at building a layout. The one I’m building is 8’x32” split in 2 so far I’ve built a 8’ tunnel with removable ends and middle section for access with paper mash. What is the brown paint you use and are you on FB. Many thanks

@Elvenhome

2 ай бұрын

Hi Graham. First of all welcome to the world of model railways it is a great hobby. I am not putting links to the things I go on to mention in this reply because KZread sometimes considers them suspicious links and quarantines the reply. If KZread does quarantine the reply you won't get to see it. I don't have a facebook page for the layout, but I do have a thread on the N Gauge Forum (which is free to join) for Elvenhome. I've just added a link in the description to this video to the forum thread. You are also welcome to drop me an email to the address at the end of the video. I'd be happy to give you any help I can or point you to videos where I may have shown how I do things. Mpost of my paints are Vallejo and the main one is Flat Brown. The canal basin though was a Farrow and Ball tester pot London Clay No244 that I bought from from B&Q Stephen

What do u use to power your lights

@Elvenhome

3 ай бұрын

Hi Martin. I have three 12V transformers powering three separate power buses. The son part of the L of the layout has a wiring loom (see episode 24). The lights coming off the wiring loom are either 12V lamps or they have a resistor fitted. Also from this loom are powered a number of power distribution boards which can step the voltage down to 3V which avoids me needing to fit restores. I talk more about the power distribution boards in Episode 133. When I started work on the shorter part of the L I had to get power for the points at High Elven (via a Capacitor discharge Unit CDU) and the one I bought also allowed me to power a separate power loom for lights and a distribution Board. Finally I also use the Woodland Scenics Just Plug system for the Hotel School and the low relief buildings (it give greatest flexibility with seperate dimmers for each light) and that has a dedicated transformer (see Episode 57). Hope that answers your question. Stephen

@MartinSummerfield

3 ай бұрын

@@Elvenhome many thanks