Materials and Kit

The storage modules were made to order by Dave Poole. He makes them in all shapes and sizes and provides a bespoke service. His telephone numbers are 0117 9092 993 or 07944 378021 (after 7 pm) E-mail:-

The lighting equipment came from Dianne of Miniature World on the Isle of Wight. Her website with all contact details is www.miniatureworld.co.uk. If you do not know what you want use the telephone. She is very helpful.

Exhibition Display cabinets were made to the South Hants Model Auto standard by a friend. . They cannot be bought anywhere that we know about but any good carpenter/joiner should be able to make one. Safety glass is standard with piano hinged lid. The cabinets have locks to safeguard the contents while on public display (a necessity where small hands are concerned)

The people and animals have come from everywhere. Workers on the Farm are Britains, Timpo, Charbens. Hill, Taylor and other, unidentified old pieces while the visitors are modern Preiser, Carrera and MRRP Gauge 1 slot car spectators, the odd Siku tractor driver (many remodelled). Modern children are Preiser 1:43 scale and Schuco 1:43. The Preiser figures are super detailed while the Carrera ones have heads and arms that can be repositioned. Carrera models are also slightly smaller. I have been unable to find any manufacturer of modern child models in 1:32 scale but am still trying. Mandy of Holly Loves Toys has been very helpful and sourced the Schuco models for me.

Small fences and gates etc are Britains, Timpo (or other) lead and plastic but the post and rails are crafted from bamboo skewers.

Trees and Hedges are a mixture of purchased railway layout items or handcrafted from seed heads and bits found in the garden or a mixture of trunks and bits (Britains Floral Garden), found in "bits and pieces" boxes at toy fairs. Hedges are also a mix of Britains lead and handcrafted from seed heads. The trees for the windmill hill are from the Woodland Scenics range. They produce trees from 3cm to 10cm. So far I have no 10 cm one but think I shall have to get some. The tallest trees on the mill hill are scots pines which my husband had kept from his railway modelling days but I believe they are also Woodland Scenics.

The home made hedges (seen in the foreground above) are quite simple to make but do tend to fall to pieces eventually. Dried seed heads from things like buddleia (just the tips or small side flowers) laid on a length of card coated in thick PVA glue. When dry they are sprayed with a plastic paint and if I want a different effect also sprinkled with green or coloured layout "scatter" before the paint dries. The resulting strip can be cut into hedges of different lengths as required. Some of the trees are made of the same seed heads with the stems left long to act as trunks. These need to be set into a base - modelling media such as the old-fashioned Plasticine is ideal as you can harden it with banana oil, Skulpy also works but needs baking (without the tree in place). Both can be sprinkled with scatter for grass or soil using watered PVA glue to help it stick.

Buildings -Dairy, milking shed and forge are Bayko. The paper "floors" were laid over the bases and holes carefullypunched out with a darning needle before the rods were inserted. Tedious job as I had to first build then dismantle to fit the floors but give a good effect. The slab effect floors started as pencil drawings which were scanned into PhotoShop.The resulting A4 sheet was then suitably coloured and printed on 160gsm paper.

Balsa wood and cardboard is used in the museum building. Cardboard for the main building and balsa for the upper floor and its supports. The railings are balsa uprights with bamboo skewers for the rails. This upper floor lifts off its beams (also balsa) so that the exibits on the ground floor can be changed. This is why the "loft" is incomplete and needs rails as it would be very difficult to get out or put back without room for my fingers. The "Public" reason is not to block too much light from the lower floor and the stairs! The staircase (just visible bottom left) was made of card with balsa for the handtails and under supports.
	Picnic tables and benches outside were also made of balsa. The hat came with the Preiser figures.

Balsa is easily worked; can be cut with a sharp knife and needs no specialist tools. It works like any wood but is lightweight. The timber walls, doors etc and pavier floor again started from a pencil drawings augmented and improved in PhotoShop

Balsa and the glue used to be very easy to obtain but I have found only one model shop (in Salisbury) that sells it. It can be obtained on the Internet and Hobbycraft in Southampton (and elsewhere) stock it. I was horrified when I asked in a "hobby" shop in Andover if they stocked balsa. The response was "what is that?"

Papier mache both pulp and layered is used in the windmill hill with cardboard inserts to make it a hollow, cellular construction. Making it completely solid would have taken a lot of drying - which was bad enough as it was. If papier mache is not thoroughly dry it will get mouldy like all paper or wood.

Papier mache can be difficult to model with as it is very soft and compressible and takes a long time to dry but it is a superb medium once you get the hang of it and very cheap. Old newspapers put through a shredder, boiling water and PVA glue is really all you need to make a dough. I use basic PVA bond which can be purchased in 1 litre bottles from builders merchants.

Papier mache takes paint well (although you need to dry it out again) and you can use sandpaper to finish rough edges or complete the modelling process. You can even carve it using a sharp craft knife. In fact you can work it like wood - after all it was wood once. Patience is the key.

Finishing off items that need a really smooth surface is achieved by taking torn paper strips soaked in glue and laying them over the surface, slighly overlapping one another in layers until the surface is built up. Rubbing it over with a hard, smooth implement such as a spoon before it dries smooths, stretches and compresses the layers and the resulting surface can be sanded for a good finish. It is essential that the paper is torn and not cut as the cut edges will remain sharply defined regardless.