What a transformation - I added some of the bushes and trees I made last weekend. The area around Pfarrhofen station now looks more natural and less open. Before (with just the grass) it looked a little too sparse, now it’s starting to look quite realistic.
I really need to take some more ‘as of today’ photographs.

8th June

Added loads more trees around Pfarrhofen station. I’ve just about used up all of the trees I had, and it still doesn’t look over done - there are about 55-60 trees, and numerous smaller shrubs and bushes in a space 2 x 0.75m (about 7’ x 28").
It’s beginning to look pretty good now..!
As soon as I get Pfarrhofen ‘finished’ (not that it’ll ever be finished), I’m going to concentrate on the village at Illerbergen and then work the scenery back to the bridge between Illerbergen and Pfarrhofen, which is more or less where it stops now. Unfortunately, I’m probably going to need several hundred trees to get the effect I’m looking for between these 2 towns.

9th June

Took some ‘as of today’ photographs - well overdue.

An overall view of Pfarrhofen station.

A Fleischmann GtL4/4 on a train of Roco and Trix Bavarian 4-wheel coaches ready to leave Pfarrhofen station.

A Fleischmann GtL4/4 on the passenger train leaving Pfarrhofen station and heading off into the country.

A Christian Fuchs DVII (doesn't show up too well) and some wagons in front of the BayWa goods shed.

An 'arty-crafty' shot of a Fleischmann GtL4/4 at Pfarrhofen station.

A Christian Fuchs DVII at Pfarrhofen station.

July to December

I’ve spent the last six months taking a breather from construction, and just enjoyed running the layout. I overdosed a little earlier on in the year anyway, so it’s probably not a bad thing.

30th December

Spent the last few days constructing houses etc. "en masse" for the village. I’ll get the shells of the buildings ready for painting, then use them to plan out the town that will go in to the centre of the helix. This involves fitting all of the walls etc., but I leave the windows out until after painting. I usually leave the windows in the colour they were in the kit to avoid painting them - I don’t want to make them any thicker than I have to, and they don’t show too much if the rest of the building is painted.
I built the church some time ago, and in the last three days I’ve completed eight houses, and started on a post office.
Once I have constructed the hardboard formers for the contours of the town, with the roads and foundations for the buildings, I'll finish them all off. At least un-painted I can handle them as much as I like.

1997

12th January

I got some sheets of hardboard out and started ‘playing’ with some ideas for the town plan for Illerbergen. Having marked out where everything should go, I’ve got a reasonable idea of how things will fit together.

Sorry the image isn't completely sharp.

19th January

I cut out the roadways that I marked out last week, and a lot of hardboard for the formers for the profile of the village. Using a hot-glue-gun, I formed the framework for the village, and fitted individual platforms for each building. I prefer this method as it puts each building on a different level.

[ last updated 31st Dec 2003 ]