7mm Millicent Street

simond

simond

Western Thunderer
Your photo made me wonder whether phone boxes were placed on the pavement, or sunken into it. A quick google suggests the former, but there appears to be some kind of flaunching or foundation.

Redirect Notice

(Sorry, they’re red!)

Some other photos of uprooted boxes show a very substantial floor.

Hope this is helpful
Simon
 
Heather Kay

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
I’ve always had a fascination with all the various vehicles and equipment GPO Telephones had and used. When I was still planning a 4mm scale layout, I wanted to have a GPO yard on it.
 
Osgood

Osgood

Western Thunderer
As evidenced by your rare GPO AEC Matador model!
I think the chassis were built as 4x4 for Matador gun tractors but changed or made up as 4x2 for GPO? Sorry Hullensians - severely off-topic now.

I do like the cream boxes in Hull (I'm a very occasional visitor), but visitors who didn't know could easily miss them if rushing around desperate to find a phone box. Mind you, what do you use a phone box for these days......
 
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Barnaby

Barnaby

Western Thunderer
There's some simply stunning modeling going on here at Millicent Street, not only that but some great tips and ideas are to be had.

I think I'll have a go at making some full scale card/paper models of some building ideas I have to play with.

Best
 
Barnaby

Barnaby

Western Thunderer
Hello Ripper, this is a very nice layout.

I like how you have made the hard standing in front of the coal staithes but I am not too sure how it was done.

Reading through the posts it show you first laid down a mix of tile grout, Pva & black paint then you have placed on top what look like Wills plastic sheets or similar?
It seems that the paint mixture isn't necessary or am I missing something here.
I was going to use Wills Granite sheets for a similar effect but I like the hard standing style more after seeing how yours has turned out just not sure on the under painting need? I was just going to stick the sheets down and suitably dirty the area up.


Regards
 
Rippers

Rippers

Western Thunderer
Barnaby said:
Hello Ripper, this is a very nice layout.

I like how you have made the hard standing in front of the coal staithes but I am not too sure how it was done.

Reading through the posts it show you first laid down a mix of tile grout, Pva & black paint then you have placed on top what look like Wills plastic sheets or similar?
It seems that the paint mixture isn't necessary or am I missing something here.
I was going to use Wills Granite sheets for a similar effect but I like the hard standing style more after seeing how yours has turned out just not sure on the under painting need? I was just going to stick the sheets down and suitably dirty the area up.
Regards
Click to expand...

The change was me finding new information on the subject. A lot of the photos I was working from were local yards in the 30's and earlier. Subsequent information and talking to a couple of former coalmen highlighted the quite obvious comment that the change over from using horses for deliveries to larger and heavier motor lorries caused some issues with the sometime unmade yard surfaces. Hence most put down a hard surface of some description in the high traffic areas.
I changed the approach with the model after I had put an initial sealing base coat down. The Wills panels were cut to a size more suited to the location and glued in place leaving a small joint between panels. Then once dry the joins were 'grouted' with mix of tile adhesive and pva tinted very dark grey with poster paint. This was sanded back flat when dry and the surface of the 'concrete' given its final colouring with dustings of weathering powders and then the surface was sealed with a spray coat of matt varnish.
 
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Rippers

Rippers

Western Thunderer
A clearer view of the finished coal yard surface which has now been given its final spray of matt varnish to seal the powder weathering. Plus you may also notice a few brambles and other flora have also started to sprout.
c1.jpg

Whereas a bit of leg pulling over the detail needed for a barbershop that has yet to appear on the layout has resulted in this chair being produced from a mixture of plasticard, wire and part of the knob from a drawer!
s1.jpg
 
Rippers

Rippers

Western Thunderer
With additional buildings and details now starting to near states of completion we can at last show you some progress and how these fit into the scene shown so far.
L1.JPG

Still as way to go (and foundations yet to be created to bed them in but the terrace of shops/house is tried for size.
L2.JPG
Whereas in the yard the builders 5th hand 1950 (ish) K series Bedford awaits its next call to action.
L3.JPG
A view seen several times before but the road and pathways on this board now show their final weathered
finish.
L4.JPG
It doesn't look like much so far but to us it indicates progress.

L5.JPG
Resident on my workbench so long its wonder it didn't take root - but that detail painting to represent the decorative brickwork common to these style of buildings in the area of the city we are depicting plus the hand-built period shopfronts took many hours of my time to get right.
L6.JPG
The distinctive signwriting on the shoe shop is a copy of that still existing on a nearby prototype building that inspired this particular shop on the layout. That said that distinctive lettering probably took me far longer to do right than the original sign writer!
L7.JPG
Yep each has full interior detail...…….including inside of the shoe shop behind the window display!
 
Rippers

Rippers

Western Thunderer
A couple more shots of the more finished part of the layout, amongst which you can see some of the small details currently being added so as to give the model the correct look for the period…...
D1.JPG

Streets in this area of Hull were quite unkempt at this point in time, often showing signs of a more industrious past.
D2.JPG
As research turns up ideas we add them where possible..suh as this rough wartime signage for a nearby (Emergency Water Supply) contrating with the remains of the much older and more formal signage on the same gable end.
D3.JPG
The offer of access to having etching done has also provided these apt and scale Hull & Barnsley warning notices....which Tappa is certainly having fun trying to paint.
D4.JPG
 
Rippers

Rippers

Western Thunderer
Little progress on the layout (other than planning the bits yet to be built) but work is progressing on some of the road vehicles. In line with the building and detail added to the layout so far, whilst no slavish copies, all will be closely inspired by photos of real vehicles shown in the area around the time the layout is set.
v5.JPG

Including this careworn fordson van (still showing evidence of its former owner ...probably 3 of 4 owners ago!) and now used by the printers.
v3.JPG
The roof rack is still to be completed and it will feature a hand painted registration number on the front wing.
v4.JPG

Plus the builders trusty Bedford K series drop side.

v1.JPG

Complete with its load of building rubble and other rubbish.

v2.JPG
 
Rippers

Rippers

Western Thunderer
Osgood said:
Wonderful how your consistent approach to 'grime' and 'tired' pulls everything together into such a cohesive and utterly convincing diorama.
Click to expand...

Cheers, what we are modelling wasn't chocolate box, so it would be wrong to depict it as such.
 
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