Grahame Hedges
Western Thunderer
Some sumptuous modelling and space age techniques. It's not something I could match or undertake, but is enjoyable to follow and read about.
TFW’s workshop
- Thread starter Tim Watson
- Start date
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
Catching the morning sun
_4E6D0DC8-3F61-4D43-AE4C-3D789AF8FE7E.jpeg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds)
First column in place.
Tim
First column in place.
Tim
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
The cast columns are now securely fitted to the canopy. Locating them was going to be a bit of a challenge, but was helped by using some Evergreen styrene channel stuck to the beams. The ground position for the column was indicated using a simple jig.
The base of the columns was dug out through the styrene cobbled street to add a positive location.
The six columns were set in full strength, slow-setting, epoxy resin. This allowed time to ensure that they were plumb.
The columns are re-assuringly rigid and will allow the prototype photo that started off this whole area to be well reproduced in miniature. The Perspex screen is to also protect the end of the canopy and stop stray fingers.
Next job will be the railings on the main rooves.
Tim
The base of the columns was dug out through the styrene cobbled street to add a positive location.
The six columns were set in full strength, slow-setting, epoxy resin. This allowed time to ensure that they were plumb.
The columns are re-assuringly rigid and will allow the prototype photo that started off this whole area to be well reproduced in miniature. The Perspex screen is to also protect the end of the canopy and stop stray fingers.
Next job will be the railings on the main rooves.
Tim
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
Decay in N1.
Tim
Tim
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
It's a very good model and worth taking time with the details to set the scene.
Needs a few people with buckets shovelling the horse manure
.
Needs a few people with buckets shovelling the horse manure
.
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
Bloodstock on CF will soon be improving...
So we shall need some shovels and wheelbarrows...
Tim
So we shall need some shovels and wheelbarrows...
Tim
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
Following the success of the Model Railway Club’s ‘Kings Cross Goods Station Refreshment Club’ mug, we are considering making a matching plate. It would be in the same style in bone China, 8” diameter (picture shows a mock up). The quality is superb. Would there be interest in this plate? Incidentally, we are down to the last few of our original batch of mugs.
The model of the RC rooms is on this thread earlier in the year.
King's Cross Goods Station Refreshment Club Mugs - Exclusive to MRC - The Model Railway Club
Tim
The model of the RC rooms is on this thread earlier in the year.
King's Cross Goods Station Refreshment Club Mugs - Exclusive to MRC - The Model Railway Club
Tim
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
This is from Lawrence Boul’s New Zealand Finescale Facebook page:
“I get all sorts of requests for model projects. Since these are inevitably things not stocked by your local model shop they generally present something of a challenge in some way.
The latest distraction has been a herd of 2mm scale horses.
In the past I've turned down horses in small scales, but this job piqued my interest:
+ Firstly it is for the Model Railway Club's 2mm finescale 'Copenhagen Fields'. (If you aren't familiar with it, have a look at:
). You don't often get a chance to contribute to something as significant as that.
+ They are primarily to populate the cart road for the Kings Cross goods shed, but doubtless will be used elsewhere too. So there are plenty needed, which does justify a bit of effort.
+ The base modelling was on hand. A bit of rework was needed around the tack and everything needed resupporting for printing but it was not a huge task.
So here they are. Surprisingly good for things so tiny.”
We really are very privileged. The New Zealand Fine scale web site is well worth looking at. I am very much looking forward to the herd’s arrival.
Tim
“I get all sorts of requests for model projects. Since these are inevitably things not stocked by your local model shop they generally present something of a challenge in some way.
The latest distraction has been a herd of 2mm scale horses.
In the past I've turned down horses in small scales, but this job piqued my interest:
+ Firstly it is for the Model Railway Club's 2mm finescale 'Copenhagen Fields'. (If you aren't familiar with it, have a look at:
+ They are primarily to populate the cart road for the Kings Cross goods shed, but doubtless will be used elsewhere too. So there are plenty needed, which does justify a bit of effort.
+ The base modelling was on hand. A bit of rework was needed around the tack and everything needed resupporting for printing but it was not a huge task.
So here they are. Surprisingly good for things so tiny.”
We really are very privileged. The New Zealand Fine scale web site is well worth looking at. I am very much looking forward to the herd’s arrival.
Tim
Last edited:
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
We will be making this office building on the south ends of our Goods Shed.
It has been contracted out to Tom Knapp in Hawaii, so a bit more international effort under a flag with a Union Jack on it. The building is only 15’ deep (30mm in scale) and therefore adds very little to the actual layout length, but will produce an excellent end view for the south end operator. It will also add to the photographic potential across the roof scapes. The base extension has been made and I will complete the gable end of the goods sheds very shortly.
Tim
It has been contracted out to Tom Knapp in Hawaii, so a bit more international effort under a flag with a Union Jack on it. The building is only 15’ deep (30mm in scale) and therefore adds very little to the actual layout length, but will produce an excellent end view for the south end operator. It will also add to the photographic potential across the roof scapes. The base extension has been made and I will complete the gable end of the goods sheds very shortly.
Tim
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
With a fairly un-interrupted day, there has been a bit of change at the Midland Shed office site. A new gable end was made, which neatens up the goods shed ends, but Pip really can’t be bothered...
The main roof will hopefully have a clerestory ventilator fitted next week; it is currently being made by Alan Budgen. The view over the rooves is beginning to look quite busy, especially now I made a mock up of the Midland Shed office building. With Tom Knapp’s expert ministrations it should frame the foreground of a photo very well, with the rest of York Way viaduct & Belle Isle making a decent back drop.
The new structure acts as quite a good visual stop, but a bit of paint sploshed on will help.
Tim
The main roof will hopefully have a clerestory ventilator fitted next week; it is currently being made by Alan Budgen. The view over the rooves is beginning to look quite busy, especially now I made a mock up of the Midland Shed office building. With Tom Knapp’s expert ministrations it should frame the foreground of a photo very well, with the rest of York Way viaduct & Belle Isle making a decent back drop.
The new structure acts as quite a good visual stop, but a bit of paint sploshed on will help.
Tim
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
This photo shows the building mock up in the context of the whole scene:
After painting the gables, roof and the mock up:
It always fascinates me how a bit of colour and suggestion can make the eye ‘see’ far more detail than reality. A few chimney stacks will improve it.
I suppose that’s where the art of model railways takes over from engineering. Fun to do both, though.
Tim
After painting the gables, roof and the mock up:
It always fascinates me how a bit of colour and suggestion can make the eye ‘see’ far more detail than reality. A few chimney stacks will improve it.
I suppose that’s where the art of model railways takes over from engineering. Fun to do both, though.
Tim
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
A herd of horses arrived from New Zealand this morning. Here is a selection with a puff of undercoat.
Some need to go to the farrier to have their hooves trimmed, but that depends on him seeing what he is doing - they are very small!
Tim
Some need to go to the farrier to have their hooves trimmed, but that depends on him seeing what he is doing - they are very small!
Tim
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
A moody moonlit view over Kings Cross goods sheds.
What may not be immediately obvious is that there have been substantial changes to this scene, which have involved a great deal of work. More to follow when it is nearer complete.
Tim
What may not be immediately obvious is that there have been substantial changes to this scene, which have involved a great deal of work. More to follow when it is nearer complete.
Tim
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
Apologies for what is going to be a very long post. This was the state of play with the KX goods sheds up until two weeks ago.
However, I have been in correspondence with Malcolm Tucker, who knows a great deal about the KX Goods Yards. A little bit of knowledge can be a bad thing for some, i.e. me, and one of the comments he made was that the cart road was too low relative to York Road. He was correct, of course, so I raised the whole section by 10mm and the scene was much improved. Unfortunately, this also raised the already tall long shed, especially in relation to the York Road viaduct, simultaneously altering its horizontal relationship with the tracks going into the sheds. The solution to the height issue was to lower the roof of the main building by 17mm and take out the top story.
The roof was re-instated and a clerestory vent made by Alan Budgen, which actually then bring it back up by 10mm. That didn’t do much to help the relationship with the YR viaduct and track, so I chopped 90mm off the length of the building, to take it away from the road bridge. The height differences are very apparent when the two sections are juxtaposed.
The overall improvement by lowering the rear roof is, I think, quite significant. The raised 10mm is also apparent in this image: the gap at the baseboard end will obviously be filled in at some point.
The solution to how to handle the north end of the sheds is also just visible in this image; albeit only sketched in. The prototype had some large E-W canopies added in the 1890s and I thought that one of these would make an interesting addition at the north end.
On the prototype, these were supported and braced at one end by the walls of the potato warehouses and so a suitable wall was incorporated on the model. Ironically, it is the base of the chopped off building section and is more or less back where it started 7 years ago, when Mike Randall started off the whole scene.
A placeholder building can be seen, to give some idea of the effect aimed for.
This placeholder has a roof pitch that is too shallow and is 10mm over wide. The actual model will be of etched construction, courtesy of Jim Watt, because this roof was mainly glass. The view through to the yard below should look quite effective.
The benefit of raising of the whole area becomes apparent when you look at the cart road canopies. They can now be seen underneath, albeit an intriguing view, but at least the new vehicles and horses will be more visible.
Finally, in this early morning deserted view one can see that the streets around Copenhagen Fields have quite a lot of cr@p on them, despite comments to the contrary from some quarters.
Worth all the effort? I hope so... the layout will be erected for the first time in over a year this weekend.
Tim
However, I have been in correspondence with Malcolm Tucker, who knows a great deal about the KX Goods Yards. A little bit of knowledge can be a bad thing for some, i.e. me, and one of the comments he made was that the cart road was too low relative to York Road. He was correct, of course, so I raised the whole section by 10mm and the scene was much improved. Unfortunately, this also raised the already tall long shed, especially in relation to the York Road viaduct, simultaneously altering its horizontal relationship with the tracks going into the sheds. The solution to the height issue was to lower the roof of the main building by 17mm and take out the top story.
The roof was re-instated and a clerestory vent made by Alan Budgen, which actually then bring it back up by 10mm. That didn’t do much to help the relationship with the YR viaduct and track, so I chopped 90mm off the length of the building, to take it away from the road bridge. The height differences are very apparent when the two sections are juxtaposed.
The overall improvement by lowering the rear roof is, I think, quite significant. The raised 10mm is also apparent in this image: the gap at the baseboard end will obviously be filled in at some point.
The solution to how to handle the north end of the sheds is also just visible in this image; albeit only sketched in. The prototype had some large E-W canopies added in the 1890s and I thought that one of these would make an interesting addition at the north end.
On the prototype, these were supported and braced at one end by the walls of the potato warehouses and so a suitable wall was incorporated on the model. Ironically, it is the base of the chopped off building section and is more or less back where it started 7 years ago, when Mike Randall started off the whole scene.
A placeholder building can be seen, to give some idea of the effect aimed for.
This placeholder has a roof pitch that is too shallow and is 10mm over wide. The actual model will be of etched construction, courtesy of Jim Watt, because this roof was mainly glass. The view through to the yard below should look quite effective.
The benefit of raising of the whole area becomes apparent when you look at the cart road canopies. They can now be seen underneath, albeit an intriguing view, but at least the new vehicles and horses will be more visible.
Finally, in this early morning deserted view one can see that the streets around Copenhagen Fields have quite a lot of cr@p on them, despite comments to the contrary from some quarters.
Worth all the effort? I hope so... the layout will be erected for the first time in over a year this weekend.
Tim
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
Very neatly done Tim.
As with all modelling like this it is an art of comprimise and without visiting the area or studying photographs from all angles it's hard to judge the subtleties in road levels from maps and plans. I would guess York Way gentley inclines from KX which has to be slightly exaggerated on the model if compression has taken place to maintain the overall effect.
As with all modelling like this it is an art of comprimise and without visiting the area or studying photographs from all angles it's hard to judge the subtleties in road levels from maps and plans. I would guess York Way gentley inclines from KX which has to be slightly exaggerated on the model if compression has taken place to maintain the overall effect.
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
More than slightly exaggerated, Dave, it is a profound difference in heights on the model, especially as the tracks have to act as a fairly fixed datum. I think that some of the dodges will work out OK, though. If the layout were to scale, then none of the buildings in this scene would be present!
Tim
Tim
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
I have highlighted the areas of the goods yard we have modelled in this picture:
In the immortal words of Eric Morecambe, “All the right notes, but not in the right order.”
Tim
In the immortal words of Eric Morecambe, “All the right notes, but not in the right order.”
Tim
garethashenden
Western Thunderer
Fantastic work as always Tim!
Tim Watson
Western Thunderer
It was great to get the new bit tried out at Keen House today. Having a back scene makes photography much easier.
The back scene at the south end has always been relatively crude, because the layout was unfinished. It now needs more finesse and one of the silhouette boards is also missing in the first picture - hence the greenery in the background. The line of the back scene has now been shifted back by 100mm at this point which opens the scene up quite well, but also throws out the alignment with the track. This allows another long shed to be built, but that will have some tricky geometric compression, whilst still allowing the refreshment club building to go on the end, with a correct roof profile. The plywood profile sections are visible in this image:
I will need to put some extra track in to ‘feed’ this shed. As it’s at the back & non working, it could be smaller i.e. N gauge.
Tim
The back scene at the south end has always been relatively crude, because the layout was unfinished. It now needs more finesse and one of the silhouette boards is also missing in the first picture - hence the greenery in the background. The line of the back scene has now been shifted back by 100mm at this point which opens the scene up quite well, but also throws out the alignment with the track. This allows another long shed to be built, but that will have some tricky geometric compression, whilst still allowing the refreshment club building to go on the end, with a correct roof profile. The plywood profile sections are visible in this image:
I will need to put some extra track in to ‘feed’ this shed. As it’s at the back & non working, it could be smaller i.e. N gauge.
Tim
Last edited: