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Scenecraft Sheffield Park Station


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Are these out in the shops yet and if yes has anyone bought one and what are they like?

 

If not what do people think about paying £150 or so for a station?

 

Would something more generic to an area of operation rather than location specific be more preferable?

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Think the cost is a bit more than £150 from the last time i added it up on Hattons, They are in at Hattons from what i can see. Ill be ordering it but not all in one go.

 

Heres the price run down on Hattons:

Sheffield Park Booking Office - £56

Sheffield Park Station Canopy - £36

Sheffield Park Waiting Room with Toilet - £50

Sheffield Park Storeroom - £34

Sheffield Park Signal Cabin - £13

Sheffield Park Footbridge - £40

 

Note the footbridge isn't in stock yet.

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Would something more generic to an area of operation rather than location specific be more preferable?

£150 is a lot of wonga for most people, so it will hardly be an impulse buy for many, it's true. But some of the components are only needed if you model SP as it is today, and are not even needed to model it as it was when the Bluebell first took over. As for "generic", well the LBSCR built another 16 stations to the same basic design, in what we would now call East & West Sussex, so it is a design that lends itself to anyone hoping to build a rural Brighton layout.

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£150 is a lot of wonga for most people, so it will hardly be an impulse buy for many, it's true. But some of the components are only needed if you model SP as it is today, and are not even needed to model it as it was when the Bluebell first took over. As for "generic", well the LBSCR built another 16 stations to the same basic design, in what we would now call East & West Sussex, so it is a design that lends itself to anyone hoping to build a rural Brighton layout.

 

I saw them on the shelf of the model shop at Buckfastleigh last Sunday. My first reaction was surprise at the large-ish size, but the items certainly look attractive when seen through the transparent window on the box. At least, the buyer can choose not to have the full set, if the budget so dictates.

 

The choice of an ex-LBSCR preserved prototype is understandable, and relates to the promised models of Bluebell Locos. However, my generous nature wears thin at this point. I want a comparable r-t-p set of ex-LSWR station buildings, based on the Yeovil - Exeter designs of Sir William Tite, and I rather envy LBSCR modellers their well-deserved good fortune. In desperation I am currently trying to make the necessary drawings for scratch-build, using the R B Antell "Southern Country Stations: Vol 1, (L&SWR) and SWC drawings as reference sources. No way can I pass off a LBSCR design for this purpose, so scratch build is my only option. Murphy's Law will cause r-t-p versions to be marketed, just as I complete this exercise.

 

Odd to think that a Number 4 "Wembley" once took pride of place in my toy cupboard.

 

 

PB

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Having bought their Platform 2 waiting room (44-087) last Sunday as my birthday treat, I'm pondering about buying the main platform building.

 

AFAIK the price includes a donation to the railway but it's quite an outlay, and I'm having to carefully weigh up my options.

 

Moreover I don't know how large the footprint is of the main station building, but Platform 2's building is 183mm long, 98mm wide including canopy, and 68mm tall including chimney. In any case I would repaint it in Southern Region colours.

 

If I decided to buy the Platform 1 building, I would omit for my purposes the signal cabin and the footbridge, as I would use my own Hornby Dublo SR concrete footbridge, the SR often modernised stations piecemeal. However, I'll need to see how large the main building is and if it's too big for my requirements, I may buy another 44-087 building and pretend it's been altered with a booking office, or even track down and refurbish a Hornby Dublo diecast art deco station building.

 

 

PS, just checked Rails website and they helpfully give the footprints of each of the separate sections on sale, I calculated approximately the size of the entire Platform 1 building (excluding signal box):

 

501mm long by 185 mm wide including canopy and 165mm high

 

It's far too big for my requirements, so I'm going for the Hornby Dublo art deco main station option, it's only slightly larger than Platform 2's waiting room.

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The cost of the complete package listed by 'Bluebell Model railway' is £229 not £150. Its a lot of cash but...

If I recall NRM model of City of Truro was £150 or so which many bought without second thoughts. A Rake of 4 Pullmans is £120 or so.

What price a whole station complex? Seems to be fairly reasonable if off-the-shelf buildings are your thing or are a necessity.

Not a cheap hobby - but was it ever?

RichardS

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It's far too big for my requirements, so I'm going for the Hornby Dublo art deco main station option, it's only slightly larger than Platform 2's waiting room.

Hornby take a different approach with Scaledale and do massively compress their buildings which im sure a lot of people are grateful for! Some bits do look a bit odd though if they aren't put at the very back of a layout.

 

There can't be much remaining to do a complete model of a current preservation site here! The Maunsell coaches are out, the signature locos are about or coming from Bachmann and you have the station sorted.

 

Signals and track to do really after you've found the space. Price seems ok for what you get.

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I've got so used to RTP model buildings being shrunken and/or compressed over many years, that finding Sheffield Park's main station building, modelled correctly to size, is huge!

 

One other option that might fit the bill is just buying the main booking office (44-088) and waiting room with toilet (44-090) with the canopy (44-089). The length of this would work out about 360mm, just within what I can fit in the space available for a platform taking a maximum 4-car EMU or loco and 3 Mk1s (or equivalent) without it being too dominant.

 

I don't know if Bachmann's planning matching platforms and fittings at a later date, although in my case, I'll scratchbuild platforms to fit accordingly.

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Well it is one thing that people need to realise.... Buildings are big! It is great that the building have come out and for what has been written above the prices seem very reasonable. This might sound strange but work out how long it would take to scratch build them and the volume of material... be it plasticard or card. These would be serious outlays without the cost of your time! Yes I know we do it for entertainment. I personally will be trying to talk an Uncle into buying them as it suits his interest at the moment!

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Just by way of a few ideas, here are a handful of other LBSCR stations that are to the same general design. As you can see, the station building was not always at platform level, although I have been unable to find a link to Singleton, where it was below platform level - and the station had 4 platforms!

 

 

Unknown 2 010  Cocking. West Sussex

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/heathfield_sussex/index.shtml

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/r/rotherfield_and_mark_cross/index.shtml

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/horam/index.shtml

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/m/mayfield/index.shtml

8 April 1959 - Lavant

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One other option that might fit the bill is just buying the main booking office (44-088) and waiting room with toilet (44-090) with the canopy (44-089). The length of this would work out about 360mm,

just within what I can fit in the space available for a platform taking a maximum 4-car EMU or loco and 3 Mk1s (or equivalent) without it being too dominant.

 

Yesterday I bought those from Rails, and, boy, how big they were! I'm happy with them although two minor roof details on the booking office got snapped off cleanly, but they'll easy to mend.

I've looked through the few books I own about ex-LBSCR lines and Oldddudders' links, these buildings can be used more or less "as is" for those stations built on the Cuckoo and Bluebell lines:

 

From Michael S. Welch's Branch lines to Horsted Keynes (Runpast Publishing, 1995)

 

Barcombe (only had one platform)

Newick and Chailey

(Sheffield Park)

Horsted Keynes (platform 1 only)

West Hoathly

Kingscote

 

Ardingly had the same style, but the waiting room/main entrance was reversed, no separate toilet block extension.

 

From Smith and Mitchell's Branch lines to Midhurst (Middleton Press, 1981)

 

They state on p.[61] "... stations between Chichester and Midhurst ... were designed by J.L. Myers. All were most ornate in appearance with mock Tudor timber framing and flower designs in relief on the plaster In later years all of the stations, with the exception of Cocking, had been partially tile hung in an attempt to combat damp"

 

Lavant, at main entrance level was identical to Ardingly, but being built in a cutting meant there was an extra storey added at platform level, only had one platform.

Singleton's main station building at ground level was like the arrangement at Sheffield Park minus storeroom, toilet block and elaborate entrance porch. Instead there was a canopy that extended the full length of the waiting room on the station approach side which eventually connected into a subway at right angles, linking the four platforms above (to cater for Goodwood Races traffic) providing continuous cover against the elements for station users.

Cocking, same as Ardingly, only had one platform.

 

All these opened during the first half of the 1880s.

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  • 2 weeks later...
.... I'm happy with them although two minor roof details on the booking office got snapped off cleanly, but they'll easy to mend....

I've noticed that with both Scenecraft and Skaledale RTP models. It seems that the resin that they use is both tough and fragile (if that makes sense???) and seems to be related to resin thickness. When I modified the Scenecraft engine shed, I found that the corners of the guttering on the shed got chipped off quite easily, but drilling through the walls with a mini-drill was very hard work.

 

Sheffield Park Station is a nice model, but out of my area (so to speak), it'd be nice if Bachmann could follow up to Sheffield Park with prototypical SR, GWR and LMS stations

 

F

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I've got so used to RTP model buildings being shrunken and/or compressed over many years, that finding Sheffield Park's main station building, modelled correctly to size, is huge!

 

One other option that might fit the bill is just buying the main booking office (44-088) and waiting room with toilet (44-090) with the canopy (44-089). The length of this would work out about 360mm, just within what I can fit in the space available for a platform taking a maximum 4-car EMU or loco and 3 Mk1s (or equivalent) without it being too dominant.

 

I don't know if Bachmann's planning matching platforms and fittings at a later date, although in my case, I'll scratchbuild platforms to fit accordingly.

 

I'm happy to be corrected but I do believe Sheffield Park has 6 coach long platforms so that would be quite a substantial train in 00 gauge.

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Having been on the Bluebell a few weeks ago, today with some cash being available, I bought the storeroom (44-091) to complete Platform 1's station building, except for the signalbox.

 

One thing to point out, the present footbridge, which hasn't been released yet, isn't the original design, there's a photo of it in LBSCR days on the railway's website:

 

www.bluebellrailway.co.uk/bluebell/signalboxes.html

 

Reading from various sources, it was removed just after nationalisation and a footbridge wasn't reinstated there until the Bluebell took over.

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I was recently involved in building a layout using the complete Sheffield Park set and they are superb models. It would take hours to scratchbuild an equivalent and you would have to be a darn good modeller too.

 

Yes, they're expensive but could you do better for less?

 

steve

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I'll also agree to that they are very nice buildings, nice details, very large... and expensive but worth it... think collectively i managed to get all of them around £170, also did a small review on them on you tube... even though its not my sort of thing.... but ill be putting mine to good use sometime next year i hope,

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Having been on the Bluebell a few weeks ago, today with some cash being available, I bought the storeroom (44-091) to complete Platform 1's station building, except for the signalbox.

 

One thing to point out, the present footbridge, which hasn't been released yet, isn't the original design, there's a photo of it in LBSCR days on the railway's website:

 

www.bluebellrailway.co.uk/bluebell/signalboxes.html

 

Reading from various sources, it was removed just after nationalisation and a footbridge wasn't reinstated there until the Bluebell took over.

I have a plan for my own layout in my head (albeit in reserve for the future but I may not get round to doing it) for a proposed station in a village just a few minutes walk from where I live called Lindfield which I might use some of these buildings for if I ever build it.

 

Lindfield may have actually been a station had the Ouse Valley Railway (which work was started but not finished due to finacial reasons and small parts can still be seen near Haywards Heath and Uckfield) been built. I think its said the Bluebell wouldn't have been built had the Ouse Valley Railway been successful although Sheffield Park would still have had a station.

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These buildings would be perfect for Lindfield. I bought mine as a future investment for a Central Division layout and because I like "Brighton" things.

In the meantime, I can show Platform 1's building in one of my display cases as viewed from the station approach side. Just add one or two cars, a Southdown bus in traditional colours, and some station fencing, it'll do fine until I have the space to do justice for it all.

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post-6939-0-17675300-1315105705_thumb.jpg

 

Here is rough and ready image of Sheffield park in situ...

It seems to look much better in the flesh , so to speak...

 

(Notice that the directors of the Bluebell line having made a fortune on the opening of the East Grinstead connection have electrified the line and have imported a GC station building for platform 2 brick by brick :-)

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Good work so far, it's very reassuring to me that you've shoehorned the station buildings and platform into 4 feet (1.2m) length, which would be the maximum space that I could play with lengthwise once I unpack my buildings.

Maybe after all this talk, it's time to show our efforts!

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Just by way of a few ideas, here are a handful of other LBSCR stations that are to the same general design. As you can see, the station building was not always at platform level, although I have been unable to find a link to Singleton, where it was below platform level - and the station had 4 platforms!

 

 

http://www.flickr.co...N00/5316464812/

http://www.disused-s...sex/index.shtml

http://www.disused-s...oss/index.shtml

http://www.disused-s...ram/index.shtml

http://www.disused-s...eld/index.shtml

http://www.flickr.co...ins/1793637895/

Hi here's a link for Singleton

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singleton_%28West_Sussex%29_railway_station

 

The track was about level with the roof of the station building, where the trees have grown up since the line closed in the 50s

 

I'm currently planning a model of this station and you can see my current thoughts on the TEMPLOT FORUM at:

 

http://85a.co.uk/forum/view_topic.php?id=1010&forum_id=12

 

Also Kirtley Model's etches for Myers design station buildings (barge boards, windows, doors ridge tiles etc) are now available in 4mm scale, after I and another member of the Brighton circle commissioned the artwork to be shot down to 4mm scale.

 

best wishes

 

Richard

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