Buildings for Swanhurst

[clarkeeboy56]

Some of you may have seen my layout build of Swanhurst. If not its basically where the line at Hawkhurst ran on on its meandering journey towards Rye (as once planned).  The track layout is based very loosely on that of Swanage. The buildings though based again ..loosely.on those at Hawkhurst. Hence the working title of "Swanhurst" that may change when I add the Running Boards.

 

Anyway, I had posted photo's of my building build on the Layout section, but as progress is painfully slow on that, I thought I'd take the liberty of posting the buildings build on here. For feedback, help and suggestions!!

 

I've copied some of the text from that thread as follows....

 

" I've been working on version three of the station. Now the original was okay-ish, well for a 1st attempt, I was unhappy with it for a number of reasons...1. I had built it using plastic card Uhu'ed ( a new verb no less!!) to 3mm foamboard. That worked okay BUT the foamboard soon warped. It seems I should have used solvent free UHU!  2. The station at Swanhurst, will be , like the others on the line, fabricated from corrugated iron. The real stations looked quite ramshackled, and I tried to replicate that in plastic card. Problem was it looked like 1/1 ramshackled station reproduced in 1/76th! 3. The stations were build on 4-5 courses of brick. I used a simple bonded brick - and I didn't like it. 4. The external outside gent's was not very prototypical from what I can ascertain.  Problem was that I didn't really want to do a google search on the the inside of gent's loos ca. 1958!!!

 

So, version two!  I decided to build that on top of  Slater's plastic brick stock. This pattern is better..BUT unforgiveably thick! I also managed to bu88er up the windows...again, not paying attention to detail. Still both versions gave me some experience of scatch-building, which I hope will improve version three......

 

The core of the building this time is 1mm plastiicard. A fairly standard approach it seems. I measured out the four exterior walls, marked out the door and window apertures, measured carefully, and cut them out....

 

 

Its fairly easy to cut them out. First I pencilled around the windows I would use (Dornaplas - and very good they are too!). Carefully scribed around the line using a steel rule and sharp scalpel blade. Scribed diagonal lines in. Drilled a hole in the middle and carefully pushed the plastic out. The apertures were then cleaned up with a file.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2014 by clarkeeboy56

[clarkeeboy56]

..with the windows cut out, I could then cement the corrugated iron (its plasticard really..... shhh!!!) on the the front.

 

 

When firmly in place - and 'Mr Hobby's Mr Cement' does exactly what it says it does on the bottle - I could turn the piece over and think about chopping out the window appertures in the corrugated plastic.  

 

 

With the windows in place, I could then add window frames from plastic strip. 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2014 by clarkeeboy56

[clarkeeboy56]

With the front of the station finished, I could then think about adding it to  the rear shell that I'd already built.....

 

 

 

 

Here I've added the gent's loo on the end ....

 

 

This is of course open air, so has corrugated interior...plumbing to follow!!

 

Once I've got my hands on some South East Finecast Flemish(or English?) bond brickwork sheets, I can then add the 'foundations'.  Then I need to start thinking about the roof and canopy.....

 

[clarkeeboy56]

Next I tackled the underside of the canopy. The real thing appears to have planks below, so I've added these with thin strips of plastic card on the 1mm roof/floor........bit above!

 

 

 

Then it was on to the sides...here are the gable ends added 

 

 

[clarkeeboy56]

Certainly starting to take shape......

 

 

Chimney stacks next...these were formed with plastic card sections measuring roughly 15mm x 10mm and built as a box reinforced by thick sections of plastic strip

 

 

A lengthwise "T"-shaped beam was added down the centre to help alignment of the two stacks. I then added interior 'gables'. These will help support the roof.

 

 

 

I've added the supporting beam under the canopy. The uprights will be stuck to this.

 

 

.Thanks for looking, any comments/tips? Then please feel free!! 

[clarkeeboy56]

Our modelling group, where the layout is housed currently only meets every fortnight, so its difficult to progress much on the layout itself. I took these photo's a fortnight ago. It was a good opportunity to see  how well the station building fitted into the hole vacated by my previous attempt!!

 

Sorry that this pic is a bit over-exposed...it didn't look to bright on i-photo, so I messed about with the settings -a bit too much ! Anyway this is looking at it from the station carpark/goods yard side side

 

 

Here it is from the front...

 

 

...and sides..

 

 

 

I will of course need to trim the station's lower 'foundations' for it to fit in the recess.

 

 

The station platform, incidentally, was built up with 4mm & 3mm foam-board laminated to a depth of about 10mm I think? The front has been faced with plastic card brick, though I think I may change that to "wooden" sleepers, or concrete. The top of the platforms was/is plastic card glued directly onto the foamboard. I then used sections of different grade wet'n'dry paper to simulate the base of the tarmac top surface. Unfortunately some sections of plastic card warped, over the summer so I had to rip it up. I'll take the whole top off I think and replace the main surface with 1.5mm plywood, and then add the wet'n'dry paper.  

 

Thanks for looking...any thoughts, comments, advice for me? Please feel free!!

[clarkeeboy56]

And finally for today....

 

 

I have managed to add a few bits to the station, this includes the guttering at the front, from D section plastic rod, the scalloped end valances on the gable ends (not too happy with one end, I may need to change that, I've added some supports for the posters at one end, added bits for the entrance canopy and built a door!!

 

 

 

Next installment? I have added the brick courses around the bottom and bricks onto the chimney stacks. I'm quite happy with these so I'll start to think about paint soon...

 

Thanks for looking, and any comments/advice are more than welcome...

[westerhamstation]

Hi Bill, the building is looking really good, and painting it will transform it. All the best Adrian

[Oldddudders]

As you say, most of the Hawkhurst Branch stations were a bit rudimentary, and certainly yours reminds me from memory of Horsmonden, which is a good start. Only Cranbrook, I think, looked a bit more posh with a really tall brick structure. And as for the reference to Swanage, I had a colleague who lived in Horsmonden - and he'd been Shedmaster at Dorchester!

 

In a hobby that is apparently all about the trains, structures help more than anything to tie a layout down to a real location, and yours is doing that admirably.

[clarkeeboy56]

Thanks for the encouragement Ian & Adrian, much appreciated.

 

Just a few thoughts.....

I'm trying to work out the most logical way to proceed here. The roof structure currently slides over the chimney stacks. This is okay, but it means I'll need to paint the interior and glaze before adding the roof permanently. With the roof on, I can then add the 'lead' flashing and the rest of the brickwork at the chimney stack top. The chimney stacks are built integrally to the shell of the building currently, but I may chop these off, glue them to the roof, add the final details, and then add the roof as a whole unit.....that way I can glaze the windows internally, AFTER I've painted everything......

I don't know yet whether I'll add lights but if I do I can always add these from below.

[DLT]

Lovely job on the station building Bill, is it Slaters corrugated you are using?

Cheers, Dave.

[clarkeeboy56]

Lovely job on the station building Bill, is it Slaters corrugated you are using?

Cheers, Dave.

Thanks Dave, Yes, it is indeed Slater's.  It took me a few attempts, but its getting there. I will be adding lighting to it, internally in the booking hall and office  , and externally with two wall mounted bracket lights. I've added the first layers of paint, but still need to add doors and plumb the gent's loo!! Here's the station building plonked on the platform a couple of weeks ago...still a lot to do!

 

[clarkeeboy56]

A while since I posted on here........I've now all but finished the goods shed....well It still needs fitting out and painting, but its there as a shape sort of thing!

I used plastic card (1mm) as a former with Slater's plastic Flemish bond brick. This is my second attempt at the build (I learned quite a lot from [the mistakes] on my first build!)

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, the roof does need to go on.............

Edited July 19, 2017 by clarkeeboy56

[clarkeeboy56]

 A couple of pic's of the goods shed. This is the second attempt, and I hate to think how many bits of plastic has gone into this! Stock 1mm plastic card for the main framework with Slater's "Flemish Bond" brick sheets. The oval window thing is a laser cut item from York Modelling Supplies....

 

 

With a plastic card roof....tiling to follow

 

 

The station building in situ. Paint on, a lot more to add, but I'll do that when I tackle that whole section - this willinclude teh platform and fittings, cattle dock, lights etc., 

 

[clarkeeboy56]

Progress has been slow on the buildings, bearing in mind they're aren't that many! Station building, goods shed and signal box are all scratch built from plastic card and corrugated plastic sheet or slaters bricks. Roof tiles are Metcalfe N gauge adhesive paving slabs -which don't stick that well! The engine shed is an extended Dapil kit. The 'concrete' hut is a ratio kit.

 

And....a massive thanks to Mr Downes for the inspiration and support. He will be greatly missed