Entry posted by goldngreen in Other
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The pub in my previous post is the former Albion at 86 Armley Road in Leeds. This is what it looks like now:
This is the Google Maps reference: https://www.google.com/maps/@53.7972561,-1.5723353,3a,75y,33.46h,97.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sR3k-CLrmyuA9zxl5DT2Eew!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
This is a Google Maps shot from a few years ago when it was still a pub:
I have only been to Leeds a couple of times and I have never been to the Albion.
The reason I thought it might be recognized by railway modellers is that it was the prototype for a model by Builder Plus from the late 70s until Builder Plus disappeared. Most of the Builder Plus models were very good for their time. They used photo captured brick/stone images to make up in to really good models. As a young British N gauge modeller in the 70s they were a game changer. I could now make British outline models rather than relying on Pola or Faller. It led me on scratch building. I built the Builder Plus model of the Albion in the late seventies and found a good place for it on my layout. The layout was sold when I went off to college along with the model.
A few years ago I picked up an unmade copy of the old N Gauge Builder Plus pub at a show. Knowing that there are not many about as the company no longer exists, I scanned it in to my computer and backed it up. I also picked up a copy of the Builder Plus Bank.
I then had an idea. Was the model based on a real prototype? After some searching on the web I found the original pictured above. At the time it was still open.
The original was however built of a different colour brick to that used in the Builder Plus kit. Builder Plus had used their standard brick colour. So using the Builder Plus kit as a template I set about making my own version using the Google images to sample the brick and other features from the building, using multi-layered image manipulation software. The model in the post is the result of building my rather make-shift, one-off kit.
My model may not be that wonderful but I think it is a lovely prototype. I am pleased that I managed to capture an image from while it was still a pub before the windows were changed. I now wish I had saved a few more from other angles.
Here are some more pictures found here: http://www.leodis.net/display.aspx?resourceIdentifier=2003116_81023807. I have only reproduced their samples. Please visit their site for originals.
and finally a more recent one:
Edited by goldngreen
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