Buildings for Bodmin
Entry posted by The Fatadder
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Having decided upon a track plan the next step is working out scale plans for the layouts buildings.
As previously mentioned there are 3 main structures which are being built accurately to the dimensions of the prototype, (the Station, Signal Box and Bridge). In order to make things a bit more interesting for me given that I particularly enjoy structural modelling, I have decided to add a few more buildings (working from other prototypes adapted to fit the location), but I will come back to this later.
My starting point is the same for each building, trying to find as many prototype photos as possible (alas they are rarely high enough resolution to be really useful) coupled with drawings from the 'planning portal' website.
The first step was importing the planning portal map into Autocad, and tracing the outline of each building (along with the all important scale). By taking dimensions of each wall, I was then able to use the maps scale along with an excel spread sheet to find the buildings footprint, and then convert it into 4mm scale.
Once I had the dimensions for the footprint sorted out, the next step was to find the dimensions of each face of the building. Starting from a photo, an outline was added in cad adding on all of the key features. The photo was then removed allowing this to be properly tidied up (straightening lines, correcting angles etc).
The below figure shows the first stage of this, the outline of the platform end (the rest of the detail such as the cladding on the canopy will be added later). This will now be scaled down to match the width of the building taken from the footprint.
Of course this would be really easy if I had square on photos of each side, but of course thats not the case (for a start photos keep having stock in the way!) and I'm still missing a couple of angles. For those photos that are not square to the building the plan is to give gimp another try and see if it can be squared off, otherwise I will go back to the same method used for finding the footprint...
The same method will also be used to draw the signal box, however despite being supplied with some good photos by another RMweb member, there still appears to be too much of the road bridge which I am missing.
Not sure what I will end up doing here, as I know its very unlikely I will make it down to bodmin any time soon, and the bridge end would be the area of the layout I would plan on starting to build first........
Following on from this, I have now finished the drawing of the platform end. Again I havent worried about drawing windows & doors on yet (or any small details) as the aim at the moment is more towards building the core of the building (details can come later!) But this time it does add on the detail for the canopy. One area I am having a little difficulty with is the door, as the bottom half of it is always hidden in photos. In particular I really need to know if there is a step.
Once the drawings are finished, it will be time to start on the modifications, my aim is to completely gut the prototypes layout and bring it up to date, adding in a small cafe, shop waiting room & small ticket sales area. There will also be other changes with the windows, and more noticeably fitting automatic doors.
Final edit for this post...
I have now finished the other walls, shown in the final figure below.
I've made a few alterations, firstly there are a few adoptions where I have decided to do things a little differently to modifications the preserved line made, adding bigger doors, more visible H&S changes. The accuracy of the back wall is a little suspect (the photo I was working from was focused on a different wall so it lacks clarity (particularly towards the back of the building) At any rate im not so worried here as it will only be viewable by me anyway.
Next up the signal box, but that can wait for tomorrow....
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