grahame

I've now got the basic gable end wall in place - it will be the only 'complete wall of the row/scene - and given everything a coat of grey primer. Next will be the remnants of the front walls and the front yard walls. The view will be from the rear of the building showing the innards so the inside walls will need to be dressed (plaster, wall paper, etc) rather than just brick, meaning more modelling effort. I'd already included a smooth plaster representation for the inside of the gable end wall except the loft area.

I sketched up a very rough character drawing to give me an idea of how it could look and marked up the terraced properties outlines/boundaries on the sub-board. Then I tentatively started adding in some brick plasticard - doubled up so the embossed bricks were on both sides - in the lowered cellar areas to represent the party walls. The plan is that those on the left end are almost completely demolished while it is only a couple at the other end of the terrace that will have any resemblance of a house - just a few external walls and chimney stacks but no roof.

The next scenic vignette along the baseboard front from the Victorian warehouse will be a bomb damage/slum clearance site. It's a narrow triangular shaped site. There's plenty of photos on the web of such sites and building demolition to provide inspiration and research. I've started by cutting holes in the baseboard to allow a lower level for cellars, etc, to be modelled and provide undulation. Next I've put together a removeable sub-board for the scene to carry out the modelling effort indoors. This includes lowered sections that drop in to the holes. It's only rough as, hopefully, there will be a lot of detail to cover it. This is only a beginning and there is much modelling effort to carry out so it may take some time.

I believe there is a simple and very cheap kit version of a pallet van available from the NGS. The downside is that it probably runs on a one piece Peco chassis.

Here's a few snaps of my trip to Venice by train last week changing at Paris and Milan and with stopovers in Switzerland both ways;

No modelling of recent as I've been away (last week) to Venice by train, stopping over in Switzerland. Some continental train snaps from the trip are posted here: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/185192-train-trip-to-venice/#comment-5466282 Back now, but not in the swing of modelling yet, so yesterday I prepared an article about my gasholder kit bashing, based on one I published in my magazine a while back. I'd adapted the kit from an above ground water tank type to a subterranean type with the kit tank made to represent the bottom holder lift with scratch made and added bottom level bracing. It looks a lot better and more appropriate IMO. And here's a gratuitous snap of it currently in place on the LB layout. However, there's still plenty to do on the gasholder station site:

Marley's training continues:

The block with the warehouse is almost complete. I've added some shops overlooking Bermondsey Street which I'd always planned to do, although their frontages are not yet finished. And, of course, this is N/2mm scale for my under construction layout. I've also finally made and added hopper-heads and down pipes to the warehouse, but as I'm out of half round styrene strip I've not been able to add gutters and downpipes to the overhanging pitched roofs.

Here's how the Bermondsey Street shops look in conjunction with the warehouse (on the same block). No.72, a cafe called Chapter 72, is still to be completed - the ground floor windows, door and anything that can be seen inside. The other property seems a strange secretive affair with frosted windows and blinds. And I've still to make the hopper heads and downpipes for the warehouse, and now for the shops.

Just a little bit more work on the frontages today. I need to consider how I'll make the ground floor windows for both properties and the door for the cafe. Otherwise I'm happy with the progress.

A start has been made on the frontages - fortunately they are mostly quite plain and simple. And the chimney pots are now in place. But that's it for today. I'm going upstairs to have a bath and get ready for an afternoon sesh in the local, then it'll be cooking dinner and relaxing.

And a picture of the block in place (but not fixed) on the layout (out in the shed) with ridge tiles and coping stones added:

A little progress on the Bermondsey Street buildings that are on the warehouse block. As always still plenty to do like the frontages, ridge tiles, coping stones, chimney pots and so on. Also you can see that I've made and added the hoist jib to the warehouse but the rainwater hopper heads and down pipes are still yet to be made and added.

The layout looks great in the magazine, an impressive advert for British N gauge. Well done.

Perhaps he's built a model railway in his roof top shed.

As part of the block with the warehouse, I'd planned to include some buildings facing the road, Bermondsey Street. I've chosen some fairly plain fronted three storey ones, including a café currently called Chapter 72, to base the model on, see here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.501484,-0.0821143,3a,75y,235.21h,103.23t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s7w8xcfK0ruGuhCPrzhtbyw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3D7w8xcfK0ruGuhCPrzhtbyw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D28.525812%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu I've knocked up a card carcass as pictured below (apologies for quick poor quality snap) to get started :

Next building along is a Victorian style warehouse. It's not quite finished; gutters, downpipes and hopper heads still to be made and added:

This afternoon I was enjoying 'I Am the Moon' by the Tedeschi Trucks Band on vinyl. ;-)

Another training run today for Marley. His times are improving.

Here's a pic I took the other day but didn't post at the time - it might be of interest being a little more elevated and including the brewery and a better view of the other buildings around. You can also see that the chimney pots have been added since the previous pic posted and a little weathering on the roof. Still got the down pipes and hoist jib to make.

I'm slowly working my way along the front of the layout (from right to left/east to west) with the biscuit factory, vinegar brewery and now the old warehouse. None of the models are fixed down (to allow them to be moved for the viaduct construction) or fully finished. The road behind them and in front of the viaduct is getting closer to the layout baseboard edge and the remaining triangular site will become a waste ground/slum or bomb damage clearance area. The location is the grey card triangle bottom centre at the front baseboard edge in the pic above. I'm planning on taking inspiration from Kier Hardy's Hornsey Broadway waste ground modelling as outlined in this 'EM gauge in the 70s' update: https://emgauge70s.co.uk/model_omwb203.html

Time for something different, . . or rather an update on my latest N/2mm buildings. This time it's an old style warehouse. It's not finished as there's still some details to be made and added, like down pipes and the hoist jib, but here it is just plonked in place next to the vinegar brewery on my under construction layout.

Marley in training for the 100m final at the Paris Olympics:

Doors fitted at this end, and some of the walls now fixed in place. But still plenty to do:

The windows (on the viewing side) have been installed and a chimney stack made (but it's not fixed as top flaunching and pots are yet to be added). I've test placed it on the layout to check it all goes together okay (pic below). The walls aren't attached as doors need to be made and fitted. Then they can be glued to the carcass. Finally, details, like the hoist jib and down pipes, can be made and added.