grahame

N/2mm vinegar brewery:

That's a nice little cut and shut project. Have you considered thinning down the rear platform on the ODC RMs which are about a scale 18 inches thick?

This pic should help show how it's starting to hang together with the panels temporarily in place (not fixed);

Some progress on the main two features walls (those that will be obvious from the viewing position) and the pitched roof now made. It's basically a tent made from cardboard and covered with Redutex self adhesive tiling sheets. I've given it a coat of aerosol grey paint as panels were from different sheets with different shades. Ridge tiles need to be added which will cover the joints. And a chimney stack for one end where offices would have been.

Excellent. I'm up for a copy of the first one. Any idea when it will be published and hit the book stands?

A start has been made on cutting apertures and adding relief details to the wall panels. Unfortunately I've a dental check-up this morning so it'll not be until this afternoon before I can continue (sills, lintels, etc). The marked up window on the Glazing-grids is to check the size of the window openings.

I've cut the main walls from brick embossed plasticard ready to mark up with doors and windows and detail with various architectural features. I didn't have sufficient of the usual brick sheets that I usually use, but had this 2mm American plain brick bond. It's an odd buff colour but once it's painted, detailed and weathered I doubt anyone will be able to notice.

The construction of the warehouse building is featured in my cardboard buildings thread: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/115057-scratch-built-card-and-styrene-structures-based-on-real-buildings-around-london-bridge/page/100/#comments

There's plenty of on-line references and photos of South London Victorian warehouses - and all fairly similar in style, so I've started by making the main carcass. The decorative features will be added when I make the walls:

The next building/block, along (left/west) from the brewery and office block, will have a warehouse as the main structure. There were several in the area so it should be easy to cobble up a suitable one to fit. I mocked up a very rough idea from paper and a section from the central labs building I'd made for the gas works, but that can't fit in and be used. I've cut them back to provide a sort ready made lean-to extension. I'll have to try and make the main warehouse block with a similar style and finish. I've cut out the block area, including the pavements, which I'll use a a base to build on: Next to do some more research to find a suitable prototype to base the model on.

Like the office and brewery block, and the biscuit factory building, which are effectively separate sub assemblies that are not yet fixed in place, the slum/bombsite clearance and warehouse will also be made as discrete separate models indoors so that they can be added to the layout later. I've starting planning them with rough mock-ups:

The plan is that the points will be on sections of the viaduct that can be lifted out (to wire, repair and work on) and fit back between the parapets and fixed section of the viaduct track bed with no points.

The corner shop used to be a cobblers (key cutting, shoe repairs, leather cutting, etc) called Kehoes back in the 70s. More recently it became a vaping shop. I checked out on-line and it looks like Oree is a chain of boulangeries and has taken over Kehoes and the newsagents next door. On the other corner, further up towards the overbridge, used to be a Wimpy fast food joint. If things don't change they'll stay as they are. I hope they're not bad thoughts about the layout while walking to the station. Wouldn't want to give you nightmares. ;-)

I recently watched a YouTube video where it was suggested there are three approaches to layout design ; prototype, proto-lance and free-lance. I liked the term proto-lance, but I guess it can cover a wide range. For example I'd like to think that my London Bridge layout is somewhere between Prototype and Proto-lance and hopefully closer to prototype. Well, I would, wouldn't I?

Slow progress on the layout and little to report, although I have now got the viaduct track bed cut for the curved section leading off-scene to the East end fiddle-yard/return loops behind the biscuit factory building. It's not fixed down although the raiser blocks are glued and screwed in place: And that has allowed me to start the panning for the front edge scenics (just in front of St Thomas Street that runs along the front of the viaduct). It's long thin triangular shape (as in this pic below) marked by white paper. For the right end I'll make a suitable warehouse and for the narrow end it'll probably become a building site/bomb site clearance. The middle foreground flat roofed building is the 1970s signal box which will reside on the viaduct ;

And being too old to be a rocker, and chained to the sink by marriage preventing chasing the girls doesn't leave you with much now . . . . The salvation is railway modelling.

Todays stroll around the estate with Marley involved the usual running, climbing and this time inspecting the crocuses.

IMO Metcalfe buildings aren't the best and are usually very generic. However, they are cheap and basic card kits, so if they don't do exactly as you want they can be adapted and hacked fairly easily to fit. And if you need to know the model size check out the Metcalfe website that gives dimensions for all their kits.

Ehh?

In Australia they have drive through off-licences. In fact I tried to buy a few beers at one but they wouldn't sell them because I'd walked there and didn't have a car with me.

There's no trick. By block of colour I mean the main basic colour for each assembly (wall panel, roof tent, chimney stack tops, etc.,) that is usually applied by spray painting (I use a lot of aerosols). Then the details are picked out (usually with a fine brush using acrylics) and the whole thing sealed with a coat of matt varnish (also from an aerosol). Next the windows and doors are added from behind and the assembly is glued in place on the carcass. Any touch up paint needed and separately prepared/finished details (like aircon units, down pipes, guttering, etc) are added next, and a little weathering applied (mostly powders and panel line washes). HTH

Time for a little more N/2mm urbanisation and the latest building for my slowly progressing layout. This is a 'view blocker' for trains leaving/entering the scenic section from the fiddle-yards/return loops. The building needed to be tall as the trains will be on a viaduct behind it. It's formerly part of the Peek Frean's factory complex in 'biscuit town' (Bermondsey) but obviously compressed and compromised to fit the location. I appreciate it's on the wrong side of the tracks and a mile or so displaced, but being local it's hopefully not too out of place. And it's across the road (which will go under the viaduct) from the recently made vinegar brewery.

The track bed for each end off-scene fiddle-yard/return loops are complete and ready to lay track on. One end on-scene section is also ready and does have some track laid. And the station through lines track bed has been cut. The delay for the main section has been being able to obtain suitable correct height timber to support the track bed, but recently I've been able to acquire some.

It's just about complete, save some tidying up, touching up the paintwork (when I next get the paints out) and a little more weathering. Time to consider the next project to get started on . . . . .

Today I've got the rest of the paint on and windows fitted to the main wall panel. And it's now glued in place. Next to tackle is the top floor fascia (with balcony frontage) and the chunky curved cast concrete bay dividers that curve over the balcony. Then it'll be the pitched roof that goes on top.