Atso

I've knocked up some steps out of 10 thou plastic card and down/drain pipes from various sizes of brass wire. I'm not sure about the steps, but will live with them for awhile before making a decision on them.

I would like to offer my current work in progress to the thread. This is my interpretation of Hadley Wood's signal box. I say interpretation because information and photos regarding some of the details are apparently non-existent and some conjecture has had to be employed. The model (other than the bell off a Peco kit) is scratchbuild in 10 thou and 20 thou plastic sheet and strip. The roof tiles are sticky vinyl on top of a 5 thou support with another 20 thou support structure underneath that plugs into the building. The window frames were painted onto the glazing, having masked everything off - I'll be having another go at these though.

Originally, I thought that the signal box ended up embedded in the end of the platform ramp on the Down side. However, further study of the photos I have strongly suggest that this wasn't the case. Sadly there are few decent pictures of the box from this angle and so I've had to 'suggest' how things were arrange. Below is the box in the current guise - the bell is from a spare Peco item. The privy is now supported and the signalman will have an easier time accessing it. The gutters are a couple of stips of 30 thou plastic, the impression of the inside being initially scored and then opened up a little using the end of a triangular file. A short staircase is still to be knocked up and added.

Originally the photographic evidence I had suggested that the signal box was located on the ramp of the Down platform. However I've subsequently decided that this wasn't the case and the box was located immediately after the ramp. I've also discovered that there was a narrow walkway around the front and sides of the box, so I've had to make a few alterations. The privy now had a support structure underneath it - should make the signalman feel a bit safer in times of need. The bell above the door is from a spare spru off (I think) a Peco kit.

Oh, come on Manna, let's be serious! I can't build atom by atom, they're just too small. I build with molecules; most of them are quite large and complex ones!

Having gotten most of the fiddle yard built and all of the scenic track laid, I've turned my attention to building a few of the structures for Hadley Wood. I've built on of the tunnel mouths already and below is my progress on the signal box.

Thanks Adam. I decided to try again but this time using sticky back plastic cut on my Craftrobo. Below is the new roof compared to the original. An improvement I think.

The first sloshes of paint have been added. I'm not sure about the roof though and might redo it. The glazing needs some touch ups where I've removed the masking but I think it has potential...

Painting of the first tunnel mouth is well underway now and I've turned my attention to the next structure. I didn't fancy making the second tunnel mouth right now and working out the station dimensions was driving me scatty. Therefore, I've turned my attention to the signal box. This was a glorified ground frame in reality and by 1932, was locked out with the exception of when the goods sidings were being shunted. The two signals were controlled at Greenwood box. The signal box was at platform level but on the ramp, so I decided to model the structure to track level and will cut a hole in the platform (once built) to accommodate it. Progress over a few hours today: The glazing is not attached and is masked up so that I can spray the window frames using my airbrush sometime in the next few days.

Great stuff Tom, very nicely done!

The privy looks great Tony and has a natural weathered look to the finish. The C2 looks wonderful, and I'll admit to feeling slightly envious of Jesse. Any chance you could apply a shrink ray to it and send it to me instead of Oz???

Incredible work Nick; although I'd expect nothing less! Speaking as someone who once let others dictate what I should enjoy (with seriously detrimental effects), I can honestly say that enjoying a process, in whatever form, is never a waste of time.

Thank you Tony, As this is my first true scratch build for some time, I'm quite pleased with how it has turned out. The D16/3 is indeed a Union Mills product, and slightly too tall; hence its use as a clearance tester. I purchased it when they first became available and will eventually detail it and repaint into LNER lined black (it's already acquired a new set of wheels). At some point in the past I've used it to practice lining on - the stock Union Mills product has no lining. I plan to use it on some of the Down stopping services to Cambridge with one of the Royal Clauds (to be designed and built) operating in the Up direction.

Hello Tony, I thought you might be interested in seeing my efforts on the first significant scenic item for Hadley Wood. Amazingly for me, it does not feature a single 3D printed component and is entirely scratch built (albeit with a little help from my cutting machine for the tunnel arch) in plastic card. The big chunk missing out of one of the wings is to allow stock into the two loop lines at the front of the layout (despite the photo below, the tunnel mouth is square and level!).

The other wing has now been constructed. Unfortunately, I seem to have suffered from the curse of the non-drying Humbrol paint so have stripped the other bits back and re-primed them. This allowed me to add the small brick panel above the tunnel mouth that I'd missed before.

I've seen that Richard. I'm very tempted to have a go at modelling it.

I've just gone back and checked, the tunnel mouth is square!

The current tunnel assemblies went over to the layout today for clearance testing. As I suspected, the wing badly interfered with the front hidden loops. After some work with the Dremel, a clearance hole sufficient to allow my tallest loco was created = I'm really glad I made the upper wall as a three ply sandwich. None of this butchery will be visible once the layout has been completed as the side of the cutting will cover the hole. I only knew about the capping stone on the end of the wing due to Google Maps, it isn't visible in any photo I've seen.

I wasn't about to see Hadley Wood back when the station building was still in place, but I am beginning to work out that time is a cruel mistress... Thanks for the kind words gents. The tunnel was scratch built using the drawings I produced from the photos I found. Mainly 30 thou plastic card with some 20 thou strip and slaters embossed brick sheet. My only concession to more modern methods was to many to breathe some life into my ancient Craftrobo cutter to cut the tunnel mouth and stonework - the later was then treated to a panel line knife to give a bit more relief to the detail. Three hours this morning saw the first of the wing walls produced. Below is a view from behind showing the support structure I made to get the curve. A final view showing the blended brickwork on the corners using the technique described in Geoff Taylor's book on making buildings. The untreated area at the bottom will be below the scenic level (once some ground contours are eventually made).

Hiya Manna, Don't worry, I read your comment. I'm thinking a dark grey wash and a dusting of weathering powders will be just the ticket once the paint has finally dried.

Ok, so there was a kink in the goods yard track! This has now been attended to. Feeling more motivated now that around 80% of all the trackwork is in place, I've been working on a few scenic items. First are a couple of buffer stops assembled from 2mm Association etches and regauged to fit N gauge's 9mm between the rails. Next is something a bit more substantial, one of the tunnel mouths - minus the wing walls, which still need to be built. Naturally, having gotten this far, I couldn't resist sloshing some paint on it! Usually I would pick out random bricks, but as the tunnel mouths appeared to have become near black, I'll be using weathering from this point onward.

Thanks William, I didn't find any problems assembling them, even when I regauged them to N! It took around 90 minutes to assemble the pair while half watching TV.

Just coming off my workbench is this pair of GNR buffer stops assembled from the Association's etches.

I think it is a trick of the camera but I'll have a close look at it when I get over to the layout later today.

Brilliant work as always Tony - some nicely observed details on the models. I've not experienced an issues painting my 3D printed locos which I believe use the same resin as Mike's. I'm sure that Geoff won't have any difficulties with the paint job!