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  • 4 months later...

Progress Report.

 

Progress? What's all this 'ere progress? as John Harrison (more or less) used to write in his articles about Torpoint.

 

Remarkably little has happened. I could come up with various excuses, but it's mainly that I'm lazy and muddled. A little more track has been laid and - big change - I have removed the bridge because I have decided to have a level crossing, which were quite characteristic of the Sheffield-Barnsley line which is providing much of the inspiration for the project. Because my layout is on such high baseboards I really need to complete the scenic work at the back before I start on the front - if that makes sense. Because I have discovered, any leaning across the front does damage. I've been laying some stone setts and making a right botch of the job - the colour doesn't please me and may need to be redone. The bridge will be found another job down the line.

 

Nitthen - I have had the Kerr Stuart Victory class on the workbench for an inordinate time while I fitted the lamp irons - an awkward fiddly job for which I have had to employ superglue once I figured out I was mainly sticking metal to plastic. I have also had to paint the various bits of damage caused by my clumsiness. That job is now behind me, so the next job is to clear the bench and get on with sorting the level crossing gates, which I am afraid will be PECO, suitably modified to make them a bit more like the GC type. Then I need to build a (very small) pub and the station buildings. I have most of the necessary parts but am still waiting for some windows I ordered back in December. It's sad that some parts of the trade are just as dozy as me.

 

What am I saying? I obviously also have to relocate the platform from where it is, so that the new building can sit on it. Then I can have some fun detailing the station with figures and stuff - which is about the most enjoyable part of modelling as far as I am concerned.

 

I also need to find bench time to wire and modify the first three points that need to be laid. The realities of space means that everything will be much simpler than previously planned. In fact, it really could not get much simpler without being plain track. But funnily, I find I am cool with this. I will also need to build at least a couple of signals. It should be obvious that that is the bare minimum.

 

Throwaway question. At some point, when it became usual for level crossing gates to be kept closed to the railway, the red disks on them were moved from one side of the gates to the other. Does anyone know roughly when this transition took place? 

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I hope shortly to post a photo of the area at the back of the level crossing, which is almost presentable.

 

I have answered my own question on the level crossing by the simple expedient of looking at a photo of one taken in GC days. Answer is, they didn't have the now-familiar disc at all. Instead, mounted on the gate was a double sided lamp, presumably red lit, with a sort of 'washer' around it, also presumably red. I say washer because that is what I shall eventually be using to model it. I assume the 'washer' meant 'stop'.

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  • 2 weeks later...

post-7150-0-01515700-1492682428.jpgpost-7150-0-20436700-1492682454.jpg

 

I am trying to persuade myself the the ugly gouge in the road is a drainage gully. Truth is it needs more work, certainly more filler. Were this a modern layout I would cover it with 'tarmac' and call it a reinstatement, but I'm not sure whether they were that untidy prior to WW1. The tree needs fixing in, and some work will have to be put in around it Nominally this is part of the stationmaster's garden and will in part be hidden by some suitable Great Central signage in due course. I'm not quite sure about the location of the post box - it was painted by my missus when her hands were more up to such work. What the ill-matched couple on the corner are discussing I know not. It may be better not to enquire. Yes, Dog Lane is rather narrow at this point, and no doubt in years to come Wathboro Council will demolish Pegg's establishment to widen it. However, in the real world the building needs to stick out as it does to hide an anomaly in the backscene.

 

 

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Another reason for delay was to finish off this wagon. There is nothing remarkable about it except it is the first wagon I have built for my own purposes that has working Slater's spring suspension. I can't but help help think there is something of the Emperor's New Clothes about springing and suspension in ordinary 7mm Finescale (as opposed to S7) but I cannot help trying new things. The only really hard thing about building this model were the transfers. Much as I like methfix-type transfers (normally) these ones were an absolute lady dog to apply and it shows. I suspect a beginner would be put off for life. The etched plates are by Narrow Planet.  If anyone wants to know what one of these should look like this link shows one finished by Adrian Marks. My only excuse is that Adrian is a pro and I am a muddler.

 

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It will be interesting to see how this one runs it traffic compared to its sister, finished in Smith and Forrest livery, which is built in the old-fashioned solid chassis condition.

 

The really observant of you will see that the station platform edges have been moved to their new location. They just need fixing in place and repairing where damaged in the demolition work. No one needs to be observant to see that the LC gates are not yet in place. That is a task that will be seen to very shortly.

Edited by Poggy1165
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post-7150-0-01515700-1492682428.jpgattachicon.gif2017 various railway 067 (640x479).jpg

 

I am trying to persuade myself the the ugly gouge in the road is a drainage gully. Truth is it needs more work, certainly more filler. Were this a modern layout I would cover it with 'tarmac' and call it a reinstatement, but I'm not sure whether they were that untidy prior to WW1. The tree needs fixing in, and some work will have to be put in around it Nominally this is part of the stationmaster's garden and will in part be hidden by some suitable Great Central signage in due course. I'm not quite sure about the location of the post box - it was painted by my missus when her hands were more up to such work. What the ill-matched couple on the corner are discussing I know not. It may be better not to enquire. Yes, Dog Lane is rather narrow at this point, and no doubt in years to come Wathboro Council will demolish Pegg's establishment to widen it. However, in the real world the building needs to stick out as it does to hide an anomaly in the backscene.

 

 

attachicon.gif2017 various railway 069 (640x480).jpg

 

Another reason for delay was to finish off this wagon. There is nothing remarkable about it except it is the first wagon I have built for my own purposes that has working Slater's spring suspension. I can't but help help think there is something of the Emperor's New Clothes about springing and suspension in ordinary 7mm Finescale (as opposed to S7) but I cannot help trying new things. The only really hard thing about building this model were the transfers. Much as I like methfix-type transfers (normally) these ones were an absolute lady dog to apply and it shows. I suspect a beginner would be put off for life. The etched plates are by Narrow Planet.  If anyone wants to know what one of these should look like this link shows one finished by Adrian Marks. My only excuse is that Adrian is a pro and I am a muddler.

 

attachicon.gif2017 various railway 070.JPG

 

It will be interesting to see how this one runs it traffic compared to its sister, finished in Smith and Forrest livery, which is built in the old-fashioned solid chassis condition.

 

The really observant of you will see that the station platform edges have been moved to their new location. They just need fixing in place and repairing where damaged in the demolition work. No one needs to be observant to see that the LC gates are not yet in place. That is a task that will be seen to very shortly.

 

Wonderful stuff.  There is, as I am sure you know, a surviving temperance bar in Rawtenstall.

 

My late Grandmother signed the Pledge, and, with her  mother, used to hang around bars (no, that's not what I meant) .... used to station herself outside public houses to turn men away.  I always think that it says a lot for the deference in which respectable ladies were once held that honest working men prevented from slaking their thirst at the end of a shift didn't do violence to my Grandmother. 

 

In those days I would doubtless have shunned a temperance bar as threat to my very way of life, but the one in Rawtenstall is very well worth a visit and its wares are delicious.  Faced with the challenge of making something not containing alcohol interesting enough to drink, they produced some wonderful stuff that is far better than most of today's fizzy drinks.

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I do like that corner shop and the couple.  Just a thought on the post box, should it be at the kerb side, or on the corner or is that sort of thing a more modern positioning?

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Visited the Leigh Show yesterday, which is always enjoyable, and picked up one or two useful things.

 

Also met Mike Osborne, who in the past has produced some exquisite masters for commercial kits. He has now retired from that and was demonstrating his own scratch-built wagons made from Plastikard. It's at moments like this when one realises how inadequate one's own efforts are! Mike showed me the simple (but nonetheless clever) jigs he uses, and I am determined to have a go, though I doubt very much I shall ever get near his quality of build.

 

I ended up buying one of his short-run kits for a LNWR brake simply because he was responsible for it, so I knew it would be good. And guess what? When I got it home, it was more than good, it was jaw-dropping. Probably the best wagon kit I have ever seen, so good that I'm reluctant to touch it! I've no particular use for an LNWR brake, but who cares?

 

(Sometimes, when I buy a commercial kit, I end up throwing half of it away. Brakes that don't come within 2mm of the wheels are a big bug bear of mine. Sides that are visibly way too thick. Parts that are twisted and distorted to ****. Parts that don't fit properly. Etches that are almost impossible to fold correctly. Consequently there are some makers I will no longer touch. To get something like this,on the other hand, is practically to be transported to heaven.)

 

I shall shortly be off to the Land of Song for a bit, but then I shall slowly bash on. The station is the next big challenge.

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Hi Poggy,

 

Mike is an absolute gentlemen, he has been providing me with some very useful, unsolicited information for which I thank him.

 

The D16 brake van kit simply falls together, which is a shame as it is so enjoyable to build. 

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  • 4 months later...

Lack of Progress Report

 

The level crossing troubled me. I looked at it again and again and it seemed to me there was just not enough room between the railway and the buildings. Plus Dog Lane was far too narrow to be plausible. Then I found the perfect site for the signal box, but realised it couldn't be "there" because the signalman would not have a view of the road. Moreover, the only alternative site was for it to go with its rear facing the front of the layout, which would be a pity as the front of the box is rather lovely - IMHO.

 

Much thinking ensued. Then the answer struck me. Forget the LC, reinstate the bridge and everyone's a winner. The box can go in its desired place, right next to the king point. Dog Lane can become a wide thoroughfare. Wider anyway. The GC posters on the bridge side will be in a sensible location. 

 

So basically everything in the last set of photos is wiped out. One step forward, two back. The good news is I am now in a position to start laying pointwork, although maybe the station needs building first. The platform faces are stuck in place and moved slightly towards Marylebone, ending under the bridge and as a bonus sorting a slight anomaly at the other end, where under the old dispensation the platform would have had to be very narrow.

 

How much delay is caused by thinking! Much time would have been saved had I planned it out properly beforehand, but I find I can only visualise when the components are in place on the actual layout. The next thing I have to work out is the siting of the station buildings. An approach slope from Dog Lane will make what's left of the platform quite narrow, so I think I need to measure carefully. The solution may be to simply have a station entrance at the other end of the platform.

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  • 2 weeks later...

post-7150-0-15492200-1504611055.jpg

 

I decided that there would have to be a station entrance at the "other" end, and here is how it has progressed so far. The flags are supposed to have the look of York stone and do appear a bit more subtle in real life, but some further touches of the paintbrush may be needed. At least the gully grids are in place! The pavements as such come from KS Laser Designs, the other paving is just Slaters' sheet.

 

The exit to the "rest of the world" is a bit abrupt. I have some plans for further view-blockers which may help, but short of knocking the external wall of the house down, which seems a tad extreme, there's not a lot I can do about it.

 

The posters are nearly all Kirtley Models. There's one exception I managed to grab off the web and also some actual GC handbills that I have photostatted down to a suitable size. (The originals are quite frail, being over 100 years old, but the process works quite well.) The four GC noticeboards to the right are actually etched brass jobs bought from dear old Norman Wisenden in the early 1990s. I think they were made by IKB, but there's no chance of getting any more. There's just one GN noticeboard. I have found odd examples of "foreign" noticeboards on GC stations. "Foreign" posters go on these, not the GC boards. Usually the "foreign" boards are in a distinct minority, and more often than not they're from "allied" companies like the GN and GE. I presume there were reciprocal arrangements.

 

The lady on the corner is a flower seller, bought very cheap in pre-painted condition at one of the Shows. She has a sister who will eventually stand on Dog Lane, though how many flowers they sell to the local miners and their wives I know not. However, there is a limited amount of "carriage" trade. The station cat is weighing up the posters, perhaps considering the cheap tickets to Manchester on the board in front of it.

 

A lot more to do, not least the actual station buildings, but at least it's a start. I have a nice wagonette (half-built) which is just the thing to stand in this forecourt.

Edited by Poggy1165
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Another reason for delay was to finish off this wagon. There is nothing remarkable about it except it is the first wagon I have built for my own purposes that has working Slater's spring suspension. I can't but help help think there is something of the Emperor's New Clothes about springing and suspension in ordinary 7mm Finescale (as opposed to S7) but I cannot help trying new things. The only really hard thing about building this model were the transfers. Much as I like methfix-type transfers (normally) these ones were an absolute lady dog to apply and it shows. I suspect a beginner would be put off for life. The etched plates are by Narrow Planet.  If anyone wants to know what one of these should look like this link shows one finished by Adrian Marks. My only excuse is that Adrian is a pro and I am a muddler.

Looks fine to me... well done.

 

I built the wagon that Adrian painted as per your link.  After the photos appeared all those years back several of my 7mm friends have done the same prototype - to date I have seen four red No.2s and just one black No.9.  Narrow Planet has done the owner's plate for a couple of customers, the very first sample was etched as "Guiness-on-Trent" and no one noticed the error for almost 12 months.

 

One day Adrian is going to finish the tank that I built for him - intended to be written for "East End Alley Cleansing" of Basilica Fields.

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I was not happy with the appearance of the back wall in the last set of photos. It didn't look too bad in real life, but in photos it looked - well - glossy! Also there was a bad lack of definition in the stonework.

 

So I went over the whole lot with Burnt Umber watercolour, straight from the tube, and then immediately cleaned most of it off with a paper towels. Of course a sensible man would have done this before erecting the poster boards. The result is not up to Pendon standards, but I feel it is better than it was. That's what I generally aim for, not perfection, but improvement.

 

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The snag with these photos is they show up (for again it is less obvious to the naked eye) that the Railway Hotel in the background has been badly hit by mining subsidence. Something must be done to help conceal this. Perhaps a new building stuck over it, or perhaps some of those massive poster boards that face away from the railway. We shall see.

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Well, if I may say so, it looks good to me.

 

In the picture of 5 Sept. it was hard to judge because the wall seemed over-exposed, but certainly today's photographs show a very convincing balance between the wall and the printed backscene.  In fact, I'd say this comes close that many layouts to persuading you that the printed 2D element is really just a distant object in the same world as the 3D wall.  They now seem to blend.

 

They blend so well that I think that, if subsidence means the hotel should be replaced, you could do worse than replace it with an exact copy!

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That would be OK if I could recall the source thereof, and if it is still to be had. I thought it was Peco but from what I can see of the Peco range online, it isn't. It's a pity as it's a nice building a fits in quite well, but the obvious "not square" of it makes me wriggle now I've clocked it.

 

I shall have to have a look around the backscene market place.

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That would be OK if I could recall the source thereof, and if it is still to be had. I thought it was Peco but from what I can see of the Peco range online, it isn't. It's a pity as it's a nice building a fits in quite well, but the obvious "not square" of it makes me wriggle now I've clocked it.

 

I shall have to have a look around the backscene market place.

 

The Townscene range.

 

Apparently now available from here (and other places): http://doubleoscenics.weebly.com/oo-gauge.html

post-25673-0-80604800-1504779622.jpg

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post-7150-0-04732500-1504880533.jpg

 

I mentioned the signal box, but this is the first photo of it. It was made for me some years back by Kirtley Models, as I did not trust myself to match the fine lines of the original. The prototype, Thrybergh Colliery, was replaced about 1909, and the reason for choosing it was, at the time, I happened to have a decent photo of the original. Since then I have come across photos of even more spectacularly delightful MS&L boxes of this type (some even on this very forum) but I am happy enough with this one, which is absolutely typical of some of the GC backwaters in South Yorkshire, and sets the scene as well as a pagoda hut would a GW branch halt.

 

You can see why this signal box site would not have suited a level crossing. As it is I find it quite visually pleasing, though it will be better still with the bridge in place.

 

The mill in the background is excessively crude and will eventually be replaced by something more tasteful, but it covers the chimney breast and it will do until the layout is substantially complete. If it ever is. 

 

The pointwork is laid in place, but obviously isn't ready for traffic yet. I'm afraid I am sticking with Peco because a) I should like to finish the layout before I die, b) I am lazy and c) because more accurate pointwork would take up space I don't have. Ideally a couple of feet either way would make the layout much better, but unfortunately the walls are brick, not rubber. I am grateful to have a room at all, actually, and it is better to make do with what one has than dream of something better that will probably never be available.

Edited by Poggy1165
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Amusingly, I have just come across a photo in my collection where the signal box has a very poor view of the road, and could not possibly have seen traffic approaching the gates from one side. But the actual crossing seems to be laid with cinders, so it may be just an accommodation crossing or the like.

 

However, I'm not pulling everything apart again, and the new set-up does look better

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I do like your signal box, it's got real character about it. I've only just picked up this thread, although it's been going for yonks, how slows that? Still now I've done a post I can keep up to date in future, which I'm sure will be worth following. Cheers.

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attachicon.gifIMG_2696 (640x479).jpg

 

I mentioned the signal box, but this is the first photo of it. It was made for me some years back by Kirtley Models, as I did not trust myself to match the fine lines of the original. The prototype, Thrybergh Colliery, was replaced about 1909, and the reason for choosing it was, at the time, I happened to have a decent photo of the original. Since then I have come across photos of even more spectacularly delightful MS&L boxes of this type (some even on this very forum) but I am happy enough with this one, which is absolutely typical of some of the GC backwaters in South Yorkshire, and sets the scene as well as a pagoda hut would a GW branch halt.

 

You can see why this signal box site would not have suited a level crossing. As it is I find it quite visually pleasing, though it will be better still with the bridge in place.

 

The mill in the background is excessively crude and will eventually be replaced by something more tasteful, but it covers the chimney breast and it will do until the layout is substantially complete. If it ever is. 

 

The pointwork is laid in place, but obviously isn't ready for traffic yet. I'm afraid I am sticking with Peco because a) I should like to finish the layout before I die, b) I am lazy and c) because more accurate pointwork would take up space I don't have. Ideally a couple of feet either way would make the layout much better, but unfortunately the walls are brick, not rubber. I am grateful to have a room at all, actually, and it is better to make do with what one has than dream of something better that will probably never be available.

 

I, too, love the box.

 

Excuse the impertinence, but I have been thinking about the mill, which was, of course, the subject of one of George Eliot's lesser known works The Mill on the Flue

 

I fully appreciate that it is scheduled for demolition and reconstruction, but it made me think of the difficulties imposed by a chimney breast.  The model disguising it has to be a certain width, of course, but it must also be a prodigious height; in order to avoid protruding sky, it needs to extend to the full height of the backscene.

 

This necessitates something monumental, but is there, I wonder, any way to make it less monolithic?

 

It seemed to me that if it could be angled, given some depth, and then broken up horizontally and vertically, it could be a less dominating feature.   

 

As you have a little depth towards the right, could you not continue the retaining wall round the signal box?  This reduces the Mill-height required, and provides some depth to the Mill itself.

 

The attached sketch no doubt requires more depth on the extreme left than you have, but it should suffice to illustrate the thinking.

post-25673-0-76325900-1505313683_thumb.jpg

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Thank you for that. There is some room on the right hand side that can be developed. Indeed, there is quite a big space (by small layout standards) which will be difficult to access when all is complete. So it would be practical to extend the mill that way and maybe soften the effect. I have had all sorts of ideas for the said space, ranging from an engine shed to a coal mine, but sheer practicality makes me shy away from anything that needs prodding or uncoupling once the foreground is finished and signals are in place. So some sort of mill complex may indeed be a sensible way forward. 

 

The moral is, thou shalt not suffer a chimney breast to live. I should have had it knocked out at an early stage, but must confess the thought never occurred to me at the time. Way too disruptive to do it now!

 

I hope shortly to post photos of the new Dog Lane (which is shaping up to be something that Manchester Corporation at its reforming best would have approved). I have also sent off for two footbridge kits from York Modelmaking. These, I hope, can be assembled in such a way as to provide an interesting distraction at the far end of the station and also provide the necessary flight of steps from Dog Lane, for I have abandoned all thoughts of slopes. A lot of work still to do on the station, but I can see, in my mind's eye, how it is all going to fit. Which is something.

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  • 3 months later...

post-7150-0-73523500-1515061757_thumb.jpg

 

Lack of Progress Report.

 

I have, despite all the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, made some progress in the last few months. But as usual with me it's one step forward and two back.

 

1. I have built a massive footbridge that carries a right of way all the way across the station. The thing is, it needs painting and before that it needs a coat of spray primer. This will have to await the Spring. Way too wet and miserable to spray outside.

 

2. I spent much of December putting together a street-level booking office. Unfortunately, despite using the recommended three layers of plastikard, it has warped to ****. The worst of it is that the most obvious warping is at the end which is most visible to the viewer. Yesterday, while engaged in painting it, I decided that it will not do. After recovering useful parts (doors, windows) it will be scrapped, and replaced. I think I might try card this time...

 

3. I have procured some gorgeous station signs from Intentio. Unfortunately I made the error of painting the first one prior to assembly. This was a mistake. However, the other signs look great and now just need painting. The first is salvagable, but I would not make that error again.

 

4. Some nice MS&L 4wh coach kits have arrived from Alphagraphix. It would be good to get these built in 2018. I need to keep telling myself they are just a funny kind of wagon. 

 

5. I have replaced the subsiding Railway Hotel with another copy. Unfortunately the "new" backscene was ever so slightly smaller and did not completely cover the old. I am still trying to work out whether it now has a 3D look, or whether it's just dog's droppings and in need of covering with something else!

 

The indifferent photo shows the new Dog Lane. Though imperfect, I am quite pleased by the air of grottiness. The new station booking office will go at the far end, blocking out part of the backscene, which will be a Good Thing. One of the Intentio signs will be attached to the bridge parapet, another to the aforesaid building. BTW, the road level will rise slightly when the proper supporting girders are put in, and the splashes of white will/should disappear. This photo has made me realise the pavement edges need careful retouching. A wise man would have put the road in first and then the pavements. I was aware of this, but too impatient to be sensible, an annoying mental habit of mine. 

Edited by Poggy1165
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post-7150-0-71123000-1515063403.jpg

 

It is very dark in the railway room right now so I have experimented with some crude floodlighting. Videlicet a spot light.  The first two photos show Dog Lane. I think all the posters are by Kirtley Models, or almost all. The first gives the impression the street light is lit. A happy accident, as it isn't connected yet. (Unless the spirits are at work!)

 

post-7150-0-99977300-1515063430.jpg

 

 

The next two photos show the new footbridge in all its glory. Forgive its shocking whiteness. Made from one and a bit kits made by York Modelmaking and very similar to some footbridges used on the GCR. Though I think the risers should be closed rather than open, which to my eyes give it a slightly cheapo LNWR feel. 

 

post-7150-0-66805800-1515063478.jpgpost-7150-0-52424100-1515063501.jpg

 

 

A really keen-eyed viewer may note to the right a piece of the forthcoming Wathboro Station. This section was custom made by York Modelmaking as it was the only bit of the station I couldn't see my way to creating. I could not possibly have done so neat a job with the complex panels. The station seats are PECO. Inexplicably sold as "Midland" they are the ideal GC pattern. They need painting though.

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Looking good. I'll leave Penlan to deal with "cheapo LNWR" and Compound with "Inexplicably ... Midland", and just say that it all seems to be coming together well. And a thumbs up for York Modelmaking.

 

Your station also seems to feature a greenhouse!?!

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