New London Underground Layout

[Alex_7753]

Hi all, i recently started making my first ever layout, I have chosen to model a fictional London underground station that serves the district and northern lines. The district line runs on a viaduct with the station in front and the northern line running parallel underneath. I have made extensive use of scale scenes downloadable kits, I did this primarily to keep the cost down as i do Airsoft which is also a very expensive hobby, I am however very pleased with the results that the kits give.

 

For the trains I have used the superb models from Metromodels, I have one D78 DM and one trailer and a 1995 DM. The model will be static with no moving trains hence the few train cars. Please feel free to ask me any questions or suggestions.

 

(sorry about the picture quality they were taken on an Iphone 4)

(First time posting pictures so i hope they work)

 

MetroModels D78 stock primed

 

MetroModels 1995 stock waiting to be sanded down

 

Kingsway Models Mile End station building with custom roof using scale scenes textures

 

 

overview of top half of model, with scale scenes pavements and arches laid in place, along with track and station

 

overview of cable trunking laid in place at end of platform

 

close up of arches, pavement and cobble for pedestrian area all just laid in place for now

 

[knitpick]

Very nice indeed.  Have you thought of a location yet?  I would suspect somewhere around Wimbledon / Morden as being the obvious choice.

 

A few thoughts - feel free to ignore. 

 

Firstly, most arches that I was aware of under the Underground were occupied - even close to stations.  In this context, a coffee and sandwich bar, a newsagents and a taxi office would make sense rather that the Eastender's style car bashing shop (that would be away from the station, the other side of a road).  Given the number of arches, also one or two shops "To Let"? a Model Railway shop?  plus a charity shop?

 

Second, I would be tempted to resite the station building.  To me the passageway towards the station platforms seems a bit close to the arch support.  I'd be tempted to place that narrow passageway central to an arch.  But that does raise the issue of where the stairs to the upper District line platforms go - albeit they will turn through 90 or 180 degrees as required.

 

Third, some bus stops - and possibly buses terminating?  Though that would imply either the road is one way - or you would need to widen it to 3 lanes.

 

Finally - that D78 stock does look good.  Now where did I put my Credit Card? 

[Alex_7753]

Thanks for the feedback, Not sure on location yet, Was also thinking the same about the arches, scalescenes do have an arch fronts kit that i might get. Think i will move the station to be more central, still not too sure how I will put access up to the district line platforms possibly use the scalescenes platoform subway kit which i already have. There is a single bus stop but i might push the pavement back to create another lane for multiple or I might create an angled bus station like the picture attached (if it works).

 

Also the D78 is a great model would defiantly recommend to anyone, the plastic it is made from requires very little to no sanding at all. however the 1995 stock is very grainy and could take along time to prepare for painting. Thats me off to ballast the upper district line tracks now will upload some more pictures when that is done.

 

[knitpick]

The more I think about it, the more I feel that the angled style bus station is wrong for London Transport.  Most buses were rear entrance.  Even the front entrance one man operated buses (Titans and such) were just that - front entrance, centre exit.  Whereas the angled style bus station requires front entrance and exit.

 

OK the RFs were front entrance and exit but were replaced well before your time period.  In a number of cases this was by RMC / RCL Routemaster coaches - rear entrance with doors.

 

Mind you even with oopen platform rear entrance, at Putney Bridge Station, the road was one way.  Buses that stopped on the off side of the road disgorged and loaded passengers into the road (route 85 and later also 85A to Kingston).

 

[Note edited to correct route numbers to 85 / 85A - but then I only used that route to get to school . . .]

Edited May 5, 2016 by knitpick

[Metr0Land]

Agreed. For example Morden was like this in days of RF

 

London Transport , RF358 MLL995 . Morden Station , London . March-1971 . by AndrewHA's, on Flickr

[SRman]

Aaahhh! The RF: my favourite bus of all time!

I like the D78 stock and didn't even know they had become available, although I do check MetroModels' web site once in a while.

While they are static now, they do leave the way open for you to motorise them and get a running layout later on, if you are so inclined.

[Alex_7753]

I think I will just go with pushing back the pavement, creating a bus lane and having multiple stops along it. The ballast has been laid and glued, don't think it's that bad for my first time. Will put up a picture later as my IPad won't cooperate.

[jonny777]

I think it is very good for a first effort; far better than my first layout - mind you that was in the late 1950s.

 

I would just have the road as one way with a line of bus stops next to the pavement.

 

Those scalescenes arches are larger than I thought they might be, so I might invest in the files for those; they could be just what I have been looking for.

[Alex_7753]

The one way road might work, the arch kits are good, can be hard to cut a perfect curve because the card is quite thick. I use 2mm grey board from hobby craft and a glass cutting board, the underside of the arches are just coloured with a pen as the supplied brick strip is too thin.

[Alex_7753]

Having some problems with my ballast, how long roughly does scenic cement take to dry as right now the ballast has gone soft and spongy?

[Broadway Clive]

The one way road might work, the arch kits are good, can be hard to cut a perfect curve because the card is quite thick. I use 2mm grey board from hobby craft and a glass cutting board, the underside of the arches are just coloured with a pen as the supplied brick strip is too thin.

You really need access to the artwork to enable you to modify things to suit you. When its protected on a PDF maybe a screen grab could copy it to your preferred art programme. Otherwise you can just print more arches to cut strips.

[Alex_7753]

I used serif page plus at school to import the PDFs and take various parts separately. But now that I am about to turn 18 and am currently doing exams I don't have access to this anymore.

 

Also got some pictures of what i have done so far, spent most of the day drilling holes for the peco rail chairs and cutting them out, 3rd and 4th rail was sprayed with games workshop chaos black primer. ballast will be dulled down with rail grime spray later.

 

 

 

 

 

3rd and 4th rail is only laid in place now, been a lovely day here so been working in the sun, heat has also helped the ballast set too.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Alex_7753

[MatthewEWS]

Great work, following with interest

[d winpenny]

Looking good

 

David

[wicky0570]

This is looking amazing. We are wanting to build a London Underground layout too, and static too. However we would like to incorporate an actual underground tube station but can't get our heads round how to do it yet!

 

Thanks for sharing your work so far, looking forward to seeing this constructed.

[Joseph_Pestell]

This is looking amazing. We are wanting to build a London Underground layout too, and static too. However we would like to incorporate an actual underground tube station but can't get our heads round how to do it yet!

 

Thanks for sharing your work so far, looking forward to seeing this constructed.

 

Take a look at Copenhagen Fields (MRC 2mm scale layout) to see great modelling of a tube station with line/platform below ground.

 

Some surface stations such as Mile End, Hammersmith, etc. give the opportunity to run both tube and surface stock. Hammersmith would be ideal for a bus enthusiast as it has Butterwick Bus Station as well.

[Alex_7753]

This is looking amazing. We are wanting to build a London Underground layout too, and static too. However we would like to incorporate an actual underground tube station but can't get our heads round how to do it yet!

 

Thanks for sharing your work so far, looking forward to seeing this constructed.

 

You get an underground Tube style platform kit from kingsway models (TSN style is best) and also an interior detailing kit with wall sections (however i suggest if you use these just buy another platform kit and use its walls because the other kit is rather pixelated) They are card as well that you buy and he ships them to you pre-printed and glued to card.

 

The tube platform kit has also been updated so that the walls are clear of adverts so you can add your own.

 

I found it very difficult to make and glue (probably just my lack of skills in card modeling as this is my first time). so I just used the wall textures from the kit to make a straight backed wall underground platform. however because of exams I have not been able to do much more of the layout lately but should have pics of it soon.

[wicky0570]

Thanks for the advice Alex. Could I ask a few questions about your layout?

1. What size is the layout?
2. Whose arch kit have you used?
3. Are they Scale Scenes Cable Trunking that you have used?

I hope you can get to do some more work on this soon as I am keen to see it in progress. Thanks once again for your reply and look forward to hearing from you again soon.

[Alex_7753]

Thanks for the advice Alex. Could I ask a few questions about your layout?

 

• What size is the layout?
• Whose arch kit have you used?
• Are they Scale Scenes Cable Trunking that you have used?

I hope you can get to do some more work on this soon as I am keen to see it in progress. Thanks once again for your reply and look forward to hearing from you again soon.

The layout is 1220mm by 500mm mm. The raised district line platform is 1220 by 210.

Arch kits are scalescenes red brick low relief arches.

The cable trunking is from Ten Commandments ( cast in stone ) painted with gamesworkshop paint. Orange tubes are Cotton buds with ends cut off and painted orange.

 

Should be doing more this weekend and through next week although I have an exam next Friday so need to prioritise that.

[Alex_7753]

Finally after a long time I have done some more of my model!

 

Today my traffic lights that I ordered from shapeways arrived. They are superbly detailed and modeled made by St. Simon.

 

I also glued down the road today, drilled holes for the traffic lights and barriers.

 

With my 18th birthday soon approaching (Wednesday 6th) I hope to buy some more detail items from scalemodelscenery.com such as traffic bollards for the signal islands, planters , troughs, benches, bins etc also need to get some tactile paving for the crossing and junction.

 

 

These signals could not be put in due to my only 0.8mm drill breaking.

 

 

The barriers are from scalemodelscenery, the signs are a great little photo etch kit from cast-in-stone.co.uk

I need to change a few off the sign faces as I am no longer using temporary traffic lights as the ones from cast-in-stone.co.uk are far to small and need to be 1.5x bigger to be scale accurate.

 

 

The barriers are also from scalemodelscenery

 

 

The black lines between textures sheets is to simulate the tar line that is used to seal to patches together in real life

 

 

The crossing is situated just next to where the station entrance will be

 

 

I am trying to go for the modern look as this is what most interests me.

If anyone has any ideas on where I can get lots of walking people that does not cost heaps would be greatly appreciated

 

As always please let me know what you think

 

Alex

Edited July 5, 2016 by Alex_7753

[kintbury jon]

Looks fantastic.

[d winpenny]

They look great

 

David

[wicky0570]

Wow! That is looking very good indeed. Love the traffic lights, they will look good when painted. What thickness of card have you used to wrap the pavements? Mine always look too thin but yours look just right!

 

Keep up the good work, really enjoying watching this build.

[knitpick]

Those latest pictures do look good, probably better than I could achieve.  The traffic lights look like they could be 3 printed; where did you find them? 

 

Being very picky - well I have to with my handle . . .

 

The cracked paving slabs - I guess that you may have used a black fine liner.  If you could make the odd crack more of a break with the broken bit slightly tilted - then put a passer by stepping on the uneven bit . . .

 

The "When Red Light Shows" sign should be in the road in front of the barriers - but given the available road width at the works site, I feel that it's unlikely that they'd bother with traffic light control.  You need a bigger road works?  Or ditch the sign??

 

The kerb stones look wrong to me.  Firstly for most of London memory suggests that they should be narrower and longer.  (I would estimate about half the width of a paving slab and perhaps twice the length?  They are also much deeper - but that would not be apparent unless you had some paving repair work visible.  Secondly they tend to be mottled grey and white (Granite?) and give a darker effect than the paving slabs.   

[Alex_7753]

Wow! That is looking very good indeed. Love the traffic lights, they will look good when painted. What thickness of card have you used to wrap the pavements? Mine always look too thin but yours look just right!

 

Keep up the good work, really enjoying watching this build.

The pavements are wrapped round 2mm greyboard from hobby craft