Scratch-built card and styrene structures (based on real buildings around London Bridge)

[grahame]

The main carcass parts have been added from mountboard card. These include walls that will not have apertures cut in them as they face away from the viewing position, or are internal or don't have doors or windows. The exterior will be clad in scored plasticard to represent the concrete panels and a brick edged plinth will need adding around the base to represent the raft/floor/footings. Hopefully I've considered and included them in part of the model construction plans:

 

 

 

[grahame]

All the outer walls are now cut to fit including apertures. Next some fun detailing them, but that can wait while I make a pot of tea:

 

[bridgiesimon]

6 hours ago, grahame said:

I've found another period pic (similar and samish location to the one I posted some pages back). Again a class 33, this time on a ballast hopper train. The road in the foreground is Ilderton Road (leading to the Old Kent Road on the right) with top centre the old New Cross Stadium and to its right can just be seen the Old Den in Cold Blow Lane (Millwall's home ground before they moved to the New Den). Both have now long gone;

 

That could so easily be a piccie of a model railway, I thought it was at first!!

 

such a useful image for details isnt it.

 

Best wishes

simon

[grahame]

I've got most details (like brick plinth, panel frames, sills, etc)  on and a dusting of primer and a possibly a suitable top coat colour. There's some tidying up required (close-up photos certainly show poor workmanship and where more work is required), then making the roof and roof details, painting, glazing and so on still to do:

 

 

[grahame]

It's starting to come together. I've prepared the windows for fitting and also dirtied the exterior and matt varnished it. I'll get the windows installed (when they dry) and fix the two main sub-assemblies together. Still the roofs to make, but they should be straightforward being felt covered so for me just a matter of cutting to size, painting and gluing in place:

 

 

 

[grahame]

The windows are fitted and the roofs cut and painted although not fitted (they need varnishing and weathering). I've still some details to made and add, like the main entrance porch, but it's drawing close to completion. It's a very much a scaled back and compressed model and hopefully it has a passing resemblance to the prototype, but even if not, at least it's not another recognisable me-too ready-to-plonk or kit structure;

 

 

[grahame]

I think I might have overdone the grot, although in real life it doesn't look so heavy - perhaps it's just how the camera resolves it. And, on my PC screen, the photo is a rather cruel close-up  Nonetheless, this'll do for the time being and allow me to get on with planning another lockdown project:

 

[sb67]

That's looks great Grahame, I really like it. 

Did you paint the glazing sheet or use felt pen? I've never thought of thickening the edges of the window frames.

Edited November 5, 2020 by sb67

[grahame]

40 minutes ago, sb67 said:

That's looks great Grahame, I really like it. 

Did you paint the glazing sheet or use felt pen? I've never thought of thickening the edges of the window frames.

 

Thanks.

 

The white 'thickening' of the glazing grid window frames is done with a Posca paint pen. 

 

 

[grahame]

Gasholder 13 is located on a built up area like an irregular shaped plinth about 6 to 8ft high at the front edges with a white painted concrete wall. Originally there were also buildings integrated in to it but these have long gone. My plan is to make the plinth, and associated buildings, for the gasholder to sit on. Here's a rough plan view that I've sketched up to work from. It's not accurate scalewise, but then neither is the gasholder:

 

[sb67]

On 05/11/2020 at 19:20, grahame said:

 

Thanks.

 

The white 'thickening' of the glazing grid window frames is done with a Posca paint pen. 

 

 

 

Ok, thanks Grahame.

[grahame]

The main structure has been cut from mountboard card and superglued together. And the gasholder fits neatly in place. It doesn't look like much but hopefully it will give the scene and holder a more appropriate setting:

 

[grahame]

The concrete/rendered retaining walls have been added. They were cut from wooden stirring spatulas (supplied with a resin casting kit) and seemed to be the correct width (for the wall height) as well as being strong and rigid. Next I'll be adding the steps up on the front left next to the store building. They'll need to fiddly cutting and fettling to fit the slope of the wall:

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

The steps up to the plinth level have been made and fitted:

 

 

and a start made on the integrated stores building:

 

 

[grahame]

Some progress this afternoon on the stores buildings. There still a few constructional things to do for it like make a chimney stack, door and roof skylight window. The front wall section is separate to allow painting and glazing before fixing in place. Then there's adding Redutex tiling to the roof, ridge tiles and guttering/downpipes:

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

As the stores building is being finalised (pic below although still a roof skylight, chimney stack and gutters/downpipes to make and add) thoughts are turning to the other building in front of the gasholder:

 

 

It was the foremans/supervisors office although I can't remember what it looked like so I'll need to construct something suitable. Probably something like a CLASP building or a small brick 1950s style office block like this:

https://www.alamy.com/1950s-style-modern-office-block-brick-structure-image367133033.html?pv=1&stamp=2&imageid=EFDEB4F5-8391-45C9-B42E-9A202C8EC7CA&p=1322054&n=0&orientation=0&pn=1&searchtype=0&IsFromSearch=1&srch=foo%3dbar%26st%3d0%26pn%3d1%26ps%3d100%26sortby%3d2%26resultview%3dsortbyPopular%26npgs%3d0%26qt%3doffice%20worker%201950s%26qt_raw%3doffice%20worker%201950s%26lic%3d3%26mr%3d0%26pr%3d0%26ot%3d0%26creative%3d%26ag%3d0%26hc%3d0%26pc%3d%26blackwhite%3d%26cutout%3d%26tbar%3d1%26et%3d0x000000000000000000000%26vp%3d0%26loc%3d0%26imgt%3d0%26dtfr%3d%26dtto%3d%26size%3d0xFF%26archive%3d1%26groupid%3d%26pseudoid%3d%26a%3d%26cdid%3d%26cdsrt%3d%26name%3d%26qn%3d%26apalib%3d%26apalic%3d%26lightbox%3d%26gname%3d%26gtype%3d%26xstx%3d0%26simid%3d%26saveQry%3d%26editorial%3d1%26nu%3d%26t%3d%26edoptin%3d%26customgeoip%3d%26cap%3d1%26cbstore%3d1%26vd%3d0%26lb%3d%26fi%3d2%26edrf%3d%26ispremium%3d1%26flip%3d0%26pl%3d

 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2020 by grahame

[grahame]

I've decided to go with a small modernish 50s/60s two storey brick built office type block. CLASP probably wouldn't be appropriate in a gas works and the block will look a little like the gas main/holder control/pump room that was in front of the foremans/supervisors office. Here's the progress so far . . . .

 

[grahame]

I've made a start on cutting apertures and adding details to the walls (of brick embossed plasticard). The windows are sized to fit some pre-printed frames on glazing (in the pic below) - I've quite a stack of them to choose from.

 

[grahame]

The basic sub-assemblies have now been given a blast of grey primer. This helps make it easier to see where any tidying up is required, mostly with a sharp knife and sanding stick. When that is complete it'll get another dusting of primer and then the main blocks of colour on top (brickwork, flat roof, etc.,) added and details (doorways, sills, etc.,) picked out before glazing.

 

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

I've knocked up a large diameter gas supply/main pipe as little detail for the plinth scene. It should be rounded rather than an angled bend, but being behind the gasholder probably won't be able to be seen. But at least I'll know it's there. Here it is in primer finish - it needs painting to finish it off:

 

 

[grahame]

Some more progress with the glaziers fitting windows and painting, but still detailing to do. And the pinkiness of the block needs knocking back. Also I'm thinking I'll locate a portacabin in front of the grey wall just to the left of the office block building. I'm sure I've another Knightwing kit of one (they're the best in N/2mm) but I'll have to rummage around to find it . . . 

 

 

[03060]

The addition of the buildings certainly brings out the size of the gasholder, I don't think that I'd realised just how big it is. Very nice.

 

Regards,

Ian.

[grahame]

32 minutes ago, 03060 said:

The addition of the buildings certainly brings out the size of the gasholder, I don't think that I'd realised just how big it is. Very nice.

 

 

Yep, and the model is still only half the scale size it should be.

 

If you check out the newly announced Bachmann Scenecraft N RTP buildings (scroll down here:)

they include a low relief rigid type holder but that is less than the height on my bashed kit model and very narrow - rigid types generally were narrower but taller than the more usual lift types.  

 

 

[grahame]

Details now made and added to the little block: hopperhead/downpipes, doors, roof vents and a small notice board, as well as knocking back the pink colour (although it's still obviously red brick):

 

[grahame]

Overall the gas works is taking up a lot of space and it goes back (beyond the backscene) a long way including three more gasholders, a school, a petrol/diesel station, a large appliance warehouse, a huge car park and a lot of supporting buildings. In the modelled scenic area was, in front of the medical centre, a gas showroom, next to that (right) is the entrance gate, then a security/gate house with behind that a modernish building that I think was a pump house. I might try and make these structures, although obviously highly compressed and reduced but sufficient to complete the scene, and hope that it will all fit in: