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

[grahame]

After an extensive search, I've found it. Well, one, as I thought I had more. It's a Knightwing N gauge plastic kit of a Portakabin Pacemaker. IMO it's the best available in N/2mm as it is based on a real type and looks better than the RTP versions that can be picked up and that seem a little fanciful. The kits are pretty difficult to find and acquire, unless anyone knows better. 

 

The Portakabin Pacemaker was introduced in the mid 1960s and it is claimed to be the first portable building of its type. Its design has changed a little over the years and now there are many alternatives from competitors. But it suits my period well.

 

 

 

[grahame]

The kit is simple with few parts and goes together nicely and quickly. I've made the body and roof separately so that they can be painted before adding the glazing.

 

 

Apologies for the poor quality pic - handheld at just 1/10th.

 

 

 

[grahame]

You can see the portacabin in this overall pic (so far) below:

 

 

 I'm getting to the stage for adding details and ground cover scenics (mainly asphalt roads, paving, gravelled areas, fences and just a smidge of grass). In front of the booster pump house was a small on-street electrical substation (I've placed a 3D printed transformer and have the rest on order) which will need separately fencing off.

 

 

[grahame]

As I mentioned in the last post there's a small on-street electrical substation on the boundary of the gas holder station. And now the electrical (switching/control/whatever?) building I ordered from ebay has turned up in the post this morning. At just £4.99 including post and packing it was cheap enough to risk a look and seems to be just the ticket. It's 3D printed and already painted grey (it's the light grey structure in the pic below) and came with two light blue bars with what look like insulators on them (in foreground) but I'm not sure what they are far - they'll probably go in my scenics bits box. The darker grey transformer is something I already had - also 3D printed but from N Brass Loco.

 

The pencil marks show the various boundary fencing lines. Much of the area had a gravel surface, including along the front of the security gate house, with the fencing mounted on a small concrete plinth. I'll add those next as they'll provide edging for the gravel. 

 

[millerhillboy]

lovely little prints those Graeme and just what your scene needs

 

are you going to put in a stray football in the enclosure :-)

[grahame]

A football - that's a good idea!

 

I've added the concrete boundary plinths that the fencing sits on and some pads (for the transformer and portacabin feet) and painted them along with a bit of colour on the electric substation hut. I've also done a test laying of gravel - some fine granite ballast that I sprinkled on Roket card glue, and when dry gave it a coat of matt varnish to help further seal it.

 

Unfortunately I'm now out of Humbrol matt varnish aerosols and will have to wait until the end of lockdown when I can pop up the local model shop and get some new supplies. It's going to somewhat curtail my modelling as I tend to use a lot of it.

 

 

 

 

[Ian Morgan]

I had a couple of tins of this delivered during the summer. Seems to work OK, and 400ml tin compared with 150ml of Humbrol works out somewhat cheaper in the long run.

 

https://www.cassart.co.uk/painting/accessories-1/product-type-varnish/liquitex-spray-varnish-400ml.htm

 

 

[03060]

My local model shop are open for mail order but are also offering a click and collect service (similar to car dealerships) where you can pre-order and pre-pay for an item and arrange a pick-up time for a minimal contact car park handover....might be worth asking if that's possible. It's similar to the way parcel delivery people are handing over items at the moment.

 

Regards,

Ian.

[grahame]

Apparently the shops open on Wednesday 2nd and with the model shop less than 2 miles away I'll pop up there in the morning - I can probably wait until then. If there are any issues I'll place a postal  order (that Ian posted details of) - it'll save have to drive for miles to collect.

 

[grahame]

Steeling myself to get in the mood to make the tiny gas appliances for the showroom, I've had a bash at the entrance gate posts this morning. I need some desert yellow to paint them (they've had a primer coat) so that's something else to add to the model shopping list for Wednesday. They were made from more parts than the electrical substation. I also need to get some small white beads (just a couple will suffice) to go on top of the posts as the fancy light spheres.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

A little work on some cookers. They're basically sections of square tube with styrene sheet backs and high level grills and the burner tops and oven fronts cut from the sheets that Andy printed and sent to me. They do need a little more work including tidying up and varnishing. In the days the scene is set, free standing cookers with high level grills were the norm, but just starting to be introduced and starting to get popular were 'slide-in' types, then came split level (separate ovens and hobs) and coloured appliances with green and brown the first options.

 

[grahame]

And one fire, surround and hearth . . .  it doesn't look it but it was damn fiddly. I couldn't breath while putting it together for fear of blowing away the cut out tiny bits of paper.

 

 

I'm gonna have a rest from fiddling with N/2mm scale gas appliances.

 

 

[grahame]

The shop window fitters came this morning . . . 

 

 

Now I need the window display staff to arrive and the roofers to put the roof back on. And probably need a step for the doorway.

 

 

[grahame]

I've now got three fires (one in a surround, a LFE and and radiant type) and five cookers (three with high level grills and two 'slide-ins'). I need to set them on display so will need to make a few suitable props and also source some window banners/adverts ('fire sale' - that sort of thing). Also the background needs some showroom display furniture, boards with boxes on (to represent SWHs, multipoints and unit heaters), desks, cashiers stuff, etc.  Here are the appliances I've made so far just sitting (not glued) roughly in place inside. The windows and roof are also not glued in place yet:

 

 

But all that can wait as, with the end of lockdown, I'm off out tomorrow morning to the model shop. And will take some time to think about the next project . . . . . 

 

 

[grahame]

They're up . . . the gate posts, that is. They do need some 3mm diameter white balls/beads (as lights) to sit on the little plinths on top, but they can wait. Also some paving is down but kerbstones need adding. And I need to remake the little canopy over the security gate house door. It should protrude a lot further according to a photo I recently discovered. However, the scene is starting to come together:

 

 

 

[Ian Morgan]

How big are those little silver balls they put on Christmas cake for you to break your teeth on?

 

[grahame]

I've had a quick look for 3mm diameter balls. You can get 100 for just a couple of quid on ebay but they are made of PTFE which, being one of the slipperiest materials known to man, would be almost impossible to glue in place. There are also ones made of various other weird plastics and metals but they generally come from China.

 

 

[acg5324]

2 minutes ago, grahame said:

I've had a quick look for 3mm diameter balls. You can get 100 for just a couple of quid on ebay but they are made of PTFE which, being one of the slipperiest materials known to man, would be almost impossible to glue in place. There are also ones made of various other weird plastics and metals but they generally come from China.

 

 

Small ball bearings?...have you got an old kitchen draw runner?

[Dave John]

Just a thought , how about glass headed pins? I used some for the same sort of task . Easier to fix in place. 

 

Lots online;

[grahame]

Thanks.

 

I had considered them, as well as ball bearings. I was surprised how many different types of 3mm spheres/balls are available cheaply just on eBay - ones to repair bike bearings, polypropylene ones, neodymium magnets ones, various carbon steel, stainless, foam, rock, PTFE, acrylic, ones for nose studs, gem/jewelery, etc., 

 

I don't think I'll have a problem getting something suitable. Just a matter of what'll do with the other 98 . . . .

 

;-)

[russ p]

My reedham/ Somerleyton style swing bridge.  I've modelled the swing section but will alter the approach bridges differently as I've assumed as two bridges were in this style a third could have been built 

I had a firm called torri laser cut me the shape in wood then built it up with plastic strip and vari girder 

 

 

[grahame]

Not much to report. I've knocked up a replacement and larger doorway canopy and started adding the kerbstones. Next I'll tackle the showroom interior.

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

Appliances now in place in the showroom, although the showroom is not fixed in place:

 

[Siberian Snooper]

I keep having to remind myself that this is in 2mm.

 

[westerhamstation]

Hi Grahame, just stunning, it is hard to believe that it is 2mm and all built with astonishing speed and skill. All the best Adrian.