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


grahame
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As this former warehouse building (in Holyrood Street) is basically a repeat of the frontage of the model I've already made I've only needed to draw up a very rough and basic plan.

 

However, in addition I have spent a bit of time casting (in polyurethane resin) the GRP panels for the station footbridge. I have made two RTV silicon rubber moulds to speed up production. Here's the small section of bridge with them in place (on the section that goes through the trainshed wall) and given a quick waft of grey primer - they need to be painted brown:

 

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I have also cast some for the other side that connects to the main larger (wider and taller) footbridge walkway for the through platforms. I still need to cast quite a few more. Also in the picture are the two moulds:

 

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I sallied forth this morning for my weekly shopping trip and exercise. The roads were pleasantly empty of people and moving cars, and the pavements strewn with blossom. It was fresh but a very nice walk. And the local village co-op was nearly back to usual stock levels.

 

Anyway I'm back now and I've started making the downpipes with hopper heads for the factory building. I normally use wire but I found some suitable plastic rod which makes gluing the stand off/fixing brackets easier. Next to prime, paint and varnish them. Then they can be fixed in place:

 

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Stay well, stay in, stay alive.

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Here is my third attempt at scratching building. I am modelling Chard Junction and am building the main station building. I have done my best to get the dimension right by counting bricks in Photos! Here are a few of the reference photos I have used, This thread also contains a lot of photos :

The station has been altered several times during its lifetime. Chimneys have come and gone, there was at one point a canopy, but not now. At some later point the loading bay was enlarged by a building along side.large.CJbagside.jpg.0ff5901e11351b10fc3b8ee40c03ba75.jpg

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My design was created in Corel draw, and I have used a brick generator programme I found on the net to print brick paper and the roof tiles are from Scalescenes. The copings on the roof are plastic styrene channels, the windows and doors are a mixture of York Models and my first attempt at using a friend’s laser cutter. The Quoins are laser cut from ScaleModelScenery.

 

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The model is not yet finished, I need to complete a flat roof at one end. Decide which combination of chimneys are to be used, Some of the stonework needs to be completed. There are a lot of white spots on printed paper that need to be touched up. Then The whole thing needs to be weathered. I have noticed a glaring error, at some point very early on I have reversed a wall section so the doors and windows of the two right hand wings on the non-platform side are the wrong way round… Well I’m not putting that right now!

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31 minutes ago, Vistisen said:

Here is my third attempt at scratching building. I am modelling Chard Junction and am building the main station building. 

 

 

An interesting project. You are very fortunate to have such a range of photographs taken of the subject building. I find such photos very helpful in making a model and even usually more so than a plan or drawing.

 

 

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I've made a start on the warehouse extension. Being a simple boxy, flat-roofed building it should by straightforward. I've cut two floors, one of which will form the roof, from mountboard based on my plan:

 

 DSC_9505.JPG.ba8ad35e02512fa100dc660455e6fc9b.JPG

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Next to cut is the frontage from brick embossed plasticard. Unfortunately I'm out of Slaters which was used on the earlier left hand end model but I did have sufficient SE Finecast Flemish bond although the bricks are slightly different in size and style. Nonetheless I've cut the front from it and marked it ready to cut the window apertures: 

 

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Hopefully it won't be noticeable when painted and finished - the actual building seems to have different colouring at the break point (most likely due to renovations/brick cleaning for the separate sections) as here:

 

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The window apertures have been cut out and the vertical brick columns added. Next to fit are window sills and the top coping stones. Also added to the carcass are the ground floor columns and plinth with corbel. This was made from styrene sheet. The window wall is separate and only resting in place in the photo below. Also apologies for the poor pic as I inadvertently left the camera on 'auto' and didn't set it back to 'aperture priority'.

 

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I've joined the carcass to the original section to ensure that the entire warehouse building sits flat on the ground. The new section window wall and penthouse roof top are separate sub-assemblies, not fixed in place, and just in white primer. There is still work to do on them but it is slowly taking shape. The snag is that I'm out of the Scene-setters window grids (the size used in the original section) so I'll need to order some more:

 

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I've got some more blocks of colour on but there's little I can do now until the window glazing arrives - which I've now ordered - apart from some roof details and the ground floor. So I've taken a pic with the next section modelled from the more appropriate era for my planned layout rather than the samey modern apartments and buildings in the screenshot pic above. 

 

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53 minutes ago, alangdance said:

I am having issues trying too get hold of some Redutex Slate (N Gauge). DCC supplies are out of stock.

Have tried Redutex direct but having issues setting up an account as I need a Spanish ID number.

Has anybody brought direct from Redutex.

 

 

I seem to recall some comments about availability earlier in this thread. But, TBH, I think getting some currently is going to be difficult (it's made in Spain and the main importer/distributor is DCC Supplies). Probably best to make the roof as a kind of card tent to which it will be easy and quick to add the Redutex when you can get some. However, if you do find a source please let us all know.

 

This afternoon, apart from being on the telephone for what seemed ages, I've been casting the panels for the footbridge. And now hopefully, so long as I've got my calculation correct, I've done enough:

 

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7 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

Certainly looks the part, I personally never deemed it to be aesthetically pleasing, but it served it's purpose of linking all the platforms together across the centre of the station.

 

 

I think Grahame's model is amazing but I think the style is described as 'Brutalism', an apt description and the reason I decided not to become an Architect in the early 80's. Simon

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13 minutes ago, simonmcp said:

I think Grahame's model is amazing but I think the style is described as 'Brutalism', an apt description and the reason I decided not to become an Architect in the early 80's. Simon

 

Colechurch House by the station is a very good example of brutalist architecture and is rather striking. Unfortunately it seems to be slated for 're-development' which is usually just an euphemism for demolition, which would be a shame. 

 

The station footbridge was rather utilitarian (on the inside) and basically functional. The GRP panels on the outside were a sop but the interior was dark, dank, dreary and claustrophobic with little thought given for enhancing the experience of those using it. Nonetheless, it seems to have become something of an iconic structure or maybe just an anachronism.

 

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Over the years I have walked through that footbridge so many times..yes it was pretty dank inside and busy especially at the wider bit just outside the Central side trainshed, where the platform indicators were situated......great job Grahame.

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10 hours ago, alangdance said:

A quick question have you used the Redutex til heet. If so are the tiles close to the slate size or are the tiles a lot smaller

 

I have a pack of the terracotta square tiles (148PC113) which appear to be the same style and size as the slate ones but a different colour. It'd be easy enough to paint grey.

 

 

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I thought that while I waited for delivery of the glazing grids I'd consider and plan my approach to making the town end passenger entrance/exit tunnel ramps up to the platforms. These are stepped brick structures. Note the platform lights located on their roofs.

 

With two island platforms on my model I only need to make two so I can pick from the three real ones - which will be the two outer ones. One with the station announcers box (that I've already made) at the end on the north side and the other nearer the station entrance concourse on the south side as can be seen in the two pics below. The main difference seems to be that one finishes beyond the platform ramp while the other finished on the platform (so can be platform mounted).

 

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1 hour ago, acg5324 said:

Over the years I have walked through that footbridge so many times..yes it was pretty dank inside and busy especially at the wider bit just outside the Central side trainshed, where the platform indicators were situated......great job Grahame.

 

Thanks.

 

One thing about the footbridge was that, love it or hate it, it was unique, very distinctive and of its era. I don't know of any other station footbridges that are similar. And I can't think of any N/2mm kits or RTP models that look anything like it. Consequently I've had to scratch-build it. To a large extent it is a signature feature structure and helps set the scene and location. Without it the layout won't be London Bridge. 

 

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13 hours ago, grahame said:

 

Colechurch House by the station is a very good example of brutalist architecture and is rather striking. Unfortunately it seems to be slated for 're-development' which is usually just an euphemism for demolition, which would be a shame. 

 

The station footbridge was rather utilitarian (on the inside) and basically functional. The GRP panels on the outside were a sop but the interior was dark, dank, dreary and claustrophobic with little thought given for enhancing the experience of those using it. Nonetheless, it seems to have become something of an iconic structure or maybe just an anachronism.

 

 

The footbridge certainly didn't entice one to hang around and admire the scene, I was always glad to get back onto a platform. From a modelling point of view it does shout London Bridge Station, certainly to anyone who has been there.

 

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Siberian Snooper said:

 

The footbridge certainly didn't entice one to hang around and admire the scene, I was always glad to get back onto a platform. From a modelling point of view it does shout London Bridge Station, certainly to anyone who has been there.

 

When the service was running normally, I was usually running for a train so did not have much time to look at the interior of the bridge. Mad commuter behaviour as there would be another train in 10 minutes time. Such is the stress of commuting and I am glad that I only did it for a short time. Sometimes, of course, the service would not be running to schedule and big crowds could amass on the bridge. Not pleasant although still better than the small footbridge that preceded it.

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