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

[grahame]

35 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

I only ever use/used the station in off peak hours and avoid it like the plague if Millwall are/were at home.

 

 

 

 

I used to go through London Bridge a lot on Millwall home match-days. A couple of lunchtime pints in the Wheatsheaf (in Boro Market before it closed while they took the top floor off and later re-opened as a trendy joint) then catch the train down to South Bermondsey from the terminus station for the game. It was never very busy as there was a very regular service even on Saturdays.

 

Anyway, here's how the model currently looks just roughly put together to give an idea. There is a section that joins to the SER offices building that I made but I can't seem to find it (might have to make another). The comparison picture below is rather more recent than I'm hoping to emulate when the grey siding and brown ceramic tiles were painted white:

 

 

[Siberian Snooper]

Definitely on the right road to getting the right atmosphere of the place.

 

 

[Jon4470]

8 hours ago, grahame said:

 

 

Anyway, here's how the model currently looks just roughly put together to give an idea. There is a section that joins to the SER offices building that I made but I can't seem to find it (might have to make another). The comparison picture below is rather more recent than I'm hoping to emulate when the grey siding and brown ceramic tiles were painted white:

 

 

 

 

Hi Grahame

 

I’ve admired the buildings that you’ve posted on Wright Writes for a while now. But when I saw the photo above - well it took me right back to London Bridge! What a great model!

 

Although not a regular user of the station I remember that bridge with it’s plastic covering.... I seem to remember it was more of a beige colour though.

 

The sloping part never looked right to me - even as a teenager - I thought that putting the standard panels on at an angle was strange and inelegant. (Possibly, even, just cheap!)

 

As you can probably tell I’m not a great fan of 1970s and 1980s designs!

 

Jon

[grahame]

12 hours ago, Jon4470 said:

 

As you can probably tell I’m not a great fan of 1970s and 1980s designs!

 

 

That's a shame. It's true there were clunkers from the 70s and 80s but that is true of all periods. But at least there was variety and a mix including older styles (many of which seemed to have been demolished in the last 20 years) and modern (at the time) more experimental designs.

 

Although in the last 20 years new builds seems to be very samey with a large number of buildings thrown up in a brightly coloured international flat roofed low-rise apartment/commercial glass block style, towards the end of the last millennium there were an increasing number of recognisable and shorter lived architectural styles. Here's a very rough and ready, basic and simplistic overview of the styles through 500 years (but it doesn't include everything):

 

[Jon4470]

47 minutes ago, grahame said:

 

That's a shame. It's true there were clunkers from the 70s and 80s but that is true of all periods. But at least there was variety and a mix including older styles (many of which seemed to have been demolished in the last 20 years) and modern (at the time) more experimental designs.

 

Although in the last 20 years new builds seems to be very samey with a large number of buildings thrown up in a brightly coloured international flat roofed low-rise apartment/commercial glass block style, towards the end of the last millennium there were an increasing number of recognisable and shorter lived architectural styles. 

 

 

 

Hi Grahame

 

I like the tabular layout - I don’t recall seeing it laid out like that before now.

 

Just like with many other things I think it is a case of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. No particular style can be intrinsically good or bad - it’s just that I generally prefer some over others (and there are always exceptions to prove the rule)

 

I totally agree with you that a variety of styles really adds interest to any built landscape.

 

I think that your models really do capture the look and feel of that area of London - and if I can produce anything like as good results with the two or three buildings that I need I’ll be delighted!

 

Jon

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

The window glazing grids have arrived in the post from FMS. I only ordered them on Tuesday, the chap said they'd be posted out on Wednesday and they've turned up on Thursday. A very good service from RM in these trying times.

 

 

[grahame]

With the glazing grids having arrived yesterday and done one days quarantine, the windows have now been fitted in the warehouse building. I've also completed the ground floor although this is only very rough and representational as the building is located about an inch behind the viaduct so it will be difficult to see anything lower than the second floor:

 

 

I've also been fiddling around regarding designing and making the platform end subway ramp structures. I've a few Peco platform edging strips to get the height but there are too many potential variables depending on platform shape (they curve), their length, angle of platform end ramps and even the exact height, so I'm considering a small row of terraced houses that used to be behind the warehouse and will complete the buildings for that section for the next structure project. Although they have been demolished they will fill the site nicely.

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

Eyes down for the next build. This is a small 2-story terrace behind the warehouse fronting Magdalen Street which is in front of (the back of) the factory unit made last week. These roads are very small and narrow with the buildings close together. The terrace can be seen on an early 1950s aerial photo in a book I have but I'm not sure when they were demolished. Certainly the site has since been built on and the new apartment/commercial blocks look very modern - from the last 20 years.

 

First task was to sketch up a rough plan to full model size and to fit the space available. It is difficult to see detail in the photo so they will be based on another, although 3-story, partial terrace I've already made (albeit unfinished). Here they are side by side (model and rough paper plan) although that is not how they will be on the layout: 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 25, 2020 by grahame

[grahame]

I've cut the two ends, two floors and the back (actually the front of the terrace but will be facing away) from mountboard. And added some floor supports from strips of card:

 

 

Then they've been glued together with CA to form a box carcass structure:

 

 

[grahame]

I've now added the roof fire walls (essential on London buildings) including the main building chimney stacks and cut the paper sketch drawing to see that progress is going to plan. I've also run CA around the top of the walls (the cut edges) and rubbed it in which helps to strengthen it and stops the primer/paint simply soaking in to the cut edge. It's looking a little rough but more work will tidy things up and improve fidelity and finesse:

 

[grahame]

I've added the pitched roof sub-strata (the card will be covered with Redutex embossed tile covering as usual) and I've cut the main back feature wall from my last bit of brick embossed styrene sheet. All I have now are off-cuts that are all smaller than this last wall panel piece. Hopefully they will be sufficient for the single storey extensions. Next is to mark up the window and door positions on the plastic wall section. And then cut them out.

 

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

The window and door apertures have now been cut out and sills added from styrene strip. I've also added lintels from thin (0.25mm) plasticard as generally lintels are flush with the outer wall although occasional they stand a little proud (from what I've noticed). Plus I've started to build the ground floor extensions from mount board. These will be covered with matching brick embossed plasticard (assuming I have enough) and the sloping roofs covered with Redutex:

 

[grahame]

And this is how far I've got before calling it a day . . . . . and settling down with a beer for the evening. 

 

[grahame]

I've had to rebuild the two extension chimney stacks as, to me, they were too chunky and needed to be finer. I've done that, added the stack tops and chimney pots, cut the final window and added fancy bits to the end of the roof fire-break ridges. There's still lots to do like painting, fitting glazing/windows, adding the Redutex tile roofing, making and installing hopper heads/down-pipes and so on.

 

Apologies for the pic, but it's quite difficult taking a photo of a white subject in bright sunlight and currently the sun is shining directly in and filling the room. And that it appears to  be very similar to the previous one;

 

 

 

[grahame]

Next was to get some basic colours on the model. Usually for London yellow brick stock I spray with aerosol Humbrol Desert yellow over grey primer and then dirty down with a black wash, weathering powders and a 6B pencil. The building on the right in the pic below was done that way. However, being out of desert yellow, and with no chance of popping up the local model shop to buy some more, I rummaged through my box of paints. Eventually I settled on a pot of Humbrol acrylic #110 which I've brush painted on the new building over white primer. It's not an exact match but is pretty close and acceptable (to me) bearing in mind various building ages, how and when they're maintained/cleaned and that they're never identical:

 

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

Windows in and roofs on. And it's starting to look like a proper building although there's still things to do including hopper-heads/down pipes, doors, weathering and the gardens. But now is time to prepare and cook my dinner:

 

[grahame]

Here's an 'aerial' view of how the structures in the block fit together (although obviously they are unfinished and only placed in position). The warehouse faces Holyrood Street and the railway viaduct and the terraced houses face on to Magdalen Street. On the other side of Magdalen Street is the back of the white factory unit recently built.

 

 

[03060]

Evening Grahame,

 

What do you make the scene base from, please, ie. what all of the individual buildings are sitting on ?

 

Regards,

Ian.

[grahame]

There is a scenic base under the old derelict warehouse/building site that is just a sheet of card on which the details (like portacabin, skips, etc.,) are glued. There is nothing under the flat roofed warehouse and I'm in the process of making one for the terrace which will effectively be the gardens/back yards.

 

 

[grahame]

Here's a pic showing the two 'scenic boards' behind the large warehouse with that building removed. The one under the terrace is still being worked on and the building isn't fixed down as it needs further work (such as details added and weathering). TBH most of it will be very difficult to see being behind the larger building and railway viaduct so the details are only cursory and rough and ready. However, they link together to form a discrete block with roads around it. The inclusive pavements will sit on the road surfaces with kerbstones added but the scenic boards give the opportunity to ensure the building is firmly anchored (without gaps that often show as black lines) and can have details added (such as the back yards):

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by grahame

[grahame]

Bearing in mind it is almost impossible to see this side of the terrace (see aerial photo a few posts back) I've deliberately kept the details very simple and basic. No supports/stand-off for the down pipes, plain painted card doors, just a tosh over with a wash for weathering (which fortunately does seem to tone it down quite nicely) and no gutters/downpipes on the extensions:

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

Here's the last pic and comment post regarding the terrace before I move on and start another project. The building has been glued down on the scenic sub-board which is just a piece of mountboard. As can be seen the details on the building and the board are fairly simple, representative and suggestive (like no back gates from the alley that runs between the backyards and warehouse) as it's going to be almost impossible to see them when in place on the layout. If this was going to be a feature model in direct viewing position at the front of the layout I'd have made more effort to include more details and to make it look more realistic (although that's probably wishful thinking on my behalf with my limited modelling ability):

 

 

Anyway today I'll undertake some more research, looking through my books and googling the internet for more information and images of the area in the late 70s to early 90s. There's plenty more modelling to do as well as revisiting and detailing many of the building projects I've undertaken that are only partially complete. And I've got some 3D printed cars to finish painting as well as a stash of unmade kits.

 

 

 

 

[Stubby47]

"If this was going to be a feature model in direct viewing position at the front of the layout I'd have made more effort to include more details and to make it look more realistic"

 

You've made it look realistic already !

 

The only question is why is there a big wall along the front of the houses, between the roofs ? 

[grahame]

10 minutes ago, Stubby47 said:

 

The only question is why is there a big wall along the front of the houses, between the roofs ? 

 

That's the front parapet wall - part of the traditional London parapet walled, gulley roofed, terrace as here (from nearby Tooley Street that I've also modelled):

 

 

 

 

[grahame]

Here's a view of some of those terraced buildings which are shops that front the south side of Tooley Street. The building at the front centre with a chimney (that still exists) is part of a former printworks now converted to apartments. I think I might look to adding some details to these buildings: