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Caledonian Basin - railway-in-a-box diorama


brylonscamel
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For those who might be curious - here are some photos I found of a factory at Dalmarnock that took my fancy. Its been an 'inspiration' for my own structure - certainly not a slavish, accurate reproduction!

This continues to be my approach as it gets me off the hook and means I can pick the buildings I like and make them fit the space I have available.

 

post-26609-0-25829400-1535844622_thumb.jpg

 

post-26609-0-67348000-1535844653_thumb.jpg

Edited by brylonscamel
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The upgrading of the original structure by adding garish blue and yellow entrances hardly does it any favours. Are you likely to be more sympathetic to its origins?

 

Thanks

 

steve

 

Hi Steve - one of the things I find appealing about this hobby is creating a version of the railways, its buildings and the surrounding environment that I find beautiful.

You won't find me reproducing ugly afterthought doorways in vile colours, prosaic architecture, scruffy graffiti, fly-tipped rubbish or burnt-out cars! 

Edited by brylonscamel
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  • 2 weeks later...

Canal lock in greyboard

Some small progress on the old canal basin - with the lock entrance getting a greyboard mock-up. Should look good when it's been covered in DAS modelling clay, shaped and scored. There is a fair bit of that still to do in cobbling the canal paths and hard standing outside the buildings.

 

Here's the card mockup

 

post-26609-0-77539900-1536838845_thumb.jpg

 

Here's the canal entrance in-situ underneath the rail bridge

 

post-26609-0-23464900-1536838853_thumb.jpg

 


Ooh look - a train!

 

post-26609-0-00742300-1536838998_thumb.jpg

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A small project weekend. Some gates for the canal lock on Caledonian Basin. Placement of a figure on the lock to make sure the size looks reasonable!

 

The gates being made in styrene - the view from the back (concealed from view)

post-26609-0-79039700-1537180412_thumb.jpg

 

The initial styrene gates placed in-situ to test fit

post-26609-0-56008300-1537180446_thumb.jpg

 

A figure placed to test the position of the gates - I had discovered they were sitting too high on the hinges to be accurate so I dropped them down to the right height for operation.

I'm pretty happy with this final position ..

post-26609-0-88056500-1537180455_thumb.jpg

Edited by brylonscamel
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Very nice work with the canal, the gates look great and very similar to the ones I made for Crinan, although I used balsa and thin card for mine. I had to modify my lock walls slightly when I remembered that, when open, the lock gates sit flush into the walls for maximum width.

 

Your whole scene with the warehouse and canal basin looks fantastic, and the railway bridge just frames the scene perfectly.

 

Atb,

Martyn.

Edited by Signaller69
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Very nice work with the canal, the gates look great and very similar to the ones I made for Crinan, although I used balsa and thin card for mine. I had to modify my lock walls slightly when I remembered that, when open, the lock gates sit flush into the walls for maximum width.

 

Your whole scene with the warehouse and canal basin looks fantastic, and the railway bridge just frames the scene perfectly.

 

Atb,

Martyn.

 

Cheers Martyn - your canal / lock / bridge modelling is first rate so I'm very happy to get a thumbs up.

 

I had to shave a bit from the right-hand lock wall for similar reasons - I hadn't allowed for the recess in the lock chamber and the thickness of the modelling clay that I intend to use!

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Last night I made a little card mock-up of a canal lock keepers hut for the lock-side at Caledonian Basin. The inspiration for this building is on the Forth and Clyde Canal.
 
It should be rather cute when it's made ...
 
The card mockup ...

post-26609-0-79977500-1537432210_thumb.jpg

 

It's likely location in the canal scene ..

post-26609-0-58479100-1537432229_thumb.jpg

 

The inspiration ...

post-26609-0-97293300-1537432268_thumb.jpg

Edited by brylonscamel
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  • RMweb Gold

Superb work. I especially admire those curved corners, very smooth. When it's all painted the texture and 3D feel will be very, very good I predict.

 

PS: You'll be needing a few figures to modern standards to match it. E.g. ModelU or Andrew Stadden, depending on period (no connection).

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Can't imagine how I missed this topic until now, but this is excellent stuff.  It's a great composition, beautifully modelled.  I like the distinctive style of the arched retaining wall; gives the place a greater sense that it is a real place, rather than a generic scene.

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Superb work. I especially admire those curved corners, very smooth. When it's all painted the texture and 3D feel will be very, very good I predict.

 

PS: You'll be needing a few figures to modern standards to match it. E.g. ModelU or Andrew Stadden, depending on period (no connection).

 

Thanks Mikkel - I'm looking forward to painting this. I'm trying to be patient, leaving this until I have completed the model-making stage so that the colours can be matched in tone;  like the cobbled paths and the stonework on the viaduct.

 

I agree with you about finding some modern figures although there are some older mouldings that I think can be adapted. I need at least one figure that is propped against a lock gate balance beam!

 

I'm familiar with ModelU figures [see my photo of my locomotive crews] but will look at Andrew Stadden as I don't think I've seen those!

 

post-26609-0-21270200-1538035030_thumb.jpg

post-26609-0-12960000-1538035038_thumb.jpg

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Can't imagine how I missed this topic until now, but this is excellent stuff.  It's a great composition, beautifully modelled.  I like the distinctive style of the arched retaining wall; gives the place a greater sense that it is a real place, rather than a generic scene.

 

I do hope people stumble on this topic as it's been really helpful to chat to other modelers! The retaining walls are based on those at 'Bowling Basin' - a canal wharf on the Forth and Clyde Canal which gave me some ideas to start this project - the large stone 'Canal House' the location of the railway bridge and the arched viaduct are all inspired by the location. I shied away from a true rendition of the scene as the original includes a swing bridge which is over 100 feet in length and would have been impossible to accomodate with any room remaining for other parts of my scene. 

 

I've attached a couple of photos of the original to show from where I drew the inspiration ... you can also see how many liberties I took with my own model!

 

The brick arches at Bowling Basin

post-26609-0-23699300-1538035562.jpg

 

More brick arches at Bowling Basin

post-26609-0-27801100-1538035566_thumb.jpg

 

The general scene at Bowling Basin with Canal House, railway viaduct and bridge

post-26609-0-27039100-1538045559_thumb.jpg

Edited by brylonscamel
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I do hope people stumble on this topic as it's been really helpful to chat to other modelers! The retaining walls are based on those at 'Bowling Basin' - a canal wharf on the Forth and Clyde Canal which gave me some ideas to start this project - the large stone 'Canal House' the location of the railway bridge and the arched viaduct are all inspired by the location. I shied away from a true rendition of the scene as the original includes a swing bridge which is over 100 feet in length and would have been impossible to accomodate with any room remaining for other parts of my scene. 

 

I've attached a couple of photos of the original to show from where I drew the inspiration ... you can also see how many liberties I took with my own model!

 

The brick arches at Bowling Basin

attachicon.gifBricked-up_railway_arches_-_geograph.org.uk_-_713010.jpg

 

More brick arches at Bowling Basin

attachicon.gifbowling05.jpg

 

The general scene at Bowling Basin with Canal House, railway viaduct and bridge

attachicon.gifbowling-basin.jpg

 

Not a location with which I am at all familiar, so I was very interested to see those pictures.

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I like the way you have done the lockgates.  The model is developing a very industrial feel to it now

 

Colin

 

Thanks Colin - little bits of progress are starting to shape the scene. The industrial feel is creeping in, the original location that I stole the idea of the wharf, bridge, arches from is much greener and edge-of-the city being an outpost on the Clyde. I'm messing with this and making it more built-up with the back of a railway yard next to the arches. Hopefully it will all look coherent!

Edited by brylonscamel
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How about scratchbuilding the overhead signalbox? that would be the icing on the cake for this modelling masterpiece. 

 

 

attachicon.gifForth-And-Clyde-Canal-Bowli.jpg

 

 

attachicon.gifBowling-Signalbox-1960s.jpg

 

Oh those are wonderful images - I haven't seen any colour photos of the scene at Bowling with the signal box intact. It's the right period too (1960s) so it shows the signal box in-situ at the endo of the railway's life!

 

I do love a signal box project but I'm going to struggle to justify it as the original box was there to control a swing bridge, with the elevation giving a view of the railway and the canal. It was also a double-track line where my bridge is single track.

 

Saying all that - it is a wonderful structure!!

 

My copy of 'Signalling the Caledonian Railway' even has a drawing with both side and front elevation:

 

post-26609-0-21465800-1538778129_thumb.jpg

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