Platform Canopies for Dunallander

[Caley Jim]

Valences and the longitudinal beam have been fitted, ready to start on the pillars.

 

 

Again this has made it a much more rigid structure.

 

Jim

[Caley Jim]

I've had some computer problems over that last few days down to Chrome causing crashes.  Seem to have got it fixed now.

 

A couple of progress photos. The printed columns are just sitting in the extensions and won't get glued in until just before I start to paint them.  The weak point will be at the spigot going into the square brass tube extensions.  I might try and put a 'shoulder' of epoxy around that area to try and strengthen it.  On reflection it might have been better to make the pillars with a hole in the top and have a piece of rod soldered into the tube going down into that.  That would have been stronger.  Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing!!

 

The gutters have still to be fitted, though the downpipe tops are there.

 

In the second photo the two canopies are in what I think will roughly be their relationship.

 

Edited July 1, 2020 by Caley Jim

[Caley Jim]

After my little diversion yesterday I've returned to the work in hand and fitted the gutters and the printed pillars.

 

 

Both canopies are now ready for painting, but before i do that I drew out the glazing for one bay of the island platform and printed it out on thick paper.    This let me cut the pieces out to size, check them for fit and make any adjustments needed.  I can now prepare a drawing for all the glazing and Alisdair has offered to cut them for me on his silhouette cutter.

 

Jim

[Caley Jim]

Painting has finally been completed.  It has taken some time partly because my desktop computer has been crashing repeatedly.  I thought I had it fixed as it was fine all yesterday evening, but today it crashed after about 30 minutes use, restarted OK and then crashed while I was having my dinner, despite there being no apps running.  It has just spent the last hour and a half 'Attempting repairs' and has just rebooted while I do this on the laptop.

 

Painting always takes me some time anyway as I like to use multiple thin coats, leaving at least 24 hours between each one.

 

The up canopy with the main building:

 

 

And a couple of shots of the Island platform canopy with the building fitted in:

 

 

 

Alisdair Campbell has kindly cut the glazing for me on his silhouette cutter in 100 micron OHP film, which, from trying some sections in, looks as if it will be better than the 10thou celluloid I did the trial sections in.

 

So the next job is to glaze them!

 

Jim

Edited July 22, 2020 by Caley Jim
Spelling correction

[Caley Jim]

I've now fitted the glazing to the island platform canopy.  The OHP film is very clear and I had some difficulty taking a photo with some reflected light to show that it is there!  It is secured by 'Glue 'n' Glaze' along the ridges, applied with a probe after the strips had been tried in.  Some of them needed minor trimming, no more than 5 or 10 thou, but this was probably due to minor differences when assembling the etches.

Fitting the long pieces for the three bays at either end was tricky as they had to be fed between the longitudinal beams and the astragals before being manoeuvred into place.

Now to do the up canopy.

 

Jim

[Caley Jim]

Sometimes you fell as if you've taken one step forward and then something puts you two steps back!  I received some photos from fellow CRA member John Paton, one of which confirms that the walls of the island platform building did indeed continue up as 'gables' to meet the canopy and therefore it is very unlikely that the sections above the building were glazed.  How exactly they were finished remains a mystery, however. in discussion with the chaps building the layout it was pointed out to me that we are completing Neil's model of 'Dunallander, based on Dunblane' rather than an exact replica of Dunblane, so some licence can be exercised.  Accordingly I've painted over the section of canopy above the building with dark grey to simulate a felted/tarred finish.

 

 

The glazing has also been fitted to the up canopy.

 

 

The second photo John sent clarifies the area to the NE of the up buildings (top left corner of the drawing in this post).  It shows that the only parts which were built were the section between the old building which became porter's room and the platform and the gents toilets.  The outer wall of the latter extending from the corner of the old building to meet the gable of the main building, with a sloping, slated roof following the slope of the canopy ends.

 

This pretty much finishes my work on the canopies.  As with the footbridges, weathering will be completed by Mike. 

 

Jim

Edited July 25, 2020 by Caley Jim

[Argos]

That's a really nice, delicate piece of modelling Jim.

You must be very happy with the result

[Caley Jim]

9 minutes ago, Argos said:

That's a really nice, delicate piece of modelling Jim.

You must be very happy with the result

Thanks, Angus. 

 

Yes, I'm quite pleased with the way they've turned out. They're not perfect by any means, but they look fine from normal viewing distances. 

 

Jim 

[CF MRC]

4 hours ago, Caley Jim said:

Sometimes you fell as if you've taken one step forward and then something puts you two steps back!  I received some photos from fellow CRA member John Paton, one of which confirms that the walls of the island platform building did indeed continue up as 'gables' to meet the canopy and therefore it is very unlikely that the sections above the building were glazed.  How exactly they were finished remains a mystery, however. in discussion with the chaps building the layout it was pointed out to me that we are completing Neil's model of 'Dunallander, based on Dunblane' rather than an exact replica of Dunblane, so some licence can be exercised.  Accordingly I've painted over the section of canopy above the building with dark grey to simulate a felted/tarred finish.

 

 

The glazing has also been fitted to the up canopy.

 

 

The second photo John sent clarifies the area to the NE of the up buildings (top left corner of the drawing in this post).  It shows that the only parts which were built were the section between the old building which became porter's room and the platform and the gents toilets.  The outer wall of the latter extending from the corner of the old building to meet the gable of the main building, with a sloping, slated roof following the slope of the canopy ends.

 

This pretty much finishes my work on the canopies.  As with the footbridges, weathering will be completed by Mike. 

 

Jim

Magnificent!

 

Tim

[Caley Jim]

7 hours ago, CF MRC said:

Magnificent!

Thanks, Tim. 

 

Praise indeed coming from you! 

 

It has been an interesting challenge and kept me occupied during lockdown. 

 

Jim