Melville Street

[bcnPete]

Watching with interest...

[lash]

The David Hey archive seems to have expired. Looks like this happened a couple of years ago too after David died. It is a wonderful and inspirational site that is my main source of inspiration for the sootier grubier side of the Southern Region. Hope it can be saved.

[lash]

David Hey website is back up so thank you so much to his family for keeping this going.

 

Its been a fallow couple of weeks for modelling a mixture of work stepping up a gear, cold ( very cold even in the Isle of Wight  we may be south but Bembridge is on the eastern most point and with a north easterly the wind chill is quite something) and  a bout of tendinitis slowing me down.

 

I don’t usually set my self targets but this thread started on 16 April last year and so I am aiming to get the layout scenically and operationally “complete” in a year. Should be achievable main jobs are:

 

Weathering and installing the station

completing the arches at the back of the layout 

exit over bridge

starter signal

footbridge

ballasting and ground treatment

detailing

backscene

 

So I better  get going as that is less than 8 weeks.

 

What could possibly go wrong.........

[lash]

So getting on with the work first action was weathering the station station.

 

I was very pleased with the paint job on the stairs but just too chocolate box and preserved line for my purposes so now we have the last days of the old Guildford look. Check out the David Heys site for the inspiration.

 

[lash]

And now with the platform shelter.

 

All done with a wash of matt and weathered black acrylic and then Humbrol soot weathering powder applied dry with a brush.  When I’m happy with the result I’ll finish with matt acrylic varnish spray from a can.

 

I think the contrast with some clean enamel platform signage will be rather striking.

 

[lash]

Last for today the canopy with the same treatment.

 

[lash]

14 hours ago, lash said:

Last for today the canopy with the same treatment.

 

On reflection and checking out some photos last night the look is closer to dereliction rather than soot and grot of ages but in use so I’m toning things down .... or up depending on how you look at it.

 

The great thing about weathering powder is a bit of water with detergent and gentle persuasion and it’s off.

 

More  pics to come.

[Calidore]

15 minutes ago, lash said:

On reflection and checking out some photos last night the look is closer to dereliction rather than soot and grot of ages but in use so I’m toning things down .... or up depending on how you look at it.

 

The great thing about weathering powder is a bit of water with detergent and gentle persuasion and it’s off.

 

More  pics to come.

 

There's that wonderful Southern Railway poster from the post-war period, which promises that all the tired-looking stations  on the system will be repainted. Typically I can't find a photo right now but I'm sure you know the one I mean. In true SR style it's bombastic and adamant about how every station will be treated eventually, but I think they must have forgotten Melville Street 

 

I think it works this way too! But if less dereliction was the aim then I'm sure it'll look good with a bit of the weathering knocked off too. Looking forward to seeing it in place.

 

Adam

Edited February 25, 2021 by Calidore

[lash]

Happier with this look.

 

on reflection I wouldn’t use a wash and just stick to the powders as more controllable.

 

[lash]

30 minutes ago, Calidore said:

 

There's that wonderful Southern Railway poster from the post-war period, which promises that all the tired-looking stations  on the system will be repainted. Typically I can't find a photo right now but I'm sure you know the one I mean. In true SR style it's bombastic and adamant about how every station will be treated eventually, but I think they must have forgotten Melville Street 

 

I think it works this way too! But if less dereliction was the aim then I'm sure it'll look good with a bit of the weathering knocked off too. Looking forward to seeing it in place.

 

Adam

Adam I think I know the one.

 

from memory Guildford was still cream and green when it was rebuilt in the 80s.

 

thanks for the comment and encouragement 

[lash]

Mock up of station.

 

I want to add a lift from the station building to the platform, a wall adjacent to the station building with a bike rack behind, signage and odds and ends. I will work on these but am moving to the fiddle yard exit now. 
 

[lash]

Modelling has taken third place to work and selling our boat over the last three weeks. Work is still demanding on time and effort but the boat is gone, good news as it’s replacement arrives in a couple of weeks. However I have found time to work on the exit end of the layout and it’s retaining arches and over bridge. 
 

I do like mock ups as they help me develop the look and feel I am after, so here is my latest with a bit of greenery for a change, my 2hil. A bit of a bargain and worth looking for as an economical emu for this sort of layout.

 

I'm pleased but the mock up has shown me the bridge needs a bit more weathering to complement the brickwork of the arches not to mention the station buildings at the other end of the layout. Think it’ll be more smoke and grime orientated than rust. 

 

[lash]

No post for two months reflecting the arrival of our boat ( a very pretty Cornish Shrimper 22 we bought last October but lockdown preventing her arrival) but mainly a loss of modelling mojo probably not helped by lockdown fatigue!

 

However things are better this week and I have picked up some projects, cable hangers and cables on the arches heading for the fiddle yard and a colour light starter signal.

 

Cable hangers are from Scale Model Scenery and very fiddly. They make some with cables attached but I wanted the rather unstructured look with 1mm wire. I’m quite pleased with the result.

 

The signal is part scratch built from plasticard with butchered bits from a Knightwing kit. It’s based on 1960s photos of various Southern Region signals and totally freelance.  Disc ground signals will be added and if I can face the prospect handrails too.

 

[lash]

Well summer has passed and even if it wasn’t brilliant it was good enough to be outside and leaving the ropes with the new boat.

 

I managed to pull a bicep getting the anchor up a couple of weeks ago so I’m off games and that has taken me back to Melville Street. Fortunately the baseboards are light as I can’t lift much at the moment so I have been able to work on the fiddle yard exit. The idea is to complete the track level scenics and move on to the next section using the how to eat an elephant theory to complete the layout.

 

(How do you eat an elephant? ….. A bit at a time.)

 

[lash]

With the arrival of my other layout Milton Quay I will after a bit of  tidying have a working and near complete layout to play trains on. With mojo renewed I’m determined to progress Melville Street after a long time out.

 

First up is a new version of the starter signal gantry, a mash up of various southern signals from the 50s and 60s made from bits and kits and styrene sheet and mouldings.

 

[lash]

Oh heck not a clue why it’s sideways but you get the idea

[lash]

I think I’m in danger of repeating myself …..but it’s been a while.

 

2022 ended up being very full on, work demanding, spending half my time in Stoke and selling my house there and plenty of other distractions. However with me now permanently living in the Isle of Wight there has been time for a massive clear out and tidy in the garage and I now have the luxury of more time and working space.

 

Melville Street is back in one piece and the electrics tested and fettled, after a bit of frustration, testing with a multimeter and soldering all is ok and I’ve used my smallest loco to run over the whole layout. Melville Street may supposed to be principally an early 70s layout but this little visitor with its Hattons  Genesis coaches looks rather nice.

 

[simon b]

Now that looks right at home in an urban setting. Not sure how I've missed this layout until now, just my sort of thing. Any chance of some more pics of the rest of the layout?

[lash]

19 hours ago, simon b said:

Now that looks right at home in an urban setting. Not sure how I've missed this layout until now, just my sort of thing. Any chance of some more pics of the rest of the layout?

Many thanks.  Looks brilliant doesn’t it. One day maybe and Edwardian Minories with LBSCR Terriers in their original surroundings. 
 

In the mean time it’s 70 years forward and hopefully some progress and more pics.

[lash]

Pleasant evening modelling a cameo on the over bridge next to the station building.
 

Wills walls and granite sets with a cut down bike shed. All glued and hardening ready for some primer tomorrow.

 

I'm thinking maybe a telephone box or maybe two to add a splash of contrasting colour to the general weathered green cream brick and grime. Idea shamelessly nicked from Turner. Let’s see how it turns out.

 

 

[Calidore]

Great to see this back lash. Lovely cameo, very clever. Will be nice to see it weathered up and detailed — I can imagine some newspaper rubbish strewn on the ground there or something like that.

 

I’ve finally managed to get out of the research armchair (aka the not actually doing anything chair) and started something similar-ish which might interest you. It’s a (small) southern region goods/parcels depot and carriage sidings… no fixed location but inspired by places like Blackfriars Goods, Grosvenor carriage sidings, the parcels platforms at Waterloo, etc. Will be sure to give you a nod for this inspirational layout if I get around to making a thread.

 

 Adam

[lash]

23 hours ago, Calidore said:

Great to see this back lash. Lovely cameo, very clever. Will be nice to see it weathered up and detailed — I can imagine some newspaper rubbish strewn on the ground there or something like that.

 

I’ve finally managed to get out of the research armchair (aka the not actually doing anything chair) and started something similar-ish which might interest you. It’s a (small) southern region goods/parcels depot and carriage sidings… no fixed location but inspired by places like Blackfriars Goods, Grosvenor carriage sidings, the parcels platforms at Waterloo, etc. Will be sure to give you a nod for this inspirational layout if I get around to making a thread.

 

 Adam

Many thanks and that all sounds good to me Adam. Love to see your layout as it progresses so get modelling and do start a thread. I enjoy sharing and in the periods when I am modelling it spurs me on.

[lash]

Priming yesterdays work and first coats of acrylic today. I’m leaving everything to dry overnight now but not before a mock up with the very red telephone box I acquired today. This looks like it will work well and I’ll keep the box pristine and unweathered… the GPO has been out with a paintbrush even if BR haven’t managed since the 1950s.

 

I’ve also been working on the starter signal which should be the stand out feature in the centre of the layout, or that’s the plan for now.

 

 

[lash]

Final thought today as you can see I’m experimenting with reflective foil. I’ve seen or something similar used brilliantly on a Southern shunting layout but I don’t think it’s quite working for me on .Melville Street.

[lash]

So no comments about yet more delay in completing Melville Street but I appear to have some modelling mojo and some time. 
 

The  platform is now glued down as is the over bridge and details are being added. I have built a parcels lift I’m  quite pleased with in an unlikely but visually pleasing position.
 

Buffer stops painted weathered and installed.
 

Retaining walls and arches are complete with a bit of painting to be done.

 

The scratch built/kit bashed colour light signal is nearly there.

 

More soon I hope.