York station in the 1950's.

[Mark Saunders]

The two things that stood out was the road under the bridge was still concrete till about two/three years ago and the footpath raised above the road level!

[kirtleypete]

I knew about the raised footpath but wasn't sure if that is a more recent feature. Making the road a concrete surface isn't a problem....sadly it didn't show in the 1930's photo due to the flood water!

 

Peter

[richard i]

The foot path looks too wide to me. Now I only remember York from the late 80s onwards but it was a tight squeeze to get a double buggy down the footpath with anyone else coming the other way. The part in front of the bridge support was part of the road. 
Not meant as criticism, it looks brilliant, but offered as recollections of how it was laid out. 
richard

[kirtleypete]

The more information that we get the better we can make the model. 

 

I've added the kiosk, replaced the road surface and modelled the rising footpath under the bridge...this is much narrower as Richard says.  A few figures and road vehicles and we've got a nice scene. 

 

 

 

 

The grass area in the foreground is where the sorting office was built in the mid 30's...you can see it on the right in the flooded bridge picture.  The problem we have is that it's much too big to model. We did think about moving the 1912 building across the road, or the other option is to simply leave it as open ground as it was before the sorting office was built. I'm delivering the model on Saturday and it will be much easier to decide with it in place. My feeling is that the open ground will look best, but we'll see.

Peter

[iands]

Hi Peter, 

Not sure when it was fitted, but there is a handrail/barrier on the raised footpath in the 'road' tunnel to stop people falling into the road. I seem to remember the barrier not being there as a kid (H&S wasn't applied in the early 60s like it is now) - don't if anyone else can confirm when the barrier was fitted. Thinking about it, it might have been a 'later' addition when the NRM opened to keep the expected greater numbers of pedestrians safe. 

[Mark Saunders]

When the NRM opened I understand the footbridge at the other end of Marble Arch was put up and when the entrance was moved the set of steps directly in front of the pedestrian tunnel was removed!

[kirtleypete]

I wondered about that Ian, but the one there now looks much too modern and in the 1930's picture there isn't one. If a photo does turn up it's easy enough to add if there was one.

 

Peter

[kirtleypete]

The next model will be the NER tea room which these days does important work as the York Tap.

 

 

 

 

 

If anyone knows of a picture of it in BR days it would be very useful,

 

Peter

[Mark Saunders]

My recollection is that all the lower windows were boarded and painted just leaving the top one but not sure of the door . I’m sur Rail Riders took over it before it became the Model Shop and permanent exhibition!

[iands]

When I started on BR in 1973 the Tea Room's were a staff canteen. 

[kirtleypete]

The river bridge girders have arrived from York Modelmaking and are superb.

 

 

I drew each one in two parts so they can be laminated for added strength and thickness. The plastic is 1mm thick.

 

 

 

Here the pieces have been stuck together using Evostick to give four girders. 

 

 

Next I used L and T shaped Plastruct to add the ribbing. One done ,three more to go.

 

 

I'll paint them tomorrow in the hope that I can spray them outside. With luck I'll have the bridge finished and will be able to post some pretty pictures tomorrow afternoon,

 

Peter

 

 

[hmrspaul]

That Bridge looks very good. It is a pity that, although it remains, as part of the new footbridge they have covered it with a steel mesh - safety feature as it was possible to touch the rail before. The other side does remain visible. 

 

Photo December 2012

 

 

The kiosk looks very good. Never went in but it must have had a lot of passing trade which will have disappeared with the changes of footbridges - making a cycle route into the station off of the footpath between river and Leeman Road and also making a footbridge into the station from the car parks. Before that - as you will be modelling York only had an entrance from the city side. And very inconvenient it was to. 

 

All looking very well. I'll admit I hadn't realised the post office was prewar. 

 

The Tap was the last place I had a drink in public - with Mark and a couple of other railway friends. Great place to watch trains, and is Covid safer being out doors but under cover. 

 

Paul

Edited October 29, 2020 by hmrspaul

[kirtleypete]

I've been working on the bridge this morning ready for delivery tomorrow. 

 

 

This is the underside of the bridge deck making clear why it needs to be removable. Putting the point on the bridge was unavoidable.

 

 

The deck sits in place on the piers with a screw at each end holding it in position.

 

 

I've filled the gaps between the deck and the walls with black card. 

 

 

The four girders have been put in place, stuck to the piers but not the deck. Again card has been used to fill the gaps. 

 

 

The bridge looks a bit high; in fact the height is correct but it is shorter than the scale length. 

 

Just a bit of finishing off do do now and then it's ready. I ordered some figures which were posted on Wednesday last week and they haven't arrived, so fingers crosses for today's post. If they arrive I'll take some more pictures. 

 

Peter

 

 

[David Bell]

That is superb Peter

[kirtleypete]

Apart from having forgotten the footpath walkway - I'm going to talk that over with my customer tomorrow and then bring the board back home so I can fit it. I thought the footpath was added when the bridge was rebuilt in 2016 but no, it was always there.

 

 In the meantime some pretty pictures of my only 00 loco!

 

 

 

 

 

Peter

Edited October 30, 2020 by kirtleypete

[hmrspaul]

My understanding is that the footbridge goes back to the opening of the railway. It must have been important because the next crossing up river must have been a long way away. There are bridges now at Water End and on the dreadful outer ring road but they are both modern. 

 

It is looking good - and your water and the water on my photo are remarkably similar! But it is an interesting exercise to try and go back half a century even in a historical and rather conservative (small c only!) city. 

 

Paul

[kirtleypete]

It's been a fascinating exercise Paul; I thought I knew York quite well but I was wrong. It also proves that the best way to find if a model is correct is to publish a picture and then you'll find that it wasn't! That footpath and walkway was staring at me in full view but it wasn't until my customer asked me where it was that I realised I'd left it off.  

 

I'll post some pictures of the scene in place on the layout tomorrow when I get home,

 

Peter

[hmrspaul]

I'm looking forward to seeing how you model the track layout and the coal staithes. I walk through them regularly and find it very hard to imagine how it all went together - and did go there looking for wagons years before I lived nearby. And I still regret ignoring the cattle dock beside the Holgate steel bridge - I have a few photos of it as a visitor but just ignored it when the trees took over, and then it was all gone, turned into a housing estate. At least in general there are a lot of photos of York railway scene - although I suspect you will find glaring gaps in what has been recorded. 

 

Great project, hope it goes well with your customer. 

 

Paul

[kirtleypete]

I had a good visit this morning; the river board fitted in place OK, and I've brought it home to fit the walkway which will involve some fairly major alterations to the structure.  My customer is going to start a separate thread on here describing the track, electrics etc that I'm not involved in so you will get the full picture. 

 

With a new lock down in prospect I don't know when I'll get back again, but I've got the bridge, the tea room and the portico to get on with so I'll still be busy.  If I'm lucky the Preiser figures I ordered ten days ago might even arrive! 

 

Peter

[kirtleypete]

I've tackled the alterations to the river bridge to incorporate the pedestrian walkway. 

 

 

I've removed the girders from the near side and the top of the centre pier.

 

 

The grey parts are sections of the original girders with new pieces added to create the walkway. 

 

 

The new sections were laid loosely in place so I could see how much stonework needed to be removed. 

 

 

The centre pier had to be widened considerably. 

 

 

The plate girders beneath the tracks were added next, just the nearest one as any others would not be seen. As it turned out this one can't be seen either!

 

 

I have widened the wall on the right with the arch. 

 

 

Finally I could begin making it look like a bridge again. I'm posting this now because I'm waiting for glue to dry and it stops me fiddling with it! 

 

Peter

[DLT]

Absolutely stunning Peter.

Cheers, Dave

[kirtleypete]

Thanks Dave. It's always a pain having to alter a model but I'd much rather be told it's wrong when it's accessible and easy to change than find out later when it's too late.  It's just light enough to grab some new pictures...I'll finish off in the morning.

 

Peter

 

 

 

[Rowsley17D]

A great job you've made of the alterations. You can't see the join!

[coronach]

On 28/10/2020 at 10:44, kirtleypete said:

The more information that we get the better we can make the model. 

 

I've added the kiosk, replaced the road surface and modelled the rising footpath under the bridge...this is much narrower as Richard says.  A few figures and road vehicles and we've got a nice scene. 

 

 

 

 

The grass area in the foreground is where the sorting office was built in the mid 30's...you can see it on the right in the flooded bridge picture.  The problem we have is that it's much too big to model. We did think about moving the 1912 building across the road, or the other option is to simply leave it as open ground as it was before the sorting office was built. I'm delivering the model on Saturday and it will be much easier to decide with it in place. My feeling is that the open ground will look best, but we'll see.

Peter

When I started work as an S&T engineering trainee in 1980, I would purchase my paper at the kiosk on the way to the 'Old Biscuit Warehouse' depot.  I think the vendor was called Malcolm but I might be wrong.     

[kirtleypete]

I've been doing more major surgery! I needed to put in the steps at the Scarborough end of the bridge, but all I had to go on was this plan: 

 

 

It shows the plan of the steps leading up to the walkway, but naturally the drawing shows the other side of the bridge! Modern pictures are no help as it's changed completely:

 

 

All I could do was make it look plausible and hope it's not too inaccurate. 

 

 

I cut away the whole area above the arch.

 

 

Behind the car is the section of steps that will connect to the walkway.

 

 

These are now stuck in place. The biggest problem is that the trackbed has to be removable, so the stone wall behind the steps will be attached to that and will lift out with it. 

 

 

A slot has been made in the retaining wall to take the lower flight of steps.

 

 

That is now in place and I have begin tidying things up. 

 

 

This the same area pretty much finished. I'm sure a picture will turn up now to show that it's completely wrong. 

 

 

The view from above showing the steps leading down from the walkway.

 

 

The whole scene, hopefully this time in no more need to hacking about!

 

 

Finally a couple of picture showing the Preiser figures that finally turned up today, twelve days after being posted! 

 

 

Peter

Edited November 2, 2020 by kirtleypete