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Hill Street: 1980s West Midlands.


glasmonkey
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Hi Everyone

This is the beginning of my refurbished Hill Street Station which I built about 10 years ago, it's OO gauge and set in the mid eighties, it wasn't really working out so I took it apart, and now I'm rebuilding using some of the original buildings.

It's all work in progress but I thought I'd plonk some stock and buildings in place to get a feel of how it will look and keep my mojo flowing!! :D

 

Rob

hill street 1.jpg

hill st 2.jpg

hill st 6.jpg

hill st 5.jpg

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Yep it screams Bum to me as well. Some times you just have to admit that your grand plan isn't doing it for you and rip it out and start again using as much of it as you can to build something that will. I'm there myself right now. Starting to build my Tewkesbury exhibition layout in EM did it for me.

Regards Lez. 

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42 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

The brickwork certainly gives a feel of Birmingham, are you going to string up some wires and perhaps let an 86/0 and/or an 85 loose on it?

 

Is the station a through station or simply a terminus.

Thanks for the replies!

It's going to be a through station with a bay platform and a couple of DMU stabling sidings - I'd like to put up some wires but I think my clumsy sausage fingers will keep pulling them down!!

Rob

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Hi Rob,

 

I shall be following along with your rebuild, mainly as I am doing a small vignette of the other side (west) of Hill Street, where the large signal box now stands.  My period is the time just before the rebuild, c1960, when the turntable was still present in the location where the new signal box was built.

bns_26_points_placed_on_layout.jpg.ea8ca38ffe36a59a9e08efc65f52ac7d.jpg

 

 

View looking east, the platforms would be just beyond the bridges.

bns_23_bridgework.jpg.ef28e019e291c4c40c02008ceea33df0.jpg

 

If I am successful with this, then I intend to move across Hill Street and construct the area to include the platforms.  Your build might become my reference material!

 

cheers,

Mike

Edited by Royal42
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Hi

 

Here are a couple more photos from me before I start ballasting, also a photo of my recent purchase, a Heljan class 25 - I've changed the cab handrails, windscreen wipers, I've cut the front glazing into separate pieces and made them flush and also changed the headcode panel so you don't get any light bleed.

Rob

hill st 8.jpg

hill st 10.jpg

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Hi Rob,

 

that's nice work on your layout.  I have been pondering the ballast situation at New Street myself, as images I've seen appear to show the ballast all but worn away; as in this image.

1284860677_Untitled-115a.jpg.b871e808e442c923be9ee15a4d8a5382.jpg

photo source:  warwickshirerailways.com

 

What material will you be using for ballast? 

 

cheers,
Mike

Edited by Royal42
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15 hours ago, Royal42 said:

Hi Rob,

 

that's nice work on your layout.  I have been pondering the ballast situation at New Street myself, as images I've seen appear to show the ballast all but worn away; as in this image.

1284860677_Untitled-115a.jpg.b871e808e442c923be9ee15a4d8a5382.jpg

photo source:  warwickshirerailways.com

 

What material will you be using for ballast? 

 

cheers,
Mike

Hi Mike

I'll be using Woodland Scenics Fine ballast grey blend. I've used it before and it looks the part, not too heavy, but I think for the look you're trying to achieve maybe something even finer?!

Rob.

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Why go easy?  Looks pretty good to me!

When I (eventually) get round to ballasting, I would be very happy with that look.
Paul.

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Thank you for the kind words, think I may have been looking at the ballast for too long, couldn't decide if it was good bad or ugly!!Lol! ;)

It's definitely Hill Street Blues and maybe with a touch of grey!!

 

 Rob.

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Ballast looks good to me so avoid guiding the lily.

 

Like the look of this a lot so keep it up.

 

All the best with your mojo. Think I’ve found mine this week. 

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20 hours ago, lash said:

Ballast looks good to me so avoid guiding the lily.

 

Like the look of this a lot so keep it up.

 

All the best with your mojo. Think I’ve found mine this week. 

Thanks lash!

 

I've been giving my station building a refresh including adding roof gubbings and a new footbridge - it's maybe something that would have been added in the eighties to a 1960s building?! Still lots more details to add.

 

Rob

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Hi All

 

Another addition to the footbridge - a zigzag girder type construction. I'm quite pleased with how it's coming along, should look good with some subtle lighting inside.. I hope!:(:D

 

Rob

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8 hours ago, lincolnshiremodeller said:

It does look very good indeed.

Going back to the ballast discussion I would say it could do with blackening. All those idling DMUs and locos would have dripped oil everywhere over the years and it would have been more black than grey.

Is your 116 a Lima 117 conversion?

Nice layout.

Yes I think you're right about the ballast, I will add some more black.  And yes my DMU is a Lima 117 conversion. I managed to do it without chopping or a whole repaint, just did a bit of filling here and there and then blended the blue and grey paint back in to the Lima original, it's also been lowered and fitted with laserglaze. It isn't powered, it'll just get dragged around by my other DMUs and my Heljan 128.

 

Rob

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