Hornby Booking hall renovations

[Kris]

On my children's layout the main station building is formed from a Hornby Booking hall R502. This is looking rather tired and I feel that it could be significantly improved. 

 

Have you improved one of these? What did you do to it?

 

If you don't have one how would you improve it? (Other than throwing it away and getting something else - Not an option here  )

 

I do have some ideas but before I commit to them I though I would look for further ideas from others. They might be more inventive that I have considered. 

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Kris
Adding a photo of the intended victim.

[The Great Bear]

I covered my 70s vintage one with Scalesenes brick paper and roof tiles. Not a great improvement, but it then matched other buildings I made using their kits.

[Kris]

2 minutes ago, The Great Bear said:

I covered my 70s vintage one with Scalesenes brick paper and roof tiles. Not a great improvement, but it then matched other buildings I made using their kits.

That was sort of what I had in mind. Do you have photos?

[The Great Bear]

21 minutes ago, Kris said:

That was sort of what I had in mind. Do you have photos?

Not particularly well done, the first bit of modelling I did I think. I'm sure you could do much better.

 

And on layout here...

Never got around to sorting the chimneys out!

[Steamport Southport]

I always thought the brick version looked much better.

 

Haven't got any photos but I just painted the other bits that looked plasticky such as the awnings and roof. Then weathered the brickwork with a wash of diluted Humbrol Brick Red.

 

Eventually I replaced it with the Ratio GWR station as it was more fitting to the location. I had the Hornby Dunster station already.

 

 

Hornby did it up themselves at one point. Scrubs up pretty well.

 

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hornby-R8007-Gauge-Booking-Hall/dp/B000H5V1TC/ref=asc_df_B000H5V1TC/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=351106117905&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5916634987263868300&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007064&hvtargid=pla-672602143176&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

 

 

Jason

[RJS1977]

I seem to remember a layout at Warley one year which had a 'renovated' Hornby booking hall on it - scarcely recognisable.

[Steamport Southport]

I've also seen a few of the water towers lurking on layouts suitably disguised.

 

 

Jason

[Pete the Elaner]

4 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

I always thought the brick version looked much better.

 

 

Comparing it against the stone one, I agree.

Zero relief is "less wrong" for brick than stone, so brick paper may be the easiest way to renovate it. (Embossed brick gives too much relief & paper gives too little, so the lesser of two wrongs is a matter of taste.) Even with a paper wall, I feel that some relief on window ledges helps to bring it to life. This could be very thin card, which is quite easy to cut.

Maybe a new roof made from Wills slate sheet would help too?

[JDW]

It certainly looke better with the brickpaper. I think it looks a bit tall without a canopy attached, it could maybe be improved with a large advertising billboard (or enamel sign) on the gable end, and the chimneys covering in brick paper too. If you're not using the 'upstairs' part, the chimneys don't need to be as tall either. 

[Kris]

7 hours ago, JDW said:

 I think it looks a bit tall without a canopy attached, 

That is one of my concerns too. The side with the canopy looks fine, but the other side looks wrong. I wonder if there is room for a second floor?

[Moxy]

56 minutes ago, Kris said:

That is one of my concerns too. The side with the canopy looks fine, but the other side looks wrong. I wonder if there is room for a second floor?

 

I don't have one of these Hornby booking halls to measure, but without the canopy it gives the impression of being 1 & 1/2 floors high (see example above).

 

If you look at the Scalescenes site, their single storey station R003b is 55mm high and the two storey one R005 is 120mm high.  I think I would tempted to do a 'cut & shut' on the building to reduce it to about 55-60mm height, and reduce the height of the chimneys too.

Edited November 23, 2021 by Moxy
Clarity

[Pete the Elaner]

2 hours ago, Moxy said:

 

I don't have one of these Hornby booking halls to measure, but without the canopy it gives the impression of being 1 & 1/2 floors high (see example above).

 

If you look at the Scalescenes site, their single storey station R003b is 55mm high and the two storey one R005 is 120mm high.  I think I would tempted to do a 'cut & shut' on the building to reduce it to about 55-60mm height, and reduce the height of the chimneys too.

 

DIdn't many older booking halls have very high ceilings? There was certainly an echo in them.

[RJS1977]

1 hour ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

DIdn't many older booking halls have very high ceilings? There was certainly an echo in them.

 

Not only that, but station canopies in reality weren't just 'stuck on' the outside of the building - the canopy girders usually enter the building above ceiling height and reach across to counterbalance the canopy (see the drawings I posted in the Cholsey station thread).

 

One way round the overheight if modelling without a canopy would be to model the remains of girders where they've been cut back if the canopy has been removed (again, see the island platform building at Cholsey).

[Kris]

Right lets see if this works.

 

Nothing is stuck into place. I am thinking that I will add a couple of roof light type windows on the non platform side. The windows in the big roof extension will also need to be made smaller. 

[rovex]

I covered one in Slater's brick plasticard, added stone quoins to the corners and added slates to the roof.

Done along time ago and so have no photos.

I wonder now whether it was worth the effort.

Edited November 23, 2021 by rovex

[Kris]

I have now spent time renovating the booking hall in question. For more photos and some thoughts on what I have done please look at this page. 

Thanks to all who helped with the initial question.