Lime Street Station

[LMS2968]

After the ballasting & Weathering.......

 

Not satisfied with the "grot" he'd sprayed on the ballast last week, Rob came back to deal with the areas where locos would stand for a while in the platforms;

 

Cinders 1.JPG

 

At the buffer stops, the middle road is a siding, so not so much "cinders" in this area:

 

Cinders 2.JPG

 

Rob also had time to deal with the ground near the end of "Coal Siding 2".

The original can be seen to the right of this shot.

 

CS2 ground.JPG

 

All this is under the roof, so probably will not be seen too easily.

 

No doubt some intrepid photographer will get down there.....

 

Steve.

Not good enough. I distinctly remember those sidings and there were two more blades of grass than you've depicted!

[Hroth]

Not like late-70s Lime Street where you could barely see the rails at the buffer ends for the mounds of waste paper, plastic bags and Harp lager cans.  Mind you, the dirty and broken station roof didn't help matters either....

[Les Green]

Our fame spreads. The Norwegian magazine MJBladet features a ten page article on Liverpool Lime Street this month. Can't read it but it looks good! Plenty of photographs by Andy York and myself.

 

 

 

[Pete Goss]

Our fame spreads. The Norwegian magazine MJBladet features a ten page article on Liverpool Lime Street this month. Can't read it but it looks good! Plenty of photographs by Andy York and myself.

 

IMG_2387.jpg

 

IMG_2388.jpg

 

I really like the photograph taken for the title page. Good eye level shot with plenty going on in the background..  Slightly sepia with day light coming in from behind.  Very atmospheric.

[Les Green]

I really like the photograph taken for the title page. Good eye level shot with plenty going on in the background..  Slightly sepia with day light coming in from behind.  Very atmospheric.

 

Pete,

This was the original.

 

[vulcanbomber]

Who supplies most of the figures in the pic?

[wamwig]

They look like mostly Pete Goss figures with a few from Dart Castings?

Edited July 27, 2017 by wamwig

[Pete Goss]

They look like mostly Pete Goss figures with a few from Dart Castings?

Exactly right

 

The layout has, and will eventually have, about half and half PG Figures and Darts, with numerous conversions, and additions here and there of resin cast baggage.  All the figures have 0.5mm brass wire bases, are painted and matt varnished before being located into drilled holes in the baseboard deck. 

[vulcanbomber]

Could you explain your brass wire bases a bit more please

[wamwig]

Exactly right

 

The layout has, and will eventually have, about half and half PG Figures and Darts, with numerous conversions, and additions here and there of resin cast baggage.  All the figures have 0.5mm brass wire bases, are painted and matt varnished before being located into drilled holes in the baseboard deck.

Thought they were, my own layout has your figures, Dart Castings, some Modelu, a couple of the old Dapol figures and some others from various military ranges which can yield some interesting alternatives, such as the Waterloo 1815 Italian Tank Crew set giving a very good mechanic figure carrying a toolbox! Not quite sure what to do with the rest of that set yet though!!

[Joseph_Pestell]

I didn't know that the Italians had even been present at Waterloo. Still  less that  they had invented tanks 100 years before us.

[wamwig]

I didn't know that the Italians had even been present at Waterloo. Still  less that  they had invented tanks 100 years before us.

Ha indeed "Waterloo 1815" is in this instance a brand, a bit like Airfix.

 

However regarding the battle of Waterloo, one of the more interesting facts is that of a young lieutenant of about 24, that Reese Gronow saw riding along the position with Wellington’s staff before the battle started. His name was Count Paolo Ruffo and he was the second son of the Neapolitan Ambassador to London, Fabrizio, Prince of Castelcicala! So there was at least one 'Italian' at Waterloo!!

 

Anyway back to Lime Street now.

Edited July 27, 2017 by wamwig

[Pete Goss]

Could you explain your brass wire bases a bit more please

[Pete Goss]

 

Could you explain your brass wire bases a bit more please  

 

 

The figures have a metal peg under one of the feet generally.  Personally I carefully cut this off and file the bottom of the feet flat so the figure can virtually stand on its own. Then I drill a 0.55mm hole into one of the soles of a foot before supergluing a piece of 0.5mm brass wire into the hole.  Filing off any burr at the bottom of the wire.  This provides I) flat feet on the ground and ii) a means of bending the figure into place one placed into the baseboard  that otherwise may be difficult to do.  Wrap the figure in a little piece of kitchen paper while drilling as, as you hold the figure it becomes very hot while drilling and don't drill your finger.  Or you could wrap it and put it in a vice but damage may occur.

 

The figure illustrated with a piece of white plasticard under a foot was either because I was repairing a foot or making him stand more vertical . Can't remember which.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The figures come with a metal peg under one of the feet generally.  This is part of the casting process.  Personally I cut this off carefully, file the feet flat, then with the figures wrapped in a paper towel to prevent fingers burning, drill a 0.55mm hole into the sole of one of the feet.  Then superglue a piece of 0.5mm brass wire into the hole and file off any spur at the bottom of the cut wire.

 

This gives a certain flexibility when locating the figure, otherwise the thick metal casting peg may become detached and take opoart of a foot with it.

[Steve Hewitt]

It was ten years ago today..........

 

John has recovered this photo from his archive:

 

It was taken at a small exhibition near John's home in Lytham on July 28th 2007.

 

By that date, all the track had been installed and the platform construction was under way.

You can clearly see that the plans for the development of the layout were well established even though there is no indication of the 40sq.ft. of overall roof which will come to dominate this view.

The drawing of the Hotel already looks dominant.

 

I wonder what the next ten years will bring?

 

Steve.

 

[Steve Hewitt]

The office block is now complete and ready to go to Rob Harrison for weathering.

 

IMG_5392.jpg

 

The model is basically made from three components:

The outer shell of the building,

 

IMG_5394.jpg

 

The insides, complete with photos of office internal details. This component will eventually be wired for lighting.

 

IMG_5397.jpg

 

The windows, complete with curtains. These layers slide into the outer shell before the internal section slides and locks into position to complete the model.

 

IMG_5399.jpg

 

Let there be light.........

 

The post above from Les in May mentioned that the interior would "eventually be wired for lighting".

 

John has now done exactly that:

 

John likes to keep everything neat and tidy:

 

He says:

"Well that's hopefully the lighting job done now on the office building.

 

The first shot gives an overall view of the wiring on the back of the interior unit. The blank circuit board is removable via the 25way plug and the cord with the 9way plug on. This enables Geoff to work on the clever stuff without having to have the whole building as well.

 

 

This close up shows the wiring (21 circuits) coming back to the concentrator board. The red-blue-white wires are the feeds coming from the blank circuit board. Some of the circuits have four LED's on, I think there are about 80 LED's altogether.

 

 

 

I just strapped up all the output leads to test the total load (0.6 A) and see what it looks like on the railway, I'm very pleased, but I think it might look different when Les has reinstalled all the windows so judgment reserved for now!

 

More updates soon, I hope...........

Steve.

[phixer64]

Where is the WOW button, this layout, just gets better and better.

Fantastic work 

 

Regards to all - Jeff

[Hroth]

As a matter of awed yet minor interest, have you ever worked out how much power "Lime Street" consumes at full chat?

 

(We're not in the realm of a tri-ang battery controller and 3 bell batteries any more....)

[Steve Hewitt]

The ticket office at Lime Street Station had a barrier in front of each office window. Barriers were curved to form a squeeze point at the window so as to only allow one person at once to be at the window. The photo below shows the ones at Liverpool Exchange which were similar to those at Lime Street.

 

Liverpool Exchange 1918.jpg

 

We have had a model of these 3D printed by Shapeways. The print has ten barriers. The base plate has two holes drilled in. These make a jig to allow accurate drilling of the baseboards to accept the barriers.

 

IMG_5622.JPG

John has painted and installed the Barriers:

 

 

He says:

"Les, you've done another great job, not sure about my painting though but Rob said he would pass his magic brush over them when he next comes over.

 

 

Peter Goss is due to populate this area along with the suburban platforms (1-4), after Utrecht. The fit is perfect and given their size do not need glueing as you would probably break them trying to get them out if you didn't know how to hold them. The jig Les built into the base of the moulding was invaluable for locating the position of the holes."

 

 

Steve.

[Les Green]

The office block behind the station has now been completed and installed on the layout. This was originally the main station building until the hotel was built. John will now complete the wiring for all the internal lighting.

 

 

 

 

[Andy Y]

That's just stunning Les; really, really impressed.

[john flann]

Looking at these pictures of this wing of the ex hotel/office building I think i can locate on the third floor the windows of the particular office (the District Estate Surveyors) I worked in during the early 1950's.

 

Rather nostalgic. I can remember the view of the station roof but the other side was more interesting  looking down into Lord Nelson Street (?) the Public House and the dressing rooms of the Empire(?) theatre opposite during the Pantomime season. This particularly excited the attentions of Norman an old bachelor a fellow habitue of the room.

 

Excellent modelling.

 

OT I recognize, but I couldn't resist it.

 

Further OT. but I did write about my experiences with BR (LMR) in Back Track, Vol 19, #8, August 2005-"Reminiscences of a BR Surveyor."

Edited August 7, 2017 by john flann

[Spannerman]

Exquisite modelling.

 

Nik

[Les Green]

Looking at these pictures of this wing of the ex hotel/office building I think i can locate on the third floor the windows of the particular office (the District Estate Surveyors) I worked in during the early 1950's.

 

Rather nostalgic. I can remember the view of the station roof but the other side was more interesting  looking down into Lord Nelson Street (?) the Public House and the dressing rooms of the Empire(?) theatre opposite during the Pantomime season. This particularly excited the attentions of Norman an old bachelor a fellow habitue of the room.

 

Excellent modelling.

 

OT I recognize, but I couldn't resist it.

 

Further OT. but I did write about my experiences with BR (LMR) in Back Track, Vol 19, #8, August 2005-"Reminiscences of a BR Surveyor."

 

Glad you recognised the building John. We had to make a lot of assumptions when making the model as we had no photos of the station side of the building. The main assumption, and probably incorrect, was that the back of the building facing the station roof was the same as the front facing Lord Nelson Street. Also we didn't know the original building was a bit longer than it was in 1947. Part of it was demolished when the North Western Hotel was built and an extra couple of storeys were added at the same time. This means the back and front of the building as it was in 1947 would no longer be symmetrical about its centre. Our model is symmetrical. No doubt we will find photos of the station side at some time in the future.

Do you know, or have any information, about the next building up from the offices along Lord Nelson Street? We have no information on that at all and we now have a big gap on the layout. We think there may have been a boxing venue there, between the offices and the tobacco warehouse. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Les

[Steve Hewitt]

A British Summer BBQ.......

 

The Lime Street Crew and wives were expecting to have a BBQ at John's home yesterday but the Weather had other ideas:

 

 

Fortunately there was an excellent alternative available nearby:

 

 

Steve.