Riverside

[sparks]

On 15/09/2013 at 10:09, hartleymartin said:

The NSWGR did originally have lower platforms. The platforms were raised when electric stock were introduced, although on many country stations they still have the lower platform height. There is a photo in a 1974 ARHS Bulletin showing Dundas Station with a partially-raised platform.

 

The platform surface should be ever so slightly lower than the step of the door (about 1mm lower in HO scale)

 

Thanks Martin. I was in Sydney last weekend and noticed a wide variety of platform heights, both in the city and further afield. The Victorian Railways platform height seems to have been 3'2" (see drawing F339 here:- http://www.victorianrailways.net/infastuct/infastructhome.html) which scales to 11.08mm. The Peco edging as is measures 13mm, so sinking the edging into the cork (2.5mm) would give 10.5mm which I think is close enough.

 

Not much progress has been made over the last month or so, but I have progressed the stone workshop this week to a point where it just needs bargeboards, guttering and downpipes. As has become traditional, the Liverpool show also produced some more rolling stock:-

Edited April 21, 2022 by sparks

[sparks]

.....although looking at drawing F556, which supersedes F339, the platform height is now to be 3'4" - although it may vary from 3'4"" (11.67mm) to 3'9" (13.13mm). So 10.50mm is probably a bit on the low side. Hmmm.

[47137]

.....although looking at drawing F556, which supersedes F339, the platform height is now to be 3'4" - although it may vary from 3'4"" (11.67mm) to 3'9" (13.13mm). So 10.50mm is probably a bit on the low side. Hmmm.

Well, the platform is at the back of the layout. A train hides the platform, so you can't see passengers not getting on to the train (Peter Denny). When there isn't a train there, any missing half millimeter does not show. It is better to be slightly underscale than overscale (Cyril Freezer). A lower platform helps the model look deeper. If you ever choose to run different stock, a low platform may help. Consider half a millimeter to represent settlement of ballast ... live with it, paint the background a suitable sky blue and look again, it will be fine.

 

- Richard.

[sparks]

Well, the platform is at the back of the layout. A train hides the platform, so you can't see passengers not getting on to the train (Peter Denny). When there isn't a train there, any missing half millimeter does not show. It is better to be slightly underscale than overscale (Cyril Freezer). A lower platform helps the model look deeper. If you ever choose to run different stock, a low platform may help. Consider half a millimeter to represent settlement of ballast ... live with it, paint the background a suitable sky blue and look again, it will be fine.

 

- Richard.

 

All good points! Lower would certainly be more practical for running continental or US stock, but it would niggle me that (according to my supposed history) the platforms were rebuilt at electrification, and should therefore be the same height as the stock! But, of course, only I would know and others may not even notice.

[sparks]

Progress has been slow recently, partly due to the onset of Spring and Summer, but also because I have been a bit stumped on how to treat the 'other end'. Firstly trying to find/build a suitable building for the back corner and also trying to find a footbridge to act as a scenic break that a] is tall enough to clear the catenary without any fancy wirework and b] has all it's height in the steps (unlike the Airfix and Hornby ones) so that the span itself can be quite short.

 

I made a start on another Osney-inspired stone and corrugated iron building from Wills sheets based on the paper mockup seen below but I'm not happy with it (moral: don't try to build stuff when you're not feeling well). I may finish it and see how it looks or I may just hack another DPM building and be done with it. Good news is that I found a suitable footbridge kit from Jouef (http://www.joueftrains.com/1027%20footbridge.htm) and one arrived from a well known auction site today:-

 

 

 

Unfortunately it still doesn't clear the catenary so I will assume that it was raised when the wires were installed and the new platform was built and mount it on some cast concrete blocks. It does look the part though and is just the right size (although I will probably shorten the span by one section) and hopefully work will resume now I have some direction.

 

Sharp eyed readers will have noticed over the last few posts that I have well and truly broken my promise to myself regarding not buying any stock until the layout was finished; a Jouef BB 1-80 has now arrived to take care of the freight shunting. Again, just the right size for the layout and will look the part in both Continental and Australian guises.

Edited December 31, 2013 by sparks

[CourthsVeil]

Like this really, Sparks.

 

The corrugated sheet building is just my cuppa – larger structure might be too hefty for the limited space.

 

Really coming on nicely –  – Enjoying watching your progress.

 

Reagrds

  Armin

[Ian Holmes]

Looking good. It's coming together well. Overall it's looking very believable.

[sparks]

Thanks guys. Believable is what I'm aiming for!

 

I'm trying to envisage how the location would have developed over time and layer things up accordingly. In such a small space though, balance is the key I think.

[Lisa]

What about using the trick that I'm going to use in my St Ouen 2FS Layout. The platform road will continue out of the opposite side of the box, for one carriage length?

 

Perhaps using a fiddlestick or a fold down flap.

 

Lisa

Edited January 8, 2014 by Lisa

[marc smith]

Like this really, Sparks.

 

The corrugated sheet building is just my cuppa – larger structure might be too hefty for the limited space.

 

Really coming on nicely –  – Enjoying watching your progress.

 

Reagrds

  Armin

Yes, I agree - the corrugated building looks my cuppa too

 

I do like those low relief buildings in the background as well

 

A nice project in a limited space

 

Marc

[sparks]

A quick update before I go on holidays....

 

I didn't think I'd achieved a lot recently, but having listed it all here, perhaps I have!

 

Firstly I've made a 'backscene' by lining the inside of the box with pasteboard and painting, but unfortunately this has come out exactly the colour I didn't want! I was aiming for grey-with-a-hint-of-blue but as tester pots don't seem to be available down under I had to have a 500ml 'tester' mixed and it came out like this. It's not as bad in real life so I'm living with it for the moment. I don't really have to decide until I start glueing everything down though.

 

I had lots of part finished items so I've concentrated on getting the buildings finished one at a time in order to see some progress. The two stone and corrugated iron workshops are now done except for a coat of something to take the gloss off the stonework. The green one ended up having the stone part dismantled and rebuilt but now I'm really happy with it:-

 

 

 

The footbridge is a work in progress. So far I've built the brick plinths to bring it up to platform level but it needs some diagonal bracing between the pillars; partly from a prototypical point of view and also to help hide the hole in the backscene. I also have some fine corrugated sheet to line the sides of the span to prevent little fingers touching the wires.

 

Now that the final size and locations of the buildings are known I've trimmed the platform to size (I had left the ends overlength) so everything will sit together on the board. This has allowed me to do a bit of terraforming; the grey workshop has been sunk by removing the cork form under it as it was a bit overpowering, the brick factory has been raised up by a layer of cork to bring the doors up to platform level and the green workshop has also been raised to balance things out.

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by sparks

[Steve Purves]

Looking good. Some apa's look small but there are some including yours that convey the idea of a much larger space. I like the footbridge and the corrugated buildings particularly.

Steve

[Class 74]

Very nice!

 

Simon

[Job's Modelling]

Do you have space to put a half relief building in front of your footbridge to hide the opening to the fiddle yard? 

 

I like the total appearance. 

[D1041]

Hi Sparks

I really like what you have done. Has there been any more progress?

Nigel

[sparks]

Thanks guys. No further progress as yet as I've been on holiday for a few weeks but I hope to get back to it soon. Once I've finished being distracted by Japanese minor electric railways, that is....

[sparks]

Time for an update. There's been a distinct lack of modelling mojo recently. I have added evergreen angle bracing to the footbridge legs which I'm very happy with but the first coat of paint went on all gloppy as the paint, despite a good stirring, started to thicken again in my cold winter apartment.

 

 

After finally discovering Juniper Hill (how did I miss that?) I've also been having some existential doubts about filling the layout with more and more structures to try and make the RH scenic break work properly - the sparse end-of-the-line feel of Juniper Hill is exactly what I originally had in mind. The footbridge already takes up a quarter of the total length of the layout, but still needs a 'foot' of some sort at the bottom and probably something small in front to fill the corner and block the view to the fiddle yard. On top of that, there is still another essential building to add front and centre - the goods lockup. Before making any drastic decisions I thought some a little practical experimentation was in order. This is a mockup of the RailCentral kit (http://www.railcentral.com.au/products.html) for a NSWGR Pc1 precast concrete station building (http://users.tpg.com.au/bdayling/Ac_Pc.html). The originals were intended as a complete branch line station but it would work well here as a simple goods lockup:-

 

 

 It actually all looks a lot better than I expected and rather than block the view completely, a few new 'scenes' are created:-

 

 

 

 

The exit from the footbridge would turn through 90deg towards the front of the layout, and then maybe a small shed or possibly the Wills brick conveniences (represented by the white footprint) in the corner, some spear railings and that's about it.

 

 

So what do we think? Too overcrowded or about right for an urban backwater?

Edited April 29, 2022 by sparks
Link updated

[QRModeller]

Comparing the first two overall shots, I think it looks better having a small structure to divide the scene.  It also gives a reason for the siding to be there.

 

With regards to the front right corner, what if you were to have the ground rise up to meet the bottom of the steps?  However, given how high above the surface of the board the steps finish, if it were me I'd try and extend them down a few more risers before they reach the 'ground'.  I'd also partly bury the two existing brick podiums so the contours look more natural.  Obviously, this would mean a structure in this corner would look odd, so what if an advertising hoarding was placed there instead?  It could be unused or have the remains of an old ad if you didn't want to draw too much attention to it.  This would be placed at an angle to the footbridge to hide the hole to the fiddle yard and I think it should direct your vision into the model and away from the 'hole in the sky', or at least distract you from it.

 

 

Just my thoughts, hope they help.

 

 

 

 

Matt.

[sparks]

After some more thought I have decided that I'm really not happy with the footbridge plinths. I wondered how hard it would be to remove the bottom few steps on the platform side (equivalent to half the height of the platform) and graft them onto the opposite side. This would make the front side reach the ground and would allow the plinths to be reduced to half their height and be much less obtrusive and bottom-heavy.

 

I got the layout out tonight and had a look. Transplanting the steps would be fiddly, but do-able with care. However I thought that this approach would then require modification of the catenary span to fit under the lowered bridge. I attached a few spans to the layout to check and was greeted with this:-

 

 

A massive gap between the wires and the footbridge! I raised the bridge as it doesn't clear the wires when flat on the ground, but for some reason I raised it to platform height when in fact only a few mm was required. Doh! There is actually a 13mm gap between the wires and footbridge span:-

 

 

So, the plinths can be reduced to just three courses of bricks and the front steps can be extended down to ground with a small plinth/step made from a few squares of plasticard, although another layer of cork in the area may reduce this even further. A few steps will need to be removed from the platform side but it is far easier to trim than transplant.

 

I'll sign off with a snap of BB-27 entering the station. Purists will be relieved to know that the wires won't join like that on the mast; I have another mast for here with two register arms to allow the platform road wire to cross at a slightly higher level and continue to be tensioned beyond the bridge.

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by sparks

[mjcampbell]

Just raise the ground in the fore-ground - a layer of foamboard or polystyrene?

[sparks]

 

With regards to the front right corner, what if you were to have the ground rise up to meet the bottom of the steps?  However, given how high above the surface of the board the steps finish, if it were me I'd try and extend them down a few more risers before they reach the 'ground'.  I'd also partly bury the two existing brick podiums so the contours look more natural.

 

 

Just raise the ground in the fore-ground - a layer of foamboard or polystyrene?

 

I agree; the obvious thing to do would be a convenient hillock, but given the small space and that the rest of the layout is totally flat, I think it would look too contrived. I'm happy that the approach outlined above will give a good result and will try and get onto it soon - I'd like to get this corner and the scenic break working properly before I go any further.

Edited October 10, 2014 by sparks

[sparks]

Success! I lowered the plinths as much as possible (there is a plug and socket arrangement for each column inside) and sunk the remainder into the cork. This still left a gap under the front stairs so I carefully sawed off the excess from the rear stairs and joined it to the front. The joint isn't perfect but it's OK and will hopefully disappear under some grot. I finished the remainder of the base coat and the bridge is now ready for a dark wash to grotty it up a bit.

 

 

Comparing this photo to the ones in post #44, I think it looks much more believable and I'm much happier now. I've therefore moved onto the ground frame and associated point rodding for the siding, based on my inspiration shot of Hardies in post #1. The catenary mast has also changed sides, partly to make room for the ground frame and also for visual balance as all the masts were on the same side!

 

 

The Wills point rodding looks great but severely tried both my patience and eyesight to assemble. In the end I attached a piece of masking tape to the bench sticky side up and used it to make up sub-assemblies. These require to be left overnight for the joints to harden before attempting to detach them for transfer to the layout. I also pre-painted the FPL assembly on the bench as there was no way I'd be able to do this neatly once it was attached to the sleepers.

 

 

I positioned the ground frame to be visible through the footbridge stairs (the FPL arrangement shows through the other gap) and create a small cameo scene. This means I probably won't put another structure in front of the footbridge as it would block the view.

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by sparks

[Job's Modelling]

This looks so much better.

You have done a great job.

[sparks]

A couple of hours on a wet summer afternoon with a well-designed kit produced this little precast beauty. I've shortened the canopy by about 2ft but otherwise it's as per the Rail Central kit. Just waiting for the paint to dry on the rainwater pipes and separator before I glue them on and then a dirty wash overall. I also need to create a matching precast loading platform.

 

 

 

 

And some overall progress shots. The footbridge got it's dirty wash and is done but that's about it recently.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by sparks

[The Bigbee Line]

Just come across this thread.  Nice layout. 

 

I especially like the green painted corrugated structure, looks very effective.

 

The use of overhead on a small layout is very tempting.

 

Keep posting the progress reports.

 

Thanks