Pragmatic Pre-Grouping - Mikkel's Workbench

[PhilJ W]

Here it is in the centre.

https://www.gaugemasterretail.com/magento/model-railways/tiny-signs-brand5/tiny-signs-tsoo79.html

[MrWolf]

Thanks, I remember those from the early 80's and I bought quite a few for the enamel signs. 

I still at school then, damn, now I feel old!

Looks like they are available on eBay and from Gaugemaster. You beat me to it Phil!

Edited July 31, 2020 by MrWolf

[Donw]

Regarding Brick work having made Marion build her garden walls in proper flemish bond 9inch brickwork we now know exactly how to do the corners. Mind you I had to produce the Queen closers. For embossed brickword card (and plasticard) it woulhave been helpful if one edge had been finished with queen closers.

 

Don

[Mikkel]

Funny you should say that Don, I have been looking at photos of GWR weighbridges. While some seem to have Flemish (-ish) bond, others have English bond. This variation includes the nominally "standard" designs. That made me wonder whether railway companies had specific preferences in terms of brick patterns.

 

On a related note, I have decided to add a new 'skin' to the weighbridge I'm building. This will convert the structure to English bond, in keeping with the stable block next to it. It will also cover up the damage that arose from my attempt to deal with the corners, and sort out a compromise in the kit design around the lower brickwork. 

 

 

 

Meanwhile I have built a Fogman's Hut,  another lasercut kit from Rail Model. This is based on a "GWR 5 x 5 ft" structure. I assume the kit was designed from the drawing in GWRJ No. 27, page 178 (one of those secret GWRJ features that is not mentioned in the List of Contents ). The drawing is dated 1927 which is a bit late for me, but I'll be using it as a re-purposed structure anyway, namely a watchman's hut at a staff side entrance to the yards at Farthing.

 

 

 

The photos that come with the instructions are very useful. I did come across one problem: Due to the width of the interior framing, the corners do not fit flush, as can be seen below. I did everything as instructed, promise! The kit is scaled down from 7mm, perhaps an explanation in there.

 

 

 

I solved the problem by modifying the interior framing and base.  I also made new doors, as I felt the ones supplied were a bit on the thick side.

 

 

 

A few quick details fitted to the door, just for the fun of it.

 

 

 

Now to find a GWR copper who can man the post. I think I have one in mind...

 

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by Mikkel

[Mikkel]

Finally found a photo showing the Leckhampton weighbridge, although only in the distance to the left of the main station building. I doubt it features in many other photos!

 

https://www.steampicturelibrary.com/p/121/cheltenham-south-leckhampton-station-1932-1372262.jpg

 

 

 

[bgman]

Nicely modelled Mikkel, I think Andy ( Pearce ) Model Rail, does some useful buildings in his range and for information should anyone wish to know, Andy is very approachable and will consider making other items wherever possible to individual designs.

 

Being "just down the road" from where I live I thought it was the right thing to use him for various designs I had drawn up.

 

He is pretty reasonable in my opinion and quick to deliver.

 

The last kit I built and modified was the signal box based on Helston and makes up into a nice model....

 

 

Here is a view of the box almost completed.

 

Keep up the good work my friend.

 

G

[MrWolf]

That's a very neat looking signal box. Nice job!

[Mikkel]

Thanks Graeme, it's a lovely box! Can I ask how you did the corners? (genuine question, am trying to learn the ropes with this stuff).

 

Andy of Rail Model was lightning quick to respond when I asked him something, very impressive.

[Welchester]

14 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Finally found a photo showing the Leckhampton weighbridge, although only in the distance to the left of the main station building. I doubt it features in many other photos!

 

https://www.steampicturelibrary.com/p/121/cheltenham-south-leckhampton-station-1932-1372262.jpg

 

 

 

 

There is a Facebook group 'Cheltenham and District Time Machine' which has a number of photographs of Leckhampton Station, including rather a nice colour shot from 1962.

 

Annoyingly, I photographed the weighbridge and goods shed in the early 1970s, but never printed them and lost the negatives some time ago.

[bgman]

2 hours ago, Mikkel said:

Can I ask how you did the corners?

 

Hi Mikkel,

 

Andy doesn't use an interlocking system with his brickwork and leaves the ends plain therefore I tend to butt each piece and either scribe before or after assembly. 

There are other manufacturers who do provide kits that interlock, some which are indiscernible and others which look wrong ( to my eyes ) and leave a ladder effect at the corners. I am happy to scribe these in myself to ensure a better finish....hopefully !

 

G

[Middlepeak]

Hej Mikkel,

 

I've been puzzling over the corners of laser cut buildings as well, and reached the conclusion that it's very difficult to get a proper looking corner with the interlocking bricks. It would really require the bricks to be cut over length and then sanded back very carefully to remove the charring from the laser before the two parts are assembled.

 

Far better to go for chamfered corners, provided that you make yourself a jig to ensure that the sanding is at an even angle across the join. I suspect it's also best to chamfer at slightly less that 45 degrees to ensure that the corners come together properly. The right angle can then be secured with a block of wood on the inside of the corner.

 

As for materials, I'm still undecided as to whether wood or plastic is best. I've also done some tests with oiled manilla, which proved promising. My Ribe project needs a lot of houses, mainly in brick, so I need an answer to this problem, and one that is easy to implement and guarantees success!

 

Best wishes,

 

Geraint

[BlueLightning]

13 minutes ago, Middlepeak said:

It would really require the bricks to be cut over length and then sanded back very carefully to remove the charring from the laser before the two parts are assembled.

 

You may think that, but my rather poorly built building says otherwise (the designer did a much better job putting it together on the test kit, and you can't see the corners at all!)

 

This is laser cut with interlocking bricks, stuck with PVA, and sprayed, nothing else has been done to it. One day I'll finish the details on the building, but that will be on a new layout, as the one it's on is being scrapped.

 

Gary

 

[Mikkel]

Thanks all. Scribing, chamfering and interlocking - three different approaches! Just goes to show that different things work for different people 

 

7 hours ago, Middlepeak said:

I've also done some tests with oiled manilla, which proved promising.

 

Very interesting Geraint, that's a new one to me. I see that 4D describe it here:  https://modelshop.co.uk/Shop/Raw-Materials/Paper/Item/Oiled-manilla-510-405mm-natural/ITM6636

 

Your chimney stack below is superb, but I can see why you can't use that method on all the houses for the Ribe project!

 

 

[davidbr]

Going back to the weighbridge, have you come across Severn Models?  I have pinched the image from his website:

 

The kits are etched brass and I have made several which he (Andy Vaughan) has designed to be put together with superglue.  The kits make up very nicely.  Personally, I prefer to solder brass which I did when I made the platelayers' hut:

 

I have seen his range develop over the past few years and can recommend the kits.

[MrWolf]

That but looks absolutely great.

Am I right in thinking that the box by the door is a coal bunker for the stove? Interesting detail that I don't think I have seen before.

[Mikkel]

Ah yes, they look like excellent kits! I did consider the weighbridge earlier, but wanted something with the distinctive features of a GWR prototype.

 

The platelayers' hut looks deliciously crisp and quite GWR'ish. I have a drawing somewhere, will try to compare. As Wolf says,  that coal bunker is a nice touch.

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by Mikkel
Repeat 100 times: Check spelling *before* posting.

[davidbr]

If I remember right, Andy has used structures around Shrewsbury and the Welsh border, near where he is based, so GWR/Cambrian.  For more precise origins, one would have to contact him as he has taken suggestions from people which might be from other places.

I looked at a weighbridge in Tiverton some years ago and that was a different style again even though it was near the entrance to the GWR goods yard.  I wonder if some might have been built by local contractors rather than to GWR designs?

[MrWolf]

Interesting point, despite the fact that the GWR, particularly in the 20th century liked to standardise, many parts of its network in the early days were built by nominally indipendant companies, so the architecture was unique to the original contractors. The station building at Kemble for instance appears to be a rebuild of an earlier structure that looks like nothing else on the line and the original OW&WR building at Witney Oxfordshire was repurposed by the Great Western.

A good excuse for something out of the ordinary on a model if nothing else!

Edited August 6, 2020 by MrWolf

[mike morley]

On the subject of weighbridges, a friend of mine is looking for a 4mm scale model of the mechanism that goes inside the hut.  It's not something I've ever looked for, so I'm not aware of anyone who makes such a model.  Any suggestions?

[Guest Jack Benson]

11 minutes ago, mike morley said:

On the subject of weighbridges, a friend of mine is looking for a 4mm scale model of the mechanism that goes inside the hut.  It's not something I've ever looked for, so I'm not aware of anyone who makes such a model.  Any suggestions?

Look to small specialists in either Germany or France, although HO, the scales will be better than oversized crude 1:76 castings. Sometime ago, I had a lovely lost wax affair from Speith, it even had an optional cover with a lifting lid.

 

Cheers and Stay Safe

[MrWolf]

Not that I am aware of. It may be a case of scratch building a simple arm and pillar as it won't be easy to see anyway. Try Google images for Pooley weighbridge 

Edited August 6, 2020 by MrWolf
Picture no attach!

[Collett]

Mikkel

The Leckhampton Weighbridge features in Book 1 of Ericplans GWR buildings by Eric Ilett, first published by EricModels and subsequently republished by PECO although now long out of print.  I found a copy on Abebooks. (And that'll teach me to read back a couple of pages as you've already noted that)!

Eric drew the brickwork at Leckhampton as Flemish Bond, however, he drew all the buildings with brickwork as Flemish Bond.  Why he inked in each brick I cannot say, frankly it slightly spoils the drawings.

Leckhampton had plain bargeboards at each end, however, I am drawn towards the look of the brick gable ends at Winchcombe on the GWSR.  A bit of a challenge in Plasticard but I think it would add character to the structure.  I have been planning an expedition to Winchcombe for some detailed measurements, the GWSR station is closed, but they tell me the yard is open as it gives access to a local business.

 

http://gwsrbuildingservices.blogspot.com/2017/11/

 

I also like the main window offset from centre.

 

There's a nice photograph of the weighbridge office (English bond again) at Stretton on Fosse on the Shipston on Stour branch see https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/mortonshipston.htm  - In this case I am tempted to include the nine pane end window in my model.

 

The weighbridge office at Shipston on Stour itself was Flemish bond -   https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrss543.htm the design appears slightly different (possibly built by the original tramway company rather than GWR?) and the buildings at Stretton were constructed several years after the GWR took over the line.  Winchcombe (English bond) was also a later addition to the network, the station being built in 1905 

  

 

Presently I am working on some etches for the window frames, in particular the two layer main window where it appears the side windows could slide in towards the centre, presumably so the weight tickets could be passed easily to the carrier while the operator stayed warm and dry inside.  As the buildings all appear to have proper chimneys and fireplaces then, with just an 11'6" x 7'6" interior it would have been rather snug in there on a winter's day.

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Collett
Added Information

[Mikkel]

Yes the Winchcombe one is very attractive!  Note also how the side window has more panes and is set lower than the Leckhampton one, and the blue brick arches above has double rows rather than a single one. These features can also be seen on the prototypes at Badminton , built 1902, and Weston-Sub-Edge, built 1904 (see Vaughan's GWR Architecture for photos of both, though the Badminton photo shows it with modern windows). With Winchcombe being built in 1905, there could be a trend.

 

In comparison, the Leckhampton structure was a little plain, except for the expansive window in the end wall, which I have only seen on that particular structure so far. Other GWR weighbridges tended to have either no window in the end wall, or simpler ones.

 

The Stretton on Fosse structure looks quite similar to the simple Leckhampton style (end window excepted).  See also Witney here: http://www.fairfordbranch.co.uk/Witney_Goods.htm. This again has the plain bargeboards like Leckhampton and Stretton on Fosse. Not sure when the Witney structure was built, the GWR took over in 1890 and the arched window seems so distinctly GWR.

 

So that's two "styles" - a fairly plain one,  and one with a bit more eleaborate brickwork. And probably hybrids, see e.g. the Wombourne weighbridge here:  http://www.railaroundbirmingham.co.uk/Stations/womborn.php

 

In any case, despite the overall similarities they are clearly all a little different and adapted to the circumstances. A nice subject of further study, methinks.

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Mikkel
Edited as I discovered more details

[DCB]

3 hours ago, Collett said:

 

 

 

 

Lovely example of applied bodgery on the pub behind.  Obviously someone needed a few extra rooms so they got their mate to add a few on top of the existing as cheaply as possible.  Note also the lack of trees...   The Cotswolds is like a scene from the "Day of the Triffids" now.

[Mikkel]

Progress on the weighbridge. There are a least three GWR weighbridges underway on RMweb at the moment, one being planned by @Collett and another being built by @Brinkly for his Launceston layout.  Some interesting info is being exchanged, makes me think it would be fun to have a joint event where everyone built the same thing.

 

Meanwhile the Farthing one has morphed from Flemish to English bond, by fitting a new skin cut from SE Finecast brick sheet. Perhaps I should have built a whole new inner core while I was at it, but I like the idea that the original kit is still in there.

 

 

I quickly made some scales for the interior - just a rough outline of a Pooley design, using bits of styrene and glue brush handles. Thanks @MrWolf for pointing to photos.

 

 

 

 Also a bit of rudimentary furniture.

 

 

 

Bird's eye view. If you’re wondering about the blue distemper, see the discussion here – including Tim V.’s interesting photos.

 

 

 

I decided to make the roof detacahable in case something inside comes loose, or a member of staff decides to grace us with his presence.

 

 

 

I ’m now working on the windows. As this close crop of the Hungerford weighbridge shows, some GWR weighbridges had a sliding window at the front. Some offices had six panes per window, others had four.

 

 

 
The windows supplied in the Rail Model kit provide for this. I even got some free extra ones to boot. They’re a bit deep though. I had planned to file them thinner, but don’t fancy any more MDF dust.

 

 

 

So I drew up new windows in Inkscape and cut them on my Silhouette. I had some trouble getting the ‘crosses’ neat. Everything looks well aligned in Inkscape, so not sure why. Maybe a new blade will help.

 

 

 

Here’s a trial fit of the main windows. Not as good as an etch, but with a bit more work they're OK for me. I'm less happy with the brickwork. My usual approach - ivory wash on painted bricks - is so unpredictable and doesn't give enough control. Any tips?

 

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Mikkel