“WASHBOURNE”

[corneliuslundie]

If it does go to the printer this week it should be out by Christmas. I would normally say six weeks by the pre-Christmas time is very busy for printers. But to be safe I will say that it should be available in the early new year. Once I have any hard facts I will post in the books section.

Jonathan

[Northroader]

There’s been quite a bit of comment about “operation” recently, and this thread certainly ain’t the place to come for enlightenment. Anyhow, I like to highlight “best practice” wherever I see it, so I’m putting in a link to another thread on the website. You know how it is, there’s things going on for years you never spot on this web, then suddenly - wow! Not O, not pregroup, it’s inner London set in BR steam/ diesel years, in OO. I’m sure at some time we’ve all had a look at the “Minories” idea, this line has expanded a bit on that, and is worked by a fleet of RTR, with some customising, but it’s how he groups the workings and allocates sets that’s interesting, also the comings and goings of different loco hauled trains needing turnaround that creates a great scene. Besides the operation, the layout and buildings are excellently carried out, and really do capture a feel for that part of London. Then there’s the point control! Possibly you’re already aware of it, and can agree with me, but if not, pop over and take it in.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/83030-train-spotting-at-finsbury-square/page-1

[Northroader]

Thinking of dad and his brothers at this time.

Edited November 10, 2018 by Northroader

[Northroader]

Thanks for the ratings on that post, although every household in the land must have known the same. Anyhow, on we go.

I was tempted to put this on Kevin’s thread, as it’s been one of the main items this week, backscenes and settings for his layout, but I was greedy and kept it here. I could use the excuse that I ran a lot on this theme earlier in the year, and it’s altogether on the one thread. It just so happened that I came down for my afternoon tea break, after fiddling with the coalbunker on a loco, to find SWMBO watching “Countryfile”. They were featuring the work of Eric Slater, an artist who I hadn’t heard of, who lived in Seaford and did prints of the local landscape. Unusual technique, copied from earlier Japanese artists, but used to great effect, and good examples to form the basis for a backscene. Here’s a few to whet your appetite, there’s several more if you do an enquiry and “images”.

[Nearholmer]

Brilliant find!

 

And, definitely best kept with the rest of the discussion in your thread.

 

Can't imagine that I'm going to be able to rise to these heights though, unless there are painting by numbers versions of his works available.

[Northroader]

I’m sure once “London’s Burning” is done, you could get a bit of help, but do it anyway. That first one must be Cuckmere, but the rise of the first cliff reminds me of what would happen if you “flipped” Shakespeare Cliff.

[Nearholmer]

Ah, yes, should have thought of The Apprentice; she's ever-enthusiastic with a paintbrush.

 

I think the first picture is Seaford Head viewed from Seaford. The one that appears bottom-left on my screen is CH viewed from a hill called 'High and Over', I'm fairly sure, and the beach with boats is, I think, Eastbourne. The other two I can't place, although the windmill might be somewhere above Newhaven, looking across the top of Seaford. 

[Northroader]

The last one is the Rother at Rye, I’d say.

[Nearholmer]

You could well be right, that didn't strike me because the river looks a bit narrow, and because I had missed the town rising up in the right background. The only other possibility that strikes me is looking down the Arun, with Arundel on the right, from near the Black Rabbit.

[St Enodoc]

Ah, yes, should have thought of The Apprentice; she's ever-enthusiastic with a paintbrush.

 

I think the first picture is Seaford Head viewed from Seaford. The one that appears bottom-left on my screen is CH viewed from a hill called 'High and Over', I'm fairly sure, and the beach with boats is, I think, Eastbourne. The other two I can't place, although the windmill might be somewhere above Newhaven, looking across the top of Seaford. 

I wouldn't disagree Kevin, although they all look slightly exaggerated to me. That might be something to do with the particular style/technique. All in all, I still prefer Ravilious.

[Northroader]

Season ticket holders to Washbourne will probably not be surprised to hear the last two months I’ve been working on a rebuild of the line - again! This time I reckon I’ve cracked it, oh yes! (I think?) Back in June I was trying to reassure Sem that he has acres of room in Missenden Towers for an O gauge line, and I happened to say I could lose a foot off Washbourne easily enough. Well,the Still Small Voice said “instead of gassing about it, just get on with it” (my S.S.V. doesn’t like layouts that sprawl at the best of times) Then I was realising that having a warehouse road with space for just one wagon rated 10/10 on the Dopey Scale. It just so happened that I had a piece of clean ply 48” x 16.5” (1220 x 420) and a softwood frame to go with it, so I fixed them together and got started. I went back from a single entry from the fiddle yard to a multi entry. At the right hand end there are three tracks, from the front, main/ platform, runround/ goods, and the warehouse siding. Behind there’s a goods platform with the warehouse on it. There’s the traditional bridge to mask the entrance to the fiddle yard. Usually I do this rather like a tunnel mouth, but at the last Telford show I looked at lines with this feature, and made it a wider road, and the depth of the arch does look better. The width across the board is tight, another inch would have helped.

At the other left hand end the traverser was nesting between the frame, I’ve trimmed the rear longitude down so that the traverser can pass over the top, bringing the tracks closer to the back edge, and making more space for the station platform, building, and some road vehicles.

These two pictures both show an idea I was going on some time ago, the “Lilliput Lane” look, with an attractive building, somewhat condensed, forming a centrepiece to work with a small train, although not with an excess of the “roses round the door” feeling. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/107190-washbourne/page/4/&tab=comments#comment-2404607

 

Between the two I’ve fitted a signalbox in. It’s not the right place to have it, logically it should be the other side of the bridge near the station throat, but I like signalboxes, so there.

To join the two ends, the tracks do a reverse curve, much better than straights parallel with the baseboard edge, looking pretty, and highly practical, as I can test rolling stock on curves. I was still coming off the curve when I got to the traverser, so it is inclined slightly to the lie of the board. The curves are about six foot radius, which is kind to six wheeler coaches. The track is Peco Streamline bullhead with the sleeper webs cut and the spacing increased. There’s no pointwork now, so no crossings and checkrails, and no back to back to worry about, so if the need arises, I could run some coarse scale items, which should fit in well.

Turning to the fiddle yard, a bit of serendipity, as I’m using the old job, 41” x 21” (1040 x 535) with 36” (915) cassettes. I thought of making this narrow to match the main board, but then realised it gave me space to have one cassette to work between the three roads when shunting, and have another three cassettes with made up sets clear at the back. It would be possible to knock 4” off the end, and get an overall layout length of 7’1”, (2160) but I’m not too bothered about this.

Anyhow, that’s where I am now, I’m quite happy with this, and pushing on with texturing surfaces, and adding to the backscene, so here’s a couple of shots of how the line appears to finish.

Edited August 18, 2019 by Northroader

[Edwardian]

Looks superb.

 

The backscene frames it perfectly while creating a sense of spaciousness.

[Donw]

Very nice. Just smell the fresh country air with a whiff of ozone from the sea just over the hill.

 

Don

[Nearholmer]

Brilliant!

 

You’ve acquired a “painterly eye” for composition in 3D as well as 2D.

 

It really works.

[Northroader]

One job that’s been hanging on for too long is the station building, which appeared over two years gone. It’s modelled on a very typical LBSC pattern, you can see them best with a pleasurable run down the Uckfield branch, such as Hever and Cowden, still there only privately occupied. Failing that you can stay in London, there’s a larger version on Wandsworth Common. I used some pictures out of the book “Railway Stations - Southern Region”, Wikeley & Middleton, and checked general proportions and sizes from drawings of other stations in the Ian Allan ‘Country Stations’ series. Even so, it’s at least two thirds the size it should be, the determining test is placing 7mm figures against doors and windows. On top of that some of the smaller extensions such as toilets and parcels offices got missed off, and also it was made to fit against a backscene, and so is shallower than it should be, with a blank wall on what it is now the platform face side.

Best to turn it up, and have a look at the underside, getting a better idea of how I did it.

There’s a base of 12mm ply, with two dowels locating it on the platform. The walls are made from 1/8” ply, and where the corners join there’s stripwood glued down the inside to reinforce it. Strongly built, but you’ll see the advantage where I’ve drilled holes at the top of the walls, just inboard of the end pavilions. Some lengths of code 124 rail extend the width of the awnings. Brass sheet is soldered to this to form the flat roofs for these, and lighter rail round the edge to stiffen this, and the long awning at the back has small brackets screwed into the walls at each end. A brass strip also goes on the edge to support the fancy valancing. This is a commercial job, laser cut from some strange cardboard / mdf hybrid. You’ll see the holes in it aren’t full size, just notional, any bigger would weaken it too much. I have to be careful picking it up that my fingers don’t curl over the edge of the awning.

The walls are covered with some of KirtleyPete’s brickpapers, which I like as giving quite a fair textured representation. There are two contrasting types, I should have tried a bit harder at some of the joins, although I make sure that the cut edges are tinted, not left white. I’ve done some bricks over the arches, I noticed on a trip down there a couple of months back they’re more black than the bluish tinge I’ve given them.

Doors and windows are plastic sheet,and these days I try to make sure they are well glued with extra strips over the back to support them before I fix the roof down. Some of my old buildings have the windows starting to part company with the walls.

At ceiling level a layer of ply fits inside the walls on top of more stripwood. This in turn supports partitions under the roof ridges, then more ply sheet for the roof, covered in turn with card strips representing the slates.

The chimneys are wood strip with brickpapers wrapped round and built up layers of plastic sheet where the chimneys bulge out. Chimney pots are plastic tube, but I feel they should not all match, so there’s one white metal casting from a SERkits pack.

To finish off, I’ve added billboards. It’s supposed to be around 1880, and going on a hunch rather than any proper research, I fancy the majority of notices and advertising would be bills, printed in black and white, and stuck on plain boards. The warehouse over the way is covered to enamel signs, but these might be a bit later? Then just possibly the notice boards didn’t have company names or initials at that time?

[Nearholmer]

Its instantly recognisable "to type", and I like the trad construction methods, largely plastic-free.

 

The Washbournians must be proud of their station.

[Northroader]

I prefer ply to plastikard for a job like this, mainly as you know it will keep flat, and it is strong enough to hang projecting awnings off. The trouble is Washbournians are going round with crossed legs and a worried expression, as I didn’t want to make the station too big in proportion.

[Nearholmer]

I know the problem.

 

Birlstone needs a station, but although the space is larger than you have, I still find that I have to to omit the toilet block in order to fit a modest LBSCR building in.

 

Birlstonians have concluded that, having gone without a station for something like five years, receiving one with no toilets would still be a significant improvement.

 

The similarly non-existent pub outside is to be called the "Wait in Vain". Thinking about it, a pub sign showing a bride jilted at the altar would be unusual.

 

Or, a twist on the pub next to Ashurst station, one of 'your' type. The "Bald Faced Stag" could become the "Bare Faced Liar". Same sign as above.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Nearholmer

[Donw]

I wouldn't worry about the lack of toilets the building is appropriate for the platform length and unless pointed out you don't think about where the toilets are (well not on a model anyway I remember as a boy my dad knew all the places where he could pull up and nip behind a bush!). I do really like the feel of this.

 

Don

[Compound2632]

I remember as a boy my dad knew all the places where he could pull up and nip behind a bush!

 

A practice young William Shakespeare must have been well-versed in, walking the lanes of Warwickshire:

 

Autolycus: "I will but look upon the hedge and follow you" (The Winter's Tale, Act 4 Scene 4).

[Annie]

What a brilliant station model!  Immediately identifiable as a LBSC station and it positively oozes character.  Lovely, - seriously lovely model making.

[Northroader]

Thanks for your comments, everyone, I’d best think about some bushes tucked into a corner. Kevin, your idea for the Birlstone pub reminds me of the pub where I’ve spent more time than any other, as in my early twenties it was where me and my pals used to get to on a Sunday morning and put the world to rights. It’s still there, thankfully, but was at the centre of a racism row (there’s another in Staffs. had the same problem) It could form a useful reminder of a pregroup era when folks didn’t bother about such things, the sign is what upsets people, the pubs called “All Labour in Vain”

 

Now if you’re into decently constructed model buildings (as a change from here) can I recommend what’s going on here, there’s some magnificent building work appearing, it should turn out to a great model:http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/124064-copper-wort/

[Nearholmer]

Yes, you can see how the assumption underlying the humour in that sign could annoy people.

 

And, Copper Wort is, well, astonishing. Thanks for pointing it out.

[Edwardian]

One job that’s been hanging on for too long is the station building, which appeared over two years gone. It’s modelled on a very typical LBSC pattern, you can see them best with a pleasurable run down the Uckfield branch, such as Hever and Cowden, still there only privately occupied. Failing that you can stay in London, there’s a larger version on Wandsworth Common. I used some pictures out of the book “Railway Stations - Southern Region”, Wikeley & Middleton, and checked general proportions and sizes from drawings of other stations in the Ian Allan ‘Country Stations’ series. Even so, it’s at least two thirds the size it should be, the determining test is placing 7mm figures against doors and windows. On top of that some of the smaller extensions such as toilets and parcels offices got missed off, and also it was made to fit against a backscene, and so is shallower than it should be, with a blank wall on what it is now the platform face side.

Best to turn it up, and have a look at the underside, getting a better idea of how I did it.12A6280C-F610-40C2-9893-E12ED6C3A602.jpeg

There’s a base of 12mm ply, with two dowels locating it on the platform. The walls are made from 1/8” ply, and where the corners join there’s stripwood glued down the inside to reinforce it. Strongly built, but you’ll see the advantage where I’ve drilled holes at the top of the walls, just inboard of the end pavilions. Some lengths of code 124 rail extend the width of the awnings. Brass sheet is soldered to this to form the flat roofs for these, and lighter rail round the edge to stiffen this, and the long awning at the back has small brackets screwed into the walls at each end. A brass strip also goes on the edge to support the fancy valancing. This is a commercial job, laser cut from some strange cardboard / mdf hybrid. You’ll see the holes in it aren’t full size, just notional, any bigger would weaken it too much. I have to be careful picking it up that my fingers don’t curl over the edge of the awning.

The walls are covered with some of KirtleyPete’s brickpapers, which I like as giving quite a fair textured representation. There are two contrasting types, I should have tried a bit harder at some of the joins, although I make sure that the cut edges are tinted, not left white. I’ve done some bricks over the arches, I noticed on a trip down there a couple of months back they’re more black than the bluish tinge I’ve given them.

Doors and windows are plastic sheet,and these days I try to make sure they are well glued with extra strips over the back to support them before I fix the roof down. Some of my old buildings have the windows starting to part company with the walls.

At ceiling level a layer of ply fits inside the walls on top of more stripwood. This in turn supports partitions under the roof ridges, then more ply sheet for the roof, covered in turn with card strips representing the slates.

The chimneys are wood strip with brickpapers wrapped round and built up layers of plastic sheet where the chimneys bulge out. Chimney pots are plastic tube, but I feel they should not all match, so there’s one white metal casting from a SERkits pack.

To finish off, I’ve added billboards. It’s supposed to be around 1880, and going on a hunch rather than any proper research, I fancy the majority of notices and advertising would be bills, printed in black and white, and stuck on plain boards. The warehouse over the way is covered to enamel signs, but these might be a bit later? Then just possibly the notice boards didn’t have company names or initials at that time?

A7B13E33-5E4C-4A89-A626-B581BFEA01BC.jpeg9AF1AEA9-285F-4607-8389-15399DC7423A.jpeg

 

That station is superb.  It perfectly encapsulates the idea of a Brighton station. 

 

It's another vindication of brick-paper and the subtle artistry some can achieve in the medium.

 

It's everything I would wish a Castle Aching building to be. 

[Northroader]

The drill hall is as good, if not better. Push on!

Edited December 1, 2018 by Northroader