York station in the 1950's.

[AY Mod]

4 minutes ago, kirtleypete said:

Unfortunately I won't be delivering the terraces tomorrow as my customer has tested positive for Covid. We'll have to rearrange everything once he's had the all clear. 

 

Obviously we've postponed the photoshoot too but still looking forward to seeing it in the flesh. Here's to a speedy recovery.

[kirtleypete]

I've finally been able to visit 'York' again and we've had a productive day.

 

First the part I've done today; I delivered the terraced street and it slotted into place perfectly.

 

 

 

The area in the foreground will be the end of the loco yard.

 

 

I've begun filling the spaces with grass mat, stuck down with a hot glue gun.

 

 

The facia of white faced hardboard has been added and an extension to the backscene using sheet aluminium and an ID Backscenes paper.

 

 

I've begun adding the ground cover using static fibres and scatter.

 

 

Woodland Scenics foliage has been added to complete the undergrowth.

 

 

The completed scene.

 

 

 

 

Double Deckers are banned! 

 

Peter

[kirtleypete]

Now the part my customer had done while I've been unable to visit. For the first time we have been able to run trains around the whole circuit which was hugely satisfying.

 

 

 

Still work to do in this area, but the trains run through the crossing beautifully.

 

 

 

The track in the loco yard is complete and the baseboard for the tracks in the foreground is in place. The area I did today is in the distance.

 

 

This fiddle yard is temporary but it does allow trains to be run right round at last. 

 

 

I brought the lorry today, not perfect but the best I could find.

 

 

A view along the station to the new fiddle yard at the far end.

 

 

 

There's still a lot to do, but we're certainly making progress. I'll be back for more next week,

 

Peter

[Rowsley17D]

Looks like a great day's work, Peter and unlike the real York today you had some trains running!!

[David Bell]

That is looking fantastic. Great progress indeed.

Cheers

David

[kirtleypete]

Thanks chaps. I'm going back next Wednesday to finish off the other jobs around the station.

 

Peter

[kirtleypete]

I had another trip to 'York' yesterday and took a lot of pictures, some of which hopefully replace some of the lost ones. 

 

 

The area I did last time has gained some trees and the land on the right has been surfaced and the railway part fenced off.

 

 

We spent a lot of time yesterday fitting facia boards to the edges of the laoyut; like framing a picture it finishes things off neatly and makes it look finished. I use white faced hardboard for this as it can be but with a Stanley knife, curved and it takes paint well. It will be painted dark grey when it's all in place.

 

 

I finished off these platform ends which just need a spot of weathering now. Station nameboards and lamps have been put in place now too.

 

 

Just the tops of the coal drops need finishing off in this scene now.

 

 

 

 

Facias have been fitted on the other side too.

 

 

I've tidied up the garden along the edge.

 

 

We've reinstated the backscene behind the riverside houses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop Newcastle.

 

Peter

 

[Dunsignalling]

Wow, it's really starting to "join up" visually now. Brilliant stuff.

 

John

Edited June 30, 2022 by Dunsignalling

[lmsforever]

Oh boy that shot looking through the station wow it looks like the real thing this is a fantastic layout and you all should be congratulated  on the brilliant modeling .Thanks for sharing this.

[Rowsley17D]

Those photos under the trainshed roof are classic.

[kirtleypete]

They are certainly my favourites. it will look better when we've got all the figures, barrows etc in place....at the moment it's a bit of a ghost station. Perhaps the RMT are on strike!

Peter

[Michael Hodgson]

1 hour ago, lmsforever said:

Oh boy that shot looking through the station wow it looks like the real thing this is a fantastic layout and you all should be congratulated  on the brilliant modeling .Thanks for sharing this.

Yes, absolutely magnificent.  There are a couple of other extemely impressive models of major stations, but I don't think I've seen one to match this for craftsmanship.

 

Unfortunately I suspect the details seen in those views are probably not even apparent to anybody who has the privilege of visiting this layout - you would have to put your head down close to track level (as the camera must have been) to appreciate the work that has gone into the train shed supports etc as the roof conceals many significant details like the footbridge between the platforms. 

 

A visitor would see the station rather more like the view seen by a tourist standing on the City walls - admiring the exterior of the buildings.  Maybe the layout would benefit from a couple of small CCTV cameras fitted inside the overall roof to power screens displaying the comings and goings of trains?

[kirtleypete]

That's the big problem with overall roofs Michael; you really only see the outside. One thing we certainly intend to do in due course is fit a video camera to a chassis and propel it through the station as though it is being viewed from a train. BRM might well do that when they visit, saving us the trouble!

 

Peter

[The Black Hat]

40 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Yes, absolutely magnificent.  There are a couple of other extemely impressive models of major stations, but I don't think I've seen one to match this for craftsmanship.

 

Unfortunately I suspect the details seen in those views are probably not even apparent to anybody who has the privilege of visiting this layout - you would have to put your head down close to track level (as the camera must have been) to appreciate the work that has gone into the train shed supports etc as the roof conceals many significant details like the footbridge between the platforms. 

 

A visitor would see the station rather more like the view seen by a tourist standing on the City walls - admiring the exterior of the buildings.  Maybe the layout would benefit from a couple of small CCTV cameras fitted inside the overall roof to power screens displaying the comings and goings of trains?

Thats what I am planning with my layout Briganton - as I didnt have the space for the mainlines past Darlington so its based on a station that is very similar to the real thing. The build of this work for York is truely stunning. If I can help with advice for cameras then Id be happy to. 

[coronach]

A truly superb model that really captures York station as it once was.  I assume that the layout depicts the layout as it was after the 1951 remodelling - will the colour light signals be modelled too?

 

[kirtleypete]

They will but thankfully not by me! My customer actually enjoys things like that but it will be one of the last jobs that gets done as they will be vulnerable to being damaged while we're still working on it. 

 

David, thanks for the offer about the camera, I'll pass it on.

 

Peter

[46256]

Fantastic layout , the view along the platforms is awe inspiring.

 

 

[drmditch]

10 hours ago, kirtleypete said:

That's the big problem with overall roofs Michael; you really only see the outside. One thing we certainly intend to do in due course is fit a video camera to a chassis and propel it through the station as though it is being viewed from a train. BRM might well do that when they visit, saving us the trouble!

 

Peter

 

I do have a (nearly) completed NER Inspection Saloon, with on-board video camera.

I've been wasting time recently but am working on a 2-2-4 tank engine to propel it!

 

(You can see something of it here - on my much neglected thread Do PM me if it would be of interest.)

[kirtleypete]

It sounds ideal; I'll let my customer know,

 

Thanks,

 

Peter

[lanchester]

A general question, certainly not specific to this incredible model. I know cars and other vehicles were significantly smaller back in the day, but on any accurately scaled model, which I am sure this is, they look disproportionately tiny (and the roadways, by comparison, disproportionately large. Same applies to the vast empty spaces of goods yards when modelled to scale). The forecourt of 'Great Northern's Peterborough North layout exhibits the same phenomenon. I imagine this is something to do with our perspectives when we are live at street level, as opposed to taking the 'helicopter view' of a model.

 

But my questions are, firstly, is this just me? And if it isn't, do any modellers feel tempted to 'adjust' the scaling (presumably of the roads since I assume most of the vehicles on anyone's layout are bought-in) to make an optical correction (sort of the reverse of some of the forced perspective techniques used for backgrounds? And if so, any recommendations on how and how far to go about this, given any adjustment is likely to b*gg*r the geometry?

 

Incidentally, my wife is quite overcome by the modelling - my daughter lived in York until quite recently and we used to get to her over the footpath on the Scarborough bridge. Mrs L amazed to recognise so many buildings, but then says 'he hasn't got the bridge quite right, has he'. I've had to gently inform her that the bridge has been somewhat altered in the past half-century! But that a non-enthusiast can get so engaged in the modelling is a pretty good tribute to what you and your client are achieving.

 

Oh, she had one other comment - she didn't see how the 'Time Team' excavation fitted into that part of the Royal Station Hotel gardens you have modelled (of course, you have shrunk the hotel a tad, I think). But again, a lot of engagement from a non-specialist.

 

And since we've now all moved away from York, you are keeping our memories alive - even if ours are more 2015 than 1955!

[MJI]

A bit of a wow I think, the track just flows, the buildings look good. Looking forwards to the BRM article.

[Wheatley]

On 05/07/2022 at 17:10, lanchester said:

A general question, certainly not specific to this incredible model. I know cars and other vehicles were significantly smaller back in the day, but on any accurately scaled model, which I am sure this is, they look disproportionately tiny (and the roadways, by comparison, disproportionately large. Same applies to the vast empty spaces of goods yards when modelled to scale). The forecourt of 'Great Northern's Peterborough North layout exhibits the same phenomenon. I imagine this is something to do with our perspectives when we are live at street level, as opposed to taking the 'helicopter view' of a model.

 

But my questions are, firstly, is this just me?

 

It's not you, 1950s/60s cars were significantly smaller than modern ones. A modern Ford Fiesta is a foot longer and about 9" wider than a Morris Traveller. All those crumple zones, deformable plastic bumpers, side air bags and impact protection thingies take up space. 

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by Wheatley

[Mike_Walker]

Compare a modern Mini with the original BMC model or today's Fiat 500 with the original.  Soon after I bought my Series 3 Focus I came back to it one day to find a Series 1 Focus next to it and a current Fiesta next to that - the Fiesta was larger than the original Focus!

[Tony Wright]

 

 

Good afternoon Pete,

 

I had the privilege of photographing York for BRM yesterday......

 

 

 

 

My compliments on your quite-stunning modelling.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

[davidw]

12 minutes ago, Tony Wright said:

 

 

Good afternoon Pete,

 

I had the privilege of photographing York for BRM yesterday......

 

 

 

 

My compliments on your quite-stunning modelling.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

 

 

Envy runs very deep sometimes. Fantastic modelling