vac_basher Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 (edited) Looking at some pics of the Class 50s at Bristol, I've had a brilliant idea.... I'm going to build a small diorama of Bath Road, on which I'll be able to display anything from Westerns and Warships, to Vacs, to 33s, to 47s, to HSTs. For a while I'd been playing with the idea of doing the whole depot (from the signal box "backwards"). Although that's not really a possibility at the moment due to time and financial restraints. So I've decided to build this, which if ever I wanted to do the whole depot, could provide the basis for it. As with Smugglers Lane, I don't mind the operating potential is inexistent. I just want a(nother! ) small layout I can take outdoors to photograph my stock on in natural light. I want to spend as little as possible on this diorama, so what I've built so far in the past couple of evenings has all been done with bits left over from previous layout I've built. Here are a few photos of the progress so far. Running total:- Cost so far: £4 Labour so far: 5 hours Edited July 27, 2012 by vac_basher 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 This isn't exactly precision engineering, but as I want to keep the costs down as much as possible on this diorama it will just have to do. The brick pattern is made of match sticks (it's incredibly difficult to find a perfectly square match actually) and the clock digits are made of ear cleansing sticks. I would have liked to have incorporated a working clock, but again I opted against doing so, as to keep the costs to a bare minimum. Since taking the photos below I have added the arms to the clock. It is worthy of note that my static clock does tell the correct time for exactly 2 minutes a day 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beacon Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Looks very effective and a great way of keeping the budget down! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Hi VB I claim the most obscure comment of the day award with this one but here goes! Make sure your clock is set at 10 to 2 or 10 past 10! In a previous life i did design work for a clock company and they said you should always show a clock at either of these times. People (without realising it) associate a clock with a face and these times make it 'smile' 20 past 8 or 20 to 5 make it 'frown' and make people sad. Apparently there was a study where one clock in a magazine sold loads and the same clock in a different magazine (but the same target market) didnt sell at all well because of this. I wonder what other tricks we can use to make people like layouts without knowing why? Cheers Jim 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raffles Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Then Jim, allow me to support your remarks with proof. This has always amused me but it's ture: ClicketySmileyWatchLink Sorry VB for the bizarre hijiack there. I considered a small depot diorama myself but settled on a corner of Edge Hill (still under construction despite it being a VERY small corner) so this interests me a lot. Be sure to include plenty of 47s... you'll need at least two of 47555. :-D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 Thanks Peter/Beacon. Jim, I remember the "smiling" clock face thing from when I studied marketing I was tempted but instead went for 5.07 which I thought was a good random early morning and/or late afternoon time. Raffles, quite right how they all smile!! Why would I need two 47555's? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pendlerail Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Because of a Local Myth? 47555 was so common that it was belived there were 2 of it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Last night I just happened to have some new locos for Smugglers Lane on the kitchen table too, so I thought it would make a good photo (using some immagination you can see where I'm going with this diorama B) ). Now, if only the sun would come out for a quarter of an hour I could take some photos of my new models on Smugglers Lane. Come on sun!! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard60098 Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Hi there, Cracking little idea you have there fela i like it an your line up shows wat it should be like when completed i also see that tractor hiding at the back too Keep up the good work. Cheers, Rich. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixteen 12by 10s Posted March 19, 2011 Share Posted March 19, 2011 Hi there, Cracking little idea you have there fela i like it an your line up shows wat it should be like when completed i also see that tractor hiding at the back too Keep up the good work. Cheers, Rich. Hi Don't forget that hiding in the bricked up tunnel at the rear of the shed, should be all those uncounted for, Kings, Castles, County s........... Gary 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted March 19, 2011 Author Share Posted March 19, 2011 I'm not 100% sure, but I think the tunnel has been opened up in the past decade or so. Maybe somebody with better local knowledge could say for certain. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 Dear me, this has stalled I haven't been able to decide wether to go for a rectangular baseboard or a triangular one. I've also been finding it difficult to decide on what material to use for the office buildings. My original intentions were to work with plasticard, then I thought perhaps a sheet of perspex might be more practical. Hopefully within the next few days I'll get this going again.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-DIMB Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 As a Bristolian basher in the late 80s and early 90s i can never recall seeing 555 on shed, not saying it never visited but it certainly wasnt a common machine. If you want common choose anyone of the Bath Road Specials. 609/834 and 620/835 were always there. I dont think Bath Road trusted any othert depot with them. Good to see you have 37219 as that was another one. 37263 with its dented headcode panel. 50015, 08800. All regulars that locals were bored to tears with. Paul 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 Officially mothballed untill the evenings become longer again.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 Slow progress, but as I had some wood left overs from a non-railway related project, so I thought I'd use them to knock together a baseboard for my Bath Road.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted August 12, 2011 Author Share Posted August 12, 2011 Now with track plan.... All tracks are to continue to the edge of the world baseboard, but I haven't drawn them, as I want some of them to curve off slightly. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
0O00 Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Great idea!! It's easier to model in its current form though (ha ha!) - saddened that it is no more... Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted August 21, 2011 Author Share Posted August 21, 2011 During the past few days, after much photographic reserach, I've built a couple of buildings. They're plasticard shells with polystyrene brickwork glued over. I'm quite happy with the size and shape of them. I've been thinking about the main office (?) building, and have decided I'm going to have a go at building it (low relief) around a wooden frame (also visable in the photo). P.S.: Could somebody possibly tell me the purpous of the small retangular hut? Was it a weighbridge? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) Made a start on the main building. I'm not all that happy with it so far, so I think at best it may only be very approximate Running total:- Cost: £37 Labour: 11 hours Edited September 6, 2011 by vac_basher 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 Just a few photos of what I've been doing yesterday and today.... I'm beginign to think this building might actually turn out alright in the end 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted September 11, 2011 Author Share Posted September 11, 2011 I've also painted the main shed, in the post-1991 color scheme. I went for this version as I thought the color would add some life to it. However, since painting I've noticed that the red/white stipes should be at the same hight as they were on Class 47s. And I've done them about 1cm too high! I think for the moment I might just leave it like this, then if ever I do decide to repaint it, first I might give it a spell in gray, as the real thing was prior to 1991, then I might do the Intercity version again properly - or the only other option I have would be to raise the trackbed.... Anyhow, although it's not perfect I'm quite pleased that it seems to be coming along alright. I also have a very interesting side prject going on in conjunction with this, which I'll go into at a later date. Watch this space! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheeltapper Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 I'm not 100% sure, but I think the tunnel has been opened up in the past decade or so. Maybe somebody with better local knowledge could say for certain. I didnt know there was a tunnel at Bath Road or are you meaning the one on the Bristol Harbour line that went under St Mary Redcliffe Church ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vac_basher Posted September 11, 2011 Author Share Posted September 11, 2011 I really don't know about that, Wheeltapper. What I made reffrence to earlier was more of a bridge then a tunnel. It was at the very back of the depot building on the far right. - Don't know if we're all talking about different things.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheeltapper Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 I really don't know about that, Wheeltapper. What I made reffrence to earlier was more of a bridge then a tunnel. It was at the very back of the depot building on the far right. - Don't know if we're all talking about different things.... I hate to think how many decades ago it was that I was last around there but from memory the TM avoiding line that also gave access to the Marsh Shed ran along the back of Bath Road Shed at right angles to it and there was a turntable there as well . I dont know if or when that line was removed in which case from your description of the" bridge position" it could have been the Bath Road Bridge over the St Phillips Marsh line we are talking about or its remotely possible it may have been something that dated back much further when the steam shed was built on the site of the Bristol & Exeter Railway Company Locomotive Works and Running Shed in about 1935. It is however your rendition of the clock that screams Bath Road to me . How we hated that clock when it was first put up as it represented the fact that horrible new diesel depot had replaced the steam shed we grew up with. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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