Liverpool Lime Street (2mm Finescale)

[Weekday Cross]

Windows are next - 3 for the mess building, one very large one for the loco shed and 15 for the office building.

 

As mentioned before, the chance of buying any etched ones exactly the right size was small, so I decided to do them myself.

 

After a few experiments, I decided to use some insulation tape on clear plastic. Basically, I stick the tape to the plastic, draw the window on the tape and then cut away the frame to leave the panes covered in tape. I then paint the window. The remainder of the tape is then removed carefully to reveal glazed windows.

 

With care and a very sharp knife, it is possible to get very thin frames. Unfortunately, it is a little tedious, hence my decision to log into RMweb for a bit of light relief

 

Below is a photo of the most difficult one - the large window for the loco shed. Comparing photos with the drawing in Jack Nelson's book, I think he got the top of the window all wrong, so I did my best to copy the photos. Cutting sharp curves is the only really awkward part of using this method.

 

Please remember this is 2mm scale, so the window is only 12mm wide by 21mm tall! The smaller one above is just 9mm tall by 6mm wide.

 

When I have finished all the railway area windows, I will paint them grey - hopefully tonight. The office windows can be done separately, as they will be painted a different colour.

 

I would keep my fingers crossed in hope that they will all turn out right, but then it would be difficult holding the knife

[richbrummitt]

I'll cross my fingers for you. I'm a fair distance down a bottle of Rioja so shouldn't go holding a knife, especially after last time.

[Weekday Cross]

I'll cross my fingers for you. I'm a fair distance down a bottle of Rioja so shouldn't go holding a knife, especially after last time.

 

Thanks Rich!

 

All going well so far anyway - here's a photo from the back of the large window after the paint had been applied, but before the tape has been removed.

 

One of the horizontal bars is slightly thicker than the others and a couple of the vertical bars in the semi-circular top are slightly askew, but I doubt if anyone will notice when itt has been installed.

 

I will wait for the paint to dry overnight (I used acrylic paint, by the way) and remove the tape tomorrow morning, if I have time.

 

The thing I like about this method over just painting on the plastic is that you can get nice thin lines and the bars of the window frame are really well defined - if all goes well, anyway!

 

For a large number of windows i would almost certainly cheat by finding some etches of about the right size and style before I started construction of the buildings and cut the window apertures to match!

[Guest Natalie Graham]

Good to know the little people of St Vincent Street will be able to get in and out of their office block without climbing through the windows.

 

I like the way you are doing the windows, I found that worked better in 2mm scale too, although it can be a fiddle getting all the little squares of tape off. If you do want to do a lot of identical windows that way, then run the tape on a long enough strip of clear glazing to get all the windows in a horizontal row and cut the horizontal strips in one go across the whole lot. Then cut the strip into panels big enough for each individual window and tape them to a cutting board one above the other, making sure the horizontal strips are all parallel, then cut down the for the vertical bars. As long as you are accurate with your measuring and cutting then you should get a lot of identical windows.

[Weekday Cross]

Good to know the little people of St Vincent Street will be able to get in and out of their office block without climbing through the windows.

 

I like the way you are doing the windows, I found that worked better in 2mm scale too, although it can be a fiddle getting all the little squares of tape off. If you do want to do a lot of identical windows that way, then run the tape on a long enough strip of clear glazing to get all the windows in a horizontal row and cut the horizontal strips in one go across the whole lot. Then cut the strip into panels big enough for each individual window and tape them to a cutting board one above the other, making sure the horizontal strips are all parallel, then cut down the for the vertical bars. As long as you are accurate with your measuring and cutting then you should get a lot of identical windows.

 

Thanks Natalie - when I saw you had replied I thought I was in for another telling off . Thanks instead for the advice

 

Anyway, I peeled the tape from the big window this morning and here's the result.

 

 

Photos can be very cruel - and this one shows one or two little gaps in the paint, plus a few tiny blobs of tape I hadn't noticed! If the paint looks a bit thin in places, that is because it should be - even on photos, the frames look incredibly thin. The shame is now I am going to have to weather it and spoil the pristine appearance somewhat

 

Here is the best photo I have of the whole of the front of the office building - just as it was about to be demolished, by the look of it, as the lower windows seem to be boarded up. You can just make out a doorway on the ground floor, second window from the right.

 

 

There was a large sign above the second storey windows, but I can't make out what it says on any of the photos I have. If anyone knows, I would be delighted to hear about it.

[bcnPete]

as the lower windows seem to be boarded up. You can just make out a doorway on the ground floor, second window from the right.

 

I guess if you had modelled it 'boarded it' it would have made life simpler...

 

That said...you have made a cracking job of that window

[StuartM]

Your windows are quite amazing considering the technique you used,

Have you thought about using Google sketchup http://sketchup.goog...uct/newin8.htm which is a free 3d cad program from Google, you can draw anything you like from class 25 cab front's http://www.stuartmoo...sh_class_25.htm to whole buildings.

Print them out and transfer to brass sheet and then etch the unwanted brass away using this easy etch in a bag solution http://www.rapidonli...25-25c95ec940ee from Rapid electonics

 

This video although for circuit boards shows how to transfer your design onto brass sheet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKEe3otWstM&list=FLpm5wDFJmDe0OBj7Bu0epzA&index=53&feature=plpp

 

There is a slight learning curve with Sketchup but not much, and the things you can do with it are limited only by your imagination

Rgds,

StuartM

[Weekday Cross]

 

I guess if you had modelled it 'boarded it' it would have made life simpler...

 

That said...you have made a cracking job of that window

 

Boarding it up would put me firmly into the BR blue era - and the same photo clearly shows Cope's Tobacco Factory and probably the loco shed already demolished, so life would have been even simpler than you suggest. No turntable either - S**t, why didn't I think of that before

 

Many thanks for the compliment about the window - if anything it looks better in real life than on the photo, so I am very pleased overall.

[Weekday Cross]

Your windows are quite amazing considering the technique you used,

Have you thought about using Google sketchup http://sketchup.goog...uct/newin8.htm which is a free 3d cad program from Google, you can draw anything you like from class 25 cab front's http://www.stuartmoo...sh_class_25.htm to whole buildings.

There is a slight learning curve with Sketchup but not much, and the things you can do with it are limited only by your imagination

Rgds,

StuartM

 

That is an interesting idea Stuart, maybe when i have a bit more time - and thanks for the compliment!

[StuartM]

 

That is an interesting idea Stuart,

It works for me

 

maybe when i have a bit more time

About 26days

 

and thanks for the compliment!

Your welcome

[bcnPete]

 

Boarding it up would put me firmly into the BR blue era

 

ain't nothing wrong with that!...

[Weekday Cross]

ain't nothing wrong with that!...

 

Well.....

 

I would still have to more or less completely redo the diorama to bring it up to date for a start

[richbrummitt]

Another possibility that I have used successfully in the past to produce fine lines on clear plastic is to 'cut' the frames in with either a sharp blade with very light pressure, or a skrawker, to remove a small amount of material from the surface. You can then reliably wash paint over the whole surface and wipe away the paint from everywhere except the grooves, leaving quite thin lines.

[Weekday Cross]

Another possibility that I have used successfully in the past to produce fine lines on clear plastic is to 'cut' the frames in with either a sharp blade with very light pressure, or a skrawker, to remove a small amount of material from the surface. You can then reliably wash paint over the whole surface and wipe away the paint from everywhere except the grooves, leaving quite thin lines.

 

Thanks - I have tried that before but found it difficult to get really smooth, consistent lines. Maybe the material I was using, or the tool was wrong for the job. The main problem for me was the ridge that inevitably(?) develops at the edge of the groove. Paint stuck to the outside of this and was difficult, if not impossible to remove.

 

I am thinking about experimenting with other methods for the office building windows, as the windows will need to be very consistent in dimensions and quality - and doing 15 windows using the tape method really would be tedious.

 

I am thinking about experimenting with some high definition clear vinyl, as used for CD labelling etc.

[nick_bastable]

I etched some of the windows for LIne No4 using Cadstd and press and peel managed about a 60% usable rate

[Weekday Cross]

I etched some of the windows for LIne No4 using Cadstd and press and peel managed about a 60% usable rate

 

Thanks Nick.

 

I am tempted to try etching, but probably only after the Challenge is over and i have a bit more time on my hands. If I ever find the time to do a steam loco, then a bit of etching will probably come in very handy.

 

I have taken the plunge and ordered some clear vinyl A4 sheets to test out the printing idea now, so I will try that out as soon as the sheets arrive.

[Weekday Cross]

Continuing the story of St Simon's church,

 

St Simon's Parish church, Gloucester-street, consecrated June 14 1872; first erected at the corner of Silver and Gloucester streets; was removed to it's present site in 1866 by the London and North-western Railway Company.

 

I was doing a lot of work on the computer this afternoon. While I was waiting for things to process and upload, I found a photo of St Simon's Church - though a very small part of a larger picture. This was an aerial photo taken between the wars. You can just see it in the top right of the image. There is also a complete view of Cope's factory. Both are too small to get much information from, but its better than nothing!

 

Tonight, I hope to get some modelling done, getting the buildings ready for painting.

[St. Simon]

St Simon

 

Hi,

 

You called?

 

Seriously though, your work is really really good, and it's coming on really well!

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Simon

[Weekday Cross]

 

Hi,

 

You called?

 

Seriously though, your work is really really good, and it's coming on really well!

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Simon

 

Ah, so why have you been hiding so long - perhaps you could tell me what you are supposed to look like?

 

Many thanks for the compliments, Simon.

[Weekday Cross]

The buildings have now all been prepared for painting, with a bit of scribing, rubbing down and polishing gently in places with a fibreglass pen.

 

The mess building has been painted too, with the basic coat of paint for the yellow brick. This was done with Humbrol enamels - mainly matt white, with some yellow and some desert sand, for luck. I have attached a photo below. It is quite a dramatic change from the red Plasticard! This will be weathered once the paint is dry. The painting has also highlghted one or two small gaps that need to be filled. Yellow brick weathers in an interesting way, with some parts going quite dark. I have built up a small collection of photos of other buildings to use as a guide.

 

The ash bin has been sprayed with Halfords brown primer as the basic coat. The predominant colour of the brick here will be red. I have also made the wooden shuttering which blocks the entrances. This slides into slots in the brickwork. Spare ballast mix was piled up inside when I did the track ballasting. This looks very effective as is, without any painting. Weathering this will be interesting, as the bottom of the brickwork appears very damp, with distinctive white leaching above. Only the upper courses will be a red brick colour.

 

The only other brickwork is on the office building on St Vincent Street and the walling high above the turntable, next to Cope's Works. I will do these later, once the stonework of the cutting has been painted. Cope's Works itself, which is also brick, will be a final addition - either by using a photograph of a similar building or a kit, stuck flat onto the backscene.

[richbrummitt]

Thanks - I have tried that before but found it difficult to get really smooth, consistent lines. Maybe the material I was using, or the tool was wrong for the job. The main problem for me was the ridge that inevitably(?) develops at the edge of the groove. Paint stuck to the outside of this and was difficult, if not impossible to remove.

 

A knife blade will displace (as well as remove?) material and produce a ridge. If you use a skrawker then you will remove the material without creating a ridge. Try grinding all but one or two teeth from a broken hacksaw blade to create one. For parallel accuracy look up Geoff Jones Slide Board on the 2mm Magazine Archive DVD. It should be a doddle to make consistent windows with one of those.

[Weekday Cross]

 

A knife blade will displace (as well as remove?) material and produce a ridge. If you use a skrawker then you will remove the material without creating a ridge. Try grinding all but one or two teeth from a broken hacksaw blade to create one. For parallel accuracy look up Geoff Jones Slide Board on the 2mm Magazine Archive DVD. It should be a doddle to make consistent windows with one of those.

 

Thanks - I think I see where I have been going wrong now!

 

As for my buildings, the paint was dry this morning on the mess building. I took a close look at the photos to see what other colouring would be necessary, only to notice that I had forgotten to put the window sills on the building - or the loco shed for that matter

 

That little problem has now been addressed, but I need to give it a while for the solvent to set before resuming the painting.

 

In the meantime, I hope to make a start on painting the rock cutting and the groundwork. The rock face, in particular, is a myriad of complex patterns and shades. I have printed out, to scale, the area as it is today. I will try and copy that as closely as possible, then weather it to represent the days before the Clean Air Act and the demise of the steam locomotive on BR.

[Weekday Cross]

Painting the rock face and walls has begun now, using thin washes of acrylics. I diluted the acrylics roughly 50/50 with water. I had painted everything a greyish green colour a week or so ago, as that seemed to me to be a good colour to start with. Quite a bit of the rock face on the northern side is this colour - probably due to water seepage, I guess.

 

I started by drawing a grid on the scenery, to match a grid I had drawn on the photo I am copying the colours and details from. I rapidly realised that i might achieve the effects I wanted long before the pencil lines were obliterated, so rubbed out as much as I could I will just have to be careful to make sure that it all disappears one way or another during the painting.

 

The reason for thinning the paint so much is so that colours can be merged into each other, rather than having abrupt lines of change. The effects I am getting are already rather interesting.

 

I have also given the brickwork around the turntable well a first coat of paint and experimented with small patches of colour for the cobbles.

 

Everything looks a bit of a mess at the moment, but in a few days it should look much more like it should. The lighting and photography has dramatically overstated the yellow, by the way. It looks nothing like as vivid as shown below!

[Weekday Cross]

The first coat of pain has now gone on the loco shed building. This dramatically changes the atmosphere!

 

 

The base coat will be covered with a darker shade to more or less finish it off - again using a thinned mix so that the lower layer just shows through - this gives a really interesting effect.

 

Here is a photo of the mess building, complete with red trimmings. This will look much different too, once it has been heavily weathered.

 

[Weekday Cross]

After careful thought I have decided to withdraw from the Challenge now, for several reasons.

 

1. I did not intend to go through to the voting stage anyway. This is not really my idea - any credit due is really to Jack Nelson, who suggested the diorama in his book "LNWR Portrayed".

 

2. The sole reason for doing the diorama was to get me out of my metaphorical armchair and do something - which has been achieved. Even though it is not yet finished, the end is most definitely in sight!

 

3. Work pressures have taken a slightly unexpected turn. September is normally a moderately quiet month. A few big orders that I expected later in the year have come in over the last week or two - and I have to keep my customers happy. So, rather than withdraw in 3 or so weeks, as originally intended, I decided it was best to withdraw now, as I really won't have time to do a good job of what is left to be completed.

 

4. I am seriously thinking about extending the diorama into something larger. Some of the work left to do, like the montage of Cope's factory, would only be temporary affairs until I could extend the scene and build them properly in 3D. Also, matching the weathering and colours on the extended bit would be difficult. I might as well just do what will be permanent and forget the temporary fixes for the Challenge.

 

In truth, this diorama would be best done in 4mm or 7mm scale, where cobbles can be made to look like cobbles and, particularly in 4mm scale, there is a decent choice of loco kits to work from to create the real LNWR atmosphere.

 

Many thanks to all who have shown an interest in what I have done so far. The 11,000 odd views really staggers me!

 

I would also like to thank everyone who has helped by supplying ideas and prototype information for the diorama. I don't have time to read through all the 254 previous entries again to list everyone - but thanks anyway. Particular thanks go to Michael Delamar and Dave Pennington for contacts and photos - also to Natalie for her stern lectures every now and then (only joking Natalie)

 

Now I will retire from railway modelling for a few weeks. Maybe I can get back to doing something around mid-October. Normally, my modelling is a very private affair, so that is probably the last you will hear about my little Liverpool Lime Street diorama.

 

Thanks again for looking - and the very best of luck to everyone who remains in the contest!

 

Weekday Cross