Good books

[Ray H]

I wonder if anyone has any recommendations for a good book (or two, but no more) that I could reference for scratch building some structures for a layout loosely based in the Midlands.

 

Many thanks

[spamcan61]

I wonder if anyone has any recommendations for a good book (or two, but no more) that I could reference for scratch building some structures for a layout loosely based in the Midlands.

 

Many thanks

 

What time period guv?

 

Are you after actual plans, or just photos?

['CHARD]

I think we need a bit more focus here

 

Are we talking railway structures - in which case the Midlands comes in flavours GW, LMS, LNWR and so on...

 

If we're thinking about the supporting cast, then commercial/ industrial/ housing?, and what period?

[Ray H]

The period is steam/(early) diesel changeover. Predominantly LMS if possible.

 

Plans would be a bonus, pictures would help finishing models.

 

Generally thinking of railway structures but houses/shops would, again, be a bonus.

 

Thanks

[Nick Holliday]

Oxford Publishing have produced several books on this sort of subject. I can think of one dedicated to LMS Architecture and another covering just the Midland. I am sure that there must be an equivalent Great Western book, but I can't think of one for the GNR or GCR, although the Leicester Museum website coverage of the London Extension might come up with some items for the latter.

As for non-railway architecture I would think the easiest answer is to do some research on the ground, as most books on architecture for modelling purposes tend towards the more bucolic subjects, although obviously a Midlands based layout can be as rural as any GWR Cornish branchline. Photographs from the Frith collection, which can be surfed on their site, may be able to take you timeline back a bit, and I am sure that once you have focussed on a particular area you should be able to find local publications (libraries can be a good source of these) or websites that can help more.

There is of course the fabulous West Midlands railways website that has hundreds of photos, but it tends to concentrate, rather naturally, on the railway side of things.

[Flying Pig]

I think Phyllis Nicklin's slides were linked from an old incarnation of RMweb: they show a wide variety of architecture around Birmingham in the 1950s and 60s.

[alant]

Not a book, but a good reference website covering the East Midlands:

 

www.picturethepast.org.uk/

 

I've even found some pics on here with a "measuring pole" against the building.

 

Alan.

[bike2steam]

What part of the Midlands ?, I'm building a fictitious layout based in the Black Country, and it's surprising how different the buildings ( notably the pubs ) were there to other parts of the Midlands.

[scanman]

... I am sure that there must be an equivalent Great Western book,

 

Yep - Vaughans 'A Pictorial Record of Great Western Architecture'. Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0902888226. Out of print - but comes up regularly in s/h book sales.

 

As to 'non-railway' architecture (the vandals of 'Nationalisation' and it's successors have ensured there's very litte left in modellable form!) if you live within reasonable distance of the area modelled - get out with a camera, notebook and ranging-pole (basically a length of platic pipe painted in 1'-00" sections) and a good set of eyes! Whilst there, visit the 'Local History' section of the library. Normally there are books on the area's history by local authors who do not make it into Amazon's lists!

 

Regs

 

Ian B

[Ray H]

Many thanks for all the responses.

 

The layout will be based around no fixed abode other than I have an inherent desire to centre it well away from the influence of Sw*nd*n.

 

Funny how things change because I liked the look of the Flying Bananas when I first started modelling as a lad and always fancied getting a model of one! It was the over-sell of the copper and brass in the model press in those days that drove me and a colleague to be different.

 

Having said that and since the original post was made, I've ended up with a layout based around Bodmin where the presence of two branches, causing "through" trains to reverse, seems an excellent opportunity for me to indulge in my love of the logistics of operating. The idea was finally sealed when I saw a clip of the North London P4 boys operating their layout of Bodmin.

 

But layouts need scenery and buildings wherever they're based on so, for the first time ever on one of my layouts I not only want to add scenery but am determined to populate it with structures having seen Geoff Taylor's excellent Right Track DVD (and read his book). My efforts won't be up to his standard but at least I'll have the satisfaction of knowing that I made them myself.

 

So, to get back on thread, I'm looking for ideas around which to base the (model) railway's buildings - small terminas station building, loco and goods sheds and (possibly) signalbox, plus a few house/shop fronts and the ubiqutous bridges that will diisguise the entrance to the fiddle yard. I've been away from modelling for around forty years and the abundance of plans that once appeared in the model press (and all my back issues) have long since gone. Recommendations of suitable sources of the required information will hopefully save me spending time and money looking for and buying what may be inappropriate books, enabling me the devote my resources to building the models instead.