Dock Green

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 14

 

I had wanted a fire escape on one of Dock Green’s buildings for some time. When the layout was extended for the cassette handling baseboard I needed to screen the end of the scenic section to hide that area. A new factory facade would do the job and seemed an ideal opportunity for a fire escape.

I approached Peter Harvey again to see if he would design some etched brass parts for me. Having got agreement from him I needed to plan the model.

 

 

I put a piece of card in position and marked it up for size. I then used it to draw out the doors, windows and the profile of the escape. I then sent a drawing to Peter as a JPEG with the major dimensions marked up.

In due course he sent me JPEGs of the artwork he had prepared for the etches and some drawings showing how they should be assembled.

 

Peter's etches as they arrived, quite superb if rather daunting.

 

 

The etches for the decorative and very impressive support brackets.

 

 

These are frame pieces and side rails for the flights of stairs and landings. The "T" shaped half-etches accept the stair treads and stiffening plates. 

 

 

The stair treads and landings etched with chequer plate and (bottom left) parts to make the edging flanges for the support brackets.

 

 

This was by far the most delicate and demanding etched brass model I have ever assembled and taxed my abilities and ingenuity. I had to make a jig to get the flights of stairs to come up accurately and true.

 

By agreement the etched parts did not include any provision for the handrails. I made the uprights for these out of code 70 bullhead rail and the rails from 0.7mm nickel silver wire.

 

 

I brush painted the model after a thin waft of acrylic primer from a rattle-can. 

 

The last two photos are of the model in position on the layout.

 

 

There are no door handles as the fire doors would not be used for general access.

 

 

Some litter, a pile of timber stacked out of the way, weeds, oil drums - they all add to this obscure industrial corner.

 

Chaz

Edited August 18, 2017 by chaz

[Deano747]

The fire escape is a worthy topic for reposting. It's a clever piece of modelling. Thanks for showing us again Chaz.

 

We definitely need a 'WOW' button!

Quite an amazing addition. The small details really do add to the realism, even down to the litter!!

Fantastic work!!

 

Regards, Deano.

[chaz]

The fire escape is a worthy topic for reposting. It's a clever piece of modelling. Thanks for showing us again Chaz.

 

 

We definitely need a 'WOW' button!

Quite an amazing addition. The small details really do add to the realism, even down to the litter!!

Fantastic work!!

 

Regards, Deano.

 

Thanks for those comments lads, much appreciated. I must just say that a lot of the credit must go to Peter Harvey for his outstanding design work on the brass etches. 

 

I didn't mention above that I joined the sub-assemblies together positioned on the factory wall with the wires on the back of the landing support brackets pushed home into holes drilled to receive them. It was a measure of the quality of the design work that the flights of stairs fitted neatly into the rebates and slots in the landings with very little easing or adjustment needed. Yes, I had to assemble the model very carefully but the quality of the parts and the accuracy of the design made for success.

 

The fire escape is one of my favourite features on the layout and I have been known to "come round the front" at shows to point it out to visitors who might have missed it!

 

Chaz

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 15

 

One of the details I added to both the warehouse and the factory was the downpipes.

 

1

 

The hoppers at the top are white-metal castings (from Scalelink) and the pipes are plastic rod. The pipe clamps are a compromise. A close look betrays my effort to be rather different to the real thing - however from any reasonable distance they pass muster.

 

 

This very unforgiving photograph is of the two components that make up a clamp - a small rectangle of HIP drilled and rounded off (drill it while it’s still on a strip!) and a piece of plastic rod formed into a “U”. Make a simple jig to form the “U” - drill a piece of board (MDF or ply’) and push in a piece of rod. Heat the plastic rod to be formed briefly over a candle flame and then bend it round the jig rod holding it flat until it has cooled. I discovered that if the “U” was set not quite parallel it would act like a spring in the two holes and would not need glueing.

 

 

Downpipes from plastic rod and tube, the hopper on this building is a spare loco’ sandbox casting.

 

 

Pipe clamps added. I use the drilled rectangles as drilling jigs, sliding them under the pipes and positioning them symmetrically, to start the drill into the wall.

 

 

If you cut a wedge shaped piece of thin sheet plastic or card it can be slid behind pipes to keep the paint away from the brickwork. If you haven't glued the clamps in place these can be eased away from the wall to paint.

 

None of this pipework is glued in place (although the joints are welded) and none has ever moved.

 

Chaz

Edited August 19, 2017 by chaz

[Siberian Snooper]

Chaz

 

You will have to get yourself scanned by Modelu sitting down, with a fag and put yourself sitting at the bottom of the fire escape along with a mug of tea. I think that will enhance the scene no end.

 

Edit for predictive text

Edited August 19, 2017 by Siberian Snooper

[The Bigbee Line]

Details around Dock Green 15

 

One of the details I added to both the warehouse and the factory was the downpipes.

 

The hoppers at the top are white-metal castings (from Scalelink) and the pipes are plastic rod. The pipe clamps are a compromise. A close look betrays my effort to be rather different to the real thing - however from any reasonable distance they pass muster.

 

This very unforgiving photograph is of the two components that make up a clamp - a small rectangle of HIP drilled and rounded off (drill it while it’s still on a strip!) and a piece of plastic rod formed into a “U”. Make a simple jig to form the “U” - drill a piece of board (MDF or ply’) and push in a piece of rod. Heat the plastic rod to be formed briefly over a candle flame and then bend it round the jig rod holding it flat until it has cooled. I discovered that if the “U” was set not quite parallel it would act like a spring in the two holes and would not need glueing.

 

Downpipes from plastic rod and tube, the hopper on this building is a spare loco’ sandbox casting.

 

Pipe clamps added. I use the drilled rectangles as drilling jigs, sliding them under the pipes and positioning them symmetrically, to start the drill into the wall.

 

If you cut a wedge shaped piece of thin sheet plastic or card it can be slid behind pipes to keep the paint away from the brickwork. If you haven't glued the clamps in place these can be eased away from the wall to paint.

 

None of this pipework is glued in place (although the joints are welded) and none has ever moved.

 

Chaz

Chaz,

 

Nice pipes.  I like the subtle details that can be found on industrial buildings.  I've not done any structures yet in 7mm and am looking forward to it.  Years ago I did some down pipes in HO.  I used plastic rod for the pipes and wrapped 2 turns of this wire from flex to represent the collared joints.  Not too bad if you don't look too close...

 

 

 

 

 

Need to read through the rest of your thread, many thanks.

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 16

 

This posting is about grass, weeds, shrubs etc. There are no trees on Dock Green. I did consider putting some behind the top of the retaining wall to hint at a park up there but when I discussed it with the team the consensus was against it as they would get in the way of operating.

 

 

The small shrubs (brambles, hawthorne etc) I made by cutting or tearing rubberised horsehair into suitable shapes, dipping them in or spraying them with glue and then either rolling them in a box full of scatter or dropping scatter onto them while rotating them.

 

 

Grass clumps were bought in batches from “Fields of Glory”. They do a variety of sizes and colours with lots in a pack, all with self-adhesive bases. You just pick 'em up with tweezers and place them in position. I know that you can make your own clumps and indeed I do own a static grass thingy but sometimes buying in rather than making is a way of buying time.

 

 

A small shrub is a useful device for filling a too-obvious space and the green colour links up with other patches and avoids a cluttered look.

 

A few more snaps - but there are not many that I have already posted that don’t include some vegetation.

 

 

Weeds will occur in many neglected corners where feet don’t tread and the gaps can emphasise where they do.

 

 

Grass and wild plants usually grow along the foot of a fence. The only ones you might see with no line of green along the bottom will be across tarmac or concrete.

 

Chaz

Edited August 20, 2017 by chaz

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 17

 

There are three bicycles on Dock Green, all made from etched brass kits.

 

 

The orange bike…

 

 

…and the green bike move about a bit. They are placed at each show and can be spotted in some of my photos in many different places. 

 

 

I like the way a bike implies people nearby.

 

 

The tradesman’s bike is always on the bridge. PC Dixon is “having a word” - could it be that he caught him riding on the pavement? The nice telephone box (a Peco item) was given to me by Chris Klein of Minerva Models. Looks quite at home there, does it not?

 

Chaz

 

[chaz]

Golly - I have just realised what that Fry's poster says at its foot. Who knew we had a king in 1958? 

 

Chaz

[81A Oldoak]

Golly - I have just realised what that Fry's poster says at its foot. Who knew we had a king in 1958? 

 

Chaz

And this version is pre-WW1 so HM is either KE VII or KG V.

Chris

[chaz]

And this version is pre-WW1 so HM is either KE VII or KG V.

Chris

 

 

OH, do be quiet, Sir.

[Western Star]

OH, do be quiet, Sir.

And why?

 

Are you concerned that someone might think...  "so Dock Green has KGV on the roster?"  followed closely by "ah, Mr Chaz has gone over to the dark side and now appreciates the finer points of Swindon's finest - King George V himself (always known as KGV).

[81A Oldoak]

And why?

 

Are you concerned that someone might think...  "so Dock Green has KGV on the roster?"  followed closely by "ah, Mr Chaz has gone over to the dark side and now appreciates the finer points of Swindon's finest - King George V himself (always known as KGV).

And of course KE VII was 6001, so there could be a brace of them on DG.

[Western Star]

Chaz might think that two to one is not playing fair.

[chaz]

And why?

 

Are you concerned that someone might think...  "so Dock Green has KGV on the roster?"  followed closely by "ah, Mr Chaz has gone over to the dark side and now appreciates the finer points of Swindon's finest - King George V himself (always known as KGV).

 

 

And of course KE VII was 6001, so there could be a brace of them on DG.

 

Now that's just silly. There's only one 4-6-0 allowed on Dock Green (and it doesn't have any of that copper-capped chimney nonsense).

 

 

And it's a "namer".

[chaz]

Chaz might think that two to one is not playing fair.

 

 

Since when did GWR fans play fair? They always seem to end up relying on the questionable exploits of 3440  , and get quite cross if one mentions 4472, 2750 or 4468.  .

 

Chaz

[Simond]

There's a (possibly apocryphal, and certainly unverifiable) story in one of Tuplin's books about a Saint going even quicker...

[The Bigbee Line]

Since when did GWR fans play fair? They always seem to end up relying on the questionable exploits of 3440  , and get quite cross if one mentions 4472, 2750 or 4468.  .

 

Chaz

Looking at the size of the cabs, high speed in 3440 required considerably larger balls that a Pacific.  Great admiration for the guys.

[chaz]

Looking at the size of the cabs, high speed in 3440 required considerably larger balls that a Pacific.  Great admiration for the guys.

 

 

What we don't know is how steady a ride those 4-4-0s gave. Oh hang on, it was a GWR loco - so of course the ride would have been perfect. Quite perfect. 

[Simond]

Obviously....

Obviously....

[chaz]

Enough idle chit-chat, let's get back to...

 

Details around Dock Green 18

 

When Peter built No. 4 bridge we had a short gap between the ends of the parapet walls and the baseboard edge. I said I would make some fences to fill the gap and suggested that he should choose the style. What he chose involved scratchbuilding.

 

 

I soldered two brass strips together so they could be drilled as a pair. The stanchions were bent around a drill shank to get the hooped tops. The LH end was later cut to fit round the stepped end of the wall.

 

 

In this early view of the unfinished bridge you can see the ribs that we put under the road surface to get the camber.

 

 

 

Chaz

 

 

[81A Oldoak]

Since when did GWR fans play fair? They always seem to end up relying on the questionable exploits of 3440  , and get quite cross if one mentions 4472, 2750 or 4468.  .

 

Chaz

There is some hope here. 2750 was member of the GWR 2721 class of 0-6-0 saddletank locos later rebuilt with pannier tanks. They were the predecessors of the GWR 57XX 0-6-0PTs. Or am I missing something?

[chaz]

There is some hope here. 2750 was member of the GWR 2721 class of 0-6-0 saddletank locos later rebuilt with pannier tanks. They were the predecessors of the GWR 57XX 0-6-0PTs. Or am I missing something?

 

 

More idle chit-chat which I'm just going to ignore. 

Edited August 23, 2017 by chaz

[chaz]

Details around Dock Green 19

 

I wanted some sort of view blocker next to bridge #1 and decided on some steps down to the yard from the road.

 

 

An early snap showing the steps in position - as you can see they cross a baseboard join so I made them "plug in".

 

 

In position the stairs do block the view of the gradient as intended.

 

 

The steps can only be seen from an acute angle. I imagine the stairs are not much used as they are closed off at the top with a door.

 

Sorry about the bus on the bridge, I know it's considered a cliche but the bridges offer the only place where this icon of London can stand. 

 

Chaz

 

 

[The Bigbee Line]

Details around Dock Green 19

 

I wanted some sort of view blocker next to bridge #1 and decided on some steps down to the yard from the road.

 

P1010923-1.jpg

 

An early snap showing the steps in position - as you can see they cross a baseboard join so I made them "plug in".

 

P1060184-1.jpg

 

In position the stairs do block the view of the gradient as intended.

 

P1060003-2-1.jpg

 

The steps can only be seen from an acute angle. I imagine the stairs are not much used as they are closed off at the top with a door.

 

Sorry about the bus on the bridge, I know it's considered a cliche but the bridges offer the only place where this icon of London can stand. 

 

Chaz

Chaz,

 

Very nice stairs.  The squareness of the brickwork is impressive.  I think staircase access through this type of door was a railway speciality.  There some under a large bridge near Brighton Station that allow access to the railway and associated workshops above.  One even has a small room attached for a gate or time keeper.

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Ernie