kirtleypete

I was only being half serious; you can actually see through the windows. Nevertheless it will be much easier operating sidings out in the open.

Peter

Superb!!

Peter

I don't think it will matter when all the doors and windows are in place; it does look odd when there is just a big block of brick and nothing else. I'll see how it goes, altering the artwork wouldn't be difficult.

Peter

It won't be wasted, but we'll just use the wall as a flat item against the backscene. It will save a lot of space. Apart from anything else backing a train into the shed would have been interesting as you wouldn't know how far the last coach was from the end! 

Peter

I've been looking at the terraced houses alongside Leeman Road. The obvious way to get the brickwork the right colour is to use photographs of the real thing. Fortunately they are still there, so I went onto Google Street View and downloaded some images:

After some playing on the computer I came up with this:

I reckon I can use this artwork as the basis for the models, and the brick colour will be spot on.  I need to do a sheet of just plain brick now to use for the sides, chimneys etc. The doors and windows all come from a terrace in Melton Mowbray, but don't tell anyone! 

A bit more tweaking:

The Co-op shop is more of a problem because of the height. This is the best picture I could get:

Even going to York wouldn't help because you can't get back far enough to get a decent shot.  After some playing on the computer I got this:

And from that I was able to produce some useable brick paper ....

Peter

We've got all the pictures Rich but it would takes hours and hours.....I haven't got that time spare. We're just hoping that eventually they will be restored.  

The layout is being photographed for BRM shortly for a 'work in progress' article.

Peter

Works for me! I'll make sure he's black and white too. 

Peter

Brilliant, thanks Phil. 

Does anyone know the name of the cat that lived in the Leeman Road shop?!!

Peter

The first job this morning was to scrape the dry ballast and free up the points, not something I enjoy which is why it's best to do it first and get it out of the way.

Then I could start to enjoy myself!

I found two really good pictures of Totnes on the internet and had them blown up to A3 at my local print shop who did me three copies of each. I left the castle on one and cut it off the others...obviously the same buildings appear more than once but at least it's a backscene of the real place. 

A nice bus would be a good addition but so far I haven't found one from Devon.

The far corner isn't finished off because I can't reach it! I'll do it when I take the boards down. A crane for the coal stage is on order as are lamps and other odds and ends.

I'm having second thoughts about that warehouse, it might get covered up. 

I'm pretty much at the stage when I can take these boards down now and put up the next ones which will complete the circuit.

Peter

That's how I found this picture. Unfortunately there seems to be a picture of every shop except the one I want!

Peter

It's not the same shop John but it does give some idea of the lettering and colours that were used. It looks like a pale shade, perhaps green, with white or cream lettering. Although it's a 1970's picture it doesn't look as though much modernisation has been carried out in the previous twenty years.

Peter

I've found this picture which gives and idea of how the shop would have looked.

Thanks for all your help folks,

Peter

I don't think we've got room for those John; even the terrace is being squeezed onto a pretty small area but it will at least give the flavour of what was there. Naturally I'll be posting on here as the model progresses.

Peter

Brilliant Neil - that's just what I was hoping for. Many thanks,

Peter

I'm working on York again shortly, building some houses along Garfield Terrace. I need to pick the brains of those of you that knew York years ago; does anyone know what this building was?

It looks to me like an old shop or pub, but the OS map doesn't mark it 'PH' so a shop seems likeliest.

I've looked at old trade directories but they are all pre 1914 so don't really help and nothing has mentioned this building. Over to RM Web then, can anyone help?

Peter

I don't think it matters if it is in exactly the right position or whether it would actually be seen, including the castle makes it clear that despite all the changes I've had to make it is a model of Totnes. I'll be putting a picture on the backscene but I haven't decided exactly where yet. I need to get the other boards up and build the road bridge first. 

It is excellent news about the arch, I didn't realise it had been rebuilt. 

I put down the ballast yesterday afternoon and today of course it's raining so it won't be drying. Perfect timing!  

Peter

I'll do like I did with Dawlish, use some modern images where possible to set the scene, but to recreate the whole townscape for the 1930's is clearly impossible. As the loco shed is fictional anyway I don't think that area needs to represent Totnes anyway, that really begins from the goods shed onwards. 

Do I need to find room for a magical wardrobe?

Peter

It's what we do with our exhibition layouts, put some Blutak in the gaps and sprinkle on some loose ballast. It works a treat. I like low tech solutions to problems!

Peter

It's a good kit, it goes together nicely.

I've painted the track this morning, using black, brown and grey spray cans.

Naturally everything else had to be taken off first! It's amazing what a huge difference a coat of paint makes. When it was dry I cleaned off the rail heads using fine sandpaper wrapped round a Gariflex block. There's no point doing it too thoroughly as the ballast is going to mess it all up again.

Photo's show that the foreground area was just fields in the 1930's so that's what I'm doing. I've begun adding the backscene; I can't reproduce Totnes so I'm just doing something fairly generic in the hope that it will look OK. 

The sky paper is from ID Backscenes.

Before ballasting I needed to complete the scenery around the tunnel mouths.

Clearly the motorists must be railway enthusiasts!  There will be a stone wall along the back between the loco shed and the goods shed, so the 'floating' buildings won't look so silly.

I will fill the gap between the boards before I ballast it - Blutak is ideal for that job.

Ballasting is the next job, along with the rest of the backscene and the stone wall, and then the platforms can be finished off.

Peter

I went down to B&Q this morning to get some new blades for my jigsaw so I could cut out the hole for the inspection pits. 'Universal fitting' said the packaging.....not for my jigsaw!  I'll go back tomorrow; in the meantime I've built the footbridge as I can't paint the track until the pits are in place.

The bridge uses two Gaugemaster kits which despite what the instruction sheet says is a GWR bridge. I began by using all the bits:

It was much too high as of course this is meant for a ground level bridge. After I'd hacked it about a bit the bridge looked much better:

The white bits show where I've had to add pieces myself to make the parts fit. There were enough bits in the two kits to cross four tracks, but only just.

It looks pretty good once it's painted. This won't be it's position, I just plonked it down to check the width was OK. 

Peter

I've begin to add detail around the loco shed.

The next board is up which means the station buildings are now in the correct position.

The platform surface is 2mm clear Polystyrene which is nice and rigid. It looks a bit odd until it's painted.

I can paint the track now and tomorrow should be bale to ballast it. The station buildings are not fixed in place yet for obvious reasons!

Peter

The dairy is going to be on the other side John, against the backscene. I know everything is in the wrong place but in the space I've got there's not much alternative. 

Allotments are a good thought, I'll give it a day or two and mull things over. I suppose the obvious thing to do is have a look at what was actually there!

Peter

I've laid the track now apart from the engine shed roads where the pits will be.

It all fits in pretty well.

.

The branch line is too close to the turntable but unfortunately it's not really possible to do anything else.

The next job is to put in all the track feeds and fill the gaps with sleepers. Then it's add the buffer stops and paint it all before ballasting. The ballast is on order and should come tomorrow.

I'm wondering about putting a low relief warehouse behind the branch to the quay, it looks a bit base at the moment. It won't be prototypical but nor is the engine shed. 

I need to think about what to put in the foreground as it's the only scenic area on these boards.

Peter

I've finished the engine shed, made the base of the coal stage and made up a stone retaining wall to run along the back. I need to cut holes for the inspection pits which are on order, along with small items like water cranes etc. 

Peter