JCL

One from my Grandad (I think) - Royal Scot, Butlins, Skegness, 18 July 1963 A spot of information about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LMS_Royal_Scot_Class_6100_Royal_Scot

Looking good The fact that it's white and so intricate it feels like it wouldn't look out of place next to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. On the supports, how happy are you that they are the same shape? You could cut the teardrop shape out of thick card to form a jig that is the same size and shape as the outside of a curled bracing you've already created. If you make the point end of the teardrop open ended, you could feed the plastic strip into the jig until it curls around and comes back out again. Pushing the plastic against the teardrop to make sure it's snug, glue the two ends together, then when dry cut off the strip ends to the right length. Once you've done this, you could use form the internal curls in very thin plastic strip or soldered wire. You'll know it won't distort the teardrop as it's braced against the card. If it comes to it, you could recreate all of the braces like this. Might be worth a try?

Hi there Well I've done gone drawn the back of the footbridge now. I've taken information from the photos added here (thankyou), small blurry photos I have of Wainfleet, and those photos of Welwyn. Here's the overall one (the back view has the platform steps omitted): And here's the detail from it The full size jpg is 2.5MB, so pretty big, and the photoshop file is 138MB - so, not the biggest file I've created, but still huge, and takes an age to save! Not 100% accurate as there's some guesswork in there, but if anyone wants the full size jpg file I'll send a copy on to you Next up, styrene strip. I've got similar stuff to Als (0.015" instead of 0.010" but close), so I can print the plans off and make a start tomorrow. Thanks everyone for your help. cheers Jason

So, I'm busy amending the plans so that I can work the columns into it - effectively I'm going to do the back. I won't do the sides, because they'll be pretty evident. So I've been looking for GNR Footbridge on Google - I wasn't impressed when Google asked "Do you mean GWR Footbridge?" - no I don't believe I did! :-O Anyway, I ended up on Flickr and found this photo at Welwyn North http://www.flickr.com/photos/63425193@N02/6290403474/ and this one http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanmp22/8131842564/ Which are great! Pretty much what I'm seeing on the blurred Wainfleet footbridge photos. Straight supports, great view of the columns and the girders between them and the bridge, and the other brackets! I might have mentioned this before, but the mesh was no good. Unfortunately it was too stiff to flatten properly (it was already wavy due to the embossed circles) - for $8 it was worth trying though! Now I have a waste paper bin with a letter box in it. Al - I hope I didn't sound too abrupt above, I didn't realise I was heading towards a migraine. Gone now though

Hi Al, as you are aware, I like to repeat what others say :-/ With regards to the footbridge I've been looking at, the plans that I've drawn up from the photo on my thread are just a starting point for the bridge. Sure, the height of the "hand rails" will be the same, but because I have compromised on the distance between the tracks to allow the coaches to get around the corner just after the bridge, the length of the bridge will actually be out. Also, the steps have a middle landing that probably won't be quite as long as the original. An extra foot on the width of my layout and three on the length would allow me to put together a scale footbridge. Problem is that my wife would be upset if I started carving concrete out of the end wall! :-o

Ah, what can I say? I wasn't operating on all cylinders yesterday!

Unfortunately I couldn't see it on google maps, but that doesn't always mean anything. Edited to add, one other thing, I've just noticed that the bracing(?) on the outside of the two bridges is different. One is straight, whereas the other is curved in a finials fashion to the Hornby model. Wainfleet has the straight supports. I'll update the drawing tomorrow to show how I think those supports and legs go together. Hopefully that will show you what I mean.

You could be right John, I'm going to give it a go on a waste section first with snips (I had some long nosed ones in the garage). Actually, given what the donor object is, I suppose this is one of those times when the whole lot is a waste section. The mesh is metal Al with a thin layer of grey paint on it. Edited to say, I ended up using my Dremel to cut the mesh off the bin, as the snips couldn't get in there, and the saw kept snagging. Looks OK, but a little wavy. I'll see if I can straighten it out, if not I'll be on the plastic strip.

Cheers Al It really is looking good. If it helps, I'm not getting bored. Jason

Here's a photo of the bin - DOKUMENT (I think they're being ironic there) - about $8. Now there are circles embossed into the mesh, but there's a lot of good material around them, and in any case, it shouldn't be too difficult to flatten the circles. There are just over three diamonds in the mesh to two on the Hornby footbridge. I won't be using the Hornby bridge sides at all because they are made of nylon or something and waxy to the touch. I'll be popping out later for some snips if I can get them. Currently listening to Armando Iannucci from '93 on iPlayer - gosh, this takes me back!

I just choked on me porridge

A philosophical (not necessarily real life) question, if a collector buys it and will never take it out of the box, and it's only ever sold on to other collectors and never run, does it actually have to work?

It's very easy to become an anorak on all sorts of mundane subjects on this site. For example, I know much more about telegraph posts now than I thought I ever would! Back to the footbridge. The Hornby mashup will give me a start. I bought a waste paper bin from ikea with a great mesh on it. I'm going to check this against my drawing. If it looks like a good match I'll buy myself some tin snips and start chopping holes into it. If not I'll refer to the footbridge king who is busy putting a how to do it properly thread together. I might have enough plastic strip available... http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/64977-bakewell-peak-district-line-br-scratch-building-a-footbridge-again/page-26

Interesting. Even with standardisation, there were differences. The latticework on your upper photo has a curved top edge, while the one at the bottom flattens out. Of course, one of the saving graces about the Wainfleet one is that there are no curves to worry about. Like the rest of the station buildings, except for the signal box, and station building chimneys, there wasn't a lot of ornamentation going on.

It's lovely isn't it? I wish I could pop over in February to see it.

I can't claim to have done this today, but here's my starting point for my footbridge. Hi Manna, as I say, we think alike! I found a couple of cheap Hornby footbridges a while ago. I've already sawn off the middle section and replaced it with plasticard. It fits well into notches underneath the platforms at the top of the steps. My current thoughts are: - keep the columns - they are the right height as they are on low platforms, and do after all look very similar to the ones in Wainfleet - attempt to fabicrate the lattice between the tops of the columns (I'll base this on xx's pictures as any photos I have of the lattice are pretty blurred. - fabricate the latticework across the bridge and replace the "hand rails" on the steps with those made of plastic strip - remove some of the steps so that they conform to the contours of their proposed location also cut in half whatever's left and create the short platform halfway down - create the signal (hmm, can I get it to work I wonder?) - Paint a greeny-grey colour based on family recollection - have some serious beers when done Simples! As you can see, I've also put together the four Metcalfe benches I need. Basically I got a sharp scalpel and cut out the middles, coloured them blue with a whiteboard marker and put them together as directed. I only need four for Wainfleet so one packet was enough. Below are some photos I took back in the 1965 of Wainfleet station (kinda). Local subsidence means that the footbridge needs shoring up Actually, you can see what I mean about cutting off some of the steps pretty vividly here. And the benches. I think it looks passable now that the circle in the middle bit of the legs have gone. This view will disappear at some point as a fence will go up at the back of the front platform.

Thanks everyone, and thanks for those other photos of a footbridge (where're they from?) The last one is especially interesting to me as it shows the columns much better than anything else I have. They also seem to be similar, if not the same as the ones at Wainfleet, so I'll have to see how much of them I can incoroporate into the model (skill set notwithstanding). The idea of a cut and shut of the old style Hornby footbridge didn't pass me by. I've got two of them stashed away for their columns and their steps if nothing else! I got word from the person that sold me one of the photos that I'm working on that I can upload it with a copyright, so here it is! I'm including it to show how much has to be packed within feet of it. You'll also see how close the signal box is. It is also on uneven ground because the road changes height from track level to platform level along its length. The plan on the previous page, which was created by tracing over and squaring up the photo, will be more of a starting point than a rigid plan so that I can tinker with length, height etc to get everything to fit. The photo has been great for two more reasons. It clearly shows a grounded van in the station carpark, and that the local coal merchant had a cabin by the platforms (two good sides shown there). I'd always supposed that both of these items were in the yard. Finally, a good end shot of one of the benches at Wainfleet. I think that I'll get away with a Metcalf bench with the GWR roundels cut out of them.

Cheers Al. That'll be useful. I've just put up the plan of my build. Anytime you're at a loose end... haha http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63508-wainfleet-a-lincolnshire-branchline/?p=1193846

Argh, double posting. I'm afraid I have no manners, as I'm just going to carry on with this one. I've been thinking about the whole road end of the layout. The thing is, see, there's a whole load of stuff to put into a very small space. There's the signal box, the footbridge, the fencing, the crossing gates, and, I've just found out, the cabin for the coal merchants. All of this takes place in such a small place in 'real life that the signal box at Wainfleet still has a piece of the roof pared away so that the footbridge could fit in behind it. You can see it in the pictures below from my signal box thread. The spacing really is that tight. So, I bought a new photo of Wainfleet station I hadn't seen before on Ebay and I've been able to trace it and mould it into some sort of plan. I've a feeling that the bridge will have to go in first, then the gates after that (I'll have time to work through the automation), then the fencing, etc way into the future. I realise I'm chopping and changing, but it's a bit like a jigsaw puzzle where you have to make your tiles before putting them together to form the picture. Anyway, here's the plan. This horrifying footbridge has four sets of steps (two to the platforms and two to the street and a signal growing out of it for good measure. We'll see how close I get to authenticity. I'll aim for it, but it's daunting to be fair. Well that was to keep me busy this evening, I've still got the signalbox interior to finish. But first, sleep.

Thanks very much I opened the Wills signal box interior and found myself completely underwhelmed. How much flash? Looks like I'll be filing later. Until then, I have found the 1899 signal box diagram http://tillyweb.biz/gallery/ww/wainfleetdiag2.jpg . The only change between 1899 and the 1960s was the removal of the engine shed and its single slip and point. This means that from the diagram in the link, I think the colours will be: 1 distant yellow 2 home red 3 home red 4 spare white 5 spare white 6 spare white 7 spare white 8 lock blue 9 ground red 10 point black 11 ground red 12 point black 13 ground red 14 spare white 15 spare white 16 spare white 17 spare white 18 spare white 19 spare white 20 home red 21 home red 22 distant yellow 23 spare white 24 spare white 25 gatestops brown Please let me know if I've got any of them wrong. I'm going to have a go at fashioning a different base for the levers that will be a bit neater. I've already put a fireplace in the signal box, so the stove was quickly painted up and added to the waiting room. While working on the waiting room, the caboose smokestack was drilled into the bottom, then the bottom filed at an angle, a track pin added. A quick hole drilled into the roof and there we are. It just goes to show, answers to problems can be found in unlikely places. So, that's the waiting room finished. And yes, I also have a banjo, I can't grow a beard though.

That looks fantastic. I've been reading this thread over the last few days and I'm astounded. At some point I'll be tackling exactly the same type of structure, so I'm following your thread as a step-by-step guide. One question, did you remember the width of the strip out are using for your lattice?

Thanks Adrian. I have the Wills kit out, and the old track diagram, so I'm researching the appropriate colours. There is a level crossing capstan in the kit, but I'm hoping to get information about the actual assembly that was in the Wainfleet signal box. Good to see there's an armchair in the bag of tricks. Of course it'll need careful but heavy weathering. I'm going in! cheers Jason

On the seller's grading system at the bottom of the page, as a non-runner, shouldn't it be spares or repair?

Well, I have some time on my hands again. I've been knocking around on here, but it's been all go out in the 1:1 world so all I've had time to do it run trains around the room for five minutes at a time. Not that I'm complaining, I'd rather be busy than twiddling my thumbs, Anyway, back to it. The level crossing is on hold for a little while. I'm going to landscape around it, but I've found some information about automating the thing with a long screw thread. Hopefully I'll be able to do this using items at my local hardware store instead of having to send off for stuff. The actual automation will be done manually by turning a wheel on the fascia. If I'm going mad, hopefully I'll be able to make a (smaller) replica of the wheel that sat in the signal box in Wainfleet to do this (these tasks are lining up, it may happen one day). The next few days will be tidying up. That is, clean up paint edges, install the Wills signal box interior that's just arrived, smoke stack on the waiting room (I've just bought a caboose smoke stack would you believe?) etc. Sorry for the boring post, it'll get interesting again soon!