Ivatt46403

I was quite taken with it and thought it might be a fun little project following my Midland one. I was happy to find that Dexter's Cove Models do a laser cut + 3D print kit of this very box so it went together quite quickly and nicely. I've also finally found a way of doing mortar that I'm pleased with involving a base coat of Halfard Camoflage Khaki before painting the brickwork:

I'm quite please with this one, a few little bits to sort including some longer grass and foliage at the back. I changed the roof to be ratio slate tiles and it is partially fitted with the level frame kit.

Marcus.

Well apparently now I just model signal boxes 😀

This one is nothing to do with the Kettering and Huntingdon I'm afraid, based entierly on a little survey of Lllandrindod Wells box when I was visiting a friend recently:

I'll try and get some better pictures later in the week, but for now here's a quick phone pic of the little diorama I've planted the box in.

Marcus.

1 hour ago, jamieb said:

I've recently built one of these for my embryonic layout and with the benefit of hindsight,I would definitely paint the individual parts before assembly.I have a second example to build and that's what I intend to do

Yep I think that’s the trick, although figuring out the sequence of what to paint abs when made me throw my hands up and just build it. 
 

That’s an interesting paint job on yours - is it based on a prototype? I see you understood the wire bending jog instructions better than I too…

Marcus. 

A quick update to show where i've got to with painting this. It has been mega fiddly and I'm not entirely happy with it (especially some of the green).

It is almost certainly the wrong colour, but there's a nice photo of a not disimilar one at Raunds in Steam Railways in Colour Around Northamptonshire and I decided rule one applied...

Marcus.

Thanks so much Mark.

The signal box has been very fiddly to paint so I'm working up the the enthusiasm of finishing it!

Marcus.

Obviously I've been very quiet on this thread of late as I got distracted modelling Coombe Junction Halt and an homage to Nick Gurney's excellent The Sidings  which now sits in my study bookcase.

A quick snap of the vaguely-relevant-to-this-thread celebrity Class 66 "Cranford Shed April 2020" on Coombe Jct Halt below:

This loco was bought with the proceeds from the Railway Modeller Cranford Shed article, and recently named with the addition of some ever-excellent Narrow Planet/Light Railway Stores custom plates.

Anyway, the wet weekend/Twitter Model Railway Show/Alex's stunning Huntingdon East shed got me inspired to pull the Emergency Ratio Midland Signal Box Kit out of the model box. I bought this a while as I just fancied building a kit but hadn't quite got to it.

I wanted to build it "as modelled" by Ratio, so was looking through my Kettering & Huntingdon books to see if I could find one which was actually built to full 4-window size. I couldn't, but did find two pictures of "Kettering Iron & Coal Co Sidings" in "Railway Images around Nothamptonshire", (1992), Richard Coleman and Joe Rajczonek, W.D Warton, Wellingborough. This also showed a novel arrangement of steps and privy, plus some alterations to the windows. I had intended to just build as per the kit instructions, but I couldn't help myself so kitbashed it to include the differences.

I got as far as the above image before making that decision of course! A few shots in cruel white undercoat below:

As the prototype is was on the Midland Mainline I think it will have probably been in standard maroon and cream, but I rather like the green and cream that the Kettering and Huntingdon ones were painted so I think  I'm going to go with that.

Marcus.

Have you got/seen a colour photo of the shed? I realise I was surprised to see you model it that colour, but actually that makes sense and I think I've only seen b&w photos....

Fantastic stuff Alex, I've long had a plan to extend Buckden and include Huntingdon East Shed but have got distracted by other layouts!

3 hours ago, 1722 said:

Excellent article on a quite superb layout. Another for the less really is more category. Congratulations. 

 

Thanks Chris I really appreciate that!

Marcus.

Thanks Richard!

He would have likely known my family then - Doug Jones was my great Uncle and he drove Cranford no. 2 (and lost several fingers to it). I still have cousins who live on Top Dysons.

Marcus.

A *cough* rival publication I know, but Cranford Shed appears in this month's Railway Modeller:

Available now at all good newsagents!

Marcus.

50 minutes ago, Midnight-Freight said:

Really interesting reading through this. I've lived near Huntingdon for the last 13 years so not long enough to have known any of the old lines but I can picture where they would have been based on the landmarks. 

The best place to start is the Middleton Press "Branch Lines around Huntingdon: Kettering to Cambridge" which is what started it for me (and is my mother's oddly enough).

And just to show an overview, I wanted to experiment with a proscenium arch to frame the layout, and a plain backdrop, I think it's worked out reasonable well, but I need to colour the arch (dark?) and I think block of the fiddlestick and sector plate.

I also want to add a lighting strip to the arch, but haven't found anything suitable yet.

Marcus.

I've been very quiet on here but modelling has been going on! Especially in the last few weeks when I've been working on Cranford Shed:

Marcus

I was at mum's last weekend and walked from Godmanchester to Buckden along the Ouse to see what was happening with the new A14 works (a big bridge!) and found this bridge abuttment and some more bits of track bed you can get onto:

In other news my attic is being boarded out and electrics added in 9 days...

Marcus.

(also apologies for delayed response - I have been at sea: https://icylab.wordpress.com/ )

Only just found this thread - please excuse a latecomer. I only live 'down the road' from Buckden, and I have to say you have captured the feel of the place to a tee!

I remember the old station building well (but long closed when I came to know it) - unfortunately, no photos.

I agree with the earlier comment that the whole area has taken on the appearance of a lunar landscape recently too...

 

Not Buckden, but close - have you seen this website?:

 

http://huntingdon.ccan.co.uk/content/category/categories/transport/rail

 

Some unusual shots of the line around the ECML, Huntingdon and Godmanchester including demolition trains - may be of interest?

If you've seen it before, apologies - and I'm looking forward to your next developments and watching with interest!

Thanks Billy - I had not seen a lot of those photos!

Marcus.

The current A14 "improvement" works will not help.

 

Chris

Yeah tell me about it! At the moment there's a huge construction encampment right next to the track bed on Brampton Rd and there is activity on the Buckden Station site.

Marcus.

Looking pretty good despite the long storage.

 

Mike

Thanks Mike. It was well crated and looked after by my mother whilst we were between train-appropriate housing

Marcus.

After a year in storage I retrieved and erected Buckden over the weekend on some Railway Modeller May 2017 inspired legs. It's in the spare room at the moment whilst I convert the loft to a dream railway space:

I gave it a bit of a clean, wired up the spaghetti and put back on everything that was mobile, and took a few snaps:

I've also been doing some work on my Cranford Shed board.  Base coat, some landscaping and a couple of structures are coming together. I now just need to source some etched 4x4 pane industrial windows before I crack on with the "Shed" bit.

I want to get some grass down on this board as I find that greenery really makes a layout look like a landscape, and am toying between static grass (perhaps the new Peco applicator) or hanging basket liner.

Marcus.

Been quietly and slowly making some progress on my shed scene. Few pics below.

The board has a guagemaster transformer built in with a kettle lead and mains switch. Then a Model W handheld controller on a DIN plug with 5 section switches. All the track (C&L plain) is in and I've used plenty of copper clad as there's a lot of joins across the boards.

Marcus.

Mojo returned last night, and I laid and wired track on my Cranford shed board. Delayed when I ran out of copperclad for the edges of the shed road. C&L order is on it's way though and it gave me an opportunity to order an inspection kit too! Pictures at some point.

I also explored my new loft last week, has definite potential for about 8 m of running, down the centre with room for return via an enourmous fiddle yard so I'm thinking about adding Godmanchester to Buckden to allow some double track roundy roundy

Marcus.

Hurricane is no more! Renamed as "Cranford No. 3" with Narrow Planet custom plates ready for my ironstone diorama that I now really need to build...

Marcus.

It being summer and not having good dedicated modelling space means I've lost a bit of my modelling mojo over the last few months. But the nights drawing in, moving house in a few weeks and the arrival of my DJM J94 means I'm hopeful to get things going again soon.

Hurricane is now "Cranford No. 3" courtesy of the Narrow Planet plates:

Now I need to build something for it to run on!

Marcus.