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When it comes to railway buildings, there is nothing more iconic than the signal box. Therefore, my second building project for Aylesbury Town (Risborough & District Model Railway Club) was not a difficult choice. Aylesbury South signal box was a Great Central design, 35ft in length, 12ft wide and contained 55 levers. The top half of the box still exists at Swithland Sidings on the Great Central Railway at Loughborough. I was unable to obtain any drawings of the box but there was a good abundance of photographs on Flickr. I purchased the Bachmann version, thinking I might be able to kit bash it. However, it proved too short in length. Nevertheless, the Bachmann model proved useful in obtaining some of the detail dimensions. I drafted up a drawing of the indivdual model parts using Microsoft Visio software. The parts were produced using the Club's laser cutter. I believe laser cutting will be as revolutionary for model buildings as DCC has been for model trains. The quality of the finished product is exceptional. Even the tiny brackets supporting the exterior walkboards are accurate and crisp. I was however, disappointed with the cladding effect to the main outer walls. I therefore decided to recreate the original by overlapping 10mm strips of printer paper. A similar method was used to recreate the roof tiles. The main walls were also joined with paper in order to mask the corner joints. All parts were sprayed with Humrol white primer. The window frames were painted in a matt white and plastic glazing added. I searched long and hard to replicate the cream exterior finish. I the end I plumbed for Crown Classic Cream emulsion from a tester pot that I had. The faded Midland red also proved difficult to recreate. For this I chose a mix of Precision Paints Light Red Brick, Railmatch BR Maroon and a dash of matt white. The interior floor was painted with Humbrol gloss tan, which represented the polished finish so common in well maintained boxes. The nameboards were recreated using 2mm Wills lettering. Particular care had to be taken to ensure the letters did not break when cutting them from the sprue. My favourite part of the exercise was to model the interior. This was recreated from two Ratio kits, suitably detailed and painted. I was only able recreate 40 of the 55 levers due to the available length inside the box. Nevertheless, the lever configuration was accurately represented based upon available photographs of the original interior. The track diagram was also accurately recreated by editing a photograph of the original plan. The doors were added and the walls were joined together to create the box structure, using the floor as a stiffner. Details such as the exterior walkboards, window sills and even the horseshoe at the box entrance were fixed into position. The stairs were produced using Ancorton Models kit, suitably modified to replicate the original structure. Roof guttering, drain pipes and the corner supports were represented using 1.5mm half round brass section, 1/16th diameter aluminium rod and 3mm by 1mm brass U section; all respectively from Eileen's Emporium. The drain pipes at the north end of the box flowed into a hopper, which was recreated from a Rememberance Day poppy head, suitably modified. The chimney was modeled from 2mm diameter brass tube, soldered together to form a Tee section. GWR Scale Link finials were modified to more closely resemble the GC pattern and fitted into position. The finished model was weathered using acrylic paints. The final job is to add interior lighting, which I intend to do using LED bulbs.

One of the more iconic features of Romford station are the overbridges. Bridge 102A (footbridge) was built in 1893 to link the Great Eastern Station to the London Tilbury & Southend Station. Bridge(s) 102 (Main and Electric lines) were built in 1931 as part of the four tracking and replaced the original brick arch structure, albeit some of the abutments were reused. I managed to ascertain the span length from scale drawings that I had acquired. The depth of the main girders was calculated from counting bricks on the adjacent abutments. The main web plates were constructed from 0.5mm thick Plasticard. The flanges were built up with 1mm plastic angle sections and a 0.5mm thick flange plate. The web stiffeners were made from 1.2mm plastic T” sections. I sprayed each complete girder with Halfords grey primer. The south span carried a number of cable troughs. These were constructed from 3mm square tube sections and were supported on brackets cut from chrome staples. When complete, the girder and associated cable runs were weathered. Archer rivet transfers were added to the top and side plates. The notable feature of the bridge was the large fluorescent lettering which featured on the north and south sides of the main girders. The wording read, “British Railways, Romford Station, Frequent Electric Trains to London”. I recreated the wording with 3mm and 5mm Slaters lettering, which was stuck to 0.5mm brass wires. The south span (Electric Lines) also incorporated a dual track overhead line (OLE) gantry (12/22) and integral signal gantry (R64). This was a highly unusual arrangement and one that has now been phased out, probably due to Electricity at Work regulations. The OLE gantry was constructed using brass sections and Weismann insulators (see my previous blog: The Only Way is….Romford – Part 3). The signal gantry (Electric Lines) was built from 1mm brass angle and 0.5mm brass wire to form the railings. I modified a Berko 4-aspect signal head to match to curved back plate that was prevalent on this stretch of line. The signal wires were threaded through 1.5mm brass tube, which was bent to recreate the dog-leg profile. The signal gantry deck was constructed from scored card and was suitably weathered. The OLE/signal gantry was sprayed with grey primer and fixed to the main girders on pre-assembled Plasticard supports. The whole structure was weathered and glued in to position on the baseboard. The footbridge was constructed using the same methodology as the main girders and incorporated a corrugated roof. Supporting arches for the roof were formed from laser cut Romark and included a channel for a longitudinal stiffening beam and lighting conduit. Three LEDs were wired along the length of the bridge and additional one for the height restriction sign. I used Ambis corrugated sheets for the roof which was formed over the supporting arches and glued into position.

Railway modelling for many of us is about recreating childhood memories. For me it was the Great Eastern Main Line. Despite the lure of the LMS with their magnificent Pacifics, it wasn't until I moved away from Essex that I realised how much I loved the Great Eastern with its varied EMUs and the resplendent diesels allocated to Stratford depot. So why Romford? I wanted a location which offered an interesting mix of railway operations and also a busy street scene. Romford offered all of this; an atmospheric coal yard, a branch line to Upminster with its red brick Midland station building unusually situated in LNER territory and a busy four track suburban and main line. The first step was the research, which I found as interesting as the modelling itself. The internet is a great font of knowledge. I was able to source numerous photographs from websites such as Flickr, to help recreate the virtual scene. However, nothing beats visiting the site and taking photographs and notes of the real thing. The key here is to take as many photographs from as many different angles as possible, as you never know when you will be able to go to site again or if indeed whether the subject will still be there when you go back. While on site, I also took the opportunity to visit the local library and was able to secure an Ordinance Survey map of the area for the era that I wanted to model; the 1970s early 1980s. Through my work as a railway engineer, I was also fortunate to secure copies of the permanent way layout and original LNER drawings of the station. I was however lacking information on the now demolished coal yard and goods shed. I will therefore need at some point, to visit Chelmsford library to view the Great Eastern Society's archive drawings. As the railway is elevated above the road and the main station building is integral with the western bridge abutment, this is where I needed to start my setting out from. I drew up the elevation using Microsoft Visio drawing software based upon dimensions from the LNER drawings and my extensive library of photographs. Sizing the building was relatively easy as it was possible to count the brick courses from my digital photographs. Once the drawing is complete, the next step is constructing the western station elevation. But that is another story...... To be continued.

This EFE bus was bought second hand for £10. Whilst being a reasonably accurate representation, the gloss finish looked hideous. The first job was to dismantle it entirely. The model is held together with three rivets. The front two rivets were removed by melting the plastic heads with a soldering iron. The rear rivet was drilled out, taking care not to remove too much material as the platform would be damaged. The interior seating was painted and hand painted Preiser figures added. I replaced the grab rail on the platform with 0.9mm brass wire, as the EFE rail was too large. I also fitted brass wire handrails to the platform entrance. With the interior complete, I sprayed the body with Halfords Grey primer followed by Tamiya Matt Red for the exterior and Precision Paints Cream for the upper deck ceiling. Fox transfers and flush glazing to the front, costing an eye watering £30 were added. I also replaced the rear lower deck window with Perspex, as the EFE glazing spoiled the view of the platform. The final touch was the rear-view mirror (Plasticard, kitchen foil and brass wire) and front indicators (Plasticard). The only task left is some minor weathering.

On Saturday 15th October 2022, we will be hosting an exhibition at Haddenham Village Hall on Banks Road in Haddenham (HP17 8EE). Doors will open at 10am and entrance to the exhibition is priced at only £5 for adults and £1 for children. Although there is limited free parking available at the Village Hall, visitors are encouraged to use the local 280 bus service. Further details can be found on our Facebook page: Risborough & District Model Railway Club | Facebook, our website: www.rdmrc.org.uk and our promotional YouTube video: Haddenham Model Railway Exhibition 2022 - YouTube

Pete, many thanks. I have just re-edited the photos, which you should be able to view now.

If you can get front ends, you could do a similar job to what I did on my Class 307: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/blogs/entry/20840-class-307/

In 2021, the Risborough & District Model Railway Club celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. The full history can be read from a link on the homepage of our website: http://www.rdmrc.org.uk/ Regards, Gary

George, let me know what Facebook page is still quoting that, and we will get it changed.

We were all looking forward to seeing Rossiter Rise too Terry. Hopefully, we will be able to arrange something later in the year.

After the disappointing news about RAILEX, it is with regret we now announce that RISEX 2022 has had to be cancelled, as the venue is still being used for COVID vaccinations. The Club however continues to investigate the opportunities for some form of show event later in the year. Watch our Facebook page for more details: Risborough & District Model Railway Club | Facebook

RISEX 2022 Poster. Risex 2022 poster Colour.pdf

A number of tutorial videos have now been downloaded on our YouTube channel. Topics include, 3D printing, laser cutting, building a PCB, resin casting and much more. Please feel free to browse and comment: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4eItEY8bcGpEXRGBNedvlg

Please find below a link to a video from one of our live sessions held at Virtual Railex 2021. The video details the experiences of one of our members in joining our Club. I commend it to anyone considering joining a model railway club. https://youtu.be/hOw5tExsY8o

I remember it well.

There is more to see on my blog:

Here are some shots of the finished bridge structures.

Here are some photographs of the finished main station building.

A relatively busy afternoon at Romford Station. A West Ham fan buys his paper before he sets off for the match. A number 87 bus approaches the traffic lights on its way to Harold Hill. Above, a class 307 EMU is about to depart for a service to Southend.

Many thanks for your comments. We will be putting the "how to" pdfs on the R&D MRC website http://www.rdmrc.org.uk/ and the tutorial videos on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4eItEY8bcGpEXRGBNedvlg

Virtual Railex 2021 Model Rail Exhibition is now open. Live sessions will commence at 11am. To access the exhibition, go to www.railex.org.uk.