grahame

I've cut three wall panels from brick embossed styrene sheet. Just the side one is glued in place - the other two will need window apertures cut, details added, painted and windows fitted before being fixed in place. Then I gave it a dusting of grey primer (without the two front brick panels) and again tested it in place: That'll be it for today - I need to get some lunch, have a shower and get ready for the regular Friday afternoon session in the local.

Next I added the roof tent frame from mountboard: Then I added the roof panels from thinner card ready to have Redutex self adhesive tiling applied. And knocked up the lean-to part of the building from mountboard with a plasticard sloping roof (to make it easy to apply any detailing panels with solvent adhesive). I then check that the structure will fit it's intended location on the layout and found it to be a good fit. The space for it has effectively been formed by extending the low relief cathedral back to the side backscene board (see earlier in this thread). The front wall will be cut from brick embossed plasticard and detailed with styrene strip, etc.

First I marked up, and cut a kit of parts from mountboard to form the carcase: Then they were glued together with superglue to form the carcase, ensuring it was as square as possible:

Here's a pic of Montague Chambers (by Jim Osley and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons). It's a delightful little building tucked away and hemmed in. The white building on the right is Bank Chambers (Barrowboy and Banker) and on the left is part of Southwark Cathedral. The railings go around the cathedral kitchen garden (yet to be modelled) in front of the lady chapel and below Borough High Street.

The next building project for the layout is Montague Chambers. It's a small, but interesting building, crammed in next to Southwark cathedral and partially behind Bank Chambers (now the Barrowboy and Banker pub but previously the first ever Nat West Bank). It should be viewable on the layout and will help fill a gap. I measured the floor plan area to fit the layout and sketched the front elevation to size. Next I'll draw it up accurately on card ready to cut.

A little progress with the first bits of track laid. But it's slow going especially in this heat - the highest temperature in the UK today was just two miles down the road. And I've yet to build the remaining viaduct decking . . . . that involves carpentry and it's too hot for that.

I made some N/2mm Warwells and Warflats from NGS kits a while back. They were fairly straightforward and I'm pleased with the results:

Or the Bricklayers Arms goods depot.

With the planned period for the layout being from the end of 1970s to the beginning of the 1990s (and between the two station rebuilds) I've updated the thread title to reflect this. Although this puts it firmly out of the steam era I'll possibly find an excuse to run my SR class Z loco:

"I'm still waiting for my Accuratail model of that loco cat." There! I've corrected it for you. ;-)

Here's a composite aerial view of the station before rebuilding and roughly of the area of the layout and fairly close to the period - there are a few new buildings as part of the 'more London' developments in the photo that are not in my model but it gives a good idea of the locality including many of the buildings since demolished.

A residential tower block, based on a real one from New Cross Gate, SE14, made by traditional modelling of hacking and gluing cardboard and plasticard in N/2mm scale.

Of course the earth is flat. If you sail to the edge you'll fall off. Doncha?

One other alternative to deliberately and strategically placing blockers to manage the view, is where on a layout based on a real location there are various natural and manmade obstacles already in place that block sightlines. For example on the layout I'm building, not only is all the railway on a viaduct (giving a more elevated view above the already high baseboard height) but, being based on an urban location, there are many buildings that will obscure the view of the railway forcing a viewer to change position. And some pretty tall ones even in N/2mm scale. For example this residential block that I've just made (although not quite finished), based on a real tower block in New Cross Gate, while only 11 stories high (should be 13) would still tower over the viaduct - luckily it will be placed behind. And the two commercial blocks on the layout which, while reduced in scale height, are still each over 20 inches tall. Here's my unfinished model of New London Bridge House. And the railway on the viaduct will run behind it even when in it's correct location. Plenty of opportunity for view blocking:

I've finally got the windows fitted. I can now put this project to one side (for later final detailing and weathering) and concentrate on the layout.

So sad to hear this. George was an inspiration, a great guy, and always with a friendly word.

I've now got some paint on the block. And painting those thin lines by hand wasn't easy nor are the result particularly neat but it'll have to do. The windows are yet to be fitted and is likely to be another tricky and fiddly job.

I don't think it's a matter of being planned to be finished. It's more a case of persistent evolving, upgrading and change for development and improvement as buildings fall in to disrepair and out of use. I doubt it'll ever be the case that London is ever finished.

Thanks. I did see the Google view of the Colechurch House roof bar. It doesn't look like the sort of place I'd go but it probably would be interesting for the views and experience. I've mulled for long over the foot bridge across Tooley Street - it would have been in period (at least for some of it) but I've cheated a little with the buildings. I've missed one out (due to lack of space) and the other I've made is Dominion House which has been demolished but was better looking (architecturally) than the replacement. Consequently I've deemed Cottons Centre as too modern (and too large) to include. On this site you can see a pic of Dominion House in 1980 (it's copyright protected) but it was soon demolished: https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/view-item?i=54218&WINID=1693207284495 Notice the roof top advertising hoardings to be seen from the trains on the viaduct. I've yet to make them. Here's my model version of Dominion House: I remember using the bridge with the escalators down on the north side. You used to be able to then go through the Cottons Centre ground floor, with its art gallery, to the river but they blocked that route off and forced you to Hays Galleria. You also used to be able to go down and take a subterranean passage which eventually came up in the No.1 LB (PW?) reception area much to the annoyance of the security people. They also quickly prevented that route.

Finally, I've got all the brick panels on. It's now the homeward straight - painting, windows/doors and any extra details.

As a break from the tedium of panel bashing, I decided to make the roof top building (that accommodates the lift winding room, water tanks and so on) this morning. I was surprised how tall and large it was from the plans I have (12ft tall and 32ft long). I knocked my version up from plasticard sheet, gave it a dusting of grey primer and glued it to the roof:

Slow but steady progress this afternoon on the panel bashing.

This thread is new to me. There's some excellent and interesting work and developments on it.

Cutting the wall panels and adding them is tedious and time consuming, but they do look quite good. I think this decorative work may take some time.

All the card bits are cut and glued on leaving the cladding to be added from plasticard. I've given it a dusting of grey primer which when dry makes any unwanted hairy and fluffy bits and strands go hard and easy to cut and file off with a sanding stick.