sem34090

I suppose I could always knock some up for you - wouldn't take a few minutes. The sign at Alton is a preservation-era addition and is, I believe, based on a sign that was at Wokingham with the places swapped to match Alton. The pre-war shade, and possibly the shade used for signs throughout, has got a BS number and name, but I'm afraid I can't remember it; Ask @45655!!! (That's going to be my stock answer from now on for all things Southern, probably...)

Here's my attempt at putting a basic version of the font together from photos of real signs found online. Note that the 'SOUTHERN ELECTRIC' legend at the top of the sign on the right isn't my creation; it's a font that was made by Iain Logan and is available to download here; http://www.zoo.co.uk/iainlogan/commercial/index.html. The Target shape and arrow are part of the font - the target replaces '9' , a left-pointing arrow is '(' + ')' + '+' and a right-pointing one is '=' + '?' + '@'. What I've 'created' (hardly) is a fairly bold version, some signs use a lighter weight version - Compare this to the photo above, for example; But I think it captures a general sense of the font. It needs a lot of refinement really, but with a bit of playing in MS Publisher or a similar piece of software one ought to be able to produce something that is at least usable on a model railway. I'm now working on making it able to be downloaded by people here. I may put some time into reworking it with a bit of guidance from @45655 when he next has the (dis)pleasure of my company. Speaking of which, I have a period telephone directory to replicate... A font like this will never, never, be perfect as there is quite simply an almost endless number of variations from one sign to the next. Slightly differing weights, slightly differing character shapes; I've included two 'A's and two versions of '1', '3' and '4' alone! Some of the characters are very messy; I was working from photos found online after all and to do this properly would require someone with some actual graphic design skills (i.e. not me!). @45655 (Again) has already pointed out the issues with the 'L', 'N' and the spacing around the standard 'A' so i will probably resolve these at some point. Hopefully, once I've managed to upload a link to download it, someone finds this useful though!

I'm currently trying to get as many characters as I can together. So far I think I'm only missing 'Z', '?', '!', '-' and a few numbers. Obviously lower case is a non-entity here so I'll use that for some variations.

Making an alphabet could work... Thanks for the idea Kevin! Now, where to find those letters and characters not normally used on signs...

Bloomin' typical! I do a Google search for this, then click on this thread hoping it'd be useful only to be met with this! So... Does anybody know what font the Southern used for station signage and for loco numbering and lettering in the 1930s? Actually, I know that the answer is "on locos it was sign-written, on signs it came out of some sign-writer's pattern book" but I'm trying to find the closest thing I can. I've already been told that the station signs did not use Gill Sans and looking at a few examples there do seem to be differences.

I should've taken that advice the first time it was given! Hopefully they'll look good when they come back. I do trust @L49 to do a good job on them for me!!!

The past few days have seen a lot of paint spread about the place; Then a box arrived this morning containing lots of bits of white metal. They couldn't stay that way; makes the place look even more untidy! Then, having got the paint out...

Hmm... I still have a C and a P in Simplified and Full Wainwright liveries respectively... I'm wondering if a suitable micro project might be a generic pre-BR loco depot.

Not, strictly speaking, a layout topic but I've added some new stuff to my workbench;

Shock! Horror! Some modelling has been happening! I'm not happy with the panelling at the top and some of the rough edges elsewhere. Need a finer paintbrush. Additionally, some lumps of resin have arrived; Two Radley Models Q38 DM Bodies to fit chassis I already had. Unfortunately they don't quite fit so Phil is sending me some new floors and I'll use the existing bogies. I need to work out what chassis mods will be required to convert it to CO/CP stock given that CSG is a Metropolitan layout. I'm hoping to have my Dreadnoughts and T Stock back soon as well. I attempted to put these into Teak myself, but didn't make a very good job of it so handed them over to Charlie at CDC Designs for painting (not an available service but a favour from a friend). This was the original finish; Not terribly good. They look like they're much neater now;

The sub surface lines seemed to manage without gates, but then I suppose the tubes have their own unique problems should someone try something stupid.

Yes, but since when did the public ever listen to announcements?! I'm always surprised that the gate stock persisted for as long as it did, given the high staffing requirement.

Plus the practical purpose of seeing station names/tile patterns!

Depends which stock we're talking about. I was thinking about Ashburys and Dreadnoughts'.

Yes, but given only 6 miles of the Met is underground, and the mainline used to be over 40 miles long there would be plenty of daylight for the guards. I think Met coaches tended to have small windows on the ends of the brake coaches.

I should have thought that; The colour in the renders looks alright to me.

Obviously not the soundest guide, but most of these postcards indicate a shade of lake much like @AVS1998 describes. http://southeasternandchathamrailway.org.uk/gallery.html Some of the more distant ones are a more brown shade, the rail motor is the only one which to me even remotely resembles Bachmann's shade. But definitely these indicate to me that the shade on the side (i.e. the bit in direct virtual light) of the render screenshot above is a bit light. The shade on the buffers looks to be closer.

Looks really nice! I really do prefer that shade of lake to the Bachmann/Bluebell shade. In the render it's perhaps looking the tiniest bit too light (it reminds me more of Metropolitan 'Deep Red') but it's looking wonderful.

Unfortunately that is very much outside my price bracket, especially once one adds the wheels and motor.. I've also determined not to buy another etched kit until I've built the couple I've already got, having never built one before. I'm trying to think if any RTR chassis comes close, at least in wheelbase if not in wheel diameter.

I'm afraid that, to my eye, that doesn't quite look right as an A5 although I think it's a nice freelance 4-6-2T, paint job aside. Like the LT Panniers, it's nice but not quite what I'm after currently. Thanks to James and Richard for the drawing and carriage advice; I'll follow those up soon. Those sublime Y65 models have made me even more determined that I need an F7!

I hadn't spotted the Recreation 21 one, but even that's probably a bit too steep for what it is. Where would you suggest I find a decent drawing? I imagined that there would be quite a few, but I don't know who produced them. As for seeing the light, I should clarify that it's the Metropolitan stuff that's of the greatest interest here.

Well, none of those projects seem to have got much further, have they? Odiham has been stored since February, Canal Road never got started and Blackstone West has morphed into Chalfont St Giles pending a time when I can do Blackstone West justice. So, what of Chalfont St Giles? Well it seems I never posted about it here! I briefly mentioned it here; But, it seems, mentioned it no further. I suppose I had best explain the concept. The premise of the layout is a failed Metropolitan Railway scheme to extend to High Wycombe and potentially onwards towards Oxford that was thwarted by GWR opposition and the building of the GW/GC joint. The Met had, in this scenario, already made the required alterations for a junction North of Rickmansworth to accommodate the new line and owned the entirety of the proposed trackbed to a point just to the West of the village of Chalfont St Giles, as well as some of the land along the final stretch into High Wycombe. This latter was sold to the GW/GC Joint, and it was decided to build what could be built of the branch, with Chalfont St Giles Station opening in the early 1900s. Although a terminus it was originally built as a through station in the vain hope that someday an extension may be possible. Electrification came to the branch in 1926, with the station being significantly remodelled to accommodate the new service pattern which saw the change from Electric to Steam haulage, and vice versa taking place here after a year of this temporarily taking place at Rickmansworth. The intended 'Down' platform was demolished and the other original platform became one side of an Island platform, with a new station building being situated to the North East of the line to better serve newer housing developments in the area. Sidings were installed to the South of the station. So, why the change? 1.) I felt that the layout was too small to accommodate the sort of train length I was envisaging for Blackstone West. 2.) This also meant that the layout wasn't well suited to an operation pattern that would require locos to run round their trains. 3.) I've long wanted a London Transport layout. 4.) These Harrow Model Shop 'Dreadnoughts' came up on eBay at a very reasonable price. I now have a 4-Coach 'Dreadnought' set, a 4-Car 'T' Stock set, a 4-Car 1938 Tube Stock set and various other bits of LT stock that all became available at very reasonable prices during May and June. I also purchased a second Heljan Metropolitan Metro-Vick Bo-Bo electric and, because it was cheap and I like them, an Oxford Rail N7 to fulfill the role of 'an LNER passenger tank' until I sort out something more appropriate. With the Metropolitan (and implausible Bakerloo) side covered well enough for now (although some Met Steam locos are a must some day as I love them) I'm turning my attention to the GCR/LNER side. I'm essentially envisaging two periods for the layout; 1926-1934 and 1937-1941. I'm hoping that 1926 is early enough that I can still have some GCR-liveried stock in evidence. I've identified the following RTR locos as being of use to me, based on 1930s records of locos at Neasden shed; - Hornby B17 (Would need to find a larger tender as the LNER Green versions all have the GER-Type tender) - Bachmann J11 - Bachmann D11 That being said, the B17 and D11 are almost certainly too big, but I do very much like them. The main LNER loco that I need to source, however, is an ex-GCR A5; Those things were ubiquitous in that area. Ideally I'd have two; one in either GCR or LNER green and one in LNER Black. As the layout is end-to-end I would probably have different numbers and livery variations on each side. The A5 is a problem, however. As far as I can tell there is only one kit available in 4mm and it's very much outside my price bracket, given I've never built a brass loco kit before. The Nu-Cast kit seems rather elusive, and I've yet to find drawings to assist my drawing up some CAD and printing my own (assuming that such a big loco would even fit). I'm also contemplating a scratchbuild but drawings would still be a requirement. If anyone has any suggestions they'd be much appreciated. Other locos I'm looking to produce are an ex-GER F7 2-4-2T, several of which were used on LNER motor trains over the lines in this area, and an ex-GCR N5 0-6-2T. Eventually I may do some of the gorgeous GCR 4-6-0s and Atlantics but they're not really suited to the layout. The other area that needs addressing is LNER and GCR coaching stock. I have a stash of Triang Clerestories that may be of use here (The 50ft London Suburban stock is one candidate), but was wondering if anyone could say if Gresley suburban stock would be out of place here?

As far as I'm aware the KESR shade is more accurate, and to my eye more pleasing.

As far as I'm aware the MR tanks are only available via Shapeways, so are not available in pre-painted resin. They fit the Bachmann chassis, though I believe a version for the Hornby chassis may be coming at some point.

Rather like LNER Tourist livery, only without the black lining down the middle.