Pylon King

Another from late 1972 , sadly the book never made it to the printers.

Recently looked through a few more photos from the Rovex Studio Archive . This one dates from autumn 1970 , although part of the Track Plans Book /1971 catalogue layout , it has never been featured in any publication .

Quick photo shoot at Kernow Models Guildford today.

1:76 scale 132kV PL1 pylon with communications antennas.

For lower voltage models (33-132kV) I would recommend using 2mm angle (outer) with 1.2mm angle (inner) for the tower corners , double bracing will make them far more stable as the plastic tends to expand/contract when bonded . The majority of cross bracing uses 1.6mm angles which are manufactured by Plastruct .

Severn Models brass kit photos.

The Science and Industry Museum Manchester website have a few CEB pylon design drawings from 1928 . They make excellent templates should you want to scratch build them . The finished models are in 1:76 scale and made from Plastruct/Evergreen Plastics.

N gauge scratch built spotted at the Astolat open day 21st August..

1:76 scale 400kV National Grid maintenance team still hard at work.

A couple more 66/33kV model photo’s .

The Gaugemaster kit was originally produced by North American company Atlas and is indeed 1:87 scale . With prototypical British power grid infrastructure in 1:76 scale , modellers have generally had limited options . Severn Models and N-SCENIC produce brass/laser cut products which greatly reduce costs . Substations are more or less non existent with only Hornby and Bachmann focusing on 11kV and third rail structures while P&D Marsh have a 132kV substation , sadly only available in N . The most logical reason is down to production costs ,as substations tend to be rather complex structures , affordable injection tooling would be prohibitive.

1:76 scale 132kV ‘polons’ , very prolific on the British landscape but rarely featured in the modelling world.

Great article covering constructing the Severn Model pylon kit back in March . I’ve scratch built quite a few 1:76 scale pylon models using the original CEGB/National Grid blueprints/drawings for accuracy, very time consuming but worth it , all are British designs .

400kV line maintenance still ongoing .

400kV maintenance still ongoing .

Auhagen kit .

Another model , this 1:76 scale British sub was constructed back in the 1960’s .

East Worthing .

Took a photo featuring the sub at Basingstoke which is situated between the mainline and National Grid substation.

Hornby Scaledale 11kV version.

Only Hornby (Scaledale 11kV) and Bachmann (Scenecraft SR 3rd rail) have produced dedicated British designs in 1:76 scale while the P&D Marsh (132kV) sub is available in N.

It appears to be originally made by Atlas .

No doubt there’s a degree of modelling license in this kit ,.

Originally this was probably manufactured abroad under a different brand ,especially as Gaugemaster’s Fordhampton range also features a few ex Hornby kits too. In terms of off the shelf British prototypical substation models , very little appears to have been produced .