lash

Many thanks Chris most encouraging. Hope all ok in Leek and sunny Staffordshire. Wiring is all done with switches for sections and points installed in the front edge of the baseboards as this layout will be operated from the front. Hoping to test everything and trial running at the weekend, so no doubt frustration and dreadful language will follow in short order. Once that is done there’s more track stuff to do like the third rail and buffers. I’m planning to install dummy point motors. I’ll be using the old Hornby standard BR box from the Get Britain Modelling Melville Street Signal Box thread and the story is the LSWR box was bombed in the blitz and the replacement came with some modern kit.

Plenty done in the last couple of weeks and I’m taking a ground up and ground down approach. Track is laid on .5mm foam board and is a mixture of new and second hand Peco points and Bachmann track, all code 100 and acquired during lockdown one. I wasn’t going to pay the silly prices being asked for Peco plain track on line,so it’s not perfect but neither am I so that’s fine by me. Third rail will follow. Wiring (DC) and point motors are work in progress and has got to the oh bloody hell not again stage. I’m testing as I go along so hopefully no massive problems and it’s character building. Here are some pics for those of you that like bare track and spaghetti.

And here is the Terrier. Just gorgeous and how could I resist. Come on Hattons get those Southern 4 wheel coaches out and I can run a stunning replica of our local branch service, albeit on an urban 1970s layout. “

Been working on Wills platform canopies to go over the shelter and I quite like the look, albeit somewhat missing in the support department for the moment. The start of lockdown 2 seems to have shaken up my modelling mojo so hopefully Melville Street will be running before too long. Supplies of flux on the way to get wiring going. Point motors and switches have already arrived and general odds and ends ( plus an off piste Hornby Terrier I couldn’t resist given the name) purchased at Upstairs Downstairs in Sandown.

I have admired the Wills platform shelter kit for ages and the island platform at Melville Street will be perfect for the very Southern building. As ever close up digital photos are very cruel on detail !

Been working intermittently on Melville Street and have got to track laying. All the SMS boards are done with 5mm foamboard as a track base. Checking clearances with some early 70s stock.

Love this, I feel the cold through to my bones. Terrific modelling.

Love it great modelling

Very nice indeed. I’m using SMS boards on my not quite micro Melville Street ,great product good price and make life very easy.

Love this brilliant little layout full of inspiration

Oops well the world is upside down at the moment.

Progress with Lcut brick arches coming together nicely. I’m mocking up and chopping and changing the layout plan using odd bits of track and Peco point templates . There will be a few compromises but I like the look of it and will post more pics soon.

Work on the stairs from the Knightwing kit which I’m pleased with as a pretty neat start . They really are a bit chocolate box branch line at the moment but will end up heavily weathered with the rest of the station buildings.

Adam thanks for the comments so pleased you like MQ, its still a 200 miles away but hopefully as lock-down eases I will be able to get access to it and play trains while I build Melville Street Portsea Town will re-appear one day as a through station . I think longer EMUs will look good snakeing their way through the trackwork,but that's for the future. Melville Street will have a collection of mainly kitbashed and recycled buildings and i must admit I enjoy doing these more than the rolling stock kits I have been keeping myself busy with in recent weeks. So as whatever I decide to build appears as an RTR item as soon as I start it as well, it will be buildings and engineering works for me until the track arrives.

Baseboards now all built and after some time building rolling stock kits ( more on that later) I’m back on the layout . Track is planned mocked up and ordered and may arrive sometime this century so on with more mock ups and some buildings from what I have with me now. I did a thread for the revamped Hornby signal box and I’m now taking bits of a Knightwing footbridge to start on the station itself . Here’s the start.

Mark many thanks and yes rummage and give it a go , cheap cheerful and fun modelling . I’m hoping my local model shop is or will be opening soon so glazing and handrails soon I hope.

Used no more nails type adhesive for laminated foamboard boards with success, check out Milton Quay, great material in the right circumstances

First baseboard straightened out and built . Went together so well great design. Left for the glue to harden for now but couldn’t resist a bit of a hint of things to come with the signal box I fettled last week.

I’m in, brilliant we’ll done Andy and you all. That class 33 looks rather nice

Ok touching up done and I’m leaving it now . Close ups with digital cameras as cruel as ever but from a regular layout viewing distance it looks great . When I can lay my hands on suitable materials the box needs handrails for the stairs and glazing. Might possibly go for some very light sooty weathering but this a modern box and won’t have been subject to a century of grime. its been a fun week with this and if I can anyone can. Keep safe and happy modelling .

Been working on the signal box this week and that’s nearly done so far as I can go on lockdown , see the thread in the Get Britain Modelling section , do back to the layout today. Baseboards will be the Scale Model Scenery products and I bought a couple back in the heady days of early March. They for the lightweight robust transportable and easily stored require and seem well conceived and good value. The foamboard baseboards used for Milton Quay were great for that layout and do try them for a small layout but I wanted to try a more robust proprietary product. Unfortunately I didn’t store some of the components flat after unwrapping them and there has been a bit or warping . My fault entirely. So using a high tech laser guided precision tooled dewarping tool to sort the problem.

Bit of tidying and touching up last night and then couldn’t leave it and did a bit more when last coat wasn’t dry. Didn’t quite ######### the whole thing but I’ll wait a while now and do some rubbing down with those brilliant little modellers sanding sticks. No pic today of lack of progress but here’s a screen shot of a similar box from eBay as a bit of before and after.

Final coats of paint and a lot of tidying round the edges to be done . I’m letting it all dry out until tomorrow. closeups are very cruel but work to be done

Brickwork done with rubbing red brown and a blue coloured pencils over the concrete base coat with a bit of judicious rubbing and smudging . Quite pleased with progress . Think I’ll leave things there . Paint is acrylic but I’d still like to leave it a while before next coats.

A few base coats on . Concrete for the brick work wiped off so mainly stays in the mortar joints , a nondescript grey for the roof and cream for wood cladding . A lot more to do but drying and hardening for the moment. Brickwork is next