[Greyvoices]

Sunday morning,

This hobby is so diverse and that means that if one avenue becomes boring you can put it temporarily aside and move on to another activity. In that way it should never become a chore. Ok, so I have never painted 4mm figures. The very idea fills me with horror so I spend big bucks on Accurascale figures. (I am drifting away from my point). This morning I decided to put to one side the turntable and made a start on the platforms.

Dapol/Airfix/Kitmaster platform kit.

I had a few unopened kits that have been languishing in a drawer for many years and I decided to use them on this project. I had to buy a few extra. I remember building these kits 65 years ago when I was 10. There is a feeling of full circle to be using these again. I thought about using the Dapol canopy kits as well but the profile is wrong for Wells-next-the-Sea so I will be scratch building those. The brickwork I am using for the platforms is, once again, a sheet from Scalescenes. I have misplaced my guilotine so the cutting up could be a more enjoyable experience. I know that the platforms do not match the 1:1 platforms at Wells but I do think that they will make an attractive model. There are challenges with this station but in the end I am not creating an accurate facsimile but using Wells as an inspiration. Where I can I will try to honour the original but I started this project with the idea of having somewhere to display and test my 00 models.

I never visited Wells as a child but, years later it became a family favourite for holidays. My daughter has fond memories of camping near to the beach and wading out to Scolt Head Island (opposite Overy Staithe), eating fish & chips sitting on the harbour wall, the annual visit to the permanent model railway exhibition and so much else. So many memories. Modelling the station area has given me the chance to explore the history of Wells and this brings back the memories and atmosphere of those family holidays.

Now, back to the platform modelling to the backdrop of listening to, "The rest is politics" and their interview of Theresa May.

Best regards .................... Greyvoices (alias John)

PS. Well done the Roses.

 

[Eltonfrog]

Re painting figures, so far with my limited experience some are easier than others.
The most challenging ones I’ve done where the white plastic PECO figures I did recently, I didn’t like those, the detail was difficult to see, and the surface wasn’t very nice.

The best ones are ModelU I’ve been pleased with the results of those.

 

[Greyvoices]

It's getting spooky. Carl suggests ModelU in that last post and within a couple of hours I get an email from Rails of Sheffield promoting ........... yes you've guessed it .............. ModelU.

I pressed on with the platform kitbuilding.

There is a fair amount of warp and bend on these components and they have to be forced to straigthen and marry up. Not surprising given the age of the tooling ............. surely not the originals. There is only a slight amount of flash so I expect that the molds have been replaced; perhaps more than once.

Still some filler needed on the odd gap but I'm not displeased with this result. The platforms will be 1 metre long over the ramps so that means that two more of this double width section to complete the island platform. The platform backing onto the shed building will be half the width so that should be easier. Then there is a cross piece needed to link the two platforms to the station house/booking office.

Would it have been easier with moden laser cut kits or perhaps a Metcalfe card platform? Probably but I wanted to use up these old kits and as I wrote before, there is a nostalgic pleasure in modelling with what is in effect 1950's technology. I am going to stiffen the platforms once the full metre length is built ..................... a bracing of a longitudinal strip of wood with the odd cross member. I like to build strong.

I have a slight dip in the middle of my desk and the modelling whatever it's called thing that I am now using is following that dip despite me using two layered cutting mats. So I have a problem of getting a flat surface as a reference point. I have ordered a couple of paynes of toughened glass. That should sort it.

Best regards ......................... Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[Norman Byrne]

Hi John,
That looks like impressive progress & as you said previously one of the beauties of railway modelling being the freedom to start / do something totally different from what you have been doing for sure.
Can remember building some of those platform kits many years ago now; & actually think still have some somewhere in a box in the Loft - what shape they are now who knows !
Anyway also sounds like you are having Fun / Enjoying it too, which is all the better
Cheers for now & Happy Modelling, Norm

 

[34C]

It's getting spooky. Carl suggests ModelU in that last post and within a couple of hours I get an email from Rails of Sheffield promoting ........... yes you've guessed it .............. ModelU.

Ah, your interest showed up in the low orbit satellite download about 90 minutes following the thought. Have you failed to invest in an aluminium foil helmet by any chance?

 

[Greyvoices]

Ah, your interest showed up in the low orbit satellite download about 90 minutes following the thought. Have you failed to invest in an aluminium foil helmet by any chance?

Goodness knows what would happen if that low orbit satelite could respond to my thoughts that quickly. I am now keeping a wary eye on my front yard in case Sophia Loren should decide to pay me a visit. I don't need to speculate how SWMBO would react to that.

Still from, "A boy on a dolphin" 1957 Hopefully this image is ok David.

Best regards ....................... Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[Shedman]

If she turned up today I don't think she'd be looking that good!

 

[Eltonfrog]

It's getting spooky. Carl suggests ModelU in that last post and within a couple of hours I get an email from Rails of Sheffield promoting ........... yes you've guessed it .............. ModelU.

Ah, your interest showed up in the low orbit satellite download about 90 minutes following the thought. Have you failed to invest in an aluminium foil helmet by any chance?

They walk amongst us.

 

[Greyvoices]

Tuesday afternoon,

I have kept on with the platform construction and completed one of them:

That was a bit of a struggle as the parts are very .................. bent. That is the platform that will sit hard up against the loco shed wall. It's 3 feet in length and is a fair length for Wells. I scaled the platforms from the track diagrams, the turntale being a known 45'. How accurate the draughtsman was is another matter but assuming the dimensions are nigh on is a safe bet for a model railway that is not striving for complete accuracy.

Curves on Sophia are a good thing (see post #66). Curves on kit parts that should be straight are a bad thing. You can see how I have had to brace the sides so that their rigidity takes out the curves on the platform surfaces. New glass surface gives me a flat surface at last. Amazon kitchen chopping block.

The island platform is now two thirds constructed so I am on the last lap. I have already primed the island platform (with the usual Halfords spray can) and there was a deal of satifaction in having a rigid model that at the outset looked impossible to tame.

The track and turnouts are now to hand (or they all will be when the final points arrive tomorrow). Time for a baseboard to leave the shed and take up residence in the house. This evening's task is to soften up SWMBO.

Best regards ...................... Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[Norman Byrne]

Hi John,
That looks like excellent progress, its surprising how long a 3ft / 1m platform model actually is when looking for a temporary home - even on a reasonable sized desk or table isn't it.
Well percivered with the old kit bent / warped parts and all, lots of satisfaction in the finished result for sure. Did you use timber strengtheners on its underside in the end ?
Good Luck on this evenings Major Task & will look forward to seeing the baseboard next. Cheers as always, Norm

 

[Eltonfrog]

That platform looks excellent.

 

[Shedman]

Is the platform nice and level now? Suppose when it's glued down to board that'll tighten it up but just wondered if a soak in very hot water might make it more pliable and conducive to reshaping.
Only concern now I suppose would be what that would do to adhesive and paint.
Best I shut up then!

 

[Greyvoices]

There will be more bracing at the back of that platform John. Perhaps a keyway attached to the shed wall for it to rest upon.

Best regards ........................ Greyvoices (alias john)

 

[Greyvoices]

One baseboard is now resting on the dining table. No dinner guests planned for a couple of weeks so I think that I will not be disturbed for a few days.

I am busy on the last foot of the island platform and once completed I can marry all the pieces together. The track is DCC Concepts Legacy Bullhead that I purchased in bulk before the pandemic struck. I was going to use their point kits but Peco has come along and I've chosen to take the easy option. At the buffer stops there will be a short concourse section and then a half relief station building. I have two options to hand but neither seems to suit (I want the correct roof profile) so am still on the lookout.

The loco and goods shed combined building, such a feature of Wells, has had me going backwards and forwards. I thought of using a Metcalfe shed as a basis but once again was not entirely convinced. Just yesterday I chanced upon a contribution on MRF by Dawn Quest about Lasercut buildings and it led to me checking out In The Greenwood website. This was Dawn's post that got me thinking Lasercut pros & cons.

In the Greenwood make a two track engine shed and a goods shed which share the same profile. I ordered both lasercut kits and plan to build them end to end after the setup at Wells. I just have to plain wall the platform facing walls (brick fill the windows) and hopefully that will do the trick. I sort of wish that I had found this companies platform kits earlier but I am not far off completing the Dapol version so no late changes of plan there.

It should be fun marrying these two buildings together.

Back to work though I'll not be modelling into the evening as I have a meeting to go to.

Best regards ............................ Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[Norman Byrne]

Hi John,
That's looking very impressive.
Also good find on Dawn's front & the Laser Cut kits too.
Just thought also worth mentioning if there are any other specific / one off type buildings or facades / etc that you have in mind - DaveH in Spain is always well worth bearing in mind to have a chat with too perhaps; he's very creative to say the least - the High Level Signal Box being a good example of the results of such a previous discussion
Cheers again for now, Norm

 

[Rich]

If she turned up today I don't think she'd be looking that good!

OOPS!! You killed my thoughts!

 

[Greyvoices]

Friday afternoon update.

The dry layout with turnouts and turntable etc. showed that with a bit of jiggery pokery this project should work in the space I have available. I can add another foot to the length of the baseboard which gives me 7 foot to play with. I am not happy with the platforms. My decision to go with nostalgia and relive modelling with Kitmaster/Airfix kits was foolish. What did it for me was the ridge running down the centre of the island platform. I cannot live with that.

It doesn't look much at the moment but this is just at the "proof of concept" stage.

I still await the arrival of the two "In the Greenwood" kits (engine & goods sheds) and if I like them I may go with their platform kits.
There has been success on the signalbox photo quest; they have been lurking in the Stanley C. Jenkins book but I missed them as two pages were stubbornly clinging to each other:

This view showing the rationalised trackwork just prior to closure but it does show the extra connection off the Fakenham route running around the back of the signalbox.

As the text says, a view from 1936 showing the harbour branch to the left and the Heacham branch to the right. Notice that there is no track branching off the Fakenham line unning around the back of the signalbox. This is clearly shown in later track diagrams towards the end of the LNER in the late forties.
This line had a profound effect on operations in the station and is dictating the trackwork that I am modelling. I will return to this in a subsequent post.

The Wills signalbox kit is a good fit though the steps are to the wrong end in my model. I asked Copilot if the kit could be built right or left handed and it/he/she assurres me that it can. I will have to buy the kit to achieve this.

Now, back to the cricket on youtube. Derbyshire have forced Kent to follow on before tea on the third day. Kent is now 46 - 3 and still trailing by 381 runs.

Best regards .......................... Greyvoices (alias John)

 

[Norman Byrne]

Hi John,
Platform ridge apart that all seems like good news, also finding the signal box photos too.
Know you will have already made your mind up on the platform front - but the first signal box photo above looking down / up the length of the actual real platforms, does have a lot of ridges running right along the platforms top surface, albeit not right down the middle - don't suppose weeds / greenery would make any difference .......................
Those two photos also show signals, loading gauge & telegraph poles very well too - it all helps in the detail after all.
Also good news from the Proof of Concept dry layout things seem to have worked space wise too - & sure that extra foot in length will come to good use too
Cheers for now, Norm

 

[Rich]

Friday afternoon update.

The dry layout with turnouts and turntable etc. showed that with a bit of jiggery pokery this project should work in the space I have available. I can add another foot to the length of the baseboard which gives me 7 foot to play with. I am not happy with the platforms. My decision to go with nostalgia and relive modelling with Kitmaster/Airfix kits was foolish. What did it for me was the ridge running down the centre of the island platform. I cannot live with that.

View attachment 40418
It doesn't look much at the moment but this is just at the "proof of concept" stage.

I still await the arrival of the two "In the Greenwood" kits (engine & goods sheds) and if I like them I may go with their platform kits.
There has been success on the signalbox photo quest; they have been lurking in the Stanley C. Jenkins book but I missed them as two pages were stubbornly clinging to each other:

View attachment 40419
This view showing the rationalised trackwork just prior to closure but it does show the extra connection off the Fakenham route running around the back of the signalbox.
View attachment 40420
As the text says, a view from 1936 showing the harbour branch to the left and the Heacham branch to the right. Notice that there is no track branching off the Fakenham line unning around the back of the signalbox. This is clearly shown in later track diagrams towards the end of the LNER in the late forties.
This line had a profound effect on operations in the station and is dictating the trackwork that I am modelling. I will return to this in a subsequent post.

The Wills signalbox kit is a good fit though the steps are to the wrong end in my model. I asked Copilot if the kit could be built right or left handed and it/he/she assurres me that it can. I will have to buy the kit to achieve this.

Now, back to the cricket on youtube. Derbyshire have forced Kent to follow on before tea on the third day. Kent is now 46 - 3 and still trailing by 381 runs.

Best regards .......................... Greyvoices (alias John)

Friday afternoon update.

The dry layout with turnouts and turntable etc. showed that with a bit of jiggery pokery this project should work in the space I have available. I can add another foot to the length of the baseboard which gives me 7 foot to play with. I am not happy with the platforms. My decision to go with nostalgia and relive modelling with Kitmaster/Airfix kits was foolish. What did it for me was the ridge running down the centre of the island platform. I cannot live with that.

View attachment 40418
It doesn't look much at the moment but this is just at the "proof of concept" stage.

I still await the arrival of the two "In the Greenwood" kits (engine & goods sheds) and if I like them I may go with their platform kits.
There has been success on the signalbox photo quest; they have been lurking in the Stanley C. Jenkins book but I missed them as two pages were stubbornly clinging to each other:

View attachment 40419
This view showing the rationalised trackwork just prior to closure but it does show the extra connection off the Fakenham route running around the back of the signalbox.
View attachment 40420
As the text says, a view from 1936 showing the harbour branch to the left and the Heacham branch to the right. Notice that there is no track branching off the Fakenham line unning around the back of the signalbox. This is clearly shown in later track diagrams towards the end of the LNER in the late forties.
This line had a profound effect on operations in the station and is dictating the trackwork that I am modelling. I will return to this in a subsequent post.

The Wills signalbox kit is a good fit though the steps are to the wrong end in my model. I asked Copilot if the kit could be built right or left handed and it/he/she assurres me that it can. I will have to buy the kit to achieve this.

Now, back to the cricket on youtube. Derbyshire have forced Kent to follow on before tea on the third day. Kent is now 46 - 3 and still trailing by 381 runs.

Best regards .......................... Greyvoices (alias John)

Have found that many of my mistakes modeling eventually worked out with a better solution, yours will also.

 

[Greyvoices]

Sunday morning,

I have, " Reasons to be cheerful" running in my head following two days of sporting delight with Derbyshire completing their huge win over Kent and our magnificent women winning the Rugby world cup. What performances. I'm also cheerful as my two buildings from In the Greenwood arrived Saturday morning and I really like the look of these kits.

I am going to modify the roof but here I used the roof sections as supplied to make sure that the building was square. The goods shed will be stuck on the end of the engine shed and the completed building will be 34 centimetres long. The front of the shed will be changed to reflect the look of the building at Wells and the challenge to realistically paint the brickwork is possibly going to be a struggle ............ but a struggle that I look forward to.

The back cover illustration of the Stanley C. Jenkins book shows the front corner of the engine shed and that brickwork shows the passage of time.

I am so pleased with the kits and I am happy with my decision to not use the Metcalfe shed building. I have ordered the platform kits from In the Greenwood today. It has not been a waste of time to grapple with the Dapol platform kits; I had to get it out of my system. Once the shed and platforms are complete and married up I can finalise the trackwork, lay some cork really start to get somewhere.

Have found that many of my mistakes modeling eventually worked out with a better solution, yours will also.

How true that is Rich.

Best regards .................... Greyvoices (alias John)