Progress with my Station Building

[Bullhead]

Based on the attractive mock-Tudor/Elizabethan building at Richmond, here's a quick picture of progress so far. It's all Plastikard in construction with Milliput detailing and is sprayed in primer. Still lots of work to do, mostly on the roofs and the installation of window frames and glazing - and then, of course, the substantial train shed.



The picture was a bit rushed and shows up imperfections which will be dealt with in due course, but I wanted to show it off as I am really enjoying building it. Ken Hoole's drawings in "North Eastern Branch Line Termini" are invaluable.

[Rlangham]

Wow, that's a beauty!

[Colombo]

Bullhead,

That really is a beauty. I see that you have produced a mirror image of Mr G T Andrew's original.

I myself chose the same station as a prototype 25 years ago, out of cardboard, and I have retained the station buildings for old times sake. The train shed fell to bits!

Have you seen the model of Richmond Station in the Richmondshire Museum?

Keep up the good work.

Colombo

[Bullhead]

I see that you have produced a mirror image of Mr G T Andrew's original.

My loft is back-to-front...thank goodness for clever photocopiers.

My next puzzle is the train shed. I suppose I will have to make a jig upon which I will solder up the delicate lateral bracing assemblies (around 48 or so) using brass rod, and will base the whole lot on columns from the Peco "Manyways" station roof spaced with Scale Link etched brackets. Alternatively I may use Plastruct rod instead of brass, but am reluctant to sacrifice durability for ease of construction.

It's at times like this that human life seems uncomfortably short, don't you find?

The pic of a previous model of Richmond is very interesting, and shows some of the liberties I have taken with my own: in particular, I have reduced the size of the water tank (preferring a Wills ready-made item) and have altered the number and height of the chimney stacks. Nevertheless, I am fairly happy with the way it looks but may feel differently when I start making the window frames individually from Slaters Microstrip.

[richard]

Yes - some very good stations. I'm not sure if I'd have the patience to model such a large real-life structure!


Bullhead: I like your new 'avatar' - looks like it is from "The General"?


Richard

[Colombo]

I did not have the luxury of an architectural drawing to work from and so I had to make do with scaling the station from a number of photographs using my son as a measuring stick. He was exactly 5 ft tall at the time.

I did not do a very good job of the train shed: the station was on a baseboard across the end of a single garage and so you could not see into it. Later, when we moved to a house with a double garage, Richmond became a through station to give my son the opportunity to build a station of his own further up the valley, as it were.

I loook forward to seeing your completed station.

Colombo

[Bullhead]

I look forward to seeing your completed station.

At this rate, it will be about 2016...

And Newcastle United still won't have won anything

[GeoffB]

Hi Guys,

Wow - excellent work - and all in 4mm I take it?

I've a while to go till I get to the buildings works yet, but am starting on walls and embankment retaining walls for when I get going on the outside (garden) rails in the summer.

When you mentioned the windows, would it not be possible to make a master, make a mould and cast them in resin? That's assuming there are a lot of same size ones.

In 7mm, we have to make a lot of bits in cast resin from molds. The retaining walls and wall sections I mentioned are an example as there are around 60ft or more of each to make and doing them in plastikard would be extremely time consuming and expensive.

Keep up the good work, Bullhead.

GeoffB

[Bullhead]

All in 4mm I take it?

Yes. And 16.5mm gauge with flat-bottomed rails.

When you mentioned the windows, would it not be possible to make a master, make a mould and cast them in resin?

I have wondered about seeing whether I can get someone to etch some brass frames for me - the thought of fiddling about with Microstrip for so many windows doesn't fill me with enthusiasm. I hadn't considered resin but now you come to mention it, it may be worth a shot. Are there any decent starter casting kits available, and/or websites on the subject?

Thanks for the encouragement. It's because of websites like this that I have dusted everything down and made a start on modelling again!

[GeoffB]

Hi Bullhead,

I have worked quite a lot with silicone rubber molds (made some modular construction concrete viaducts - about 3ft high - for the garden railways from rubber molds) and resin with a lot of success. I made platform edges in resin - and sold quite a number too, which paid for most of the materials into the bargain - my platforms are around 12 feet long and there arefour at that length plus another bay road a around 5 feet long.

The guy I could suggest is Peter Turnock at Bentley Chemicals who's number is 01562 515121 - Peter is interested in model railways and he will remember me doing the viaducts (then as FiveOmodels) before ill health curtailed it. He will be able to advise you the best ways of going about this.

A site to visit is the SmoothOn website - an American site (Peter's company are the importers for smooth on along with other makes). The site is extremely informative and will tell you just about all you need to know to do casting.

Best of luck and keep up the good work. I have included a piccie of the viaducts for you to see.

Regards,
GeoffB