Great Chesterford Junction Part Two

Thank you Brian,
It`s hard to know when you start how it`s going to look, so I guess I just took a punt and hoped for a good result.
Gormo

 

Thanks Paul,
The mojo was just side tracked for a bit.
Gormo

 

Thanks Phil,
Sitting by the Goulburn river and drinking beer does sound pretty good.....
Gormo

 

Thanks for the suggestion Richard,
But I already have plans of sorts for the siding,however not set in concrete yet.
I rather like it as holding siding for wagons to be dispatched to other destinations. Trains can be assembled there.
On the other hand, Gary suggested a Creamery there, which I like as a going concern, but I also think some sort of Bond Store would work there too.
My original thoughts were a Bond Store so don`t be surprised if I come back to that.......I think it has more flexibility and could handle a wide range of goods or uses.
As you see, it`s up in the air until that light bulb moment turns on in my head.........it`s a combination of visual and practical and that`s not resolved yet.
All the best
Gormo

 

G`day Gary,
Probably GWR chocolate and cream......or the peachy GW colours.......not sure yet.?
Gormo

 

I`ve started putting down my thoughts on paper regarding Bamford station building.
I quite fancy Bewdley and also Hampton Loade but I think I lean towards Hampton Loade, being smaller.
That said, I think the final building / s will be a blending of the two.


And of course there will be a platform canopy as well
Gormo

 

I just found another picture of Hampton Loade today on my wallpaper software.......FONDO.....it`s a Linux program.
The picture appears to be taken from a footbridge height even though there is no footbridge at Hampton Loade, however when I saw the picture, I thought "Yes " that`s it.
So decision made regardless of whether it`s prototypically correct or not......it`s right for Bamford, so away we go.



Gormo

 

Most likely Brian
Gormo

 

The latest conversion



Gormo

 

G`day Folks,
I`ve started drawing up the basics for Bamford station building.
I am referring to photographs, mostly of Hampton Loade and unfortunately I have realized that the last picture I posted, supposedly of Hampton Loade, turns out to be some other station.
The window and door arrangement at the booking hall differs somewhat from Hampton Loade, although I do like the station....whatever it is..???...
So I am working on a compilation of sorts.
It`s early days at the moment, but when it looks right, I`ll print it out and glue it to mounting board and cut it out.
The walls will then be covered with brick paper and sills and lintels will be added. Chimney stacks will be a challenge as they always are.
I`m going to use some left over windows from Metcalfe kits, but it`s just a matter of getting everything to fit and look like the right proportions for the building.
Actually looking at this drawing, I just noticed a slight error, but thanks to drawing programs, you can just go back in and move things around or make adjustments.
The next stage is to create end elevations and there`s also another building that will be attached.


More as it happens
Gormo

 

G`day Folks,
I was just going through my archive curious to find the actual start date when the building of Great Chesterford Junction commenced.
It depends where you want to start from I guess, the conversion of the garage to fully lined which in turn led to building a dedicated work shop, which in turn led to building a dedicated train room all within the same building.......forgot to mention a storage shed was also built and tacked onto the back of the garage to allow trains to climb from Little Bardfield up to Bamford.
All of the above was a considerable amount of work spread over a few years as a part time project, however I guess the real start date comes after all that, when I first started fitting steel brackets to the walls to support the baseboards......and that date was the 17th May 2013.......so it`s coming up to a ten year build and actually I would like to have most of it finished this year.
I just need to get my finger out and make it happen.....
Part of my personal motivation is taking some pictures to remind me of what can be done, and what has been completed, and this sort of inspires me to keep cracking on.......looking beyond the plain bits of board and areas still without scenic treatment and jobs unfinished, towards a time when it can be displayed as mostly complete.
So I took some pics this afternoon and in most cases the phone was held upside down to get the lenses down low for those seemingly big shots.

You can almost feel the life size weight and bulk of a real 4MT in this shot.




I feel cameos are important.....I`ve always liked them.....and in this scene on GCJ we have Michael Portillo interviewing Isambard Kingdom Brunel for Great British Rail Journeys.
The camera crew is focused on the pair, but the station passengers and staff don`t seem to give a hoot about celebrities on the platform





Great Chesterford East here is a busy place with all sorts going on......this was my first attempt at having backgrounds falling away behind model buildings to suggest greater depth.





Work and conversation going on behind the shops




A scratch built plate girder bridge only just wide enough to get a truck across





More activity in GCJ East..........the background next to the model shop showing a lane leading away from the street was one of my own pictures taken in Bicester in Oxfordshire in 2013





And of course we must include Little Bardfield.........a little station where I just went for it scenery wise........very little in the way of buildings but plenty to look at





And the airfield at Little Bardfield invites curious schoolboys to check out the aircraft on the other side of the fence




A view from within the airfield rarely seen........military staff are everywhere........there must be an historic flypast event happening somewhere.??





Then we finish up with Ravencourt Castle perched on the hill up above the railway leading into Bamford.
Rumour has it that the castle is haunted by the Earl of Ravencourt who was imprisoned in the tower and eventually executed in the courtyard during the Civil War.




So you see folks, you create these little scenes or cameos in model form, and especially due to close up photography, the various stories and convenient histories I create to go with them start to seem quite believable and in fact true........whereas in reality they have just come from my crazy imagination.
I look forward to pressing onto completion, which in turn will allow me to create some more of these pocket fictions for Bamford.
Hope you enjoyed the picture show and the waffling on.
Gormo