Yes. I’ve started another project for OO and O as there were one or two persons (not here... yet) that asked about this box... Can you guess where it is yet? The lower locking room windows are only temproray as they are the wrong height. Also a side window to add Progress on the porch area. I don’t want to count how many bricks I have had to copy and paste and there is still a chimney to do yet.
Go get these one or two persons Andy... we don't want anyone to miss out ... just don't mention to Dundee Paul where this building was otherwise it could bring back bad memories of Cyril's barber's shop for him.
It's short of a roof, level crossing, and a pub across the road to carry out proper observations - the stairs were always an optional extra. Looking good Andy
Little bit of progress. Early fitting of the stairs, but still with wrong windows for the locking room. Nearly there.stairs adjusted, (wooden style not the tubular) correct locking room windows with lintle. Just locking room door and window on other side to do. Roof to complete and some work to finish the chimney. Estimate around £62-65 for OO scale.
I didn’t like the colour of the bricks (funny I seem to do that with every model!) So, here is the virtually finished model. Complete with BR Enamel sign and glazing (for the photos only. I can’t do these in the print... yet!) Enjoy.. Inside with the woodwork removed. Interior decor for the photos only. But what to do with the fireplace/chimney? Front view Front view Backside view Backside view
Blythe Bridge. Now that takes me back, I used to court a lassie from there. I visited her one weekend and went for the train to Derby to connect with the last train to Chesterfield. Only it never arrived. So I waited for the next scheduled train which arrived on time but got into Derby 10 minutes after the last train. I then made the decision to thumb it home, at midnight. A van pulled up after walking for about 15 minutes, I just got to the rear of it when they drove off b^&$£"*s. I walked for around an hour when a chap pulled up and offered to take me as far as Alfreton, roughly halfway home, which I gladly accepted, but that was the only lift I got that night. I arrived home just after dawn absolutely shattered. I slept all day and only got up for something to eat. I recounted my tale to a friend who worked in the booking office at Chesterfield station and he informed me that as the train for my connection hadn't arrived, I could have demanded a taxi to take me home . Cheer's, Pete.
Oh Pete! What an interesting tale! Alfreton is about 4 miles from me! (I’m the other side of the M1 at sutton in Ashfield.) so I can visualise exactly where you mean. Andy
So, the chimney breast. As it was pointed out to me in a PM (that’s York Paul!) I’d forgot to taper it!! So, after an early finish and a little bit of light research this morning at work, I came up with this. So I decided to have a half hearted attempt at drawing it up in OO scale.. Sadly being a black cast fire place it’s a little dark, so, here it is with the roof removed.. thoughts? Would this have been right? Or will it be acceptable? Andy
Hi Pete, A 7mm Model will be coming. Hopefully around the same time, but be aware that as it’s bigger it is much more money. I need to go over the 7mm version, as with the cleverness of 3D drawing, you can simply scale up.. however, the down side to that is that walls sometimes become over think (for what is needed to print. A minimum of .7mm is required in any scale, but as you can imagine if you scale up a 4mm thinkness to 7mm, becomes 1.225mm and you have to ask, what does need to be that think and what can be reduced back to .7mm again.?) I’ll give a price when this is known and run through the tests. Andy
Is that an NSR style / design cast fire surround Andy? Let me tell you how the fire arrangement was at Stallington... yes I know that was an NSR Type 1 derivative of the later McKenzie style but the internal chimney breast was parallel to the ceiling as t would have been at BB, the flue bend being inside the stack which was designed to add strength to the external rear wall, below the operating room floor the chimney breast was designed so that an arch was built in to support the threshold and the arch was carried on two brick columns... in other words imagine the same width of the chimney breast but hollowed out in the centre and then just below the locking room ceiling or operating floor the two brick columns came together to form an arch. This then took the weight of the firegrate and upper stack, now originally this was an open hearth but in later Victorian times a cast Sylvester stove pot was installed in a cast tray ... so there was never a fancy cast fire surround. The grate was simply a slate surround with a slate mantle held on two stone supports either side of the slate surround... same as the weighbridge mess room at Chedd There was also a stone slab to hold the grate tray on and this slab was set into the chimney breast brickwork, the wooden floorboards and joists around the fire area were packed with sand. Now the base of the chimney breast as I mentioned in the locking room below was actually a lavatory closet in which the erstwhile NSR provided a wooden lift up lid which revealed a ceramic pot which was held captive in a wooded form. Go inside the locking room at Leekbrook to see what I mean ... if this early closet is still in situ or failing that take a visit to Sudbury Crossing box and ask the signalman if you can see in the locking room as Sudbury is the same but without the closet... last time I was in there that space was used to house a bank of DS1 ringing cells and wet caustic track circuit feeds, but that was years ago now.
So scrap the fire surround? I dont think the weighbridge fire has worked in over ten years since we out grew it and moved to the portacabin. I’m not even sure if it’s still in situe?
This is how I would plan the model Andy without telling you your trade, chimney breast sides would be parallel to the cabin ceiling... the early type NSR signal cabin has a flat ceiling which was planked, I would get rid of the fancy fire surround as they were never fitted in such places unless your name is Luke Longbottom or W.D Phillips and your office is fully oak paneled and has a nice view overlooking Winton Square and the taxi rank. I'll try and source you a picture of a basic slab slate fire surround and hearth with threshold. The stove pot and cinder tray is the same design as the one you saw when you went to measure up Hassall Green box. Another tip DON'T base historical accuracy on what is seen at preservation lines because there is a very good chance even they haven't got things totally accurate themselves, recreating heritage is a very disciplined gendre with rules to observe if you aim to represent something as it actually was. However the model is looking superb Andy and I for one only want you to succeed as one of the best in your field and if I can pass you the knowledge to achieve this aim I will.
Paul, couldn’t have done much of the models without your help and knowledge. For which I’m most grateful. I’ll stand by progressing further till I know more etc but will amend the Brest so its parallel. Andy