Recreating Leek station signal box

Many thanks! Some hours been spent on it that’s for sure!

 

Despite starting this project 3 years ago (really??) I’m still tweaking as I’m producing Paul’s model.. thankfully most bits are pre printing!
However when looking at looking at some recent artwork Paul commented on the fact I had missed some I beams out from under the lead in rail (the area on a signal box where the rods and wires come from)

so a quick amendment to add that in.

however it was noticed when referencing the photos that I had done the wrong pattern brick work on the lamp room/toilet block. This must have been a later extension as it was in English bond? Not Garden Wall as per the main structure..

So 45 mins spend on re bricking. Really an easy copy and paste exercise for 3 walls.

then I noticed the end door was two rows of bricks in not one.. so, move it over by 3mm and we come to the latest artwork..






I’ve since noticed an error on the telly wag pole so that’s also had some tweaking.. but I don’t even have that for my model..



Taken last night when the signalman was on duty (the block instrument shelf is absent due to work on it)


Needs a small trim up with a sharp blade but in 7mm through a window it may not be as visible as is here!

 

Before the final printing a few crossings of I’s and Dotting of T’s has taken place.

whilst re-reading this log a few days ago I noted Paul had commented on one of the other local boxes now preserved at Cheddleton (former Elton Crossing) had 3 phones when closed and moved..

which raised a question of how many did Leek have?

A quick WhatsApp message to a signalling friend and historian gleaned the information.. it also had 3. But where were they?



Normal practice in an NSR box was for them to be on the block shelf and other boxes to have them near the Train Register Book (TRB) desk.

we know that they were circuit phones A2106, A2112 (as above) and A2114. I'm pretty certain there wouldn't have been any more. So how to model…


the first idea was to put all three on the block instrument shelf, where as originally I had just had one..

but on discussing, it just didn’t look or feel correct.

it was then discussed if all three would have been on the back wall, but this was ruled out after the son of one of the former signalmen from our box studied some video footage and spotted there was at least one phone on the block shelf as he could see the wire hanging down. Bearing in mind it was filmed on the last day of passenger service and he recalled that the Rudyard equipment was later removed, we came to the conclusion that there would have been 2 phones present. So a mirror image block shelf was created.


Well, it’s not quite mirror image, but you get the idea.

so what of the third phone?

we opted that there would be one near the TRB desk, so why not hang it on the wall above with the now moved clock? It all seemed to make sense!



So that’s what we are now going for in the final version.
I have now started printing the signed off parts, so hopefully I can start sending these to Paul (Yorkie) for painting and building.

Andy

 

I took a few new render shots of the box following the change of the block shelf.. it was a lovely sunset outside!

 

Wow!
Thanks Paul.. wasn’t expecting that!

 

Thanks Mossy!

 

ha.. I’m looking forward to the day when I see your results!

 

Thank you!

 

Thank you!

 

Moving on, I’ve begun printing box number 2 and 3 for Paul and Fruit (aka Dave - no that’s not a Trigger reference Rodney!)

started with a base and had a big issue where it missed a section half way up.


I didn’t take any other photo of this one - you can see the back where it’s missing under the window.

And we try again..


With a little more success!
some of these issues are caused by its shape, which can cause a pumping action in the resin when the machine dips up and down, I may need a bigger delay or a higher lift … I’m not sure.


I moved on to the toilet block/lamp room which goes on the end of the signal box base. I needed 2.
First one came out ok as seen above…

however the next 2 both had fail issues.. again due to the resin pumping.

as can be seen with the one to the left, the wall has bulged - this is due to an internal wall inside. It was printed at 80 degrees to the base plate. The right hand one was printed at a 12 degree angle off the base plate and resulted in the roof having slice marks and again a missing section in the end wall. If you compare the two, you can see the different angles have even resulted in a different appearance of the brickwork sizes. Despite being exactly the same model.

The next idea for v3 was to remove the roof and also the middle wall. So the wall was changed to a triangle frame inside and the roof printed separate.


Thankfully we have a success again!

now for the cabin file.

 

Ha ha! Only one.. but one is mine, one for Paul for the layout, and one for fruit.