Yorkie's competition entry Drewry shunter

Yes quite correct Cidge, its so the parcels staff can sit down and watch telly on a night shift... just wait till I model the sleeping bags and pillows which will be strategically placed on the parcel counters.

 

Thanks Cidge... comment much appreciated

 

I thought I'd show the shape the windows are going to be in the parcels office, this is a typical North Staffordshire Railway style which often varied in widths and size, this pair of windows are at Cheddleton on the Churnet Line. Photo courtesy of Ernie Sollis who most kindly measured the quions for me so I had something tangible to work with on my next main diorama of Leek station.

 

I decided to experiment as only three window frames are needed in the scene so here is the process I'm going with for now. I glued the basic plasticard piece in place marking a centre line to vertical which is my guide in forming the three regular shapes, next using a round file I worked down the centreline until I had the correct depth, then the material on either side was removed into the basic shape using a flat file. Now I had a Vee which needed trimming on the sides to create the curve, again I used the round file for this gently and carefully filing back so as not to over cut the shape, from then on it was just a matter of balancing the arc on both side to make an equal form. The window on the right shows the start point, the centre one shows how the basic form was shaped and the left side window shows fettling to final shape. The next job then will be to create a frame surround with glazing bars which will overlay the stone quions from behind.

 

Its often incredibly difficult to see how well a shape has turned out if manually carving white plasticard because of the light reflections and shadow, a plotter would help and I'll be looking into that purchase at some point but right now cannot justify the outlay. So with the three window quions filed into shape I gave the piece a quick blast over with grey primer which would show up the shortfalls, the right hand window on its left hand top slope needs a little more work I feel. Once done I will make up a brass template form of the wooden window frame and cut three out from 1mm plasticard... these will be fitted to the rear side of the window opening and later on glazed. After making the door and frame and fitting in place the fine stuff needs to be attended to, the scene will need a platform scale, a ledger desk, a porters barrow, a sack truck, a clerks desk, the wall mounted cupboard to store consignment records and labels and a couple of chairs then a myriad of different size parcels... oh and a wall mounted clock with walnut surround and brass bezel. Hopefully that will set the scene I seek to portray.

 

Yes it shocked me too... thanks Andy but don't rest too much as you have about thirty of these with varying configurations of doors and windows to design for 3D printing on the Leek station model .. you really are the main man here dude.

 

I think this lockdown has driven me to a higher state of lunacy than normal. This is why...

firstly a brass template was made and then the first window frame was cut from 0.7mm Plasticard and two mega thin strips added in to represent glazing bars, the frame is a bit too wide for my liking but does look ok when slotted into a recess I made in the quions. Only another two to make then I'll glue them in place and fettle any lumpy areas afterwards. The width of the frame on the uprights is 1.25mm which stacks up at around 2 inches when upscaled and is about the same size as the real ones.

 

Labour of love Toto, two more to go then move onto making the door then with luck that is all the structural building stuff done. I can then make a start on the furniture detailing before adding in the narrative to suggest a story.

 

Finally managed to finish the window frames today and give them a dusting of grey primer, I though since it was May I'd give the windows a nice backdrop so what better than Mayflower a lovely green LNER loco.

 

The scene starts to take on a character of its own with a simple theatrical backdrop, all still experimental at this stage as I haven't decided how the vista will be presented on the final form.

 

Thanks Mark comments as feedback are always much appreciated, I've moved it on a bit since then by nearly completing the door entrance and door, that takes me to the stage of painting the walls. Its actually a parcels office and the side benches are the parcel sorting and holding racks... I've got other stuff made for this scene and more stuff yet to do, hopefully the paint will arrive shortly from Gaugemaster. I'm going for pre war LMS internal livery set in 1950's British Railways time period. Many station interiors located on backwater and secondary lines never received the BR internal colours of Apple Green and Velum or the slightly later colour scheme of Portland White and Drab Olive Green or Pale Grey... and sometimes a combination of both. The LMS internal colours were upper walls either Deep Cream or Light Biscuit, lower walls to dad was Middle Brunswick with either a one and a quarter inch think black band separating both colours or the dado and window frames in Middle Brown as per was at in Alton Towers station until a few years ago.

 

Pushed this project forward a bit more today as there is still a lot to do, the windows got some security bars added which were made up from 0.07mm wire and some think bits of scrap etch and glued into position. Started applying paint and got the upper walls into a faded colour of Light Biscuit, since this picture was taken today I've distressed the walls a bit to reveal lime plaster underneath in a few areas, the dado green is Mid Brunswick and the first ground coat applied so I can get a feel for how this will be. More thin coats will bring out the depth of tones and I can then start distressing that too. Hopefully if my replacement O Ring arrives from Graphic Air I shall be able to airbrush dirt and distemper onto the walls... this missing O Ring is another story altogether and I spent most of yesterday afternoon trying to work out why my Iwata Eclispe would not draw paint but yet would decant a nice flow of air.... anyway its a tenner just for a replacement tiny piece of rubber. The daft thing is several weeks ago I found a tiny O Ring on the workshop floor and binned it as I thought it was rubbish.

 

I quite like how the acrylic black paint isn't covering the grey primer so well on the fire, with a bit of carefull brushing it may be possible to create a cast iron effect... we shall see.