P4NewStreet - modelling Birmingham (UK) in the 1980's - 1:76 scale

[jim s-w]

Thanks Kim

New street signal box is unique in the Uk (probably the world) and is a listed building.  Below is the model from the road side



And from track side



And a little bit of lens flair



Regards

Jim

[finescalerr]

I don't know how to comment about the puddles but I'm glad you're back. I thought you had dropped off the planet. -- Russ

[jim s-w]

Thanks Russ

Any feedback/opinion on the puddles will be very welcome as its a kind of all or nothing thing.  If its a bad idea, looks crap whatever I'd rather people said so I don't do it, If someone has another way I'm happy to experiment and try other things.  

Please just say what you think as its something I'd like to do but it's going to bugger up a lot of work if I get it wrong.

Regards

Jim

[Hauk]

Thanks russ

Any feedback/opinion on the puddles will be very welcome as its a kind of all or nothing thing.  If its a bad idea, looks crap whatever I'd rather people said so I don't do it, If someone has another way I'm happy to experiment and try other things. 

Please just say what you think as its something I'd like to do but it's going to bugger up a lot of work if I get it wrong.

Regards

Jim

The puddles are certainly a novelty. I think the puddles on the first picture looks very convincing. But it looks like the platform has been hosed down, not like it is wet after the rain. The other pictures look more like puddles from rain, but those pictures are harder to judge since there are no other scale objects visible.

I am not sure they are worth the trouble. For instance, you will have to dust them off every time you want to take a picture. Dust on water must be one of the ultimate spoilers in scale model photography.

[jim s-w]

That's a very good point Hauk.  I too have found dusty water a real spoiler not only in photos but also at exhibitions.

Regards

Jim

[artizen]

I would leave the puddles off unless you can think of a way of covering them 99% of the time to keep them spotless. Might be in the too-hard category though.

Good to see you posting again on here again. Sounds like you are appreciated more on this forum than that other one!

[Ray Dunakin]

The puddles in the first pic look pretty good to me. The puddles with discoloration might be an improvement but it's hard to tell since the angle of the photo and lighting is different.

Sadly, I must agree with the others that dust will likely be a problem. Too bad because the effect you're trying to achieve is something that I would like to see modeled. Maybe it would be better suited for a diorama in a sealed case?

[jim s-w]

Thanks for the comments guys.  If I mention that the layout will only do a maximum of 2 shows a year and will spent the other 360 days stored in it travel packs (vertically) do we still think dust will be a problem?  Bear in mind that before a show it will probably spent a couple of hours being bounced arround in the back of a large van too. 

Regards

Jim

[1-32]

hi
really nice craftmanship but i have to confess to liking the heratage style of english boxes.the new signal box must have combined many old  mechanical and electric relay boxes into one location. it is very much a style of the new british railways after the government  took over the big 4 private railway companies.
kind regards kim

[jim s-w]

Hi Kim

New streets history is a bit odd.  Originally built in the mid 1800s it was actually 2 stations side by side (built by different companies) and separated by a road (queens drive) that ran down the middle.  When the railways were nationalised the station remained the same with 4 signal boxes on site.  The rebuild was in the 1960s where all of the signal boxes were replaced with this one, on the site of the west end turntable.  The currect signal box took over signalling for several miles in each direction.

Regards

Jim

[marc_reusser]

Jim,

I echo everyone's sentiments, its great to see you back, and progressing on this build.

Nice work on the signal box. How did you construct it?

[jim s-w]

Thanks Marc

I have to admit I have become somewhat disillusioned with forums over the last year.  Most have become all about opening RTR boxes and how much money people are spending with absolutely no constructive feedback at all (although some don't really have any actual modelling to give feedback about).  Obviously that certainly doesn't apply here and while I haven't posted much I have been checking in regularily to see what every one is up to.  Suffice to say I tend to get more out of one visit here than a month of the other forums I am on put together.  Ok some comments are a bit blunt but we don't need to sugar cote stuff do we?  That is the big difference as with other places you have to be so careful about making sure someone doesn't read something wrongly that it's hardly worth bothering.  As Russ so rightly said the other day, if people are nit picking we can all take a great deal of encouragement from the fact that they don't see major problems.

Anyway, to your question.  The signal box is nothing cleverer than a big Perspex box with windows built up from microstrip.  Originally I made a master for the cladding and copied it in resin. I got quite far with it actually



But I had to admit to myself that the cladding was crap and there was nothing for it than rip it all off and do it again. This time with evergreen section.  A sort of backwards compliment I got for the finished model was when a guy from network rail accused me of trespassing to get a picture, he didn't realise he was looking at the model!

There is still more to do on the interior.

Regards

Jim

[michael mott]

Hi Jim, looking at your signal box brought back a lot of memories of sweating over the external cladding of a number of odd looking buildings that I fabricated for Architect clients when I worked commercially. I don't think I could work on a plex box architectural model again if you paid me.  Your comment about being accused of trespassing made me smile, because in one of pictures I did a double take because I thought you were showing the prototype, it was the "dinky toys " that gave it away

Michael 

[Chuck Doan]

I had to look up signal box-now I get it. I like it, and remember seeing the plastic box type construction used. I always thought it was a good way to keep the windows even.

[jim s-w]

Thanks chaps

I have been busy doing reppetative tasks for details under the roof, the main ones being these pillars



I drew the pattern in illustrator and my friend laser cut them onto paper for me.  I'm about half way through the 80 or so I need.  Not all have monitors though, I only needed to do 40 of them! The ones without brackets will go on the none public side.

. This is how they look in situe so far.

I have also built 8 of these timetable boards, the time tables being edited from a photo I found of one from the correct period.



Regards

Jim