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3 hours ago, Paul821 said:

Could you please at least start a thread somewhere that we could follow so we are informed when you end your well earned break?

Same here, would love to follow this as it progresses.

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Thank all, for the kind words of encouragement.   This is my first venture into a railway layout in over 60 years of model building and, as such, I didn't have the confidence or knowledge to do a working layout.

I have learned a lot about railway modelling during this GB, mostly  with help and advice from guys over on RMweb.  This is a diorama and I am using photos for reference as most of this area was demolished in the 1960's rebuild of the station.

 

I will set up a thread later and continue the build, to include the upper roadways and buildings etc.  I do have a wish to extend the diorama into the next area, of a similar size, which is the approaches to the station itself.  So, watch this space.

 

cheers,

 

Mike

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4 minutes ago, bootneck said:

I have asked the team to transfer this thread to the Work in progress - dioramas forum in order that I can continue with the build.

Your wish is our command, oh Mikey of Zummerzet. :worthy:

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I have managed to get some unpainted parts for an N gauge Jubilee class locomotive from Peter's Spares.  I shall have to scratchbuild the rest, but I don't know which green to paint it.  Any advice on which green in acrylics please?

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cheers,

Mike

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Hmm. I don’t know which acrylic would be correct, if I’m honest. What you need to be looking for is a deep Brunswick green. I’d be tempted to say, for British Railways, it’s very similar to the GWR green, but I reckon you’d get away with the classic Land Rover dark green at your scale.

 

If you're happy with Humbrol acrylics, No 3 Brunswick Green gloss. 

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On 7/11/2021 at 1:37 PM, bootneck said:

I shall take a break then resurrect this build and finish it in the Scratchbuilding forum.

No rest for the...

 

As far as Acrylics go you would try:

 

LIFECOLOR LC-XS10 BRITISH RAILWAYS EARLY PERIOD 1948/1959 ACRYLIC PAINT SET 1 (22ML X6) - I have tried these and are happy with the result

 

RailMatch 2300 BR Standard Loco Green (Acrylic) (18ml) - I have not tried these but they have been recommended to me by an experienced modeller

 

Humbrol AB2405 GWR/BR Green

 

I suggest you need at least one coach to go with it.

 

This - Graham Farish - 374-827B - LMS Stanier Brake Second Corridor BR Maroon and the associated coaches are nice but expensive

 

the Graham Farish BR Mk1's in Maroon would also do the job.

 

I would say one to avoid is the old N Gauge Lima N gauge coaches as they are the wrong length and do not have flush glazed windows. However I do have two which need attention with paint stripper - I would be happy to put them both in the post to you - free of charge. You could either repaint them or scrape the sides off, possibly cut some windows off and apply some self printed overlays to them,. PM me if you would like them.

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Ha Ha!  I can't even afford that for a loco, hence my little Lone Star loco gets pride of place on the layout.  

I shall look up those paints and see what the reviews say.

 

cheers,

 

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...

Mike maestro, what a wonderful project which has given me much pleasure and anticipation to read, when work on it becomes visible I will be alongside.

 

The Golden Eagle, what a blooming ugly building but I remember it well, my owner Gwyn used to frequent their jazz nights in the sixties.

 

Square black ceramic tile fascia all over, ugly but with a certain je-ne-sais-quoi possibly a slight sheen at this scale.

 

A good job you decided to model the Swallow St, Hill St Navigation St section because if you had gone further into the tunnels on the bridge you might not have been able to stop 'til you reached the bottom of the Lickey Incline, down the left hole in the ground a few miles...

 

Almost all of the brickwork was blue engineerings, with added soot.

 

Inches of it.

 

My dad would take me along Hill Street to the station side of the road on Sunday mornings where he could get his Scottish Sunday papers and I might get a comic from the magazine and newspaper kiosks that lined the road from Queens Drive to Navigation St, I know your spot quite well from a five year old's perspective. We lived nearby to Severn St.

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Hi Bill,

thanks and yes, the Golden Eagle was quite famous mid-sixties. 

The junction of Navigation Street and Hill Street was also the main bus interchange. 

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The Golden Eagle can be seen up the hill from this junction.

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I used to live in Gooch Street at the time, about a 15 minute walk to the station.  It was easy getting onto the platforms by going down Queen's Drive.

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I have had to move my little diorama to the shed as it was getting too large for modelling space in the house.  My [cunning] plan is to continue with this..................

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and also extend eastwards until at least the old great Market Hall in the Bull Ring.    Anyone remember the old double cassette recorders, as seen on the right here?

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This will make the layout about 8 feet wide by nearly four feet across.  :fool:

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I'm taking a temporary break from this as I have a few vehicles that I would like to draw up and 3D print, the CAD work takes quite a bit of time for me.

 

cheers,

Mike

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22 minutes ago, perdu said:

Will you be putting the bomb in the Market Hall?

Definitely.   If I remember correctly, it was 500Kg with the tail fins removed, probably got damaged on landing?

Mike

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Mike - do keep going but as for taking your time...

 

this looks like it might become the Brum equivalent of Copenhagen fields, the Model Railway Club;s 2mm scale model of the area north of Kings Cross. If BM'ers have not seen this it is worth seeking out at a model railway exhibition or looking it up on the internet.

 

However this is a multi person project and has taken 30 years to date and is not yet finished.

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Mine will also be a multi-person involvement........  one side of me says "get back into it and let's see more progress",  the other side says "don't forget all your other projects and get them done first"; :argue:  then, another part of me wants to strip it all down and start again as a working model, just like Copenhagen Fields!  :analintruder:

 

Mike

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You are right of course Bill;  I am a dioramatist and scratchbuilder and so won't actually make a working model.  It is 1:144 / N Gauge and who can afford N Gauge stuff nowadays?

I hope to get restarted on the signal box soon, I've managed to find some 3D levers on the web and have scaled them down and printed some in readiness.

cheers,
Mike

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Just catching up on this Mike.  The conundrum of track plans vs reality vs set track.  It’s a problem that explains why you see highly detailed models like Pendon where everything is hand built or approximations based on what you can buy.  I built my layout based on a real location but started from the available Peco set track for the main junction

 

lF5ftAK.jpg

 

Then built everything around where the track fitted.

 

KgGT54I.jpg
 

it works if you need it to run but it’s no good if you want the real detail

 

vqr1oZw.jpg
 

Keep up the good work.  Oh, and of course mine is a total compromise by being oo gauge.  1/87 HO track running 1/76 trains, but I am not scratching that lots in true 4mm!

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is a fantastic project, @bootneck. Even if there is no more progress, though it seems you are back on track %~)), what you have already done evokes childhood memories of looking down on railway activity in the North of England in the days of steam. Your diorama reminds me of the grimy railway setting that lies below Mrs Wilberforce’s house in The Ladykillers (1955), an atmospheric backdrop that remains sharply etched in my mind's eye. Was it the approaches to Kings Cross goods yard and the Caladonian tunnel?

 

Watched this short vid some time ago. Thought it might be of interest. Cheers.

 

 

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Hi Maginot,

 

thanks.  I am still plodding on with the build, much of it is research at the moment so no visual changes yet.  I am trying to work out what goes into the No.5 signal box apart from the 152 levers and support post for the external signal gantry.

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Now that the build has been separated from the "anything but injected" GB, I can now start to use plastruct's stairs and railing for the outdoor staircase.

 

Mike

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Levers to the front of the box (normally) colours differed according to use (signal, point, spare, locking etc). Block instruments on shelves above the levers. Desk for the 'box' register, probably one at each end for a box this size. Stoves for heating - probably located behind the solid panels on the side facing us in the above photo. In quieter boxes a comfy chair (typically not provided by the railway.

 

More impotantly than any of the above - mashing facilities.

 

There are loads of signal box interior pics out on the web.

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Just discovered this site:

 

https://www.s-r-s.org.uk/home.php

 

which says "(it is for) Modellers who want to ensure their layout is as realistic as possible, especially if working signalling is contemplated, and reflects correct operational practice. Where the model is of a real location, seeking factual detail to achieve accuracy.".

 

May be worth perusing for possible sources

 

Also found this sign on the Science Museum Group web site

 

2013-500-1

 

Copied under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0  from:

 

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co8384604/engine-spotting-at-birmingham-new-street-station

 

 

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