Lynton Engine Shed

Lynton Engine Shed

This was my first "major" building and it would have new challenges to be resolved. The first and very important one was how to create the stone sides. I bought various manufacturer's embossed plastic as I felt it needed to provide a 3D effect. Having looked at other people's models I wasn't comfortable having to paint every stone and I didn't think I could create a realistic enough "look". Also the plastic embossed sheets tended to be somewhat "over embossed", exaggerating the look. My researches continued and for a short few months my local book and magazine seller was carrying UK magazines, Model Rail and Railway Modeller (sadly now stopped). I came a cross an advert for Scalescenes and looked them up on the web. For a VERY modest price I could download a file that I could print as many times as I liked. So I downloaded (didn't have to wait 10 days for mail delivery - instantaneous!) a couple that looked possible and printed them on matte photo card. Wow, one of them was exactly what I was looking for. Bob Barnard had told me about a year ago that for his model of Lynton, he had taken photos of the actual Lynton building stonework and created photo files which he printed and stuck on his models. To me they looked very convincing. I gave each "print" a very light spray of Dullcote matte varnish to seal it (Bob B. recommended this) and it was ready for cutting.

Now I could start on the structure. Again as in the previous buildings I scanned Steve Phillips' drawing so that I didn't mark his beautiful book. I also scanned all the other drawings at this time of the rest of the Lynton structures ready for when I needed them. I use these scanned drawings to measure accurately all the dimensions and mark them on the drawing - it's easy to forget a dimension!

I started with one side and marked and cut out the window openings, in 1mm Evergreen styrene .I then cut a second one identical to the first for the inside wall as the thickness of the wall totalled 5mm. The 2 sides were separated by Plastruct styrene strip 2.4mm x 6.4mm ensuring the window openings and the ends had this strip flush with the sides as well as spaced out ones along the side. I subsequently had to add more as the side was warping slightly.

I then cut the Scalescenes' stone paper accurately. I also cut the window sills and lintels and painted those concrete.
Next I made the windows out of the correct size strip styrene glazed them the same as the signal cabin, but also sprayed  them on the inside with ModelMaster Transparent Black Window Tint to simulate dirty smoked windows. Also added the wood strip under the roof edge and the vertical wood strips to support the enamel adverts. These adverts were made by finding pictures on Google images and creating high quality correct size prints and cutting those out. The west wall was then made and "wallpapered"  and insides of each wall both "wallpapered" and given a very thin white paint wash.

Now it was time to think about the roof. One of my local hobby shops had 3.5mm scale corrugated metal and it looked about right. When I got it home I found it was exactly the roof depth, so I didn't have to cut it along the corrugations, which would have been extremely difficult without distorting it. Now, how could I support it. No drawings or photos showed this so I had to improvise..This is the result:

Also showing one of the doors, which took a long time to scribe, cut and frame, only to have them all warp. Also I found out the diagonal supports ran the wrong way - Duh! Check the drawings and photos Mike before gluing! So I still have to remake the doors. The long wire attached to the door is an experiment, as I want to be able to remotely open and close them using servos, which I researched before PECO came out with their complete kit.

Now you might be wondering what is that plinth on the bottom of the sides for Mike? Well I decided to place the shed in this condition over a piece of track and check stock went through. Guess what? No it didn't! On Steve's drawing I hadn't taken into account the height of the model rail. Check and re-check measurements, Mike! It will be hidden by ballast/ash/weeds etc when "planted" so it won't notice.

So this is what it looks like in its current state. I haven't decided on the method of finally fixing the roof and sides together. I might just wait until the layout is ready for it to "plant" it and glue it down when I'm exactly happy with its positioning. Also I can't put the roof on until the pivot extensions on the doors are fitted through the baseboard for connection to the servos. I also still have to work out how to create and put the roof ridge on. I've tried aluminium sheet strip but I just cannot hold it accurately enough to provide the final shape. More thought needed here. I also need to create the 2 smoke outlets.

Well that's the Engine Shed so far and it will have to wait a long time before it gets more attention, while I build the other buildings and then the baseboards.

Although I started on the station master's bungalow, work stopped on it for more research, so I started the Station building. The next post will be this Station building progress as it is so far.

Lynton Lamp Hut

SR Lamp Hut, Corfe Castle, Dorset, before restoration

This was the only picture I could find of a "real" SR Lamp Hut, which I had taken many years ago on the Swanage line, long before restoration. but at least I had a "feel" of it. The photo was taken from a long way away (I didn't even "see" it then) so I've had to zoom in considerably, hence its graininess. Better than nothing though. To me there's nothing like having a picture of what you are trying to reproduce. It gives me that depth that a drawing has great difficulty in portraying. Hence I have a large collection of photos, in books, the L&BR magazine from issue No. 1 and plenty of actual photos bought mostly decades ago in sometimes the most unlikely places - just keeping my eyes open, because one day I might build a model of it!

As with the Signal Cabin (see post of August 31, 2014), I made a scan of Steve Phillips' drawing from his book. It looked pretty simple - should be able to get this done in a couple of hours!! Well, working out how it could fit together BEFORE cutting styrene was an important part of the planning. Even then, the first couple of sides had to be re-made. The roof was made using a piece of 2mm styrene and marking a line from corner to corner for the top. Then with first a fairly coarse file holding it an angle equal to the slope of the roof and parallel to the first side, I filed it down to near where it needed to be ensuring I kept it just below the centre point of where the 2 corner to corner lines intersected. I did this on the other 3 sides and then finished it off very carefully with a fine file to the exact contour. It was actually quite easy as long as you keep the file moving absolutely straight and not in an arc, which many people tend to do - just takes practice and a keen eye and a steady hand.
This is the hut before the roof edging pieces were added.

Now the "box" is ready for paint. I used Woodland Scenics' concrete water wash for the body and black tarmac for the roof. Humbrol satin 131 for the SR green.

And here it is painted. I'm not too proud of the green, I need to tidy up those edges. At normal viewing distance you cannot see, but when a train enters the station with my micro video camera, or close up photos, it could become very evident. One of those tasks it's easy to put off.

The enamel sign was made using the method described in the Signal Cabin post. The 2 "cast" (etched) signs will be made in due course - it's expensive making one-offs.

Well that's the Lamp Hut made. Now if I had been thinking ahead and had really looked at the whole plan of the station environs in detail, I would have seen that there is a second identical hut, used as a coal store for the station. I've only found one photo showing a part of it and none showing the doors, so I don't know what, if any, signs it had. Bob Barnard has one on his 4mm Lynton layout - a gerat inspiration. Now I have to try and remember how I put it together to make another one! Taking photos of progress does have advantages! I thoroughly recommend it. I didn't keep an exact track of the time to put it all together, but I estimate it was about 10 hours and not the 2 I had originally reckoned on. The second one will probably be much closer to the 2 hours - we'll see!

The next post will be the Engine Shed. See you then.