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MAY 2023 UPDATE
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STEVE CARTER
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KARL CROWTHER
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PETE JOHNSON
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KIER HARDY
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The four sides of the 1960s block have been assembled with various frame members now cut to
size. Small brick infill pieces are fitted beneath the ground floor windows, each set back
slightly which in the case of real life buildings allows water to drip off and thus prevent
ingress into the interior.
The building measures 345 x 155 x 145mm (l x w x h) and has gone together with only minimal
bowing which will be remedied with internal bracing. The right hand end will house a reception
area and staircase for accessing the upper level and covered walkway whilst a flat roof will
rest on the interior beading and will be slightly smaller to give the illusion of drainage
channels feeding into down spouts.
The function of the building is a test and research laboratory thus the rear side will host
air extraction and other ancillary services so only two window units have been fitted to
illuminate a corridor and stairs (the walkway will eventually link into the building at the
same level as the uppermost unit). End access doors for equipment delivery are fitted to the
end and a small fire door has been installed to the rear.
A small selection of ancillary fittings for adding to the exterior. The large ducting has
utilised parts of a Triang Trestrol and Airfix Esso tank wagon left over from previous
projects. The small fan is from a long defunct Airfix helicopter kit whilst the ventilation
grill has been fabricated from Evergreen 0.40" clapboard sheet (Part No. 4041) and 1.5mm
angle strip (Part No. 291).
As mentioned a set of stairs will link upper and ground floors and will be fitted towards
the rear of the reception area. This area will be the only visible point of the interior so
an attempt to portray them has seen a Ratio wooden staircase (Part No. 142) drafted into use.
The hand rails will be substituted for more suitable interior types as the two sets will turn
through 90 degrees using a small landing area.
One task this last month has been to build and install the bufferstops at Kentside station.
They are based on the L&Y pattern produced by Lanarkshire Models & Supplies. They are very
close to the Furness type, the main difference being that while the L&Y ones had three upright
rails each side, the FR ones only had two. This therefore needs a bit of surgery to remove the
unwanted rail. Once that was done, I made a little jig out of mounting card to set out the
sleeper & rail positions etc. There seemed to be variation on the Furness as to whether the
upright rails were positioned either inside, or outside of the running rails and I’ve tried
to reflect this in the models, attempting to make each one subtly different. Also, there’s
a ‘rogue’ L&Y one (top left) built before I realised they should only have two uprights!
Further progress has been made at Kentside bringing together the various walling elements,
with most of these now fixed in place. Notice here I’ve now revised the location of the
platform shelter building as alluded to last month, to offer an unobstructed view across the
estuary. Note also the goods shed stonework has been re-touched to blend in better with the
rest – plus it also now has a full compliment of doors fitted.
A closer view of the completed access ramp to the Down platform. The present gap in the wall
over the underpass between the platform shelter and the adjacent section of wall will be
bridged by a metal railing fence.
Seen from the opposite end; I noticed at Greenodd that the distinctive brick walls edging
the platform, stopped at the distal end with the remainder having metal rail fencing, so
that’s also what is intended here.
The signal box in its new setting. I still need to re-touch the brickwork to more closely
match the more recent efforts – it should be slightly more ‘yellowy’ and the blue bricks
need to be darker and more, well, blue.
And finally a view of a couple of the newly installed buffer stops, with beyond, the ramp
down to the underpass. Again the gap in the wall above the bridge parapet will have metal
railing fencing. Obviously there remain various small gaps to be filled in places.
A new project is underway thanks to a visit by Robert Rogers to the Kendal exhibition in
January. Robert was able to supply another motor/gearbox unit, and a North British 330hp
0-4-0 for London Docks in the 1960s seemed an ideal use for it. The Judith Edge etched kit
is well underway, and is building up into a superbly detailed model of the type.
A rather older kit is this 1/76 JB Models Landrover dating from the early 1990s bought on
Ebay. The tooling for this kit was later bought by Airfix and has been released under their
brand on a few occasions.
After the successful Mini wheelbase extension for the Mk1 Transit a similar conversion allows
for a long wheelbase Series 2 for the 1960s. The plastic kit makes for easy adaptation to suit
the radio-control chassis, and allows the addition of various detailing items.
An underside view shows the cut-and-shut done on the Turbo Racer Mini mechanism.
The finished Landrover and Sankey trailer, bringing the challenge of trailer reversing to
4mm scale – let the mayhem begin!
Canada Street will be at a couple of exhibitions during May, beginning with Expo EM in
Bracknell. This appearance was originally scheduled for 2020 but lost to the Covid lockdown.
Later in the month we will be at the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association show in Worthing – hope to
see you at one of these!
An East Anglian sequence is planned for Bracknell to give D2556 and the two diesel tram engines
an outing. Split-box Class 37 D6739 is likely to also be involved……
This last month has seen a start on a new DMU project - a Class 104 for Hornsey Broadway
using the Hornby Class 110 for the conversion. The 3-car set will be made up of a DMC + TBS
+ DMC as allocated to Stratford depot, formed from ex-North Eastern based 4-car sets. The
biggest hurdle is extending the bogie centres to a scale 40ft, so it was decided to dispense
with the Hornby bogie cradle arrangement and make new pivot points at 160mm on rebuilt
crossmembers for the two driving cars. This view shows an unmodified chassis at the top and
the modified chassis below with the slab sided underframe removed.
I've decided to retain the Hornby bogies, but this has involved a lot of surgery removing
the baseplate and adding a crossbeam with bearing pads to accomodate 3-point suspension.
Brass wire retainers have been added to prevent the wheelsets falling out when picking
the unit up. The centre car has been modified to allow a Railroad motor bogie to be
accomodated in the guards section, with the trailing bogie (and electrical pick-ups) also
mounted at 160mm centres.
The chassis are seen here almost completed and have been test run for a few circuits on the
layout. Kadee buckeye couplers have been fitted without their draft boxes (due to the close
proximity of the repositioned bogies), which will allow the opportunity to run hybrid
formations with other blue square DMUs in the fleet such as Class 105 & 111. The bogies are
now fixed in place with screws, and the underframe details have been 3D printed and affixed to
the strengthened and weighted chassis. The next job on the list is the bodies, as the side
profile needs attention and the beading removed from around the window apertures.
Bomb damaged areas and slum clearance sites were still common in the 1960s & 1970s, usually
fenced off awaiting redevelopment. This plot of land next to the pub features partially
filled in cellars with the vegetation starting to take hold.
A start has been made on the back fence using corrugated sheets fixed to the framework,
with the remainder of the boundary fence under construction.
Now a few snaps taken from recent running sessions, starting with Brush type 4 - 1516
heading north with a Pullman service.
E6048 from the Shenston Road fleet is joined by Hornsey resident E6018 at the head of an
inter-regional mixed freight.
Peak 7 Ingleborough pilots Peak 5 Cross Fell with a northbound freight.
After featuring Paul's J94 Binnewith last month, Greg's sister J94 Chaucer is seen
here. Both were extensively used on the Eastwell Ironstone layout until its final
appearance at the York show in 2001.
