7mm Millicent Street

Rippers

Western Thunderer
Just out of interest,is the warehouse shell all made out of ply;and if so, what have you used to bond the plasticard to it with?.

Like the etch details btw.

Brian.

Cheers.

Yep, all the buildings are built around plywood shells.

Colin is a cabinet maker by trade (he used to be a commercial baseboard and model display case builder too) and tends to use timber for building …..well pretty much everything he can!!.;)

If memory serves he uses the same superglues in modelling that he did for cabinet work.

As for the etched details the building includes a pair of very unusual oval windows with brick surrounds. So, like the Hull & Barnsley signs, none are commercially available so we had them created thanks to the etching talents of one of our number.
 

Brian T

Western Thunderer
Thanks for the reply Rippers.

The only time i`ve used a 'wooden shell',i used contact adhesive to stick the plasticard to it.But unfortunately i had mixed results,as it melted the
rear in some places which showed through on the brick face.:rant:

Next time it`s super glue!.

Cheers,
Brian.
 

Rippers

Western Thunderer
More progress as the part completed façade of the first of the factory buildings that will form the backdrop of the scene we are building is test fitted.
pw1.jpg
Still a way to go but as you can see adds that that life over and beyond the wall to the street scene.

pw2.jpg
pw3.jpg

Close up of the detail for the window openings.
pw4.jpg
Whereas on the workbench across the room the sound of much cursing and swearing announces the arrival of yet another of Springheads finest...
 
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LarryG

Western Thunderer
Those cobbles are soooo realistic. Best I've ever seen in fact. May I ask where you obtained the platform canopy? Is it laser cut?
 

Rippers

Western Thunderer
I do like a railway glimpsed between buildings.

Cheers, it was a common scene in Hull (as with many other cities with big railway networks) and one that is memorable to many of its residents. Thus we were keen to capture the look in some convincing way in even the earliest thoughts we had for the design of this layout.

An earlier sketch had the railway behind the walls at the end of 4 parallel streets and so the goings on railway wise would have been viewed looking down the streets and ten-foots as they appeared and disappeared between the buildings.
 

Brian T

Western Thunderer
Great stuff again,

Lot`s of little detail`s to keep the eye`s wondering around and nicley composed as well.
Are you going to add the telephone lines at a later date?.

Brian.
 

Rippers

Western Thunderer
May I ask where you obtained the platform canopy? Is it laser cut?

It is indeed a laser cut kit (or I should say uses parts of 4 laser cut kits but not necessarily as intended!;))

Not sure of the make but it was and still is available in a range of canopies and buildings on Ebay.
 

Rippers

Western Thunderer
Are you going to add the telephone lines at a later date?.

Brian.

Still a bit to add to complete what you see, lamp posts, electricity junction box etc. Plus the poles and supply to the phonebox and buildings.

A lot hasn't been added yet as it will too vulnerable to damage whist construction entails us leaning over the layout quite a bit.

Not sure about adding the overhead lines as well though, as I have yet to see a good way of depicting them realistically (including the sag in the wires on the spans)
 

Dan Randall

Western Thunderer
I knew EZ line was stretchy, but didn’t realise it was possible to induce the sag as well - thanks for posting Giles. :thumbs:


Regards

Dan
 
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Broad Sword

Western Thunderer
Rippers and I discussed the use of EZ overhead wiring and came to the conclusion was that it would be in the way.
I'm a retired electrician by the way and usually I get the job of wiring layouts and Millicent Street was no exception.
My first job from leaving school was with the Signal & Telegraph department of British Railways and that involved climbing telegraph poles. My last job was with our telephone department here in Hull, doing more or less the same.
There will be a pole next to the cream (not white) phone box and from there the wiring should be sent across the street but that is not going to happen.
Other poles will be installed at the other end of Millicent Street and there will be, I hope, three or four other poles fitted down the track side from the signal box to the rest of the world.
 
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Rippers

Western Thunderer
Still a way to go but progress has been made with the paint works factory building at the rear of the layout. At least now you can see how it fits into the back corner of the scene.
pw5.jpg

We haven't forgotten the rest of the layout though as small details are been added to the more developed scenes all the time.
pw6.jpg
 

Yorkshire Dave

Western Thunderer
You can go on forever adding detail - there's always new details appearing when studying photographs or watching old film of the locale.

Now needs a couple of charred matchsticks in the brazier/bin....:)
 

Neil

Western Thunderer
You can go on forever adding detail - .....

This, as I see it, is the challenge. There comes a point where more detail becomes counter productive in that it detracts from the whole; the equivalent of an artist overworking a picture, all meat and no veg or guitar solo without the song. Real life has lots of quiet spaces and to be believable our models should have them too. I was just this morning reading a piece by Lance Mindheim about a recent shunting plank layout where he weeded out several buildings from his initial design as they were too 'interesting'. His formula was one-quarter interesting to three-quarters plain.
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Mmm, I wonder if it isn't something to do with contrast. If a model is perhaps "under detailed" that might stick out as much as if it were "over detailed" - isn't consistency key? In levels of detail, in colour palette, in light & shade?

said the bloke who never managed to get a model to anywhere near needing to ask himself this kind of question....

atb
Simon
 

Rippers

Western Thunderer
This evening has seen more progress with all of the main buildings that will form the frontage at the left hand end of the layout trialled in place together for the first time.
x1.jpg
You should now be seeing how the whole frontage is starting to come together.
x2.jpg

This industrial structure ( reminiscent of another local Hull building long gone but in reality based on the still existing 'Tonks' building in Scarborough) will be the premises of an electrical supply company.

x3.jpg
Whereas the two shops are destined to be an independent chemist (common in Hull into the 70's) and a typical corner newsagents and will be fitted with appropriate shop frontages and advertising.
x4.jpg

Whereas the rear yards of the shops will offer another area for more highly visible fine detailing too.
x5.jpg
 

Tim Watson

Western Thunderer
This, as I see it, is the challenge. There comes a point where more detail becomes counter productive in that it detracts from the whole; the equivalent of an artist overworking a picture, all meat and no veg or guitar solo without the song. Real life has lots of quiet spaces and to be believable our models should have them too. I was just this morning reading a piece by Lance Mindheim about a recent shunting plank layout where he weeded out several buildings from his initial design as they were too 'interesting'. His formula was one-quarter interesting to three-quarters plain.

I think this is where the village scene at Pendon suffers. They have enough buildings to make at least two Pendon villages. In model railways, as with other aspects of life, less is often more.

Tim
 
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