Grahame's N/2mm London Bridge train set

[grahame]

Here's another couple of snaps, unfortunately showing no progress, but keeping the layout visible on the forum (assuming that's okay). And apologies for all the leaning verticals - hardly any buildings or structures (including walls, trees, cranes, etc) are fixed in place so do have a tendency to wobble about and lean a bit, resulting in them all not properly upright. Hopefully, that'll all get sorted at some time in the future.





And here's a rough real equivalent of the first pic (showing just how much there still is to do):

 

[oldravendale]

That is just utterly wonderful.

 

[simond]

assuming that's okay

I think that’s a safe assumption!

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

An impressive slice of London - some of which is now beyond recognition.

 

[grahame]

Oddly, last night I had a dream about planning and making the station concourse (under the canopy), so today I've sketched up a rough plan of how I remember it:



Here's couple of snaps showing the concourse frontage under construction in the late 70s/early 80s.





I few pages back in this thread (page 25/2nd March) I posted some pics of how it looked 30 years later. Quite a change.

 

[Tim Watson]

It’s amazing how quickly you forget everyday things like the LB concourse.

Tim

 

[grahame]

How many remember the Oast House pub on the station concourse?

 

[grahame]

With the concourse frontage/entrance being well hidden under the canopy, that extends out over the bus stands, and behind the 'Southwark Towers' block, it will be very difficult to see. Therefore, detailing of it doesn't need to be too accurate and fine. I remember Allan Downes once saying don't waste your time modelling things that won't be able to be seen on the layout, although I tend to favour a halfway house approach by including basic and rudimentary details.

I've cut and marked up the pavement area around/along the frontage. The concourse behind is also compromised and reduced in that I've taken the opportunity to run the terminating tracks up close behind to allow longer trains in under the trainshed, due to the necessary overall compression for the layout. I'll probably construct the frontage directly on this card before locating it in place.

 

[grahame]

I've made a start on the forecourt frontage structures but still a lot to do including the glazing and doors. The brown colour represents the tiling that much of the station was clad in. The two upright tubes are supports for the forecourt canopy to ensure it rests at the correct height. The added details are various: an etched brass K8 phone box kit, 3D printed drinks vending machine and ticket machines, and a RTP toilet (non are, of course, yet fixed in place) plus I need to make the bank ATM block (that fits in the recess) and a couple of fast food stands. Shame that all this is going to be almost impossible to see on the layout - still I know it's there

 

[Grahame Hedges]

No modelling to report on but, following the recent Model Rail article, NGS Journal 3/25 arrived yesterday with my article published in it. DEMU UPDate (another full article) and the 2mm Scale Association magazine (just three photos supplied as requested) to go and the layout will have had a lot of recent publications publicity . . . .

 

[grahame]

Having perused and enjoyed the latest update on EMgauge70s site I was reminded of a couple of Scania cabbed trucks that I bashed a few years back for my N/2mm layout. The first, a fuel tanker, was based on a modern Tomytec version with a Hino cab but backdated.



A Scania 141 day cab (3d printed from Soehaves) was grafted on, the body reduced in length, the catwalks removed, along with much of the underside details and side under-run protection bars, round mudguards fitted in place of the angular ones and a more traditional fuel tank fabricated and added to the tractor unit:



I also made a flatback truck with 3D printed Scania cab, scratch-built trailer and pipe load, and utilising Tomytec wheels;

 

[grahame]

I've not done any modelling for a while as I've been helping out a friend with a book he has written, by editing it, and designing and laying it out. It's taken me some time but last week I completed the DTP, generated the print ready file and sent it off to the printers. Consequently I've now been able to venture out in to the railway shed/room and consider what to do next. As a result I've made a little slow progress on the layout this morning despite the stifling heat and humidity.

I've made and fitted the bases for the north side pitched trainshed roof sections in place. First pic below shows the trainshed roof on my indoor workbench (dining room table) and the second pic is of it in place on the layout. I appreciate it doesn't look like much but I'm quite pleased to be getting back to some modelling on the layout, after the layoff period.

 

[grahame]

As I've not posted on this thread for a while here's a quick update. Basically there's been no modelling progress recently. My hospital visits seem to be getting more regular and taking up a lot of my time.

I'm now waiting on a new drug, a biologic type, that had to have NICE approval for, which I'm hoping will improve my psoriatic arthritis to enable modelling, and other activities, to be easier and less painful. Also I'm attending physiotherapy for adhesive capsulitis and a diabetic foot ulcer clinic for various leg wounds. It sounds like I'm falling to pieces but my blood sugar level is now under great control enabling a reduction in prescribed diabetic drugs, and my blood pressure was better than the review doctors and my cholesterol was better than the rheumatoid consultant.

I've had a few groups from the FADMRC visit in the last couple of weeks to see the layout (in it's under-construction state) and have lunch in one of the local pubs. And I've been able to resume a little activity on the other N gauge layout I'm involved with building.

I've recently acquired a new lens (20-70mm zoom) for my camera so I've taken a few test snaps of London Bridge although they're not very good and I obviously need to practice a bit with it. The first below is taken from outside the shed/garden room through the side window:



The second one (below) is a somewhat overhead helicopter view of the east end of the layout with the unfinished terminus station trainshed roof in the foreground:



And the final one (below) is of the more commercial west end of the layout with the overall forecourt canopy (on the right) over the concourse and bus and taxi stands :

 

[D6356]

Grahame, It is all progress and I hope health improves enough to see more wonderful pictures. You have still done more than me in the last 12 months!
regards Robert

 

[Joe's Garage]

In spite of all these issues Grahame you are still able to go to the "garden shed" and voila, there is London Bridge.
Always love to see photos of your train set, keep practising with your new lens!
All the best
Julian

 

[Grahame Hedges]

I've spent the afternoon setting up a YouTube channel and learning how to upload to it. I've managed to upload a short test video after downloading some free software and compressing the file as required by YouTube. I need to get to grips with techniques such as panning steadily, constant and effective focussing and zooming in and out. And will probably have a session trying out those later this week.

But you can see the video here

 

[grahame]

Here's another test file video quickly created this morning. Still a lot to learn.

 

[WM183]

Your work never fails to amaze. One of the builders who made me finally decide on 2mm.

 

[grahame]

And a fourth trial/test video - the last for now. I need to get to grips with, not only improving my filming techniques, but editing the video as well. The end section needs deleting where it looks like I fell over drunk and the camera ended up pointing at the ceiling. Plus straightening out and correctly positioning buildings and things like the railway bridge side, the wooden kiosk and the cobblers corner building.