GWR/LMS OO Gauge DCC RR&Co

Looking good John, better when it's in it's place :)

The hotel is looking great, John.  Those Dormer windows really do finish of the roof nicely - and I know how fiddly they are to construct.  I confess that on Abbey Street, my dormer windows are solid.  I cut enough pieces to shape to fit the roof and glue them together to form the solid shape. Paint the front black and fit the window cover before finishing off the rest.  Then simply glue the whole thing onto the roof and then tile around it.  No interior views of course,  or lighting effects, but considerably easier to do!
Lovely loco too - how come that rarely runs, it looks great!

Michael

Superb modelling John and I really do sympathise with you over the dormer windows.  From experience eith some of his other designs, they are indeed tedious in the extreme.

Which knife do you use when cutting these small pieces out ?   I've usually found  cutting small parts in 2mm card plays havoc with both my blades and finger !

You're a brave man replacing the third plant room with dormers - I'd have done it the other way round ………. :oops:


It really will be an impressive hotel when complete.  :thumbs

Can I book a room please... penthouse of course.

[user=753]Phil.c[/user] wrote:

Looking good John, better when it's in it's place :)

Thanks Phil……..Its turned out a bit larger than I expected so I have to do a bit of land reclamation first:oops:

[user=1512]Headmaster[/user] wrote:

The hotel is looking great, John.  Those Dormer windows really do finish of the roof nicely - and I know how fiddly they are to construct.  I confess that on Abbey Street, my dormer windows are solid.  I cut enough pieces to shape to fit the roof and glue them together to form the solid shape. Paint the front black and fit the window cover before finishing off the rest.  Then simply glue the whole thing onto the roof and then tile around it.  No interior views of course,  or lighting effects, but considerably easier to do!
Lovely loco too - how come that rarely runs, it looks great!

Michael

Thanks Michael……I am not as creative as you I am afraid so far I have just followed the instructions ……sometimes with great difficulty. :lol:  The creative bit comes shortly when I start on the back!

Glad you like the Grange. I have always thought them rather stylish locos. Hardwick Grange is part of my Milk/Parcels routine which still needs a bit of polishing…..I guess have spent too much time on my suburban services and the branch line and neglected the larger loco….I will try and bring them out a bit more frequently.

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

Superb modelling John and I really do sympathise with you over the dormer windows.  From experience eith some of his other designs, they are indeed tedious in the extreme.

Which knife do you use when cutting these small pieces out ?   I've usually found  cutting small parts in 2mm card plays havoc with both my blades and finger !

You're a brave man replacing the third plant room with dormers - I'd have done it the other way round ………. :oops:


It really will be an impressive hotel when complete.  :thumbs

Thanks Peter

Generally I use an Olfa craft knife for card and an Exacto scalpel for paper.  I use the scalpel for curves and very delicate cuts on card…….takes forever and blunts blades very quickly. I have found the trick with 2mm is to score the outline of the pieces with a new blade then lots light passes alongs the score mark. In the distant past we ran some picture framing shops. One off the key rules was never wait until you know the blade is blunt before changing…..do it just before.

I had to do the dormers….a third plant room wouldnt have looked right. Hopefully all will be well with the new improved Mark II window assembly!:lol:

   
You like the Dormers that much?:lol:

Most days we take the dog for to the local park, just a few minutes walk away.

The snow line is now at 2000'  ……so at 600' we are getting lots of rain


 
Fortunately the dog was bright enough not to attempt his morning paddle

When the sun does come out you can see some interesting effects with the steam rising



Right….after that interlude back to the Hotel:

The target was to complete the centre module containing the main entrance. This entailed finishing and attaching the two corner sub-assemblies which will eventually be used to join the wing modules.

I wasnt looking forward to constrtucting the complex corner roof but , even in close up, they have actually turned out quite well.



After the problems I had adding 3 dormer windows to each of the side wings, I was also a bit nervous about capping the centre unit with a row of 5 scratch built dormers.

One concern was the tiles. The printed elements in the kit use a small multi coloured tile not available in the scratch builders yard. However when I wrote to John Wiffen of Scalesenes about the issue, he very kindly sent me the pdf file along with some useful photos of another modellers build of a three dimensional hotel.



 Thes individual units dont look much better than last week. However they are far more stable and consequently much easier to install. This was achieved by using thinner smoother card, scalpel rather than craft knife, more care(!) and mounting the flimsy window frames on double card.

This close up is rather cruel and exposes a few nasties but, overall, I am not unhappy with the end result



It would have been easier to install the kit finish….plant room + 3 dormers but I think the continuous row of windows
more pleasing:



There used to be a Talbot Hotel in Wrexham but it was nothing like the model……..I was looking for a name with a local connection that would be appropriate for a hotel of this size……similar to the Grosvenor in Chester.

I am not totally convinced by either the font or colour of the fascia but Mrs D likes it.

The kit comes with a number of pre-printed names and styles……but all far too modern




It took a while to track down the older style logos for the RAC and AA. The former is actually an image of one of the original RAC bumper badges. AA was scanned from the logo on top a sign post.

The Talbot is naturally home to the local Rotary Club……..bottom left! The proprietor of MacPeters Dairy is believed to be a member.

 
 
One of the many aspects of the hobby that I enjoy is trying to dig out accurate facts about events that ocurred 70+ years ago……..doesnt matter whether its trying to find out how the weather sheet is secured on a Dean Goods or, as in this case, the most likely names for the bars in a  WWII "poshish" provincial Hotel!

After that intro "Lounge" and "Bar" sound rather banal but based on what I have read they seem the most likely…….happy to hear of alternatives suggestions.  The bar at the the Talbot is not a spit and sawdust, the GPO workers from across the street would not go there ….definitely "Officers only " during WWII….. and probably women would not feel welcome. The lounge on the other hand is a place where unaccompanied young ladies would feel welcome……a trend that started during WWII and continued post -war. I read a fascinating paper based on data from the Ministry of Information on how WWII changed the drinking habits of young women!

So the three units are finished……I now have to design and build a robust structure that will secutr them together and serve as a foundation for the rear of the hotel….the back stage.




Next week…..a pause in construction……time for some locos….perhaps a Mogul?

"This close up is rather cruel and exposes a few nasties but, overall, I am not unhappy with the end result." I think I'd be not unhappy too, in fact, I'd be well chuffed.

As an aside, I sometimes think things just come together. I'm reading a series of fictional  books with a heroine by the name of Maggie Smith. Set in WWII she starts drinking pints of cider as well as spirits. Funny that you mention how women's drinking habits changed during that time.

Beautiful photos of the park as well.
 

That looks great John you should be well pleased :)

Your local park looks more like I imagine the wilds of a Canadian forrest to be John - lucky you having that on your doorstep.

The hotel looks wonderful and yes, you're absolutely right in that the 5 dormers look far better than having a plant room up there.  Such "things" would have been kept backstage in those days.  One only needs to go behind the magnificent facades of the portland stone London town houses to realise there was definitely a "front" and a "back" to impressive buildings ……..


Once in situ,  I'm not at all sure that it won't steal the limelight from some of the other fabulous buildings in the area.  Having said that, one is often torn when looking above eye level in such areas - there were so many impressive structures clustered around railway stations.


Mrs D is right - the facade looks spot on.

I can hardly wait to see what that square will look like once this is in place - you must be incredibly pleased with the whole thing.  I know that every time I think about any scenic work on Maxmill, the vision of Granby is firmly in my mind, although I really do try to avoid trying to create a "Granby en Garonne"…………..

Another masterclass produced masterpiece John and yes, you should be extremely well chuffed! Very well done, I like it muchly.

What next? Oh of course, the Moguls. Mine were posted over a week ago, so should be here any day now. I particularly like the look of the shirt button one posted over on RMW and also the fact that you can remove the coal load module and put back just as much, or as little coal as the fancy takes one.

As Peter said, your 'local park' is a wonderful asset and brilliant for the dogs, notwithstanding the teddy bears of course!

Best,

Bill

Thanks guys……thats very kind of you. On a big project like this there is always a danger you get so close to it that you get demoralised when the errors you thought you could get away with get exposed and magnified by the camera. Comments like yours help me keep my feet on the ground.
Yes…I must admit I am quite pleased at the way it is developing. It hung fire for a few months while I tried to work out how to deal with the back. Now I think I have found a solution its all systems go……….the downside, as I have mentioned before, is the overall foot print which now exceeds the space available. I guess I am going to have to do another cantilever job and gain more space in front of the station building. That should prove an interesting challenge!

Thanks again for the nice comments


PS ( The bears will be hibernating now Bill but you are correct we do get bear warnings posted from time to time in the park.

Looking great John….


It looks as though it was always intended to look like this.  I know what you mean about knowing your own mistakes and how cruel the camera can be, but to those of us just viewing it, it really is wonderful.  And it will be even more stunning in location - once you have solved the space problem!!

Michael

I forgot to mention the various signs on the hotel John - again, your attention to detail is mind blowing ………….

I wonder how many would have noticed if you'd used the wrong era AA and RAC signs - however, the fact that you sourced the correct ones is highly noticable - if only because we don't see them nowadays ……..

I ought also to add that it is indeed an appropriate home for the local Rotary Club - just the sort of "up market" establishment Rotarians like to be associated with - Mr MacPeters might be interested to know that the locals here refer to Rotary as "The Rich Club" …………………..

Yes those AA and RAC signs bring back some memories and I think a lot of us tend to forget they ever existed.
That building looks great and far beyond anything I could hope to achieve.

I wonder how many remember know about AA road signs?

These were provided long before local authorities considered roadside signs necessary, unlike motoring organisations, who's members needed catering for. I have just one, together with a few newer examples from 1930s onwards.

Bill

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

I forgot to mention the various signs on the hotel John - again, your attention to detail is mind blowing ………….

I wonder how many would have noticed if you'd used the wrong era AA and RAC signs - however, the fact that you sourced the correct ones is highly noticable - if only because we don't see them nowadays ……..

I ought also to add that it is indeed an appropriate home for the local Rotary Club - just the sort of "up market" establishment Rotarians like to be associated with - Mr MacPeters might be interested to know that the locals here refer to Rotary as "The Rich Club" …………………..

Hi Peter
Glad you like the signs……I even made sure the Rotary sigh was correct…….that too has been modernised and there was a plaintive appeal on the web site reminding clubs to replace the old logo with the new modern image.

I confess I have a think about lettering…….there was such a definite shift in style in the fifties so it really stands out if uses on a WWII era layout….its one of the few complaints I have with Scalescene…..its very B.R. orientated…..I can rarely use his signage…..same with Metcalfe unfortunately.

I thought I was probably being a bit optimistic in hoping to show the Mogul this week

So instead here is another loco that was frequently used by the GWR in North and Mid-Wales. This is series of photos of  9022, an Earl Class 4-4-0 from Oswestry Shed with a train of empty cattle vans. Under H class lamps its on its way to Morpeth Docks Birkenhead to meet S.S. Leinster…the Dublin-Liverpool Ferry
 









Hard to believe that, in 1947, this old fashioned loco was  "designed" and built only a decade earlier. Its a splendid example of the GWR's parsimony and waste not want not approach. After the grouping there was a shortage of suitable loco to services the winding mountainous lines of the Cambrian Railway. Charles Collett, the CME, solved the problem by using frames from the Bulldog Class (introduced 1895) with boilers from the Duke Class also from the Victorian era.
 
He attempted to solve another problem by calling the locos: the "Earl Class". He then named the locos after various peers of the realm, some of whom had previously lobbied Collett for just such an honour. I guess the Earl of Cawdor, and his noble colleages, had in mind something rather more distinguished than this mongrel……naturally the footplate men had promptly nicknamed the class……..Dukedogs! The name plates were off within the year!












After that diversion, back to the cattle train as 9022 coasts past Castlegate Bonded Warehouse.

This empties train to Birkenhead  has been part of the of the Down Goods circuit for some time but until today I had  not really done much research into the Birkenhead Cattle Trade

 I knew Birkenhead was the principal port of entry for the cattle trade with Ireland. I hadnt realised that most of the cattle came off the ferry and straight into the lairage (abbattoirs) via a series of overhead passage ways.  Transport of livestock by rail was a less frequent occurrence. Fortunately there was some trade in stock cattle for fattening, with trains running as far afield as York…….so an occasional train to Shropshire is probably ok.

 It does rather expose the absence on Granby of a train of Mica Insulated Meat Vans making their nightly journey direct to Smithfield.
 















Its amazing how one takes a series of straightforward photos and finishes up with a list of more jobs to do.
 
Apart from the omission of a meat train I really need to correct the Cattle Van liveries. The older vans date back to  the earky 90s……some of the first models I ever built…..not knowing anything about liveries I chose the biggest Letter and used all the other transfers Mr Cooper supplied! At the very least I should paint out the numbers and livery on the ends.

The fireman appears to be clad in a mohair suit………and thinking about the weather and terrain that the Dukedogs regularly encountered in Mid-Wales, its time I started making some weather sheet. Mr Bachmann has kindly fitted supports in the tender.

I hope you liked the photos and didnt mind this somewhat meandering monologue.

Hopefully more locos next week