Semi-scale BR: signalbox

[BertieB]

My first go at doing a building and I took the easy route, as it’s from a Jackson’s Miniatures kit. It’s foamboard, helped along with textured styrene sheets (also from them), a few other embellishments and rather expensive (compared with Wilko) Southern Region colours from Phoenix paints. I’ve made every imaginable mistake with this (some of which I haven’t been able to disguise) including starting to build it inside out and glueing the roof to my trousers (when all else fails, detailed instructions are included).

However. This signal box has changeable name boards, so it can pretend to be somewhere different each time it’s moved around the shrubbery for, say, the camera (or just for being silly).

Next: uhhh... Surbiton Station!

Ought to be a few more steps in that staircase I would think

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Vibrant ridge tiles!

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It’s true. These places really exist (but sadly not on the railway)

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[BorisSpencer]

Very nice.
I especially like the guttering and downpipes, have you scratch-built those?

[BertieB]

"...guttering and downpipes, have you scratch-built those?"

Cheers. Tube and half-round strip found among the piles of offcuts at the bottom of the plasticard box. I had bought some especially but I got my sums wrong and it looked way too big…

[Peter Butler]

Despite the construction difficulties I think you have made a superb job there. The name changes are good too, I know there is an exhibition layout called 'Scratchy Bottom' but it never occurred to me it really existed.

[LNR]

Nice job, I like the fire buckets hanging on the front.
Grant.

[BertieB]

Grant - Thank you. Fire buckets (and lots of other useful stuff) are from GRSUK.com, though I recognise that might not be especially convenient for you in Oz.

[BertieB]

After a week or two trying to figure out exactly what it was that was making me unhappy with it, I decided it was the windows...

Jackson’s Miniatures answered my enquiry regarding the purchase of alternative, six-pane, window mouldings by sending me some free! Much better, I reckon.

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[Andrew]

That's looking fantastic, nice one! Good call re the windows too.

I'm looking forward to painting mine over the coming weeks.

Cheers,

Andrew

[philipy]

That is a lovely build, and the new windows certainly add some extra charcter.

Hope you don't mind me saying, but to my eye what would elevate it from an excellent model to a superb one, would be to either pick out the stones in various shades, and/or add a mortar colour.

[ge_rik]

That looks brilliant! Lovely bit of modelling.

Rik

[BertieB]

"...pick out the stones in various shades, and/or add a mortar colour"

That’s a good idea. Unfortunately the styrene ‘stone’ sheet I’ve used doesn’t have quite the same sort of regular pattern as the ‘rough finish’ (don’t know the correct term, image below) Purbeck stone buildings I was attempting to suggest. It’s more higgeldy piggeldy and I didn’t want to draw attention to it.

There doesn’t seem to be much discernible variation in the colour of the stone or from the mortar, on the originals either. It’s shadow that gives the texture and shape definition, it seems to me.

But I’ll have a go at your suggested techniques on some spare bits and see if I can improve things. Cheers.

Dorset signal box detail. All much the same colour

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Harsh shadow emphasises texture on the model, too (it's a bit over the top)

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[philipy]

I see wht you mean about the evenness of the colour on the real stone, so perhaps I was wrong with my suggestion. You've certainly done a really good job of matching the original stone colour, thats something I always struggle with myself.

[Soar Valley Light]

It really is a superb build.

I've always thought that signalbox windows play a huge part in the overall character of the structure. Some of the double glazing that NR have inflicted upon some structures is truly character changing (particularly on the most characteristic of windows like, for example, a Midland box). If I'm honest I like both versions of your box, each has a character of it's own. It helps that I've always been a sucker for SR green and cram buildings too!

Andrew

[BertieB]

"...I've always been a sucker for SR green and cream buildings"

Thanks. Yeah, me too.

Bright and sunny today, so I'm obliged to make a start on tidying up the garden...

Forgot the buckets. Haven't really 'integrated the railway into the landscape', which makes it a bit awkward

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