LSWR Water Tower - Making Space For It.

Having sized up the needed space for the water tower, about 12 foot of the station master's garden had to be sacrificed to make room. The previous garden area and some of the wasteland was stripped bare with a chisel, salvaging most of the contents for reuse. (In doing this I rediscovered the compost heap that was in a corner, hidden from normal view).

The Southern concrete panel fencing was re-instated first as this helps to set the position for the station building, which is butted to it. In this view large bolts are used to hold the panels vertical whilst the PVA glue sets.

Next a spot of gardening. There is no better material to represent nature than nature itself. That is not to say it is the only material I use, far from it. But, wherever possible I use real flora - end of season, dead, stiff and brown.

We have two rows of carnations grown for decorating the waiting room and to provide button holes for staff. 1960s is probably a bit late for this kind of touch but I like the thought. The stems are dead pine needles split down the middle, grouped, dabbed into PVA glue and placed in position. Aquilegia seeds are applied as flower heads - any seed will do and to be honest I'm not convinced it is necessary. Anyway, place a blob of PVA in your palm, sprinkle on the seeds, mix up well with a finger and wipe the finger along the top of the pine needles to deposit the seeds in a random fashion. When dry paint appropriately.

Next we have the obligatory cabbages and runner beans that most model railways seem to have. The cabbages are the base of spent aquilegia seed pods that even have a stem and heart! The runner bean poles are painted galvanised wire with Woodland Scenic flock glued to them to represent runner beans.

This is the view from the back door. Two concrete pillars in the lawn hold a washing line and a long pole props the line high to keep washing off the ground. The grass is flock paper. Beyond the fence is a small tree made from yarrow. Its seed pod 'leaves' have been supplemented with a small amount of Woodland Scenics spread over.

The shrubs next to the fence are very small clumps of lichen with a little Woodland Scenics flock covering.

To Part 3.

To Part 1.