Project 17 - Exit Stage Right

The bridge forms an effective scenic break where trains exit the layout into a non-scenic fiddle yard. This photo shows the best viewing angle from which to appreciate this. The truncated bridge end is an eyesore of course and could have been hidden by extending the right hand 'window frame' to cover it (only just thought of that).

Move further along and the gaping hole beneath the bridge in the side wall of the layout module  is revealed.

The back scene is a photograph of the actual location with a bit of editing to merge it as seamlessly as possible with the foreground model and then recolouring for Autumn colours.

To Part 15.

To Part 1.

Project 17 - Bridge

Northbrook Road railway bridge is the final building to be made for the layout. The main structure is 5mm foam board (a lovely material to work with) covered in decorative paper. The repeating pattern of stones in the decorative paper is evident on the left hand pillar of the bridge but this will be less obvious once the embankment is installed.

To Part 14.

To Part 1.

Project 17 - Water Tower

The water tower is a fairly close representation of the Swanage loco yard tower as it existed about 1958. Sometime after and before 1962 the gable end was modified or replaced and the ladder turned 90 degrees with a standing platform added at its top. The tower was demolished after the last steam engine service ran in 1967.

The tower model is made from card with decorative paper overlays. The filler hose is a paper tube, the ladder is DIY 3D printed and the LED lamp sourced from China. The hut alongside is corrugated styrene with a door reclaimed from an old Airfix signal box.

The tower is fixed to the base with 1mm wire glued into two corners. These pass through the baseboard and are bent over in an arc at the rear to hold the tower tight to the baseboard. If I need to remove the tower I just bend the wires straight again. The coaling platform and corrugated hut are glued to the baseboard.

There is quite a bit of detail added to this side of the tower, as the prototype, and I am particularly pleased with the water tap model that I made.

The end of the pipe (copper wire) was bent over to form the spout. Thinner wire was then wrapped around to make the tap body and the two ends of it bent upright and 90 degrees to form the handle. Solder was then applied to the 'body' to smooth over the thin wire wrap and bulk it up.
 

The last photo shows a night scene with the lamp lit. The starry sky is a stitched image that is not part of the model layout. There is a lot of landscape scenery to add around this installation in due course.

To Part 13.

To Part 1.