Modellings tips and answers - Inspiration from a barn - Shelters of all types
Hello
Don't forget to read our latest modelling tips located at the bottom of the newsletter.
InspirationJohn Goatcher sent us pictures of one of his lockdown projects. It is a rusting dutch barn modelled on a prototype quite near to where he lives in Worcester. It was scratchbuilt using a discarded foil food tray for the corrugated iron and pieces of old rail for the stanchions. Click on the pictures to see them in larger size.
This week in history
On the 18th of April 1971, a serious fire at Kentish Town West railway station (London) saw the station close for over a decade. The station eventually reopened on the 5th of October 1981.
It's a sheltered life
Shelters, kiosks and small huts appear on most layouts, they are amongst the cheapest models you can purchase and are often an early consideration during the construction of a new layout when the budget can be easily swallowed up by trackwork, but, should an adolescent layout's essential space filler be given a little more credibility?
It's true enough we often use smaller structures to temporarily bulk out dioramas until grander alternatives or scenery can be developed, but in a twist of fate, shelters and smaller structures often end up being employed as important finishing touches too, so you should always think very carefully about how your initial small building purchases will fit with your layout's identity as it develops. The good news is, there's a massive choice out there particularly when it comes to small station buildings and shelters. In 00 gauge, station shelters portray all sorts of different styles from old fashioned wooden ones to contemporary glass effects, there are double-sided shelters for island platforms and single-fronted shelters for the solitary platform of a country halt, there are even shelters designed to complement larger structures should you wish to add to your layout as it develops. Whatever your needs, it's worth searching for a shelter that really compliments what you are trying to achieve with your layout.
It's true enough we often use smaller structures to temporarily bulk out dioramas until grander alternatives or scenery can be developed, but in a twist of fate, shelters and smaller structures often end up being employed as important finishing touches too, so you should always think very carefully about how your initial small building purchases will fit with your layout's identity as it develops. The good news is, there's a massive choice out there particularly when it comes to small station buildings and shelters. In 00 gauge, station shelters portray all sorts of different styles from old fashioned wooden ones to contemporary glass effects, there are double-sided shelters for island platforms and single-fronted shelters for the solitary platform of a country halt, there are even shelters designed to complement larger structures should you wish to add to your layout as it develops. Whatever your needs, it's worth searching for a shelter that really compliments what you are trying to achieve with your layout.
Away from the station grounds smaller buildings have an even larger role to play. In real life small buildings and shelters are everywhere, but how often do we think to model a public toilet, village forge or a snack bar in a car park or lay-by? A few bus stops dotted here and there or a bus shelter sunk into the hedge of a country lane can make a huge difference to your scene considering the relative size of the model.
Although smaller buildings are often a lightly considered purchase to
use up small change or fill a bit of space in the early stages of a
layout, their potential as a credible model should not be underestimated, that little humble station shelter could be what defines your station a little further down the line.
We keep on adding modelling tips to our website. Here are the latest ones:
- What is a static mainline in model railways?
- What model should I choose as a gift for someone?
- How to maintain a curve when joining flexible track?
- What is the difference between Peak classes 44, 45 and 46 locomotives?
- What is the best way for beginners to power a model railway?
Send us an email or give us a call to check availability or to reserve anything, whatever scale you model in. As usual, if we do not have in stock what you are looking for, we will order it for you and you will get it fast (usually within a week if the manufacturer has it in stock). We place weekly orders with most suppliers.
Upstairs Downstairs is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am till 4.30pm. If you are further afield, simply place your order on our website. We are dispatching daily.Upstairs Downstairs
3 Pier Street
Sandown, PO36 8JR
Isle of Wight
Tel: 01983 406 616
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