P4NewStreet - modelling Birmingham (UK) in the 1980's - 1:76 scale

[jim s-w]

Hi All

I am new to this forum so first up a little introduction.

I am 35 years old and live in the UK near Birmingham.  I have been modelling to 4mm scale as long as I can remember and to finescale P4 standards since I was 15.  My current (and probably only) project is to model the major station nearest my house and the city that surrounds it.  The overall layout will be 62 feet long and 20 feet deep and will eventually be exhibited at shows in the UK.  What follows are some pictures of my progress so far.



Before I started the main layout I built a small test plank.  I knew I could hand build track but I had never built OLE (overhead) before.  I also use this as a scenic background for taking pictures and as a programming/test track



The OLE on the plank was OK but for the main layout I needed something better.  These are my current pieces.





The main layout is coming along nicely too - here are some pictures of a section of it








All of the track is hand built and all of the structures built from scratch.  I hope you like them and feel free to ask any questions.

Regards

Jim

[Hauk]

Nice to see a talented modeller like you joining the forum!
 
Very nice modelling and photography. Looking forward to more postings from you.

-Håvard

[Chuck Doan]

Wow, Jim there is some nice stuff there! That overhead is very nicely done. I have always admired the bravery of those who do overhead wires!

How much of the 62' are done so far?

[eTraxx]

Hey Jim. Good to see you over here. I think this forum will be a good place for a modeler of your skill.

[jacq01]

  Hello Jim,

  very nice and wel done. Particullary the overhead wire looks good.  What size wire do you use ?

  On my H0 Dreimuehlentalbahn the catenary was made from 0,25 steel wire and 0,15 shellack wire.
  In Cologne on the first main exhibition a .... wanted to take a "special" photograph and reach very far inside the layout with his camera.
  The sling of the camera hooked behind a mast and instead of carefully undoing it, he pulled back abruptly, pulling two mast out and 12-14 feet
  of catenary. .....
 
   With the delicacy you are building, it will be a major exercise to set it up and have all overhead wire up.
   It will also be a challenge at shows to keep unwanted intrusion ( fingers, camera's etc ) out of the way as crowd barriers are rare.
   When will the layout be shown in Warley ??

   I like to see more, including a floor layout with trackplan. When do you think to have it all ready for the exhibition circus ?
   Do you plan to show the layout outside the UK ?

   Jacq
 
 

[DaKra]

Great work!

[SandiaPaul]

62'?! "Make no little plans for they don't have the power to stir men's souls"
Great work I thought the first image was the prototype!

Paul

[marc_reusser]

Jim,

Welcome to the forum.

WOW....that's some lovely work. I thought the first photo was the real thing! The overhead work is just beautiful.

Great work on the structures as well. The yard tower (I assume thats what it is) is very cool,....the effect of the blinds in the windows really lends to a convincing/realistic air.

I look forward to seeing more of your work, and progress on this layout....look forward to any SBS's as well


Marc

[Ray Dunakin]

Welcome aboard! Wow, what an amazing project! Very nice work!

Pardon my ignorance, but I have no idea how big "4mm" scale is. Can you give me some idea how that compares in size to, say, 1/48th scale?

[eTraxx]

4mm on the model equals 1 ft on the prototype or .. 1:76.2

OO gauge uses 4mm scale with 16.5mm track .. or .. HO track (this was because 'back in the day' they couldn't fit motors into the loco bodies at HO because English railcars are smaller).

P4 is finescale modeling .. uses 4mm scale (1:76) with 18.83mm track with wheel flanges close to scale

[finescalerr]

Your modeling is satisfactory, Jim. I'm glad you posted the images. At 35 you may be the youngest or nearly the youngest guy here and, because we are jealous, we will show you no mercy.

Ray, 4mm scale is the British equivalent of HO (3.5 mm = 1 foot) and they call it OO. Dude, where have you been for the past half century?

Russ

[jim s-w]

Wow, Jim there is some nice stuff there! That overhead is very nicely done. I have always admired the bravery of those who do overhead wires!

How much of the 62' are done so far?

Thanks for the warm welcome Chaps

So far 8 ft is fairly well progressed as follows



Overall 22 feet is complete as far as track laying goes. This is the other end of the station



The following plan shows the overall plan for the complete layout.



There is lots more on my website www.p4newstreet.com

Regards

Jim

[jim s-w]

  Hello Jim,

  very nice and wel done. Particullary the overhead wire looks good.  What size wire do you use ?

  On my H0 Dreimuehlentalbahn the catenary was made from 0,25 steel wire and 0,15 shellack wire.
  In Cologne on the first main exhibition a .... wanted to take a "special" photograph and reach very far inside the layout with his camera.
  The sling of the camera hooked behind a mast and instead of carefully undoing it, he pulled back abruptly, pulling two mast out and 12-14 feet
  of catenary. .....
 
   With the delicacy you are building, it will be a major exercise to set it up and have all overhead wire up.
   It will also be a challenge at shows to keep unwanted intrusion ( fingers, camera's etc ) out of the way as crowd barriers are rare.
   When will the layout be shown in Warley ??

   I like to see more, including a floor layout with trackplan. When do you think to have it all ready for the exhibition circus ?
   Do you plan to show the layout outside the UK ?

   Jacq

Hi Jacq

I use 0.25mm nickel coated steel for the contact wire and 0.2mm brass for the catenary wire.  The layout is designed so that every baseboard joint in the station area falls under a bridge so that all the OLE can be self contained and tensioned in the bridges.

Best regards

Jim

[jim s-w]

Hi All

I thought a few pictures of what I am working on at the moment for you.

Starting with track.  Most of the pointwork at the real New Street uses Westinghouse EP point motors however there are a couple of double slips where there wasnt room.



My friend Colin Craig has produced some part to allow the Clamp lock type point motor to be modelled.  These are his parts in position on my layout

He has also done a little etch for the point numbering you find on British turnouts



The following picture shows one of the walls for the layout - I did an etch for the arches



and after paint



Jim

[lab-dad]

That wall is very impressive, the etching is a great idea as well.
How was the rest of the wall made? carved or a mold?
-Marty