Throwback Thursdays

[Kamome442]

Throwback Thursday - My plan to create Harajuku Station

 

I will post an update on the bridges at the weekend, when I have a little more to share. My 'two part' how to design a bridge may turn out to be three parts now that I have realised just how stupidly complex this bridge is! Until then I figured I would share something a little different. 

 

On 2/14/2021 at 5:34 PM, gavino200 said:

I'm really enjoying watching your project unfold. Do you have a website cataloguing previous creations of yours? I'd love to see more of your work.

 

I did say I would share some of the projects I had planned but never turned into reality. The one that was very close to making it was Harajuku, I had actually spent about 3 years planning it out when I decided to convert trains to 7.1mm. Initially nothing changed and I was just going to switch to handmade track and carry on. It was only when I showed the sample of 7.1mm track to my dad and he pointed out that it would be good to see it next to 9mm Shinkansen track that Yurakucho was born. The idea was to make three boards with straight track over some arches, show off the two gauges and then get back to Harajuku. However the longer I worked on Yurakucho the more the look of the station got under my skin until it completely took over.

 

Unfortunately most of the design work I did was lost when I updated my computer and forgot to copy over the folder with all the planning in it. I do have a handful of pictures I printed out at one time when I was going to share my plans at a JRS AGM. These are the ones I have located so far.

 

An overview of the original layout from the operators side. As is now customary I went on to extend the layout. This was to include some of the curve as the track runs alongside Yoyogi Park and added the point work at the Northern end of the Imperial Platform. 

 

I also had a somewhat ostentatious plan to put a roof over the layout for the lighting and layout name. Even if I had continued with this layout I doubt anything this elaborate would have ever have seen the light of day.

 

For the most part I am ok with the fact that I lost the plans, as with Yurakucho, the plan for Harajuku was done by simply drawing over aerial photographs and it wouldn't be that difficult to do again. It would be a little annoying knowing that I had already done it before! The one part that smarts is the amount of work I put into drawing up the beautiful wooden building on the south entrance. This is a screen shot from early on in the process shows the back of the building that faces the platforms. I am pretty sure I have at least one other picture of the front. I had spent around 8 months working on this and it was very close to completion.

 

I used an interesting feature in Sketchup called photo matching. This allows you to convert a photo into a perspective drawing by dropping markers for each axis. The program can then calculate the angle the original photograph was taken from. This will explain it better that I ever can:

Source: Sketchup Youtube Channel 

 

I will say it took a lot of time to get it to work but once everything was lined up I was able to draw the Station building in with insane accuracy. The picture below shows one or the corners. if you look along the edge of the canopy you can see I was able to model how the building had deformed over the years from the weight of the tower on its roof. Even though I am not making this station anymore, I would have at least liked to make a 3D print of this building as a keep sake. Maybe one day I will feel like drawing it up again but not anytime soon!

 

No I don't know why I missed a brick either! 

 

Ok, so I hope that trip down memory lane was interesting. After all the time I spent planning Harajuku it is a rather special station for me. I really hope in the future that someone will make a faithful model of the place, I know from the work I did that it will make for a absolutely stunning layout. Before picking Harajuku I did make some very rough plans of around 10-15 stations, some well known and others I just liked the look of. When I get the time I will have a hunt through my files and se if I can dig out some more. I did draw up a plan for Shinjuku, just to see how big it would be if you modelled it accurately. The answer was around 67 feet (20 metres) so I quickly moved on 😂

 

Joe

 

 

[maihama eki]

That Match Photo feature is very cool.

 

Why did you miss one brick? Here is a quote on "The Art of Deliberate Imperfection":

 

Some people are perfectionists, going great lengths and through punishing routines to achieve the perfect figure, the perfect score, the inimitable performance. But there are cultures around the world that have learned to abandon this rigid and obsessive behavior, and embrace the concept of imperfection. Artists and craftsmen of such cultures would deliberately introduce flaws into their works to remind themselves that flaws are an integral part of being human.

[Kamome442]

 Blimey Maihama! I was going to suggest stupidity as an explanation, if anyone asked, that is way more poetic 😀 

[cteno4]

Joe,

 

you are perfect in your imperfection.

 

Cheers,

 

jeff

[Kamome442]

40 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

you are perfect in your imperfection.

 

I may need to use that in my next performance management meeting 😂

[cteno4]

Woo hoo! Now i can go on the biz exec lecture circuit. $$$$! The art of perfecting your imperfections. now to start thinking of some good double-speak terms to string together...

 

jeff

[Sheffie]

“In a flawed world purity cannot endure. Thus within each of my works I must perforce place one small flaw, else there would be no work at all.”

 

Stephen Donaldson

[Kamome442]

Another Throwback Thursday (or Flashback Friday depending on your timezone)

Kurama Station

 

So this is a design from way back, I thought I would share it to prove that not all my ideas are Tokyo based! It is also one of the more wild ideas I have put to paper (this one predates me learning CAD so I used a pencil). To give a little background this came about after a discussion at the JRS AGM sometime around 2003. There was talk about the society having an official club layout to promote Japanese railways. If memory serves the main hurdle with the idea was where the layout would be stored and who would ultimately take responsibility for the layout and its stock. This was what I was planning to propose before the idea was shelved.

 

My plan was for 4 layouts, that could be spread around the UK, each of which could be no longer than 10 feet (around 3 metres) including the fiddle yard. Each layout would represent a different island, railway company and season (these were Shikoku-Spring, Honshu-Summer, Kyushu-Autumn and Hokkaido-Winter). An idea I still quite like.

 

I am pretty sure the reason I picked Kurama, for Honshu, was the availability of a paper kit for the station building. It was also just after Kato had released their model of Eizan Line Series 600. It is probably quite evident that I was really into architecture at the time! The plan was for the baseboard to have a C shaped cross-section, These would be joined with ribs similar to an aeroplane wing and act like a shell surrounding the layout. 

 

The overall design was meant to represent a snake in form, in my mind he shell was going to covered in a diagrid dimond pattern, to look like scales, with some being made from clear Perspex so you could see the trains when operating the layout. This was a link to the Kuramayama Takekiri Eshiki festival where teams of priests race to chop bamboo. It is linked to the story of priest beating a giant snake in the region. I planned for the legs to be made from bamboo cane, just incase a layout in the shape of a massive snake wasn't clear enough!! I am pretty sure the plan for Kyushu was set in the Satsuma area with a large orange peel spiralling around it (give me a break, I was young ok 😂). 

 

The road leading into Kurama would be at the front of the layout and the train track would be at the back. As they move closer together or further apart the width of the baseboard would shrink or increase respectively. This would create an undulating form to the shell, with the viewing window expanding and contracting forcing different perspectives. 

 

At the station end the viewing window would fold around the side and cut back at a sharp angle following the line of the side road leading to the station. This would give a view of the station hidden in amongst the surrounding buildings from the front and the view stood right outside the ticket office from the side. 

 

At the other end dense patch of trees would be used as a scenic break to hide small fiddle yard. 

 

A view of the area the layout was based on.

Source: Google Maps

 

Well I hope you enjoyed that trip down memory lane. All I will say if you think that was rather tacky and over the the top? I did also make a plan for a layout constructed like a Koinobori with internal lighting after seeing a picture of the Asahi Headquarters building. Frankly I don't care what anyone says getting funny looks from other layout operators as you set up a gigantic glowing fish! Worth it 🙂

 

Joe

[cteno4]

Love the sketch books! I need to do more of that, I tend to keep it in my head too much and pencil to paper is really a good thing to add.

 

jeff

[gavino200]

52 minutes ago, Kamome442 said:

Another Throwback Thursday (or Flashback Friday depending on your timezone)

Kurama Station

 

My plan was for 4 layouts, that could be spread around the UK, each of which could be no longer than 10 feet (around 3 metres) including the fiddle yard. Each layout would represent a different island, railway company and season (these were Shikoku-Spring, Honshu-Summer, Kyushu-Autumn and Hokkaido-Winter). An idea I still quite like.

 

This is a great idea. I love it. I'm loving Throwback Thursday! That sounds like a club I'd be interested in. Was everyone as creative as you? Is the club still operating?

 

Quote

 

 

 

I like how even the text is snaking!

 

Quote

 

All I will say if you think that was rather tacky and over the the top? I did also make a plan for a layout constructed like a Koinobori with internal lighting after seeing a picture of the Asahi Headquarters building. Frankly I don't care what anyone says getting funny looks from other layout operators as you set up a gigantic glowing fish! Worth it 🙂

 

 

This is amazing. I love how you consider the layout itself as a medium of expression. I've always wanted my layout to look good as a piece of furniture in the room. But this example gives me a whole new idea to strive for and dream about!!

Edited April 8, 2021 by gavino200

[disturbman]

4 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

Love the sketch books! I need to do more of that, I tend to keep it in my head too much and pencil to paper is really a good thing to add.

I do the same. What I put on paper I tend to forget.

[cteno4]

I usually forget what ive forgotten, it always vexes me.

 

but seriously putting it down using pencil and paper is really a good way to differentially look at things and stimulates the brain thru a different routes. The person i know with by far the best mental visualization capabilities i have ever seen is an avid proponent of sketching a lot and even model building as a whole process. i need to get back to his teachings, its just ive never been a great sketcher and my handwriting is at times not legible to even myself so i usually end up getting lazy and jumping the sketching step for physical mock ups... at least communicating ideas on the forum gets me writing some of the mental visual ideas out!

 

but its odd as 2D cad and physical drafting is a no brainer for me, always been super easy, but 3D cad has always been work when i have no problem visualizing in my head in 3D or using complicated software. but many times sketching is sort of a combination of 2D and 3D put down in 2D.

 

Ishmael

[Kamome442]

37 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

Love the sketch books! I need to do more of that, I tend to keep it in my head too much and pencil to paper is really a good thing to add.

 

I know what you mean, I have some ideas for what to model after Yurakucho floating around in my head. I must get them down before I forget what they are! Needless to say what comes next will be a very small creation! Maybe I could do a Throw Forward Thursday sometime 🤪

 

32 minutes ago, disturbman said:

I do the same. What I put on paper I tend to forget.

 

I tend to lose most of what I put on paper, curse you safe place wherever you are?!

 

33 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

This is a great idea. I love it. I'm loving Throwback Thursday! That sounds like a club I'd be interested in. Was everyone as creative as you? Is the club still operating?

 

Thank you gavino, Yeah the JRS is still going strong, the area group is was in sadly fizzled out. We did build a layout. My contribution wasn't huge, I worked on this little cluster of buildings in the middle (kit bashing mostly).

 

I also scratch built a little tea room, my dad did the rest of the park. I believe we still have the park in the garage somewhere.

 

33 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

I like how even the text is snaking!

 

If your going to commit to a theme!!

 

33 minutes ago, gavino200 said:

This is amazing. I love how you consider the layout itself as a medium of expression. I've always wanted my layout to look good as a piece of furniture in the room. But this example gives me a whole new idea to strive for and dream about!!

 

Yeah I really like the idea of making something that captures the imagination. The original plan for Yurakucho has fins on the baseboard so that it looks like a flying saucer, I toned it down to try and speed up the progress (I have a 1/4 scale model of that board design somewhere). I have included attachment points so I can possibly add them later. I really like the idea of capturing some of the kookiness of Japan in the design. I still need to find someone I can convince to wear a mascot costume and dance around the layout. Anyone can PM me for an application!

Edited April 8, 2021 by Kamome442
Now with added pictures!

[disturbman]

  

14 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

The person i know with by far the best mental visualization capabilities i have ever seen is an avid proponent of sketching a lot and even model building as a whole process.

Interesting. Maybe I should do more of this. I'm pretty sure I have a form of aphantasia. I have no issue imagining, conceptualizing or "visualizing" in a way but I cannot conjure up images in my mind. More like shadows. Since I discovered that people actually saw in their mind it always puzzled me.
 

3 minutes ago, Kamome442 said:

I tend to lose most of what I put on paper, curse you safe place wherever you are?!

Hahaha. If you find it, let me know.

[Kamome442]

 

19 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

i usually end up getting lazy and jumping the sketching step for physical mock ups... at least communicating ideas on the forum gets me writing some of the mental visual ideas out!

 

Got to love a mock up, I do find there are some things you can only learn about how it will all fit by making a physical model. 

 

21 minutes ago, cteno4 said:

The person i know with by far the best mental visualization capabilities i have ever seen is an avid proponent of sketching a lot and even model building as a whole process. i need to get back to his teachings, its just ive never been a great sketcher and my handwriting is at times not legible to even myself

 

I find that 90% of what I sketch is non sense and usually ends up in the bin. I do find these are however part of the process that allows me to focus and refine an idea. All my plans start as bad doodles that slowly get better until I have built up a composition I like. Harajuku was really easy, the way the road in front starts above the track for the south entrance, below the track for the north entrance and level with the track for the imperial platform. It gave the front of the layout a really graceful flow and sense of movement that was so much fun to play around with.  As for handwriting, I am a teacher I have worked tirelessly on making mine legible too!

 

23 minutes ago, disturbman said:

I have no issue imagining, conceptualizing or "visualizing" in a way but I cannot conjure up images in my mind. More like shadows. Since I discovered that people actually saw in their mind it always puzzled me.

 

I am very lucky that I can think in 3D (useful for making flat pack furniture) but I still need to record them as the more I think about things the more convoluted the idea becomes. Eventually I will loose the thing that made the idea good in the first place if I don't jot it down.

[disturbman]

4 minutes ago, Kamome442 said:

I am very lucky that I can think in 3D (useful for making flat pack furniture) but I still need to record them as the more I think about things the more convoluted the idea becomes.

That's definitely not an issue. I have built some of my own furniture and I'm very good at orientating myself. As I said, I have no issue "visualizing". I just apparently don't do it the same way as others.
  

4 minutes ago, Kamome442 said:

I find that 90% of what I sketch is non sense and usually ends up in the bin. I do find these are however part of the process that allows me to focus and refine an idea.

I iterate a lot when I work. But I work through concepts, writing them down to refine and streamline the original idea, shading all the small elements that make the concept unworkable. But it's all text. And it's all on the computer. I use paper more like a floppy disk where I can dump ideas I'll never remember.

[cteno4]

Yes sketching/doodling is a great way to suss thru ideas and just sort out the good ideas from the duds!

 

i love mock up. I was so lucky as a kid to land a job doing exhibit mockups at the monterey bay aquarium during its design and construction phases. I got to do both physical mockups of exhibits, architectural models, and mockups with animals to see if ideas would work with the animal. i grew up building all sorts of things out of paper, metal, boxes, wood, etc so when they asked me to do the first little job it was like a no brainer and stunned the first designer as i did it in a way he had not even thought of to construct the waffle ceiling after he told me to create it this very tedious way. that lead to 4 years of total enjoyment with the matte knife and chipboard!

 

3D cad has alway frustrated me as i can see it in my head really well its just torquing the tools around to make it happen in the software just are always very hard work. i can go to physical stuff and very quickly throw stuff together. But i realize 3D cad is a super useful tool for 3D printing and a necessary step to boot! but also i just find the assembly of smaller bits into more complex ones fun and why i loved etched brass and lasercut stuff a lot more. I can just visualize the deconstruction of the thing as well as the assembly so well but making 3D cad tools do it so much more tedious it kind of takes all the fun out of it.

 

43 minutes ago, disturbman said:

Interesting. Maybe I should do more of this. I'm pretty sure I have a form of aphantasia. I have no issue imagining, conceptualizing or "visualizing" in a way but I cannot conjure up images in my mind. More like shadows. Since I discovered that people actually saw in their mind it always puzzled me.

 

might try. ive worked with a few good designers that were shocked i could visualize sometimes better than them but i could not put it on paper pretty (i can crudely, but many designers recoil from my scribbles at first!), but they could work out things well by iterating sketches quickly

 

3 minutes ago, disturbman said:

I iterate a lot when I work. But I work through concepts, writing them down to refine and streamline the original idea, shading all the small elements that make the concept unworkable. But it's all text. And it's all on the computer. I use paper more like a floppy disk where I can dump ideas I'll never remember.

 

exactly what pencil and paper is great for getting ideas down. you can also then iterate and refine them there as well!

 

22 minutes ago, Kamome442 said:

As for handwriting, I am a teacher I have worked tirelessly on making mine legible too!

 

I spent a lot of time with my handwriting, but sadly with little success. Im dyslexic and never caught in school (bit too old for that) and tryign to learn lower case was just hard, i had to think so hard about forming letters. i saw the cursive up above the block letters and asked if i could do that and jumped to cursive and took off, but never really learned lower case printing, only upper case. but try as i might (tons of practice in school having to rewrite papers for better penmanship) i just never have been able to do really nice cursive or upper case even if i go slow, concentrate and try to be careful. sort of like my sketching, took sketching courses and little improvement. I sort of gave up and just focused more on what i did well and found workaround for the things i didnt. later tested as dyslexic in mid 20s and made sense on what was just torture for me.

 

but the big thing is it has made me much more aware of looking at how the brain processes things in myself and others, really fascinates me.

 

jeff

[Tom C]

8 hours ago, gavino200 said:

I've always wanted my layout to look good as a piece of furniture in the room.

 

9 hours ago, Kamome442 said:

one of the more wild ideas I have put to paper

This is by far the most insperational idea for a layout I have ever come across, just amazing. It's too easy to forget that there can be more to a layout shape than rectangle and that it's form can be part of its appeal. 10/10 

[Kamome442]

12 hours ago, disturbman said:

As I said, I have no issue "visualizing". I just apparently don't do it the same way as others.

 

Sorry dusturbman completely misread your post, it interesting how people process things in so many different ways. When musicians talk about seeing musical notes as colours I find that endlessly fascinating.

 

11 hours ago, cteno4 said:

the first little job it was like a no brainer and stunned the first designer as i did it in a way he had not even thought of to construct the waffle ceiling after he told me to create it this very tedious way.

 

That sounds like an amazing job, I have come to realise I need to find my own way to solve problems. When I started using CAD programs I would watch online tutorials and found doing things the 'right' way to be completely illogical and time consuming. Given enough time I start work out work arounds that suit the way I think. I was really excited to watch the recent video from Cityscape Studio for their bridge with brick arches. It is very close to what I am doing and I wanted to see how they had solved some of the problems I ran into. I actually found it a hard watch because I hadn't figured that they would approach the construction in such different way. I did learn about the existence of fine scale spring wire so that saved me lots of time trying to figure out bending the pipes around the catenary.

 

11 hours ago, cteno4 said:

12 hours ago, Kamome442 said:

As for handwriting, I am a teacher I have worked tirelessly on making mine legible too!

 

I spent a lot of time with my handwriting, but sadly with little success. Im dyslexic and never caught in school (bit too old for that) and tryign to learn lower case was just hard, i had to think so hard about forming letters. i saw the cursive up above the block letters and asked if i could do that and jumped to cursive and took off, but never really learned lower case printing, only upper case. but try as i might (tons of practice in school having to rewrite papers for better penmanship) i just never have been able to do really nice cursive or upper case even if i go slow, concentrate and try to be careful. sort of like my sketching, took sketching courses and little improvement. I sort of gave up and just focused more on what i did well and found workaround for the things i didnt. later tested as dyslexic in mid 20s and made sense on what was just torture for me.

 

but the big thing is it has made me much more aware of looking at how the brain processes things in myself and others, really fascinates me.

 

I hope my glib comment didn't offend, it is interesting how adaptable the brain is at finding a work around in order to adapt. Spelling has always been my Achilles heel, I had to have extra lessons when I was at school. It was something I was deeply embarrassed by at the time. By the time I started working I had developed ways to mask most errors, working primarily on a computer helped. When I stated teaching I had to face my past to a degree, that uneasy feeling flooded back whenever I was teaching in front of another adult in case I spelt something wrong on the board. After a couple of years I gained the confidence to embrace it a little more, I found telling my class I am terrible at spelling is useful to show even adults are not perfect. It is also useful to discuss any errors and talk about how and why I got it wrong. 

 

I mostly teach children in their first year of school, to help them settle we start by visiting them at home so they can meet us in a place where they feel safe. I had one boy tell me on a visit that he 'doesn't do reading or writing' while talking about any worries he had. I assured him I wouldn't force him to do something he didn't want to. Of course by the end of the year he had picked up a pencil and had looked through books in class. While it had been a steep hill for him to climb he was beginning to find his way. On his last day he gave me this.

 

It is the only time I have cried openly in front of a class, it had been a particularly difficult year group for many reasons. As the terms had gone on I had been bogged down with data and meetings about the progress being made, I had lost sight of what impact I was actually having. This served as a timely reminder of why I was there in the first place and was quite overwhelming.

Edited April 9, 2021 by Kamome442

[Kamome442]

4 hours ago, Tom C said:

This is by far the most insperational idea for a layout I have ever come across, just amazing. It's too easy to forget that there can be more to a layout shape than rectangle and that it's form can be part of its appeal. 10/10 

 

Tom C thank you for your kind words, I have really enjoyed seeing your posts about Akita Mountain. I am in awe of the depth and balance you are able to find, I can't imagine doing that without a clear reference to copy. 

I should also say I am not going to do anything with the Throwback Thursday plans, I have more than enough on my plate at the moment. I would be more than happy if anyone used and developed any of the ideas. It would be interesting to see what someone else would take from them.

[disturbman]

I would pick it up but what you sketched/described is far beyond my abilities.

Can I ask what do you teach exactly? I thought for a moment you might have been an art teacher.

[Kamome442]

28 minutes ago, disturbman said:

I would pick it up but what you sketched/described is far beyond my abilities.

 

Yeah the construction for Kurama the way designed it would be a nightmare, I am somewhat relieved I didn't go past the planning stage!

Next week there will be a much simpler idea, just a small basic rectangle with some Greenmax buildings. It is a goodie, I would have made but for a key reason that will become clear.

Maybe I could do a download a layout sometime with files for CNC cutting the baseboards?! I would need to work out a format to upload it in. 

 

35 minutes ago, disturbman said:

Can I ask what do you teach exactly? I thought for a moment you might have been an art teacher.

 

I teach Early years and Key Stage 1 so children between the age of 4-7, I have the same class all day so I teach all subjects albeit at a very basic level. That can be tricky sometimes there are subjects I find harder than others but you have to be as enthusiastic about everything you teach. I do sometimes run Design and Technology clubs after school. We did once build the Golden Gate Bridge in 1/100 scale and raced little RC cars over it. To be honest it was a grind keeping up the enthusiasm with young children and I ended building most of it! These days I usually stick to junk modelling or building with Lego.

[Kamome442]

It's Throwback Thursday Time

Tokyo Metro Ueno Depot - More than just a fun thing to say!

 

I was in the middle of designing the Uguisudani Station layout and looking at google maps to see if I could include a section of track that curves into Ueno Station. It is close to a 90 degree turn and I was thinking I could make an L shaped layout. It was while looking aerial images I noticed that a couple of blocks to the east was a train shed and some sidings, that seemed to be in the middle of a residential area. That in itself isn't so strange but this particular depot didn't seem to be attached to anything! I just had to zoom in. 

Source: Apple Maps

 

While it was new to me I think it is pretty well known to a lot of rail fans however as far as can recall I have not so far seen it in model form. I know there must be models of it somewhere it is just too interesting not to recreate. For those not in the know this is depot connects to the Tokyo Metros Ginza Line underground. The track out of the depot drops steeply before entering a tunnel behind a building at the far end of the site.

A view towards the tunnel:

Source: Google Streeview

 

There are also additional sidings below what can be seen on the surface.

What for gives this place character is that the entry to the surface sidings involves not only going across a level crossing but also through a building:

Source: Google Streeview

 

It is compact site so I had to make up a plan for such an interesting place. I used the roads boarding the site as the scenic break so that you could view the site form any angle. It was two boards each around 1 meter in length and 45 cm in width at the widest point. 

 

The view from above:

 

The view from the Northern end looking south, with a backdrop made from clusters of buildings on the narrow streets running along side the site: 

 

 

The baseboard join was hidden under the building over the depot entrance. I eventually found a few pictures of the underground section and added a window to include the lower sidings in a later design (sadly now lost). I also added a cassette style fiddle yard allow trains to come and go however I pictured it as largely being a static model.

 

The removable entrance building that would cover the baseboard join:

 

A view down the slope:

 

Exit from layout via a hole at the south end:

 

 

The Greenmax train shed is a dead ringer for the one on site and if memory serves I was considering a kit bashing a Kibri building for the depot entrance. What ultimately killed this project was the lack of RTR Metro stock at the time (around 2005/6). It seemed pointless to spend more time working on a layout if there were no trains to run on it! Now that Metro stock is more readily available (the Ginza line 1000 series is in my opinion a very pretty train) it seems like it would make for a fascinating subject for a layout. 

Joe

Edited April 15, 2021 by Kamome442
Crediting Images

[cteno4]

Very cool! Nice find on a hidden gem of a yard. Love the path thru the building to the other side.

 

jeff

[Kamome442]

On 4/8/2021 at 10:25 PM, Kamome442 said:

I tend to lose most of what I put on paper, curse you safe place wherever you are?!

 

So I was clearing out some rubbish today and stumbled on a tatty old box at the back of the cupboard. To my surprise it contained a handful of drawings and a half finished model I had been working on. It was part of the town scene I had been building on the JRS layout with my dad.

 

Here is the sketch for what I had planned:

 

This was as much of the building on the left that I had constructed:

 

It sat on a road that was S shaped in order to climb a hill. This was going to fit in a tight gap between the road and the track next to a level crossing. The stepped end of the building was meant to increase in height as the road climbed behind it. I remember when it came to the first test fit this design overpowered the surrounding buildings. I was going to work on a scaled down version but I think we just went with a retaining wall in the end. 

 

For another section on the same road there was an awkward gap between two buildings (Greenmax kits I think) with a height difference between the front and back. I decided to make a little glass atrium between the two. It little more than styrene I beams and clear plastic. I don't have any pictures of the actual model but I did find this doodle. 

 

I also found this little test for making office windows. It is made from a few bits of styrene strip that were at hand.

  

 

I found that a great way to work out how to make the buildings for that layout. There was plenty of little off cuts and scrap materials around. I used to randomly stick bits together and if I liked how it looked I planned a building around it.

 

There were a few other drawings for projects I haven't shared yet so I will hang on to them for another day. I will leave with this bonus picture as I have no idea what project it was from (it was even dated not something I often do).

 

By the looks of the bottom two sketches Shibuya and Akihabara were an influence, I did do rough plans for both stations but it was much later on.

I will share another project hopefully next week, I am just drawing up a track plan as a .pdf, something I will try to do from now on as I hope it will be useful to see how I would have set out each baseboard.

 

Joe