HOW TO DO IT: KIT-BASH TETBURY SHED
Start with the long side wall that doesn’t have the notice board and light fitting on it (this is readily apparent with the kit in front of you!). Cut the wall in two, either side of the thick central pillar. You don’t need the central pillar - but don’t throw it away.
Clean all edges, getting them as smooth as possible. Don’t forgot to flatten the top edge, ready for the new roof. Add plastic tabs for strength. In this case, I’ve made a butt joint from a piece of leftover wall - if you use this technique, make sure they’re as accurate as possible.
Cut the new rear gable end to match the height of the new side walls. Assemble all walls squarely making sure the top edge is level throughout. Eagle-eyed readers might be able to see further butt joints using strips of surplus wall plastic.
Cut two pieces of Wills SSMP214 Cement Rendering to make a double-thickness roof. There will be an exposed aperture above the roof. Use the left over piece from the cut gable wall to fit the gap. It’ll already match the profile but might need a bit of tidying to fit neatly.
I wanted to see if I could improve the windows. I thinned down the frames with a file and set them the opposite way round. This gives you thinner glazing bars and a deeper recess. The left-hand one has been modified - doesn’t it look much better than the original (right)?
The main doors are substantially reworked, not only in thinning visible edges but by increased height so as to dispense with the unsightly gap at the bottom edge. If memory serves right it’s there to allow Tri-ang Series 3 track underneath - appropriate at the time but no longer so.
I’ve been careful to work out the top hinge position so it will line up with the top fixing hole on both sides. The lower hinge on the existing door needs moving down to match the fixing holes. For visual effect, I’ve added the suggestion of hinge straps using Microstrip.
I’ve been able to find use for most leftover parts, with the exception of the Water Tank ladders. With rungs a scale 1ft 3in apart and handrails 3in thick they’re no-hopers! Maybe I’ll be able to use them as a lightweight lattice girder, or something else, for a future project.
The body of the water tank must be shrunk to match the shed width. I’ve removed approximately 28.5mm for the sides, slightly less off the roof at 24mm, cut away from the end opposite the access hole. That just leaves the bottom, which needs reducing to fit the new sides.
The safety railing uses existing locating lugs (grey plastic) and Microrod for posts and rails. You’ll find the assembly much easier if you fix the components in place temporarily - here I’ve used Blu-tack.
I’ve thinned the main rooftop sliding access panel and added a folded-over section to suggest that, when closed, it would cover the entire aperture.
The small platform was made from the spare locomotive shed notice board, (Part 23), reduced to the width of three planks and shortened by 2mm. Supporting leg frames were made from Water Tower parts 12 to 15.
The short Ratio 451 ladder, between the platform and tank access hole, is fixed to two short pins at the top and a fixing bar, made from spare ladder handrail, to the floor.
The main Ratio ladder will need restraining arms, representing metal fixing bars, back to the brickwork, a tad below the gutter and to the plinth near ground level. Have a look at Tetbury shed and you’ll see how the real ladder is arranged. I’ve fitted an overflow pipe, with a rightangled bend, using Ratio 538.
Modify the water crane from Trackside Accessories kit C011. Remove the balance weight and straighten the main arm. Add a short locating pin to make a swivel joint on the upturned part.
Now take part marked A and file flat so that it looks like B. Then take triangular pieces C and nip the points off so that they look like D. Glues these to each end of B to form a ‘U’ shape. This will hold the pips from the crane...
...and allow you to mount it to the wall. Now assemble the water crane. The short rightangled pipe bend and larger circular fixing to the tank side are both made out of bits of cast-off sprue.
To make the support bracket more realistic, drill holes with a small bit and refine them with a round needle file. Add an extra flange on both sides from Microstrip.
In order for the water crane to sit centrally over the window, the mounting protrudes slightly, bottom right, and as such will need packing. I used a small section of scrap brickwork.
The finishing touches - Wills SS55 window arches. I’ve used the largest radius single course, cut from a set of three reducing radii and sanded them thinner both on the inside plain surface and on the front, reducing brick thickness as much as I can without losing course lines altogether.