Starting from scratch
The unique character of London Transport proved a fitting challenge for 3mm stalwart Phill Hutchings.
Those who build in 3mm:1ft scale uphold one of the last surviving areas of the hobby, where just about every aspect of layout construction involves an element of scratchbuilding. In a world of out-of-the-box track, stock, buildings and scenery, 3mm modelling requires a mastery of working with metals, plastic and card, which were once a prerequisite for every railway modeller. Going 3mm is challenging enough, but Phill Hutchings decided to make life even harder for himself – he wanted to capture the intricacies and unique character of London Transport. This is not Phill’s first layout to carry the name ‘Addison Park’. His first was set in the 1930s and featured North London Railway steam services and Southern electrics running into a small terminus. A new layout moved the setting into the early 1950s London Transport scene, with the first post-war trains running alongside vintage pre-war stock. Phill built new baseboards rather than be saddled with the odd-sized collection from the previous build. He also decided to ditch 12mm gauge ‘TT’ track in favour of the more accurate 14.2mm gauge. Yet another modelling challenge! However, after a house move the layout was put in storage, and that’s where it would have stayed had the editor of the 3mm Society’s magazine Mixed Traffic not appealed for layout features. Phill submitted a photograph of one of his scratchbuilt Metropolitan Railway electrics and a rake of Worsley Works ‘Dreadnought’ coaches on a section of the embryonic layout. It generated a lot of interest and people wanted to know more, so Phill had to get to work.
Fourth rail
London Underground trackwork is always a challenge, whatever scale you work in. Modelling a third rail system is bad enough, but London Underground uses the fourth rail system, where the rail outside the running rails is the positive (+420V DC) and the inner rail is the negative (-210V DC). Phill used 3mm Society 14.2mm track with Code 60 rail for the running lines and glued Code 70 flat bottom rail for the conductor rails to the sleepers. The reason for the deeper rail on the conductor rails is that the outer rail stands 3in above the running rails,
whereas the inner rail stands just 1½in proud. There could have been an issue with the clearances, with the motor bogies and their 9mm wheels fouling the insulators. The 9mm wheels only just clear the trackwork! The conductor rails were the most demanding to fit. There were lots of very short sections and all needed a ramp at each end. Phill’s technique involved filing down the head of a piece of flat bottom rail and twisting the flat section down to replicate a ramp. This would be attached to the conductor rail that was already in place. It was a lengthy process but it really captures this important detail. Phill’s station building is based on the stylish London Transport building at Park Royal that overlooks the A40 Western Avenue. It was created by architect Felix Lander in the 1930s, working to the designs of the legendary station designer Charles Holden. Park Royal is a truly impressive building of its era, with a flat concrete roof, brick tower, circular booking hall and a sweeping curved block accommodating the associated shops and flats. The long runs of Crittall windows, central tower and dramatic curved glazed booking hall made a strong statement about London Transport’s ambitions in the late 1930s, and represented exactly the building Phill needed for his redeveloped station.
Not content with simply modelling an archetypal LT station, Phill was determined to capture the street scenes that were so typical of London in the 1950s when the city was beginning to free itself from the immediate post-war period but still displayed features from that dark time. Harold Macmillan’s assertion that we had ‘never had it so good’ was just around the corner and the impact of the Swinging ’60s was still some way in the future! Phill has created a very convincing high street scene immediately outside the station entrance with many buildings mirroring actual examples, such as the Westminster Bank property, based on the building in Thame in Oxfordshire but quite appropriate for this location. This area creates as much interest on the exhibition circuit as the railway itself and includes a number of rarely modelled features that reflect both Phill’s attention to detail and his observation skills. Two scratchbuilt C Class LT trolleybuses are plying their trade, and one is modelled with its poles down after developing a fault. The driver is shown positioning the bamboo pole up against the back of the bus to let other drivers know that it is safe to pass by on the wires. Austin FX3 taxis complete the scene, and one is portrayed about to practise its extremely tight turning ability as it swings round to the station
entrance for its next fare. The reflective pads that line the pedestrian crossing are left over from war when they acted as an aid during the Blitz blackouts. The convincing nature of the scene is enhanced by some intricate scratchbuilt trolley pole and wire modelling. Phill has always enjoyed modelling unusual or slightly different aspects of railways in either 4mm or 3mm and this, his latest in a series of outstanding 3mm layouts, demonstrates his command of this scale and his attention to detail. Exceptional observation skills are reflected in the evocative street scenes and iconic road vehicles, as well as the intricate trackwork and stunning rolling stock. ‘Addison Park’ is a modelling masterpiece and a triumph for scratchbuilding. But then, as he will tell you, he has actually been working in 3mm for over 40 years!