Build a CLASP station
George Dent assembles a great new Scalescenes kit of BR’S prefabricated station buildings, which became a familiar sight in the 1960s and 1970s.
George Dent assembles a Scalescenes kit of a 1960s design building.
If, like me, you grew up in an urban environment in the 1970s and 1980s, austere concrete, glass and timber station buildings were a common aspect of the railway experience. Usually in a shabby state, they were a far cry from the immaculately tended facilities of earlier times.
While this might not sound appealing or particularly nostalgic, modellers with an interest in the BR Modernisation era tend to associate such buildings with contemporary motive power, such as Class 40s, ‘Peaks’ and ‘Westerns’, as well as first generation diesel and electric multiple units.
For those wanting to recreate the post1960s scene therefore, this new offering from Scalescenes provides a perfect opportunity to recreate an important style of structure employed by BR: the CLASP modular building.
THE KIT
As with all Scalescenes products, the new CLASP building kit is designed to be downloaded and printed at home. Once purchased, the kit can be printed as many times as you wish, allowing the building to be enlarged or customised to your own requirements. All you need is a decent colour printer and a supply of good quality paper and various grades of card.
Full, illustrated instructions are supplied as part of the download and, like the prototype, the kit parts are offered in modular form. Therefore, the wall panels can be assembled in countless configurations, with a variety of window and door options provided, along with a range of internal walls, ticket counters and floor panels.
Single or multi-storey structures are possible and there are skylights and vents provided for the flat roof, along with overhanging awnings. Furthermore, different colour schemes are provided to suit various periods and regions, including plenty of Network South East brandings, along with
a range of appropriate signs and posters.
It takes a little time to cut out the various apertures and to laminate and assemble the various sections, taking care to align the parts squarely. Once the structure comes together, a surprisingly sturdy building is created, with a pleasing amount of surface relief. Indeed, the various concrete cladding panels are added as separate overlays which looks particularly effective.
With a little extra internal and external detailing, plus a touch of weathering with powders and paint, a very convincing rendition of the archetypal BR CLASP structure can be created, whether it’s a station, depot office or mess room. The kit is also available in ‘N’ gauge and it certainly proved to be a fun modelling project.