The servicing area

One of the priorities for John is to complete the locomotive servicing area around the turntable. Rob has been tasked with applying the scenics.

“It’ll be your typical steam era groundworks with a bit of junk around,” he says.

He recommends a package of whitemetal castings called Shed Clutter from Model Scenery Supplies (www.modelscenerysupplies.co.uk).

“There’s all sorts in there,” he says. “Brake blocks, buckets, that sort of thing.”

Rob has also been experimenting with ash piles, a steam shed essential that you rarely see modelled. The result is particularly impressive and really looks like a pile of ash. But this is not a pile. It’s actually wetted plaster bandage that’s been moulded into a rough shape over scrumpled newspaper. The pile was covered in varnish to harden it and then covered with scatter.

What makes the servicing area interesting is that it’s a two-stage project, thanks to the era in which the layout’s set. John chose 1947 as this was the last year of the LMS and also the year of his birth. At this time, Lime Street only had a 65ft turntable, which could only turn 4-6-0s – ‘Jubilees’, ‘Royal Scots’ and ‘Black Fives’. The Stanier ‘Pacifics’ had to turn at Edge Hill depot. However, at the end of the 1940s, a new a 70ft turntable was installed to make way for the new ARP signal box and the 65ft ‘table removed.

“We’re going to model a building site, where they’re excavating the ground for the new turntable,” says Rob.

The scene will feature contractors’ vehicles correct for the period. The issue is that the ‘Lime Street’ team hasn’t found any photographs of the work and has no idea how the vehicles were used or what for. Some vehicles will be placed on the road overbridge to act as an eye catcher and some by the railway.

“We’re getting things like compressors, braziers and little huts,” says Rob. “We’ve no photographs of working going on there so it’s all going to be out of our heads.”

Work on the building site will start when the existing servicing area is complete.