• Rail Model, 138 Saltash Road, Keyham,Plymouth, Devon PL2 2BE
• t: 01752 907245 e:salesrailmodel@gmail.com
• www.railmodel.com
• Reviewed by John Pride
• Photographs by the author unless indicated

TETBURY IS THE LOCATION of my father’s birth and an area I know and love. I travelled on the branch as a child, a statistic rather than a memory. Luckily all the buildings for the location are available in 7mm as laser-cut models, and I have built these as dioramas to complement my OO gauge layout depicting the site. The goods shed which I always thought was massive for the requirement of the town is luckily one of those unusual occurrences, a building which exists substantially unchanged, externally at least, and currently in use as an Arts Centre. Rail Model, formerly Lasercraft, produce kits for all the buildings at Tetbury (except the Victorian station building marketed within the Timbertracks range) and this is one of the original Rob Burge designs. With a footprint of 650 x 300mm it’s a bit of a beast, and it will not suit everyone’s layout. The kit is impressive and as expected comes in a substantial box with a myriad of parts, thankfully bagged and labelled into their main areas of use. There is a good, well-written set of detailed instructions and tips, together with a CD which has various photos taken during construction. As with any kit, planning is of the utmost importance. Loads of dry runs and consideration as to when parts should be painted when are desirable. Acrylic spray paint is suggested as a primer, but this can be problematic on the small parts, both from introducing moisture and because the parts fly everywhere. Personally, I prefer cellulose paints of the car variety or airbrushed enamels, or Rustin’s sealant for MDF if you want a raw wood finish. However In view of the delicate nature of some of the parts, particularly windows, hand painting is perhaps the better option. For construction, I use a resin enhanced wood glue such as Titebond as it has better grab and strength over conventional PVA, although this is perfectly adequate. Cyanoacrylate glue can be used for gutters and downpipes but keep well away from the acetate to avoid fogging.

The parts are very crisply cut and very fine particularly the window frames. It is good to note that the manufacturer promises free replacements for damaged parts, a service which I have used. Guttering and downpipes are included, as are pre-coloured roofing tiles/slates. These are particularly good as they are mildly resistant to water so easier to fix. My build was to be for a static diorama, and include an element of detailing to the inner. It was important therefore to consider the options for a removable roof. The materials are basically a mix of 1mm and 2mm MDF, the build principle being a series of sandwiched layers. This means that the windows are fitted either side of the sheet of acetate forming the glazing and fitted between the wall layers, minimising the chance of getting glue on the panes. Similarly, strip wood is used to create plinths and add relief. My personal preference is to paint all parts before assembly, certainly those which are inaccessible when in position or which can be spray painted at the outset to avoid tedious masking. Basic colour for brickwork is a brindled blue colour (difficult to describe so check photos available on internet, or if possible, visit the actual building – the cakes are stunning!), off white or light cream for the windows and GWR stone 1 and 3 (available from Phoenix Precision Paints ) and chocolate/cream for BR[W] periods. I used Tamiya Field Blue Acrylic XF50 for the brickwork and this can then be toned down subsequently with pastels or crayons, a job still to be done. Humbrol 77 is another option. All other paints are from the Phoenix range. Construction commences with the outer walls. These are a sandwich of inner and outer walls with acetate between, and a further wall of outer relief brickwork. The inner walls are slightly narrower and create the overlap to form the rebate into which the walls locate. Side walls are built similarly. As I wished to detail the inner, I used the inner walls as a template to cut an additional plastic card wall, the kit inside wall being plain. This must be done before the inner wall is attached to the outer as by that time you won’t be able to cut through an open window aperture. My preference is to use builder’s strength double sided tape for these overlays, as it reduces moisture content compared to conventional glues. Again these need to be fixed before any assembly to enable a neat cut around windows and doors.

The build technique gives the opportunity to hide any wiring for lighting the interior. My preference is adhesive copper tape within the walls, as it is thin and avoids the need to cut a groove for wire. The tape is run onto the top and bottom edges of the wall and wires for the lamps and power are soldered to it. Although the floor section is scheduled for later assembly, I found the floor useful as an aid to ensuring squareness of the model, as are a pair of trusses loose-fitted in place. At this point the office building and weighbridge can be built or left for later, construction being to the same principle, as the main shed. There is plenty of scope for interior detailing. I used drop-in units again formed by firstly replicating the inner walls in plastic card. This makes it a lot easier to add the detail without working in the confines of the kit. As modellers we should ensure we photograph the interior details that we are subsequently going to hide. The roofs are a little trickier as these are hipped, but again all roof trusses went together well with a little care, and the chimney fitted very neatly. Ensure the roof slates are correctly aligned across the angles, and apply lead flashing where required.

The outside steps have been protected by a handrail and upright supports scratch-built out of brass wire. I have seen two configurations of these steps, one being as supplied and the other a shorter set leading straight down from the office. Again, for fittings I have used a number of suppliers particularly I think Skytrex for the weighbridge scales.

There appears to be some doubt as to the configuration of the main shed’s interior, so my finish is an interpretation. What is clear is that there was a first-floor office or storeroom. An L-shaped staircase fits this best and least invades the working area below. The room does not exist, at least for access, in the current prototype configuration. I believe this is now blocked off as there was/is a protected colony of bats in there. Fit the windows either side of the acetate. The instructions suggest it is probably better to pre-paint them. No it isn’t, it’s absolutely essential! Ensure that these are fully painted front and back, as you will want to secure them on their edges and any non-painted area at the back may be evident against the acetate. RSJs are fitted over the track and road entrance doors. I fitted a further U-shaped channel to suggest a running rail for the doors. Window sills are fitted to all windows both in and out.

Separate brick overlays build up forming a plinth under the roof edge, these can be applied later to ensure a tight fit at the corners. Guttering will attach to these in due course. Similarly, there are brick base reinforcements to be applied. The etched floor is suspended on a honeycomb of joists. Care is needed to ensure the faced pieces, to rail side and road access, are correctly placed. Doors are laminated and fixed in place either open or closed (or even operating) to choice. There is a small cut-out in the floor the width of one door. I have assumed therefore that there were two sliding overhead rails and that one door passed the other into the open standing position. One rail with both doors on wouldn’t work for a number of reasons. The station end of the shed had a loading gauge position in the doorway, so a quick visit to the spares box was needed.

Lighting is fixed in channelling attached to the base of the trusses and uses 12V GoW bulbs and shades from a Chinese eBay source. Plastruct is utilised to simulate the sliding gear over the doors. Various embellishments are made in the form of figures, luggage, packing cases, milk churns and furniture from the usual sources, as listed in the traders’ section of the Guild website. The staircase was made using parts from the warehouse building from Lasercut models. The company were happy to supply just the walkway which I hacked around to fit. I would really encourage members to approach manufacturers direct as most are perfectly willing to supply elements of their kits if feasible. The diorama base is faced on top with MDF and scenic cover. To retain wires, the bottom is faced with hardboard. Track is fixed through the shed and to the side of it, as with the prototype, and doubles up as a useful backdrop for photographing wagons, with the forecourt complete, with the supplied weighbridge plate, offering the possibility of photographing road traffic and delivery vehicles. Some weathering has been applied with more to be done. I have only one real criticism of the kit, and in reality, it isn’t one that the manufacturer can do anything about: It’s a criticism of the original! Its size makes it difficult to incorporate on a layout or even a diorama. The kit itself goes together perfectly with little or no fettling. It can be enhanced further by the modeller to whatever degree he wishes. Overall a really excellent model kit which I have been pleased to add to my portfolio of Tetbury buildings, and which I would thoroughly recommend … if space permits.