Hornby Magazine’s roofing contractor TIM SHACKLETON describes the construction of Grosvenor Square’s imposing overall canopy.
I wanted people to look at this model and think ‘That looks impressive’ rather than ‘That’s a Peco station roof’. It’s built on a larger scale than many people would attempt, but at heart it’s still the same plastic kit you can buy at your local model shop – only with more of them!
Considering the amount of time I had available – basically, a Bank Holiday weekend with a few hours either side – building a roof this size using anything other than a simple kit was out of the question and Peco’s well-regarded plastic model was the obvious choice. Had I had time – an awful lot of time – I might have considered the astonishing Alan Gibson etched brass kit of Bath Green Park’s canopy but with a deadline measured in days rather than months it was obvious that practicality, as ever, would hold sway.
Above: Grosvenor Square’s station canopy is all its glory, during a trial installation. I wanted to suggest the down-at-heel decrepitude of a less image-conscious era, when appearances mattered less than simply keeping the trains running.
For the most part the kits are built exactly as supplied but I made extensive …
