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OO Gauge Great Eastern Railway Signal Box Card Model Kit

An “Elro” OO Gauge scale Great Eastern Railway “Type 7” SIGNAL BOX CARD Model Kit by Elena & Robert Hendry. The kit builds up into a multi-layered detailed model of the GER Type 7 signal box, a design that first appeared in the 1880s and continued to be built until the start of the 1920s. In 1997, two dozen GE Type 7 boxes remained in use on the national rail network, making the model suitable for modellers covering a period of well over a century. To complete the kit, you will need scissors/craft knife, a steel ruler, glue, scrap card, wire, glazing material, and felt tip pens or paint to touch in exposed edges of the card.

The origins of this kit were that we wanted a Great Eastern Railway signal box for a friend, and spent a couple of years looking for a suitable kit in O Gauge with no success, but plenty of promises from manufacturers that they would look into it. When we started making kits ourselves, we decided we would get on with it, and studied drawings prepared by the GE for contractors building the genuine boxes over a century ago and photos of many GE boxes of this pattern. The kit follows the contract drawings but also incorporates evidence as to how the boxes appeared in real life. It is suitable for a smaller GER station, of the sort that most modellers have room for, but if you are wanting a really large box, a couple of kits could be combined to produce a suitable structure, as these boxes appeared in many different sizes. It can be “platform mounted”, i.e. placed directly on the platform of a station, or ground standing, as with the original design.

In this age of plastic and resin, the use of card in a kit may seem “old-fashioned”, but card is a very versatile and convenient modelling medium, and where small production runs are called for, is ideal, as it offers versatility at low cost. To do a small production run for a structure like this in plastic or resin would put up the cost 10 or 20 fold. The kit consists of six sheets of pre-printed fully coloured A4 card, along with detailed instructions and a photo of a completed model for you to refer to during construction. The card is quite thin, but this means that it bends smoothly but flooring, roofs and other structural areas should be reinforced with additional card that is readily available from stationers, or you can use a cornflake or similar packet if you are into recycling !  In assembling the sides, we make up a “sandwich” comprising the pre-printed sides, a sheet of 1mm glazing and then the pre-printed interior. Apart from bending much more smoothly that a thick sheet of card, the thinner card we use means that unlike most die-cast or plastic models, where the window frames are much too thick, the windows are not inset too far, enhancing realism greatly.  The kit includes sides, ends, floors, roof and interior detailing. To construct the sides, the window frames are cut out from Sheet A, and then an overlay that has been cut out for the structural timbers is placed over this, creating a realistic 3D effect. Separate window frames are cut out, glazed and inserted behind the main sheet. The same procedure is followed with the ends, whilst the staircase is built up from several layers of card to produce a realistic and robust model of the characteristic GE end gallery and stairs.  Interior detail includes some internal wooden planking, the floor, on which are marked out the locations of the lever frame, the signalman’s desk, lockers and stove. These items are also included in the kit, with a generous selection of correctly coloured levers, so that a modeller can build up a lever frame to suit his layout. Helpful hints on how levers are organised in a lever frame are included.  The block shelf and specimen block instruments are also included as bonus items, although not originally a part of the kit.

Whilst the kit can be built up with a high level of detail with interior fittings, it can also be assembled as a simple non glazed “box” by a younger or less experienced modeller. Unlike expensive etched brass kits that many modellers find too daunting, and are not really suitable to the younger modeller, this card kit is readily affordable and is a good start to modelling. The photo of the finished model shows what you can do, but some experience of card construction kits is a help. 

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Great Eastern Railway Station Huts Model Kit

An “Elro” CARD Model Kit by Elena & Robert Hendry that builds up into a pair of multi-layered detailed models of the widely used GER standard 10 ft x 10 ft wooden hut, a design that appeared in the 19^th century and continued to be built for many years. Hundreds of them survived well into BR days, making the kitl suitable for modellers covering a period of well over a century. To complete the kit, you will need scissors/craft knife, a steel ruler, glue, scrap card, wire, glazing material, and felt tip pens or paint to touch in exposed edges of the card. The origins of this kit were that we wanted some Great Eastern Railway structures for a friend, and spent a couple of years looking for a suitable items in O Gauge with no success, but plenty of promises from manufacturers that they would look into it. When we started making kits ourselves, we decided we would get on with it, and during research for signal boxes, found data on this GE standard hut.

Due to reduction in passenger and freight facilities at station that are open, and because branch lines, where such huts prevailed were vulnerable to the Beeching cuts, these traditional GE buildings have been largely forgotten, but were a feature of East Anglia for much of the twentieth century. To give a few examples, such huts were to be found in platform use at Seven Sisters, as a yard hut at Stowmarket, and as a swing bridge control hut at Beccles, whilst Cawston boasted a double length version with garage type doors.  In this kit, which has been prepared from GER plans issued to contractors who built the real version over a century ago, and from a study of views of GE stations, we have provided various components to customise your model, as you require.  Interior fittings include the desk, lockers, stove and a variety of levers allow you to build a ground frame to suite your layout.  This kit builds into two huts, so that the modeller can use ONE as a porters room or other station building, as a yard office, and the SECOND as a signal hut or bridge hut, or you can combine the two into the large Cawston version !  The hut is pre-printed in early Eastern Region BR blue green and cream colour scheme. As this paint tended to be very long lasting and faded, we have sought an appearance that suggests it has been some time since the building was painted but it is not in the last stages of decay. The interior colours we have used are brown and cream. A detailed study of 1960s and 1970s colour views former GE signalling structures reveals great diversity, with white or cream floor to ceiling, or with white/cream upper panels, and blue green, apple green or brown lower woodwork.  For use on the ground, the floor of the hut was raised off the ground by about a foot to prevent dampness, but for platform use, this was not necessary, and the plinth was dispensed with, providing a level access from the platform to the hut.  If you are using the hut as a platform building, you can cut away the plinth, giving the maximum flexibility.

 In this age of plastic and resin, the use of card in a kit may seem “old-fashioned”, but card is a very versatile and convenient modelling medium, and where small production runs are called for, is ideal, as it offers versatility at low cost. To do a small production run for a structure like this in plastic or resin would put up the cost 10 or 20 fold. The kit consists of four sheets of pre-printed fully coloured card, along with detailed instructions and a photo of a completed model for you to refer to during construction. The card is quite thin, but this means that it bends smoothly but flooring, roofs and other structural areas should be reinforced with additional card that is readily available from stationers, or you can use a cornflake or similar packet if you are into recycling !  In assembling the sides, we make up a “sandwich” comprising the pre-printed sides, a sheet of glazing and then the pre-printed interior. Apart from bending much more smoothly that a thick sheet of card, the thinner card we use means that unlike most die-cast or plastic models, where the window frames are much too thick, the windows are not inset too far, enhancing realism greatly.  The precise interior details would depend on usage, but would include lockers, a desk and the all important stove. These are included as is the interior wooden planking, permitting you to produce a detailed interior. If you wish, you can add lighting so that this will be readily visible on your layout.   As a common use for these huts was with a small outdoor ground frame at minor locations, where the expense of a signal box was not justified, we have included a selection of levers that you can build up into a ground frame.  Even at large stations, ground frames were common, working carriage sidings, yard connections, and so on.

Whilst the kit can be built up with a high level of detail with interior fittings, it can also be assembled as a simple non glazed “box” by a younger or less experienced modeller. Unlike expensive etched brass kits that many modellers find too daunting, and are not really suitable to the younger modeller, this card kit is readily affordable and is a good start to modelling. The photo of the finished model shows what you can do, but some experience of card construction kits is a help.