Wardell Station welcomes you

Wardell Station welcomes you
Wardell Station late 1950s

Monday, 11 May 2015

What's in a name?

Since the last blog post, I have completed more of the scenery on my layout. However, there are still  two large structures yet to complete and as yet the layout and station still does not have a name.



Above: My station loosely based on Petersham station. A "newly" built 42 Class loco coming through. Station name has yet to be decided. 


Asphalted platform
I wanted to simulate an asphalted platform using wet and dry sandpaper. Bunnings had rolls but the width was too narrow. I found a supplier on the Internet "Mr Sandpaper"who was able to supply my needs I was able to purchase a large 2 metre roll that was about 30 cm in width so I have enough to use this surplus for later use.

Platform length and platform furniture
The platform has been completing using the AMRI platform and peco ramps as the basis. The platform in whole is about a metre long so it can handle a four car set. Platform furniture such as seats and indicator boards are painted in period colours of the 1950s supplied by Anton Trains Uneek. I only bought 1 set of platform seats (3 in a pack) but I will require at least 3 more packs.
I will probably need to see what other items I need to add to give my station some more life.

I have also added the subway steps that were located in the western end of the platform that has since been covered up.

Backdrop
My idea was to have the old style Victorian Italianate Petersham station as the backdrop so I would not need to model the complicated architecture. Also for the period I was modelling (the 1950s) the station was no longer used.

I used photoshop to stitch two photos together and then used Office works printing to print the colour photo on a large A2 paper. I then cut the photo and glued it on foamboard.

I am happy with the effect but I believe I need a period skyline to provide more fill between the sky and the building.

Layout and Station name
Although the station area is based on Petersham station it will not follow the track layout and structures exactly to the prototype. Therefore, I was thinking of an alternative name for my layout and station name.
Searching the internet I discovered some interesting history of the Petersham area and some ideas of names come up. As yet I a name has not been confirmed.
Some suggested names I thought of:
  • Sydenham farm - Prior to the current station been named Petersham it was called Sydenham as this was the name of the part of the estate.
  • Wardell - A wealthy barrister own large parts of Petersham before it was subdivided he was shot by criminals trying to rob his estate.
  • South Kingston or just Kingston - This was the name of the Ward that covered the station area of Petersham. It was named after it was part of an estate.
  • Toot-hill - This was an area used for deer hunting. A street in Lewisham has been named after it
  • Newsham - A hybrid of Petersham and Newtown stations
  • Stansham - a hybrid of Petersham and Stanmore stations