Kingsway k212 - Tottenham Public Toilets
This is another of the free Christmas Downloads from John Howe of Kingsway Models. The 2020 Free Download is, of public toilets in Tottenham, so we can flush away our thoughts of the pandemic year 2020, according to John.
The prototype
Available for reuse under this Creative Commons licence
The model is based on the public conveniences that stood outside the Tottenham Hotspur grounds in White Hart Lane in Tottenham. Obviously sexual equality was not necessary as there are two entrances for men and one for women ( A wag has renamed the entrances "Women, Men and Amen" with a touch of graffiti in this photo).
The most impressive feature of this building is the facade; the rest is just plain brick walls.
The model
Kingsway Models offer various options in their download to customise the model including full doors and alternative signs for above the door. I decided to put a door in the central entrance and make it for disabled persons.
The sheets were printed at 51% full scale for N scale (1:148) onto thin card (160 gsm). As recommended the walls, etc were first glued to thicker card (about 1 mm thick)
I glazed the windows by adding a layer of thin clear plastic between the outer layer and the printed windows. The skylights are flat as in the download. The originals are domed and a lot of work for little reward if you wanted to model them. The surface of the skylight is covered with a layer of matt sellotape to give a little sheen to the glass surface. John Howe's model shows five small skylights on the left side of the roof and two larger skylights on the right. I chose to use only the larger size as they are easier to handle in N scale.
The model has been embellished with a few additions:-
- A block of corner paving from the K211 Arkwright's Shop download. This gives it a corner location.
- I could then add advertisements on a board (from the same download) to the bare wall.
- A small section of wall with a bush behind it for the right of the facade.
- A touch of grass growing around the bottom of the walls.
Conclusions
I have to admit that too many things went wrong in making this model and I am not proud of the result. The shape of the feature at the top of the facia has been lost and turned into a semicircle. The capping strips on the top of this and around the walls are a mess. My only positive conclusion is that my additions described above did help with the look of the model.
I found it very difficult working with the suggested combination of thin card glued to thick card and, if I was doing it again, I would print out directly onto a 205gsm or 300gsm card. The side and back walls and the top of the facia are a combination of an inner and outer layer so would have adequate strength. If greater thickness was necessary, e,g around the windows, I would add strips of card on the inside.
It was an interesting exercise, so would I try it again? No, because I do not like the building and I have no need for London-styled buidings. It has inspred me to build models based on local public conveniences (now, inconveniences as they are all closed!). I have two examples in mind for which I have sufficient photographs and I hope to report on that soon.
References
Article dated: 13/02/2021