Victorian Village Railway Station - WIP

[LazloWoodbine]

Current thumbnail: Update 54 - see below.

New project and I think it might be a big and long one, so thought I’d like to start a WIP thread from quite an early stage - particularly as I don’t really know where it will end up.

The topic is Wingfield Railway Station in the village of South Wingfield in Derbyshire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingfield_railway_station) - where I grew up. This was built in 1840 and was operated until 1967. From that point on it fell into dereliction (see some of the reference photos). It is a Grade II listed building and one of the earliest surviving stations in the world. Its actually quite an important little building from a heritage perspective. The local Council recently purchased it and works have now started to restore it to its former glory. So far they have repaired the roof and are now working on the internals. I think it makes for a good little project and, as its a building I know really well, I want to make a decent job of blender-ising it… we’ll see if I can!

I’m using the drawings from the planning applications, so hopefully will be reasonably accurate (although I’m finding some discrepancies between elevations which is annoying).

Not very far with it so far. Basic shapes of the main building done. Good starting point. Now lots of detailing to go in.

1st render

Some references, including a photo I took of it in 2008 which, if you were to ever search for Wingfield Station in Google you would see used all over the place without any form of credit… but I’m not bitter! Believe it or not, it got even more derelict after I took this photo.

My 2008 photo

Historic drawing I might try to recreate…

Just before it closed, I think.

And as it is now with restored roof, guttering and chimneys. The building to the right is the old parcel shed that I’ll also model.

The platform is long gone, but I might try to portray it in use as a station. Dunno. Maybe I’ll make it a derelict. Maybe I’ll do both. Maybe I’ll get bored and not finish it. Who knows.

Hope people might find it interesting.

[ontogenic]

Looking forward to seeing this develop.

[LazloWoodbine]

Update Number 1: Front and back view.

Not a huge amount of progress this weekend. But got all the doors and windows in and the lead roof flashing (which will need a lot of work to look good - just a first pass).

This is just a little bit of playing in PS using the cryptomatte masks to do some very basic NPR colouring. At least for now, I quite like it.

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 2: Bits and bobs.

Doesn’t look like much progress, but actually quite a lot. Finished the flashing, done the guttering, got the roof brackets on the main roof (aren’t any oddly on the lower roofs), got the decorative wreath in place (not really anything like the real one - found some CC0 heightmaps of similar things and mashed a few together to get something similar - will need more tinkering with this), put a basic clock in the gap and got the lettering on as it was originally. All of this is a first pass and will need a lot of adjustment to get it anything like accurate or realistic (as I can be bothered to get). I want to get a decent model sorted though before moving on to texturing. Still a lot of decisions as to whether I’m going to go for photorealism (as much as I can - which isn’t much), sort of realistic or completely NPR. Probably end up with all three.

Rear / platform side view

Front view

Close-up of decorative items…

As can be seen, not very accurate, but maybe the best I’ll get (prefer the font I’ve used to what may have been the real one - any suggestions on what I could use though gratefully received). It only has to ‘reflect’ reality after all (artistic license etc etc etc).

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 3: Parcel shed started

Still in the sort of blocking out phase - getting all the main elements in place in general terms before doing detail and materials. Have made a decent start on the parcel shed. Added some roof tiles and a ground. Slow and steady wins the race (only really get to play with it on weekends, so its going to be a long slow process).

[LazloWoodbine]

(Mini) Update number 4: Walls

Managed an hour or two outside the weekend. Small progress on finishing the parcel shed guttering and doors. Added the walls and the bones of the platform - now long gone. Learning new bits and bobs all the time (both about the station history and modelling). I think the final product will be a hybrid of what it will be like once fully restored and how it was when operational. Gives me lots of flexibility to leave out difficult things - such as a crane that lived next to the parcel shed and things which have long since gone, like the men’s urinals on one end of the platform - but also include the platform, walls, seating and lighting which are no longer there but add some charm.

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 5: Rails and hills and things you can’t really see.

Wonder how many updates there will be. Should probably space them out a bit. Added some colour - but it won’t end up like this even if I go mainly NPR - particularly the bright green terrain - this is just blocking out colours to give me some ideas and because I like to mess around.

This update includes the ‘proper’ terrain around the station using data from the Environment Agency (1m Lidar). The trees and bushes are likely to be the last things I add. Added some rails - quite pleased with these (may be simple, but learned some new techniques modelling them and laying them out). Added some more signage and pipes and door handles - which you can’t see. Next thing will be to make the lamps, benches and so on before texturing and making things look a bit more ‘used’.

I’ve found the photo, which I’m using as a guide - but I won’t be making the station as messy as this - but will probably add the notice boards as all stations have noticeboards! I’m doing this when I really should be preparing for a job interview . I know what’s more fun!

A little mini-update edit: furniture and lights (lamps might be a tad small - will have to have a tinker).

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 6 - whether you like it or not: Tentative texturing

Time to start putting some basic materials down. Reminds me how much I still don’t understand about UV mapping. Gazillions of other textures still to sort out - before then adding the grunge (albeit I think the station will remain quite clean). Keep forgetting I still need to add notice boards and other little features. Added some grass - but this will be the first of a lot. Coming together a little bit at a time.

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 7: Baby steps toward looking like something

As the title suggests, think its starting to look like something now. Still loads more texturing to do, loads of vegetation to add and lots of work on the details. But slowly coming together. I like it anyway… though I wish I’d spent more time prepping for the interview I mentioned in update number 5 because I had it yesterday and it was rubbish! This is now taking my mind off the embarrassment

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 8: Another weekend, another chance to play

Just working my way through a million things to do. Very little steps. Needs a lot more trees and bushes… this is now the stage at which my PC starts to cry and I start to get frustrated with the crashing and very slow performance.

(Mini) Update number 9: Don’t want to bump the thread for what is basically a bit of tinkering with vegetation - which still not happy with. May have made some slight improvement to rails.

(Mini) Update number 10: Still don’t want to bump the thread. Although this image is actually quite a lot different, its mainly messing with textures and vegetation. Not sure I’ll stay with the red. This is ‘midland red’ and the doors were always this colour - but other wood and metal work may have started as cream so may go back to it (even though it may have been red at some point). Finding any colour photos of the station when operational, or even just after it closed, is impossible.

[Tiku_67 (Timo Kulmala)]

May I suggest that you do something with the tracks? They look too tidy and uniform and they kinda work like an optical illusion if you look them long enough.

One or two logs of different colour and some not so rusty pieces of steel here and there.

[LazloWoodbine]

Thanks - yes, lots still to do on textures and details yet - but I agree the rails don’t currently look quite right.

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 11: Tinkering.

Amazingly slow progress. Just messing around and tinkering. So much I like; quite a lot I don’t and still loads to do to be able to get a few different scenes from it (including the second platform, crane, toilets, platform shelter, proper forecourt, fences and gates, possibly the station house (though that might end up being hidden by trees), getting the rails sorted - both in terms of material but also direction, add more trees, replace the platform bricks (don’t like them), add some weathering and grunge, add posters, sort out some issues on the roof and windows etc etc etc. Maybe if I got on with sorting these things out rather than just spinning around the 3d view I’d make more progress :). I also fear I shall have to work tomorrow, so probably another week without much to show for it :(.

[sundialsvc4]

Amazing work. Keep it up …

[ontogenic]

Would love to see a loco pulling in to the station.

[LazloWoodbine]

Me too! That is in my very (very) long term plans. Modelling a reasonable looking train is something I will definitely try to complement the scene. I’ll have to improve my skills somewhat, but up for a challenge!

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 12: Platform 2

Was lucky enough to find a photo of platform 2 and the shelter (see below). This is very rare. The platform and structures are long long gone and I imagine few people around who remember it how it was. So had a stab at modelling the shelter. Obviously the photo doesn’t help much with materials and colours, but I’m going to assume a brick base with timber top and slate roof. Liberal helpings of ‘Midland Red’ - which is probably a tad bright (understatement).
Used fspy to help me with the building, but think the scale is still a tad off. But its a start!

I’ll probably have a go at the crane at some point.

Reference:

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 13: Platform 2 - some vegetation.

Added some trees and bushes and stuff. Looking at the photo above, there wasn’t perhaps that much, but now it is very thick undergrowth - so a bit of a compromise (might reduce it at bit at some point). Some odd things happening in the glass - seems to be reflecting bushes which are behind the glass - odd. Have used my sort of sketchy, painterly, process on it… 'cos I like it.

This was the first attempt. Don’t you just hate it when that kind of thing happens (ie when you don’t check that things are turned off when they’re supposed to be )

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 14: I made a thing!!

If you look at the old photograph a couple of updates up you can see a hand crane. So I tried to make one. Anybody who is familiar with my ‘work’ would know that my modelling abilities start and end with either square things or round things. So, while this is far from perfect (there shall be no wireframe renders ) - and for most this would not be a complicated model - I am very very pleased with this.

It isn’t perfect in terms of accuracy - not sure that chain would bear much weight - so I may go back and do some tweaks - but I still think it looks OK as a prop. The only thing I didn’t model myself (using some internal addons like gears and bolt factory) was the chain as I already had a geometry nodes group to do that. Learned a hell of a lot though!

I’ve also just slapped a procedural worn metal texture on there at the moment so a bit of work to do on materials (but it will only be a background object probably so no need to go mad with it).

[LazloWoodbine]

Update number 15: Bitten off more than I can chew!

So, think I’ve realised I’ve bitten off far more than I can chew with this project. Too many objects, too much detail needed to make it ‘realistic’, too few references so a lot of guesswork - which never looks quite right, sooooo many materials and textures - a lot of which look dodgy (god knows what’s happening with the glass) - so need a lot of work and debugging to look decent, aging PC getting to the limit of what it wants to do (mainly in viewport), my limited ability etc etc etc etc. I may need to take a break!

Still, think this looks a little bit like the photo above - but its all the little things, like weeds, detritus that make a picture. So much faffing and I haven’t even finished all the other bits and bobs. It may never get finished at this rate.

(Mini) update number 16: Moving stuff

Not worth bumping for, as an almost imperceptible change, but have rebuilt my goods platform to be far more accurate (probably still quite inaccurate). Can’t tell from this angle really, but is better.

(Mini) Update number 17: Tweaks

Again, no need to bump the thread for this minor update - just some general improvements (I think?). This paving is better, I’ve better matched the angle of the reference and there’s a few more props. Hey ho.