The Lock

Having obtained a white metal ‘lock’ kit I was grateful for the enclosed instructions especially the useful diagrams and measurements. The kit included all the winding gear, bollards etc. as well as the gates. Although we ( in Britain, anyway ) are all familiar with narrow locks having seen so many of them in paintings, on TV etc. if you’ve never thought about their layout and operation – don’t – get a ready made diagram!

I started with a scale drawing on paper outlining the shape of the lock ( about 70+ feet long and 8 ft across in reality) then, having worked out the depth ( governed by the lock gates ), set about the construction of the walls. To make the model easier to work on, the whole lock was fitted onto 1.5 mm card which would be eventually fixed to the base board. Please note my confident, if confusing use of both the metric and imperial system of measurement. This is not because of any special mathematical ability- it’s just that I’m old!

After covering the side walls with a stone-finish paper and fitting the self-adhesive edging stones, I was ready to set it out to see how it would appear with the gates in position. It was coming on…. time to think about the scenery.