Thanks a lot everyone for the helpful replies.
The reason i have chosen to do a canal lock is because on the list of around 15 different projects we could have undertook, the canal lock model struck me as most appealing. No matter which one i picked, i would have had zero experience.
The 1:76 scale seems like a very good and sensible scale to use, so i will definatly use that.
I leave near Birmingham, and have had Bromsgrove canal lock suggested to me, however there are a few near, so i have lots of choice. Any reccomendations would be brilliant .
I do hope to make it a fully working model, with the main intention of making the canal lock gates the main focus. The projects is for systems and control, so the system of automating the actual gate will be the centre of attention. However, I wish to make the canal lock as realistic and attractive as possible, which is why I wanted to get advice on dimensions, materials and such.
Thanks again,
JF-TR