Foxcote New Pit - formerly Highbury Colliery

[queensquare]

Hi Jerry

 

Just a bit more on the Maclane tipper. 2.17 - 2.20 in this. Blink and you miss it!

 

Not great detail but might help with the atmosphere in the model as it shows the trackway on which the tipper runs and the associated debris. 

 

Andrew

Many thanks for posting Andrew, some fascinating footage. The miners scrabbling for waste coal is particularly moving this time of year

 

 

Jerry

[queensquare]

Productive weekend with the last of the track work - the link to the mainline, slip and exchange sidings now laid. I also have all the point and uncoupling magnet controls in place on the fascia. Points which would be worked by ground frame - essentially those in the yard are wire in tube and located geographically along the front. Those worked from the box will be Tortoise powered via the lever frame. This is an adaption of the system I used on Highbury which proved both reliable and very intuitive to use.

Next will be tipping the board on its back to wire it all up.

 

 

 

Jerry

Edited January 21, 2018 by queensquare

[queensquare]

A pretty ropey snap shot (taken against the light with Kim's iPad) of recent progress on Foxcote. All the trackwork on the Colliery is now rewired and points working. I've built the new, exhibition only, fiddle yard for the Bath end and the lot is seen here being thoroughly tested with my trusty old Farish Holden/GP tank and a rigid wheelbase 6 wheeler which is pretty intolerant of bad track. They run around at pace without hitting the ballast, including through the slip which has tracks leading off it at pretty steep rising and falling gradients. All in all I'm quite pleased.

 

 

Jerry

[Donw]

Nice work Jerry. Does this mean Foxcote may appear at exhibitions now and then. I do like the smart looking control panel. I assume that is the scalefour lever frame you have used.

 

Don

[queensquare]

Thanks Don, Foxcote is going to Utrecht in a couple of weeks, then Aylesbury in May and Uckfield in October.

 

The lever frames are indeed a pair of the scale four etches

 

Jerry

[Donw]

Utrecht  sounds fun have a good show 

 

Don

[DLT]

All in all I'm quite pleased.

 

I think I would be VERY pleased!

Edited February 13, 2018 by DLT

[queensquare]

Its been a frantic week or so getting ready to take the Colliery to Utrecht this weekend. It's not been helped by the very sad loss of my brother in law after a long fight with cancer. He was responsible for igniting my passion for railways in the first place and I will miss him, his funeral is tomorrow where I am due to give the eulogy. RIP Kerri.

 

I've taken a few snaps on the iPad and overall I'm quite pleased with how it looks. There remains a lot of work, notably blending in and working up the new scenics at the front of the layout. Bedding in the new buildings and finishing the exhibition only backscene extension. Thankfully it all still works although there will inevitably be a period of discovering and removing bits of stray ballast I've missed but this will only come with running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main yard, screens etc have changed very little but the halt, exchange sidings and cottages are all new. The signal box is the one I built as a teenager - it's a bit rough round the edges but with its new steps and chimney I think it will pass muster. As I said, a lot of bedding in and blending of colours to do but overall, quite pleased.

 

Jerry

[2mmMark]

That looks very nice Jerry. The sweeping view across the running lines to the colliery is lovely.  I like the contrast between the well-maintained running lines and the colliery.  For not a huge increase in size, you've got a nicely balanced mainline scene.  

 

My condolences on the death of your brother-in-law. Cancer is a cruel disease.

 

Mark

[Nig H]

Amazing work Jerry and I hope you enjoy your trip. My condolences too.

 

Nig H

[Caley Jim]

I was torn between the 'craftsmanship/clever' and the 'Friendly/supportive' buttons and opted for the latter.

 

My condolences also and all the best for Utrecht.

 

Jim

[JohnBS]

Its been a frantic week or so getting ready to take the Colliery to Utrecht this weekend. It's not been helped by the very sad loss of my brother in law after a long fight with cancer. He was responsible for igniting my passion for railways in the first place and I will miss him, his funeral is tomorrow where I am due to give the eulogy. RIP Kerri.

I've taken a few snaps on the iPad and overall I'm quite pleased with how it looks. There remains a lot of work, notably blending in and working up the new scenics at the front of the layout. Bedding in the new buildings and finishing the exhibition only backscene extension. Thankfully it all still works although there will inevitably be a period of discovering and removing bits of stray ballast I've missed but this will only come with running.

 

The main yard, screens etc have changed very little but the halt, exchange sidings and cottages are all new. The signal box is the one I built as a teenager - it's a bit rough round the edges but with its new steps and chimney I think it will pass muster. As I said, a lot of bedding in and blending of colours to do but overall, quite pleased.

Jerry

Jerry,

Looks great. Sad about your brother in law but now I now understand why things have been quiet on the Queensquare front recently.

Enjoy Utrecht and I will be available for backscene painting if required, when you return.

Best wishes,

John

[Donw]

Very sad about your Brother in law.

 

The layout has come together well. Great modelling.

 

Don

[drduncan]

My condolences on your loss.

 

Duncan

[Ian Smith]

Jerry,

Very sorry to hear of your loss.

Foxcote Pit is coming together beautifully.  Hope all goes well in Utrecht.

Ian

[queensquare]

Thanks all.

 

All set up and ready to go. Everything seems to be working still

 

 

Jerry

[CF MRC]

That is looking excellent Jerry. Enjoy Utrecht.

Best wishes

Tim

[bécasse]

At least it will be warm in the hall!

[queensquare]

The first outing at Utrecht has gone very well. With ballasting and much of the scenics completed only days before travelling it's hardly surprising that a good proportion of the first day was spent picking off the odd stray bit of ballast and trimming any errant foliage!

Cleaning aside everything has worked with a satisfyingly short snagging list. The main Issue highlighted is that this will be the first and last outing for the cassettes at the Bath end - I have decided they are just too much of a faf and will be replaced with a short sector plate.

I've attached a few phone snaps taken at the show.

 

 

 

 

 

Jerry

[Donw]

Nice photos Jerry.  Did you find the cassettes slowed handling down compared to a sector plate?

 

Don

[bécasse]

One possible way of "having your cake and eating it" is to use removable sector plates with, say, no more than 3 roads to make them easy to exchange while keeping stock in place. I have successfully experimented with double-ended removable plates (ie removable turntables) in the past which makes it easy to reverse trains without handling the stock, giving a choice of a simple reversal or exchange of stock.

 

Doing this, it is best to lay as much as possible of the track parallel with thin timber uprights placed tight to loading gauge in between each track as that helps to keep all the stock in place when moving the plates.

[Izzy]

Always a pleasure to see shots of Foxcote pit, one of those inspirational layouts that you never tire seeing photos of, well I don’t anyway. I admire the way you have managed to fit it into the main layout so it looks as if it was always so with that lovely sweeping main line, yet still able to be used as a stand-alone when desired.

 

Not surprised by your experience with the cassettes, I think their usefulness tends to vary depending on the layout design and particular needs, but pleased to learn Utrecht went okay after recent times.

 

Kind regards,

 

Izzy

[drduncan]

Jerry,

My son, who is four next month, wanted to see what I was looking at on my phone and saw your recent pictures from Utrecht. He sighed ‘beautiful’ as he scrolled through them. I agree with him!

DrDuncan

[00Gauge]

I had a look at this layout last friday in Houten, and it is fantastic.

 

Henk.

[Chris Higgs]

The first outing at Utrecht has gone very well. With ballasting and much of the scenics completed only days before travelling it's hardly surprising that a good proportion of the first day was spent picking off the odd stray bit of ballast and trimming any errant foliage!

Cleaning aside everything has worked with a satisfyingly short snagging list. The main Issue highlighted is that this will be the first and last outing for the cassettes at the Bath end - I have decided they are just too much of a faf and will be replaced with a short sector plate.

I've attached a few phone snaps taken at the show.

 

IMG_3697.JPG

 

IMG_3698.JPG

 

IMG_3709.JPG

 

IMG_3706.JPG

 

Jerry

 

I had good fun as guest operator on Foxcote for a couple of hours. Although I think Jerry found my propensity to perform elaborate shunting manuoevres, including backing a complete freight train Heckmondwike style up an incline and over a double slip into the exchange sidings somewhat alarming. Taking Denys Brownlees' SDJR 1F past the 'Colliery locos only beyond this point' proved a step too far. The other operators were restricting themselves to runpasts.

 

The layout was located in a small enclave of finescale layouts in 2mm, 3mm, 4mm and 7mm scales. Porthcullin was one that stood out for me with the throb of Sulzer diesels filling the 1970s Highland air. Jerry was particularly taken with a French N gauge layout with the mother of all backscenes.

 

Edited February 25, 2018 by Chris Higgs