Apologies to those who managed to find this update and request for help in the history during the recent posting problems, but here it is again. Better luck this time?

A bit more progress with the coal drops, this week.

For the first time since before Christmas, I've been able to access the workshop and trial fit the coal drop deck with the rails attached. Fortunately, the alignment with the track already fixed either end was very good, although a packing shim (.020" plasticard) was required at the LH end to get the top of the rails level at the joint. The trial fitting also allowed re-checking of some dimensions which affect the scenic part of the drops - the retaining walls. These photos show the deck in position.

I've also cut the LH end stone retaining wall from Wills coarse stone sheet. This is shown below, with a photo of the real thing behind. I really could do with a bit of help here from someone who remembers the drops in working order.

In the 1991 photo, there are obviously modern concrete steps leading from the coal yard area (then a car park - now a road/houses) up to the goods yard level, complete with a right-angle turn near the bottom. The capping stones on the upper part of the wall look original, so my questions are:

- were there earth or stone steps originally, or just a steep path?

- was the right-angle turn there or did the original just carry on straight down next to the wall to ground level?

I have a copy of an old photo which shows some sort of access way up the side of the drops, but I can't make out if there were steps or not and the lower section is obscured.

Any help answer these queies would be most gratefully received.

Anyway, here's my effort so far.

Finally, I've finished the wall at the RH end where the deck sat. This wall is split, with the inner section, directly under the deck, on the base-board which carries the drops and the outer section on the adjacent (station) board. Hopefully, the joint won't be too visible when the boards are assembled.

This post seems to have dropped off the end, so please forgive me re-posting as I really would appreciate any help with the questions raised.

Unfortunately, no one seems to remember any details of these drops, so I'll plough on with something "in the spirit of" rather than a scale model - which will fit in with my "model based on Delph", not an exact replica approach.

I've now made the cosmetic brick support pillars which took the deck and divided the cells. The structural supports are MDF and built into the layout, as previously illustrated, so these are made from plastic sheet to replicate the bricks with stone block bearing pad inserts. Being white cards at present, the details don't show up too well in the photos, but these might give some idea of progress.

Here's the deck balanced loosely on the 5 pillars which are more or less in the right positions. At this stage, the ends of the pillard had not had the brick card applied

A closer shot of one end, where a bit more detail is visible

Two of the pillars with the end faces completed.

Next job is to paint (or crayon - see Barrowroad blog) to represent a sooty, coal dust encrusted condition. Help!!!!!

Dave.