Les1952
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Posts posted by Les1952
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Getting Plastered...
Yes- the last meeting before Christmas and the gang are getting plastered. No alcohol, though as Jim officially retired today there was a selection of cream cakes to make our waistlines even more worthy of adverse comment from the better halves.....
Trevor had a session on Thursday last week, club night for the rest of Bingham MRC. He tried out the chicken wire former on the first section of the backscene, and looked at how to make the Top Valley Town board sit on the end.
The first section of plaster bandage being applied. Trevor's method involves using a lot less water on the bandage than I am used to, only having a very shallow dish to dip the bandage into, and adding a small amount of PVA to the water. No wonder his plaster dries out within a couple of hours while mine takes a couple of days in warm weather.
The first section has now had its first layer- the roadway board having been glued down first.
Whether there are any pictures of the whole row next week depends whether Mr Simon wants a look at the clubroom on Christmas Eve.
All the very best
Les
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I think the conveyor must have replaced the 'flight', probably at the time that Merry-go-round trains replaced the colliery shunters (early seventies). Would make sense adding it at that point as the screens would mostly be redundant at that time. I need a conveyor to hide the railway exits at that end, so this old pit had both.....
I'm glad you said the flight was rusty black- I've just got the first mast painted.
There will be elderberries in amongst the fencing above the main line- I assume the present post and wire is quite ancient- it is easier to do that than all-wood.
I spent a long time on eBay tonight looking at 'signature' trees, and the odd tree will be an elm, a bit more widespread than oaks (at least around Darlington, which isn't that much further South), and a recognisable species tree- at least I can recognise one........
I've also found a supply of suitable allotment plants, and a way of representing leeks. Maybe not getting my hands dirty tonight, but at least still moving.
And so to bed.
Les
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Yes, I'd got the impression that there were very few trees- there are the two lines of what is actually OO-gauge privet trees (which will be doctored a bit to look more like hawthorn) , and I need just the one more tree- every other backscene problem will have a building or a tower or a chimney parked in front of it.
Looking on Google Satellite there seem to be one or two odd trees on the part of Holmhill Lane that Streetview doesn't cover, and quite a few in back gardens round The Crescent- so an odd tree in the allotments to the right of the houses wouldn't be so far out of character.
Due to space the layout has to be an impression rather than an actuality.
I've also looked at the conveyor and the aerial ropeway that took away beach spoil. Would I be right in thinking the conveyor was much more recent than the ropeway, and that it was cladded in grey? I also get the impression that the ropeway towers were black (or more likely rusty black...) I'm going for an older version of the conveyor, the Marsh one is definitely an earlier prototype. Rusty black seems the most appropriate for its age.
On the positive side I think I've better edging for the underbridge bridge arch on its way- even if the replacement isn't as prototypical- the individual vertical bricks just don't show up as such. I've also got a source for some railings for the bridge parapet- better ones that I could make from scratch.
Still plenty to do and think about.
Les
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Looking again at the ground by the crees it flattens off with enough space for each to have its own allotment space.
Now, a question. Looking at pics of the Easington Colliery area in the sixties, I see very few trees, which means I can get by with just a couple of trees near the back- or even just the one to mask a change in the backscene. That means I can spend a bit more and get a tree that actually looks like the species it is supposed to be.
The question is- is there at least one oak tree in the Easington area? The tree will sit at the right-hand end of the allotments behind the colliery railway.
All the very best
Les
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Thanks for that, though I'm not likely to get as far as Newcastle exhibition. The ground around the crees is a bit steep for allotments- they're going to have some of their own land, and maybe some vegetables (if I can get leeks sorted out), and the main allotment area will be to the right of the terraced houses.
I've got to re-do the arch brickwork, which is card overlaid on the main plasticard structure- it hasn't stood the test of time. I think the replacement layer will be plasticard. The windows into card are those on the side of the screening house- I've got some brass frames that are the right size, but have buried them.
All the very best
Les
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Just an afterthought- I mentioned 61323 in an earlier post, and 61321 later. They are the same engine. I'd originally intended to renumber it as 61323 but then found a picture showing the dynamo was different to the model (either it had one and the model didn't or the other way round....)
However I found a pic of 61321 which was the same as the model, so 61321 it is. Both were Darlington engines (as was 61018) so it didn't really matter. The third one of my B1s is 61005 Bongo, and this will probably stay analogue for use on Top Valley/Rise Park.
Confused? You should be....
Les
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Many thanks for the compliment, always appreciated.
My grandfather used to talk about a small settlement in the Summerhouse/Ingleton area (between Darlington and Staindrop somewhere), which he said was called Seldomseen. I managed to find a Seldomseen farm- eventually. He also claimed there was a village just beyond it called Neverseen, but I couldn't find that one. I wonder if that is where the real catfood mine was........
Back to modelling. Frustrating day today- trying to get a decoder into one of my 3MT tanks. Eventually got to the socket, but no joy from the loco once fitted. Reassembling it without the decoder it doesn't want to play on analogue, either. That decoder has ended up inside another B1. The second decoder ran beautifully - in reverse, and shorted to flat out when set to forward. Putting a different decoder in that loco cured the loco- the decoder failed again in a second loco so has gone back. However I did get my Jubilee running on DCC- the Jubilee can work a Carlisle to Teesside short parcels train. With the D20 coming back from Wickness models this afternoon I now have three spare locos .
The second WD is now 90344, a long-time West Hartlepool resident that lasted to 1964. Heading South in front of the new bits of backscene.
Just for John, 61018 GNU with a coal train. This train will actually run behind Darlington's 61321 tender-first, largely because 61321 won't run through one of the points bogie-first.
Lastly the new Type 2 meets mostly-weathered 90014. The WD still needs the wheels doing and a final dusting with chalks before getting a coat of matt varnish.
Plenty still to do.
Les
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Another invite...
Mansfield on 1st and 2nd March 2014....
All the very best
Les
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I'm getting criticism!
Apparently group members are letting their wives look at this lot, then getting comments from them about expanding waistlines. I'll need to tell them to breathe in when taking pics in future.....
Now, it is a little-known fact that most layouts run on coffee- and here are the punters thinking they are electric...... A mugshot taken against the strong sunlight.
Continuing the framing for the scenery- Alf cutting the rear supports to length ready for bending. Did you know Ferrari made saws?
Next the riser is attached to the board and holes cut through the rear support and the front framing. Jim works the drill and Trevor leans against the frame to stop the layout falling over under pressure.
Each rear support is then rivetted to the front riser to make a rigid frame, the first two horizontal runners already having been done. Hopefully pics of the whole frame next time.
All for now.
Les
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Amazing what can be done with an old cat food box! Pidgeons should be able to find that cree "nee bottha, youngun!"
The catfood screening house (you did know they had catfood mines in County Durham?) still needs windows cutting in the side and a lot more doing to it.
I was thinking of painting black and white on the other set of palings- life's too short.....
All the very best
Les
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What a difference a backscene makes- or have I said this already?
Who cares? I've been working on getting details towards the back of the layout improved, starting with twom lengths of photographic backscene. Losing bits that are too close or two modern left me enough hilly bits to go from the screens to the board join- that end will be covered by the old screens. Makes a difference to views of a train passing.
Looking along the full length of this also showing the water crane at the far left- I've not yet found a suitable coaling platform, though the giant bathtub/sink at one of the Yorks collieries seems impressive. problem with that one is that there isn't a high level line behind this top fill it from. Right hand end shows some of the progress with the screening house.
Also at this end a trial run with the conveyor and some pipework runs. I'm not sure whether to take these over the top of the former pithead baths or to make them U-shaped to frame the exit. The conveyor will level out and travel over the old baths to the screening house. Pipes take dirty water away from the washing and the conveyor takes slurry to tip on the beach. The overhead ropeway takes more waste to pollute a different part of the beach.....
At the other end the backscene sets the houses in context a bit more. The pigeon loft has the first attempt at making alternate planks of the paling red and white. Still a lot of touching up to do on this but again it is making progress. I'm not sure how far down the bank to put the railway boundary fence. The slightly more modern house block now has its walls capped and the yard floor coloured concrete. tatty gates to make for these, based on my Aunt's in Darlington (backing onto Bank Top Station)...
Still a lot to do.
Railway Club, carol singing for an old folks' party then railway club social tomorrow, so nothing new until Wednesday...
A DCC converted class 24 (2-tone) and 2 more Lenz Silver Minis expected. The existing Class 24 will then become a Class 25/1 with an Etched Pixels conversion kit.
All the very best
Les
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Kitty Covered.
The Whiskas box in the colliery yard no longer looks like a Whiskas box, though there is still an uncovered bit to brick over. The big white rectangle has since been painted over rusty black- though it needs lighhtening a touch, and there is a little more brick inside it. I'll put the framing on the outside where the decks are then cut holes in the big brick wall for windows. The covering for the roof I'm not entirely sure about, but fine emery paper worked on Furtwangen ost's brewery roof.
The paling for the roof of the pigeon loft van has arrived and been fitted. The front has had coats of red and white, but I'll need to get a finer brush before attempting the red stripes on the paling. Also in the box from Hattons was the second WD, now run-in and fitted with a Bachmann decoder from another loco.
90014 has had its first coat of weathering. Quite a lot to do before it looks like a WD.
Other news- I'd been trying to source something to make an egg-ended boiler water tank for the shed, and looking in various mags and books for screens. What I have found is a picture of a wather crane on the Lambton system. Since the Lambton isn't that far away, and I have a water crane in stock, the area by the shed will have a water crane. Next is a good pic of a coaling dock- still looking for something about the right size.
Back to the books....
Les
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Three More weeks gone..
The last little piece of wiring took an age- but we now have power from a Gaugemaster PSU and two Modelex hand-held controllers. Just a couple of dead sections to sort out later .
Over to the scenic department to get the banks in place. Geoff is checking clearances for the first riser. B-cold in the clubroom this week, hence the overcoats.
Once the shape of the slope at the back of the layout has been worked out each riser is bent to shape, mostly by Trevor, and cut so that the height at the back doesn't exceed 12 inches. This is the height of the end panels- the Top Valley and Rise Park boards will travel to exhibitions face-to-face with the centre board having a separate cover.
The risers are fitted one at each end of the centre board with two between them, and similarly spaced on the ends. Rise Park will be a bowl shape while Top Valley will have the townscape over it. The U-shaped section of ply is the roadway. This will be the roadway behind the railway. It has solid walls at front and back- the latter being there so that stock can't get lost under the scenery from a mishap in the fiddle yard.
End of the day and the risers are in place. This shows how the road is raised behind the railway with gardens etc on a slope behind. The verticals at the top are the line of the backscene. Next is to fit horizontals and secure wire mesh as a former for the scenic coating.
The slope down on the left is where the incline into Rise Park goods yard is located- no longer served by rail but still used for some as-yet to be decided purpose. The road won't be level- it is built up from the former.
More next week (hopefully).
Les
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Where did you get the G5?
B1s were quite common on coal traffic
There is a B1 chipped and in service- a North Eastern one 61018 Gnu, with 61323 and 61005 available to be chipped if needed. Nice to know they worked coal- I had mine in mind for parcels but with too many A3s already (if that is possible) and four V2s waiting to be DCC fitted there are too many passenger and parcels locos already. The G5 is a conversion of a Dapol M7, I'm not sure who by, but it came from Graham Smith when he sold Waitawhyle about 3 years ago. It has usually stood on shed on Trevor Webster's Stamford East at exhibitions, being a little too track sensitive for that layout.
Hope this helps.
Les
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may as well. . . . .after all . . . . no Q6 is there. . but J27s ran till 67ish
That's what I thought- I have one J27 converted to DCC already, and a pair from Parnhams LNER stock, one of which is being relettered from LNER to BR late crest- for an identity I'm looking for a Sunderland or West Hartlepool one. There's also one J25 converted and another one already in BR colours that could be converted, and a plain black J26 that could be numbered and converted. Its partly down to cash and partly down to the speed I can reshape tenders from Midland to something nearer NE types..
This is not to mention the D20 that is away at Wickness Models at the moment. The G5 is going for DCC conversion sometime after Christmas, after the sound A3 has arrived and my finances have recovered again. And at some stage in the future there's a Darlington shed 3MT tank to do. I've also sent for plates for 6 different A3s pictured at West Hartlepool in the sixties, to get the right identities on the ones with DCC..
Once Dave Jones gets his Clayton Type 1 into the shops one of those will replace the Class 26. The Class 24 that is in a few of the pictures will at some stage become a Class 25/0 with the Etched Pixels conversion kit- D5151 to D5165 were Thornaby locos and I saw them with brake tenders as far afield (from Darlington) as Hartlepool.
I had a conversation with Dave J while he was still at Dapol about a Q6, but I'm not holding my breath waiting for one. A K1 would be nice as well but I'm not holding my breath for one of those, either....
Huge amount to do, but there are 19 DCC fitted locos at the moment which is enough to run the layout (but with no spares) so the rate of fitting can slow down now. As ever it is really goods/mineral locos needed to fill the gaps- hence the WD at a silly Hattons price.
Time setting is a flexible 1957 to 1963, so I can run the G5 and D20 and just reach the D67xx Type 3. I also prefer my A3s with blinkers, heretic that I am.
All the very best
Les
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Palings sourced- ratio platform canopy edging upside down, from Hattons.
I did feel the urge to buy another WD to go with it.....
Merry Christmas, Les!
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Yes Les vertical with vertical pailings along the front of the roof.
As for the screen building, have you looked on Durham county website? Loads of mining related photographs
LOOKING GOOD! ! ! !
Hmmm. I'm not sure I'm up to vertical palings....... Many thanks for the info and the compliment.
Come to think of it using some station platform fascia upside down would do it- I wonder what there is at the clubhouse.
I've a lot of books on Durham Colliery steam- including all three editions of the IRS book and umpteen assorted albums. I'm looking for an older screening house but I'm thinking at the moment of the proportions. As to the roof- I'm inclined towards a flat roof as it is easier, plenty of examples. This one needs to have the ropeway and the conveyors coming out of it so won't be rectangular. The other decision is card and brick paper or embossed plasticard. I'm tempted by the former as it is easier to square- and the Whiskas box is the width I want for the main part, though a hybrid is also possible.
Starting to get there, nine months to the first outing.
All the very best
Les
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Monday- next areas started
Four main areas of work today-
1. Getting on a bit further with the conveyors- the two open ones are now glued together and waiting for the epoxy to set, while the two finished ones have had a spray of black underneath.
2. Trying to work out the size of the sceening house. The Whiskas box has been cut to a scale height of 45 feet. I'll take this picture to the clubroom tomorrow to see what Trevor thinks.
3. I've assembled the "Makkem" pigeon loft- I know it is probably the wrong kind of van but it was a freebie from the N-Gauge Society at warley. A question- was the red and white done properly- vertical stripes?
4. A section of Brilliant Backscene overlaid on the cloud to represent a distant pit. Billy Butlin's latest toy, overhauled by BR at Doncaster (at great profit) heads south on a railtour- the steam ban is still at least five years away.
Still a lot to do.
All the very best
Les
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Many thanks for the compliment. I need to obscure the view along it as when the final coating has dried (the plaster layer on the deck) it has pulled the right-hand girder a little out of the vertical. Too far gone to start again so another set of hawthorn trees....
All the very best
Les
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December already...
Little done yesterday but today the filler round the bridge was dry enough to get on with some basic colour. Oil paint, the same as used for the basic ground colour of the rest. It will take about a week for the oils to dry enough to cover with scatter. Once the first layer of scatter is applied here I can get on with undergrowth and longer grasses. Meanwhile I'll work on the next area.
Lemberg brings a Northbound express under the bridge.
A type 2 diesel propelling a brake tender takes a load of limestone for Magnesite at Hartlepool.
The brake tender is a whitemetal kit, but mounted on Farish bogies rather than the whitemetal ones in the kit- which shorted on corners when I tried them. I may replace these with N-Gauge Society Gresley bogies at some stage in the future.
The first two sections of the conveyor are now matt black- and I've put a floor in them as it was possible to see there wasn't one....
Apart from working on the layout I've been sorting out more of my Parnhams stock to sell on eBay- these sales are financing getting locos chipped for Hawthorn Dene. The D20 is away at Wickness Models at the moment with the K3 going to Digitrains hopefully this week.
Must get on- free listing weekend..
Only nine months to Grantham- just hope Stan doesn't want Hawthorn Dene this year at Cotgrave.
Les
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Getting on..
Friday is normally a quiet day for getting things done- shopping in town takes a substantial part of the morning. Today wasn't quiet but wasn't conducive to work, either. We've had tree surgeons in cutting the four copper beech trees above the shed back to a manageable 12 feet in height. Noisy out back where they were sawing, and noisy out front where they've been shredding the cut timbe.
On the positive side, I saw a Farish 2-car Class 101 chassis (new type) on eBay and was lucky enough to win it. Today's work has been using the chassis to get the 4-car class 101 unit back into service- old Farish tops but beautifully quiet, and the guards compartment is in the right car. I've not yet persuated its chip to take 4 digit addressing, so it is number 41 for now.
I've also started bedding the bridge in with fine-surface filler. Picture shows it after two applications. I'm not sure how much of a third it will need. Then poster paint once dry and it can be left a week or so to have foliage added round it.
Also under way the conveyors. I hate epoxy glue- with my hand occasionaly spasming anything can happen before the stuff sets. This time I had one side and end of the frame ready glued take off in a random direction. Eventually I found it stuck to the inside of a crisp packet in the waste bin six feet away.... Retrieved, cleaned and re-glued it now has the cover and a first coat of primer sprayed on it. Picture shows the d-i-y spray booth made up from an old cardboard box and a cheap revolving cake stand.
Tomorrow back to gluing bits of conveyer together, and a start on the next little project. Watch this space....
Les
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I'm underwhelmed- there isn't an N-gauge version......
Les
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More Progress.
Warley weekend- purchases included P.D.Marsh bikes and coal sacks (so the sea coal collectors have something to hang on their bikes), two covered and one open conveyor belt for the colliery end, and sky background to extend both ends. I also got a wagon body from the N-Gauge Society so the red& white pigeon loft can be built.
This is progress on the bridge up to Saturday afternoon. Paint still to be added to the stone/concrete parts on the far side then the deck surface can be made. Probably next weekend I can fix the bridge in place and start to bed it in.
Version 1 of the old screening house, built by Trevor to hide the gap in the backscene. It is based on the one at Backworth. The similar one on the Lambton system hasn't yet appeared in a photo. This one is too deep front to back. Trevor is going to take the middle section off and add it probably to the right-hand end. I'm also going to ask him to take one floor off the left-hand end to make it a little less overpowering.
Today (Monday) I've chipped the Class 37 (again- the Bachmann chip inside it blew, the new one is a Zimo), vacuumed the layout to get rid of anything loose, and worked on the continuation of the scenery through the holes in the backscene. I've also begun making the conveyors- photos in a few days time.
All the best
Les
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... and 3.5mm...
and a T-gauge one to finish the set?
Hawthorn Dene
in Layout topics
Posted
A busy day
Lots and lots of small bits- starting with vacuuming the whole layout again to get rid of bits that aren't stuck down. I've had some wargamers' long grass clumps arrive in the post this morning so I've stuck some of these on the layout. They look good, but I think I'm going to need far more than the 120 in the pack....
Some gorse bushes and some clump grass applied round the bridge. Starting to look as if it might be half decent when it is finished....
Moving a little further I've stuck the houses down and laid the first layer of plaster to raise the ground a little behind them. There will be a mud or mud-and-cinder path behind them from the lane to the allotments. I've also got some of the hedge done round the allotment area- this should separate the allotments from the end of the colliery yard.
Trevor had done the second try at the old screening/washing house. It now looks a little flat- I may use part of the first one to deepen one end of it. Weathering still to do- the prototype at Backworth was dirty grey in colour and well overgrown- the bricks were a lot darker also.
Continuing along the layout the current screens have been stuck down. I've tried to make it look like an old building partially modernised. There is still stuff to do to the walls and roof but the shell isn't going to improve shape-wise if I leave it unstuck.
Lastly the conveyor is installed- still a lot of dirt and bits to add in this area.
Off to Digitrains tomorrow with the next pair of Farish locos, this time a pair of V2s, the double-chimneyed one and the one with outside steam pipes. The G5 will go to Wickness Models in the New Year.
Plenty to do- first of all a trip into the loft to find a pair of V2 boxes.....
Les