Timmy84

A couple more pics of locos on the Depot, including 60005 BP Gas Avonmouth, which for whatever reason was always my favourite EWS 60 despite seemingly spending most of the 2000s parked up at Toton… Hopefully some more new pics soon once I have made some progress! I need to spend some money on some detailing bits to start finishing things off but the sudden delivery of the Revolution IZAs put pay to that for this month. Tim.

Hi Dave, AWS should be fitted roughly 200 yards from each signal on the approach. It is also used on the approach to both permanent and temporary speed restrictions where there is a significant reduction in speed. It is pretty much ubiquitous but is absent from some complex station arrangements where signage would be provided to show that AWS is not present in that area. I hope this helps. TPWS is something different and is fitted again in relation to signalling, speed restrictions and buffer stops. They are the mesh grid things that you see in the 4 foot area between rails. Tim.

Ooo. Quick work - mine are still very shiny!! Tim.

This is great. One of the reasons I model the period I do is that this period would bankrupt me! There is too much. I have included the tiny electrified section on Speke East because AC electrics are amongst my favourite traction but I wouldn’t be brave enough to try and do the WCML justice! Anything that appears on my layout that is not a 60 or a 66 is a carefully considered compromise and I envy the scope this layout will give you. Keep it up! Tim.

Shirebrook looks incredible but unfortunately I am 250 miles from Halifax! Thanks for the tip on the track. I think you could tinker forever trying to get it to look “right”. I spend a lot of time observing reality to try and achieve a good feel, and the winter palette on Shirebrook is as good as I’ve seen. Tim.

A couple from last photo session I didn't get round to posting...

These are probably the most complex weathering jobs I have undertaken, they are basically complete resprays. The rust is a mixture of enamel paint and weathering powders in various rust shades, dabbed on to create the texture. The areas of "rust" were then masked with masking fluid and the liveries re-sprayed over the top. You'll note that the top one is a totally different shade of grey, to add variation and the effect of fading, and the yellow bands are different widths. Once the top coat is dry you can pick at the areas over the masking fluid and peel areas of paint off. If you're lucky it crumbles at the edges adding more texture. I then added flecks of paint back on to the rusted areas to represent remnants of paint. Transfers were then reapplied before I did my normal weathering routine on the outside, weathered the insides and added partloads. As they were total resprays I was able to do a couple of liveries not available in N at the same time. I've got a rake of 10 that run with a bogie bolster loaded with scrap rail and it is my favourite train! Tim.

Thanks Duncan. I've got 4 Dutch ones so here's some photos from the archive. If you have any questions about the techniques used let me know. Tim.

This is a belter. Not sure how I had missed it up until now! Tim.

I'm perhaps guilty of only showing finished stuff on this thread, particularly when it comes to stock so here's a fit bits currently on the workbench. Firstly something that you wont see appearing on Speke East in the future! My previous layout represented the Great Western mainline in Devon and I recently got round to getting the last couple of coaches I needed to make my 2+8 HST set prototypically correct so that weathering could commence. The "next" layout will also be based in this area, watch out for it around 2025! I don't normally go too mad with passenger stock and this will be no exception. So far the plastic black underframes have been airbrushed with Railmatch weathered black (the most useful paint in the world) to make a base for the underframe weathering. Tonight, following some observations at Reading waiting for a train the other day, I picked out the springs in faded yellow and the orange boxes that appear on the bogies at one end. I was amazed to see all the detail I observed was there! The Dapol HST really is a good model. I'm pleased with the effect which brings out otherwise overlooked detail and it was a simple job. The MJAs have also been treated with trusty weathered black on the bogies, but also the underframe tanks and pipes which are green on the models when new. It was quite tough to get a decent shot but the overall appearance has been improved and these are now also ready for some underframe dirt whilst I decide what to do with the inside of the wagons and whether to load them. Finally I am working on some older MBAs which form part of a scrap train. As such I am trying to present some of them in a pretty battered condition. The characteristic scarring on this wagon (caused in real life by the scraping of mechanical grabs removing scrap and stone) was created using the end of a pointed file before working in Tamiya weathering powders to tone them down. This wagon is one of a batch that I very simply weathered some years ago and I have removed a lot of the basic coat of sleeper grime that was applied at the time. I will use this as a base for something more subtle. We spend hours trying to represent a build up of layers of grime over the years and in this case, that's exactly what there will be! Tim.

Thanks Dave. It was a bit of a try it and see technique. I built up layers of cork underlay to the correct height and then basically skimmed humbrol model filler across the top and in the gaps between the cork and the rails. For the bit in between the rails I used Polyfilla and then ran a scrap wagon through it whilst wet to make the wheel grooves. That created a nice realistic texture compared to using card or plastic sheet as the surface. I then sprayed it with Railmatch acrylic "weathered tarmac". I was quite pleasantly surprised that it worked! Even the edges look OK. Tim.

66098 and classmate stabled on the servicing road.

A couple more pics of the current state of play... Here 66098 is unusually routed through the yard with a tank train to avoid steel wagons being shunted on the reception line. Meanwhile a pair of 67s take on fuel before running light engine back to Halewood. Mainline blue 60078, no doubt having been borrowed from the Fiddlers Ferry pool for the weekend, trundles in to the yard with a spoil train fresh from a local work site. Some attention has switched to getting a bit of stock done this weekend and will hopefully post some more stuff soon. Tim

Funny that Dave because I rather like Maid's Morton. I wish I had the space....

Hi, Work on the layout has been progressing steadily. More scenic work around the back of the layout has been completed including greenery and some palaside fencing. The main step forward has been the new scratch built low relief warehouse/factory. It needs a bit of weathering and detailing to properly blend it in but here's some long overdue photos of the current state of affairs. Tim.

If you like n gauge, coal and 58s this is incredible, and who doesn’t?

So unfortunately the 10 new MJAs wont pay for themselves, so there's a few bits and bobs from my collection on the world's largest online auction site. If you want to take a look you should be able to follow this link. Some weathered stuff and some pristine that I'm never going to get too...! https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/egglad7/m.html?item=132721273902&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562 Tim.

Hi all, It's been a hot and busy summer so not a huge amount of modelling has got done. However there has been some progress on Speke East Sidings as can be seen in this pic. Block of flats is now in place and quite a bit of fencing and foliage is now complete. The one big project left is scratch building a low relief industrial building for the other corner and I am currently sketching out some plans. Starring in the picture is 66952 with some brand new Dapol MJA wagons.I originally wanted these wagons to form the Burngullow sand train that ran in the mid 2000s on my old layout Powderham, which has been sold for 5 years! A very nice model indeed but these were first announced in about 2011 and it has taken a crazy amount of time for them to be released. I don't know of any other industry where lead times are as long and Dapol seem to be particularly slow. Hopefully the Freightliner HIAs will follow soon. No doubt some light weathering will be needed but these were new wagons in the time period I am modelling so no need to go mad. Tim.

60042 arrives light engine from Fiddlers Ferry for fuelling.

Thanks for the tip! Part of the plan with this layout was to re-use as much as I could from previous attempts. I had some street lights that I didn't need that are just the right height to go inside the shed. The poles run up the walls neatly and actually hold it in position! As such no fiddling with LEDs.... I am quite pleased with the result and the poles are not visible from any viewing angle. Tim.

Some progress has been made with the scenery and scenic breaks. The foreground area is now complete in terms of foliage which now runs all the way up to the bridge structures so this all blends in a little better now. Fencing has also been extended around the fuel tank as can be seen on the photos posted earlier. The foliage beyond the reception line is temporary at present whilst I think about starting work on the buildings that will form the backdrop. I think I have now settled on Speke East Sidings as a name for the layout but I can't work out how to change the topic title! Oh well. More pics to follow including a few in the twilight... Tim.