HeatonLodge40

Really enjoy these videos, great presenting skills! Simon

Now that is a great idea!

Ah you're all very kind. Allan you'll be on the first bus to the basement once it's done and don't say you won't be here cos I'm sure you'll outlive me Cheers

For the last few weeks I've been concentrating on building some JLTRT TTA tank kits (15 almost completed so far, from 50 I need) and finding some permanent premises for Heaton Lodge big enough to have it set up in its entirety when complete in 2 years or so. In the meantime the second 12ft long crossover is under construction and this has held things up a bit.. Fortunately I've found an old mill basement that's exactly 180ft long to house HL available to rent. It needs lighting and decorating so I'm about to get my hands dirty! Unless its on its way to a future exhibition, HL will be living here from next year which makes it so much easier to work on (instead of one section at a time). The layout will use all the space lengthways in the picture.. The TTA tanks are taking more room than I thought. This rake of just 12 forms half of a train, of what will eventually be 25 TTA's.. Pulled by 2 x 37's I can't wait to see this chugging up the 1:137 constant gradient.. They are awaiting transfers and weathering plus coupling and brake hoses. I'm experimenting with fitting battery powered sound chips into every tenth TTA so they replicate flange squeal and the odd flat spotted wheel!

Yep nice to see you back posting Allan. Not the same without you

Forgive me if this is a repost. Found this interesting video on the manufacture & construction of points and complicated junctions using bullhead track - obviously shot before BR days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjraY7L9Jig&ebc=ANyPxKqwE8XUUyd_XrkkN8PV_3iUDJsGF_2D6aGB5fORsD6-2tFooiE1Jr7s6SuHo9knGaR6Dtpnvn1yXpi3zHYEEZSTvZEMcA Simon

Bit of progress on the propane gas compound in the last couple weeks. Had to do a bit of woodwork to infill the space between the tracks which always seemed to have lots of railway rubbish kicking about on it and was often waterlogged in the early '80's. I've some details to add yet and touching up to do but the warning signs are on, the compound and bottles weathered complete with Calor logos, and 'water' added to form big puddles. This lighter coloured ground is sieved wood ash from a fireplace & chinchilla dust from pets at home. Water is woodland scenics realistic water tinted with the 'murky' dye they sell and additional ballast is a mixture of 3 colours with thin superglue to secure it.

Treemendus are another supplier..

LongRail thanks they are spot on! Simon

Much appreciated thanks

Could anyone tell me which way the double doors on the BR crew bus's open? I'm building the 7mm GJH plant model and want to modify it with the doors open. Looks like they slide but not sure. Thanks

Its a bit boring gluing metres of concrete trunking in various shades but well worth the end result. The exposed cables are probably a bit more numerous on the model than the real thing but they look good! At the moment I'm trying to get the rough dusty surface right for where the compound sits in the middle of the tracks. I'm painting it Humbrol pale grey before sprinkling chinchilla dust and sieved wood ash onto the wet paint to get that lighter shade. This on top of foam board out of which I've cut indentations in for puddles a bit later. I've used clay to smooth out the puddle holes and create slight differences in the surface. I'll be adding all manner of old bricks, bits of rail etc later. Does anyone know what the yellow painted parallel lines signify painted on concrete trunking every now and again by PW men? Seen it a lot on the real thing.

Stunning Allan. One of your building you gave me (the derelict works/factory) I'm slightly modifying into an old sewerage works building which was close by Heaton Lodge Junction..

Thanks Allan that's great!

Thanks Dave I've zoomed in on this and you are obviously correct. Thanks for that. I'm making the red warning notices on each end and my best guess as to the wording would be Danger! No Naked Flame etc but clearly there are more words than this on the sign. Can you suggest what the standard wording would have been back in the 1980's?

The nearest colour I could find for the Shell Grey was Precision Paints BRT light grey (P202). The solebar is buffer beam red also by Precision but heavily weathered. Simon

Good question Stu, but yes the gas cylinder fed propane point heaters which were installed on all the nearby point work. They changed over to electric in the early 1990's and the compound was pulled down. There is vehicle access via a dirt track which (as you rightly guessed) drops down between the lines over the next two boards to connect with a country lane. Here is 40121 heading west past the compound in 1983..

There's a few heavy trains planned for Heaton Lodge. The heaviest is 2 x 56's and 20 TEA bogie tanks. Can't say yet whose designed and manufacturing the TEA's but the detail on them is superb and once they are ready to produce they will be available in kit form. Needless to say I don't think anything will pull 20 without the bearing but I could be wrong Cheers Simon

Didn't know that, that's interesting cheers Dave. I'll get the scalpel out..

Well I've just picked up the next two boards from Norman Saunders so got my work cut out for the next few days laying the concrete trunking. I'm going to fit the gas bottle storage compound at the same time before the boards go to White Rose in Bedale for fitting into the frames which support the scenery. Then they come back to me for all the scenic stuff.. Difficult to see from the photos but the two tracks branching off climb quite steeply (1:80). Later they will drop just as steeply down to the dive under tunnels.. Really pleased with the three TTA JLTRT tanks I've been building purely for experience. I've another 12 coming from JLTRT which I'll build as one batch then a final 10 making a train of 25. Spent far too much time weathering them with an airbrush and AK Interactive oil/fuel stains. Learnt a lot from these and with the M&M models ball race bearing fitted they run fantastically well

Thanks for the replies. Forgive my ignorance but is it possible to have a completely self contained unit which would include a speaker and SD card (with the sound loaded on it) which is powered by a battery? If so this could fit into a 7mm wagon - I'm thinking two per train of say 20 wagons. Given that on Heaton Lodge the trains won't stop moving (as its continuous run) the speed of the train wouldn't be an issue. I'm assuming a sound decoder couldn't be made to work via a 9v dc battery say? Thanks

Directed at you sound guru's would appreciate some thoughts on this..! In a rake of 7mm JLTRT kit built TTA 4 wheel tanks I'd like to experiment on fitting sound into every say 7 of them in a rake. The sound would be flange squeal and the thump thump thump of a flat spotted wheel often heard on the real thing. The question is obviously providing power to the decoder etc and other issues with the item fitted being a wagon and not a loco..I suppose being 7mm a suitable speaker wouldn't be a problem? Butchering the chassis wouldn't be an issue..Could it potentially be done in this and other rolling stock? thanks Simon

Good question, yes they fully support the weight of the wagon and only compress when a load is added. Don't know who did it but it works perfectly. Its a case of identifying the correct spring obviously length and strength wise. I've fitted M&M models roller bearing and wheels to the TTA's and the free running now is amazing.

Thanks - that happens to be the exact point at which the layout is at now. Never seen that pic before

Appreciate some help with this.. I'm building a rake of JLTRT TTA 4 wheel tanks and would like to add working 'suspension' in the form of a spring between the axle box and lower part of the leaf springs. I've a Heljan wagon bought from Ebay that this has been done to and it runs superbly. The TTA kits are a lot heavier so would like pointing in the right direction as to which springs to buy, a supplier and the best way to fix the spring as from the Heljan OAA its difficult to see how its been done. Apologies if this has been covered before, ..attached is pic of uncompleted first TTA on this one I've gone with fixed suspension.. Thanks Simon