JustinDean

I think if you’re going to be happy with a ‘flavour of’ layout, want something small that’s easy to get finished, set up and running then this is the way to go. Jay

AC went into loads of venues when COVID was a ‘thing’. Jay

It’s not changed that much! No carpet but still like walking on treacle. Badged doormen, not Hells Angels now, but there’s still something edgy about the place. Jay

If the DPM is installed correctly floor joists won’t rot. Underneath should stay dry! My first build is over 10 years old and no moisture ingress whatsoever. Jay

Yes, sorry, I should’ve said to check with the LA as they do sometimes vary. Derbyshire is restricted to 15m2 Jay

I’ve built a few garden recording studios for clients - photos below of the last one I made. There’s a few considerations, some already pointed out. Permitted development within Planning restricts you to a structure covering up to 15m2. The shed below is 5m X 3m. Anything above that requires planning permission. Mount it on a concrete pad. For walls I used larch cladding over timber lathes. DPM layer over OSB board all mounted on 2x4” stud frames filled with Kingspan insulation and joints finished with aluminium tape. Inner boarding could be any decent hard sheet that will take screws etc for mounting stuff. Floors had exactly the same treatment. Stud, Kingspan, DPM, then OSB board. Insulating fibre boards went on top followed by electric underfloor heating in the form of a roll out mat. This stuff is cheap to buy, easy to install and most importantly cheap to run! Laminate floor went over that. Same construction for the roof only the topside I used one of the new rubber sheet systems which is glued in place then trimmed. Decent ones are guaranteed for 50 years. Guttering to make sure water is carried away from the building. One of the most important parts is effective ventilation as condensation can be an issue. Plus you need to breathe. I used a cheap motor/pipe system that growers of a certain smokable plant like to use. This shed also has an extra ‘floating’ room within the structure I’ve just described for its sound proofing qualities which you wouldn’t need, and the whole shebang cost around £7k in materials. You could knock off about £1500-£2k by eliminating the inner room. Hope this is helpful! Jay

Only two months now until Middleton Top’s first public outing at SWAG. I’ve been busy building dry stone walls, stone by stone, which takes quite some time. I’m not going to bore anyone with photos of this process! I’ve also added some weeds at the back of the buffer stop and planted out some of the cottage garden. These make for far more interesting photos! Jay

Hi Dave, Some how i missed your post - sorry chap! It would be nice to have 3mm represented however I’ve filled this years event. I can definitely keep you in mind for next year though. Cheers Jay

They’re quite splendid! Excellent work @chuffinghell and @MrWolf Jay

I’m ready and waiting for the surprise. Jay

Hi everyone, Fingers crossed work won’t interfere with my plans and I’ll be in touch with all involved within the next week. Apologies for the silence on this thread. I would very much like to get the whole shebang announced by the end of the month. Jay

Lovely work Graham and nice to see these collected together! Jay

To be honest G I reckon the moment I see how long points are in 7mm the penny will drop that it’s probably not achievable. At this time i’m not getting too deep into planning another layout with the SWAG deadline rapidly appearing on the horizon. Seeing the Belper clubs to scale plan for a 7mm version of Middleton Top was a real eye opener. It’s massive! Jay

Apparently 6’x2’ is a micro layout in 7mm scale. The idea is to use the cottage as the left hand view blocker and the raised end of the elevated siding to disguise the exit on the right. The bit inbetween will be squashed up a bit from the prototype! Jay

Now you’ve mentioned it the slope of the ramp is in the opposite direction. It hadn’t occurred to me that other elevated sidings existed having only seen the Longcliffe one. Jay

Good to hear you’re alright Jeff. I was only explaining the madness of your dry stone wall building technique to some chaps at Belper club a few nights ago. Looking forward to when you’re ready to get back in the saddle. Jay

I must be heading to about 3000 photos in my archive of the C&HPR but I rarely post any here, so thanks for that. There’s an abundance of sources online for images and I may have exhausted them now. I know Derbyshire county council have quite a collection that @Middlepeakhas been exploring- we should probably consolidate collections at some point Geraint. Longcliffe is most likely going to be the subject for a 7mm scale ‘micro’ layout once Middleton Top is completed satisfactorily and this ramp/siding would make an interesting scenic break with a tender perched on it. Here’s a little look at Longcliffe then: Zoe on the Cromford & High Peak Facebook group has made a number of these modified OS maps. An earlier photo of the elevated siding: Before J94’s and also before the NLR tanks, LNWR Choppers were used. This photo also shows the early layout of the wharf with yard crane and corrugated shed. A set of photos from a similar position showing the overall site, until we reach…. ….the end! Siding serving the loading dock, which is still there and can be seen in my contemporary photos on the previous page. Looking back towards Parsley Hay Early photo of the station house A couple of very nice colour photos Jay

Yea the studio was burgled by an opportunist at 1.30am last Friday. Getting a call to drive down to Derby at 3am isn’t great! We got him on CCTV, circulated a photo on social media and got him ID’d within a couple of hours. Police picked him up and on Saturday he was charged with 6 burglaries. Fortunately he didn’t cause any damage and was only interested in the top shelf spirits in the bar which he stuffed down his trousers! Jay

Thanks Geraint!

Dry stone wall continues to be worked on, planking has had a wash of grey and a few other bits attended to. Nice to finally get some time back on this! Vegetation around the base of the engine house is now starting to creep in. I’m making my second visit to Belper Model Railway Club this evening. Through Facebook I found out they’re about to embark on a 7mm scale model of Middleton Top! Jay

I was born in Coventry and grew up in Nuneaton. Cov was somewhere I spent a lot of my late teens playing gigs. I visited last year after an almost 30 year absence and barely recognised the place! Jay

Absolutely…..not! LoL. I really struggle sticking to one project mate and pulling Rob’s leg a bit here. I’m glad I’ve got SWAG as a deadline to keep me on track. Jay

A good clear out is good for the mind mate. Time to get focused, pick a project and crack on. Right, I’m off to draw plans for an O gauge micro…. Jay

I’d be going for the greater depth so the railway is properly set within the countryside. That’s gotta be the point if you’re modeling a slice of Derbyshire right? Im liking the new design Nick! Jay

Not a spot to be using 3-links then! Any thoughts on what you may use? I had considered Dinghams and an electromagnet for uncoupling on Middleton Top. Still undecided and will try out 3-links first. Jay