Simon Moore

Tuesdays are usually clubnight but it was cancelled this week so I got stuck in doing a few jobs for the layout. I assembled a while ago a white metal kit from woodland scenics of a bulldozer. It's sat on my window sil for ages & I decided to paint it up for the layout. The plough needed a second coat of yellow so that's not shown. This is another part I need to do to finish it off. I painted & weathered the main part of the model & I'm really pleased with it so far. I think a bit of coal dust is needed just to finish it off. The next part I tackled was a rt models hudson tipper. I had a part built one again lingering in the workshop & I ordered another which arrived yesterday. I built up the chassis on the second to match the one already made. My plan is to build the pair simultaneously to speed up the process somewhat. As I don't have any spoked wheels kicking around I raided a parkside kit for some 3 hole disk wheels & stuck those on too the second chassis. They did sometimes have these wheels so it's prototypical still. The other bit I did was to build up & paint the windows for the terrace houses. I am super pleased with how this little scratch aid is turning out it looks great. I've been using a very old video as the inspiration for my little layout. The film is set very close to the area in which I grew up so I remember many pits in the Yorkshire coalfield. This film brings back memories especially the coking plant at smithywood. It's well worth a watch & it's where I got the name for layout from.

Time for a long awaited update, This layout was started a good few years ago now with the idea of making something small from a piece of ply found in the garage. I got as far as actually building my own pointwork, a turntable style traverser & actually getting it to run in a space just shy of 5ft. It's lingered in the garage unloved for a good few years now until recently. I was in the garage recently & picked the layout up & put it flat on a work surface to just have a look. I then started pushing a wagon through the pointwork & I then thought that it wasn't bad at all. I thought I had a few tight spots but it's fine. I then walked away & left it in the garage but the seed had been planted so to speak. I decided to bring it into the house where my workshop is & have a play & after a hour of running I'd enjoyed myself shunting wagons about. The original concept was a mill complex, I'm now changing this to a colliery in South Yorkshire. It's resurrection has really prompted me to do some modelling again & so the old airfix engine shed that's been sat on the shelf for god knows how many years has been built. I've started that along with the colliers row of houses from fair price models. These are small projects that I work on as & when. My main priority this weekend is to get the turntable finished with locking pins, handle & a buffer to stop anything from falling off the end.

Well I got a set this evening which a friend brought me to the club. Beautiful model however I said no to them. The magnetic couplings have a chain that seems to be made from steel so the chain & the pin holding the chain have self magnetised & as a result the couplings stick to themselves. A shame really as they are a nice wagon.

Thanks Nick, It has been interesting to say the least researching North british liveries. I have a old book on british railway liveries & the goods black didn't come in until later on. I suppose if no one knows for sure then it could end up in a brown or green colour. Thanks, Simon

I'm not making a kit,it's a scratch build & thanks for the heads up. I'm actually doing the open cab as per the NBR prototype. Regards Simon

Evening all, I'm planning to scratch build a North british saddle tank over the winter & I'm at a bit of a loss with the livery it would've carried. From what I can gather in the yeadon book they were introduced in the 1880s & I'm struggling on what livery they would have wore? I'm not sure the NBR freight black livery had crept in when they first arrived & wasn't sure if the preserved examples livery was correct or not? Can anyone possibly clear this up for me. Thanks, Simon

Look for a guy on here called Shellshock or Google tuebrook trains. A chap called John Nowell, great builder with decent prices.

Martin, I've just enjoyed reading this post & finding inspiration for my own modelling projects. Your layout has a real open, large feel to it some how whilst still being small. I look forward to seeing this progress, one I will certainly want to see in the flesh once completed.

I've done a couple of those in EM. They convert dead easy & run beautifully.

I've been approached & asked to build a Bradwell WD in EM. I've stop building for people as I don't have time anymore & I know the Bradwell wd is a very in depth build. Can anyone reccomend a good builder? I've no idea who ask anymore. Cheers Simon

I've now assembled the base although I still need to build a few bits to finish this part off. I'm going to raid my friends stash of microstrip tonight so I can get on woth the windows which I'm really looking forward to doing.

I had another session this afternoon on the box & got the walls built up on the front & rear. I've re-enfored them with some thick plasticard although the side walls still need doing. Ive cut out the plasticard around the windows so I can insert some glazing on which I'm going to attach the etch windows.

It's been a while since I posted anything, to be honest I've been doing other things not railway related. I'm part of a small group of em modellers here in Keighley & I opted to make the lanky box for the layout. Times not been kind recently & I haven't had the amount of time I would have liked for modelling. I've had some holidays booked so I've spent some time today in the workshop cutting the first sections of the base. I'm using an etch a friend produced for Hebden bridge signal box windows as the basis for the model. I'm also using a free download of a lanky box as a guide to building my model. So far, so good, I've cut 3 of the 4 walls & cut the windows out which was a fiddle. The double window panel is my second attempt as the first was messed up. I've never been one for building buildings but I am enjoying doing this side of the hobby for a change. Could be the start of a new chapter of modelling for me.

Thanks for the replies gents, I was curious. I wasn't sure weather to respray the frames on my 110 black as it is a project model I'm doing with a load of added details. The 101 on the other hand will just be treated to some grime.

I am curious about the colour of a chassis on the first gen dmus. My reason for asking is that I have a white & blue livery Bachmann 101 & a Hornby calder valley blue grey 110, both have got a chocolate brown coloured chassis. Was this a thing as such or a one off on the odd loco? I remember both from my spotting days, I don't remember them being that colour even fresh out the works other than a layer of grime. Most the engines were a mix of rust & oil but with black colour frames. Can anyone explain it a bit better? Thanks Si

Thanks for the replies chaps, Graham I gave Silver Fox a call, I managed to get a set off them which will be perfect for the project I'm working on. Thanks for the link. Simon

I know craftsman used to do detail packs to spruce up a Hornby or lima dmu. I know craftsman don't trade any longer so do we have any alternate suppliers for such items? I'm about to start renovating a Hornby calder valley unit & I need all the gubbins for the bufferbeams to detail it correctly, I'm just struggling to find a source for parts. Has anyone any alternatives ? Thanks Simon

Thanks guys for the replies RichardT we've been to York many times to the NRM & he does enjoy it although we have never been on the station. Come to think of it neither have I. 4630 Thank you for the detailed information. I've been looking at your reccomendations & I think they are great ideas. I'd never thought of Knottingley or Fitzwilliam. When I was a kid my dad took me to Doncaster regularly & it was a steady flow of 56 & 58s on mgr workings plus other freight. The last time I went was a out 4 years ago albeit on a weekday which was busy with 14 freight trains. Airehead We actually live in the Aire valley & from my window I can watch h the trains going up & down. We have been a few times to Crossflatts to watch steam specials & the odd freight train. My boy loves all trains however I come from a time when we had first gen dmus & loco hauled trains & the freight scene is what draws me nowadays simply as its loco hauled. I've said next weekend weather permitting we will catch the train to Fitzwilliam & see if we can get some freightliners, everything going through Fitzwilliam I presume will go to Doncaster? I'm thinking it might be a bit safer there as the platform at Fitzwilliam is narrow & he could get scared when a azusa comes flying past.

I'm looking for some recommendations please if any of you might be able to help. My sons 4 nearly 5 & he is obsessed with trains, no idea where he gets it from? When I was his ages we had Tinsley on the front doorstep plus all the depots locally & a steady flow of freight in our area. Doncaster was a favourite at weekends with coal trains aplenty. Fast forward to 2022 & I understand things have changed. I'm based in West yorkshire & don't mind a drive. I'm looking for somewhere that's busy with trains & freight at the weekends if such a place exist's. I think my sons old enough now to start experiencing the real thing & hopefully give him a lifelong hobby like it gave me. Ideally a station so we can stay dry if it is raining & toilet facilities etc. Does such a place still exist ? Cheers Si

Well it's been a few years since I last updated this post about the layout. When I built this version it ran but I think some of the points had a tight spot so it got shelved & forgotten about. It has long been my intention to rebuild the layout & last year I got John Jones aka Hayfield of this parish to knock me up the pointwork so I could rebuild it. With the desire to have a small shunting layout in my workshop I decided the times right to actually dive in & get this one back up & running. Firstly some changes, I'm going from industrial to ex North Eastern railway. I'm moving the location from the Bradford area to North Yorkshire in the Vale of York. I'm also getting rid of one of the turnouts which will give me 2 longer sidings which I think will look better visually. Tonight I have been spraying a Stoneybridge structures eastern region platform shelter that's going to become the yard bothy. I am going to have a chat with a few friends tomorrow at the club to ask for help building the baseboards & wiring as I'm not the best at either as I'm partially disabled. I'm hoping this micro layout project will spur me on to build a bigger layout eventually based on the Pilmoor to Knaresborough line.

I've had a very productive session today & assembled all three of the main body sections. Still a long way to go but it's got to the plonk castings on stage & it looks like said beast.

This morning I've tackled the spashers & the modification required to give space for markits em wheelsets. I marked 0.6mm off once I'd removed the spasher curves from the footplate & filed away material. I then made up the spashers & fit them. The rear spashers that are part of the cab were a right to make back up. I've also fit the firebox sides on to make a start on the next part of the build. I'm going to tackle the cab next because the spectacle plate will need modifying to accommodate the wider spashers. Don't you just love great northern cabs

Mike I know what you mean, I've had so many issues recently with gibson wheels that I'm more or less giving up on them. They will not sit properly on the axles & I've tried all different ways of trying to get them to fit correctly. I've spent a fortune on them & still they are not right.

Yes I did, my chunky fingers typing on a phone.

Not that I want to get involved in the arguments over titfield I've pre ordered the lady with the lamp set solely because I have wanted a model of lion & a set of coaches to match since visiting the science & industry museum as a kid. It sparked my interest in the victorian's & got me top marks for our school project.