Wigan Wallgate

[Kelly]

Will follow with interest. Looking great so far.

 

Great news on the all clear too. I'm sure with time beer and chocolate will resume their taste, just might mean trying multiple types until you find new likes.

 

Have a small bit of interest in Wigan itself due to family ties, though tended to spend more time in Southport and Liverpool rather than Wigan when we'd go up there during school holidays growing up.

[katwigan]

Actually Brit15, my wife is currently in Cardiff, unfortunately due to a family bereavement, however I may get her to bring a copy of the book home to save on the postage.

Hmmmm come to think of it she did have a fair bit of weight capacity in  her case (going that way, I'd better get in first !)

 

Kelly I have been conducting experiments on lots of different foods currently, unfortunately it's costing me a fortune because I keep trying stuff that either tastes strange or I can't swallow easily. On a brighter note I have been able to eat a couple of 'Alps' from a Toblerone, even though Cadbury's  still doesn't taste nice.

 

Back into work this morning for a few hours, then a bit of a rest, down to the Hospital Gym for a light workout,Tea, then hopefully a couple of hours on Wallgate this evening.

And so on.

 

Kev

[Wigan Wallgate OO Gauge]

Hope everything is okay with yourself Kev, look forward to hearing from you soon.

[katwigan]

Hello all,

Finally I have got back into doing a bit of work on Wallgate in this case the Exchange sidings as some would know them between the North West Station and the lines going under Wallgate itself into Wallgate Station.

 This required a bit of carpentry and a fair bit of thinking / planning on my part trying to keep the elevation relationships correct as the main lines drop down under Wallgate and the sidings are roughly at a level with it. ( If that makes any sense )

 

This shot is looking from the siding throat area towards Wallgate, alas due to space limitations etc the number of sidings has had to be reduced significantly, they also, in following the main lines have had to turn into curved sidings .

 

And a slightly more elevated view, showing the fact that I havent finished the outer siding as yet ( Ooops ) hence the misaligned rails

 

A shot taken from above Wallgate showing some of the pristine P O wagons that in the late 40's should be looking anything but, I will need to find suitable weathering powders soon I think.

 

 

The joint line in the baseboard section adjacent to the unfinished track laying is there to allow the board at this end to hinge upwards providing access to the return loops hiding underneath.

 

 

A few ex LNER area PO wagons have snuck in, must have been on a detoured train heading for Liverpool or similar, allows for a bit of loco variation.

 

 

It certainly feels good to get back into modelling after several months of feeling fed up with a complete lack of motivation towards practically everything, still havent got a taste for beer or chocolate back, although I am feeling much better now for having dropped all the weight that I did.

 

Kev

 

[katwigan]

Well 2 updates in one day, amongst everything else I have been playing with the Silhouette Cameo, partly trying to remember how to use it and hopefully to stop it seizing up ( like me )

 

Any way success on both counts with success in drawing, cutting and assembling of the Water Tank that used to grace the far side of the tracks adjacent to Wallgate .

 

First part of the job is to draw in  a CAD program then send it to the Cameo ,( for much more info on this process have a look at " A Guide to using the Silhouette Cameo Cutter Started by JCL" in the Scenery, Structures & Transport Forum )

 

 

The rather poor looking cut out was me trying to cut something 0.8mm wide out of rather poor quality card. The second photo shows the second attempt using the better quality card that I normally use.

 

 

The various layers  laid on top of each other, prior to assembly

 

 

The proverbial one I prepared earlier. Including dirtying it up a bit with some Charcoal etc

 

 

This showing the long side of the tank, partly dirtied up. 

 

 

Tom that's a view of Westwood House sitting in the background in the last shot, as I said I must get it finished and send it to you, hopefully soon.

 

I will post a few more shots of the tank as I get more of the assembly done, sooner rather than later hopefully.

 

Cheers for now.

 

Kev

 

 

 

[katwigan]

Err,  I don't know where the attached Thumbnail came from, mine obviously but how it got there ???????

Kev

[Wigan Wallgate OO Gauge]

2 more brilliant updates that were a pleasure to read through. The water tank was enormous from the OS and images that I've seen, you're doing a cracking job tackling it. I'm liking your weathering too!

 

Westwood House is also looking great there in the background! Looking forward to seeing it in person.

 

Tom

[APOLLO]

Glad to see your'e on the mend and back modelling Kev.

 

Have you anything running yet ? I found my inspiration improved greatly when I got at least one line running - I ran trains on the one line whilst continuing construction elsewhere, spurred me on a bit.

 

I had a run out to Manchester via Wallgate yesterday as I needed to go to Victoria & get the tram to Oldham to visit Arcadia models in Shaw (brilliant shop by the way). The front of Wallgate is shrouded in scaffolding & sheeting - hope they make a nice job of it as it's a listed building of Special Architectural / Historic Interest. Your sidings are now a horrid mult-story car park. You'll need more Fyffes Banana vans for the warehouse on Chapel Lane !!

 

Out of interest there are signs of electrification from Lostock Junction through Bolton & the new tunnel at Farnworth. A few mast foundations also on the Wigan line at Lostock Jcn for a couple of hundred yards. There are plans to electrify this line via Westhoughton, Hindley & Ince to connect at Wigan NW (for the electrics). I don't think the plan is to electrify Wallgate though. Bolton station is having a lot of work done, a new platform loop line round the back in the northbound direction (was removed years ago) etc.

 

Lots of NW electrification pics on these two sites

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157654034635234

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/sets/72157661069863633

 

Regards, Brit15 

Edited April 25, 2017 by APOLLO

[katwigan]

Hi all, 

I have been working on some of the wiring mods needed due to revised track layout adjacent to the exchange sidings and the bottom of the incline at Wallgate, so Apollo I am hoping to get some trains running sometime in the next week or so.

Not sure if I am going to have more or less time to work on Wallgate since joining the ranks of the unemployed a week or so ago, unfortunately the engineering works I was working at part time is closing down, however SWMBO that I work for seemingly full time

has ideas beyond my means!

Anyway  to more serious matters, the majority of the ground area around the exchange sidings ( see earlier pics) appear to be well covered in stone setts. a rough calculation says I need about 5sq feet of setts , they need to follow the curve of the sidings and will probably end up being covered in coal dust. A couple of options available to me include covering the area in DAS or similar and scratching about in it for days /  weeks  - Don't fancy doing that !!.

Secondly using a Linka compatible mold that I think was sold as a stone wall but would make great setts,

 

 

unfortunately all in a straight (ish) line  -  That's going to mean so much cutting and shutting - Don't think that would look too flash either.

 

Thirdly I purchased a couple of rolling dies from Shapeways, one that will follow the line of the tracks and hopefully the other will fill in the areas between the tracks.

 

I stuck a couple of bits of track down and had a go using Das and the rolling molds, then washed a bit of colour on, I think I could make this look ok and it certainly would be quicker ( and hopefully easier )

 

 

 

 

When I have finished wiring the sidings I will have a go at laying setts, stay tuned for an up date on the outcome

 

Kevan

[beast66606]

When I have finished wiring the sidings I will have a go at laying setts, stay tuned for an up date on the outcome

 

Kevan

 

Hi Kevan, make sure you attach plenty of droppers to any rails which are going to be inlaid, on Widnes I attached about 5 per piece of rail, you don't want to be fixing dry joints after all the hard work on the yard.

[katwigan]

Good point beast, I had better get the soldering iron back out..

[Ian Smeeton]

You could also build up the area between and around the inlaid track with card to cut down the amount of DAS required.

 

Watching with a great deal of interest, as it was at Wallgate and North Western that my interest in trains was first started.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[katwigan]

Cheers Ian, thats another good tip, doing that would probably save 30 - 40% of the DAS material. Still need to do some more trials before i get into laying setts in the yard also with getting the colouring right.

 

Kevan

[kandc_au]

unfortunately all in a straight (ish) line  -  That's going to mean so much cutting and shutting - Don't think that would look too flash either.

 

Thirdly I purchased a couple of rolling dies from Shapeways, one that will follow the line of the tracks and hopefully the other will fill in the areas between the tracks.

 

I stuck a couple of bits of track down and had a go using Das and the rolling molds, then washed a bit of colour on, I think I could make this look ok and it certainly would be quicker ( and hopefully easier )

 

Hi Katwigan,

Any chance of a link to the seller of the rolling moulds please?

 

Khris

[katwigan]

Hi Khris

 

https://www.shapeways.com/marketplace/miniatures/scenery/?q=&sort=popularity&facet%5BpdcId%5D%5B%5D=550&facet%5BisCustomizable%5D=0&facet%5Bprice%5D%5Bmin%5D=1&facet%5Bprice%5D%5Bmax%5D=2500&facet%5Bprice%5D%5Bfrom%5D=1&facet%5Bprice%5D%5Bto%5D=2500

 

There are quite a selection of styles within the Track and Ground section of 'Scenery', they certainly appear to be quite robust and don't distort under quite firm pressure. 

 

Good luck

 

Kevan

[danstercivicman]

That's an epic layout!

[katwigan]

Thank you DCM ( if I may call you that)

It has taken some while to get as far as I have, however the prospect  of slightly early retirement will help me get along a bit  ( after I get non-railway jobs out of the way !)

 

In the mean time amongst other things I have been moving the Water Tank along a bit, I really don't know why it was a) so large in area. b) so high, but I have rechecked several times and if anything it is slightly small in area  .

 

 

Still needs assembling and weathering but I thought I should try it in place before I do that

 

 

I also think we need to do a bit of a tidy up, ( it looks even messier the other way !)

 

 

Cheers

 

Kev

[katwigan]

Well I have been sharing time between trying to get the trains running again, wiring up the new sidings and continuing the build of the Water Tank. 

Last first , the Water Tank. Eventually got it to stand to roughly the right height and got the support beams for the tank in place. I don't trust my painting capabilities so ended up wrapping the 'H' girders with some printed out 'rusty beams'.

 

 

The next step is to fit the water supply and drain pipes in place before adding a few layers of PVA 'water' and as there is no roof in evidence perhaps a migrating duck.

We will see how the first few layers look before commiting to the duck.

 

Now in getting the trains running I had a couple of carriages behind the Bachmann Ivatt tank which led me to discover the frequent derailing of the carriages was nothing to do with my track laying but that the B to B was as low as 14.1mm on one set with an average of 14.25mm. All measurements done with my Digital Calipers as shown.

 

 

Having recently purchased a number of sets of both 14mm dia carriage wheels and spoked wagon wheels of both Hornby and Bachmann  I set about measuring some of them ! Yee Gods some of them were even worse straight out of an unopened packet! In reading a few posts on here it would seem that I am not alone in finding this out, It does make you wonder what method of assembling these parts do they use ? 

Anyway I spent some time then trying to find a tool to suitably reset the dimension, It would appear that there are many gauges available but not a lot of options in regard to a tool to enable easy resetting, unless I wanted to purchase a tool the equivalent cost of  a rake of rolling stock!

 

So a quick step back into my Maintenance Fitter days produced this.

 

 

I don't know if I have subliminaly reproduced something that already exists or not  but, a 6mm x1mm pitch screw provided the basis, I drilled a 2.5mm hole through the length of it and cut it to 14mm overall ,including the head. The next step was to cut a slot through from one side through the head, thread and a nut. This allows the whole thing to drop over the axle inbetween the offending wheels 

 

 

Two small 10mm a/f spanners allow adjustment then of the B to B at the rate of 0.25mm per 1/4 turn and I used it both on the replacement wheel sets and in place on the carriage as shown.

The photo below shows I have gone slightly over setting so I guess I had better work on one to reduce the dimension now.

 

 

Anyway, the end result is that the carriages now happily can be propelled through the previously impassable area, so Now all I have to do is measure / reset all the others !

 

Kevan

[grahame]

I do like and enjoy these urban style layouts.

 

It's an impressive project and is well executed.

 

G.

[danstercivicman]

Well I have been sharing time between trying to get the trains running again, wiring up the new sidings and continuing the build of the Water Tank.

Last first , the Water Tank. Eventually got it to stand to roughly the right height and got the support beams for the tank in place. I don't trust my painting capabilities so ended up wrapping the 'H' girders with some printed out 'rusty beams'.

 

20170619_110749_resized.jpg

 

The next step is to fit the water supply and drain pipes in place before adding a few layers of PVA 'water' and as there is no roof in evidence perhaps a migrating duck.

We will see how the first few layers look before commiting to the duck.

 

Now in getting the trains running I had a couple of carriages behind the Bachmann Ivatt tank which led me to discover the frequent derailing of the carriages was nothing to do with my track laying but that the B to B was as low as 14.1mm on one set with an average of 14.25mm. All measurements done with my Digital Calipers as shown.

 

First Measurement.jpg

 

Having recently purchased a number of sets of both 14mm dia carriage wheels and spoked wagon wheels of both Hornby and Bachmann I set about measuring some of them ! Yee Gods some of them were even worse straight out of an unopened packet! In reading a few posts on here it would seem that I am not alone in finding this out, It does make you wonder what method of assembling these parts do they use ?

Anyway I spent some time then trying to find a tool to suitably reset the dimension, It would appear that there are many gauges available but not a lot of options in regard to a tool to enable easy resetting, unless I wanted to purchase a tool the equivalent cost of a rake of rolling stock!

 

So a quick step back into my Maintenance Fitter days produced this.

 

Adjusting Tool.jpg

 

I don't know if I have subliminaly reproduced something that already exists or not but, a 6mm x1mm pitch screw provided the basis, I drilled a 2.5mm hole through the length of it and cut it to 14mm overall ,including the head. The next step was to cut a slot through from one side through the head, thread and a nut. This allows the whole thing to drop over the axle inbetween the offending wheels

 

Fitted in place.jpg

 

Two small 10mm a/f spanners allow adjustment then of the B to B at the rate of 0.25mm per 1/4 turn and I used it both on the replacement wheel sets and in place on the carriage as shown.

The photo below shows I have gone slightly over setting so I guess I had better work on one to reduce the dimension now.

 

After Adjustment.jpg

 

Anyway, the end result is that the carriages now happily can be propelled through the previously impassable area, so Now all I have to do is measure / reset all the others !

 

Kevan

Love the homemade b2b guage! Mine cost around £8 plus postage so if it beaten that which I think it has, cracking work! The commercial ones have a rod so you can hold them between the wheels but that's about it

[katwigan]

 Thanks Grahame, my missus keeps asking me where and when I am going to put all the grass and trees down, suffice to say her understanding and mine of the terminology 'Urban' seem to vary somewhat  (Particularly in the centre of Wigan). I have allocated a couple of areas of grassy embankment to ease the tension a little on the subject. :agree:Oh and I guess the church grounds that will be at the back of the layout wouldn't really do it either as they will be mainly on the backdrop.

 

DCM, about 10 cents I think and about 1/2 hour, I guess it is more of an adjusting tool rather than a gauge though. There appears to be any number of gauges but I would seem most folk resort to fingers and screwdrivers and misc. to then try and set the B to B. The only limitation would be you can't  ensure that both wheels move the same amount but as  they are out of position to start with and only need to move 0.4mm then are we that worried? Havent checked any of the loco wheels yet although the chassis would be in the way if you tried to use the same principle.

Might try the idea of a handle screwed into the device to a) hold it by, b) do away with one of the spanners.

 

Cheers for all the ticks guys.

Kev

[Wigan Wallgate OO Gauge]

Lots of pushing back my schedule for me! Glad at least one of the Wigan Wallgates has something to show for it. There's a possible move of countries on the cards for me again.

 

Another superb update by the way. Enjoy them more and more

[turtlebah]

Hi all,

Thought it was about time I put pen to paper so to speak and let you have a look at what I am ( for the fourth time ) attempting to build down here in Adelaide South Oz.

Having left Wigan in 1964 as a ten year old I have always had an interest in Railways particularly as my Grandad was a driver based at Prescott st in Wigan.

This is the fourth attempt at building a model of the ex L&Y Wallgate station each one so far has been terminated by a house move and each one has also graduated to a larger sized room ( not a bad thing ).

This ( and THE FINAL build ) is in a room 20' square built for the purpose when we  ( my wife Deb and I ) built an extension on the back of the house to house both my Mother in a granny flat and the Railway ( In seperate rooms )

Wallgate station is the typical arrangement modelled in profundance, Railway in the foreground , street at the rear, Main road crossing over the top etc

 

This photo shows the approach from the Southport / Liverpool direction with the station building over the line on Wallgate itself in the distance.

8113236428_75de2079cc_c.jpg

(Unfortunately no detail re the photographer is available, no ownership is claimed and it is being used for illustrative purposes only )

 

My version, even given the 20' length of the room required some degree of modellers licence to achieve what I wanted in that if you got hold of the aerial shot below and bent it downwards at each end that goes someway to describing ' what happened'.

LAYOUT.jpg

The line that snakes across from top left to lower right is the WCML passing through Wigan NW station, the other line from the lower left is the line I am modelling, so if you can picture what is at left of scene running along the left wall , the platform area along the top wall and then to the east of the station building being bent around more to run down the r/h wall with the Gas works in the lower r/h corner of the room.

 

Clear as mud  I know, somewhere on the two computers I do battle with is a drawing of the trackplan, I will find it.

Due to construction projects ( full size ), assorted Grandchildren's arrival, A wedding (mine) ,illnesses ( not mine etc, etc there have been some delays resulting in not a lot of progress over the last 1 1/2 years. HOWEVER things touch wood are starting to move again, A couple of older pics,

IMGP0152m.JPG

View roughly in the same direction as the top photo.

 

A number of the buildings in this pic are from previous versions or are mock up's that are currently being replaced 

stationarea_zpsa0cc850d.jpg

 

The layout itself is built using a ' dogbone' approach, in the photo below the loop that can be seen below the main level is connected to the lines that leave the station area to the left of shot, while the lines leaving to the right of shot loop back in the  l/h corner of the room. 

IMG_1695_zpse5520302.jpg

 

A train that leaves from platform 1 can run for approx 120' until it arrives at platform 2, then a further 120' to bring it back to it's start point.

My intention as the two loops and their approach and departure line consist of approx 40' by 2 line each was to use them as a 'fiddle yard' of sorts that would allow trains to be stacked one behind the other then indexed along as each train ahead is called out to complete it's lap. All of this is going to be automaticish if only I can figure out how.

At the time of starting this version I lashed out and bought an NEC Procab system that now having completed the main line run I have to come to terms with.

 

Enough of my inaugural drivel, More sorting and photos to come asap.

Happy New Year to all. 

Kevan

 

Hi Kevan,

 

Your platforms shape looks great in this picture. Can i ask what method and materials you used?

 

Kind regards,

Nick

[katwigan]

Hi Nick, the platform base is made from 5mm thick foam core board which takes hot melt glue quite readily, is quite strong in the vertical plane but quite flexible in the horizontal as used. The flexibility enables the the vertical walls to be curved in an easy manner and glued down  as you go. The platform surface is a 3mm  version of the same stuff which will eventually have individual paving slabs glued on, ( in an effort to reproduce the cracked and uneven surface that I remember )

 Hopefully that makes sense and also hopefully I will get around to finishing it off sometime soon.  ( Situation normal then   )

Kevan

[katwigan]

Tom , you can't get any farther away from home I would have thought, so unless it involves space travel I guess you will be closer to Wigan. Anyway I will hang onto anything I put together for the time being until you let me know one way or t'other.

Anyway it is certainly good to be back in the harness so to speak, things are starting to progress, As  I said earlier having got the Trains starting to run again is good, though I still have some cleaning and a bit of wiring to finish.

 

All the Best

 

Kev