Heaton Lodge Junction

[Guest teacupteacup]

This is absolutely outrageous.  I'd seen it mentioned a few times before but never paid much attention otherwise.

 

I've just spent the past hour-odd reading through from the start, this has got to be best, most consistent, modelling I have seen.  I take my hat off to you!

 

And 180ft long?  Im stressing over the 11ft of my proposed 7mm layout!

[HeatonLodge40]

Well I cheated a bit and practised on boat loads of scrap polystyrene etc a couple of years before I started. 

Its very tempting to cut corners often but I fear it will all come apart quickly if I do.

Another update tomorrow 

[HeatonLodge40]

Last couple weeks has seen the latest 72’ of track completed (that’s 6 lengths of 12’). Flicking off ballast from every sleeper was mind numbing.

 

Ive used a mix of woodland scenics and Carr’s ballast finished off with an airbrush full of sleeper grime. AK interactive ‘oil’ is also sprayed where locos are likely to slow or accelerate.

 

All that’s left is the labourious concrete trunking which is 1cm lengths of evergreen styrene ‘channel’ painted concrete and dusted with talc (when wet) to get the correct texture.

I reckon I’ve stuck down over 4000 of these so far, but it’s the only way to get the random prototypical look..

[HeatonLodge40]

Thought it might be useful to some to repeat the process I use for constructing concrete trunking.

 

As I mentioned I use evergreen styrene channel (width depends on scale - for 7mm I use 268 (7.9mm wide).

 

Cut into lengths of 1/1.5cm I stick the pieces down onto double sided tape to prevent them flying away when painting.

Halfords grey primer is then covered with Precision paints concrete spray then when wet talc sprinkled on through a sieve.

If nothing else you will have very sweet smelling concrete trunking.

 

I’ll leave this lot to dry tonight then tomorrow brush off the excess talc and dust with black weathering powder to tone everything down.

I usually leave a dozen or so pieces free from weathering to represent new lengths of trunking.

 

Edited February 17, 2019 by HeatonLodge40
Edited for spelling

[HeatonLodge40]

And finally given I seem to be in writing mood today, I’m digressing from spraying by beginning building this lovely etched brass kit of a lattice footbridge. 

This kit is fortunately an almost exact copy of the example still there today at Heaton Lodge that was built in 1900 by the LNWR. 

That said I’m going to need two kits since there are two sets of stairs at each side and the one at HL is taller than normal. 

I often wonder how many 9F’s, 8F’s and Black 5’s have passed under this footbridge since 1900

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

Is there a reason you use Halfords "ordinary" primer instead of their plastic primer, or do you know something I don't?!

I struggle to get the plastic version in their shops.

 

Mike.

[HeatonLodge40]

I’ve always used the ordinary stuff I didn’t even know they did a plastic version.

Always worked for me 

[HeatonLodge40]

Been away a few days this week but had time to crack on with the etched brass lattice footbridge kit - the prototype of which is still at Heaton Lodge.

I needed two kits to make the configuration needed and I’m really enjoying building this.

 

Also recieved a few more ex JLTRT TTA tankers from MM1 models to make 20 in total I’ve built so far. The first 30 will be in the Shell livery.

I mentioned earlier in this thread I add fully sprung suspension to these kits by way of a tiny spring between the axlebox and suspension. Combined with an individual axlebox roller bearing from MM models makes them run superbly. They are pretty heavy with a solid resin tank but I reckon a Heljan 37 will pull 30.

 

[AdeMoore]

Bridge looks proper nice.

[HeatonLodge40]

I take my hat off to modellers who build etched brass kits for a living.

The footbridge has taken me 27 hours to get into primer and tested my patience in the end.

 

Its actually a combination of 3 kits (2 brass and 1 plastic). I’ve had to make the supporting legs pretty tough since HL is portable so they are also soldered on. Each leg has two rows of Archer’s stick on rivets as per the original.

The round leg extensions will be araldite’d into 16 pre drilled holes once painted. Talking of which I’ll be starting that tomorrow. 

 

[Simond]

Simon,

 

might I suggest that you don’t araldite it in, as if it were damaged, it would be hell to remove without a

leaving a considerable crater in your lovely scenery.  Is it not possible to fix the “tails” of the legs with nuts?

 

this would allow levelling, and removal should it ever be needed

 

atb

simon

[HeatonLodge40]

Good point Simon never thought of that. I will go with your suggestion thanks

 

[jamie92208]

51 minutes ago, HeatonLodge40 said:

Good point Simon never thought of that. I will go with your suggestion thanks

 

I use M2 threaded rod for such things on Green Ayre both for bridges and the platform canopies. Model aircraft shops sell it in long lengths for aircraft control gear, along with the nuts and washers.   I had my platform canopy supports cast with the threaded rod running through the centre.

 

Jamie

 

[Simond]

2mm feels a bit small to me.  I guess it depends what you’re bolting down!

[Michael Edge]

I think you'll find it fits quite securely in the holes without any nuts, the long footbridge on Herculaneum Dock is fitted in this way.

[HeatonLodge40]

The footbridge has turned into a war & piece epic but the end is in sight happily.

The real footbridge at Heaton Lodge has more rust on it than its original green and white paint so I was wanting to capture this.

Ive used AK interactive ‘heavy chipping fluid’ to good effect in the past but this time it came into its own.

 

After a couple of coats of Halfords Primer I firstly used an airbrush to spray an all over coat of Lifecolor Dark Rust.

Then 3 coats of the chipping fluid followed all via an airbrush which were allowed to dry.

The original colours of the footbridge then went on - dark green for the main body and white for the lattice work.

Once dry I used a toothbrush soaked in water to scrub gently the paint (I’d spent hours painting on) which revealed the object of the exercise - the rust underneath.

 

I’ve then toned down the white lattice with dirty black using an airbrush and added some differing shades of rust.

 

Quite pleased with this. Heaton Lodge doesn’t have many structures at the real location so I guess I’m making the best of what is there.

That said I’m shortly coming up to a pretty large sewerage works and the two 5ft long bridges over the river.

 

Back to the footbridge though and tomorrow I’ll start on the timber stairs on which I’m going to use Lifecolors Weathered Wood set..

 

Here’s some pics - the last being the real footbridge and the effect on the lattice I’m trying to get

[Guest]

Wow! this just gets better and better, fantastic modelling.

 

Gary

[AdeMoore]

I see a Kettle is heading through Heaton Jn 12.05 today.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U55047/2019/03/03/advanced

A1 Tornado Doncaster to Edinburgh. Presume it where this ace model is based on?

 

https://www.a1steam.com/2018/03/23/the-auld-reekie/

 

See from FB it left a little late.

Hope you don’t mind me putting this here?

 Cheers 

Ade

[HeatonLodge40]

Nah it’s not the same Junction Ade shame as I’d have gone to see it. 

It came pretty close though - Wakefield Westgate is about 8 miles from Heaton Lodge Jct

[AdeMoore]

2 hours ago, HeatonLodge40 said:

Nah it’s not the same Junction Ade shame as I’d have gone to see it. 

It came pretty close though - Wakefield Westgate is about 8 miles from Heaton Lodge Jct

Oh dear sorry about that missed the important Lodge bit I see now!

Educated now.

i guess there is a map in the topic somewhere I’ll have have a peruse.

 Cheers 

[HeatonLodge40]

Well with the footbridge now in its new home the last couple of hours I turned my attention to building an ex PW hut from Intentio models (usual disclaimers).

 

This is a lovely little laser cut kit which I was determined to absolutely wreck (in a good way) to make up a really dilapidated ex LNWR/LNER hut that existed at HL up to about 1980 so strictly speaking isn’t in the ‘enverlope’ of mid ‘80’s era but hey ho.

 

You’ll see from the pics I’ve modified this kit by gouging out the wood (concrete) in numerous places to reveal the rusty reinforcing bars and at the rear removed 2 panels completely. The bars are just brass wire superglued into position.

The window has been smashed and the door fallen off its hinges.

The door in the kit is a tad too thick to make it look reasonably passable while open (or lying on the ground) so I made a new one from etched brass, scribed some planks onto the brass and added some bracing from styrene. The edges of the door I’ve attacked with a slitting disc too to mimic rotting wood.

 

Anyway it took two hours in total and is about to get painted. I’ll post a pic of the result when complete ..

[Simond]

I hope Phil has seen this!!!!

[HeatonLodge40]

An afternoon of painting has had the concrete PW hut nearing the finishing line.

I decided to use an airbrush on this as I didn’t want to cover the gaps between the concrete panels. 

Using a mix of plain precision weathered concrete I added some warm yellow to the mix and shaded that in. 

Some misting of dirty black followed then some yellow flicked on with a toothbrush. 

I forgot the fumes from superglue frost up clear plastic - fortunately HL is set in winter so got away with it on the windows. 

First pic isn’t snow - it’s talc dusted on the wet paint to add texture then brushed off. Rust is painted on the reinforcing bars and window frames painted green and we aren’t far off.

 

Does anyone know what the roofs were made of? I’m tempted to make a big hole in it but before I do I need to know what materials were used when these were built..

[HeatonLodge40]

Finally the footbridge in situ..& a couple of passing 37’s 

[iands]

12 minutes ago, HeatonLodge40 said:

An afternoon of painting has had the concrete PW hut nearing the finishing line.

I decided to use an airbrush on this as I didn’t want to cover the gaps between the concrete panels. 

Using a mix of plain precision weathered concrete I added some warm yellow to the mix and shaded that in. 

Some misting of dirty black followed then some yellow flicked on with a toothbrush. 

I forgot the fumes from superglue frost up clear plastic - fortunately HL is set in winter so got away with it on the windows. 

First pic isn’t snow - it’s talc dusted on the wet paint to add texture then brushed off. Rust is painted on the reinforcing bars and window frames painted green and we aren’t far off.

 

Does anyone know what the roofs were made of? I’m tempted to make a big hole in it but before I do I need to know what materials were used when these were built..

Hi Simon,

Your modelling skills and vision/observations/eye-for-detail continue to astound me - truly breath-taking. As far as I can recall (from the LNER side of things) the roofs were concrete slabs, possibly in sections as opposed to a single slab. I'll have a look through my photos etc. to see if can confirm this.