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Strachur - BR blue in the West Highlands


Max Legroom
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  • 2 weeks later...

Here are a few pix of an uncharacteristically busy goods yard.

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Finally, who wouldn't fancy a few days in this caravan? Views across the tracks to Loch Fyne, a choice of indoor or outdoor dunny, and power/water in situ (see the fresh tarmac crossing the yard).

 

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5 hours ago, 27016 said:

Great little Scottish layout and thanks for uploading more photos.

 

A couple of questions regarding the road over-bridge :-

1. What materials and construction method did you use for the bridge stonework supports?

2. How did you weather the bridge girders?

 

Regards

Mark

Thanks Mark

 

The stonework is Wills which is thick enough to support the bridge without any extra support. There are some plastic I-beam girders under the road surface to keep everything engineeringly sound. The bridge sides are also Wills and the weathering is Games Workshop Agrax Earthshade wash and Thyphus Rust with a small amount of orange dry-brushed to highlight the rust. I tried not to overdo the orange!

 

All the best

 

Max

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Hi Max, can't believe I had missed this until now, what a fantastic layout; I too like the Ian Futers plans and books and also came to the conclusion that the imagined route via "Rest and be Thankful" would involve some serious gradients and tunnels!

 

Very nice work, will follow with interest.

 

Regards,

Martyn.

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  • 2 months later...

I couldn't resist this little cutie!

 

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Just needed some three-link couplings, a driver and a dcc chip. I started to think about a distillery located a few hundred yards up the line, with dodgy track unsuitable for heavy locos so that the 48DS has running rights up to the sidings at Strachur station. Actually, I think this might be pushing things a bit but it's still great fun to run up the line.

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55 minutes ago, Max Legroom said:

I couldn't resist this little cutie!

 

pic.jpg.68279ae3d5ffd42a75e7453b3b67cf5d.jpg

 

Just needed some three-link couplings, a driver and a dcc chip. I started to think about a distillery located a few hundred yards up the line, with dodgy track unsuitable for heavy locos so that the 48DS has running rights up to the sidings at Strachur station. Actually, I think this might be pushing things a bit but it's still great fun to run up the line.

 

They are superb aren't they.

 

According to one book I have, the Dailuaine Distillery loco had running rights over BR lines to Carron Bridge, (the loco should have a plate affixed to confirm this) so your idea might not be too far fetched.

 

Martyn.

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1 hour ago, blueovalcraig said:

Have just read through this thread.   Wow!  Looks great.  I live on the Isle of Bute and pass through Strachur everyday.

Thank you. I try to get up to the West Highlands every year but not sure I’m going to make it this year sadly. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Take the skinheads [to] Bowling (and then up the WHL to Arrochar and across to Strachur!) With apologies to Camper Van Beethoven! 24009, fresh out of Glasgow Works, at Strachur having worked a freight train. I'm pretty sure that this loco is RA 6 so someone is going to be in trouble for ignoring the RA 5 limit.

 

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It's a superb SLW model with Modelu crew and Railtec works plates which really should be blue. I don't plan to run it very often on Strachur as it's intended for a future Glasgow-based layout. It really is a great, if expensive, time to be modelling the Scottish Region in the diesel era. I can't wait to get hold of a Dapol class 29 in GFYE.

Now I really must get round to fixing those points and adding extra scenic details. Static grass is the next improvement.

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  • 1 month later...

I've turned the clock back to 1970 to run 6112 alongside no-heat 5377. TOPS codes have been temporarily banished from Strachur!

 

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I must admit that I'm impressed with the Dapol model. It just need a few dabs of paint and a spot of weathering to really look the part. Well worth the long wait and a big improvement on the Hornby model that I spent so much time modifying back in the early 80s!

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On 16/04/2020 at 10:12, Max Legroom said:

I've turned the clock back to 1970 to run 6112 alongside no-heat 5377. TOPS codes have been temporarily banished from Strachur!

 

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I must admit that I'm impressed with the Dapol model. It just need a few dabs of paint and a spot of weathering to really look the part. Well worth the long wait and a big improvement on the Hornby model that I spent so much time modifying back in the early 80s!

My favourite timescale! The 29 is a nice model, I'm just changing identities on my model of 6112 to 6133 as it kept the small yellow panels into 1971. I've repainted the upper sides with Railmatch Sherwood Green, mainly to match my Bachby 6123, it needs a weathering job too when complete.

 

Your layout looks superb as ever!

 

Martyn.

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Hi Martyn

 

The upper green doesn’t look quite right to me too but I decided I could live with it. I’m tempted to get a blue one and renumber it as 6100 with the extra arrow on one of the cab doors. Having said that, I’ve got a blue 27, 37 and 122 waiting for their new numbers so maybe I should focus on them instead!
 

All the best

 

Max

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I first spotted this thread when you were at the planning stage and somehow haven't kept up with it till now. Remarkable progress, lovely looking layout, a great interpretation of the scheme. Look forward to more. 

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On 18/04/2020 at 12:01, Max Legroom said:

Hi Martyn

 

The upper green doesn’t look quite right to me too but I decided I could live with it. I’m tempted to get a blue one and renumber it as 6100 with the extra arrow on one of the cab doors. Having said that, I’ve got a blue 27, 37 and 122 waiting for their new numbers so maybe I should focus on them instead!
 

All the best

 

Max

I too would have lived with the colour if I didn't have another 29 it needed to match with, to be honest. It seems to be one of those colours that can look really different in different light conditions, and fresh out of works vs weathered. 6100 would be a good blue choice, always nice to add a touch of individuality! 

 

Which reminds me, my 2 blue Bachby jobs still need their exhausts revising to match the Dapol model!

 

Take care, stay safe.

Martyn.

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On 17/04/2020 at 10:37, Signaller69 said:

My favourite timescale! The 29 is a nice model, I'm just changing identities on my model of 6112 to 6133 as it kept the small yellow panels into 1971. I've repainted the upper sides with Railmatch Sherwood Green, mainly to match my Bachby 6123, it needs a weathering job too when complete.

 

Your layout looks superb as ever!

 

Martyn.


That backscene is wonderful . Just captures the area perfectly . One of my favourite runs  is Rest and be Thankful- Strachur - Loch Eck - Dunoon . Really a beautiful area . Just watch out for the midges! 

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Unfortunately I didn’t allow for the thickness of the cork tiles when I installed the back scene which meant that less of the water appears than intended which is a bit of a shame. The back scene is by ID Models. 
 

I can’t wait to get up to the West Highlands again. I would love to visit Kintyre. That whole area seems to be bypassed as most folk head further north.

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My Father has expressed a desire to visit the West Highlands again, would have been rude not to offer to take him and Mum for a mini break when we are able to do so. It was a few trips with my Dad in the early 80s which infected me with a love of the area as well as the trains of the time (and subsequently an earlier era too).

If and when it happens I hope to get to visit Crinan and take the Fort William to Mallaig steam trip with them.

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  • 1 month later...

I've been a bit distracted from Strachur by a Portmahomack micro. However, that is now finished so I've put a couple of locos through the works. First up is 27012 which retained the tablet catcher recess into 1977 and had the bodyside numbers at the no.2 end nearer to the cab door than usual. It's from the most recent Heljan release.

 

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Next is 37051 in weathered blue. This is one of the original Bachmann releases with four-axle drive but runs nicely. Looking at the photo I realise that it needs small vertical handrails on the nose and the weathering looks a bit bright so will be toned down. I've got a feeling that the new Accurascale class 37 will make these Bachmann models look very dated.

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