Bilton Junction

[Jon4470]

Just been reading through your layout thread and have to say you have produced a couple of excellent models. Very impressed with the finish on the teak coach sides looks the business and I think a bit of light weathering it really capture the prototype well.

 

I was at boarding school in Ripon in the sixties and every now an then we would have a trip to a swimming pool just up the road from the Gas Works . I remember that they was a row of terrace houses alongside the front of the works called Gasville Terrace which was always a source of much baiting to one poor soul who were accused of living there .....one could be very harsh on fellow pupils in those days. 

 

Keep up the good work Jon will follow with interest. 

Hello and thanks for the kind comments.

 

The thing that I find about coaches is that there is so much to do. Once built there is the painting, lining, interior, passengers, weathering....the list seems to go on forever! So this time i’ve Made the floor detachable and i’ll Only do the exterior parts, i’ll Leave interiors till later. I’ll most likely do a very light weathering job on roofs and underframe. Once a full train is assembled then i’ll Look at the whole thing an put heavier weathering on some of the coaches.

 

Like the anecdote about the terrace in Harrogate by the way.

 

Jon

 

PS sorry about capitals appearing all over the place - must pay closer attention when typing on an iPad

[Jon4470]

So the bank holiday weather has been more traditional: nice on Saturday, raining all day Sunday and drizzle and cloudy today. For me that meant gardening on Saturday and the plenty of time Sunday and today to do some modelling.

 

One thing I set out to achieve this year was to clear down all the unfinished models on my workbench. This weekend I made significant progress. First, i’ve put the roof onto the First Open. A little bit more filler and it will be complete- then I can put the roof details on. The underframe components are also now on order from MJT.

 

an

 

I also moved another coach kit along. This one is an RDEB kit of the 1914 Kitchen car. It has been sitting around for a long time now with the sides loosely tack soldered to the ends. Well now it looks like this:

 

 

 

I can’t find the handrails ( that I know I have!) so it is now as complete as I can get it. I’ll order the necessary components for roof and underframe in a few weeks time.

 

End result of all this work - and the tidy up while looking for the handrails- was that my workbench now looks like this:

 

 

 

That is, for me at least, an incredibly tidy work space!

 

Next on the completions list are the narrow gauge hopper and tank wagons ( sub consciously I think I have been putting these off because i’ll need to make some bogies)

 

Anyway - a satisfying modelling weekend.

 

Jon

[Jon4470]

This weekend I went to ExpoEM near Manchester. Had some good chats with the demonstrators, looked at some great modelling on the layouts and picked up some items from the (well represented) trade.

 

One of the things that I bought was a selection of handwheels.

 

 

These were bought so that I could re- start on the hopper wagon. One wheel was for the brake standard

 

 

And the other was to add the operating mechanism for the hopper doors. I made a representation of these from some brass tube, brass strip and one larger wheel

 

 

 

Finally it is seen here just resting on the wagon

 

 

 

I would have completed the mechanism for the other side as well- if only the bits of brass tube hadn’t flown off into the carpet

[jessy1692]

Excellent looking hopper coming along there Jon, looks largervthsn 009 in them pics!

[Jon4470]

Excellent looking hopper coming along there Jon, looks largervthsn 009 in them pics!

Thank you for the complement. To give an idea of the size ..... see below when posed next to a Gresley first class open coach. ( about 2/3 of the coach is visible in this photo)

 

[jessy1692]

Just shows how big them hoppers were, top work with the detail in them close up shots.

[Jon4470]

Two small parcels arrived in the post today.

 

There were some coupling mouldings from Narrow Planet. I think these will look ok on the hopper wagon. I know little about OO-9 modelling I’m sorry to say - this means that I’m blundering around a bit when it comes to things like couplings. Anyway I think these work with a wire loop to actually do the coupling (I think it’s a variation on a Greenwich coupling?)

 

Also arrived today were a pair of Kato N gauge bogies from Gaugemaster. These were a bit of a speculative purchase and, thankfully, they look to be about the correct wheelbase and wheel size.

 

 

The bogie in detail looks like this

 

 

And the real thing looks like this

 

 

So my idea is to file off most of the details and add a channel section at the top and new springs to each wheel. Below shows some channel resting on the bogie to give the idea

 

 

Once all that is done I just need to attach the bogies somehow - with a nut and bolt? - and then I’ll have a rolling hopper wagon!

 

Oh - I nearly forgot- I’ve bought some plywood and it is cut into strips.......one step closer to starting a baseboard

[Jon4470]

Life has interrupted modelling progress for a while. Last weekend we took our son back to Swansea to continue his studies and we always take the opportunity to have a few days holiday in Wales. The old docks have some nice eateries which we like but as I spend time there I keep thinking about a model of a coal dock...coal hoists with lines of wagons.....Maybe one day

[Jon4470]

There is some method to the selection of coaches that I’m building. I am trying to create two trains at the moment.

 

The first is the Kings Cross to Harrogate and Ripon. This was a 5 coach set - BTK, TK, RTP, RF, BFK. I will be building these from a mix of MJT, Bill Bedord and RDEB kits. So far the TK and the BTK are in work. I have sides/ kits for the others.

 

The second train is the Day portion of the Northern Belle. This comprised BFK, SLT, Kitchen, FO, FO, TK ( hairdressing), saloon, BG. I have the Kitchen and FO in work. I’ve built an SLT using the Kirk kit but this is not the correct type of coach - I didn’t realise that the coach in the Northern Belle was a 66’ coach. I don’t think there are any kits for this. The hairdressing coach is available using an RDEB kit. That leaves the BFK, saloon and BG. None of these are available from a kit as far as I can tell. This means that i’ll Have to try some kit bashing to get what I want!

[Ralf]

Ooooh loving the idea of this one. Just flicking through the Harrogate Gas Works books and suddenly thought that New Park would make a lovely layout and wondered who modelled what of the system and then appear here! Good luck with it! 

 

Ralf

[Jon4470]

Hello Ralf

 

Welcome to my layout topic. Progress is steady at the moment - just getting a few mainline coaches finished - working on underframes today.

 

I’m hoping to move onto some actual layoutbuilding shortly....it would be nice to have some track on which I can run some models!

 

I think the Gas Works railway is an interesting prototype with some real character. Hopefully I can capture some of that in my model. Do you model narrow gauge? For me it is an unknown area - so I’m doing a little bit at a time.

 

Jon

[Jon4470]

Last Sunday it rained all day and so I got on with some modelling.

I concentrated on two coach underframes and the bogies for three coaches..... Too much! I put myself under time pressure and, almost inevitably, made a mistake......I managed to make the second underframe as a mirror image i.e vacuum cylinders were on the left instead of right etc. When I discovered this error - well to say I was annoyed was an understatement! My language also plumbed new depths.

 

This weekend I set about correcting the mess....so what was like this:

 

 

Was re-arranged into this:

 

 

Lots of blobby soldering where I have re- arranged things. Also partly caused because this is a Comet floor pan which is thicker brass than my usual MJT floor and acts as a bit of a heat sink. (That’s my excuse anyway)

 

When in use the mess is not visible:

 

 

 

 

Yet again I have (re) learned the lessons - don’t rush, plan twice solder once and if it isn’t going right ...take a break !

 

Anyway back on track again now - aiming to get a batch of coaches built so I can line them together.

[Jon4470]

While researching (otherwise known as browsing the internet) into excursion trains I chanced upon an interesting working.

 

I knew about Camping coaches at various sites but I had never heard of the Tourist Camping Coach. There is a booklet on eBay at the moment that describes the itinerary for this coach......leave York Saturday, travel to Pateley Bridge, stay for a couple of nights, then travel to Aysgarth, stay a couple of nights, then to Glaisdale with a final 2 night stay before returning to York.

 

This would make an interesting working attached as it was to the standard services. That means ( for the Harrogate to Pateley Bridge section) a G5 loco hauling two ex NER coaches and a Camping coach.

 

Further browsing then turned up two photos of the coach ...it was an ex ECJS matchboard sleeping car painted Green and Cream. Hmmm .....this could be an interesting scratchbuild project ( well at least the sides are vertical so it must be straight forward - right?)

 

For now I have filed the references so that I can pick this up in the future. Maybe I’ll have a go at this coach when I get around to construction of the G5 and it’s coaches.

[jessy1692]

Very interesting Jon, never seen or heard if tourist camping coaches to Pateley. Seen a pic of a train of tourist stock around Harrogate,never not behind a G5. Will watch with interest, also great looking coach despite the slight set back.

Cheers

James

[Jon4470]

Hi James

I should clarify - the booklet say’s “the coach will travel on ordinary passenger train services...” Therefore I’ve made the assumption that it would be attached to a 2 coach service to Pateley Bridge - I think this was all that ran on the branch but I haven’t checked.

 

I’m not sure if there were any other Tourist Camping coaches - this is the only one i’ve Heard of. ( it’s ECJS number 90 by the way and there is a photo on Paul Bartlett’s site.

 

Jon

[jessy1692]

Yeah sounds like it must be tagged into the back of the Pateley train,cant recall anything iv seen like that so very interesting.

 

Just did a google and there seems to be a thread on national preservation with details just as you describe above, would have been a great little holiday!

 

https://www.national-preservation.com/threads/camping-coaches-any-interesting-stories-pictures.1077100/

[Jon4470]

That site has two lovely photos of the coach. I agree -it would have been an interesting trip. Still would be - although by car nowadays.

 

I’ve started to look at paper railwayana on eBay because sometimes excursion leaflets come up for sale. A recent item is for a half day excursion from Leeds to Newcastle. It is advertised as a buffet car excursion and the illustration looks like the interior of one of the Green/cream Tourist car buffets. I know that this is just advertising ( and the real coaches could have been anything) but at least i’d Have a reason to run a green/ cream set

 

I don’t think there was a specific reason for the excursion - just a half day out.

 

Jon

[Jon4470]

Over a month since I posted on here!

 

Reason = loss of inclination because real life has intruded too much. I have managed some armchair modelling though. This included visits to Leeds, Hull and Wakefield model railway shows. Enjoyed all of them for different reasons. I have also bought some track and points....inching my way towards actual track laying.

 

Today I have got stuck back into the models. Lots of finishing off to do. That also means very little to show for it. The initial part of kit building seems to make great progress.....and then the detailing sets in.....

 

Today I finished off two coach chassis - so plan is to paint these tomorrow.

I’ve also fitted about a quarter of the droplights, hinges etc to the brake third. Hoping to get at least one side fully completed tomorrow.

 

Jon

[Jon4470]

One thing that I picked up at Leeds show was this wagon.

 

 

It seems to be well built and is an interesting hopper wagon with brake overs at the ends. This was ( if I understand correctly) something of a North Eastern speciality. I believe they were positioned at the ends so that shunters could activate the brakes while standing on the wagon. This avoided them having to walk over the coal drops and staithes.

 

Anyway it should look good sitting on the coal drops at the interchange sidings

 

Jon

 

[Jon4470]

Another long break between posts.

 

Reason for the gap is that there have been serious illnesses in the family over the last few months and that has, quite rightly, taken priority over leisure time. Thankfully the illnesses seem on the mend and so, with Xmas also behind us, I have been able to pick up the knife, soldering iron, file etc.

 

Still working on my coaches at the moment. Complete and ready for lining are the BTK, TK, FO. Today I have completed the Kitchen car and cleaned it ready for priming tomorrow. Once this last coached is teaked then there will be a major lining session! I’ll have to get my notes and reference books out prior to that - it must be 7 months or more since I did any lining.

 

I’ve been naughty and ordered another loco kit - a J24 from Arthur Kimber! It’s a loco I “need” for the layout but for now it will join a growing pile of unbuilt kits!

 

Before I start any new kits I must have another tidy up - there is junk everywhere on my workbench. Somewhere on the bench is the hopper wagon waiting to be finished and I really want to have another crack at the tank wagon.

 

Hopefully be able to post some photos soon.

 

Jon

[Jon4470]

This morning I made progress with the Kitchen car painting.

 

First a coat of white primer:

 

 

 

Then the base coat. I used a mix of Vallejo orange and orange brown. I will add a second coat later today and then varnish the whole thing once the paint is thoroughly dry.

 

 

 

The underframe has also been primed and spray painted using Halfords satin black

 

 

 

The weather is dry now - so off to do a bit of gardening!

 

Jon

[Jon4470]

Teak now applied

 

 

As usual a photo shows up the problems - a bit more “smoothing” of the grain required! It’s just as well oil paint stays workable for a while.

 

Once done the paint needs a few days to dry and then another coat of varnish goes on.

 

Smudges on the roof are where I had to apply more filler.

 

Jon

[jessy1692]

Looks very good to me Jon, but im very much in the blue and grey camp at the mo, great work though

All the best

James

[Jon4470]

Hello James

Thanks for the kind comment.

 

I saw your work on the “tired” class 40 ( I think it was one of those) - looked good.

 

Jon

[jessy1692]

Cheers John, quite correct with it being a 40.

Love your coaches, one thing i need to do is start tackling brass rather than haching plastic.

 

Looking forward to more updates

James