Dunnington, Derwent Valley Light Railway.

[Signaller69]

4 hours ago, BWsTrains said:

 

Hi,

 

Just come across this topic. My uncoupler solution is a slight variant of the original by Sol which provides a wider uncoupling zone. It replaces three sleepers with stacks of small disc magnets......

 

Colin

 

Hi Colin, 

 

Thanks for the suggestion and tips. Since experimenting on Dunnington, I have standardised on 2x 2mm wide, 4mm long neo magnets just inside each rail, one side N facing up, the other S facing up, level with the bottom of the rail (under the rail would probably work too as you say) and this works with all my uncouplers, being a much stronger field than the 1mm magnets, but not so much that it attracts steel axles to any degree. (In unscientific terms it seems a stronger field, but more localised than a Kadee magnet).

 

I find the need for exact positioning a bonus as it helps avoid unwanted uncoupling, though a small blob of white paint on the rail, or scenic marker, is needed to remember where they are as once ballasted they cannot easily be seen. 

 

They are also easily added after track laying (if you're not sure where you will want to uncouple at the track laying stage) without disturbing the track - I swapped out all the visible Kadee magnets on Crinan using pairs of 2mm magnets without disturbing the track, other than replacing some sleepers where the Kadee had required them to be removed (code 75 track), in a couple of evenings, and they work a treat.

 

Regards,

Martyn.

 

 

[BWsTrains]

11 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

Hi Colin, 

 

Thanks for the suggestion and tips. Since experimenting on Dunnington, I have standardised on 2x 2mm wide, 4mm long neo magnets just inside each rail, one side N facing up, the other S facing up, level with the bottom of the rail (under the rail would probably work too as you say) and this works with all my uncouplers, being a much stronger field than the 1mm magnets, but not so much that it attracts steel axles to any degree. (In unscientific terms it seems a stronger field, but more localised than a Kadee magnet).

 

I find the need for exact positioning a bonus as it helps avoid unwanted uncoupling, though a small blob of white paint on the rail, or scenic marker, is needed to remember where they are as once ballasted they cannot easily be seen. 

 

They are also easily added after track laying (if you're not sure where you will want to uncouple at the track laying stage) without disturbing the track - I swapped out all the visible Kadee magnets on Crinan using pairs of 2mm magnets without disturbing the track, other than replacing some sleepers where the Kadee had required them to be removed (code 75 track), in a couple of evenings, and they work a treat.

 

Regards,

Martyn.

 

 

Sounds very good, I guess we've found different solutions to the same problem of locating the attractive poles in the best position.

 

There are so many sizes and shapes of Neos available these days and each will lend itself to a particular solution. My longer uncoupling zone suits me (at the expense of aesthetics) because my grandchildren now can operate uncoupling easily with some guidance. It is a delight for them to have such hands free control and a great introduction to "proper" railway operations.

 

There is a short video of the opps here, before reballasting the installed areas:

 

https://youtu.be/tTdkE1CuBdE

 

Colin

 

 

Edited November 1, 2019 by BWsTrains

[Signaller69]

The station building is slowly taking shape. Plasticard overlays have been added to the card shell to complete the planked lower and plain upper walls

. Much microstrip beading needs to be added next, along with what was left of the decorative wall features by 1970. Some suitable spare Peco doors and windows have been fitted where they are similar, the others will be made from clear acetate and microstrip. I have some of the distinctive diamond shaped roof tiles, which York Model Making produce, to add once the chimneys are done.

It is a large building by Light Railway standards, although a little shorter than scale length, from what I can work out. As built it was just the portion between the middle and right hand gables, in the same style as the preserved example at Murton Park:

The longer left hand extension and front lean-to were added much later (c.1950s iirc) to cater for commercial tenants, as per the photos on Geoffs Pages here: 

http://www.geoffspages.co.uk/specials/dvlr.htm: which also shows the rather drab white & grey colour scheme it will be finished in.

 

At least the alterations remove the need to reproduce most of the decorative wall panelling.....but some remnants, notably on the apex of the gables will feature.

[Signaller69]

Beading, window sills etc have been added to the rear of the Station building; as these won't usually be seen, it made sense to do this side first (building turned 180° for the photos). Looking at photos I quickly realised there was more than I thought and I still have the decorative curved bits to add to the "original" gables; so much for doing the whole building in one sitting!

I have also redone the blanked off chimney at the "new" end to a more correct size, necessary before adding the beading etc. This appears in photos to have been rendered with cement. The other end retained a full brick chimney so this will be added after the building has had a spray of white primer.....

[Signaller69]

Taking a break from scenic work, I have knocked up a small control panel and connected everything up. The amount of wiring for such a simple layout is largely due to taking the wiring to a central point for labelled connections plus the use of point motors with switching of frog polarity, and it is DC of course, but it is all colour coordinated. 

 

I'm happy to report it all works correctly too, after tweaking a couple of point motors. Need to make a rear plate for the control panel to hide the wiring, and screw it into place.

As a safety precaution I added a couple of micro switches which are activated by the sector plate guide when it is lined up correctly. These control the common return feeds so only the aligned area (ie scenic side OR fiddle yard) is live, depending on the position of the sector plate, thus preventing unplanned movement onto the floor....

[Signaller69]

The control panel has been finished and screwed into place, so today I made and painted the platform top surface, using card mount board. By my period it had received a tarmac surface but retained the wooden planked platform edging. The card was cut to fit around the Station building to avoid gaps around the base. The edging was scribed into the surface (which took a while) prior to spraying the top surface with a car bumper grey aerosol, followed by brushing a mix of brown acrylics onto the wood edging. Some dry brushing will probably follow to highlight the planking.

The surface was also shaped to match the concrete loading ramp at the far end; this just needs painting concrete colour to match.

Edited November 11, 2019 by Signaller69

[Barry O]

One our Club Members in Leeds has a model of the BR interchange station as well as Skipwith. His family worked on the DVLR and some of the photos in the DVLR book are from his personal family collection.

 

I will point him towards this thread..he may be able to provide more info.

 

Baz

[J25]

The 1949 survey indicates that the building extensions were in place by then. Given that care was taken to match the original building, with finials and matching roof tiles I think that the work took place in the 1930's-Murton Station building was extended between 1933 and 1936.

[GraemeR]

I am finding this a fascinating project and the realism in such a small space is great. In the early planning days of a 7mm layout 'based' on Wheldrake. Having the loop beyond the platform does eat up space, so the sector plate solution is being considered. 

Keep up the great work.

Graeme

[Signaller69]

3 hours ago, GraemeR said:

I am finding this a fascinating project and the realism in such a small space is great. In the early planning days of a 7mm layout 'based' on Wheldrake. Having the loop beyond the platform does eat up space, so the sector plate solution is being considered. 

Keep up the great work.

Graeme

 

Thanks Graeme. Wheldrake is a great choice, the track plan being almost a mirror image of Dunnington of course. Depending how closely you model it, there were some nice buildings there such as the goods shed and the only water tower, which looked like it sat on a tree trunk due to the insulation wrapped around the column!

[GraemeR]

Wheldrake in 7mm and 14' scenic is certainly going to be a challenge! Unfortunately I have caught the O gauge bug .....

[Signaller69]

6 hours ago, GraemeR said:

Wheldrake in 7mm and 14' scenic is certainly going to be a challenge! Unfortunately I have caught the O gauge bug .....

 

It sounds like you have a decent space available, Dunnington is only 5'4" maximum scenic length, which equates to about 9'4" in 'O' scale so you shouldn't have to compress as much as I have had to, if you use the sector plate cheat. 

 

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

Martyn.

[Signaller69]

Looking at a photo of the Stationmaster's house, I realised it was lower than the Station approach road (as the road was raised slightly to incorporate the weighbridge by the Station Building). Hence the polystyrene sub base was cut away and the "house" fitted direct to the baseboard surface. Grass and some Ratio fencing were added, with further detailing to come. 

 

The Sawmill roof has been weathered too.

 

And a front facia has been cut and fitted, ready for painting tomorrow. A proscenium arch which fits to this will follow to support lighting. 

I have a busy couple of days trying to get it presentable for its first outing on Saturday (as a work in progress), at a local hobbies show.

[Signaller69]

First outing at the Wrexham Toy & Hobby Fair as a work in progress....

Managed to add some of the details I had at hand, Station Buildings still require finishing plus much more detail, lighting facia, info board etc.

[Gibbo675]

Hi Martyn,

 

Quality shunter and tractor action there !

 

Gibbo.

[Signaller69]

A Hornby class 101 has made an appearance at Dunnington on a Special test run. Although it runs superbly, a "clunk-clunk-clunk" noise was suspected to be a worn traction tyre but after much head scratching turned out to be a cracked drive gear, so an order to Peter's Spares looms.....

 

And round 2 of Static grass has just been added (short stuff around the rails mainly), using my trusty Noch/ Gaugemaster puffer bottle this time.

Residue still needs vacuuming away once it has all set (using the old tights-in-the-pipe filter trick to reclaim it), with the aid of a stiff brush to get rid of "almost stuck" fibres, which will thin down the appearance a little. Although compared to how the prototype could look, I don't think this appearance is overdone! Further blending will follow.

[Signaller69]

A minor refinement has been to replace the screws holding the front facia in place; these were normal 20mm countersunk, but have been swapped out for black round headed screws which look better.

The B&Q trestles have received favourable comment too, seen on the lowest-but-one height setting here. The long square box they come in seems unfeasibly heavy when first picked up, but once assembled they are actually fairly light weight to carry around and very rigid once all the bolts are tightened. Height can be varied easily from c.32" up to about 44" in 4" increments. At £25 each they are not cheap, but they seem good quality overall and a worthwhile investment I feel.

 

Somewhat more bargain basement, Wilko have started a new pick n mix section! No, not sweets, but hardware......fill a bag with various screws, bolts, wingnuts, washers and other fastenings for a mere £1.50 (small) or sub £3ish (large) iirc. Even the small bag holds a lot, as long as you can seal it. This is what was left after much had been used on Dunnington and I'd taken the 8mm bolts and wingnuts (used on Crinan) out:

Certainly beats the small packs of a dozen or so screws for £1 usually found in hardware stores! Not sure how universal this is across Wilkos (these were from the Warrington store), but it's a great idea!

[Neil]

The Porthmadog branch of Wilkos has a similar pick and mix section for the hardware. It is remarkably good value if you pack the bags carefully; the normally uber-thrifty Martin Wales was with me when I was buying big coach screws for a pergola build in my back garden. He thought I was perhaps a bit liberal in my interpretation of 'being able to seal the bag' (I'm originally from Yorkshire) but it got passed as OK at the checkout; good manners and a friendly smile will get you a long way in life. I'd expect that if this facility has made it all the way to the Cambrian coast then it should be available UK wide.

[Signaller69]

8 hours ago, Neil said:

The Porthmadog branch of Wilkos has a similar pick and mix section for the hardware. It is remarkably good value if you pack the bags carefully; the normally uber-thrifty Martin Wales was with me when I was buying big coach screws for a pergola build in my back garden. He thought I was perhaps a bit liberal in my interpretation of 'being able to seal the bag' (I'm originally from Yorkshire) but it got passed as OK at the checkout; good manners and a friendly smile will get you a long way in life. I'd expect that if this facility has made it all the way to the Cambrian coast then it should be available UK wide.

Thanks Neil, I put a similar post on the FB Microlayouts page, to be told it was nothing new.....it was to me! As I often have a browse around Wilkos and had not come across it before in the local area (I am in North East Wales) I suppose I either just missed it,  or the local stores hadn't introduced the idea. I found the bags seal quite well either side of a couple of protruding bolts! Is Yorkshire thrift more thrifty than Welsh thrift then? 

[Neil]

10 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

..... I found the bags seal quite well either side of a couple of protruding bolts! Is Yorkshire thrift more thrifty than Welsh thrift then? 

 

Maybe not, by the sound of it. 

[51235]

On 21/11/2019 at 10:28, Neil said:

 

Maybe not, by the sound of it. 

 

As a former member of YMRS, you should know Neil that a Yorkshireman is like a Scotsman but with deeper pockets. 

[Neil]

I'd always thought we were like the Scots but without their frivolous sense of generosity.

[Signaller69]

DVLR No.1 has finally left the paint shop, just needing the Shawplan Lazerglaze and a couple of vac pipes fitting.

The PW gang's van has also been repainted from a Trackside Austin; it should be a BMC, which has similar styling, and will be replaced if I find a more accurate alternative, unless I take a Dremel to it to re-jig the front axle position and re-model the grille.

 

The Station Building is also progressing at a snail's pace, with more beading etc being added as time allows. It is, though, getting towards the stage where it will be painted, before moving on to do the roof tiles and windows.

[coronach]

I lived on Tang Hall Lane in York as a child, near to the Osbaldwick Lane crossroads.  I remember seeing the DVLR van there.  I also remember hearing the loco whistle from our garden.  Very occasionally, I would see the train when we visited Fifth Ave library or dental surgery.  On one occasion, I remember visit the nursery on Metcalf Lane and seeing the train cross.  I never really appreciated how rare a railway the DVLR was at that stage.

 

[Signaller69]

6 hours ago, coronach said:

I lived on Tang Hall Lane in York as a child, near to the Osbaldwick Lane crossroads.  I remember seeing the DVLR van there.  I also remember hearing the loco whistle from our garden.  Very occasionally, I would see the train when we visited Fifth Ave library or dental surgery.  On one occasion, I remember visit the nursery on Metcalf Lane and seeing the train cross.  I never really appreciated how rare a railway the DVLR was at that stage.

 

Great memories no doubt. I suppose there is a certain irony that it survived so long due to being a private concern, but was never able to be taken over intact as a preserved railway for the same reason, due to the commercial value of the sites the Company had developed at the various Stations, being a much more lucrative business than running a railway. The DVLR book mentions the company still exists in the property market (as Derwent Holdings iirc), based in London.