Gill Head: Kirkby Luneside's neighbour

[John Besley]

Much better Jeff

[Chipster]

Good Evening Jeff

 

My first thought on the new downpipes was "a million times better"

 

Now as your personal Cumbria Camera Correspondent, all you've got to do is ask and I'll soon pop to KS and see if I can get some pics of the real McCoy, but looking at them last photo's, I don't think I need to.

 

Chip

[Physicsman]

3 hours ago, Chipster said:

Good Evening Jeff

 

My first thought on the new downpipes was "a million times better"

 

Now as your personal Cumbria Camera Correspondent, all you've got to do is ask and I'll soon pop to KS and see if I can get some pics of the real McCoy, but looking at them last photo's, I don't think I need to.

 

Chip

 

Haha - Very good!

 

Given the number of times you've visited, or been past the Kirkby Stephen site, if my shed and pipes pass your muster then it must be (mostly) ok.

 

It just occurred to me that, with the lockdown and now living in Barrow (so not having to cross the Pennines), I haven't been past the station since January 2020. I might get lost next time I head towards the wilds of Tebay and Orton!!

 

Good to hear from you.

 

Jeff

Edited October 17, 2021 by Physicsman

[Physicsman]

Update.....

 

Some tidbits to keep the thread ticking over.

 

I'm working on the signal box kit I bought from York Modelmaking a few weeks back:

 

https://yorkmodelrail.com/shop/00-scale-ho-scale/building-kits-00-scale-ho-scale/00-mrbox-20-foot-midland-railway-signal-box/

 

Fits together beautifully and all the body section has been painted up. I'm customising the roof with my own tiles, guttering and finials.

 

Further details and pics when I'm done, probably early next week.

 

And I've planned out my "shunting" plank to give the 00 models some exercise. It won't be a shunting plank at all, but a representation of Ais Gill summit. 4 boards, 2 feet wide, probable total length of 13 feet. Will be stored in pieces under Gill Head and assembled for a bit of 9F etc running.

 

I will build this in the spring - it will be given a scenic treatment of walls, ballast, culvert and overbridge, so should be fun. Most importantly, it means some of the "old" steam locos will have somewhere to run. 

 

Anyway, just something I've been thinking about. Good job I haven't got any wood and ply in stock or I'd probably have started!

 

Jeff

Edited October 27, 2021 by Physicsman
Spellings

[Rowsley17D]

I hoped you have been saving your pennies, Jeff as a builder we had in to view a job said timber had doubled in price!

[Physicsman]

7 minutes ago, Rowsley17D said:

I hoped you have been saving your pennies, Jeff as a builder we had in to view a job said timber had doubled in price!

 

Very true, Jonathan. But it's model railways, so cost doesn't really come in to it! 

 

Besides, the boards are going to be a mere 3'3" x 2 ' each, so framing them with 8" x 6" , in my usual style, shouldn't require more than a modest fraction of the local forest.

 

Seriously, I've priced-up my 12mm birch ply and the wood for the "L girders" and cross pieces shouldn't be too bad.

[Andrew P]

2 hours ago, Physicsman said:

Update.....

 

Some tidbits to keep the thread ticking over.

 

I'm working on the signal box kit I bought from York Modelmaking a few weeks back:

 

https://yorkmodelrail.com/shop/00-scale-ho-scale/building-kits-00-scale-ho-scale/00-mrbox-20-foot-midland-railway-signal-box/

 

Fits together beautifully and all the body section has been painted up. I'm customising the roof with my own tiles, guttering and finials.

 

Further details and pics when I'm done, probably early next week.

 

And I've planned out my "shunting" plank to give the 00 models some exercise. It won't be a shunting plank at all, but a representation of Ais Gill summit. 4 boards, 2 feet wide, probable total length of 13 feet. Will be stored in pieces under Gill Head and assembled for a bit of 9F etc running.

 

I will build this in the spring - it will be given a scenic treatment of walls, ballast, culvert and overbridge, so should be fun. Most importantly, it means some of the "old" steam locos will have somewhere to run. 

 

Anyway, just something I've been thinking about. Good job I haven't got any wood and ply in stock or I'd probably have started!

 

Jeff

Great news young Jeff, will it be detailed in this thread or have its own?

 

Only two more sleeps until the fate of Bute Road is revealed in Fridays Video.

[jacko]

It'll be interesting to see the new signal box when it's complete. I built the old ratio box years ago and stuck it in a cupboard waiting for a layout to put it on. I wonder if the York models version is really worth £70 more - it would be fun to compare the two side by side

 

Graeme

[Physicsman]

1 hour ago, Andrew P said:

Great news young Jeff, will it be detailed in this thread or have its own?

 

Only two more sleeps until the fate of Bute Road is revealed in Fridays Video.

 

I've not looked around on here much recently, Andy, so I'm not aware that Bute Road's fate is in the balance.

 

If you want to give me a heads up, send me a PM.

 

 

59 minutes ago, jacko said:

It'll be interesting to see the new signal box when it's complete. I built the old ratio box years ago and stuck it in a cupboard waiting for a layout to put it on. I wonder if the York models version is really worth £70 more - it would be fun to compare the two side by side

 

Graeme

 

It probably isn't worth £70 more - although I think the Ratio kits are nearly £30 nowadays.

 

However, I also have a part-made Ratio kit and I much prefer the new one.

 

I could have scratch-built one, but there's so much to do, so I've had to compromise on my time.

 

J.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Just dropping in. Goods shed looks the business. As everyone else has said, much better downpipes now you have that kink bit under the eaves - they looked rather odd coming straight down. Looking forward to seeing Ais Gill develop.
Regards as ever.

PS That MR signalbox kit looks interesting; bit more than my two bob Airfix kit though...

Edited October 28, 2021 by Peter Kazmierczak

[John Besley]

On 27/10/2021 at 13:21, Physicsman said:

Update.....

 

Some tidbits to keep the thread ticking over.

 

I'm working on the signal box kit I bought from York Modelmaking a few weeks back:

 

https://yorkmodelrail.com/shop/00-scale-ho-scale/building-kits-00-scale-ho-scale/00-mrbox-20-foot-midland-railway-signal-box/

 

Fits together beautifully and all the body section has been painted up. I'm customising the roof with my own tiles, guttering and finials.

 

Further details and pics when I'm done, probably early next week.

 

And I've planned out my "shunting" plank to give the 00 models some exercise. It won't be a shunting plank at all, but a representation of Ais Gill summit. 4 boards, 2 feet wide, probable total length of 13 feet. Will be stored in pieces under Gill Head and assembled for a bit of 9F etc running.

 

I will build this in the spring - it will be given a scenic treatment of walls, ballast, culvert and overbridge, so should be fun. Most importantly, it means some of the "old" steam locos will have somewhere to run. 

 

Anyway, just something I've been thinking about. Good job I haven't got any wood and ply in stock or I'd probably have started!

 

Jeff

You've got to take the Ais Gill plank out on location .... you would get an awesome photo shoot with a 9F and black 5

[Physicsman]

Not quite finished, but here's a pic for you to look at.

 

I'll put a few more pics up, along with comments about the kit and the build, in a day or so.

 

Jeff

 

[Rowsley17D]

Looking good, Jeff. Those finials certainly finish it off and I like the guttering which again isn't in the kit I bought. Neither is a stove pipe. Have you changed the pitch of the roof? Yours seems to be steeper than mine. It could be that yours is painted while mine isn't. While on the roof, I seem to remember that originally there were no ridge tiles where the hips join. They were filled with a mastic type filler.

[AdeMoore]

Signal box looks excellent to me Jeff, paint job top drawer stuff to.

Will it be distressed at all?

Keep those pics coming.

Cheers

[lambiedg]

Lovely job, Jeff.

 

[Physicsman]

I'll try and provide useful information for those that are interested.

 

For those that are not, go to the next post which is entirely photos.

 

22 hours ago, Rowsley17D said:

Looking good, Jeff. Those finials certainly finish it off and I like the guttering which again isn't in the kit I bought. Neither is a stove pipe. Have you changed the pitch of the roof? Yours seems to be steeper than mine. It could be that yours is painted while mine isn't. While on the roof, I seem to remember that originally there were no ridge tiles where the hips join. They were filled with a mastic type filler.

 

As you mentioned to me a couple of months back, Jonathan, the kit is devoid of finials, guttering and stove pipe. I've added these in - finials from Wizard Models, guttering using Plastruct (as per the shed) and a bit of 2mm Plastruct rod for the stove pipe.

 

I haven't changed the underlying structure of the roof, but the tiling and ridges are mine. The self-adhesive-backed tiles with the kit ARE effective, and I initially did the roof with these. However, I decided to "do it my way" using my ruled-paper method. You are correct about the mastic-joining of the original boxes. I would have done the same ("ridge tile" sheet is included in the kit), but looking through a large number of images of S&C boxes I came across a number showing the restored version of the old Settle Junction box, and this used ridge tiles. I like ridge tiles as they are a contrasting detail to the general roof tiling - so I added them in.

 

An image of the restored Settle box is in the next post.

 

9 hours ago, AdeMoore said:

Signal box looks excellent to me Jeff, paint job top drawer stuff to.

Will it be distressed at all?

Keep those pics coming.

Cheers

 

Cheers, Ade.

 

The box really should receive some weathering as it looks far too clean at the moment to sit in my goods yard. I'm not going to overdo this - I think a light coating of grot onto the "cream" paint fascias and a bit of lichen/moss on parts of the roof will be enough.

 

I used Railmatch Midland Red enamel on the box and Dulux "Soft Stone" emulsion for the cream bits. The cream doesn't fully match the standard Midland "cream", but it's good enough for me and I'll argue the original colour changed over time!

 

What do I think of the York Modelmaking kit?

 

It was a pleasure to build and the instructions are clear and detailed. The laser cut parts go together very well. I know I've added my own variations on the roof, but that doesn't detract from the product. I'm no longer happy with off the shelf product, so building this, and adding-in my own input was good fun. I couldn't have scratch-built a box to this standard, so it has saved me some effort here. As for the cost, well - if you want it, you have to pay for it. I'll be buying another one for the "Ais Gill" project, which is recommendation in itself. And yes, I know it's not the same as the one that used to be at AG (now at Butterley), but then I'm only going for a representation, not a copy.

 

To answer Andy's question from further up the page, there will be a new thread for the Ais Gill plank and I'll say a lot more once that starts. Suffice to say, the plank is just a way to let me run some of my old 00 gauge locos. Rather than just a plain length of track, I may as well "go to town" on it, so it will be fully scenic. I'm already accumulating data and imagery. More in the spring when I order in the wood and ply.

 

If anyone has further comments or questions about the signal box, PLEASE ask! Always happy to divulge details of what I've done.

 

Jeff

 

 

Edited October 31, 2021 by Physicsman
Spelling correction

[Rowsley17D]

Thanks for the information, Jeff. Many Midland boxes have had replacement hip ridge tiles, especially those on the S&C, but for the education of your "other" reader, I just wanted to point out what the roof was like originally. No doubt by your period this modification had taken place. Given the cost of the model it's shame YMM didn't include the extras you have put on but it makes it an excellent model. Will you be modelling an interior?

[Physicsman]

Ok, here are some pics of the just-about-completed box. The restored Settle box is shown at the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rowsley17D]

Just drove passed it there and back while on duty at Long Preston and saw a Leeds bound train coming of the Bentham line.

[Physicsman]

16 minutes ago, Rowsley17D said:

Thanks for the information, Jeff. Many Midland boxes have had replacement hip ridge tiles, especially those on the S&C, but for the education of your "other" reader, I just wanted to point out what the roof was like originally. No doubt by your period this modification had taken place. Given the cost of the model it's shame YMM didn't include the extras you have put on but it makes it an excellent model. Will you be modelling an interior?

 

Jonathan, that's the disadvantage of trying to chuck out all the info in one burst, rather than gradually. But I'm not going to be posting very often these days (maybe I should try to increase my "posting count"??!! ) so my senile old mind is gonna forget stuff I meant to write....

 

Yep, the box will receive the Ratio signal box kit, complete with levers, desk and anglepoise lamp. I may have to put someone in it - I'll pretend it's Mark (mark axlecounter) who has moved up from the Blea Moor box.

 

Btw, I have a suggestion to make to you - will PM you shortly.

 

Jeff

Edited October 31, 2021 by Physicsman
Spellchecker!!!! LeveR is NOT leveL!!!

[Rowsley17D]

2 minutes ago, Physicsman said:

 

Btw, I have a suggestion to make to you - will PM you shortly.

 

Jeff

 

Snap!

[AdeMoore]

5 hours ago, Physicsman said:

 

Cheers, Ade.

 

The box really should receive some weathering as it looks far too clean at the moment to sit in my goods yard. I'm not going to overdo this - I think a light coating of grot onto the "cream" paint fascias and a bit of lichen/moss on parts of the roof will be enough.

 

I used Railmatch Midland Red enamel on the box and Dulux "Soft Stone" emulsion for the cream bits. The cream doesn't fully match the standard Midland "cream", but it's good enough for me and I'll argue the original colour changed over time!

 

What do I think of the York Modelmaking kit?

 

 

Looks spot on from your skilled build doubt it would if I built it.

Most I’ve ever paid for a signal box was £6.00ish for a laser cut kit from intothegreenwood! Not a patch on the quality of York Modelmaking so I’m hardly qualified to comment. Great photos you shared of it.

[jacko]

16 hours ago, Physicsman said:

I used Railmatch Midland Red enamel on the box and Dulux "Soft Stone" emulsion for the cream bits. The cream doesn't fully match the standard Midland "cream", but it's good enough for me and I'll argue the original colour changed over time!

 

 

 

 

Exactly the detail I wish I'd had years ago when I built my Ratio kit. My 'cream' came out more yellow.  When I dig it out of storage I'll be referencing this post for a repaint. I may also post a photo on here just to show how bad my model making skills were

On interiors, I used the Springside white metal kit. No idea how accurate it is for Midland boxes but through the windows it all looks the part and it more than doubles the weight of the ratio kit. 

Graeme.

[Andrew P]

16 hours ago, Physicsman said:

Ok, here are some pics of the just-about-completed box. The restored Settle box is shown at the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I clicked Interesting and thought provoking as I'm surprised how clean the lower half is considering its close to a running line.

[Physicsman]

1 hour ago, Andrew P said:

I clicked Interesting and thought provoking as I'm surprised how clean the lower half is considering its close to a running line.

 

I think that may be because it's (relatively) recently been restored, and maybe it gets a bit more TLC than your average box.

 

Or maybe it's because there's not a great deal of traffic at its location?

 

I'll have to weather my box, in keeping with the goods yard, methinks.

 

J.