Dunmar Posted December 22, 2020 Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Hi Ben, Once again you have come up trumps!!! That pic speaks a thousand words! have you got anymore of them at home. It really tells me a lot. I'm also looking for a photo of the south end of the small road overbridge, I have the odd pic or two from a distance but I did come across a full on view but failed to record it and am now unable to find it. It will be used as the scenic break from the south end. The more I delve into this project the more excited I get. But, I musn't get carried away and keep to my original remit. With regards to the box at the north end I may model that in its last days of existance. Thanks once again. Bill. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted December 22, 2020 Author Share Posted December 22, 2020 Hi, Please if anyone else has any information or details, especially photos of Helmsdale station, please feel free to post them here. Or , if you just want to point me in the direction of photo albums or references, then I would really appreciate it. Cheers, Bill. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted December 25, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 25, 2020 Not quite the angle you are seeking but hopefully of some use. There are a couple more pictures of Helmsdale on the same persons Flickr site 7 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted December 27, 2020 Author Share Posted December 27, 2020 Great photo. Can you point me in the direction that photo came from ? I have a Flickr account and have recently got in touch with a couple of guys but still having trouble tracking down photos of Helmsdale just like that . Brilliant! Bill. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold young37215 Posted December 28, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 28, 2020 11 hours ago, Dunmar said: Great photo. Can you point me in the direction that photo came from ? I have a Flickr account and have recently got in touch with a couple of guys but still having trouble tracking down photos of Helmsdale just like that . Brilliant! Bill. Hi Bill Arnie Furness is the chaps name, he has a number of albums on Flickr. If you paste the link below into your browser it should take you to the album in which the picture and other are located regards Rob https://www.flickr.com/photos/deadmans_handle/albums/72157628690728047 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted December 28, 2020 Author Share Posted December 28, 2020 Thanks Rob, this is the kind of stuff I'm looking for! Bill. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 Hi, Sorry to keep everyone waiting , but I'm just waiting on a few guys getting back to me with permission to use some photos for this project. The other problem I have is I don't have proper heating in my loft and that is where the baseboards are being constructed. When I think back to 2014/15 when I was building Glenfinnan it was round about the same time, and just as cold!!!!!!!!!! So bear with me , it will be worth the wait. When I set out to look at what I was going to do next I wasn't quite sure that Helmsdale would fit the bill, after some thought, I'm certain it will. Let the build COMMENCE !!!!!!!!!! ALL THE BEST , WHEN IT COMES, HERE'S TO A BETTER 2021. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 On 25/12/2020 at 12:51, young37215 said: Not quite the angle you are seeking but hopefully of some use. There are a couple more pictures of Helmsdale on the same persons Flickr site Hi, Been doing some research into the signalling and it appears that both lattice and round post signal styles were in use as shown in both these photos kindly provided by Arnie Furniss. I have already built the lattice versions and am now looking at the Dapol round post versions of which I have two and hoping I might be able to use them. I am continuing to trawl through some fascinating photos of the line around Helmsdale and learning a lot whilst slowly trying to organise the materials for the baseboards ! Bill. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 Hi, Finally decided on a totally plywood girder style baseboard. There will be 2 x 4ft scenic sections, both will have a fixed angled extension added at each end to accommodate a curved fiddle yard left over from a previous layout. The final length of those extensions have not been decided yet. Will draw up a plan when that happens. Bill. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 Hi, This is how it's meant to look! I haven't done a baseboard like this before and I have been reliably informed that I should take great care to make sure that the top edge is flat before attaching the top board as it can go horribly wrong and you could get some warping of the board. Well here goes ! Bill. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 Hi, This is as far as I have progressed. It has taken me an absolute age to get this far. One scenic board completed 5ft x 20 inches, only one to go. You will notice the softwood braces in the centre, by this stage I felt I had enough of making up plywood supports. Yes its nice and light, and it's solid and will stand up to the rigours of exhibition abuse ( if I ever get there) but oh! It's a lot of work! Have also decided to change to cassette storage as I did for Kinlochewe, and to employ four removeable legs for one scenic board with the other connected and supported on two legs. I can safely say without fear of contradiction that I hate this part of the hobby, it seemed a good idea at the time. Glenfinnan was built with the aid of Tim Horn, enough said!!! Bill. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 Well, without a good flat baseboard nothing else will be of its best so it's worth persevering with.... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 On 17/12/2020 at 12:32, CloggyDog said: The Helmsdale North and South Cabin diagrams are on the SignalBox.org site: https://signalbox.org/~SBdiagram.php?id= 537 https://signalbox.org/~SBdiagram.php?id= 536 Though both show 'amended 1989, so might be too late for your era? HTH Hi, I'm not too good at reading track diagrams but can you tell me why if travelling North to Wick the line through Helmsdale from Inverness is not called the Up Line and not the Down Line as on the drawing and vice versa. I'll get my coat shall I.?????. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Bell Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 (edited) I think the answer generally is that the up line is the direction heading towards London and the down line heads away from London. Thus the southbound line on the ECML is the up line. Quite how this works on cross country lines I am not sure! In Scotland apart from the routes into England ie ECML and WCML up is towards Edinburgh. Edited February 2, 2021 by David Bell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 20 hours ago, David Bell said: I think the answer generally is that the up line is the direction heading towards London and the down line heads away from London. Thus the southbound line on the ECML is the up line. Quite how this works on cross country lines I am not sure! In Scotland apart from the routes into England ie ECML and WCML up is towards Edinburgh. Yes, all rather confusing David. I did a bit more digging on the subject and it seems that the UP is referred to the train travelling to its base or Major city and the DOWN is referred to a train travelling away from its base or Major city. It would make more sense if I referred to Helmsdale as such! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 Hi, Almost completed the construction of the two scenic boards. As they were glued and screwed the second one is going through the drying process, once this is done they will both be painted in a mid grey undercoat to seal them . The next stage will be to see if my proposed plan will fit using my templates which I have downloaded from the Peco website. I have yet again amended the track plan to include the siding on the UP line and re-introduced the crossover pointwork along with the siding on the Down line to accommodate the goods shed. I feel that this will create more operational interest. Bill. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 Hi, As I am planning to fit Helmsdale into 10ft due to space restrictions when operating at home I will have to reduce the length of the platforms. Can anyone give me an idea of how long they might be in relation to train size, ie. the number of coaches + loco. Although to be fair trains would have consisted of a varied number of stock. Under normal circumstances I would have planned a trip to the location, but this is not normal!!! Bill. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 You will need 6 coach platforms, Class 37/4 loco 3 coaches for Thurso and 3 for Wick was normal circa 1987. From memory SO/SO/BG So/SO/BSO (micro buffet) post the Ness Viaduct collapsing it was 2 X 156 units then 158s. Three up and three down trains per day. Clapham Junction eat your heart out. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 (edited) Have you seen this? It should help. https://maps.nls.uk/view/82907286 You can zoom in on it. Edited February 3, 2021 by Ben Alder Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted February 4, 2021 Author Share Posted February 4, 2021 19 hours ago, Ben Alder said: Have you seen this? It should help. https://maps.nls.uk/view/82907286 You can zoom in on it. Hi , Thanks for that. It helps me to understand better the layout as was back in the day and how I want to set out my track plan. Bill. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted February 4, 2021 Author Share Posted February 4, 2021 On 03/02/2021 at 12:34, DavidCBroad said: You will need 6 coach platforms, Class 37/4 loco 3 coaches for Thurso and 3 for Wick was normal circa 1987. From memory SO/SO/BG So/SO/BSO (micro buffet) post the Ness Viaduct collapsing it was 2 X 156 units then 158s. Three up and three down trains per day. Clapham Junction eat your heart out. Hi, Had an idea that might be the reply ! My problem is not with the length of the platform but more to do with the length of the cassettes. The platform will be shortened in any case, and using good old modellers licence, the odd coach will be dropped depending on passenger numbers and time of year. And oh ! I plan to set the time of year around the Autumn. Fancy having a go at something different in the way of colours. Bill. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted February 4, 2021 Author Share Posted February 4, 2021 Hi, Photos of Helmsdale are thin on the ground, unless I'm not looking in the right places. But boy when you come across them , what little gems they turn out to be . Like this one from Scott Borthwick of 26 037 at Helmsdale in 1985 and after having round empty stock off the unadvertised Wednesday only Inverness to Dunrobbin Castle waits for clearance. Or how about this one from David Mason of 37 414 arriving at Helmsdale in 1987 and having stopped just around where the signal box is , I would assume the rear of the train must just about have cleared the road bridge. I hve downloaded some more photos from these talented photographers who have given me permission to use them. Bill. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 Hi, Thought I might have a go at laying down some templates and see how the points will fit, it's going to be tight, but I think I can pull it off. The first photo shows the line from Wick, excuse the piece of card as I have run out of plywood. Not sure if I can accommodate the siding ( centre of photo) that originally went into the goods shed and remained there for some time. The second photo shows the cross over at the end of the platform at the north end. Finally, the third photo shows the approach from Inverness from under the road bridge. Hope this makes sense. Bill. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunmar Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 Hi, As previously mentioned, it will be tight as can be seen by this photo. This train has taken up almost 5ft of baseboard. I'm going to have to make compromises along the way but I've made the decision to continue with Helmsdale. Bill. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 Been there, got the T shirt.... I had much the same available space and the platforms would have taken up most of it, hence my decision to model only the north end up to the footbridge, giving space for the goods shed and engine shed area, which was very much going in my modelling era, but it gave a more open aspect to the station. I have found this set up a workable compromise - back in the early seventies my uncle and I started a model of Helmsdale in his attic - it was some thirty feet long and the station and approaches took up nearly all of it. It never got finished but showed how much space was needed for a more or less scale model. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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