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Felton Lane (Goods). West Durham in the 1940's.


Worsdell forever

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Fantastic effort and good luck for the show and I hope everything goes well Paul,

 

I was planning on making the journey as its just up the road from me but due to having my operation brought forward unexpectedly Im now in recovery mode so I'm unable to attend but I do hope to see both you and the layout sometime in the future I hope.

 

Darren.

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Well, Felton Lane has had a successful first outing, thanks to all the RMwebbers that came and said hello and for all the favourable comments. I now know how to operate it, and where to put additional uncoupling magnets. Operation of the layout is even better than I thought it would be. Thanks to Mike (Durham Light Infantry) for playing while I had lunch, also thanks to Dougie (Puddlejumper) for the comments about chips, they will be ignored!

 

I took a few photos at the show but only one of my own layout...

 

J77 8425 has escaped from pilot duties around Darlington, managed to get passed Bishop Aukland and Crook and ended up at Felton Lane with a short goods train.

post-7104-127291037763.jpg

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  • 1 month later...
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Felton Lane, a history lesson...

 

A brief history of the railways in the Crook area.

 

The Bishop Aukland and Weardale Railway reached Crook in 1843 and The Weardale Extention Railway was completed in 1845 from just outside Crook station and headed west towards Tow Law and beyond.

In 1847, these railways together with The Weardale Railway, The Wear and Derwent Railway and The Shildon Tunnel Company were grouped together to become The Wear Valley Railway and was Leased by The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&D). It was absorbed into the S&D on 23rd July 1858.

 

 

The Crook and Willington Railway.

 

Along with these other small railway companies that were promoted by the S&D was the Crook and Willington Railway (C&W) which was opened in 1855 along with the Hedley Hill branch which headed north to meet up with the Deerness Valley line towards Durham. The C&W left the Hedley Hill branch at Billy Row Junction turning north east and under the West Durham Railway line. The line passed near Oakenshaw, where the only inermediate station was built, before heading east to the terminus just beyond Felton Lane on the edge of the village of Willington.

 

Three branches were built off the line to collieries at West Brancpeth, Oakenshaw and Willington which were the reason for the line and the main source of traffic.

 

The terminus of the line was first called Willington but when the line from Bishop Aukland to Durham was opened by the NER the next year it had a through station at Willington and the C&W station became West Willington, after the S&D merged with the North Eastern Railway in 1863 the situation stayed the same as the S&D section was still run semi-independantly to the NER until the death of S&D engineer William Bouch in 1876. In 1882 the C&W lost it's passenger service but the coal yard at West Willington was enlarged and the goods yard improved, so ensuring it's future. The name was changed to Felton Lane (Goods), although there was also plenty of parcels traffic.

 

post-7104-127629403699_thumb.jpg

 

The first part of the history is true, most of the second is only real in my head.

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I know the area well even though I live over 300 miles from it. It's where my wifes parents moved to from Seaham Harbour. Thats even more of a reason to build a NE layout. How about Felton lane in O Gauge!?

Bob

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Hi Paul

This is a great thread, thanks for all the posts you have made. Looks like you are a skilled alrounder, nice structures and the trackwork looks really good. Nice to hear Felton has behaved well on the exhibition circuit, nothing like an admiring onlooking to bring out the worst in a layouts behaviour.

Look forward to some more posts on Greyscroft Mine aswell. Hope you don't mind me adding the link, if you like Felton then you will like Greyscroft.

All the best

Martin

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Hi Badger and Fursty,

 

Glad you like the layout, I hope to be doing a little more work on it in the next couple of weeks, the station building needs finishing and some other detailing work - hand point levers and a ground frame for the loop points to name but 2.

 

Come along to Goathland village hall, 17th & 18th July and see it in all its glory (or is that gory).

 

Goathland show

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As mentioned above, progress has been made on some detailing jobs. I bought some point levers and ground frame kits from MSE at the Hull open day. The point levers have been simply superglued together, sprayed white and glued to extended point timbers. They were then weathered with black powders.

 

post-7104-12782781758_thumb.jpg

 

post-7104-1278278185.jpg

 

The ground frame is an etched kit and was a bit tricky to put together but makes up into a nice model. It will be fitted near the p way hut near the end of the platform. A small timber stage will be fitted in front of it for the operator to stand on and to hide where the rodding will come out.

 

post-7104-127827819308_thumb.jpg

 

post-7104-127827820246_thumb.jpg

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Hi Paul,

 

Looking good :D

 

Question if I may?..... On your coal drops, have you layed the track directly onto the wood baulks? What about chairs? I have at present, trimmed the ends and centres from a lenght of Peco track just leaving 2 rails with chairs and whats left ofthe sleepers underneath. If the track is mounted directly onto the baulks, no chairs, that makes my life a bit easier. :lol:

 

Pete

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Hi Pete,

 

I've put the PECO rail directly on to the timber, I'm not sure how the real thing was fixed but one drawing I have seen shows it directly on to the timber. The only photos I can find show them made of 'bridge rails' - very deep rails/girders with no timber.

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Hi Pete,

 

I've put the PECO rail directly on to the timber, I'm not sure how the real thing was fixed but one drawing I have seen shows it directly on to the timber. The only photos I can find show them made of 'bridge rails' - very deep rails/girders with no timber.

 

Thanks, Ahh.... ok so whatever I do will 'be right' until someone comes along and says otherwise :blink: :D

 

Pete

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Although you may have read in earlier pages on this thread that Felton Lane would not be at Goathland, actually it will be. I'm also taking Greyscroft Mine so how I will cope I'm not sure. So if you are in the area please come along and say hello and see it for yourself.

 

Goathland show

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Somehow I missed seeing this superb project until early this morning. You've done a marvelous job, Paul. I've enjoyed reading the past several pages and seeing the development a truly top-notch layout. I do so like your theme.

 

I've gleaned a lot of good modeling tips as well, especially the buffer stops!

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The final push...

 

Put the layout up last night and made a list of jobs to do (always fatal these lists), there seems to be more jobs to do on the smallest board (3) than the other 2 put together. More bushes need to be added to boards 1 & 2 where the boards meet the backscene, some of the paint on the walls around the coal yard needs touching up and the coal yard road crossing needs bedding in better. The station building needs completing - roof slates, chimneys, windows and guttering & downpipes. Board 3 needs the pigeon crees building,the stables bedding in better, a small 'backstreet garage' building for the corner, gates making for Pease row and general detailing on the road (gullies and covers).

 

Should keep me going for the next month...

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I've made a start tonight on the first pigeon cree, it's made out of plasticard with Slaters 4mm planking for the front and ends and plain 30 thou for the back and roof. The roof has been covered with tissue to represent the felt covering. The 'pallings' on the roof are 60 x 30 thou Evergreen strip. If it looks a bit lop-sided that's because the front left has settled into the ground a bit.

 

The second one will stand to the right and will be slightly smaller.

 

post-7104-085567600 1285107111_thumb.jpg

 

I've also added a road sign on the road behind the stables to protect the yard entrance, I'ts from Tiny Signs.

 

post-7104-098928200 1285107119_thumb.jpg

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Paul that looks rally fantastic. The NER loco's look great the execution of the layout has been spot on! Well done.

 

I just hope that I can get my layout that has been around a lot longer than yours any where up to this standard in a short amount of time for a convention here in Melbourne.

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I've made a start tonight on the first pigeon cree, it's made out of plasticard with Slaters 4mm planking for the front and ends and plain 30 thou for the back and roof. The roof has been covered with tissue to represent the felt covering. The 'pallings' on the roof are 60 x 30 thou Evergreen strip. If it looks a bit lop-sided that's because the front left has settled into the ground a bit.

 

The second one will stand to the right and will be slightly smaller.

 

post-7104-085567600 1285107111_thumb.jpg

 

I've also added a road sign on the road behind the stables to protect the yard entrance, I'ts from Tiny Signs.

 

post-7104-098928200 1285107119_thumb.jpg

And of course, Paul, they will be painted in garish colours, light blues and whites etc :D

Pete

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Of deeds most foul...

 

The pigeon crees are now almost complete, only needing weathering with powders when the paint is dry. They will then be stuck down and landscaped around them, the area in front of them will be a garden/allotment.

 

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I have also added some chickens to the yard outside the stables, these are castings from Langley, sprayed with red oxide primer and dry brushed with Humbrol 121 with red around the eyes and the comb followed by a tiny amount of yellow for the beak and feet. With only a couple of horses here now the yard staff have used the space in the stables to keep a few hens, there are of course 5, in keeping with the spirit of the challenge.

 

post-7104-009533000 1285276607_thumb.jpg

 

(I feel I must now apologize for the title of this post, Sorry)

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