Bacup - Mills in the hills

[Jason T]

I've reached a point now where I can see that what I envisaged last summer is finally coming to fruition and as such, reflect back on what has been a real learning curve for me. Apologies if this is a bit boring, but I want this (and my other 'Buildings For..') threads to document my progress. Much of it I will have mentioned before, I'm sure.

 

When I had the idea to model a representation of Bacup, other than scratchbuilding a few buildings and a few wagon kits, most of what I had done was out of the box modelling. As such, the original plan was to use Peco track and point motors but when I worked out the trackplan (using Anyrail - it's in the first post), although I could achieve it using Peco's finest, it wasn't pretty as there was no real flow to it with different radii from one turnout to the next in the same section of track, etc. So, I made the decision to give handbuilt turnouts and SMP track a go, as well as slow motion point motors, etc. I've made a few errors along the way but, after a few adjustments and tweaking, it is (almost) there and has now been tested with all my locos.

 

Baseboards was another area which scared the bejesus out of me; I didn't do any of the practical subjects at school and have (had?) a fear of DIY, woodwork, etc (although I can quite happily strip a mountain bike down to it's bare components and rebuild it). From the start, I wanted to get away from the flat earth syndrome so there was no choice but to get out saws, buy a jigsaw, etc. The outcome isn't pretty but it seems robust enough, is level and has achieved what I wanted.

 

The various buildings (station, mill, houses galore) never worried me too much but it took a fair bit of commitment to start, especially with the number needed. I'm pretty chuffed with how they've turned out and whilst there are many more to build and a lot of finishing off with the ones already built, the ones I have done to date do give me an idea of what the finished layout will look like.

 

There is a long way to go yet. I need to lay the track for the goods yard (including building another turnout), board three and the fiddleyard board (let's call it board 4 ) need building and track laying, paint all the track and lay ballast, etc., scenery, etc. And the one that is still scaring me, signalling (I want to go down the MSE route).

 

And then there is stock. So far, all my locos are RTR except for a Judith Edge 'Thomas Hill Vanguard' which is way out of period but despite the very wise advice from Andy C that the London Road Aspinall 2-4-2 is a swine of a kit, I bought one and it is sat in it's box waiting to be built (and probably thrown out of the window) at some point. Also, most of the locos I have will need renumbering at the very least and some will be sold on and replaced with more fitting ones for the area. Then there is weathering. As can be seen from some of the photos, I've had a go at weathering some of my locos (and nearly all my rolling stock) but there are plenty that still need doing. As for rolling stock, a fair bit of the freight stock I have would be stretching reality a bit if it was to appear in Bacup (wooden bodied ex-LNER grain wagons? Hmmmm) and as for coaching stock, there are a few Stanier coaches, the ubiquitous Mk1 Suburbans, and a few Mk1's. Of those, how many would have made it to Bacup? I'm guessing Mk1's wouldn't have in the early 60's (actually, almost all passenger services were DMU by then anyway). I do have a couple of LMS Push Pull coach kits that I may tackle, but I'd be frightened of painting the damned things and making a mess so it can wait for now.

 

Anyway, I've rambled on for ages and I apologise for that but I did warn you it might be boring. To finish, I have taken some photos of where I am today, although the 3 way turnout at the throat of the (future) goods yard isn't laid yet.

 

A 3F sits in the siding next to the running lines with a short freight (these Parkside wagons hate all track so are good for testing). The siding will eventually carry onto board 3.

 

The station throat, as well as the hole in the wall (the cupboard doors protruded too much so are in the cupboard - where else)

 

Looking over the rooftops towards the station

 

A Fred Dibnah view of the station from the top of a mill chimney

[Jason T]

Well, Bachmann have just made it a very good day by announcing the L&Y Aspinall 2-4-2, which when on sale will put the London Road kit I am to build to shame . Anyhow, there is a whole sub-forum full of Bachmann discussions so let's get on with updates.

 

Continued testing has revealed a few more niggles with the track and moreso with the back-to-back measurements on quite a bit of my stock (my 2 Black Five's being the worst) but I am definitely getting there and derailments, wheels riding up the noses of crossings, etc., are *almost* a thing of the past and to tell you the truth, the running and especially electrical pickup seems comparable / better than with the Peco points I used before. As such, I have moved on to starting to lay the goods yard, with the 3 way point down and the first two sidings, which will be extended once board 3 is completed. The third exit from this turnout will lead into another, but looking at the turnouts I have built and are spare, none of them really suit so I'll knock together another. Main 'problem' is placement of the point motor; it would be hanging down from the underside of the bridge, so it will have a longer approach track.

 

Speaking of point motors, none have been fitted to the 3 way yet although the holes have been drilled, etc. It'll have to wait until I get back from holiday (going to Malaga for 5 days, mountain biking with 3 mates - will hopefully not break myself, as I have before). Hence the blu-tac, which is allowing me to test to an extent and more importantly, to shunt.

 

Anyway, here we go.

 

3 Way turnout

 

Goods yard so far

 

Black Five shunting (desperately in need of renumbering and weathering)

 

I have a feeling that there may be a few shots from this viewpoint in the future

[Jason T]

Nothing much to report as an update although I have had a go at the roof for the mill. not sure if it's a bit steep / tall.

 

It's currently not affixed and as you can see, the mill was at a wonky angle (due to it's rather strange overhanging location - it will be resolved) but hopefully along the right lines and if not, I have 10 A1 sheets of mounting board stored up for attempt 2.

 

[Jason T]

A boring update for a boring task.

 

Not much done in the last week, mainly because I have been throwing myself down rocky mountain tracks in the South of Spain on a downhill bike and crashing a lot, but since getting back I have been busily scoring and cutting strips of slates from 150gsm card and then glueing them to the mill roof. Only two sides done so far and I have that much PVA on my fingers that it's hard to type and not just put 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA'.

 

Anyway, here's a photo. Not sure whether I should put these updates in the other thread in the 'Buildings' forum but I suppose that the layout has now reached a point where it is more than just a collection of unpainted buildings so I've decided to run with this thread.

 

 

Told you it was boring.

[Worsdell forever]

Nothing boring about that, good to see you're making progress.

 

This is boring... (sorry )

[Oldddudders]

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA'.

That sounds like the sort of noise I would emit if I'd been "throwing myself down rocky mountain tracks in the South of Spain on a downhill bike and crashing a lot"! Plus a bit of traditional Anglo-Saxon thrown in for good measure!

[Jason T]

When I hit a tree at one point, fell off the bike, then off a 6' drop off, followed by the bike (which landed on me and bounced off) and then a huge boulder which landed straight on my head, I emitted a similar noise.

 

Thank God for full face helmets

 

Unfortunately, although my mate was filming at the time, he was wearing a headcam and not actually looking where I was so all he caught was the various swearing, laughter and me climbing out of a hole

[bluebottle]

I hit a tree at one point, fell off the bike, then off a 6' drop off, followed by the bike (which landed on me and bounced off) and then a huge boulder which landed straight on my head...

 

I wish you'd desist from these reckless pursuits! We don't want you to seriously injure yourself - I mean, we might never get to see Bacup finished, mightn't we! Show a bit of consideration, please!

[lmsforever]

Like the way the track is coming on really flows and the buildings well what can you say.

[artizen]

I think you should take up Coconut Dancing!

[Jason T]

There's not been a lot of progress in the past week but as can be seen in the first photo below, all turnouts and most of the track for the goods yard have been laid and wired on board 2.

 

 

With that done, it's now time to move onto boards 3 (curve and exit) and 4 (fiddleyard), necessitating a trip to B&Q when I get time for more wood. These two boards should be easier to construct, lay track and wire than the first two although board 3 in particular presents a problem in that the main lines need to continue on their arc, which restricts space for the already compromised goods yard (I always knew that the goods yard would be compromised in size).

 

So I've been having a think about what to do, as well as a mess-around by raising a section of baseboard using some off-cuts.

It strikes me that the only real place to put a goods shed / warehouse is on board 3 and by placing it diagonally to the curving running lines but in line with the most likely candidate siding, not only will it fit in place but the building itself will hide the curve of the main lines and act as a convenient view-blocker for the fiddle yard entrance itself. After all, how many people are going to peer over the top of the building to see if the running lines are straight or curved and as long as there is enough clearance at the back of the building, then all should be tickety-boo. To continue the illusion, I may add a mill on the other side of the running lines but parallel with the goods shed.

 

I sort of did this on my previous layout, where from normal viewing angles the single track line entered and ran down a straight (but tall sided) cutting before entering a tunnel where in reality, the track continued to curve and the inside (e.g. unseen) wall of the cutting was missing.

 

To try and get an idea, I placed the mill building (note: finished the slating and started to paint the roof) in the approximate position of the goods shed / warehouse and took a photo from the viewing side and then from above. Any thoughts on this?

 

 

 

(And yes, that's Peco flexi, saved over for use in the fiddle yard. After looking at nothing but SMP flexi for the past few weeks, Peco just looks wrong now )

[Jason T]

Baseboard no.3 is now built and resting on top of the frames looking very bare. The track on there is an attempt to maximise the fiddle yard and offer as much access and space as possible. I did think about building a traverser but because I am limited by storage space for stock and by the fact that a traverser isn't really feasible due to the back of the layout being up against a wall, it'll be the plain old boring fan of sidings. Much of the pointwork for this will be on the scenic board (no.3) and hence why in my previous post, I was looking at ways of hiding this from view without a full scenic break.

 

As such, I've been in contact with the L&Y Railway Society (I'm a member) and procured a number of photographs of Whitworth Goods Shed, which was down the line from Bacup but built in a very L&Y style, if you know what I mean.

 

So, here below is the first steps in the building, the cutting out of the mounting card. I'm going to need to add quite a bit of bracing, etc., to this to keep it rigid.

 

I can't share the photos I was sent for obvious reasons but it would seem that one was on my screen when I took this shot.

 

A closer view

 

Baseboard 3

[Jason T]

Rather a quiet at at work today so I've progressed with the goods shed. The sides and roof are still to do but I have made good progress with the ends and the office, hardest part being the surrounds for the arched windows at each end (I used a cutting compass and a scriber). The stonework hopefully matches that on the real shed, including the courses that run parallel to the roofline.

The hipped roof for the office is next on the Things To Do list and then cover the sides and cut out the windows, etc.

 

What's stoned so far

 

The end with the office. I don't know why it has a chimney above the window either (logic says it's a daft place) but it was there on the real building

 

Close up, which hopefully shows the scribed stonework on the arched window surround

[Jason T]

So what on Earth is the below photo all about then?

 

The cutouts from the windows holding the stonework against the recesses whilst the epoxy resin dries, that's what. There must be a better way of doing this but I don't know it

 

Edited to add another photo, rather than add another post

 

Just in case anyone is interested, here's a shot of the inside of one of the end walls, showing the double thickness mounting board which will enable the roof to be recessed as per the real thing

Edited March 30, 2012 by Sandside

[Jason T]

I'm soon off on my holidays to Spain again, to visit the girlfriend's family this time though. As such, there'll be no progress for another week at least (off to Cumbria to visit my family at Easter).

 

I have, however, progressed with the goods shed to the point where all lintels and sills have been added, the former for the office roof made and a few of the roof trusses cut out. I really should go and pack now......

 

Blue tacked together to get an idea of the size and whether it is turning out as I hoped / planned. It is (so far)

 

 

[Physicsman]

Nice job, Sandside. The step-by-step pics are extremely useful to some of us "scratchbuild novices". Certainly encourages me to find something to build for Kirkby Luneside...maybe my (smaller) goods shed?

 

Glad to see you are a Cumbria fan!

 

Jeff

[Jason T]

There hasn't been a great deal of progress in the past week or so, due to the fact that I was in Alicante / Elche (in Spain) for a week, followed by Easter in Cumbria, visiting family, mountain biking and drinking. Getting going again has been quite difficult, not through lack of motivation but more because of not knowing where to start.

 

However, I have got going again and have started to tackle what will probably be the most awkward part of the goods shed, the arched windows. I did think about getting etches made but I don't trust my cutting of the arches to be perfect so I have instead decided to go down the usual microstrip route.

 

So, I started by cutting a piece of clear plastikard to the shape of the recess on the back of the arch and with it placed loosely in, scribed around the edges. I then measured out the separate panes and scribed them on using a small set square (12 panels wide by 4 high, with the top one being smaller).

With the lines scribed on, I then added the vertical bars first, followed by adding the horizontal ones individually, reasoning being that there was more of an area to hold steady (for cutting of microstrip) if I used this orientation. Once all had been added, I trimmed back the edges and then carefully curved and glued the edge on around the curve before attaching it to the recess in the back of the wall.

Not a perfect fit but close enough hopefully, and painting will disguise the worst of the gaps.

 

Step 1. Scribed up - Microstrip being attached

 

 

Step 2. Outer edge attached

 

Step 3. Glued into recess

 

Result.... satisfactory

 

One more to do.

[Jason T]

Finished the other end's window now as well, so here's a couple of photos - one with just the end wall and one with the office leaned up against it. This one took two attempts - made me glad I constructed the window before affixing it to the wall

 

 

[Jason T]

An end of day progress update (off to the pub now, if I can persuade Sofia that it's a good idea)

 

 

As this is an open-ended building, it struck me that the interior would be partially visible and as such, if I did my usual 'stick the clear plastikard on the back and forget about it', then it would stand out by a country mile. So, as the clear plastikard is 0.020 thickness, I got some ordinary 0.020 as well, attached it all and then put a rough skin of embossed sheet over the top (actually a slightly different style of stone apart from one bit). The window openings aren't cut exactly on this interior level but when the roof is on and the only view in will be through the (at some point) mucky windows and end doors, it won't really matter.

Of course, I forgot to cut out the sections for the roof trusses (!!!!) so will do that at a later date.

 

Window frames have been added to the side walls; I would have added the central (horizontal & vertical) bars but I thought I'd run out of thin enough Microstrip, only to find some whilst tidying up.

 

 

 

[Jason T]

Oh, I should add that there is a 1mm gap at the bottom of the internal wall lining as for rigidity, I intend to glue in a flat piece of mounting card along the bottom which will be all but hidden when the building is in place.

[Removed a/c]

Making a good job of this one too!!

[Jason T]

More progress on the shed. Yesterday evening and today have been quite productive, with the following done (or started).

• Windows completed on the side walls.
  
• Platform (including ramp) measured, cut out, dressed in stone and first coat of paint on (which has gone glossy - Humbrol !!!).
  
• Additional stonework added to interior of building where it might just be visible when looking from outside (bottom parts of end walls, etc).
  
• Lintels and sills added to interiors.
  
• Door into office inset into interior end wall - yet to be painted.
  
• Interior stone 'whitewashed'. Wasn't sure about this but looked through a few books and was convinced. It's an off-white colour and applied roughly to look careworn, with some stone colour peeping through in places.
  

 

And as I was sussing out where it will sit and how much space it will take up, I leaned it together and as always, got the camera out.

 

Windows completed - not sure whether to attempt to paint the frames as it may all end in tears as I get it on the glazing

 

The glossy orange platform (base colour only to hide the white of the SE Finecast paving) and a bit of the interior in it's past-it's-best whitewash. You may notice the slots at the top of the wall; these are where the roof beams will sit.

 

The reason for the additional interior work - you can see in.....

 

The office end. It will be nigh on impossible to see the interior around the arched windows so I have left that bit as just card and put on a very rough, thin layer of 'whitewash'

[Jason T]

So why is it that I see the real piccies on my PC and yesterday's on my iPad? Weird....

 

And now it is all sorted again. Maybe the glue fumes were getting to me.

Edited April 12, 2012 by Sandside

[lmsforever]

Thats a great piece of modeling like the way you have kept us up to date with the construction,thanks.

[60091]

This is excellent work Sandside.

Don't know how I missed this layout until about a week ago. I've since read through it twice and you've even managed to drag me away from the layouts section to have a look at the Bacup building thread.

 

All that work on the surrounding architecture is creating a very realistic urban setting for the station. It will be good to see a layout with the railway as part of the overall landscape and with the trains not necessarily always being the centre of attention. ....and yes, I also looked at page 77 of Past and Present No3 and thought what a great location Bacup was for a layout. Although not from the area, I am a L+Y fan and had brief thoughts of a "what if" Bacup Station late 70s layout!

I'm also very envious of that hand built trackwork. The overall appearance and the flexibilty to recreate relastic formations is a huge improvement over what can be done with standard "off the shelf" items. Unfortunately my own soldering skills are totally exhausted after attaching two wires to a piece of track.

 

When you start work on yet another street of houses be reassured that your dedication and attention to detail are producing a very impressive layout.