TEESDALE

[ArthurK]

Once upon a time I had a layout called TEESDALE. This was inspired by Ken Hoole's booklet 'The .Staimore Railway'. This showed the trackplan of Middleton in Teesdale. The layout of the station and the turmtable in the run round loop was irresistable. This was in the late seventies and of course at that time most things had to be scratchbuilt including the locos. There were a few availble but they were in the main of dubious accuracy. Being a died in the wool NER fanatic, there was little that could be bought as RTR. I acquied a NuCast Q6 and a Gem D21 both of which saw service on Teesdale. The less said about the Q6 the better. It turned out that the designers had forgotten that the Q6 was rather morre than a Q5 with a bigger boiler and had not increased the frame length which was a foot longer on the Q6. It turned out that the loco was eighteen inches shorter than it should have been (6mm in model terms). By this time I had built up a reasonable fleet of Scratchbuilt locos. The first was a G5, always one of my favorites. This was followed by J21, D17, B16 and an 'N8'. I put this in quotes because it was highly inaccurate in a number af areas. Rolling stock was also a problem the nearest o a n NER clerestory was the Triang GWR version in teak livery. I had built six PC LNER Gresley coaches which served as ny mailine stock. I purchased 8 further LNER sides from PC and built Plasticard bodies for these. I was never happy with th PC method of construction. Then I cut the windows from the PC sides an used drop-in glazing instead That rake served me well. Wagons were less of a problem but very little was really suitable. Over the years the layout were through major surgery a number of times with the track plan getting nearer to that at Middleton. However I never achieved that so the layout was always simply TEESDALE. No one could the complain that I had got it wrong. I must add that the layout is Strictly OO gauge with copper clas pointwork throughout

 

Over time better kits of both locos and stock appeared on the scene . As soon as the D&S kits for NER Clerestory stock appeared they were a must along withe his non passenger stock (Milk vans brake vans etc.). Cast metals wagons appeared from D&S, 51L and ABS, then plastic from Parkside and others. Things had never been so good (until today).

 

At the time that these photographs were taken in 1988 things were really beginning to happen. I am indepted to my friend Tony Stevenson for taking the photos. We set the layout up outside on a nice sunny day with the results that follow.

 

I will start with the control panel each part of the laout was colour coded, shed, main line and sidingsSub sections used addition switches. Points were switched using Fulgarex Point motors with changeover switches on the panel. All this is pretty acient technology.

 

As a starter below is Setinal Railcar "Royal Charlotte". This was a Tweedmouth engine but later transferred to Sunderland and since there was a service tfrom Middleton to Sunderland it gave me the only excuse that I needed. Totally scratchbuilt (including the motor with armature pinched from somewhere else). It is plasticard with sides, ends and roof moulded using wooden formers and heated under an electric grill!

 

The station is again plasticard built using a collection of photos that I took. Then counting bricks and tiles plus a few guesses such as door height and width. I am pleased to say that it ties in very well with the drawing later published in Ken Hoole's book "NER Terminii" In 1988 the station house was not completed again that was later added and drawn and built in the same way. Some day I must photograph the full station.

 

 

Next is superheated J27 2347. This loco saw service in the soutth of the LNER but returned to its natiive northeast. Again this was scratchbuilt one of a batch of four, two J27s a J24 and a J25. They will appear later.

 

 

Time is running out - nust go more later

 

ArthurK

[nerron]

"must go more later"

 

Yes please!

[ArthurK]

"must go more later"

 

Yes please!

 

It is a bit late but here is one more.

LNER D49, "Northumberland", what else? There wasn't a "Durham" even though Darlington wher they were designed and built was in that coubty. This is again scatchbuilt with the intention that one day it would be converted to P4. Due allowance was made for that but it ran for many years as OO gauge before its eventual conversion. They were a handsome engine. I always enjoyed watching the Necastle-Leeds train which was always pulled by a pair of the Hunt variant in late LNER days. They arrived Newcastle in the morning and departed mid afternoon. This loco was a Scottish/Carlisle loco. I saw it regularly on trains from Carlisle. I make no apologies for it appearin at Teesdale because I like it!

 

 

Tne second coach is a GCR "Barnum". A JIdenco kit. You can make good models from Jidenco if you are prepared to take the trouble! How that got to Teesdale I will never know but it is a nice model.

Loco alonside is a scratchbuilt N9 1641 which was allocated to Bishop Aukland.

[ArthurK]

Lining was never my strong point and it shows in the next photo. For some reason I wanted this in green livery so it had to be early LNER style. I should have stuck with lined black. Behind the loco is one on the later NER style of horsebox. Standing behind is N9 1641 again an in the foregound is the 50' turntable. This is large enough yo take all the locos normally run on Teesdale with the exception of the D49 and J39. Those must return (or arrive) tender first.

 

The layout was always run as a strict running sequence with the emphasis on enertainment rather than accuracy. Anything that could be turned was turned. That kept the youngsters watching longer, they tend to stray away otherwise.

 

 

Next the G5 No. 384. This was my very first scratchbuilt loco. And in my innocence I kbew nothing about balance in o-4-4 thank engines. With the X04 motor pointing backwards into the cab it was a pretty desperate situation. Using all I could manage to cram into the front of the boiler dod not solve the problem so I resorted to liquid lead (not not the stuff that you buy from Eileen's - the real stuff) . To prevent all the soldering melting I wrapped the whole in a damp cloth and poured the liquid lead in slowly - a bit at a time. It worked an at last it was balanced beauifull. One thing is certain I will never get it out again. but It has been like that for 45 years and I am not likely to change it.

 

Why is it that it is only after the photo has bbeen taken that you notice that the station building has not located correctly leaving an unsightly gap. However these things cannot be undone so here is 384 arrriving with its rake of NER clerestories. In the foregound is the loco shed ready for when it has finished its days work

 

[davefrk]

Hi Arthur, do I remember seeing this railway at a show in the North East? Or am I just remembering a magazine article. I used to go to Newcastle, Sunderland, South Shields shows many years ago (a long way from Glasgow) and also Birtley show where I used to help friends with their railways, names like Jack Carr, Albert Teasdale and John Hemsley, all sadly gone now.

 

Just 'wondering aloud'.

 

All the best,

Dave Franks.

[Worsdell forever]

Lovely stuff Arthur, great to see another north east layout. Looking at the G5 and clerestorys and then looking up at my shelf and thinking 'nearly there'.

 

D17 looks OK, mine will probably be in that livery...

[ArthurK]

Lovely stuff Arthur, great to see another north east layout. Looking at the G5 and clerestorys and then looking up at my shelf and thinking 'nearly there'.

 

D17 looks OK, mine will probably be in that livery...

 

 

I am not happy with the D17 Livery. The lining is for too dominant. However it performed well and was one of the regulars until the Portescap 1616 failed suddenly when on duty on the layout. Since then it have undergone a metamorphosis and is now in lined black and re-gauged to P4. I will post a photo of that someday.

 

In reply to Davefrk - the layout has been around the northwest over its lifetime but never outside that area. I has been to Kendal and Barrow in the North to Warrington in the south as well as the area coved by Accrington and Presto. It has appeared at my local club (Lytham St, Annes) a number of times in its various reincarnations.

 

There is (or was?) a layout 'Middleton in Teesdale' by the Hatfield club. I passed on a lot of my information to them. Again the track plan was not fully accurate. It was written up in one of the magazines, not sure which.

 

ArthurK

[ArthurK]

Another selection of photos. The first two are again the D49 'Northumberland' . In trhe first it sets off with the express to Newcastle. For this duty it carries the express lamp code. I believe that it called at stations on the branch then on to Newcastle. It arrived at Newcastle late morning and returned in the evening. For this task I made up a rake of corridor coaches, Four is the maximun I caan accomodate in the traverser.

 

The second dhot is of it arriving with the evening train.

 

 

Next a view of the sidings. As I said earlier pointwork is custom made copperclad using interleaved sleepering. I was then an advocate of KaDee couplings, without closeup specs three link was impossible, and I wanted an auto linkup system. The down side is the the electric uncouplers are prominent between the rails. I could have used permanent undertrack magnets (there is one af the buffer end of the platform) but these tended to pull steel axles and wheels in a very jerky movement often leading to recoupling.

 

G5 384 ready to depart, J24 1845 on the right.

 

 

Finally for this batch is A8 2146 being turned again use of the turntable on a regular basis is part ot the rota, but whether on not a tank engine needs to ne turned is questionable. It will return to its train and depart down the branch.

 

water tower is a model of that at Goathland. It was cast in Plaster of Paris in a balsa frame. The outer frame was removed but the internal one was left intact. The stones were carved after the plaster had set. I built the engine shed the same way but this was dropped at an exhibition. It was glued together but was subsquently replaced by one in plastcard. The water tower was also later replaced by a model of that at Middleton.

 

[ColinW]

What a great looking layout, thanks for putting your pictures up.

 

Colin

[ArthurK]

The A8 passes the box on its wat into the station. The loco was scratchbuilt. The single box is a model Cottingham near Hull. A drawing was published in the model press and that being the only NER drawing that I then had it was duly built from laminations of plasticard. I did start a model of the 'proper' box but it has not been completed aS the layout was reaching the end of its life.

 

 

 

 

The G5 again arriving with its train. A repeat of the earlier photo but this time the station is better seated on the platform.

 

 

 

This time it is the A8 on the rake of Clerestories.

 

 

 

D17 1529 picks up two milkvans from the goods bay. It will attach these to the front of its train. THe N9 pauses in the background.

 

[ArthurK]

Here is another selection of photos from the past

 

First is J39 1563 about to pick up water. This was an Anchorage kit (MG Sharp). I believe these were design by the gentleman behind Proscale. I also built a K3 from the same source. Both are powered by tne Micro Metalsmiths motor and gearbox and have bags of power. Behind is the 'Express' stock awaing departure to Newcastle. Prominent is the Barnum Open built (with difficulty) from a Jidenco kit which I had picked up at the Lytham Exhibition.

 

 

Next J24 1845, scratch built (long before my own kit became available). It used 'old tecnology, motor ptotruning into the cab'. It has always been a very reliable loco and strong for its size on tests it managed 60 (free running) wagons. More recently it has been converted to P4 but the drive was unchanged. A Couple of single bolsters behind amd at the tail a Slaters birdcage brake.

 

 

The J39 passes the box on its way back to Bishop Aukland and beyond. Two milkvans at the head, These are the D&S etched kits. Danny's kits are a joy to put together. I have lots of them.

 

 

Last in this batch a general view of the goods bay and cattle dock. On the right are the coal drops. The Middleton drops were not raised like this. They were accessed from the rear where the ground dropped sharply away but if I has done that they would have been invisible to the viewers at the front. This is another reason for not including Middleton in the name. The loco is a J25 2067. Again scratch built long before the Norton (now LRM) kit became available.

 

[Rumblestripe]

Lovely shots. Middleton is one of my favourite stations. I started an EM gauge model some years ago and I have a complete goods shed and a semi-built station building and a couple of base boards in the garage in need of a home! I might pop a photo of the buildings onto this thread, though it might upset me so think about how long they have been gathering dust! I know I made some alterations from the prototype leaving off the two story extension that was applied to the station building and constructing the goods shed in Wills stone which is not right (can't remember as I sit here if the prototype was brick or coursed stone?)

 

Thanks for the photos and always nice to see a G5. I have a Nucast G5 somewhere. It never ran well with it's cast chassis and X04 hanging way out back but it looks ok if you squint... a lot! I wonder how the new build is progressing, there doesn't appear to be much news to be found on the G5 project website.

 

I digress though. Wonderful pictures, thanks again.

[ArthurK]

Lovely shots. Middleton is one of my favourite stations. I started an EM gauge model some years ago and I have a complete goods shed and a semi-built station building and a couple of base boards in the garage in need of a home! I might pop a photo of the buildings onto this thread, though it might upset me so think about how long they have been gathering dust! I know I made some alterations from the prototype leaving off the two story extension that was applied to the station building and constructing the goods shed in Wills stone which is not right (can't remember as I sit here if the prototype was brick or coursed stone?)

 

Thanks for the photos and always nice to see a G5. I have a Nucast G5 somewhere. It never ran well with it's cast chassis and X04 hanging way out back but it looks ok if you squint... a lot! I wonder how the new build is progressing, there doesn't appear to be much news to be found on the G5 project website.

 

I digress though. Wonderful pictures, thanks again.

 

By all means post your photos here. I got a lot of information from Ken Hoole in return for the use of some of my photos of Middleton which were published in his book 'NER Terminii'. Later of course when that book was published it contained drawings of most of the buildings at Middleton - too late for me as I had already drawn out the buildings from my photos by counting bricks. I am pleased to say that mine were only the odd mm or so different from those he published.

I built the station master's house complete apart from the castellated porch which has now been removed. Totally in laminated plasticard with all random stone scribed by hand! That was quite a task but the result was worth it. Unfortunately the photos were taken in 1988 before this was finished. I don't appear to have a photograph of this but it is still safely in the shed. I must get it out and photograph it , and the other buildings, then post them here.

 

Arthur

[ArthurK]

This is the final selection of Black & White photos of teesdale.

 

In trhe first D49 departs past the box with the Newcastle ttrain.

 

 

J39 1563 collects two milkvans from the bay.

 

 

Two coal merchants taking a rest from filling coal bags whiist a group of farmers discus rhe situation whet ever farmers discus whilst waiting for the cattle wagons arriving. The yard crane is one of Mike Sharman's. The more correct D&S offering had yet to appear. These are the original coal depots cast in plaster of Paris. They were later rebuilt in plasticard.

 

 

J25 2067 shunts wagons in the yard, dropping off a load of timber.

 

 

 

 

The J39 depart with milkvans at the head of its train. The signalman must have invited a guest into box . He is now sitting outside enjoying the view whilst eating his butties.

 

 

 

 

That is about all the B&W stuff. I do have some colour shots but they are not to the same quality. I will try to dig out the best. Meanwhile I intend to photograph the buildimgs themselves. Unfortunately these will not be on the layout. That is in the past. I had made plans to rebuild in P4 but that did not materalise and I don't think it ever will.

[iak]

Fabbo Arthur!

I can vaguely remember seeing this but where is beyond me

Great memories...

[matto21]

Was this layout in RM years ago?

[Brian D]

Dear Arthur,

What a fantastic layout and a great selection of NER stock - I especially like the A8 - but the whole combination is really atmospheric. I was up in Durham last October and briefly visited the Weardale Railway and was really taken by the station buildings at Stanhope, not dissimilar to your model but with a platform canopy, really in great condition. There was even the "archetypal" NER footbridge. Very inspiring as this layout is for anyone contemplatying modelling the NER or BR(NE). Well done Arthur - I couldn't get close to your modelling standards.

Regards,

Brian.

[ArthurK]

Was this layout in RM years ago?

 

No this layout has bever been in the model press but in its heyday it was quite well known in the Northwest, Notth of the Mersey and South of Kendal. There wlas another Layout "Middleton in Teesdale" in one of the magazines some time ago.

 

I will be showing close-ups of some of the buildings. Just waiting for a bright day to photograph them.

 

ArthurK

[ArthurK]

A few colour shots of Teesdale. Sorry the depth of focus isn;t too good and the angle of the shots is rather high but it does convey a bit more than the B&W photos above. I won't add any comments as most of it has already been covered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

Arthur,

 

Beautiful.

 

regards

 

Richard

[alancaster149]

Very atmospheric! As to the building being poorly 'founded' in the early images, it's part of the learning process. We have to make mistakes to learn, unfortunately. Wish I could model without bloomers, but I've blown some dosh in the past on cock-ups. What matters more than anything is the creation of an atmosphere, and you've achieved it.

I shall be posting some images of my layout THORALDBY on this site when a friend of mine has put processed the disk. We had a little gathering in my cellar today whilst he took the pictures to accompany my article: NORNING SLOW THROUGH THORALDBY, which I am told will appear in the March DOGA JOURNAL.

Meanwhile why don't I post a picture or two of some of my stock from the DOGA website. Also, why don't you look up a series of model-making articles I've put together on my Hub sub-domain: alancaster149.hubpages.com, titled RITES OF PASSAGE FOR A MODEL RAILWAY. My next one will be on modelling mineral wagons. I like the ones you've got on your Teesdale layout, by the way.

I had the good luck to meet Ken Hoole back in the 80's a few times. Sadly he died in Scarborough Hospital in the late 80's. Are you a member of NERA, by any chance? I don't get the chance to get to the Darlington meeting, but next year I hope to rectify that.

Again, very atmospheric Arthur K! Very North Eastern. Thoraldby is based on early 1950's, about twenty years on from your period, but I have a few kitbuilt NE locos in my 'stable', such as a Q6, a J21 and an A8. Most of the locos are modified ready-to-run, such as three J39's, three D49's (one being a 'Hunt', 'The Garth' of Scarborough - and there are a few foreigners' amongst them, WD 2-8-0 and 0-6-0, LMS 2-6-0's and a Mexborough K3.

[ArthurK]

Earlier I promised to post some photos of the buildings of Teesdale so here goes with the first few. Since Teesdale itself is long departed the buildings were photographed in isolation which loses a lot of the atmosphere of the surroundings. However all the later buildings still exist.

 

The station itself is surprisingly extensive considering the size of the town that it served. It was some way outside of the town which was on the southern boundaryof County Durham. As the station was on the otherside of the river Tees, the station was in North Yorkshire. The town was the centre of the surrounding farming area . The produce and needs of the area formed much of the traffic handled by the station. However by the station were the large quarries of Ord and Maddison so the output from these made up a large part of mineral traffic on the branch. I was not able to extend the layout to include these or to include either the tarmacadam plant or the separate coal depots owned by the CO-OP. These were later absorbed into the tarmacadam plant. I did have ambitious plans to include all that and the water driven sawmill but they fell by the wayside. I did however draw up proposals for all of that. Middleto covered an extensive area and even with compression of some features (80% on length) it still require near to 30 feet of length and even with squeezing at the station needed in excess of 3 feet width.

 

Enough of that Here are the first of the photos.

 

The first shows the complete set of buildings. From the left they are the wash-house and utility area then the large and inposing station master's house, a connection to the booking office, then the booking office itself which project well forward onto the platform. Lastly the waiting rooms with glazed area. I never did get around to adding the 'gents' at the far right.

 

#

 

Next a closer view of the house. I will have more to say about this later.

 

 

Last fot this posting is the waiting roomsl These appear int the photots throughout the postings above but the station master's house was not completed when those photos were taken.

 

[ArthurK]

Teesdale - The Station Master's House

 

After posting the full array of the station buildings it is time to look at the statiom master's house in more detail. This is entirely from laminated Plasticard. The stonework of the outer most layer was all scribed by hand. I don't think that there is a suitable card available. Also the quoins at the corners were done at the same time which avoids all awkward joints.

 

Another task was the windows, recessed well back into the stone walls, and the stone mullions pof each. These were filed in-situ. That in itself was quite a task.

 

Needlees to say the roof with all its gables was a formidiable challenge but I pressed on wiith them and am pleased with the result.

 

The Chimney on the western end is an integral part of the house wall and was built as such. The others were built as separare units and attached to the internal chimney breasts using spigots which fitted into the chimneys. These chimneys became a part of the roof structure. In theory the whole lot, roof and chimneys can be removed but they are a very tight fit, I don't want to do that very often. The chimney pots are brass tube filed and bent to shape.

 

The next job was the tiling. This was from hand scrbed plasticard strips. That in itself wasn't too difficult but there were several rows of 'fancy' tiles each one of which had to be cut and/or filed to shape. When they were done the ridge tiles were a doddle! Each gable was furnished with a tall finial. Here I reasoned that if these were plastic they would be qickly removed when handled. Instead of plastic I turned each from brass rod with a tail that fitted into a hole drilled at each gable and secured each with superglue. As a result only one was knocked off but it has been reglued in place.

 

The first two shots are from the southwest. The low building at the left is the washouse/utility room.

 

 

This is from the northwest. This is the view that greeted wouldbe passengers when arriving from the town.

 

A view from the northeast. The unscribed area butts up to the office and booking hall.

Edited February 6, 2012 by ArthurK

[Loxborough]

Fantastic; modelling of the first order. The stonework around the windows is particularly effective; I have tried various methods in the past for forming proper stone mullioned windows; it simply never occurred to me to file them in situ!

 

Great stuff,

 

George

[Rumblestripe]

I have taken ŧhe liberty of loading some photographs of my model Middleton In Teesdale buildings into a gallery.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/album/1973-teesdale-buildings/

 

As you can see it still had a long way to go! I decided to reduce the size of the building by omitting the later extension from Middleton. The station masters' house so beautifully depicted above was "off stage" but the Goods Shed was virtually complete.

This building was practically complete. Painting was going to be done at the same time as the Station Building and signal box (never started) to ensure that they looked "of a piece". There are more details and pictures in the Gallery so as not to highjack the original thread.