Upbech St Mary, Upbech Drove and Pott Row a journey through 00 and then into EM and 009.

[mullie]

A J15 on its way back from the branch passes through the now named Upbech Drove station, at least that is what I think it is called.

 

 

Still a lot of work to do behind the train, plans are afoot. As everything has to be built it will take time. Photos like this are very informative in showing up what needs doing. You might just be able to make out the gas lamps, they are not fixed in place yet as I don't want them to get damaged when I sort out the factory area

 

I'm currently building an MSE starter signal for the branch end. It is proving quite a challenge, I don't get on well with text based instructions, much preferring drawings. I've found a few things on the net to help. As it is the first time I've built a brass signal progress is slow and as we are off work we are out and about quite a lot. I will post a photo when there is something worth showing.

Edited August 15, 2021 by mullie

[mullie]

I appear to have built a starter signal. It is the MSE LNER round post signal kit, which is not like any Airfix kit I have ever built! It consisted of a fret of tiny parts that needed very careful handling under a magnifier, some nice whitemetal castings and some bits of brass tube and wire. I didn't get on with the instructions, being largely text based I found it hard to work out where some parts went so much time was spent on the internet looking at pictures.

 

 

 

The signal is now ready for priming and painting. I'm sure the next signal build will be easier whenever that is. This signal will be the starter for trains going up the branch.

 

I have had the kit for a few years so it was nice to get it built at last.

Edited August 18, 2021 by mullie

[mullie]

Mrs Mullie and I have been on our travel in parts of the UK during August, all our travels seem to involve places with Cathedrals so how about a quick quiz on where we have been? I know this will be easy for some.

 

 

 

 

There is a fourth place we travel to regularly, more of which later and this also has a cathedral.

 

This time we didn't go in the cathedrals, some of which we have been in before, that was partly due to time and the fact that to visit all of them would have cost over £100, this is not the place to discuss fees to enter what after all are places of worship.

 

Would have been nice if the sun had come out!

 

Martyn

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

Wells, Salisbury and ?..........maybe.

 

manna

[31A]

York, Lincoln and a place where Russian spies go?

 

[51235]

The first one of course has the title of Minster rather than Catherdral.

Sorry to be a pedant 

 

Andy from York

[mullie]

I'm far harder on my students!

 

This was far too easy. First was of course York Minster, this was the view from our morning coffee  stop, an important family ritual. Our youngest daughter has moved to Harrogate, another delightful place so visiting her for the second time this summer we took the opportunity to visit York across two days. We did go to the NRM and Monks Bar Models (more news on which later). The Yorkshire pudding wraps were excellent.

 

Second is Lincoln, a place we discovered because in 1993 my Landie needed a new chassis and the cheapest place to get it done was Doncaster, a very long journey from Essex and an even longer story as this was before marriage let alone children. We have long wanted to return having only managed it once in the mid 90s, so having stayed outside Coventry on Saturday night after a hideous drive from Dorset in foul weather we spent a happy day in the city on Sunday.

 

Our eldest daughter lives in Winchester, a Cathedral we know well, she is an artist, so on our way to her latest exhibition of paintings we travelled via Salisbury a place we haven't explored before and we will be going back.

 

We have now left England and are back on Portland having driven close to a thousand miles in six days.

 

Many thanks for your participation.

 

Martyn

 

 

[mullie]

RM photos, obviously with an ER slant I'm afraid.

 

D200, an important loco in East Anglian railway history.

 

 

Brush type 2 as I have an Airfix model I need to detail and get working. Nice to see a skinhead.

 

 

And of course Mallard. I was hauled across the S&C by Sir Nigel in around 1977. Even my wife liked the styling of this loco and the streamlined Duchess of Hamilton which is positioned so it is very difficult to photograph.

 

 

The E4 and J69 weren't on show and I don't know why, would have been nice to see them. They were there in in 1977 when I visited with my late father.

 

[willsheldrake]

5 hours ago, mullie said:

The E4 and J69 weren't on show and I don't know why, would have been nice to see them. They were there in in 1977 when I visited with my late father.

 

I believe both are on display at Bressingham Steam and Gardens near diss in Norfolk. They have a few National Collection locos on display there alongside their standard gauge, 2ft and 15in railways.

 

Will

[mullie]

3 hours ago, willsheldrake said:

 

I believe both are on display at Bressingham Steam and Gardens near diss in Norfolk. They have a few National Collection locos on display there alongside their standard gauge, 2ft and 15in railways.

 

Will

Hopefully alongside the J17. A very long time since I've been to Bressingham. 

[mullie]

Our intrepid photographer was at Upwell Drove to see what was on the afternoon service. A Yarmouth South Town Claud turned up. 

 

 

[mullie]

And in colour.

 

 

 

 

[mullie]

Upbech Drove now has a starter signal for trains going up the branch to Upbech St Mary. There is also a GE Dod signal for running round that has been on the layout for some time. The MSE kit is now installed on the layout and a wire goes through the baseboard so I can operate the signal once I have worked out how to do it. The Autumn scenery is developing too.

 

 

A new development, apart form it being my first soldered signal kit, is that it was weathered using a Vallejo Pin wash. Over the last few months I have been watching a lot of military modelling videos on YouTube and am now keen to try out some of the techniques. This layout is so small it is effectively a series of dioramas with movement.

[mullie]

I have added some trees. I had already bought a box of sea foam as I wanted to try using it for the first time and then followed a link to Tom Fosters new layout thanks to NHY581. This gave a lot of inspiration as Tom's new layout is superb:

 

My box of sea foam was a cheap one off Ebay and it showed. There was only a limited amount of decent pieces but there was enough and the remaining bits can be used to improve the trees on Upbech St Mary. To use the sea foam as it was wouldn't work so I pin washed the trunks and using an old rattle can of matt varnish added red and yellow scatter to create a tree with a autumnal feel. This helps to mask the exit to the next module though they do hide my carefully constructed signal.

 

 

This also gave a different view of the station.

 

 

Hopefully this conveys the atmosphere the trees add to this end of the layout.

 

 

 

 

 

[sb67]

The trees hide the exit superbly, like the idea of looking through them as well. 

[mullie]

Some older pictures of Upbech Drove have turned up.

 

 

 

 

[mullie]

The Claud in colour 

 

.

Another view of the J15

 

[mullie]

As we have been in all day today I took the opportunity to rejig the railway shelves in the garage, something I've wanted to do for a while. It involved moving the middle of the three shelves down as the Upbech layouts don't require as much vertical space as Pott Row did. It involved the dismantling of the layout as well as moving loads of boxes.

 

 

The most complete parts were moved to our front study out of harms way. The shower parts are because our electric shower failed last week, the water round here means they typically last around three years! Good job we also have a shower that runs off the boiler.

 

 

This how the shelves looked when finished.

 

 

The whole of Upbech St Mary. A train starts its journey at Upbech Drove, passes through the still to be developed Town Quay and ends its journey at Upbech St Mary, all in a space of around nine feet.

 

 

The various boxes of bits will either find use on upcoming projects or be got rid of. I don't want loads of unfinished stuff laying around, we don't really have the room. A car does go in the garage occasionally.

 

SWMBO was pleased, what she doesn't realised is that the middle shelves need clearing because that is where I intend to put Pott Row mark 2, though not for a year or so. I have begun another project, I hope to post some pictures soon and this will Iive in the space for a while. It may not be what you are expecting?

 

 

[manna]

G'Day Folks

 

It may not be what your expecting ?.......................Kings Cross in 14 inches ?

 

manna

[mullie]

47 minutes ago, manna said:

G'Day Folks

 

It may not be what your expecting ?.......................Kings Cross in 14 inches ?

 

manna

That's just silly  - it would have to be Liverpool Street built under the floor boards and rising up to street level like the prototype!!!!

 

Hat....... coat ........... gone

 

Whoops this is my thread!!!!

[NHY 581]

Standing by.....

[mullie]

On this thread it has to be a jersey cow - my Dad was cowman of a herd for the first 13 or so years of my childhood.

 

This cow is clearly thinking!

 

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, NHY 581 said:

Standing by.....

 

Wot he said.

 

But with a more canine leaning...

[mullie]

Necessary jobs this weekend. Last night the two Upbech stations looked like this.

 

 

The reason being that I have taken the opportunity to strengthen the cassettes. Upbech Drove was a lockdown project built using whatever I had and involved a new fiddle yard. I made the sides of the cassettes out of card at the time because that was all I had. A year later some of the card was going soft and some beginning to peel away. 

 

New sides were cut from thin mdf, I can't cut straight with an electric saw so in places they look a bit like modern art but they do the job. As every piece of stock has been either kit built or substantially modified, protection is important to me. The new sides go right to the end of the cassettes so pieces of sponge can be used to hold the wagons in place.

 

 

Loco cassettes were modified too, they are the shorter ones in the 3rd photo.

[MrWolf]

Protecting stock is something that I will have to address before too long.  

I am already thinking of how to turn my fiddle yards into cassettes that can be stored on shelves. Everything needs to be portable as if an exhibition layout, as I don't fancy starting again if and when we move house. 

Keep it up, it's inspiring stuff.