Les1952 Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share Posted November 27, 2014 Not a lot going on... Been busy with Warley and changing the small car- the Punto needed parts costing a lot more than it is worth so it has made its last journey and been replaced. Progress with the crossing at the top of the bank. I've also decided that the bit I had to excavate down to board level might as well become a sludgy pond, so muddy grot and a small slice og box acetate did the trick. This still has to be edged in with slimy looking "grass" round the edges and perhaps a clump of evil weed..... Shows I need to get the vacuum cleaner out again before I do much more - and clean paint off the rails AGAIN before I try to run anything. The two painters were crying out for some kind of a cart. I spotted two of these in a box of random figures at Warley- unusual to find anything random like this at a big show. The other will go on the new German layout. More weeds needed at the wall bottom and the lane needs lightening a little. Plenty to do. Les 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 Of ponds and ash I've been continuing the slow process of repairing the ground around the modified and replaced trackwork in the pit yard. Picture shows the pond and progress hiding where the loop was removed. I'm thinking of having a second pondy mess in front of the pointwork, though Peco pointwork is too strong to pump like NCB track often seemed to.... I've also tried out an ash pile- not big yet as I want to see how the colour looks when the glue had set. The "ash" is scrapings from weathering chalks, white and light grey. Currently I think it needs more grey in the mix.. Still plenty to do but I want to concentrate on playing trains over Christmas while Mr Simon is home- maybe a better video of the signal will happen- who knows? All the very best Les 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 (edited) More pondlife.... I'm still working on the pit yard area- and have done a little more since these two pics were taken this morning- notably trying to get pond 1 to look a little more like pond 2 and paint the sides of some obtrusive rails, though Humbrol doesn't want to adhere to Peco Streamline very well..... The new and old ponds. Fencing here needs a repair which won't be done until I stop working behind it. Eight weeks left until the next outing at Sileby.... No.1 shunting beside the ponds. Perhaps I should have marshalled it at the other end of the wagons...... Looking at this the hoist coming out of the Winding House old shaft house needs straightening- with that slope on it there's no way it would have worked Other news is I've managed to fit my first hard-wired decoder! It won't be seen on HD however as it is a OO gauge Hudswell-Clarke side tank by Agenoria. This is a trial fit before I decide on Layout 4 (provisionally called "Seldomseen"). Layout 3 is well into planning but is Futwangen 2 at the moment...... Les Seldomseen was a farm somewhere in the Ingleton/Staindrop area. My granddad always reckoned it was a village and that there was another one just up the road called Neverseen. I'm still looking for that one....... He was a goods guard in later years but had worked when younger at Piercebridge Station. Edited December 21, 2014 by Les1952 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Marshall Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 (edited) Les, my first thought was that Ingleton - Staindrop is a big area - but of course there's a hamlet to the East of Staindrop by that name. No sign of farms or villages so callled on the OS Landranger series. However, Never Seen and Seldom Seen are marked on an old County Durham map in a loop of the River Wear between Willington and Newfield and near the Tod Hill Incline - see https://sites.google.com/site/waggonways/nz/20/nz2030 Edited December 21, 2014 by R Marshall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 I didn't know about those two farms- I'm actually thinking of an old quarry (as far as I know never rail served) that existed where the B6275 and B6279 crossed North of Piercebridge. I don't remember it as an active quarry but do remember it being filled with refuse- Staindrop was a reasonable bike ride out from home when I was a teenager and that was the route I would take. A loco shed would be modelled on the one at Eppleby, which still stands, but using a location that wasn't rail served gives the opportunity for an impression to fit the space available. No construction for at least a year. All the very best Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) Still not a lot happening- but new videos. http://youtu.be/vPA5ZYZiLhU[/url] A3 comes to rather too brisk a stop at the signal and eventually moves off again. I've had the loco reblown with a Pauliebanger sound file but need to adjust the cam settings a little as it is chuffing at about 5.5 to the revolution instead of 6..... Video by Mr Simon. More to follow. Les Edited December 29, 2014 by Les1952 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Marshall Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 (edited) That's very impressive! The signal looks much better now you've covered the base. Can you get upper quadrant versions too? Edited December 29, 2014 by R Marshall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 That's very impressive! The signal looks much better now you've covered the base. Can you get upper quadrant versions too? Thanks for that- I went for a lower quadrant and cut off the finial largely as I felt that gave a more NE feel than an upper quadrant- technically it should be a slotted post type but there's no chance of that as a working signal in N. All the very best Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 Second new video. This time the WD- a repeat of the video from Grantham but this time with Mr Simon on the camera and me driving the train. Whistle is overpowering the camera microphone as it is too close to the tender. Despite deciding it wasn't worth buying a rake of Covhops I ended up getting one for Christmas....... Since hot-air balloons were so rare over Easington I'd better add a bunch of kids somewhere prominent gawping at it. Now to try to upload the third vid- Mr Simon held the camera upside down for that one and I'm not sure how to invert it. All the very best Les 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian b Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 The A3 is very, very tasty! Couldn't quite make it out on the vid but is the speaker in the cab? Also, where is the speaker on your 2MT? Thanks in advance! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Marshall Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Les, The Covhops are lovely - I got 10 from Durham Trains. I hadn't seriously thought about sound, though I've got a number of digital recordings of steam - now I'll have to consider. On the signal front, I wonder what you'll make of this photo from the Time Capsules website - free to download, so I don't think I'm breaking any copyright, plus it's a Chris Davies picture and it was Chris (now much missed, sadly) who directed me to the site in the first place as a source of free digital images. I don't remember this signal, though I must have passed it many times. Regards, Roy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 Hi. Thanks gents for the comments. That tall repeating signal looks very tasty- is it the turnout for Dawdon? My distant signal at the colliery end is supposed to be the distant for that if so- though I accept it would be more likely to have two arms in reality. It is fixed in the danger position to give an excuse for running trains more slowly. The Covhop is lovely but inappropriate for the route other than as a special working- and I've enough of these already..... On sound locos the A3 has the speaker in the cab, and the WD and 2MT have the whole lot in the tender. The 2MT has developed a rattle which I'm trying to find and eliminate- both my 2MTs cog at very low speed- this could be a problem of 2MTs or of the chips I'm using (I can't remember what is in the silent one). I've found an interesting train that ran round the coast. There was a portion detatched at Darlington from an evening KX to Newcastle train. This portion then ran to Stockton and West Hartlepool (one year to Sunderland) and proceeded as ECS to Heaton carriage sidings (presumably going past Gateshead MPD to avoid a reversal at Newcastle Central. In DMU days it was discontinued, becoming the last DMU of the evening from Darlington to Hartlepool by the time I rode on it most weekends.... The train is interesting because of its makeup. Stock was a maximum of three coaches and power was whatever had brought an earlier working into Darlington, I think from Newcastle via the main line but it might have been York. In any case the minimum was a B1 and it could be a V2 or Pacific. There is a report by someone who travelled on it with an A1 on 2 coaches- acceleration was described as phenomenal. Gives me an excuse to put a short passenger into the sequence to use a pacific...... All the very best Les 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Marshall Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Les, The signal is at Hawthorn Junction, according to the caption on the photo, which seems correct, because on page 16 of the NERA Line Diagram booklet there's a signal in the same shape beside Hawthorn Quarry, slightly to the South of the line from the Quarry. Regards, Roy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) Yes- got it on the plan- page 16 at 82 and a quarter miles. Looking back there was a distant with two arms at 81 and a half miles, just North of the white steps. That means my distant is in about the right place but is the wrong type- but not something I can't change if I see a suitable one to build. Southbound there isn't a home signal on the stretch covered by the model- the first is at Easington Station and had a bracket arm. From the trackplan you can see the liberties I've taken- the bridge at the Hawthorn end of the layout is bridge 227 while that at the centre is bridge 226 turned through 180 degrees to put the rebuilt parapet at the front of the layout. In other words 227 and 226 are in the wrong order. I've also omitted bridge 228 (or moved it beyond the white steps). There wasn't a rusty conveyor North of the White steps either. I suppose that is the beauty of making the layout an impression rather than a simalcrum- if done to scale I'd need at least all of the available space just to get from bridge 226 to bridge 227... All the very best Les.. Edited December 30, 2014 by Les1952 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 11, 2015 Author Share Posted January 11, 2015 Power Upgrade I've been thinking about some of the cutting out problems we had at Grantham- and trying to work around it. In the short term I've spent my Christmas presents on a power booster and a cutout unit. The booster connected and working, though I had to work out why both cabs reverted to 28 speed steps. The power panel on the layout is now redundant, but will be relocated to the other end to work a new programming track. I will need a patch panel and another panel lead. The cutout unit is only held in with three screws, but they are secure. I've put it under the board near to the main tag strips. The lead from it to the booster unit I've made from a Kato power extension lead cut in two to give plug and socket. One end will stay attached to the booster unit and the other attached to the cutout unit on the layout- giving a quick connector that is a different type to all the others when setting up..... Miners' paddy train (perhaps)- the set of three North Staffordshire coaches from Parnhams now back from Mr Simon hopefully fettled. On test they have run round all three circuits successfully but the guard's ducket fouls the backscene under the pipe run. Either I'll widen the aperture a little or sell the coaches on. Plenty still to do. Les 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 (edited) There are days when you just can't win. I looked at the latest arrival - pics later - trundling round the colliery circuit and thought "there's something wrong with that point". The point in question being the one I've replaced due to shorting and which has the ponds either side of it. Sure enough the blade for the curved road to the coal drops has come adrift from the tie bar. One drop of superglue to hold it together and fingers and toes crossed overnight while it cures completely. There IS time to change it before Sileby but I'm hoping not to. On Sunday I was cleaning track on the layout ready to prepare the latest sequence of trains before Sileby show and two Setrack Radius 2 double-curves at the pit end fell apart- I think this might be the effect of rail cleaning fluid as I have had track disintegrate on Furtwangen Ost. Fortunately I did have two spare sections to replace them but on Monday I exercised the bus pass with a trip to Sherwood Models to get some spares- 3 buses and just under 2 hours each way. If there are no spare sections in the maintenance box you can guarantee another one will fail during a show- and that none of the dealers present will have any with them......... All the very best Les Edited January 21, 2015 by Les1952 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Point update The superglue seems to have done the trick. This morning the loco runs through and the point still changes. Fortunately the colliery points are wire-in-tube so it won't get hammered. Shed day today.... Les 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 (edited) The new addition. The DJM J94 won't be available in N much before Braunstone show so I've been making temporary arrangements to get the colliery line some motive power to last until then- the Jinty is OK but it isn't really good enough to rely on one loco with only a pair of rather less-than-reliable backups- the two locos on old Farish J94 chassis are a bit iffy at the best of times.... So- from eBay a black English Electric diesel, now running quietly but still having a few problems where the track needs a bit of fettling. I've also been filling the flangeway of the insulfrog point between the ponds with a little silver conductive paint, to try to shorten the dead section a little to help short wheelbase locos to cope a little better. Thinks - I need to pack under the front edge of the weighbridge- the plate is suspended in mid air in this cruel close-up. ICI had a pair of these straight from English Electric at Wilton, and there were a few other non-BR one scattered around, even though I don't think any reached NCB service before BR started selling them. It will lose its crest and number then get a degree of weathering- it arrived with the address set to 82 so it might get that as a cabside number- I'm not sure if there is enough space on the side for a name. Still plenty to do before Sileby. At least the fiddle yard is now loaded with trains for the revised sequence. I've even got one of the V2s to perform reliably enough to take the Southbound parcels (there is an A4 ready as a backup if needed). All the best.Les Edited January 24, 2015 by Les1952 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian D Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Looking very good, Les. I love the videos. Don't you think that operating signals are just a must have on any layout. Best Regards, Brian. PS Any idea when we are going to see the layout "in print"? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Layout is scheduled provisionally for August's RM. All I need is to pick up a couple of exhibitions in the autumn before Steve Flint contacts me to ask about bookings...... Anyone with an exhibition in Sept/Oct want a 10 foot layout with a free plug in Railway Modeller? The operating signal does help to slow the action down without losing interest. All the very best Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) Sunday - a little groundwork and weathering I've been looking at the area in front of the weighbridge and given it a filling of black ballast. The weigh house needs toning down a little- I'll look at attacking it with either chalks or pastels. The diesel has now been renumbered- I decided to go with its chip number, which means I'm unlikely to add NEIL GOW to the A3 stock despite having plates for it. It has also had a first attack with weathering chalks- these will be rubbed in a bit more tomorrow then another layer added. The area behind the steps will need paint as the cotton wool buds with the chalk on won't go into that space. Also done is a bit more ash around the shed, a slightly darker area over the too-white previous one- I'm hoping the loose will mix a little and the whole will end up anything but uniformly coloured. The Matchbox has been attacked with the weathering chalks also, definitely beginning to look as if it belongs to one of the NCB's less well maintained outposts. Looking at the two structures- they don't look badly bedded in- both the concrete castle screen house (right) and the coal stage (left) lift off for transport as they sit over the board join. I've also got Farish J94 number 8 running again, having totally failed to find out why it had stopped. The other bit of work this weekend has been to dig out the crud that had got into the incline down to the coal drops. The Jinty and the diesel both run cleanly if not 100% smoothly down to them. I'm still going to have to use the hand in the sky to uncouple hoppers here, however. Probably not a lot will get done in the first half of next week. I need to visit Digitrains and the dentist, though not necessarily in that order, and Tuesday is club day at Bingham. All the very best Les edited as ever for typos... Edited January 25, 2015 by Les1952 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Got a little more weathering done. Dental appointment is now Weds (probably shortish with a callback- a chunk of tooth has come away) so I went to Digitrains this morning and got a 10 foot black Powercab lead made up. That means that I can put the booster on the floor and the cab will have enough lead to reach round the end of the layout so the colliery can be viewed from the front while shunting. I've buried the stiff weathering brush somewhere so I decided to have another go at 90014 with chalks and cotton buds- it had ended up a bit pink in places. I've overdone the rust on the cab roof so that wioll get toned down. The next thing I noticed was this WD in usual WD condition is pulling a train of immaculate oil tankers..... This is the first go at two of them- an attempt at a shiny darker surface with rust on the solebars. They will need doing a bit more heavily. Twelve more to do..... All the best Les 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Marshall Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Got a little more weathering done. Dental appointment is now Weds (probably shortish with a callback- a chunk of tooth has come away) so I went to Digitrains this morning and got a 10 foot black Powercab lead made up. That means that I can put the booster on the floor and the cab will have enough lead to reach round the end of the layout so the colliery can be viewed from the front while shunting. wd- weathered.jpg I've buried the stiff weathering brush somewhere so I decided to have another go at 90014 with chalks and cotton buds- it had ended up a bit pink in places. I've overdone the rust on the cab roof so that wioll get toned down. The next thing I noticed was this WD in usual WD condition is pulling a train of immaculate oil tankers..... tankers.jpg This is the first go at two of them- an attempt at a shiny darker surface with rust on the solebars. They will need doing a bit more heavily. Twelve more to do..... All the best Les Les, Just discovered I've got a picture of your WD 90014, dated 13.05.66 at Eaglescliffe. It's taken from the front, so there's not much of the side on show, but it's well-weathered on the front. Let me know if you want to see it - it's from Time Capsules, so no copyright infringement to worry about. Regards, Roy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Cheers- that might be interesting. It would be a post-51A pic I think. 90014 was a long-term Darlington loco and the shed actually tried for a while after it came back from overhaul to keep it clean. It didn't last of course as it would disappear for days on end and come back scruffy at which point they gave up. 90011 was the other one that stayed clean for a little longer than average after overhaul- same reason, same result..... I suspect they made the effort as the WDs were the biggest goods engines they had, for that matter apart from the two standing pilot Pacifics and usually three V2s they were the biggest engines.... They did manage to keep them in good (ish) mechanical condition. I remember they didn't seem to clank as much as visiting WDs did. For that matter 51A's V2s didn't seem as syncopated as some of the others passing through. All the very best Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Marshall Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Les, Here you go: Regards, Roy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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