Hest Bank in 4mm scale

[TerryD1471]

The syringes are in the post to you as I type. 2nd class ‘cos I is tight but I guess “blazing rush” is not part of the equation. Get yourself a Ballast Spreader. No doubt who ever posts next will tell you more!

Much appreciated Ron. Look forward to getting them.

 

Cheers

 

Terry

[RonnieS]

Hi Terry

Before you "go for it" this was AJWs reply Posted 15 November 2013 - 12:41

jrg1, on 15 Nov 2013 - 10:54, said:

Can you point me towards a description of the ballasting-it does match the quality of the track in my opinion.

The best description of how Norman Solomon lays and ballasts track (all in one go) is provided on the Right Track DVD from Activity Media or BRM (can't remember which number - might be 10 or 11). You can order a copy on line I think.

[TerryD1471]

 

Hi Terry

Before you "go for it" this was AJWs reply Posted 15 November 2013 - 12:41

jrg1, on 15 Nov 2013 - 10:54, said:

The best description of how Norman Solomon lays and ballasts track (all in one go) is provided on the Right Track DVD from Activity Media or BRM (can't remember which number - might be 10 or 11). You can order a copy on line I think.

 

Thanks Ron, but if Norman Solomon lays and ballasts track at the same time, I guess that rules his technique out. My track has been down for 6 or 7 years now!

 

I will try your method though.

 

Terry

[TerryD1471]

I haven't posted anything for ages now. It's mostly because of ongoing ballasting work, which has proved surprisingly therapeutic. That and dodging the raindrops here in west Wales (although I don't think we've had it any worse than anywhere else this winter).

 

I think I also got a bit complacent about maintenance of stock and locos; you only realise this when previously reliable stock starts playing up and you have to remove tyres of muck from some wheels and set back-to-backs right again. The cleanliness of the air here also lulled me into a false sense of security about track cleanliness too. So arrears had to be made up.

 

Photos will be posted again ASAP.

[RonnieS]

I haven't posted anything for ages now. 

It's called Hibernation! Time to start again for both of us!

[TerryD1471]

It's good to get back in the saddle again. Some time has been spent resurrecting a scratch chassis for a Black 5 which I built in the 80s. It used to carry a Jamieson nickel silver body, but it never looked right, so I decided to hack up a couple of old Hornby Black 5 body shells to see if I could make something workable to sit on top of it.

 

Meanwhile work carried on in ballasting the scenic section of the layout and a trio of pictures follow:-

 

Well, it would have done if I hadn't forgotten the rule about pics over 1Mb!

 

Still can't load anything bigger than that so I guess I'm going to have to go back and take the b****y things all over again.

 

Life is never simple!!!!

 

Deep joy and hwyl o Cymru. (Bye from Wales)

 

Terry

Edited February 10, 2014 by TerryD1471

[TerryD1471]

I decided to try and upload a few more pics since ballasting was done and got into trouble with file size again. However I have resized some of them using Irfanview and in the first one we see a rebuilt Patriot leaving the up WCML to head towards Morecambe.

 

 

Same train viewed from the other direction. The loco is a Hornby model and the train consists of Ian Kirk kit built ex LNER Gresley coaches. Presumably the train has come from Edinburgh?

 

 

[TerryD1471]

Nice shiny new model of Duke of Gloucester heading towards Crewe and an engine-change with a Glasgow-Birmingham working. The model is the railroad version, as yet untouched, but the tender appears to be the version as preserved, so a little work will be necessary there. It is however a very satisfactory performer, being fairly smooth and quite powerful enough.

 

Edited February 15, 2014 by TerryD1471

[TerryD1471]

Duke of Gloucester

 

Lancs & Yorks 2-4-2T rests in the up platform with a Barrow- Preston stopper.

 

While waiting for the "right away", the local is passed by a down express headed by City of London.

 

Here is City of London a second or two later just about to traverse the level crossing before the fireman drops the scoop on Hest Bank troughs.

 

 

 

 

 

[TerryD1471]

A northbound express in maroon livery heads out over the level crossing before it encounters the troughs at Hest Bank. Yes, the brass buffers on the rear vehicle shout out for blackening and the lack of a tail lamp is evident too.

 

A Black 5 hauled parcels train hurries under the signal gantry before passing through Hest station.

 

The same train a few seconds later meets a 4F hauled freight in the station.

 

"Super D" no. 49125 trundles northward on a mixed freight bound for Carnforth.

 

 

 

[TerryD1471]

GEM Super D with scratch chassis and open frame motor trundles northward with mixed partly fitted freight towards Carnforth. Wagons are far too clean.

Semi fast heading for Carnforth and ultimately for Barrow behind Black 5.

Same train a bit further north as it passes through the platforms at Hest.

2P hauled local approaches Hest Bank station.

2P begins to slow for a stop at Hest Bank.

Local drifts to a halt in the platforms at Hest while Duke of Gloucester powers through at about 70 mph heading for Crewe.

Edited March 5, 2014 by TerryD1471

[TerryD1471]

Since these pictures were taken there has been some more scenic work done which will be the subject of a few more pics in due course.

City of Edinburgh rushes southward having passed a local in the platform at Hest. The buffers look round in this pic, but they are actually oval.

They STILL look round!

Flash didn't work well, but let's pretend it's dusk! The west end of the footbridge is a bit of a codge but will be altered to something more like the real thing (was) in due course. Job no. 47!

3F hauled freight (how clean it is!) passes a down parcels working hauled (as were many trains on the WCML) by yet another Black 5. A WD waits to leave the Morecambe branch in the distance.

Same scene, different viewpoint.

A few seconds later, the Black 5 has moved northward and the 3F southward towards Lancaster. The WD with its train of pipe wagons waits for the down main  to clear before heading north for Carnforth and ultimately round the Cumbrian coast line for Workington.

Same shot different viewpoint. I must do something about the level crossing timbers (having some would be good!).

The down main is now clear and the WD moves its train of loaded pipe wagons out onto it and heads north for Carnforth.

Edited March 6, 2014 by TerryD1471

[TerryD1471]

Haven't spent as much time as I would have liked to do lately on the layout. Too many projects picked up, tinkered with and put down again!

 

Tried to upload more pictures taken in the last few days and suddenly the picture file size seems to have expanded beyond the magic 1Mb. Strange, since the same camera was used last time and the pic size was about 370 Kb, well under 1 Mb. Don't compute!

Edited August 11, 2014 by TerryD1471

[richard i]

this looks nice, never did get a chance to see it before i crossed the pond, it is good to see it here.

[TerryD1471]

this looks nice, never did get a chance to see it before i crossed the pond, it is good to see it here.

So where did you cross the pond to? If it's Pennsylvania (and i can't blame you if it is) is there anything there that tickles your imagination?

 

Terry D

Edited August 12, 2014 by TerryD1471

[richard i]

yes it is Pensylvania, but still a GC modeller at heart, though the penn electrics are quite fun.

[Tangoman69]

Terry,

Any updates? This stretch of the WCML on the Lancashire coast is one of my favourite spots

[TerryD1471]

Terry,

Any updates? This stretch of the WCML on the Lancashire coast is one of my favourite spots

Thanks Tangoman

 

I haven't posted any pictures lately because although there has been a little gentle work going on with the layout, I have had a problem with the file size of pictures again. I previously sorted this out using Irfanview, but I tried to use this recently and failed! Bummer!

 

My very good friend Ron on the south coast offered to resize them for me, but I haven't taken him up on this yet.

 

Recent work consisted of re-commissioning an old Tony Geary built Black 5 (K's kit with Comet chassis and D13 motor) which wouldn't go. This now goes like a rocket and will pull more than the prototype (in model terms). It's the 15th Black 5 on the layout; well you can't have too many! Also a Britannia (old Triang body shell with 2 slabs of 1/16 brass for a chassis and a 5 pole XO4 type motor and a Dave Alexander BR1C tender). My modelling style is firmly stuck back in the last century!

 

And a couple of Duchesses awaiting completion (also with brass slab chassis, one with a D13 and one with a Pittman motor).

 

I had the good fortune also to acquire from my good friend Rob Kinsey (Wolverhampton MRC), when he visited recently, his Fowler 7F 0-8-0. It was a Newton Heath engine, so I guess that while it wouldn't have been a common sight on the WCML, it must have appeared some time. It's a good performer and rings the changes in terms of freight haulage. Also I must get around to completing that WD 2-10-0 by DJH. Kingmoor had one which must have ventured as far south as Lancashire some time.

 

And of course there is always the ongoing maintenance work. A burnt-out point motor to replace, routine lubrication of locos and stock etc.

 

Well, time to get back to the shed!

[TerryD1471]

Have had a lot of fun ferreting around in the "old parts" box(es). Several old cast mazak Hornby Dublo Duchess bodies have shown up. They are sound dimensionally overall even though they need quite a bit of work in the firebox area (which was cast too fat to get the old vast vertical motor in) and some will receive new brass scratch chassis, probably powered by D13 motors. However, since I have the odd old HD chassis which works very well, I might just use one of those. They are prodigious haulers, even if they aren't quiet or subtle in operation.

 

I also managed at some point in the past to acquire one or two part built Ks Jubilee bodyshells and tenders. Here again, they are dimensionally sound, so will form part of my ongoing programme to have as many of the Jubilee variants as I can. With short and long fireboxes, domed & domeless boilers, the odd double chimney one and a choice of 4 (or 6) different tenders to go at, there is quite an array of combinations. (That's ignoring the single or two piece smokebox saddles, short or long chimneys or the different length bogies.)

 

The parts box also yielded a number of other things to go at, which should keep me occupied (as if I wasn't busy enough already) for a while; Ks Stanier Mogul, a couple of 4F chassis, a GEM Super D kit. Heigh ho!

[richard i]

Sounds like you are being kept busy. You can resize in paintshop, which if i can work it, anyone can.

I like you have made some recent progress but not on locos. Wagons mainly including a 3ft flatrol. it dwarfs all other stock on the pre grouping layout.

Hope you are well

Richard

[TerryD1471]

Sounds like you are being kept busy. You can resize in paintshop, which if i can work it, anyone can.

I like you have made some recent progress but not on locos. Wagons mainly including a 3ft flatrol. it dwarfs all other stock on the pre grouping layout.

Hope you are well

Richard

Good to hear from you Richard. I trust the family is well. I'm quite intrigued by the thought of a 3ft Flatrol. You wouldn't care to elaborate, would you?

 

Have you got a site where you publish details of your activities and progress to date?

 

ATB

 

Terry

[richard i]

Good to hear from you Richard. I trust the family is well. I'm quite intrigued by the thought of a 3ft Flatrol. You wouldn't care to elaborate, would you?

 

Have you got a site where you publish details of your activities and progress to date?

 

ATB

 

Terry

typo is confusing you it is a 63ft flatrol! scratch built top out of plasticard and bogies from parkside dundas.....when they arrive. It comes from a half drawn one in LNER wagons volume one which i mirror copied at work multiple times and stuck on the plasticard so i could get exact copy pieces. There is a weltrol on the next page which is calling out to be made up.

it is all posted up on my Dettingen thread in pre grouping on RMWeb.

Family is all well, sis is visiting for a week so kids are all especially excited at the moment.

Richard

[TerryD1471]

It's horrifying to realise how long it is since I have posted anything here. I hope others have found a little to entertain themselves here ... a typical day here in deepest Wales means that it will be late afternoon before I go up to the shed and have a little play (short operating session!!) by which time it's time for a bite of supper and a glass of something red. A Peco point of some antiquity in the fiddle yard has decided that it's had enough and needs repair/replacement, and several part built locos and coaches are STILL glaring at me demanding I do something with them. I should just get on with it and do it rather than writing about it!

[Merlin242]

Any more photos you can share?. I remember the location well in the 1960's'  in my train spotting days

[edward66]

Hi Terry,

 

Layout looking good, I've spent many hours in my youth [and a bit later] spotting at Hest Bank. Looking at your locomotive stock I have to say that I am very doubtful that any L&Y 2-4-2 tanks ventured there in the 50s and 60s, passenger tanks were normally 2-6-4s or possibly the odd Fowler 2-6-2 one or two of which were Carnforth based [40011 was one]. I could be wrong but I think it's fair to say that this area of the country rarely saw an L&Y loco., just MR, LNWR and LMS/BR of course.

 

Cheers, Edward