DENT STATION with CHESTERGATE

[67A]

Hi all,

 

Just a quick note to say I had a great day at the Heywood exhibition followed by a visit to the East Lancashire Railway. I took my donor Black 5 to Mark Towers (Mark Axlecounter) who is converting it into a Caprotti version!!! Mark's layout Bucks Lane was well worth the trip as the loco fleet and stock all look fabulous. 

I also managed to provisionally book Bermuda Road for next year's show and also this September's show at Poynton near Stockpork so I really need get it set up and fettled PDQ !!!

The ELR had the Standard Class 2 78018 running which really looked the part.

I'll hopefully add some photos tomorrow. 

[mark axlecounter]

Yay it’s coming back 

 

it it was nice to see you mike and thank you for the nice words about bucks lane. It’s made me smile

[67A]

Hi guys,

 

Sorry, nothing of note done on Dent this week apart from a little further work on the 8 Anhydrite wagon conversions, in honesty I have been busy with Bermuda Road as it now has an exhibition booking at the Poynton Nr. Stockport show on 14th + 15th September. I'm really

looking forward to getting back on the exhibition circuit. Also Bermuda Road is provisionally booked for next years Haywood show so its all happening. Most Bermuda Road updates will now be concentrated on the dedicated layout topic page: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/25434-bermuda-road-mpd/

 

I may be having a play tomorrow on Dent!

 

Just love Mark's stock detailing even the ugly duckling!

 

Edited March 23, 2019 by 67A
typo

[mark axlecounter]

That black 5 now pulls all them mk1’s with ease now. 

Glad you like the locos 

[67A]

Hi all,

Managed a little bit of a play earlier today after working on Bermuda Road.

Class 25 D7645 heads north with a partially fitted freight. In the background is my latest acquisition a Hornby 4F, in comparison the the Bachmann it takes off like a rocket so will have to use it on heavy loads to keep the pace down.

Heading south we find BR Std Class 2MT 78018 in charge of a CM+EE working.

That's it for now guys, back to Bermuda Road until the weekend!

[mark axlecounter]

That standard looks good mike. Got your email will let you know asap

 

Your black 5 is stripped now ready for its transformation

[67A]

13 hours ago, mark axlecounter said:

That standard looks good mike. Got your email will let you know asap

 

Your black 5 is stripped now ready for its transformation

Tut Tut Mark, talking about a lady in that manner

[67A]

Hi all, 

 

Another quiet spell on Dent due to work on Bermuda Road, also this weekend my mate and I went to S&J in Northwich then on to the Littleborough show in order to pick up some SE Finecast Plasticard sheets, we also found a gem of an old bookshop around the corner which had a good collection of railway titles.

 

Just to ensure everything was still working I ran a train...….

 

This is the 06.30 from Carlisle to Washwood (Birmingham) and today was hauled by Ex:LNER K1 62064

 

I know some of you like some detail of the goods conveyed so here are the interesting bits....

Steel tubes followed by a selection of Insulated Meat vans

Steel coil wagons converted from 7 plank wagons with DUHA coil loads (details can be found in previous postings)

Conflats with 'L' type containers, only the last wagon has restraining chains as yet, I am intending to produce some etchings as soldering 5 separate pieces to form one chain is simply boring!

Finally a DUHA steel barrel load mounted on a Salmon wagon (Cambridge kit)

 

That's it for now, I'm off to update Bermuda Road.

[67A]

Hi all,

 

Not a lot to report on DENT as Bermuda Road is taking the limelight at present. Took a trip over to the York show on Sunday where a couple of layouts were worth a lingering look, (pics on Bermuda Road) on the way back we called at the East Lancs Railway where a Class 45 and 47 were running with the converted Hunslet as the only steam presence.

 

Hope you like.

Here's a taster of what was at York, fabulous stonework all painted with Humbrol enamels (why does mine not turn out like this eh!!??)

[jukebox]

And the weathering on those steel bodied wagons is well done, too!

 

Cheers

 

Scott

[67A]

16 hours ago, jukebox said:

And the weathering on those steel bodied wagons is well done, too!

 

Cheers

 

Scott

Couldn't agree more Scott, I almost missed this as I was captivated by the stonework!

[Signaller69]

That steamer on the ELR (Hunslet) is a strange looking machine!

[67A]

22 hours ago, Signaller69 said:

That steamer on the ELR (Hunslet) is a strange looking machine!

Hi Martyn,

 

I saw this loco a few weeks ago and could not readily identify it so guessed it must be a pre-grouping beast, then by chance at the weekend a guy explained that it was a Hunslet saddle tank converted to a tender loco so I presume it was an industrial type J94 as the wheelbase looks right for a J94 - I think?! Nice to see some originality however I feel the tender sort of overshadows the loco due to its length, it could have done with being about 18" shorter me thinks!

 

When is Crinan out next?

[Signaller69]

10 hours ago, 67A said:

Hi Martyn,

 

I saw this loco a few weeks ago and could not readily identify it so guessed it must be a pre-grouping beast, then by chance at the weekend a guy explained that it was a Hunslet saddle tank converted to a tender loco so I presume it was an industrial type J94 as the wheelbase looks right for a J94 - I think?! Nice to see some originality however I feel the tender sort of overshadows the loco due to its length, it could have done with being about 18" shorter me thinks!

 

When is Crinan out next?

Thanks Mike, I suppose it's like a real life Kitbash onto a rtr chassis! To my eye the loco wheelbase looks a little out of balance but it does have a sort of pre-grouping charm about it, and kudos to the team involved in it's construction. No doubt it is a very capable machine too.

 

Crinan is going to Darlington show at the end of August and then Crewe in November (I think, must get confirmation!).

 

Cheers,

Martyn.

[67A]

Hi all,

 

In between working on 'Bermuda Road' I managed a little time to run a few timetabled trains earlier today

 

Standard Class 5 4-6-0 73158 has charge of the 7P51 05.25 Walton Old Yard to Carlisle mixed freight which passes Dent around 08.35

Heading south around 08.48 is the 07.15 Carlisle - Oxley Wolverhampton cattle train 

The Class 3 fully fitted Cattle train is hauled by WD 2-8-0 90445

Northbound in charge of the 8S50 Grange Junction - Rutherglen tank train is BR 9F 2-10-0 92211

The train has an ex:works 9F hauling one of the new 100t bogie tank wagons recently introduced

Busy northbound traffic at this time of day as we find another heavy working this time its steel pipes, girders, tanks etc.

The train 7M31 Hunslet - Carlisle is hauled by a pair of Type 2's, the train loco is BR Sulzer Type 2 D5087 piloted by BRC&W Type 2 D5317. The time is now 09.00

This train is all 3 link couplings which looks much better without the 12-15mm gap between the buffers, only thing is it takes ages to set up!

 

That's it for now guys.

 

[AdeMoore]

Nice photos Mike as ever, is the 9F and 100t tank new to you?

 Cheers 

[jukebox]

I love the open feel you have managed to create with Dent, Mike.  That third shot in particular is very emotive.

 

Extremely inspirational.

 

Cheers

 

Scott

[67A]

9 hours ago, AdeMoore said:

Nice photos Mike as ever, is the 9F and 100t tank new to you?

 Cheers 

Well spotted Ade! The 9F has had extremely light weathering attention and the tank is as bought (for now). The 9F is currently the only double chimney version in the fleet.

[AdeMoore]

Like them both, the layout is very inspiring, I do prefer it in its extended form minus the helix to fiddle yards.

How much has that improved things?

cheers

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

12 hours ago, 67A said:

...This train is all 3 link couplings which looks much better without the 12-15mm gap between the buffers, only thing is it takes ages to set up!

Since your layout can accept three links, the 'quick, cheap and dirty' path to better loose coupled train spacing using miniature tension locks is open to you. Crop the NEM pockets short, and the coupler tails to match so that the bumper bar face is in the same plane as the buffer faces. May need a dab of cyano to then hold the couplers in.

 

Works best with Bachmann's couplers as the hook is a little shorter than Hornby's. The wagons then buffer up when pushed, open out to a scale 6" between buffer faces when pulled. The visual improvement of having the vehicle spacing correct is as you note, rather significant.

[67A]

4 hours ago, AdeMoore said:

Like them both, the layout is very inspiring, I do prefer it in its extended form minus the helix to fiddle yards.

How much has that improved things?

cheers

Hi Ade,

 

Good question, the running has certainly improved as the problems of over-riding couplings on the downward slope and slipping of heavy trains on the upward slope have now gone is a real bonus, another positive is the minimum radius is now whatever the Medium Radius Peco point is (used in the north fiddleyard) and so can possibly buy another Deltic and DP2 as they would not negotiate the spiral at all. There is a lot of messing about with stock due to the two fiddleyards being vastly different in size but I shall have to live with it.

[67A]

4 hours ago, 34theletterbetweenB&D said:

Since your layout can accept three links, the 'quick, cheap and dirty' path to better loose coupled train spacing using miniature tension locks is open to you. Crop the NEM pockets short, and the coupler tails to match so that the bumper bar face is in the same plane as the buffer faces. May need a dab of cyano to then hold the couplers in.

 

Works best with Bachmann's couplers as the hook is a little shorter than Hornby's. The wagons then buffer up when pushed, open out to a scale 6" between buffer faces when pulled. The visual improvement of having the vehicle spacing correct is as you note, rather significant.

That sounds quite an interesting concept. I will give a few wagons a go to see how they perform, many thanks for the info.

 

I did produce an Instanter type etch for the Anhydrite fleet and also used them on several old TTA tanks and LIMA parcels vehicles to rid them of those very large ugly bars, they look and work okay but do not close up on reversing, the Americans have it right as all stock is standardised, one day maybe!

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

2 minutes ago, 67A said:

... I will give a few wagons a go to see how they perform...

I would put money on you liking the result. There's several posters on this site doing this.

[Donington Road]

On 28/04/2019 at 19:51, 67A said:

 

Heading south around 08.48 is the 07.15 Carlisle - Oxley Wolverhampton cattle train 

The Class 3 fully fitted Cattle train is hauled by WD 2-8-0 90445

 

Railway in the landscape.

Really impressive photo Mike.

[67A]

15 hours ago, Donington Road said:

 

Railway in the landscape.

Really impressive photo Mike.

Thanks Mick, nice to see you keeping an eye on things