Dave F's 00 layout - S & C a bit like Armathwaite

[DaveF]

For some time I've been pondering on a layout for my 00 stock, which is mainly Midland period, plus a collection of other things which have run on the S&C at some time.  As yet the station does not have a name, there are a number of contenders in the Armathwaite area.

 

Most of it is not highly detailed, much of the Midland stock is of the K's kit era.

 

Eventually it will be set around 1920, at the moment the track is laid, basic scenery is in and the wiring is done and it all works reliably.  The ballasting is not finished around the points.  For the sake of quietness I've used Gaugemaster underlay.

 

Please note the grass mat is the "undercoat", it will have other things on top eventually.  I have also taken liberties with the geology and geography of the area, hence the stone colour.

 

A few photos are below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David

[DaveF]

A couple more photos.

 

 

 

The next job will be to sort out the point ballasting and then install signals.  

 

David

[Oldddudders]

Stop apologising - an unnecessary habit you showed when providing all those marvellous pictures, too. This has the makings of something grand, it is already more than interesting, plenty of us will enjoy your further progress. Pre-grouping layouts are all too rare, so you are adding depth to RMweb by posting. More please.

[DaveF]

Some basic construction details.

 

Overall layout size (very roughly) 13' x 9'.

 

Baseboards - The usual 2" x 1", the framework is from a previous layout with new Sundeala on top.   Moving house would mean dismantling it.

 

Track - Peco code 100.  Code 75 looks better, but is still not correct and I have some very old stock with steamroller wheels I like to run from time to time.  When planning the layout I realised just how long the  Midland Railway S&C stations are with two points, single slip and double slip fitting between (roughly) the end of the platforms and goods shed.  Points on the scenic section are 3' radius with 2' in the hidden sidings.

 

Point motors are a mix of Peco and H&M.

 

Control is DC  (analogue).  2 H&M Clippers for the older motors, switchable to Gaugemaster hand held controllers for newer motors drawing less current.

 

The grass mat is on top of a mix of  expanded polystyrene sheet and cardboard formers, there is no plaster bandage used.  

 

Platform framework is stripwood from the local Homebase.  

 

Platform, road and goods yard surfaces are cut from very large sheets of mounting board from a local picture framing shop.      

 

The buildings are generally ready to plant Skaledale, smaller ones are from a variety of kits.

 

The backscenes are by ID backscenes.  

 

The fiddle yard has 5 up and 5 down loops and a lot of sidings.  One loop in each direction is always left empty.

 

Progress tends to be in fits and starts between work on my small 7mm scale "Oxton" layout and an n gauge Swiss layout as well as doing a lot of photography.  There will be updates from time to time.

 

David

[67A]

Hi David,

 

First visit to your project and you can tell its S&C a mile off!!! Those track level shots are just superb.

 

Really looks the part but the mention of K's kits fills me with dread. I have to admit having tried their Black 5 kit about 40 years ago long before Hornby introduced their LMS version, as it happens I'm still in therapy - so don't mention K's kits.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

A nice, spacious feel to the layout. Well done David.

[Alister_G]

I'm impressed by how your back scene manages to go round the corner and yet still look "right". Nice job.

 

Lovely looking layout, nice to see another S & C, and as Ian says, a much more interesting period than yet another early 60s one...

 

(said as someone modelling the early 60s)

 

Al.

[DaveF]

I thought we should have a few photos to show I do have locos and stock for the railway.  These happened to be sitting on a shelf and were handy to photograph today.

 

The locos were built from kits in the late 60s and early 70s.  The 0-6-0s are both K's kits, without any extra details.  The 4-4-0 is from the Ratio kit and is at present sitting a bit high at the front end - I'm sure it didn't use to.

 

2F 3050 down goods

 

 

346 up stopping passenger

I'm not sure when the Midland started to use BR bogies.  They are actually a "temporary" replacement for the Ratio bogies which wore out.  They've only been temporary for about 15 years so far.

These big plate cameras you have to lug about don't have much depth of field, I do wish someone would develop a smaller camera which takes this new fangled film.....  Still these colour plates, although expensive produce good results.

(The first reliable glass plates for colour photography were produced in 1907, using the autochrome process to make glass plate colour slides.  The dyes used to produce the colour were in starch grains on the glass plates.  There are a number of web sites which explain the process.)

 

 

Kirtley Goods 632 still in dark green livery and with 1903 goods headlamps hauling an up goods

 

The photos were actually taken with a Canon IXUS 85.  One day I'll take my Nikon SLR into the room with a tripod and take some more "serious" photos.

 

David

 

 

 

 

 

[DaveF]

Today I've been doing some work on the ballast.  Having used Gaugemaster granite covered foam for plain track (for quietness), and a mix of the same and their flat foam sheets under the points I now need to finish off the points.

 

The first photo shows part of a point and slip earlier today:

 

 

Gaugemaster suggest using dilute PVA and the chippings that come with their flat point ballast sheets, but I had visions of accidently gluing point blades (especially on the single and double slip), as well as losing the resilience of the foam.

 

Having a lot of offcuts of the plain track ballast I decided to cut slivers of foam covered in granite (the bits which show between the sleepers) and use those instead.

 

 

Each one was lifted with a pair of tweezers (actually old dissecting forceps), dipped in Copydex and then carefully placed between the point timbers.  The next photo shows part of another slip done in this way.  Obviously it is not quite complete.

 

 

Once the Copydex has set it will be tidied up as required.

 

I also had to decided what to do about the ballast gap between the underlay and the platform, usually you see the ballast reaching the platform wall, as in this fairly recent photo of Armathwaite and the old one of Loughborough Midland.

 

 

 

Again I decided to use underlay offcuts, this time from the shoulder of the foam.

 

 

The foam is fed into the gap:

 

 

It is then carefully adjusted and left for a few days.  If it does not settle down a small amount of glue is used to hold it in place.

 

 

David

Edited March 20, 2014 by DaveF

[LNER4479]

Hi Dave,

 

Nice project. Hope you're planning to stick with the Midland era stock because it looks great and a bit 'different' from the BR (LMR) period.

 

I was wondering whether you were using the ballasted foam as I was reading through and lo and behold your last post confirms you are. I like the idea of using off cuts to fill in the gaps as it creates that look of the uniform ballast bed across the formation as it was in the days of manual track maintenance (not so much the appearance nowadays).

[Dr Gerbil-Fritters]

Hooray for a pre-grouping layout!  Makes such a change from the tiresome parade of identically dingy BR steamers I see on here day after day.

 

If I had half an ounce of your kit building talent I'd love to go pre-grouping.  

 

Well done sir!

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I think your uncluttered look works really well here David. I doo like the shot of the goods yard with the typical Midland long siding at the back.Now all you need is a telegraph pole route along the back to add a more verticle element to the scene. Oh, and and some signals of course.

[DaveF]

I think your uncluttered look works really well here David. I doo like the shot of the goods yard with the typical Midland long siding at the back.Now all you need is a telegraph pole route along the back to add a more verticle element to the scene. Oh, and and some signals of course.

 

 

The telegraph poles are in a box on the floor at the moment, if I remember correctly the real ones were the single pole type not the Midland's favourite double pole variety.

 

The signals (the models date back to the early 70s - have you ever heard of "Scalesig") are on my workbench  old kitchen table in my office/railway room awaiting refurbishment.  I remember buying them in a model shop in Lincoln during my lunch hour in late 1972.  They were such old stock that the prices were in shillings and pence.  They will not be strictly accurate but the layout is really to provide a scene for running my trains to a timetable.

 

David

[lezz01]

Hi there Dave.

It all looks very good mate. I have to say I just love the green Kirtley. A Kays you say, very nice. I had a go at the Falcon brass one years ago but the wheel base was all wrong, well it didn't match up with the Gibson frames anyway. I never did figure out for sure which was right but my money was on the Gibson frames. I have a straight frame scratch build half done in a drawer in the workshop that I haven't touched for about 17 years.........oh well one day.........

Regards Lez.Z.

[beast66606]

A photo of the box with the lamp hut which may give inspiration.

 

http://CumbrianRailways.zenfolio.com/p434662995/e3cbeaa57

[Allegheny1600]

Hi David,

I'm loving this layout very much, thanks for posting!

I used to use the Gaugemaster ballast underlay on my old layout - it works a treat and looks good too. I used to split a length of the ballasted stuff lengthways so that it looked like it was forming a cross (still joined in the middle section) then fill in the gaps with offcuts but I actually think your method looks better!

Well done, Sir!

John E.

[DaveF]

I went to the Jarrow exhibition today and came back with a new brake van for the layout.  It's the Bachman Midland Railway van, having checked in Essery's Midland Wagons Volume 2 that it is OK it will soon be relettered, fortunately the grey is about right.

 

So far part of the BR numbering has been removed.

 

 

The next two photos are not really relevant to this thread but they show something of another interest - Swiss railways in n gauge.  I found these two secondhand today at good prices.

 

SBB Re4/41  Locos built between 1946 and 1948

 

SBB Class 474 (Siemens ES64F4 design)  This loco was leased to NS cargo for freight between Italy and Switzerland and was in this livery for the second half of 2006.  It has 4 pantographs as it can run off Swiss 15kV AC and Italian 3000V DC.

 

It would be boring to model in only one scale and country.

 

David

 

 

 

 

[DaveF]

An area of woodland has now started to grow behind the station.  The photos must have been taken by the Midland's official photographer as the goods train has clearly been posed.

 

1000 down express

 

 

3F 3581 up goods

 

 

3F up goods

 

 

3F 3581 up goods

 

 

3F 3581 from the road bridge south of the station

The 3F lamps denote a through goods or mineral train in the Midland 1910 Headcodes.

 

In due course some more "airy" trees will be placed at the front of the wood.

 

David

Edited April 2, 2014 by DaveF

[Mrkirtley800]

SNAP!!!

Dave, you have started a very nice layout. It has the feel of the S&C and it has a track plan virtually identical to mine, although I model in EM gauge and in the Midland period (1908). Great stuff.

Keep going and keep the piccies coming.

Derek

[Physicsman]

Hi Dave.

 

I've just spotted your layout - the "S&C" in the title caught my eye.

 

Some nice work and lovely locos. I'll keep an eye on this!

 

Jeff

Edited April 3, 2014 by Physicsman

[DaveF]

I relettered the Bachmann Midland Railway Brake Van this afternoon.

 

 

The lettering is from a PC models sheet, I must have had it a long time as it's price label says £1-45, Hadley Hobbies, 131 Middlesex Street, (London) E1.

 

The number panel and solebar plate are from a Slaters sheet of similar vintage.

 

It now needs a coat of matt varnish to protect the transfers.

 

The white background is an A3 10thou sheet of Plasticard, photo taken with a Canon IXUS 85 using what light there was on a dull afternoon.  The camera was resting on the table I work on.

 

Those who know their Midland brake vans will know what is missing, but it won't get added as I'll never match the paint well enough.

 

David

 

 

[DaveF]

A somewhat overdue update.

 

In the last couple of months I've added telegraph poles and finished the point ballasting.

 

Signals have also been added.  They are not really correct but may one day be replaced with something better, if I ever get time!  They are from very old Scalesigs brass parts, when I bought them in Lincoln in 1972 the price sticker said 17/6d.

 

Apparently Midland signal posts were not always painted lemon chrome, from around 1910 they began to be painted white (Dow, Midland Style) and during/after WW1 some were simply creosoted.   They may well have still had venetian red on the lower part of the post but I have seen conflicting reports about this so mine are black for now.

 

 

Flatiron approaching signal

I'm assuming the loco in this shot was on trial in the area, they were not normally found on the S&C.

 

 

Brown 2F down goods

This was a short lived livery for unfitted goods locos.  The loco is an old K's kit built around forty years ago and still has flangeless centre wheels.  As it works I don't want to take it to pieces to change them as I find K's chassis are not easy to get right once altered in any way.

 

 

1517 up light engine

I've no idea how this reached the S&C.

 

For now the signals are hand operated, in due course they will be connected to point motors and added to the "lever frame".

 

David

 

 

[Jaz]

saw your like on AV

so looked at your profile and posts

i like your layout agree with act-mr over the background going round the angles/curves

I wonder if you have considered popping some very thinned dirty water ove some of the grassed areas....to give it some different tones. I am sure many would disagree and say it is good as it is, which it is, but dulling down the grass can help it look more realistic. Only go with well watered colour, and a muddy brown wash is in my opinion a good way to trial....on a scap first o course in case you hate it, I find it useful ...especially where the ground dips. Feel free to ignore, it is only IMO/ in my opinion. 

I love the dent station / skaledale east buildings. They were the first ones I ever bought.

[DaveF]

 

saw your like on AV

so looked at your profile and posts

i like your layout agree with act-mr over the background going round the angles/curves

I wonder if you have considered popping some very thinned dirty water ove some of the grassed areas....to give it some different tones. I am sure many would disagree and say it is good as it is, which it is, but dulling down the grass can help it look more realistic. Only go with well watered colour, and a muddy brown wash is in my opinion a good way to trial....on a scap first o course in case you hate it, I find it useful ...especially where the ground dips. Feel free to ignore, it is only IMO/ in my opinion. 

I love the dent station / skaledale east buildings. They were the first ones I ever bought.

 

 

The green is still the grass mat, when I get time between working on old photos and posting them here and on flickr and doing things on two other layouts, "proper" static grass will be added.  I like the idea or the dirty water, I'll give it a try.

 

When I retired I thought I'd have more time for model making - where does the time go to?

 

Edited to add a sentence.

 

Many thanks,

 

David

Edited September 7, 2014 by DaveF

[DaveF]

It's a long time since I posted anything in this thread - photography and 0 gauge have been occupying my time.

 

A recent re-organisation of the "hidden sidings" has led to my finding space for two more goods trains.  A supply of wagons was no problem, I have lots of them, but I realised I had no spare brake vans (and two already in use are not very good models).

 

So I need some more.  

 

A hunt in my boxes of unbuilt kits  found a Parkside kit for a very late period Midland Railway brake (very like the Bachmann early LMS one released recently).  That has been built and awaits painting once the second one is built.

 

The second kit is a Jidenco etched brass kit for a Midland 6 wheel 15Ton or 20Ton brake van.

 

I think I've had the kit for around 20 years, the first job was to make sure the parts were all there, including the castings and to find some wheels.  The wheels will be the current Hornby type.  All the etches and castings seem to be there.

 

Before anyone says that Jidenco kits are (almost) impossible to build I should mention that I built the same brake van type over thirty years ago, I remember the hard bits very well indeed!  The worst bit back then was bending up the solebars into the correct "U" shape from pieces of brass with no half etched lines, as the bolt/rivet detail is etched on the surface so I assume half etched bend lines could not be done as well.  I may use my "hold and fold" or I may see if I have some suitable brass channel and add the etches as an overlay.

 

This afternoon I cleaned up the brass with some "Safeway Cream Cleaner" - it's very old but still cleans well, it's just abrasive enough.   A few small bits fell off the etch but as brass is quite heavy the bits remained in the bowl after I gently tipped the water away - a bit like gold panning really.

 

 

 

I'm not sure how long it will take, it will be fitted in between other modelling, photographic and gardening things.

 

All being well I will take some photos as it progresses and post them here.

 

David

 

PS The brass is a lot cleaner than it looks in the photo.

 

Davd

Edited May 24, 2015 by DaveF