Wakefield West

[Bagpuss]

Thanks Mal

 

Double-headed Dub D's would certainly be a sight to behold and I do have a fondness for coal trains. Thanks also for the pic of the 9F, though I think it might actually be at Kirkgate looking at the building next to the platform and the overall roof at the station in the back of the shot. I would love to find a shot of a 9F running through Westgate as they were very common on the L&Y through Kirkgate on their way to and from Healey Mills, but I have yet to see any pics of them on the GNR/GC metals through the district. You would think that they might have, especially in the later years, and too late for my period, but I do like a 9F on a long coal train!

 

Cheers

Tony

 

It looks a lot like Kirkgate to me.

 

I remember receiving your email asking about Westgate nearly three years ago. John's being telling us at the club about your layout. It's looking very nice. I'll be watching this thread with interest.

 

Martin.

[trw1089]

Thanks Martin

 

If it wasn't for you putting me in touch with John, I wouldn't have been able to have made as much progress as I have, nor would I have such a great understanding of the prototype which I have been gaining, so thank you for that!

 

Cheers

Tony

[Alcanman]

I've found a couple of WD pics. First one is definatley Kirkgate, July 1967.

 

 

 

and 90625 on Wakefield shed, also July 1967

 

 

 

Mal

[LNER4479]

Hello Tony,

 

Another 'just found this thread and think it's great' post for you!

 

Actually found it before Xmas but didn't get round to posting. Glad to see Dave S's locos settling into their new home in very appropriate surroundings. And just loved the sequence at Wakefield with the Bradford portion being attached - that's great prototypical operation.

 

And did I spy a Modratec lever frame in one of the pics? I guess you're a bit closer to the maker of these splendid pieces of model railway kit than we are here in the UK! I've just finished putting one together (36 levers) for my father's model railway. Great product and great service from Harold in supplying them.

 

Like others, I shall keep a keen lookout for future postings. Keep up the good work!

[trw1089]

Thanks for the Dub D pics Mal, you've inspired me to change some stock over today, so will have some pics shortly that may feature a couple of these.

 

Thanks also for your comments Robert, your work on Grantham, especially your track work and your overall approach to how you are proceeding is very inspirational. You are right about the Modratec lever frame, Harold was very helpful when I was building it and it really enhances the operation of Arnthorpe. 36 levers would be an impressive frame, just doing the 12 interlocked one kept me busy for a while!

 

Cheers

Tony

Edited January 10, 2015 by trw1089

[trw1089]

Well after Mal's pics I decided that it was about time that we had coal trains running on the layout again and they had to be hauled by Dub Ds, one of mine, and one of Dave's.  But first, the Ardsley tank had to get into the act too.  Instead of pics though, I thought you might like a video instead:

 

http://youtu.be/WM-_fkedRKA

 

Hope you like it, as I certainly had some fun making it.  There are quite a few under my username (trw1089) on Youtube showing trains running at various stages of layout construction if you are interested.

 

Cheers

Tony

[d winpenny]

Great video of a great looking layout

 

David

[HAL 'O THE WYND]

Great video – virtually flawless.

 

You must have thought me a proper idiot not realising Wakefield’s relationship to the ECML. That’s why I model north of the Tyne – profoundly ignorant of everywhere else!

 

BTW. Because, despite all the correct detail, etc, some others might seem lacking in playing trains terms - fun!; when the station is done you’ll be number one...

 

Hal

Edited January 11, 2015 by HAL 'O THE WYND

[great northern]

Oh, I did so enjoy that Tony. Great to see Dave's locos running again, particularly the J50. The WD's were real Tetley's Mills favourites for me, but somehow it was always that J50 that encapsulated it most. I know that Dave loved it, though of course he was very modest about his kit building abilities, and I also know that if he could see this video, he would say that there was nowhere else he would have wanted it to go. And once more, having watched this, I marvel at the way you are able to create backscenes. Absolutely top class.

 

 I really enjoyed the shots of the joining and separating of the Bradford portions too. There is so much pleasure to be had from operating a layout correctly, isn't there?  I really can't stop smiling at this. We've lost Dave, but you are keeping it all going. We spent hours discussing how the new station was going to be set up to allow the portions to be dealt with, and now I can see it happening!  I wish I could figure out how to do videos properly......

[trw1089]

Thanks everyone

 

It certainly is good to run the layout as a railway, for example the J50 (why did I call it a J52 in the bl$&$@ video) was doing a trip working to collect empties and assemble them in the yard, forming another empty set to head south, wheras the loaded train will drop some off for loco purposes etc. The Bradford portion workings are still my favourite though, it really gives the layout purpose and the movements of light engines, coaching stock and general hustle and bustle of doing the shunting moves always keeps me occupied.

 

As for Dave's J50 Gilbert, it is by far my favourite loco at the moment, as it just gently whirs along doing whatever is asked of it and I remeber when you were disposing of Dave's stuff that when the price of it came in I did think long and hard about it, but every time I looked at a pic of Tetleys Mills I would see it and with the link to both Ardsley and Wakefield of the tank and Dave I thought it would really fit in at Wakefield West, and it surely does that!

 

As for the videos, my higher end digital video camera gave up the ghost when I tried to use it for this lot, so ended up taking the shots on the point and shoot one and putting them together in a movie maker software (Pinnacle Studio). I've even done one up using the mobile phone camera which also worked out very well. Still it does take some time to shoot and put together, but that's all part of the fun!

 

Cheers

Tony

[trw1089]

Hi all

 

Not much progress on the layout itself lately as I have been a bit consumed by building this N1 from AJ427's Shapeways 3D print.  It has been a great project to build and hopefully with just a couple of bits to go it will enter the paintshop for final finishing and fettling.

 

Here are the shots from where I got to tonight:

 

(yes I know the rear cab step is wonky.  It's amazing what you don't see until you take a pic...)

 

(sorry about the blurriness!)

 

(look at those ugly blobs of solder on the brake rigging, need to fix that...)

 

 

and

 

 

This will be 69452 of Ardsley shed when it gets some black on it.  Hopefully in the next week or so.

 

Cheers

Tony

[AJ427]

Looking very nice there Tony. You've really gone to town on the extra details. Did you do the coal rails with plastic rod?

[trw1089]

Thanks Andrew

 

Yes I did go a bit overboard, but couldn't help myself thanks to the wonderful pics you sent through and the ones I had already.  I used the smallest half-round strip I could find to do the coal rails as looking at the pics, on 69452 the rails were not rounded like on some others, but seemed to be half-round and I thought that might be a better way to represent them.  It is probably oversized a little, but hopefully will look OK when painted.

 

I've really enjoyed this build, just taking my time and finding more and more bits to add on.  I'm keen to see what it is like when painted as you probably won't notice half of what I've put on.  Still though, I had to make some use of all the detail bits I have collected over the years (mostly for US stuff, but plenty which could be adapted here).

 

Cheers
Tony

[CUTLER2579]

Tony,

I have really enjoyed this thread and I am very impressed with the N1. You have made a great job of it and I for one can't wait to see her in Black.

Regards,Derek.

[trw1089]

Thanks Derek

 

Won't have to wait long, I'm just about to take some photos of the finished job which I completed last night.

 

Cheers

Tony

[trw1089]

Hi all

 

Well I finally finished the N1 (well almost, it still needs couplers) and while it was in the paint shop a couple of other locos went along for the ride.

 

First, here is the N1 - I think it turned out OK, though the camera and image processing (sharpen) shows up the imperfections more than it appears on the layout.

 

 

I am happy with it and it will soon be put to work on Bradford portions and stoppers to Castleford and Leeds.  Here are a few more shots, well, just, because!

 

 

 

 

Those pressfix decals are OK, but there isn't any R in the power classification lettering so I had to make them out of a P and half a number 1, thank goodness for good reading glasses!

 

While the painting and weathering bug was on, I got stuck into a older Bachmann J39 which was recently renumbered to an Ardsley engine.

 

 

and

 

 

and finally an A1 was renumbered and had its face changed to represent photos I had of the engine on the West Riding in John Farline and Peter Cookson's book.  Now I am not quite sure of the date in the photo, because it still shows the ex-Coronation streamlined stock in the train and most of these were taken off the train after the Huntingdon fire in August 1951, but the A1 has an AWS bang plate of which the earliest pic I have found is 1953, so I am confused as to which one is right.  This matters, because in the one photo on the West Riding, the smokebox number plate is below a continuous handrail (not the split version that was on the Bachmann loco to start with), however on what I believe is a later pic, it is above the handrail (I think the later photo is around 1954, which also shows the loco with an AWS bang plate).  So here is my attempt at replicating what is in the pic I have, but the only question I still have is what year does this place the loco in?  I know it is being a pedant, and I blame Gilbert myself, because he really got me going down this road of researching the prototype in depth, but you can get carried away with this sort of thing, and that's half the fun for me!

 

 

This engine was at Copley Hill for a fair while, so would have been a regular at Wakefield.

 

 

 

I know these are not perfect, but they are about the best I can do with my skill levels and they will hopefully look good running on the layout.

 

Cheers

Tony

[DLT]

 

I know these are not perfect, but they are about the best I can do with my skill levels and they will hopefully look good running on the layout.

They look terrific to me Tony!

Dave.

[d winpenny]

Looking great

 

David

[JCL]

Your N1 is beautiful, and so is the layout that it calls home. I agree with 'Robert' (LNER4479), it looks amazing.

[AJ427]

Hi Tony,

 

Very, very nice work on the N1. I think your weathering for all your locos is excellent, the A1 in particular subtly capturing that oily sheen of a working engine.

[trw1089]

Thanks very much everyone, I appreciate all the likes and comments. I'm finally starting to get a good West Riding feel to the layout, but that will hopefully be confirmed when the main station is completed. I need to focus on that now instead of faffing about with engines, but I do enjoy the all important motive power, oh and coaches, we always need more coaches...

 

Cheers

Tony

[coachmann]

I don't know how this thread passed under my radar but it was only when I spotted your link in a post on Delph Junction that I decided to go back and see where it lead!  All I can say is outstanding layout, outstanding modelling and outstanding photography in any order you wish! The N1 has come up really well and I shouldn't worry about the 3D surface blemishes seeing as the metalwork on steam locos in steam days was far removed from the appearance we see today on restored engines. Old paintwork showing under new coats of paint was so common. You have some of the locos I managed to talk myself out of buying (!) so it is good to see what you have done with them weathering-wise. Another brill layout thread to follow in future.....Thanks.

Edited February 25, 2015 by coachmann

[trw1089]

Thanks Larry

 

I really appreciate those comments from a master such as yourself. I haven't built any coaches yet though, so you may want to reserve judgement until one of those is submitted for approval!

 

Cheers

Tony

[mightbe]

Just out of curiosity, what paint did you use for the body of the N1 and the J39? I rather like the effect of it. And the lovely weathering makes them very attractive models indeed.

[trw1089]

Hi mightbe

 

The J39 got a coat of clear floor polish to help give a smooth surface for the decals and then once they were applied, I used Tim Shackleton's methods of airbrushing mixes of Humbrol Matt Leather and either Matt Black or Gunmetal (gunmetal usually for the boiler). The N1 had a topcoat of Tamiya Acrylic Semi Gloss prior to adding the decals, then the same weathering approach as the J39. I finish them off with various weathering powders to add texture and variety which helps break up the uniformity of the airbrushing.

 

I've found that having the gloss already on the boiler gives a bit of underlying sheen to the paintwork, but if I want a cleaned look, then I use the floor polish after airbrushing and go lightly on the powders, such as the A1.

 

Hope that explains it, but happy to answer any other questions.

 

Cheers

Tony