Midland Railway in EM gauge

[Andrew P]

Morning Derek, superb work on the Turntable, it looks so at Home there, and the areas not over done with a massive Shed, (as I would be tempted to do)  just a simple Single Road Shed looks perfect.

 

Well done. really nice work.

[Mrkirtley800]

Thanks Andy.  The shed appeared on the '00' section on Canal Road.  It is modelled  loosely on the one at Leicester West Bridge, or rather the shed that used to be there.  Needs doors and drain pipes, been meaning to fit those for donkeys years.

Derek

[Mrkirtley800]

Many of you will know that I have been pretty well occupied for the last few days with our Goathland Show.  So, today I got busy again.  Still on with the turn table - hope you all aren't getting fed up, it seems to be going on forever.  But, it is nearing completion.

Today, I stuck the flagstones around the well.  For this, two layers of plastikard were used.  One, a ring of plastikard, thickness being the same as the sleepers of the approach track.  Stuck on by spreading a thin layer of Evostick on the baseboard, then when dry, stick the plastikard to it using solvent.

Now, using 40 thou plastikard, cut into individual flagstones and slightly chamfered with a file, and stuck to the base.  The approach track will have sleepers laid in the 'four foot'.

When all is dry, tomorrow, I will stick the 'wooden' slats around the flagstones.  These are, of course, to give a foothold to the poor old engineman when he heaves the turn table plus loco round.  No powered turn tables on my layout.

The two pics show the progress made.  The wooden planks on the side of the deck now firmly stuck.  The planks down the centre of the rails will be laid longitudinally.  The ash pit or is it an inspection pit has been dug out of the shed road, the one on the turn table approach track will be filled in.  There are two because I changed my mind and swopped over the shed road and turn table road rather late in the day.

This pit will be modelled at the same time as the fitting of the turn table mechanism, when I prop the board  on it's side to get to the under side easily.

Derek

[Mrkirtley800]

The decking was completed by sticking strips of plywood down the middle of the track.

Now the time has come to make the thing work.  I made a very crude gearbox from  meccano , using a worm and 56 tooth gearwheel.  A long shaft goes from the gearbox, out through the baseboard framing and is fitted with a handle.  Pics 1 and 2 show the arrangement.

It took quite a bit of fiddling and a few rude words to get the table to turn reasonably smoothly, but eventually it worked fairly satisfactorily.

The deck was taken off and railings fitted down each side made out of wire.  Pics 3,4 and 5 show he result.

Finally, t was time to try turning a loco.  At first, the gearing slipped on the axles.  The axles are now made, I believe, from silver steel.  It is certainly very difficult to cut -- having said that, my saw blades are as blunt as old nick!!  I solved it by filing flats on the axles where the grub screws to the worm and locked on.  Seemed to solve the problem.

Derek

 

Looking at how this missive comes out, the piccies are in the wrong order, however I hope it makes some sort of sense

Edited July 26, 2015 by Mrkirtley800

[Mrkirtley800]

Managed to post the last lot before I should.

The time had come to try turning a loco and the three piccies show a Kirtley 800 class 2-4-0 on the table.

Two of the shots show the handle used for operating the turn table.

All that remains is to fit the two "handles" which the enginemen used to heave the locos round and the levers operating the bolt to lock the table to prevent it moving under the weight of the engine..

I found the meccano gears had a fair amount of 'lash' and care has to be taken when running an engine on the table.

A couple of switches were fitted to the control so that both the shed and the turn table could be isolated.

Finally comes the painting.  In all my info on the Midland, I do not have information on turn tables, so, does anyone know what colour I should paint the girders on the deck? 

[v8cpt]

try looking this newly restored picture of Rowsley...could be right(??):

 

www.nwrail.org.uk/nw1007a.htm

[Mrkirtley800]

Thanks for that, Chris.  The old Rowsley turn table, a 60' one, was operated by the locomotive being turned.  Mine is modelled on a manually operated, 50' one, where the enginemen have to push the thing round by muscle power.  That's why there are battens on the paving surrounding the table well. 

There are quite a few piccies of turn tables on the net, but none showing all the details I require.

The next job is to paint it and finish off the ash and inspection pits.  I am not so sure such a small loco facility would have an inspection pit and I am open to advice here.  It would be easy to fill in.

Pic 1 shows the arrangement -- so far.

Progress will slow a little during the coming weeks.  I want to paint our '0' gauge 2F which was built from a kit some years ago.  It was built for Ben, my grandson.

The kit was, I believe, designed by the late George Norton.  He was fastidious when producing kits and could be guaranteed to go together pretty well.  Unfortunately our kit was from the new owner and contained some potential problems.  The worst was the tender frames were all over the place, and if I had built it straight from the box, it would never ever have run.  As it was I 'beam' compensated both the engine and tender, so the wildly inaccurate running gear was cancelled out.

Anyway here are some pics of the engine and tender.

[Donw]

Someone was asking about 2Fs on another thread I suggest you might be able to help and pointed him towards your thread.

More good stuff.

Don

[Mrkirtley800]

Before getting started on the '0' gauge 2F, thought I would start to paint the turn table and the ash/inspection pits, the idea being that as I cleaned and sprayed the 2F, I could also be painting and finishing off the loco yard.  Having run out of quite a lot of paint, I was able to get some more at the Redcar show yesterday.  A good show by the way.  I also got a meal out of it by taking Olga with me, calling at Guisborough and picking up Ruth, her friend.  They went off into Redcar while I went to the show and meeting them back at the car.  By then it was time for lunch, so off we went to a very nice restaurant.

Pic 1 shows the two pits fitted with a bottom and steps out of plastikard.  I then coated the plastikard with a thin wash of browning (soft 'base' plaster) and when dry brushed plenty of solvent on it.  This keys the plaster to the plastikard.  Then cleaned up, smoothing the plaster coating ready for painting.

.The paint is diluted with white spirit and flooded on.

Pic 2 shows this stage.  When this is dry I need to paint it with dirty black.

Meanwhile I was painting the turn table.  The brickwork around the pit was brushed well with a light buff and when dry, dry-brushed with dark grey and black.

The girders under the deck caused a bit of thought.  All my enquiries as to the colour they would have been painted hit the buffers, so I guess they might have been originally yellow chrome.  However in that position they would have soon got pretty dirty so I decided on a buff (no.94) let down with a bit of white.  When that is dry, I will dry brush with black.

The wooden planks on top were flooded with very dilute back and the railings were painted a dark chocolate.

The paving around the pit was painted with a dilute mixture of buff and black.  Actually the white spirit I had used to clean the brushes, and this is in Pic 3  

Finally Pic 4 is the loco yard nearing completion.

It has been a long hall, so if you have stayed with me so far, well done, and thank you.

Derek

[Andrew P]

Excellent work Derek, it looks lovely. Good work.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Andrew P

[Mrkirtley800]

To give me more room and make the place look a bit tidier I put the railway back together, and it is now ready for trials etc.  Gives me space to do my painting of the 2F.  Won't get much done for a few days though, my daughter and brood are coming to stay.  Looks as if I will be fully occupied on washing up duties.  Before you ask, no we do not possess a dish washer. 

Some years ago at a party at my daughters -- she lives in Eton -- the conversation turned to dish washers.  One of her high flying friends turned to me and said "do you have a dish washer, Derek?"  My answer was "yes, you are talking to him!!".

Back to railway matters, just three pictures today, two of the turn table in place, the third a general view down to the buffers at Kirby Malham.

Today, I have been doing a spot of running, and, I have to admit, it was not very good.  We have a few teething problems -- as always, but I found that

1. I had cross connected wires between two sections

2  Not fixed the switch rails properly to the tie bar on a very awkwardly situated point.

3  The rails between two of the end base boards did not line up

4  The track is filthy

5 The loco wheels are filthy and some of the pick ups have gone AWOL.

Otherwise it works?? 

Ah well, back to the drawing board!

Derek

 

The bright red splodge in one of the pics is a piece of cardboard which I use to support the scenery.  Would have to choose the part of the box that stands out like the proverbial sore digit.  It will be covered up eventually.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Mrkirtley800

[Worsdell forever]

As I expected, a lovely sweeping curve into the station.

[Alister_G]

Superb photos Derek, it looks great to see it back together.

 

As Paul says, the sweep of track from the station and out through the yard is lovely, and so much better looking than the straight alternative would have been.

 

The turntable and pits look great painted up, and blend in with the whole thing. There's a feeling of openness, cleanliness and space to your layout which is unusual in modelling, but reflects very well the prototype of the period.

 

Al.

[Mrkirtley800]

Thanks for the nice comments Paul and Al.  There is a great advantage having a 20' * 10' area.  Also, I think a wide sweeping curve looks better than dead straight, although the old railway builders would probably disagree.

Derek

[gismorail]

Hello I have just spent ages reading through this thread and can't believe I'm so late to pick it up, I can only add to all the others comments of praise for such excellent modelling. It's what I would describe as good old fashion modelling , pure skill and an eye for detail that produces a scene with atmosphere and character... I shall enjoy the ongoing story unfold 

[Jason T]

It really is looking lovely, Derek. The original incarnation of the layout and the photos Paul took were the sole reason I bought the Railway Modeller Annual and the reason it won't get chucked out.

[Andrew P]

Superb Derek, the overall shot really is the icing on the cake, it looks so quiet and peaceful, I'm just waiting for the distant chuff of the next Train to arrive.

[Bangor Lad]

I don't appear to be the first person to stumble onto this topic but I must say I am very pleased I did. 

 

Thank you for sharing with us.

[Mrkirtley800]

Thanks for all your nice comments fellas, it is very encouraging.

Well, this morning we received a text message which told us not to get worried (?), but my daughter was in A&E, and that she would call us later.

What a thing to receive early in the morning.  However, it appears she has pulled/torn a ligament in her foot, which has left her unable to put any weight on it, and hobbling about on crutches, so her visit is postponed for a little while.  Probably husband will bring her when she has got over the initial pain. 

Turns out, it became apparent when playing Badminton.  All my knee problems are, I think, probably due to Badminton, so she is a chip off the old block, so to speak.  Sometimes I wish I had never seen a Badminton racket.

So, this morning, sorted out the cross connection between sections (arose from sheer carelessness) and had my class M 0-6-0 trundling up and down.  Now I can start to eliminate problems methodically, starting from the station end.  Once it is all working satisfactorily, I can start on the scenic treatment and taking all the bits and pieces of detail from storage.

So far, the knocking down and rebuilding has taken me 15 months.  Good job I am retired.

Derek

Edited August 6, 2015 by Mrkirtley800

[g5]

Thanks for all your nice comments fellas, it is very encouraging.

Well, this morning we received a text message which told us not to get worried (?), but my daughter was in A&E, and that she would call us later.

What a thing to receive early in the morning.  However, it appears she has pulled/torn a ligament in her foot, which has left her unable to put any weight on it, and hobbling about on crutches, so her visit is postponed for a little while.  Probably husband will bring her when she has got over the initial pain. 

Turns out, it became apparent when playing Badminton.  All my knee problems are, I think, probably due to Badminton, so she is a chip off the old block, so to speak.  Sometimes I wish I had never seen a Badminton racket.

So, this morning, sorted out the cross connection between sections (arose from sheer carelessness) and had my class M 0-6-0 trundling up and down.  Now I can start to eliminate problems methodically, starting from the station end.  Once it is all working satisfactorily, I can start on the scenic treatment and taking all the bits and pieces of detail from storage.

So far, the knocking down and rebuilding has taken me 15 months.  Good job I am retired.

Derek

Is it that long since you handed me the saw in the back garden?

[Mrkirtley800]

Yes Dave, and it was boiling hot, don't know how we survived.  Good job Olga was on hand with drinks,

Derek

[Donw]

I think it was well worth the effort looking really good now.

Don

[edward66]

Hi Derek,

Don't know if it's of any interest but when I used to go round Lancaster MPD [ex-MR] I noticed that the turntable pit was almost black with lots of bits of coal, oil, ash, junk lying around. I don't suppose anybody ever went down in there to clean it up. Mind you the whole shed area was filthy too, tracks smothered in oil and bits of coal, they had an old MR 3F tank, 47201, as shed pilot, it had a lever reverser and if the driver threw it in reverse the loco continued in the same direction with wheels spinning the other way. I don't think they ever really cleaned their locos either, they too were usually filthy, this in the mid fifties.

 

Edward

[Mrkirtley800]

Hello Edward,

             Yes, I guessed the whole area around a turn table would have been pretty grotty.  My T/T is far too clean.   I used to live near Copley Hill sheds in Leeds.  They had a T/T, must have been a 70 footer as it often had an A3 sitting on it especially on a Sunday.  I never really took any notice of the surroundings, my eyes were only on the engines.

Thank you for your contribution, every bit of information is useful. 

Derek

[Alister_G]

Hi Derek,

Don't know if it's of any interest but when I used to go round Lancaster MPD [ex-MR] I noticed that the turntable pit was almost black with lots of bits of coal, oil, ash, junk lying around. I don't suppose anybody ever went down in there to clean it up. Mind you the whole shed area was filthy too, tracks smothered in oil and bits of coal, they had an old MR 3F tank, 47201, as shed pilot, it had a lever reverser and if the driver threw it in reverse the loco continued in the same direction with wheels spinning the other way. I don't think they ever really cleaned their locos either, they too were usually filthy, this in the mid fifties.

 

Edward

 

 

Hello Edward,

             Yes, I guessed the whole area around a turn table would have been pretty grotty.  My T/T is far too clean.   I used to live near Copley Hill sheds in Leeds.  They had a T/T, must have been a 70 footer as it often had an A3 sitting on it especially on a Sunday.  I never really took any notice of the surroundings, my eyes were only on the engines.

Thank you for your contribution, every bit of information is useful. 

Derek

 

I would just add that at the time period you are modelling, the railway companies were far more concerned about the appearance of their buildings and yards, and the individual members of staff took a great pride in it too. By the time that Edward is taliking about things had changed a lot.

 

We've all seen photos of the late fifties and early sixties, by which time the railway infrastructure was in a parlous state, but if you contrast that with photos taken pre-war, there's a big difference.

 

Al.