Les1952 Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 (edited) More pics from No Place That abutment again, this time from a slightly different angle. One thing very apparent from visiting the site is that Google Earth gives a misleading idea of contours. The line up from Beamish Station is actually quite a bit steeper than it appears, and the road following the line of the Beamish Railway remains at a much lower lavel than is apparent. Looking along the back of John Street, showing that the back of the Skaledale simple terrace ccould almost do for the houses I need to put along my backscene. This has given me the shade of red for the bricks of the engine shed, which has now had its first coat applied, photo to follow. Just opposite this I noticed the annexe to the Beamish Mary Inn. This has stained glass- do any of the Beamish Diaspora know anything about the history of this part of the building? And to finish the pics, what looks like a shaft cap in the field where East Stanley Colliery was. Is this what I think it is- ie the capped shaft of that colliery? I got the Beamish 40 years book in the post yesterday (just in time to not take it with me). While the map of Beamish Station duplicated the one in the Consett to Shields book, so not a lot of help. However there was a picture of the modernised screens at Beamish Mary, showing them to be "coal board hennebique" rather than being faced with corrugated sheet. However there are conveyors entering them at different angles, so that at least can be duplicated on the model. I'm still trying to find anything about Burns Colliery. The nearest I've found is Twizell Burn drift mine which was part of Alma Colliery near Grange Villa. Would that have been too far away? The Twizell Burn Drift opened in 1922 and had periods out of use finally closing in the fifties. Alma lasted a little bit longer. All the very best Les Edited May 16, 2015 by Les1952 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 (edited) Progress and some prototype pics Two days in the workshop over the weekend, the last for a week as I'm off to Manchester for the rest of the week to earn some money. Firstly, on the track to the left of Beamish Mary Inn there were two of these being used as blocks, presumably to keep motorbikes etc off the track. This one is about where No Place is shown on the old map but is definitely an addition since the hamlet was demolished. On examination they look like mine tubs filled with concrete, though Mike and I couldn't see any sign of where the wheels had been attached. Alternately they were from one of the flights in the area. Now for some layout progress. I've got all of the points working from switches along the back of the layout, and have been tweaking them a little so the switch blades make electrical contact. There has also needed to be a little tweaking so that the L1 takes the left turn at the king point- eventually solved by adding a check rail. The shed proceeds apace. I've added the first two thin coats of paint to the brickwork- a fair match to the local brick but it will need touching-in to get the variation in colour. The preservation society's fleet lurk inside while RESPITE waits for some wagons to play with and No.6 JAMES is out of steam. The white check rail can be seen in the background. The first one also shows that I've put in the contours of the upwards slope at the front of the layout. Next to add in some paper or thin balsa to even out the slope a bit then put a layer or two of plaster bandage on the top ready for colouring. Returning to prototype I was wondering what colour ballast to use, then saw this at Marley Hill - problem solved? Just use black and dark grey paint and all the frustration is gone. Maybe not. Lastly I noticed that at Tanfield they have given my old friend No.16 a coat of primer. Hopefully this means restoration isn't all that far off - very hopeful but will I live long enough to see it happen? A reminder of No.16 as it used to be- not all industrial steam was filthy. Time to feed the cat again. All the very best Les Edited May 18, 2015 by Les1952 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
normski57 Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 (edited) http://www.dmm.org.uk/memorial/9092g-20.htm West Stanley Pit was also known as Burns Pit http://www.dmm.org.uk/colliery/e031.htm Link to East Stanley Pit http://www.dmm.org.uk/reports/4788-01.htm and to the report of the disaster Edited May 18, 2015 by normski57 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 (edited) http://www.dmm.org.uk/memorial/9092g-20.htm West Stanley Pit was also known as Burns Pit http://www.dmm.org.uk/colliery/e031.htm Link to East Stanley Pit http://www.dmm.org.uk/reports/4788-01.htm and to the report of the disaster Very many thanks for the links to a site I'd not really known much about- fascinating. That explains why I couldn't find Burns Colliery in any of the books on the railways of the area- I'll have another look to see if I missed it. West Stanley coal went West, at least at first. It was never part of the Beamish Railway. "Jacky's" for East Stanley Colliery is a name not mentioned in any of the (now six) books I've gathered, so that is new. The height of that winding house is quite a surprise, though the style is typical of Durham winding houses- there are good pictures in the Private Railways book and also the one on the Bowes Railway to compare with these two photos. There aren't many pictures of the Beamish collieries. The other surprise is that it appears to be well up to the top of a slope. The ground appears to have been well levelled since closure- that field today is remarkably flat for a hilltop field. My post-closure history has the shafts capped and the winding house demolished, with the old screens then modernised by the Ministry of Fuel & Power following wartime use as acquired (partly to explain its corrugated iron cladding). Hopefully stonework around its base and a good coat of rust will help disguise its American origins. Having said thet the MFP/Opencast Executive weren't exactly renowned for modernising anything, looking at pics the policy seems to have been more "use it until it falls down then abandon it". The loco shed would be built postwar. Strange how setting the layout at No Place has mushroomed- I'd originally planned to use SELDOMSEEN as the name and base it on a now-filled-in quarry East of Staindrop, but feared the name was too much of an excuse for exhibition managers not to invite it....... Insomnia o'clock again. Les Edited May 19, 2015 by Les1952 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Looking again at the details there is one anomaly. It gives the closure date for East Stanley Colliery as 1933, while the date for abandoning the seams is given as 1938. It doesn't make sense for seams to be worked for five years after the pit closed.... Looking at West Stanley the pit closed a few months AFTER the seams were abandoned, and a similar pattern exists for other pits. I think the 1933 is actually a misprint for 1939, especially as the seam abandonments are given to the day. 1939 is stated in three of the books (two different authors) so I would go with that date. Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
normski57 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 regarding the 1933 closure:- http://www.dmm.org.uk/news19/9340303i.htm The newspaper article announces the reopening in 1934 after being closed for 9 months Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
normski57 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Many thanks for this map, which I couldn't see earlier as a non-subscriber to the site. We walked down the track from the Beamish Mary inn, and the tub-like thing is at the upper of the two BS letters. The pics were taken from just above the letter A of Actonden Wood or possibly a little further along. No Place was closer to the track than I'd thought- the contour line shows it at the top of the sharp dip to the left of the track. Closure and reopening would account for the discrepancy in dates. Interestingly none of the books mention it, though they DO mention two periods of closure for Twizell Burn Drift. All the very best Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
normski57 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 contour map Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 (edited) Many thanks for the maps. Looking at this map I wish I'd had a look at the bottom of the hill at Co-operative Villas. It shows the Beamish Railway running between the road in and the houses, whereas I'd reckoned the road (which is narrow) laid over the course of the line. However the school is shown at the bottom of the hill and it isn't a good idea to hang round a school with a camera. The yard at East Stanley Colliery is a bit more sloped than the model can be, but the tip being shown to the South-East of the site still can give me a rising contour to the front of the layout. Both maps also shows the buildings to be comparatively small by colliery standards- only one track shown on the earlier map. The Ministry of Fuel & Power if they even looked at the site would have rejected it as too cramped and too remote, so my fantasy future history is exactly that- fantasy. In a scenic length of five feet in OO I can't give more than an impression. Following six days out to go to Manchester and the Exam Board I'm home again and have got the roof on the shed. It is a little short so I'm going to have to add modern barge boards. The sides have bowed a bit and straightening them comes first. Pics when I've got it looking more respectable. All the best Les Edited May 26, 2015 by Les1952 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpster Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 If you want to explore these maps a bit more, Les, the National Library of Scotland site has them on now:http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=54.8730&lon=-1.6677&layers=171You can use the transparency slider at the bottom of the box on the left to compare to modern-day aerial photos. It's amazing how the field patterns still follow the old colliery sites and lines!A Arp Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 (edited) Very many thanks for that info. I'm up to my neck in exam marking at the moment but I'll have a look when I get some time. Little to report on the railway, except that the loco shed has needed bargeboards AND flashing making to lengthen the roof, and I've bought an Ivatt 4MT for the preservation group collection and some building bits at a war games fair over the weekend. The latter was an eye opener as I'd not realised how much scenic stuff was the right scale. All the best Les Edited June 2, 2015 by Les1952 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted June 6, 2015 Author Share Posted June 6, 2015 A day in the shed at last. Marking finished with two weeks to go before the deadline, so some modelling done. A trip to Sherwood Models had resulted in my finding some Wills stone wall sections, so the first bit of customisation of the screening house is beginning. I've got a week before I need to set No Place aside so I can work on Furtwangen Ost for the GCR event, so I'll try a few more experiments on the loader to see if I can gravity feed hoppers. Plan B is to leave a hole in the backscene that I can put a temporary length of track through and cheat by pushing empties through then feeding fulls back by hand, rather the same as on Hawthorn Dene. A bit more progress on the shed. Roof on and the flashing and barge boards added. The resin pieces on the side are from a War Games show last weekend. More later. In the shed is the latest unsuitable acquistion - another engine for the preservation group, eventually for the BLT that will be layout four. Rehearsal for Yeomen of the Guard tomorrow so the next modelling session is likely to be Monday. Cat now sitting on table tapping paw on wrist saying "What time do you call this because I call it feeding time" Les 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 Sunday Latest addition to the motive power is a Bachmann Ivatt 4MT - another loco from the Darlington area, though like the Stanier 2-6-4T it will need to be renumbered. Assuming Bachmann got most of the details for 43096 right on the model the nearest Darlington one is 43099, which is what it will ecentually become. It doesn't like shunting the screens with the tender on closest notch, so will bask in the shed or bring wagons in from the fiddle yard when it is on the roster of the day. Rails had taken in a batch of DCC fitted engines including a few 4MTs and this one seemed the most appropriate of the selection. I'm now looking out for a Hornby Fowler to rebuild into Limousine Cab 42405, which ended up as a Darlington engine. It looks as if "Layout 4" will be a OO-gauge BLT based on the Darlington area. Now thinking back to Seldomseen, there was never a railway to Staindrop- which was/is a bigger settlement than Piercebridge or Gainford. I wonder if the S&DR were forced to build the Barnard Castle line out of sight of Raby Castle? I also mentioned the resin barn I'd bought last Sunday at the war Games fair. This is it. Just needs painting appropriately and planting somewhere near the front. In the meantime the loco shed has had its roof painted, but needs more work to remove a few streaks. Next shed day is Wednesday- the car is in for MOT (collected and delivered) so I should have most of the day. Weds will also have to involve some bench clearing so No Place can be lifted off the trestles for a while- Furtwangen needs checking over before Quorn. All the best Les 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted June 9, 2015 Author Share Posted June 9, 2015 Not happy with the shed roof so far.. It is very streaky- hopefully a thin touch-in coat will improve it. The back is better as I thinned the acrylic with a lot more water. I'll also bring the brown flock back from the club before putting a final coat of thin paint on. Also done is the second version of the wagon filler- this one works well enough but spills a lot of coal to the sides. However as the basic flow is OK I can now work on Mark III and get on with the screening house knowing it doesn't need to be taller. No Place has lost its place! Furtwangen is now on the trestles again and No Place is on the workshop bench. Note that under the bench we still have one half of Gresby stored- the other half is in the conservatory. Time to feed the cat-again. Les 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 Working on the coal chute ... in between testing Furtwangen's trams and locos for next weekend at Quorn. The angle of this one is steep enough for coal to flow, and the hopper at the top should also be big enough to tip into. At the bottom the chute clips into a thingy on the floor of the screen house, leaving nowhere for coal to miss the bottom end. Roof of chute still to be added. Still a bit to do, but it looks as if it might work. The hole at the bottom is bigger this time. Cat waiting feeding- told her she is twirly but not impressed. Les 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 I've had a chat today with the guys from LCut and now know exactly how I've bogged up the shed roof. Thinking about it, the solution may well be to buy a new roof and do the job properly- checking this evening it isn't glued that firmly it won't come off cleanly. I've bought a Kernow model of Helston shed- the stone colouring is right, though the bricks are a little orange. It will sit behind the two-track shed - pics to follow. The bad news is that I'm unlikely to get anything much done next week- Furtwangen has had a major track failure at Quorn (and will limp along to the end of the show) but will need some major surgery over the next few weeks as it is booked out again next. Quorn day 2 tomorrow. Les Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 Some progress Still tired after the GCR three day event and getting used to sitting on a chair that doesn't move.... Bought a replacement shed roof from LCut- turned down their generous offer of a free replacement as it was MY cockup and I don't see why it should put anyone else out of pocket. Very many thanks for the positive comments, gents. I also failed to find any embossed brick/stone paper to fill behind a couple of the windows. Better luck in September, perhaps? I've thought out how to straighten up the back wall of the shed, which had bowed due to my only painting it on one side and using a water-based paint (another cock-up). The straigtening is being done with a piece of square-section brass rod that has been sitting in the loft for more years than I wish to admit to. I'm not sure what I'm going to use to strengthen the front wall, which hasn't moved as much. As it is a colliery shed anything not exactly square would be due to subsidence. Hopefully this pic gives a good idea of what subsidence did to a Coal Board shed- the loco is ex-Taff Vale 85 NCB Lambton 52 in store just before the system was dieselised. I've also got the first half of the new roof made and added. Second half on Wednesday during breaks from mending Furtwangen Ost. White bricks on the side will be touched in with enamel paint of a not-quite-the-same shade. Any pics of the layout over the next few weeks are likely to be taken from the back as Furtwangen is on the trestles again and No Place is still parked on the workbench with its front to the shed windows. Hawthorn Dene is on end packed up as it isn't due anywhere before November (subject to confirmation) I bought the Kernow single-road Helston shed as the stonework is right. It will sit behind the two-road shed after I've darkened the brickwork. Plenty still to do. Pics of the latest addition to the loco fleet (and of a couple of earlier ones) also to follow. Les 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted June 26, 2015 Author Share Posted June 26, 2015 A little more progress The second side of the shed roof has been applied in the gaps while I've been waiting for Furtwangen glue to dry. I've also placed the two sheds on the layout side-by-side to check clearances. No layout time available next week so I'll check clearance and work on the brick and smoke colours of the smaller shed the following week. This is looking from the back of the layout. From a punter's point of view the Kernow shed will be behind the Lcut shed. This is as near to a front view as I can get with the layout currently on the workbench. Christening the sheds. Thinking about the back story the larger brick-built shed is the workshop built by the Ministry of Fuel and Power as a repair place for their County Durham loco stock - in reality no such place existed. This fits in with the layout's name. The smaller stone shed is the running shed for East Stanley Colliery, holding a single loco and much older. Again there was no such shed, locos for East Stanley Colliery were provided from Beamish Engine Shed about a mile away, the site of which was obliterated when the new road was built round the back of Co-operative Villas. Two of the denizens of the repair shed showing. The layout isn't live at the moment- just as well as neither of these are chipped. The Beattie has finally arrived in County Durham. This is the one with W.G.Beattie square splashers, the one that should have been preserved but wasn't. It is part of the preservationist's stock (joining the L1, V3 and Stanier 2-6-4T which also should have had a preserved example but don't). If one is going to change history why not do it comprehensively? The other loco is a Hornby 0-4-0ST found in a scrap box in the clubroom. It runs well, but might be fun to chip, apart from the minor problem of finding a slightly inappropriate chimney. This one may well join the working fleet rather than the preserved stock. Enough for now. Les 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 Back from holiday Furtwangen is now standing on end and No Place is back on the trestles- about three weeks to work on it before the G&S Festival at Harrogate takes up most of my time. Not a lot done yet, but these two views show that the Helston shed will have to be on the rearmost shed line so the doors can open. I'll eventually glue them to the position I want. I've also toned down the gloss smoke marks over the door. As the larger shed's "history" is that it was built by the MFP as a workshop it doesn't need a celerestory smokestack. I'll think about whet it will be provided with. The centre part of the ridge tiling will eventually disappear under a tarpaulin (perhaps). The pic also shows the latest addition to the Preservation Socierty's stock- a V3 continuing the theme of locos that weren't preserved. This will be renumbered as Darlington's last example (eventually). Now, where did I go on holiday? This is one location- a half-day visit to the island. Tomorrow a trip to Sherwood Models for a backscene to provide topups for Rise Park and the whole of the sky for No Place- needed quickly for Rise Park, though not too far off here. Cat feeding time again. Les 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 A little progress. I found some more square section brass rod so I've set up the straightening process on the front wall of the big shed. I've also measured the backscene and started cutting the apertures for access to the point levers. Once I've finished this I'll install the backscene and start building the higher level section above the switches. Meanwhile ground level is being regularised ready for ballasting to take place. Another loco chipped- this is Smelly NELLIE, from Esholt Sewage Works in Bradford, which is a good likeness of NCB Number 4, used at Morrison Busty Colliery, Annfield Plain. More next week, all being well. Les 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 What a difference a backscene makes..... All I've done is to finish cutting the holes in the backscene to reach the point levers, and fit the backscene. One sheet of skyscene does the whole length apart from 5mm at the right-hand end (where the fold-up is). A tree will hide the join at the left-hand end, and the bottom will be behind the raised row of buildings (houses etc). Showing the right-hand end of the sky before the higher level is added at the back. Now the other end. Higher level begun, again using balsa as I'm finding it easier to work with than card, plastic or MDF, but each to their own. The level will drop a little towards the right- I've not yet decided by how much. It also narrows- there will be a hump bridge over the track. Prototypically the track at the right hand end should pass under the railway, but I want to make the site more cramped. Still plenty to do. Les 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted August 8, 2015 Author Share Posted August 8, 2015 (edited) Another week away... .... and back again to find the desktop computer has had a terminal video failure. Hopefully a cheapo video card will allow me to get it running to salvage my files- of which there are rather too many to lose... Finally today I got into the shed. Today's work has largely been sorting out the ends of the layout- getting the sky scene to complete the box. Both ends have been tricky but at least now I shouldn't be able to shunt things off the end of the layout, just a loud clunk and derailment when I run out of siding.... The other thing I've done but not photographed is get rid of the three-way point as too many things were stalling on it, replacing it with an electrofrog right. I now need to have two locos in steam on the layout as there isn't a run-round. RESPITE enters through the bridge behind the Kernow shed. The sky has a discontinuity here to be hidden behind an appropriate tree. I've not stuck any walling in place yet apart from using the end of a pack under the bridge. Two packs of Wills walling are neither high enough nor long enough for the full length, so I'll have to do a bit of thinking. Plenty to do still.... Les Edited August 8, 2015 by Les1952 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 I've been rummaging... ..in the box of unsold buildings in the clubroom. I found these. There is a lot wrong with them (apart from being battered) but they are about the right size the carcasses are strong they are a lot more square than I can build myself. Placed up into the corner they take attention away from the dodgy bacfkscene join, and that job will be completed with the tree I found in the loft (or its twin that hasn't turned up yet). Two more catfood boxes are yet to be converted into the sub-base for street level.. Jobs to do on them- remove the London-style roofs and make new ones out of embossed black-tile plasticard carefully remove the extensions and make more random ones re-surface the walls with embossed brick paper of the right type (probably Redutex) new walls for the yards make into a long terrace rather than four pairs of semis re-surface the chimney stacks and put back on straight with new pots. Probably more work than making the whole lot from new kits, but it will keep me occupied for a while. Meanwhile there are the same number of full-relief houses left in the clubroom, and these are just as tatty. Thinks..... Les 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les1952 Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 More rummaging and a move I went to the club on Thursday evening and had another rummage through the buildings box, coming away with another eight dwellings. This time they are approximately the right colour and are in the right brickwork. They are nearly full depth but don't have the fronts modelled. They also have interior lights wired, which I have yet to test. If they work I might light the whole layout- it will give more of a challenge.. These need sorting out with matt varnish on the brickwork as they are a bit shiny, and a deal of tidying up, but are much closer to what I'm looking for. They will start the row from behind the screens. I've retrieved the tree since the pics were taken and parked it in the corner, where I'm pleased to say it hides the grotty join in the backscene. Showing the houses going behind the loader- a little close but they were there first and in wartime nobody had much chance to make objections stick when a new building was parked next to one's backyard.. Looking along the row, the London-style houses take the row most of the length of the back. However looking at them next to the latest set (which have the advantage of embossed brickwork) I might take them back to the box in the clubroom once they've been stabilised on their bases and stray chimneys put back. The treasurer wasn't there this week as he is playing full-sized trains on the Talyllyn, so I've not paid for anything yet. That would allow me to have more vegetation behind the loader ad start the terrace a little clear of it. Since the high level at the back narrows as you move to the right there is a limit to how far this terrace can be moved. The other thought is to look for a stone building that can be carved up to resemble the Mary pub, or the back of it. Alternately with the trees could be the end of the stone house seen at the right of this picture of the Mary pub, perhaps set a little higher to hide the backscene join. Plenty of time to think about this lot. The layout has moved again. It is back on the workbench so I can work on Furtwangen Ost for its trip out on August Bank Holiday Monday.. This time, however it is facing front so I can work on it. I'm setting Hawthorn Dene up once Furtwangen gets back, so No Place will be on the bench most of the time until March. By that time I'll have got much of the scenery done, I hope. The cat thinks it is feeding time- she is going to be disappointed... Les 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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