West Highland Line V4, a 1980's West Highland Line layout

[young37215]

19 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

I’ve got a great photo of a blue 37 pushing a lowmac, with a Massey Ferguson digger, and pulling five four wheel hoppers and a bogie one. Unfortunately I can’t find the original source to credit on here. It came up in a random West Highland search so I don’t know the actual location. 
If anyone can find the original source I’d be grateful so it can be linked correctly. 
 

waiting ©️ link

 

It is a Spannerman picture of 37178 south of Crianlarich. www.flickr.com/photos/eastfield/7530003816/in/album-72157714056700757

 

Arriving at the northern end of Crianlarich is 37043 with 1T24, 1226 from Oban to Glasgow. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[young37215]

The final few pictures from my latest running session, 37039 is seen again departing Arrochar with 6S56 on its journey north.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by young37215

[03060]

1 hour ago, young37215 said:

 

 

 

 

Could be straight out of one of the published photo albums .... Marvellous .... and a great inspiration for me to 'get something done !'

 

Best wishes,

Ian.

[young37215]

 

Two new arrivals are the signals for Fort William custom built by Absolute Aspects. They really look the part but I cannot use them yet because I do not have anything to control/operate them. My original plan was to use the Megapoints Autosignal but I have since learnt that the Megapoints product will not deliver what I want.

 

Each signal comes with a PCB, what I need is a means of issuing instructions to the PCB that I can incorporate into the main control panel some 15M away. Here I am stuck, I am guessing something that utilises the DCC BUS and requires a decoder for each signal but I have no idea what will do this; any suggestions please?

 

 

 

 

[young37215]

My thanks to Pheaton who has provided me with the rotary switches that I need to make the Absolute Aspects signals function. I have wired them in a test environment and hope to switch the power on shortly but want to double check a couple of points with Absolute before I do.

 

Elsewhere and as spring passes, I am spending less time modelling and more time enjoying being outdoors. Activity on WHL4 is much reduced during the summer but this does not stop me pondering and plotting with the bulk of my thoughts still focused on how to produce prototypical engineering trains. Most of the pictures I have seen from the early 1980's show a mixed bag of engineers trains which I think can be explained by the type of engineering work that took place during this period. A regular feature of the engineers trains is a lowmac with a JCB digger being carried which I am guessing was used for digging out life expired sleepers and wet beds. I have ordered the Hornby Lowmac but need to find a replica for the JCB so that I can create this consist. 

 

 

Track replacment was infrequent although several pictures can be found showing relays taking place. The 1982 pictures of Rhu shows Salmon wagons loaded with rail and fitted with cranes which I want to recreate using the Flangeway Salmon. Cranes are available from Shapeways albeit they are rather rather expensive. 

 

 

 

Tamping is likely to have been infrequent on the lightly used WHL which in part explains the lack of photographs. The 1981 picture below provides me with reassurance that I can allow my tamper to trundle round from time to time and be prototypical.

 

 

 

[PaulRhB]

15 minutes ago, young37215 said:

but need to find a replica for the JCB so that I can create this consist. 

 

 

 

It’s a Massey Ferguson, note MF on the cab, I got a Corgi Juniors one off eBay and bought the Dapol / Airfix JCB to get the wheels off and to bodge a new front bucket from. 
I’ll grab a pic of the bits on the lowmac later as I haven’t started the conversion yet. 
 

[PaulRhB]

34 minutes ago, young37215 said:

Tamping is likely to have been infrequent on the lightly used WHL which in part explains the lack of photographs.

Not necessarily as the situation of the line on steep hillsides in many places can mean you get a lot of erosion of ballast so making tamping as regular as more heavily trafficked lines.
The reason you don’t see photos is setting up for a tamping run takes time so mostly done at night 😉 The TQS Track Quality Supervisor walks along with the tamper as it only moves at walking pace so you wouldn’t get much done at all between trains even with the WHL service. You’ll see daytime transit photos so it’s as close as possible to the nights worksite to get the maximum time onsite. 

[PaulRhB]

1 hour ago, young37215 said:

 

 

 

Dapol JCB wheels grafted on. 
 

 

Plough cut off and the bucket from the JCB will be modified by removing the teeth and putting a straight front in. 

[mallaig1983]

It looks like Rob now has an excuse to venture up to the railway room and kill time on a sleepless night. Although perhaps not a good idea to have the sound on! 
 

Diggers do seem to be difficult to find for our era. I see there is one on Richard Crofts’ Roads and Rails display layout but that’s an up to date JCB. I have a JCB in the yard area on Mallaig but that’s an old one of sixties vintage and is therefore portrayed as somewhat knackered. I’m sure BR would also have had JCBs so hopefully someone will release an Eighties version. You will probably have to follow Paul’s lead and kitbash too.

 

Somehow I managed to miss your earlier post regarding the stunning new signals you have for Fort William. I’ll certainly be taking a keen interest in their development.

[PaulRhB]

2 minutes ago, mallaig1983 said:

I’m sure BR would also have had JCBs so hopefully someone will release an Eighties version.

I could have just built the kit 😆 but having something closer to the photo appealed and when I found the Corgi junior for a couple of quid I thought it looked the right size. 

[mallaig1983]

Will you also be using the Dapol back actor Paul? It’s nice and positionable. 

[PaulRhB]

45 minutes ago, mallaig1983 said:

Will you also be using the Dapol back actor Paul? It’s nice and positionable. 

 I’ll pop the pics so far on my thread rather than divert Rob’s further. 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/173227-loch-nevis-ranochan-modular-west-highland/

 

[young37215]

On 01/05/2023 at 13:20, PaulRhB said:

Not necessarily as the situation of the line on steep hillsides in many places can mean you get a lot of erosion of ballast so making tamping as regular as more heavily trafficked lines.
The reason you don’t see photos is setting up for a tamping run takes time so mostly done at night 😉 The TQS Track Quality Supervisor walks along with the tamper as it only moves at walking pace so you wouldn’t get much done at all between trains even with the WHL service. You’ll see daytime transit photos so it’s as close as possible to the nights worksite to get the maximum time onsite. 

 

A well made point which works from a modelling perspective with the tamper transit movements to station sidings close to a work site occuring during a running day. 

 

I have'nt switched power on for some time but had to venture up to the loft yesterday looking for tools. I find the unlit views of the layout where the camera highlights the extremes of shadow and light captivating and could not resist taking a few pictures.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by young37215

[young37215]

Garelochead in pale light with 37043 heading an Oban service passing 27105 stabled at the head of an engineering train. Increasingly I find the pictures without trains as interesting as those with trains.

 

 

 

 

[meanach]

On 01/05/2023 at 12:41, young37215 said:

My thanks to Pheaton who has provided me with the rotary switches that I need to make the Absolute Aspects signals function. I have wired them in a test environment and hope to switch the power on shortly but want to double check a couple of points with Absolute before I do.

 

Elsewhere and as spring passes, I am spending less time modelling and more time enjoying being outdoors. Activity on WHL4 is much reduced during the summer but this does not stop me pondering and plotting with the bulk of my thoughts still focused on how to produce prototypical engineering trains. Most of the pictures I have seen from the early 1980's show a mixed bag of engineers trains which I think can be explained by the type of engineering work that took place during this period. A regular feature of the engineers trains is a lowmac with a JCB digger being carried which I am guessing was used for digging out life expired sleepers and wet beds. I have ordered the Hornby Lowmac but need to find a replica for the JCB so that I can create this consist. 

 

 

Track replacment was infrequent although several pictures can be found showing relays taking place. The 1982 pictures of Rhu shows Salmon wagons loaded with rail and fitted with cranes which I want to recreate using the Flangeway Salmon. Cranes are available from Shapeways albeit they are rather rather expensive. 

 

 

 

Tamping is likely to have been infrequent on the lightly used WHL which in part explains the lack of photographs. The 1981 picture below provides me with reassurance that I can allow my tamper to trundle round from time to time and be prototypical.

 

 

 

This is a shot I took at Ardlui in July 88. I’m not sure what vintage this tamper is but as it’s been mentioned that photos of them are rare, I thought it may be of interest! (Sorry it’s only a phone copy

of my old print ). Ian 

Edited May 11, 2023 by meanach
Detail

[PaulRhB]

56 minutes ago, meanach said:

I’m not sure what vintage this tamper is but as it’s been mentioned that photos of them are rare, 

70’s -80’s Ballast regulator rather than tamper, it just profiles the ballast shoulders, which is particularly important on a line with lots of sharp curves. Still around into the 2000’s although I haven’t seen one in the last ten years but there weren’t many so they are probably hiding around still as they got modernised. 

[young37215]

8 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

70’s -80’s Ballast regulator rather than tamper, it just profiles the ballast shoulders, which is particularly important on a line with lots of sharp curves. Still around into the 2000’s although I haven’t seen one in the last ten years but there weren’t many so they are probably hiding around still as they got modernised. 

 

The GWSR has a ballast regulator currently stored at Toddington. It has done some good work building up shoulders along the line but the number of clips it knocks out whilst regulating is ridiculous. I shudder to think how many hours we have spent replacing and renewing the clips.

 

I have a version of the old HO Lilliput tamper that Bachmann still produce from time to time which is a reasonable match for the 1980's pictures that I have seen of tampers on the WHL. 

 

 

 

 

[Vecchio]

Problem with the Liliput tamper is that it doesn't have a decoder as such, the decoder is built up on the PCB. And it is c..p. So on my show layout the tamper will sit somewhere in a siding, also in real live they were working more in the night than during busy times. (I know that, especially in a summer night when you have all windows open you could hear them for miles... this was not at the West Highland line, but on the Semmering pass in Austria, where I grew up...) 

[young37215]

21 hours ago, Vecchio said:

Problem with the Liliput tamper is that it doesn't have a decoder as such, the decoder is built up on the PCB. And it is c..p. So on my show layout the tamper will sit somewhere in a siding, also in real live they were working more in the night than during busy times. (I know that, especially in a summer night when you have all windows open you could hear them for miles... this was not at the West Highland line, but on the Semmering pass in Austria, where I grew up...) 

 

My Bachmann tamper has been hard wired with a decoder which cost more than the model itself!. It actually runs quite well, considerably better than my other engineering vehicle the OWB. On the subject of Engineers trains, I have just bought a yellow BCK which will become the Scottish BTU staff coach ADB975077. This spent a fair amount of time at Fort William, it needs a bit of work including a bogie swap, renumber and weathering but should not be too difficult to turn into something representative of the original which can be paired up with the Mickleover yellow BG.

 

 

[young37215]

The last few static pictures from the other days shoot show the line between Arrochar and Ardlui. 

 

 

  

 

 

[young37215]

37027 from Accurascale makes its debut on WHL4. Loco is still running in, everything about it so far is first class. 
 

As ever my video work is average but it does give a flavour of Accurascale’s offering. 
 

 

[mallaig1983]

Rather predictably mine arrived 5 minutes after I led for work after I spent all morning glued to the tracker. I left a note on the front door requesting that I be delivered to the shop a few doors down. Well I had an email saying it was delivered so I’m very excited to open the box tomorrow. There’ll be no running in tonight when I get home but I shall be glued to your video Rob. Thanks for getting something out so quickly.

[BoD]

Looks and sounds really good.  I’m waiting for Loch Lomond in L.L. Blue

[Dougjuk]

Having spent 4 hours testing the first batch for my local model shop I was well impressed, I have 37001 on order so looking forward to running that on the layout.

 

I think I may be testing the next batch soon.

[thegreenhowards]

On 12/06/2023 at 17:52, young37215 said:

37027 from Accurascale makes its debut on WHL4. Loco is still running in, everything about it so far is first class. 
 

As ever my video work is average but it does give a flavour of Accurascale’s offering. 

That thrash is perfect! The acceleration seemed a little fast to my eyes though.

Edited June 13, 2023 by thegreenhowards