Aberdeen Kirkhill T&RSD

[P.C.M]

We were going to have a few more black hoses but if you read Bob's post at the bottom of page 3 he says they tended to have more orange ones as you never knew where the catering cars were going to be. Both the cleaning platforms have been given all orange hoses. It also means you can model the tubs which had the bleach in and don't forget the plywood disk near the end so the end of the hose never touched the ground.

 

On the water taps for the HST road (directly onto ballast not on a cleaning platform) we've put orange hoses on all the taps except the ones at each end. These line up with the fuel points on the other side of the track so we have two reasons for using black: 1) they'll line up with the power cars anyway and 2) being so close to a fuelling point they have a good chance of being easily contaminated.

 

I've a photo that Bob sent me of Aberdeen showing the shore supply points but it also shows the water hoses (mounted incidently on hose reels for another variation) and every one of the hoses is orange. At the real Aberdeen of course the fuelling point is well away from the cleaning roads. So I'd say orange for all your hoses unless you're near a fuelling point then use black.

 

Here's an old photo (March 14, so much seems to have happened in the last two weeks) with an overall view of the cleaning and arrival roads and a few lines of description.

 

 

HTH

 

Hi Flood,

Thanks heaps for the info I am pretty sure I know what to do now, though I need to finish wiring the extension before I do to much scenery. It is useful to know what I need to do though as I can start getting some of the detail bits like the taps etc.

 

Many thanks Peter,

[Ramrig]

Are we all going to the gig then? Sounds like a good plan to me.

 

Already got my Tickets. Passed Glenn the details last night.

 

see you tomorrow if you have calmed down I might even do something on Duffield. Ah, its a running night, never mind will take something to run instead.

 

I will contact Glenn tomorrow if I can make it over to take some Photos!

 

Cheers

 

Ramrig.

[Poor Old Bruce]

Come to think of it, I can't remember when you last did something on Duffield!

Come to that, when did anybody apart from Jimbo and me do anything on Duffield except play trains. BTW, I had to uproot the tennis net so I could make progress on the backscene template - sorry

 

Richard

[Ramrig]

Have been over to see this layout today, It has progressed very well since last October. I have taken about 55 photos for Glenn & Graham this afternoon, I will leave them to post a selection of them. But I would add that this layout will be well worth seeing for anyone interestred in late 1980's loco's and rolling stock at the forthcoming Derby Model Railway Exhibition in May.

 

Well done boys . now which bit did you do Graham Only Joking! its a credit to you both.

 

Ramrig

[Flood]

Many thanks for the kind comment Steve, I hope the selection I post does your photography justice.

 

I helped Glenn finish setting up the layout on Friday, Steve came over to take the photos Friday afternoon along with Richard (Poor Old Bruce) for driver training. Saturday we all went to York show with Saturday evening being a near full running session of the layout for the first time since October. Apart from some of the couplings being temperamental on the electro magnets it all went fine. Today we have been back to adding scenery and more detailing to the layout.

 

Note: Lots of weathering still needs doing to the layout!

 

I'll post the photos in batches as I need to re-size them.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Flood

[Grimleygrid]

The peeling paint on the front of 526 looks really good and the fuelling points are spot on. The photo of the HST power car reminds me of Railwatch!

[Flood]

On 05/04/2010 at 13:35, Grimleygrid said:

The peeling paint on the front of 526 looks really good and the fuelling points are spot on. The photo of the HST power car reminds me of Railwatch!

The peeling paint on 526 is based on a photo on fotopic. I tried numerous methods but the yellow paint I had at the time was going off and caused some problems. In the end I painted the grey on first in patches then daubed the yellow on, actually turned out rather well I thought!

 

Have some more to peruse:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Flood

[Leon]

Brilliant !

[pendlerail]

Looking great. I love the attention to detail keep up the good work

[Flood]

Thanks as always. The only problem with working on a layout every weekend for four months solid is you get used to how it looks. It's only when we compare it to the photos from October that we realise how much it has been improved. Nice to know other people like it as well, always a boost for the ego!

 

Anyway, enough of my rambling. I'm sure you're all fed up with looking at large logo 47s so here's a bit of a change (well almost :icon_rolleyes: 😞

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Flood

[P.C.M]

Hi Flood,

Love the pics, the 26s look hellfire and I always liked the Scottish Duffs 47642 looks great with the Highland stag on the side, I think my only pic of this loco was when it had the Eastfield dog on the side, must have been later in the 80s. Keep them coming.

 

Cheers Peter,

[Hammer]

I've been enjoying watching the progress on this layout. It's absolutely perfect, and reminds me of home. Spent a good few journeys eagerly awaiting what might be sitting in the yard at Aberdeen as my train came in.

[Grimleygrid]

It certainly did turn out rather well!

 

Love the photo of 43064, great weathering down the side! They did look good in that livery, takes me back……

 

Agree with Peter the 26s look great, always did love that class. Whether it was due to them being so far away and hard for me to see I am not sure. Would love a couple of those especially in Railfreight but they don’t fit in with either of my layouts!

 

In the latest Traction magazine there is a photo of a BR Blue 26 looking very work stained, faded and weathered. Made me want too buy a Heljan one…..

Keep the photos coming I am a big fan of the Scottish 47s……superb layout!

[Flood]

Thank you to everyone as always. Especially Hammer by saying it reminds him of home - I feel quite embarrassed receiving a compliment like that and I'm sure Glenn will be very pleased as well.

 

The weathering (in fact the whole paint job) for 43179 and 43064 were done by our mate Alex Carpenter, 43064 was originally a blue and grey power car! It should have City of York plates on the side but he forgot that they were on a spare Lima power car I gave him so they will be added at the weekend. We've got one swallow power car in the fleet (43072) plus 43092 Highland Chieftain in executive and finally 43117 which is a Lima dummy in executive with a drawbar so we can have a failed one and then do a swap. 43072 and 43117 are being handed over tonight (hopefully).

 

We'll probably have to take down the layout on Sunday but I'll try to get some more photos (including the 37s) before then.

 

In the meantime here is the last batch of photos taken by Steve (Ramrig) last Friday (plus two from me). The first photo gives a whole new meaning to lights on OO locos but the effect in the cab is actually just reflection. Incidently the depot offices are no longer red brick, they're now half way to being grey brick like the lower section of the shed. Also please excuse one of the HST rakes - it was just there to test the schedule, the actual rake is currently being painted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Flood

[Arpleymodeller]

Hi

Those last pictures gave the layout a real 80s feel.The lights add further atmosphere B) Brilliant!

Do you have any sound locos?

Regards

Lewis

[Flood]

I'll admit that getting an '80s feel to the layout is made easier by having two executive HSTs lined up on the depot. Looking at the layout overall I still feel that substantial ground weathering is a must before May. After that we should really be looking at weathering individual items such as battery chargers, shore supply boxes etc., preferably to the standard of Jim's P4 New Street.

 

 

We haven't any sound locos for the layout at the moment. The problem really being if you're going to have one you really need to have all of them done and the thought of buying sound chips for 2 x 08s, 4 x HST power cars, 2 x 26s, 3 x 37s and 24 x 47s fills me with dread.

 

Another factor is that at exhibitions you can't hear the sound particularly well anyway. Basically we can't afford the cost of the chips or the time to get all the volumes right. We're just going to prioritise in getting the layout as good as we can and then we have a list of additional stock for the future (charter rakes etc), sound chips are a long way down the list.

[Bob Reid]

Without a doubt Graham & Glenn what you've achieved so far is first class. Whilst it good to see the the (prototypically correct) loco's and rolling stock, it's the little things of the depot itself that set aside as quite different to me. It's the attention to small details, that set it apart from being "just another depot" layout (if it ever could be as carriage depots don't get modelled much unfortunately). Some of the particualrly good features are the representation of the "battery ends" with all the usual clutter of ETS and ETH cables, and also the cleaning and tanking equipment - the right coloured hoses - with collars (that were supposed to be yellow but were often not) with the ends in the sterlisation containers..... One thing I didn't notice - it's probably one of Glenns (apologies Graham if it wasn't) - but the BRUTES on one of the platform roads, have the sleeper linen in the large white bulk carrier bugs sitting in them - Nice touch.... Add to these the shed in the correct colours for a Scottish Region Carriage/HST Depot. There's too much to mention to be honest other than these wee points but it's suffice to say it looks JLTRT! - p.s. where have you parked our Blue Astra Van or the Depot Managers blue 309?

 

 

p.s.

(when you get bored with it, how about adding a digicam pointing up the shed with a live video link to a "public facing" flat screen monitor for the punters too see the sets arriving in the shed! (okay it's a bit extreme)

[Dunedin]

Thanks Bob - as always, you are the real acid test for my memory, but I have to say, seeing the ScotRail rakes, HSTs and the sleeper sets sitting side by side and an 08 working flat out makes me feel very nostalgic. Add to that the fact that we can now reverse the formation of the Cross-Country set without the need for the hand of God thanks to Kadees and electromagnetic uncouplers and I'm really starting to feel pleased with the result.

 

You mentioned the cables around the battery ends - we have a photo in the collection but it hasn't made it on so far of a real tangle of 3-phase cables for the HST on our second cleaning road. If Graham can find and re-size it we could show you. As I remember (backed up by photos) they were never orderly and always twisted and we've gone some way to re-creating that. That particular part of the scene is now itself a piece of history because we spent Sunday ripping up yet another bit of layout (a weekend wouldn't be complete without undoing something we spent hours doing in the first place as part of some improvement) to extend the road so we can fit the two HSTs side by side on cleaning roads - because we thought the two nose ends together looked good when we tried it!!! The new arrangement for the cables has to fit in to a slightly smaller space now, but still catches the look I think.

 

The main challenge now as Graham says, is getting the scenery to a state where we are happy with it by May. Fortunately I have next week booked as holiday. A nice, relaxing time is planned - only got a wheel-lathe shed to build, scenery to progress and yet more wiring......should be a breeze!! Oh, and I have a have a second Hornby 08 due to arrive this week which will need repainting to BR blue (from EWS red) and chipping up so not much to do really!!

 

At some point, we'll try to get some photos of the underside of the layout and the wiring that makes everything on the top possible - who was it that said DCC made layout wiring simple? Whoever it was was lying - it just makes it different.

 

At this point I am reminded of a joke someone sent me last week: Normal people believe that if it aint broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it aint broke then it hasn't got enough features yet!

 

I think that applies equally to railway modellers and certainly to us with Kirkhill....

 

Glenn

[37114]

This layout is absolutely Proper Job! I think the attention to detail such as the shore supply and water pipes is fantastic, it would be so easy to miss these but they really bring the layout to life, if I may ask where did you find the reference pictures for these, as I would like to make some carriage sidings in the future and want to get the detail correct?

 

Thanks

 

 

[Flood]

First of all I'll keep Glenn happy. I thought that everyone would have had enough of shore supplies but I know have much work you put into these so hopefully I've found the right photo.

 

 

Now to answer Rob's query. In the old days when fotopic used to work all the time finding the reference photos would have been easy.

 

Page 1 of this thread has a picture from Bob showing a Mk2c FK after it hit the battery end. This has a good view of the control box for the loco hauled stock. This control box is very low, probably in a hole made a previous occasion the shunter didn't stop in time.

 

A good view of a portable battery charger, the platform sockets and some hoses at Craigentinny can be seen here. The thread on old RMweb had another of Bob's photos showing a permanent battery charger (link, just over half way down the page). The concrete apron and the pipe in the background are the Controlled Emission Toilet discharge area for the Mk3a Sleepers.

 

Finally Bob sent me a link for a photo showing the shore supplies currently at Aberdeen (not taken by him). You would have to ask him direct about that photo but this one can be clicked on to be made bigger. It shows a junction box by the base of the lighting gantry support with a new style control box right next to it (in aluminium). There are four sets of this combination in the photo. Nowadays only one type of control box is used, in the 1980s loco hauled stock and HSTs had different shore supply control boxes. The loco hauled style is as stated above, the HST style was exactly like the new style but painted yellow in the old days. You'll notice both types on roads 1 and 2 on our layout. Also seen in the background by the sleeper rake are the yellow drums with hose coils and these are also between the roads where the lighting gantry support is.

 

All this should get you on the right track. Don't forget that every depot had slight differences anyway.

Edited April 4, 2022 by Flood

[37114]

Fantastic reply, many thanks Flood!

 

 

[Dunedin]

What that last view of the HST shore supply on Kirkhill was trying to capture was something similar to this view taken at Craigentinny sometime in 2004 - you can see the tangle of cables which are also draped across the rails:

 

 

It also gives a good view of the type of grey brickwork which Graham has spent so much time applying to the depot buildings.

 

This view from Norwich Crown Point last year shows the 850V supplies with the black tubular "sledges" which hold the live receptacle so you can insert the plug from the coach. Note also that this view shows the other type of control box, which I think means that the type or shape simply depends on the supplier as both types still appear to be in use. Note also how the red cable sheathing fades.

 

 

I could go on (and on) but I think that would risk boring you all rigid!

[Ramrig]

I could go on (and on) but I think that would risk boring you all rigid!

 

I thought that was Grahams job

 

Remember only 38 days till Derby 10!! As Corporal Jones would say "Don't Panic"

[Flood]

OMG! :icon_wow: Only 38 days, eeek!

 

...and Ramrig has updated his status! What's going on here? I thought you were a fully paid up ludite?

[Flood]

More work yesterday i.e. Saturday (plus a play in the evening, got to make sure the schedule works).

 

I've finished off two more portable battery chargers, finished the gas cylinder store, painted and fixed some propane, R22 refrigerant and acetylene cylinders and made an electric barrow for the full bin bags to be carried on.

 

Glenn has been having huge fun with flock, static grass, horse hair and numerous other scenic items and all this for half the length of the layout. On the other half he has now added relief to the front in insulation foam, polyfillered it and painted it ready to be flocked etc over this next week.

 

No time for masses of photos but I was very impressed with Glenn's scenery so I dug out a 37 to keep everyone happy and took a couple of snaps on Glenn's 'phone camera.

 

...only 34 days to go.

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Flood