Hills of the North - The Last Great Project

[LNER4479]

A couple more pix, showing the scale of the task:

 

Here, I'm preparing to remove the last of the old lights, top right. Compare it's height off the floor with the new lights on the left.

 

And here's the view from up the tower. Shan't ever need to be at this height again (famous last words!) so recorded the moment for posterity. The new tie-bars, lighting rail and, beyond, the reinstated balcony show up well from here. Way down below bottom right is Garsdale!

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by LNER4479

[LNER4479]

Meanwhile ...

 

Remember this? (May 2021)

 

Or even this? (Boxing Day 2022)

 

Well, last time we looked in, loco looked something like this ("any colour so long as it's black")

 

This might surprise you though?

 

The very pain in the a*** to apply as the panel lining has to be done in two stages. And the rivet detail on the Bachmann tender was not conducive to easy transfer adhesion.

 

 

 

 

Anyhow ...

 

 

 

 

Drum roll please ...

 

 

 

 

(as this doesn't happen often enough on the HotN workbench)

 

 

 

 

Ladies and gents, I present to you ...

 

 

 

 

 

Aha! That fooled you! (perhaps?)

 

Apparently named after the one and only timetable and travel guide compiler. As compulsive Micky P (the second) watchers, it just had to be.

 

If anyone has the recent(-ish) RCTS (Jennison) tome on the class, then you'll find a picture of the real 45518 in there from roughly the same angle as above. Apparently, said loco was repainted into LMS black in the latter half of 1947 so received its BR number only in 1948 (in the short-lived 'block' numbering style) as it wasn't due a repaint at that stage. Note that it is the simplified LMS black lining, ie no boiler band lining. Not sure re the cylinders as the RCTS pic looks like they might have been lined (could be a trick of the light?). Anyhow, in the austere circumstances, she probably lasted like this until 1950-ish. In which case, it's only a year or two away from the start of my target timeframe (1953) so that's good enough for me. Was nice to do something a bit different, given I'd built it all by myself - the standard Bachmann ones can be the more conventional lined green style! Even better, the pic in the RCTS book has the loco wearing a '12B' shed code (Upperby in 1948) - serendipity?

 

Fitted with a DJH GB2, she (he?)'s a powerful hauler so likely to be another on the night time sleeper roster ... where what colour a loco is isn't quite so apparent(!) Possibly the Manchester sleeper? More immediately, now the official portraits have been taken, she'll be subject to a fair dose of weathering with a view to rostering her on the early-BR banked goods train on the Shap running sequence. All being well, therefore, see her running at the York show.

 

[lezz01]

Very nice.

Regards Lez.

[65179]

2 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Meanwhile ...

 

Remember this? (May 2021)

 

Or even this? (Boxing Day 2022)

 

Well, last time we looked in, loco looked something like this ("any colour so long as it's black")

 

This might surprise you though?

 

The very pain in the a*** to apply as the panel lining has to be done in two stages. And the rivet detail on the Bachmann tender was not conducive to easy transfer adhesion.

 

 

 

 

Anyhow ...

 

 

 

 

Drum roll please ...

 

 

 

 

(as this doesn't happen often enough on the HotN workbench)

 

 

 

 

Ladies and gents, I present to you ...

 

 

 

 

 

Aha! That fooled you! (perhaps?)

 

Apparently named after the one and only timetable and travel guide compiler. As compulsive Micky P (the second) watchers, it just had to be.

 

If anyone has the recent(-ish) RCTS (Jennison) tome on the class, then you'll find a picture of the real 45518 in there from roughly the same angle as above. Apparently, said loco was repainted into LMS black in the latter half of 1947 so received its BR number only in 1948 (in the short-lived 'block' numbering style) as it wasn't due a repaint at that stage. Note that it is the simplified LMS black lining, ie no boiler band lining. Not sure re the cylinders as the RCTS pic looks like they might have been lined (could be a trick of the light?). Anyhow, in the austere circumstances, she probably lasted like this until 1950-ish. In which case, it's only a year or two away from the start of my target timeframe (1953) so that's good enough for me. Was nice to do something a bit different, given I'd built it all by myself - the standard Bachmann ones can be the more conventional lined green style! Even better, the pic in the RCTS book has the loco wearing a '12B' shed code (Upperby in 1948) - serendipity?

 

Fitted with a DJH GB2, she (he?)'s a powerful hauler so likely to be another on the night time sleeper roster ... where what colour a loco is isn't quite so apparent(!) Possibly the Manchester sleeper? More immediately, now the official portraits have been taken, she'll be subject to a fair dose of weathering with a view to rostering her on the early-BR banked goods train on the Shap running sequence. All being well, therefore, see her running at the York show.

 

 

Looks excellent Graham. Not much doubt the cylinders are lined in the view you shared with me.

 

Simon

[LNER4479]

Incidentally, meant to say in previous posts: it's not escaped my attention that my good self and this thread has been nominated in this year's RMWeb/BRM awards. Whatever the outcome, my grateful thanks to those that must have made such nominations. Just to be on the shortlist is really nice.

 

I feel like a bit of a fraud actually as there's been relatively little achieved in the last 12 months, whilst waiting for the building works. But now that's done, hopefully I can make up for lost time this year. Let's see ...

[Chamby]

It’s not what you do but the way that you do it, that’s what gets results...  as the song goes.  I think that you have captured the imagination of many modellers with both the subject and ongoing execution of your ambitious ‘last great project’.

 

Even if you feel progress has been slower than you would have liked this last year, you’ve kept the thread well informed, interesting to follow, and have brought an increasing number of followers along with you.  It’s a nomination well deserved!

[LNER4479]

Well that's very kind of you to say so 🤗

 

Was due an update anyway so got a double reason now(!)

 

Pleased to report that the replacement lighting is finished and, if I'm allowed to say so, I'm rather pleased with it. Here it is doing its job for real - it's dark outside! Still some cleaning up / sorting to do post-works. In the distance, I've left a gap between Bog junction (right) and Grand Junction (left) as there's two shows coming up so need to get boards in and out. Once we're back from York with Shap then I'll set everything out in earnest.

 

You'll get fed up of views from up here. Turning to my right, first of all you can see the newly-installed loft ladder arrangement for getting up here ... but, perhaps of more interest is work resumed down below. Top left, in the distance is where the recent initial work was undertaken on the Upperby site (looking quite small and insignificant from up here!) The plan now is to complete the WCML tracks in the foreground to connect up. Let's take a closer look ...

 

This is where the grand total of one batten and one leg have been installed over the last two evenings (!) But there's been a fair bit of thinks going on as well as this area is quite complex. There's three things going on here: firstly the fiddle yard area beyond Central. The single length of track shown is where the cassette handling area will be - to its right, and hidden by the board above, will (shortly) be four dead end roads. So these need 'sorting' before we fix the WCML trackbed above, descending towards Carlisle (it's only temporarily positioned for now). And then, to the right again is Dentonholme yard, which is set about 40mm higher than the adjacent fiddle yard roads, so these can't overlap. The yard should hold at least 150 wagons.

 

Got lots of other things immediately to do, notably a balcony rail to make things safe up there(!), plus prep for the two shows, so any immediate progress will be gradual but will keep plugging away.

Edited February 21, 2023 by LNER4479

[t-b-g]

On 15/02/2023 at 20:32, LNER4479 said:

Meanwhile ...

 

Remember this? (May 2021)

 

Or even this? (Boxing Day 2022)

 

Well, last time we looked in, loco looked something like this ("any colour so long as it's black")

 

This might surprise you though?

 

The very pain in the a*** to apply as the panel lining has to be done in two stages. And the rivet detail on the Bachmann tender was not conducive to easy transfer adhesion.

 

 

 

 

Anyhow ...

 

 

 

 

Drum roll please ...

 

 

 

 

(as this doesn't happen often enough on the HotN workbench)

 

 

 

 

Ladies and gents, I present to you ...

 

 

 

 

 

Aha! That fooled you! (perhaps?)

 

Apparently named after the one and only timetable and travel guide compiler. As compulsive Micky P (the second) watchers, it just had to be.

 

If anyone has the recent(-ish) RCTS (Jennison) tome on the class, then you'll find a picture of the real 45518 in there from roughly the same angle as above. Apparently, said loco was repainted into LMS black in the latter half of 1947 so received its BR number only in 1948 (in the short-lived 'block' numbering style) as it wasn't due a repaint at that stage. Note that it is the simplified LMS black lining, ie no boiler band lining. Not sure re the cylinders as the RCTS pic looks like they might have been lined (could be a trick of the light?). Anyhow, in the austere circumstances, she probably lasted like this until 1950-ish. In which case, it's only a year or two away from the start of my target timeframe (1953) so that's good enough for me. Was nice to do something a bit different, given I'd built it all by myself - the standard Bachmann ones can be the more conventional lined green style! Even better, the pic in the RCTS book has the loco wearing a '12B' shed code (Upperby in 1948) - serendipity?

 

Fitted with a DJH GB2, she (he?)'s a powerful hauler so likely to be another on the night time sleeper roster ... where what colour a loco is isn't quite so apparent(!) Possibly the Manchester sleeper? More immediately, now the official portraits have been taken, she'll be subject to a fair dose of weathering with a view to rostering her on the early-BR banked goods train on the Shap running sequence. All being well, therefore, see her running at the York show.

 

 

Very nice Graham. I know a little about that kit and to turn one int such a good looking loco is quite an achievement. I don't think it was one of the best kits produced!

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Still some cleaning up / sorting to do post-works.

You don't say!

 

3 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

You'll get fed up of views from up here.

No I won't.

 

3 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

notably a balcony rail to make things safe up there(!)

How about a carpet and a couple of armchairs too?

[Barry O]

3 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

You don't say!

 

No I won't.

 

How about a carpet and a couple of armchairs too?

A tea bar with a tea maker would be good...

 

Baz

[St Enodoc]

28 minutes ago, Barry O said:

A tea bar with a tea maker would be good...

 

Baz

Beer fridge...

[Barry O]

Of course what it  needs is.....

 

Wait for it...

 

 

A scale model Shackleton or Wellington..

 

Baz

[LNER4479]

7 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

 

How about a carpet and a couple of armchairs too?

 

4 hours ago, Barry O said:

A tea bar with a tea maker would be good...

More or less exactly what's planned ... (Clive being the tea maker)

 

And I do indeed have a collection of aeroplanes looking for somewhere to be displayed ... hmm?

[St Enodoc]

1 hour ago, LNER4479 said:

 

More or less exactly what's planned ... (Clive being the tea maker)

 

And I do indeed have a collection of aeroplanes looking for somewhere to be displayed ... hmm?

Now, if you went wireless DCC your drivers could sit up aloft, masters of all they survey, while the signalmen and shunters toiled away on the depths below.

 

Just sayin'...

[5BarVT]

36 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Now, if you went wireless DCC your drivers could sit up aloft, masters of all they survey, while the signalmen and shunters toiled away on the depths below.

 

Just sayin'...

Not even wireless with the right DCC system.  When I’m in test mode my trains are operated from the adjacent room over a 4 wire RJ11 phone cable. (I’m Digitrax Loconet, don’t know if it would work with NCE etc.)

Anyway, even with DC, I have built controllers where the handset was over a 2m cable but the ‘technology’ could cope with longer distances.  Just need a set of remote controller sockets wired to the balcony!

Paul.

[LNER4479]

58 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

Now, if you went wireless DCC your drivers could sit up aloft, masters of all they survey, while the signalmen and shunters toiled away on the depths below.

 

Just sayin'...

You can go off people, you know ...

 

Having said that, the concept of Carlisle area control located up there, with overview of the WTT and the progress of all trains, together with comms. links to all the manned boxes, has a certain appeal ...

 

'Control? We've got a problem.'

[LNER4479]

This book is very much in that vein ...

[Michael Edge]

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Now, if you went wireless DCC your drivers could sit up aloft, masters of all they survey, while the signalmen and shunters toiled away on the depths below.

 

Just sayin'...

We did this with the Overhead Railway at Southampton exhibition some years ago, the layout was in the theatre with balconies above so at times the LOR operator went up there for a bird's eye view over the layout. We were using Digitrax control at that time.

[Clive Mortimore]

8 hours ago, Barry O said:

A tea bar with a tea maker would be good...

 

Baz

 

4 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

 

More or less exactly what's planned ... (Clive being the tea maker)

 

And I do indeed have a collection of aeroplanes looking for somewhere to be displayed ... hmm?

 

2 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Now, if you went wireless DCC your drivers could sit up aloft, masters of all they survey, while the signalmen and shunters toiled away on the depths below.

 

Just sayin'...

 

I am not keen on ladders at the best of times, let alone carrying a tray of tea cups up one.

 

I am looking forward to being the maestro of the refreshments for Hills of the North.

[D-A-T]

5 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

 

 

 

I am not keen on ladders at the best of times, let alone carrying a tray of tea cups up one.

 

I am looking forward to being the maestro of the refreshments for Hills of the North.

As an outsider may I suggest a Dumb Waiter may assist Mortimore with his domestic duties….

That and the provision of a small silver bell to summon him.

Edited February 20, 2023 by D-A-T

[jwealleans]

One of these, Clive?

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by jwealleans

[woodenhead]

5 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

I am not keen on ladders at the best of times, let alone carrying a tray of tea cups up one.

 

I am looking forward to being the maestro of the refreshments for Hills of the North.

There was talk of a dumb waiter, they might have meant a lift to carry the teas up and down from the mezzanine but alternatively.....

[woodenhead]

1 minute ago, jwealleans said:

One of these, Clive?

 

nah it would be a multicolour Mk1 turned into a Griddle bar.

[Tony Teague]

What about one of those pneumatic tube delivery systems?

 

 

It could deliver hot drinks in insulated canisters - or even sausage rolls! - direct from the kitchen.....

[woodenhead]

40 minutes ago, Tony Teague said:

What about one of those pneumatic tube delivery systems?

 

 

It could deliver hot drinks in insulated canisters - or even sausage rolls! - direct from the kitchen.....

Not as far fetched as it appears 🤣