Hills of the North - The Last Great Project

[Barry Ten]

1 hour ago, Bloodnok said:

 

Hah, the joy of working in old buildings. One of the layout projects I'm working on is housed on the third floor of a building built in the 1700s. There's 80mm of height difference in the floor across the area the layout is in (roughly 5m x 8m). Given the low point is roughly in the middle of one side, the floor is already steeper than 1 in 50 in places.

 

Not only that, but old rooms are often anything but rectangular. I didn't discover how much of a parallelogram my 200-year old train room was until I attempted to join two boards at a corner, and found I needed to add a "wedge" to correct the discrepancy.

[Bloodnok]

1 hour ago, Barry Ten said:

 

Not only that, but old rooms are often anything but rectangular. I didn't discover how much of a parallelogram my 200-year old train room was until I attempted to join two boards at a corner, and found I needed to add a "wedge" to correct the discrepancy.

 

Yep, there is not a right-angle in that room anywhere -- no two walls are perpendicular, and not even between a wall and the adjacent floor.

Nor is anything properly parallel to anything else. The opposite sides of a room are never the same length...

[lezz01]

Sound exactly like my maisonette to be fair. It's a perfect example of 60's architecture that should be termed the desperate school. As in they were so desperate for housing they threw anything up in the hope it would stay up. 

Regards Lez. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

2 hours ago, Barry Ten said:

 

Not only that, but old rooms are often anything but rectangular. I didn't discover how much of a parallelogram my 200-year old train room was until I attempted to join two boards at a corner, and found I needed to add a "wedge" to correct the discrepancy.

 

44 minutes ago, Bloodnok said:

 

Yep, there is not a right-angle in that room anywhere -- no two walls are perpendicular, and not even between a wall and the adjacent floor.

Nor is anything properly parallel to anything else. The opposite sides of a room are never the same length...

 

39 minutes ago, lezz01 said:

Sound exactly like my maisonette to be fair. It's a perfect example of 60's architecture that should be termed the desperate school. As in they were so desperate for housing they threw anything up in the hope it would stay up. 

Regards Lez. 

 

I don't think I ever fitted kitchen worktops to any house of any age that allowed a butt and scribe to be at a perfect ninety degrees.

 

Mike.

[LNER4479]

Well! I can't let the day pass without acknowledging both my delight and bewilderment at coming a narrow second (silver) in the BRM 2022 awards in the 'Modeller of the Year' category. Really?(!) My gast has seldom been so flabbered 🤪

 

But lest I sound churlish, may I offer humble thanks to all those who cast votes in my direction. Given this has probably been the more active of my two main threads on here over the last 12 months or so then I assume it's had the bigger influence 😉

 

So, by way of some form of celebration (although it was due anyway), here's a little picture update:

 

Firstly, the first board taking the WCML down beyond 'Shaprith' towards Carlisle has now been fixed in place for keeps. Evidence on this can (hopefully?) be seen in terms of the series of 9mm support pieces between it and the fiddle yard below (the main support spar is hidden in this view). Behind the running lines can be seen the station headshunt which is set on the level and thus illustrates the gradual gradient of the mainline. The tracks shown can be now be laid for keeps so I hope to do that over the next few weeks. Also apparent in this view is the cassette handling area with a mock-up cassette in position. 

 

However, this evening's 'celebration' is just visible on the other side ...

 

Having cut two of the boards to their final shape, I've spent a fulfilling couple of hours setting out the full extent of Dentonholme yard for the first time. These boards are a minimum of 16" wide, so room for 8 tracks across. Fortunately, I have to hand both the signalling diagram and the monster scale plan of the entire Carlisle area so, as per my usual style, this is a reasonable faithful - albeit somewhat condensed - reproduction of the real thing. It's a bit fuzzy from mid-distance onwards, so let's try another view.

 

Ah - that's better! OK, let's talk through some of the features. There's a set of through goods lines in the middle of all this lot and they're tracks 5 and 6 (out of 8) counting from the left. Until I studied the trackplans carefully, I hadn't fully appreciated that there was a separate 'east side' and those are tracks 7 and 8 (we're looking north in this view). The green shoe box is plonked there deliberately - that's the goods shed for the goods depot part of the yard - the rest is a marshalling yard. Its operation should be fascinating. Those east side tracks are for southbound trains. Northbound ones use the facing crossover halfway along to access the main yard. A through train could stop on the running line and detach / attach wagons using the various connections. Meanwhile, there's the trip workings for which Carlisle was famous ...

 

And an aerial view (courtesy of the new balcony steps) to put it all into context. That's comfortably 15 ft at least of goods yard, which has swallowed a 25yd box of Peco with ease. In the far top left you can perhaps just make out the pointwork in the vicinity of Carlisle No.13 box which is the start of the Upperby complex. Plenty to keep me busy!

 

Cheers! 🤓

 

Edited March 20, 2023 by LNER4479

[LMS29]

RL,

 

Your silver award was well deserved and the report above shows why.

 

Tom

[aardvark]

I agree.

 

All that you have to date so far exceeds anything that I might possibly consider aspiring to that it completely blows my mind.  But I love it just the same.

 

[LNER4479]

Meanwhile, only two weeks and two days to go until we're at the York show.

 

Just recovering from a visit from the voltmeister, he of the electrickery wizardry known only to a favoured few. We are not worthy.

Consequently, bits of layout temporarily set up all over the place.

 

A man apparently happy in his work. This visit with a view to much drilling and rewiring NOT going on in the middle of a show. It remains to be seen ...

 

Meanwhile, an amusing little moment as I was making my way through my own post-Manchester 'to do' list. One item read 'activate another Black 5'.

 

Hmm ... which one shall I choose? I might have got a tad over-enthusiastic with my recent purchases. I can box shift with the best of 'em.

Edited March 23, 2023 by LNER4479

[PaulaDoesTrains]

Can't have too many Black Fives 🙂 Or Duchesses. Or Patriots. Or Jubilees. Or ...

[innocentman]

1 hour ago, LNER4479 said:

 

 

Meanwhile, an amusing little moment as I was making my way through my own post-Manchester 'to do' list. One item read 'activate another Black 5'.

 

Hmm ... which one shall I choose? I might have got a tad over-enthusiastic with my recent purchases. I can box shift with the best of 'em.

Would you like to borrow 44767 again for York?

[LNER4479]

1 hour ago, innocentman said:

Would you like to borrow 44767 again for York?

That would be nice, thanks. You've already got plenty of Black 5s for Chapel, then?

[innocentman]

9 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

That would be nice, thanks. You've already got plenty of Black 5s for Chapel, then?

Just a good half dozen or so!

[LNER4479]

1 hour ago, PaulaDoesTrains said:

Can't have too many Black Fives 🙂 Or Duchesses. Or Patriots. Or Jubilees. Or ...

 

Absolutely! The 'Big Lizzies' in particular ...

 

And a few more to add to this line-up since this photo was taken.😎

 

[LNER4479]

Now then, some while ago we had a request for the point manipulation thingummywotsit.

 

Apologies for it taking a little while to get round to, but an opportunity has arisen to highlight it in real time as it were.

 

If you've been paying attention, you might be aware that I'm ready for some tracklaying on the WCML running lines, descending down towards Carlisle. This is the planned formation, a plain trailing crossover and a trailing connection out of the local platform. This is all on a slight curve, so straight points are no good as they are, whilst the outside radius on the curved points (moderate though it is) is too severe for the location. The length of track at the bottom indicates the approx curvature required.

 

Before we curve the points, first job is to modify the points to achieve the 'correct' track spacing of 11' 2" (@45mm). Using these two points in combo, it was a bit of a toss up whether to lose 6 sleepers (slightly under 45mm) or 5 (a bit over 45mm). I plumped for the 6.

 

Here they are with the appropriate lengths cut out of the wing rails and the excess sleepers cut away. The latter has the distinct advantage of elminating the abberation of the angled end sleepers.

 

Then a case of cutting and filing away the sleeper ends until ...

 

 

... they butt up to give the impression of continuous crossing sleepers. Can you spot the deliberate mistake? In a moment's lapse of concentration, I cut away the wrong side of the chair on the sleeper immediately to the right of the rail cut on the curved point, thus leaving the gap shown. Oops!

 

With the rails having been cut, you lose the engineered gap for the fishplates. I remove the webbing underneath to the adjacent sleeper (removed piece is next to the knife blade), making it easier to remove the chair as shown. Go carefully - one false slip doing this and you're off to A&E.

 

Insulated joiners for both joins as we're dealing with live frog points here (and would probably want breaks here anyway to keep the two running lines electrically separated)

 

And now the curving. Remove pieces of the web as shown, immediately behind where the checkrails end. Note how Peco have thoughtfully left gaps halfway down the point anyway. There is also a single cut through the web where the screwdriver is pointing - only needs a cut on the side where the sleeper gap will be slightly widened. Firmly grip the point either side of the cuts but only needs the slightest bit of movement to get the effect we're after.

 

Ta-daa! (1) Compare with pic before last to see the difference?

 

One thing to note is that the flexing of the points thus will distort the position of the tiebar - check for operation and that there is some clearance remaining.

 

Ta-daa! (2) I think that shows the effect better, especially on the nearer point, where the previous straight leg now has the most elegant of slight curves introduced.

 

Hope that was useful. I'll return to it once the third point is similarly treated and it's all been laid. Any questions?

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by LNER4479

[Tortuga]

Very useful and well explained. Settled on “Craftsmanship/Clever” as I can’t give more than one thingy.

[LNER4479]

Meanwhile, prep for York continues:

 

 

A visitation from the scenic team. A few knocks and scrapes acquired since first show in 2017; a few hours careful patch repairs and it all looked as good as new.

 

Got to look our best for one of the season's top shows 😇

[LNER4479]

Also ...

 

 

 

Two more locos getting 'ready for the road' 😃

[Metropolitan H]

2 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Also ...

 

 

 

Two more locos getting 'ready for the road' 😃

Are we seeing the "Royal Inniskilling Fusilliers" in transition to becoming "Royal Air Force"?  - or vice versa?

 

Regards

Chris H

[LNER4479]

46120 --> 46159 😉

[Enterprisingwestern]

18 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

Meanwhile, prep for York continues:

 

 

A visitation from the scenic team. A few knocks and scrapes acquired since first show in 2017; a few hours careful patch repairs and it all looked as good as new.

 

Got to look our best for one of the season's top shows 😇

 

Is it going to be cold at York?

 

Mike.

[gr.king]

If it's at all like a mid-summer's day in Bishop Auckland, I imagine it may well be.

[LNER4479]

OK - final call for York, as preparations draw to a close.

 

Here is the weathering line. Four locos for treatment in total, with increasing degrees of weathering to be applied from left to right(!)

 

Weathering station 1. Firstly an overall coat of grime, to give a nice matt surface for more detail effects. Dave Shakespeare's former Badger airbrush being used 

 

Weathering station 2. More effects being added using dry brush. Reference to prototype pictures is essential.

 

Meanwhile, the two LMS NPCCS vehicles are complete🤗

 

They will head the Up Midday Scot (LMS 1937) like so 

 

46159 poses in the somewhat unlikely scenario of Shap summit banker siding!

 

And the Brit? Has only briefly been seen previously at first shows, far too clean for 1967 as 70031 Byron. Also was stricken by the dreaded Hornby cracked gear wheel disease. Repairs now effected.

 

Those who know me will appreciate the significance of choosing this particular member of the class, still active over Shap in 1967.

 

See these and all the other usual suspects at the show over Easter weekend. Do say 'hi' if you get the chance.

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by LNER4479

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, LNER4479 said:

See these and all the other usual suspects at the show over Easter weekend.

Have a great weekend.

[drmditch]

On 29/03/2023 at 13:48, gr.king said:

If it's at all like a mid-summer's day in Bishop Auckland, I imagine it may well be.

Southerners!

( I suppose it depends on which side of the Trent you are used to.)

Mind you the first time I saw 'Grantham' was at Barrow Hill.  I got as cold as I could remember having been. Mind you I was not long back from Africa.

 

Hope all goes well in York.

[BoD]

6 minutes ago, drmditch said:

Southerners!

( I suppose it depends on which side of the Trent  Tees  you are used to.)

Fixed it for you.