Waddlemarsh - somewhere southwest of London sometime before today

[Gwiwer]

10 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

The signal linemen that I worked with would wipe the arm with a paraffin rag on each maintenance visit. Back in those days our local lampmen would wipe the spectacles clean every week when they changed the lamp.

Much as I recall from both SR and WR practice.  Dirty spectacle plates would affect night-time signal sighting so while a small build-up of grime around the very edges could occur they were normally kept clean. 
 

The models are only weathered to present the effect of everyday use and to lower the intensity and moderate the wrong-colour appearance when LEDs shine through plastic as opposed to the wick-lamp through glass. 

[Gwiwer]

The M7 is about to get the bag in. 

 

 

Meanwhile the passenger service is formed of the regular 2-Bil unit. 
 

 

 

And in new works a path has appeared between station, staff accommodation, signal box and the goods line starting signal 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Gwiwer

[St Enodoc]

9 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

And in new works a path has appeared between station, staff accommodation, signal box and the goods line starting signal 

No doubt surfaced with Meldon dust.

[Gwiwer]

Diesel-hauled passenger trains are something of a rarity but occasionally one comes through. 
 

[Gwiwer]

Ullo ullo ullo. Wot’s all this then??? 
 

A WR interloper sighted at Waddlemarsh. 
 

 

[5BarVT]

Interloping with its own coaches too!

Paul.

Edited April 30, 2022 by 5BarVT
Auto incorrecting

[Gwiwer]

13 minutes ago, 5BarVT said:

Interlocking with its own coaches too!

Paul.

Those buffers are touching but not over-riding!  The Hawksworths have never been happy runners - there's something about the bogie swing or clearance which means they are prone to hopping off the rails. 

[St Enodoc]

57 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Those buffers are touching but not over-riding!  The Hawksworths have never been happy runners - there's something about the bogie swing or clearance which means they are prone to hopping off the rails. 

I've found that the self-centring mechanism sometimes "catches" on the back of the headstock. A few strokes with a sanding stick usually fixes it.

[5BarVT]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Those buffers are touching but not over-riding!  The Hawksworths have never been happy runners - there's something about the bogie swing or clearance which means they are prone to hopping off the rails. 

You answered what I said, which wasn’t what I thought I had typed!!  Apple auto correct doesn’t like Interloping and thought I meant interlocking.  Too much discussing signalling.

Paul.

[Gwiwer]

The Prairie has been weathered, fitted with the supplied number plates (which I believe are plastic rather than etched) and the plastic “coal” in the bunker has been replaced with the real thing. 
 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

A recent visit to Guildford in order to share in the third birthday of KMRC’s shop opening there and their twentieth year in business resulted in the liberation of - among other things - some Bachmann Scenecraft wagon loads. 
 

The timbers are very good and have only been given a very light weathering - just an already-dirty brush run over them. 
 

 

 

The casks required just a little more attention to meet my expectations of “used look” and are seen in the process of being loaded for transport. What might they contain?  Something from the nearby Fullers brewery, perhaps?  

 

 

 

[5BarVT]

On 22/04/2022 at 21:45, Gwiwer said:

Sadly no longer the beautifully curved signal posts though - I can't think of any remaining in use.  

 

On 22/04/2022 at 22:00, 5BarVT said:

If you mean the two line brackets, there were some between New Cross and Norwood Jn which I don’t think have been taken out yet.  However, I believe there was a restriction on climbing them (no longer deemed safe) so they might have been renewed to permit easier maintenance access.

Paul.

Update: I wuz right!

Taken from a train between New Cross and East Croydon last Thursday.

Still quite a few in use on that stretch.  Some have been removed due to platform lengthening in recent years.  At least one standing rather forlorn between Norwood Jn and East Croydon with a modern replacement nearby.

Paul.

[Gwiwer]

It’s probably safe to say that this isn’t 1M99. North British “Warship” D835 Pegasus arrives at the shunter’s cabin with a Warflat in tow. 
 

 

[Gwiwer]

Definitely an out-of-the-ordinary sighting at Waddlemarsh today was one of St. Blazey depot’s Railfreight-livery class 37s bearing recently-applied nameplates. 
 

As the loco is still slightly grubby it has either worked hard since naming or the plates were attached without ceremony in the depot. 
 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Something crept out from behind the trees 

 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

Scenic details. A Sunday picnic spot?  
 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

A couple of picnic tables have been added to the glade scene. These lack umbrellas as I don’t recall such things being common in the 1960s. The one with the umbrella has been returned to its spot outside the pub. 
 

These items, along with some of the people, are all recycled from Penhayle Bay.  The two tables featured here were on the beach while that outside the pub was … outside the pub!  
 

 

 

[Gwiwer]

A first trial for the running-in boards. Cast frames with home-made signs. 
 

The green isn’t quite right but is the best I can get from my printer. It doesn’t offer the “rainbow” in reversed (coloured background, white lettering) and the Trebuchet font is later than the SR style intended but is quite close. 
 

A wipe-over with a dirty weathering brush has reduced the home-printed look somewhat. 
 

The paper is stuck to the casting with double-sided tape to avoid any risk of wet adhesive causing the ink to run. 
 

If I can re-print these on photo-paper and darken the colour a bit I’ll replace these in due course but they’ll do for now. 
 

 

[brushman47544]

If you haven’t tried already, you could see whether using bold letters helps. I’m not familiar with Trebuchet but most fonts are slightly fatter/chunkier in bold. With white letters there’s no darker effect you’d get with a colour.

[Gwiwer]

A time-consuming and fiddly task is under way. Installing the lighting. 
 

So far the platform lamps are up as is one on the station footbridge. That’s about halfway through the job. 
 

 

[PeterBB]

Particularly like the station signs.

 

[Peter Beckett]

Rick,

Are the lights operational?

 

Peter

[Gwiwer]

4 hours ago, Peter Beckett said:

Rick,

Are the lights operational?

 

Peter

Good question!  They are built to be operational but until the wiring is complete   I won’t know if that is successful. 

[Gwiwer]

So I re-did the signs on glossy photo paper and with a little weathering added I am happy enough with the result. 

I have to accept limitations of scale and skill at some point plus the absence of a workbench. All the cutting, sticking, painting and weathering these days is done on a cutting board perched on a wooden rolling stock storage box on the floor with me squatting on a step stool. It’s not ideal but it’s what I’ve got (and all I’ve got room for) so it’s a case of doing the best I can. 

The Up platform - with the sign facing the camera
 

 

And the reverse of rhe Down platform sign which does have its nameplate fitted on the platform side. 
 

[Gwiwer]

Lights being installed - 2  
 

Holes bored in the resin footbridge to accommodate the wires. 

 

Ratio kits wired in the hope that they work when the spaghetti is joined!

 

Work very much in progress including visible wiring awaiting final fitting.