Loch Nevis & Ranochan modular West Highland

[PaulRhB]

45 minutes ago, billywhizz said:

(as long as you don’t tempted down the 7mm route!)

Oh I’ve gone 7mm but not for the 37 although that can run on it at home. 
 

 

[roundhouse]

6 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

nope funded by selling something else 😁

So whats gone, a layout?

[PaulRhB]

1 hour ago, roundhouse said:

So whats gone, a layout?

Stock from Lulworth, the layout itself is paying for this 😉

[PaulRhB]

When it was at home Lulworth ran in various eras and regions including West Highland. So I already had a base roster of stock for this and that means selling off some of the excess stock I accumulated can finance sound chips and some nice to haves even when they wander off the subject slightly 😇

At home Loch Nevis will be home to various other themes, LNWR, SR and modern which makes the changeable station building board rather useful and I’ll leave the box as a removable item too. 

[Andrew P]

9 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

nope funded by selling something else 😁

A man after my own heart, NEVER give up the cake. 🤣

[PaulRhB]

 

20cm aluminium sign off www.locofleetshop.co.uk very fast 👍

[5BarVT]

4 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

20cm aluminium sign off www.locofleetshop.co.uk very fast 👍

Looks very pretty.  You can see the (official) non-parallel sides to the top and bottom arrows.

I think it’s just the angles and close-up that’s d making it so apparent .  For the reversed image the outer edges should be 20% longer than the inner join onto the horizontals.  (For the positive it’s only 16% ish.). All part of the fun of the difference between looks and is!

Paul.

[PaulRhB]

8 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

All part of the fun of the difference between looks and is!

I found this site interesting as it’s the full corporate identity from trains to uniforms. I think the window sticker style sign works well for a layout name. 

BR corporate Identity (Nick Job)

 

Maybe a couple of these too 😆

Edited July 31, 2022 by PaulRhB

[5BarVT]

1 hour ago, PaulRhB said:

I found this site interesting as it’s the full corporate identity from trains to uniforms. I think the window sticker style sign works well for a layout name. 
BR corporate Identity (Nick Job)

That’s the site I use for the technical detail of the double arrow!

Paul.

[Melangoose]

Great ideas for your new layout, look forward to seeing your progress.  

[mallaig1983]

Hi Paul, I’ve only just come across this thread and I’m already excited to watch it develop. Loch Nevis is a beautiful area, I’ve had a few boat trips along it on the MV Western Isles from Mallaig. Perhaps you could incorporate a small ferry on the slip? Inverie only has about a mile of road so traffic would be light therefore only a small ferry required for one or two vehicles. Unless of course the road doesn’t extend around the headland and a small passenger ferry would surfice. Langley may offer a solution for either. 
I look forward to following your progress.

Good Luck with it

 

Andy

[mallaig1983]

On 25/07/2022 at 11:02, PaulRhB said:

These pics off Flickr show the Armadale ferry terminal which I’m thinking could be adapted on the end of the station instead of the Mallaig building I’ve drawn. 
 

©️ Ron Gunzburger (click image to go to Flickr)

©️ andrewjohnorr (click image to go to Flickr)

 

Although I rather like this simpler arrangement too and this is on Loch Nevis at Tarbet. 
©️  Budby  (click image to go to Flickr)

 

 

Ah, the Tarbert’s appear to have confused you a tad. This is Actually the Tarbert south of Oban and the ferry service from there to Portavadie. 
Apologies for being the ferry bore 🙃

[PaulRhB]

1 minute ago, mallaig1983 said:

Ah, the Tarbert’s appear to have confused you a tad. This is Actually the Tarbert south of Oban and the ferry service from there to Portavadie. 
Apologies for being the ferry bore 🙃

That’s fine 😁 it came up on a search for Loch Nevis though so I was misled by t’internet 

[PaulRhB]

Ok the laser cut modular ends should be here in a couple of weeks so hopefully construction can actually start. 
 

I’ve started a timeline to try and narrow things down a bit to try and get most things right. 
 

Timeline West Highland

1980  Corpach Mill closed 

 

1982      37/0/1 & 2

 

1982 Railfreight red stripe introduced 

 

1985/6  37/4’s 

 

1987  Class 27’s withdrawn

 

1987 RETB Mallaig - Ft William 7 Dec

 

1988. RETB Helensburgh Upper - Crianlarich - Oban 27 March 

 

1988, RETB Crianlarich - Fort William Junction on 28 May 1988. 

 

1988  PCA tanks triangular Alcan logo

 

1989  ICA silver bullets built. 

 

So from that I think 85/86 is about right and exactly when I visited. Unfortunately apart from two loco shots with no other interesting detail I don’t have much personal reference for colour details from that trip. 
 The questions this raised are when the different colour styles came in for the stations?

 

I think I have it right from pics that it was 

Blue running in boards with white writing, cream with blue trim on the Signalboxes and galvanised silver lamp posts in the 70’s but then I see the running in boards changed to green while the box and lamps stayed the same. Then the third combination is the green and cream paint on the boxes and two tone green lamp posts. Does anyone know the dates for the changes?

 

Thanks to the excellent thread on the formations I’m slowly getting the coaching stock right and using photos for freight. 

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by PaulRhB

[slow8dirty]

1 hour ago, PaulRhB said:

I think I have it right from pics that it was 

Blue running in boards with white writing, cream with blue trim on the Signalboxes and galvanised silver lamp posts in the 70’s but then I see the running in boards changed to green while the box and lamps stayed the same. Then the third combination is the green and cream paint on the boxes and two tone green lamp posts. Does anyone know the dates for the changes?

Hopefully someone more knowedgable can, but I've got to the point where I think the timing of the changes varied quite considerably from station to station. Which could be useful if you go multi era.......

Or I could be completely wrong😟

[PaulRhB]

18 hours ago, slow8dirty said:

but I've got to the point where I think the timing of the changes varied quite considerably from station to station.

Yes but it is useful as it’s likely they’d have done Mallaig then moved on to my fictional Loch Nevis next ;)

 

So far from searching google & flickr I’ve come up with this,

1977 Roof removed Mallaig (edit), blue running in board, galvanised lamps. 

 

1980 Mallaig, green running in board, galvanised lamps. 

1984 Green running in board  removed? Replaced with Rail Alphabet signs (edit)

https://flic.kr/p/dsMpbL

 

1987 Mallaig Two tone green Stn lamps & BR ‘box’ running in board, possibly Scotrail branding?

 

So I’m going for the 1980’s rail alphabet signage (edit), grey galvanised lamps. 
copyright Jjm2009 on Flickr

Click on photo to take you to original. 

Edits thanks to input below for date and changes :) 

Edited January 17, 2023 by PaulRhB

[Alcanman]

Here are pics from my visit in August 1984 showing black lettering on white background.

 

[mallaig1983]

Hi Paul. A couple of great pics there that I haven’t seen before so appreciate the links.

 

The station roof at Mallaig was removed in 1977 and the extension to the main building constructed. The signal box never received the garish green. I’m assuming because after 1982 it was downgraded to a groundframe thus losing its signal box status. The green sign is very interesting. I have always assumed that it became green due to the effects of the salty air and sea spray in that very exposed location. However in that photo it does look fairly uniform. Late 70s photos clearly show it being blue. Interesting. I’m sure the pic shows it’s removal and may well have been staged in that position by the photographer as I’ve seen a pic of it on the ground leaning against the posts in 83 or early 84. I’m an honest and trustworthy guy but I really don’t think that would still be lying around if I’d have visited the station after a few pints in the local pub 🤣 lol. Would love to have that mounted in the attic!

 

Looking forward to seeing your layout build. Good luck with it.

[mallaig1983]

12 minutes ago, Alcanman said:

Here are pics from my visit in August 1984 showing black lettering on white background.

 

By my reckoning the new signage was put up early in 84. Note the other improvement with the raised flower beds. In 83 the old ones looked like untended graves.

[PaulRhB]

2 hours ago, Alcanman said:

Here are pics from my visit in August 1984 showing black lettering on white background.

 

That’s great so it did come down and the Railway Alphabet signs went up in 84, I assume the big running in board also appeared then but I can only find end on photos of that. 
 

2 hours ago, mallaig1983 said:

I have always assumed that it became green due to the effects of the salty air and sea spray in that very exposed location. However in that photo it does look fairly uniform.

I’m pretty sure it was painted green from these three stages, quite a contrast between posts and sign colour in blue,

This appears to be freshly painted green that matches. This appears to be 1980 as there are several photos on Flickr dated from 80-82 with the green signs so was that when the box was downgraded to a groundframe?

 

and weathered green

 

So I’m best going for black on white rail alphabet signs :) 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by PaulRhB

[PaulRhB]

2 hours ago, mallaig1983 said:

 

The station roof at Mallaig was removed in 1977 and the extension to the main building constructed.

Ah so some dodgy dates on a Flickr as a couple are dated 79 with it still there!

[mallaig1983]

Yes I thinks sometimes Flickr folks memory is a little out. It was a long time ago now.

That said I’m only going with what I’ve read. Tom Noble’s book ‘West Highland Mallaig Extension’ shows it being demolished and dates it at 1977. The box was downgraded in 1982 at the same time as the signals were removed and the track layout point work into platform 2 and the oil siding was altered. 
That is a great find with the freshly painted running in board. Pretty conclusive with the posts painted too. Well I can’t un see that now can I? I don’t think it will be available in green commercially sadly.

 

Great pics

[PaulRhB]

1 hour ago, mallaig1983 said:

The box was downgraded in 1982 at the same time as the signals were removed and the track layout point work into platform 2 and the oil siding was altered. 

So was it one loco working from 82 to 87 then or was it stop boards and a token control for the section to and from Mallaig? 

Less specific searches using Mallaig and just the year support what you’ve read as several images came up dated 78 and 79 with no canopy.  :) Thanks it again shows the advantage of asking the question and getting multiple sources. This is all just to establish likely similarities to Loch Nevis when in reality if it existed Mallaig probably wouldn’t have been downgraded if there was this extra traffic carrying on round! 
What fun!

Edited January 17, 2023 by PaulRhB

[mallaig1983]

50 minutes ago, PaulRhB said:

So was it one loco working from 82 to 87 then or was it stop boards and a token control for the section to and from Mallaig? 

Less specific searches using Mallaig and just the year support what you’ve read as several images came up dated 78 and 79 with no canopy.  :) Thanks it again shows the advantage of asking the question and getting multiple sources. This is all just to establish likely similarities to Loch Nevis when in reality if it existed Mallaig probably wouldn’t have been downgraded if there was this extra traffic carrying on round! 
What fun!

I think it was one loco in section only but please don’t take that as gospel. There must have been the option to have two somehow I’d have thought but I really don’t know. I’m sure someone who knows will pop up with an answer before long.

[PaulRhB]

On 17/01/2023 at 18:19, mallaig1983 said:

I think it was one loco in section only but please don’t take that as gospel. There must have been the option to have two somehow I’d have thought but I really don’t know. I’m sure someone who knows will pop up with an answer before long.

Ok from the Mallaig station page on Wikipedia,

”One Train Working (with train staff). Mallaig signal box was closed as a token station,”

I might bend reality a bit more and ignore the one train working period to accommodate my extension and justify a bit more operation. So in my world it went straight from token to RETB in 1987. 
 

Thanks to the various threads on here I have accrued four correct passenger trains worth of stock and twenty four assorted wagon’s appropriate to the period so far. I’m also wondering if I can press the polybulks into service at some remote distillery ;)

Seen here on the old layout.