Blacker Lane D.P.

[Ruston]

 

The workshop/store for the engine shed area is a brass kit, from Severn Models. This second hand Parkside LNER van will become grounded.

[Ruston]

I love it when a plan comes together. It's starting to feel just how I want it to.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Ruston

[03060]

17 hours ago, Ruston said:

I love it when a plan comes together. It's starting to feel just how I want it to.

 

 

 

 

 

That's very much looking the part Dave, you're certainly capturing the 'atmosphere' from the photos that I've seen of the site in it's heyday (still appalled with myself that I was unaware of this back in the mid 80s.)

 

The Victory looks well suited also, I'd like one of these but have absolutely no use or need for one ... hmmm.

 

Enjoying the progress,

Regards,

Ian.

[Ruston]

I went for another walk with the dogs, only I'd shrunk and so had they!

[Ruston]

I work in a very chaotic fashion.

 

The shed area and what is to become the locomotive water tank. I've seen people use these Bachmann boiler loads many times, but it always bugs me how short they are when Cornish and Lancashire boilers were usually far longer than the Bachmann effort, so I have spliced two together. It will be on brick and concrete supports to the rear of the wooden building.

 

A bit of weathering on the AEC dump truck.

I find that bending the steering axle so that the wheels no longer point dead ahead makes them look more realistic.

 

The last board under construction.

It is cut away at the front to the profile of the canal.

 

Rendered walls on the cottage.

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Ruston

[Ruston]

Fiddle Yard track laid and wired.

 

The last pieces of track are the siding and end of the line at the staithe. These are yet to be laid.

I'm awaiting the parts to build the viaduct and have left a trench across the entire width of the layout in which to place it and then bed the ground level up around each pier.

[sb67]

On 02/06/2023 at 19:49, Ruston said:

I went for another walk with the dogs, only I'd shrunk and so had they!

Love the dogs! I couldn't resist getting a couple, got to paint one to look like our black Greyhound, pity they didn't make one lying down! 🙂

[doilum]

Useful article on the restoration of Crigglestone viaduct on today's Yorkshire Post.

[Ruston]

On 08/06/2023 at 20:09, doilum said:

Useful article on the restoration of Crigglestone viaduct on today's Yorkshire Post.

Don't suppose you can scan it? I noticed that there's been a lot of pointing of the brickwork, but what else has been done that could be called restoration I have no idea. They must have driven some big lorries or machinery down the old NCB track bed because there's a massive patch of blackberry bushes that's been removed. Shame because they gave a lot of nice blackberries that were easy to get to and pick.

[doilum]

1 hour ago, Ruston said:

Don't suppose you can scan it? I noticed that there's been a lot of pointing of the brickwork, but what else has been done that could be called restoration I have no idea. They must have driven some big lorries or machinery down the old NCB track bed because there's a massive patch of blackberry bushes that's been removed. Shame because they gave a lot of nice blackberries that were easy to get to and pick.

Sorry it was one of those articles that pop up on my tablet and then disappear......

It focused on recent restoration work.

[03060]

11 hours ago, doilum said:

Sorry it was one of those articles that pop up on my tablet and then disappear......

It focused on recent restoration work.

 

I'd noticed that you'd used the term 'on' the Yorks Post and not 'in' the Yorks Post, I served my Web printing apprenticeship with them, starting back in 1984, managed 14 years with them before going on to print the Yellow Pages ... and then err 'Gentleman's' Mags !!! Ahhh, well .... happy days ! 

 

Both this thread and a visit to the '0' Gauge Guild show in Barnsley last Sat have reawakened my interest in the British Oak site once again and saw me pushing bits of stock and track around on a makeshift (cardboard) baseboard. I still have an RTR 03, 08 and a J94 from my last look at this place, plus a Class 11 and Hudswell Clarke kits and a few wagons .... hmmm ??

 

It ended up costing me £100 for another point and a HBA wagon down at Frizinghall M&Rs earlier this week ! Don't hold you're breath though .... I've been here before and will probably still be pushing track around long after Dave has finished Blacker Lane DP     LoL !!

Edited June 10, 2023 by 03060
More waffle added.

[doilum]

Between them, failing eyesight, clumsy fingers and auto correct have made on and in mote or less interchangeable.

[Ruston]

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/crigglestone-viaduct-edwardian-railway-viaduct-in-yorkshire-that-has-been-disused-for-over-30-years-is-restored-4175076

 

[Ruston]

Not much has been done but I have road-tested some main line locomotives over the entire line, to see if they can go around the curves and that the clearances are all good.

 

Choppertastic!

Also show above is the area of static grass that has been put down as a test and some more ballasting that has been done.

 

Not photographed is the fitting of a Digitrax UP5 and UP7 Loconet plugs to allow control from two places on the layout and for the use of up to 4 controllers when guests visit to play with the trainset.

[Ruston]

The cottage is almost completed.

[Ruston]

The end board, with the FY throat above it.

The area of the FY above the board will be partially scenic - at least ballasted track anyway.The trackbed/board that the points are on will be made to look like a bridge, crossing the Navigation and to avoid a blank wall underneath I will build this JS Models lock kit to go under the bridge. It will have to be drastically shortened as there needs to be a lay-by for boats to moor at the staithe on the right.

Depending on how much space I have, the left hand side of the Navigation may feature The Navigation public house, which in reality is a few hundred yards further down toward Wakefield and on the other side of the railway bridge, which is also a lot further away from the staithe than mine is.

 

Another bit of Modeller's Licence that I am considering, to help the end of the FY look better, is to have a signalbox at the right hand side of the bridge, as if that controls a junction to the exchange sidings. It will have its back to us and be leaning and propped up, like the old Midland box at Altofts Junction was for years until it was closed and demolished.

[Ruston]

Progress, with the final sidings laid, ballasting underway and the lock partly built and chopped to be "low-relief". In real life, the canal falls toward Wakfield, but as this isn't actually British Oak, I'm having it rising here as it will look better and means I don't have to cut a hole in the baseboard to sink the lock into.

 

Weathering workshop.

The idea is/was to have the occasional BR loco run a train in, but we're in danger of the tail wagging the dog here! Blue BR diesels are addictive. One of the 20s belongs to a friend, who has bought it just to run on this layout and I've ordered an Accurascale Class 31. Normal service will be resumed soon.

[Ruston]

The lock, assembled, partly painted and cut down. The 3D-printed and etched brass details need to be fitted to finish.

I'll put some mirror plastic at the far end when it's installed.

 

The results of the weathering of the main line diesels.

 

 

 

 

They may not be the best weathering jobs ever seen, but at least I've taken the out-of-the-box plastic shine off them.

[Treinenliefde]

Awesome job on the lock! It looks really impressive. The shot of the 20 under the bridge is also really nice. Some very nice inspiration for a scenic boundary on any layout. 

[JSModels]

1 hour ago, Treinenliefde said:

Awesome job on the lock!

 

Agreed! 😁

[Ruston]

Weighted point lever.

I don't know what's available to buy, except for the cast whitemetal ones, from Wizard. The last time I bought any of those there was loads of flash that had to be removed and some of the weights had broken off in the packet, so I decided to not waste any money on them this time and made my own. One down, three to go. The other five will be long dog-leg levers. Again, these are available as etched brass parts, but they are quite flimsy and those on Charlie Strong's Yard and White Peak were regularly damaged during track cleaning, so I'll be making my own, from thicker brass.

[Sweet pea]

Super job Dave.👍

[Ruston]

A few photos of British Oak, courtesy of 5050, of this parish. Taken in 1982.

 

The former L&Y bridge - Horbury Station Jct. to the left, Crigglestone Jct. to the right.

 

Facing the other way and around the curve into the yard with 03037 and 08016 in residence. Both repainted into a darker blue than BR blue, but still carrying BR numbers.

 

Fuelling facilities.

 

Landsales/lorry loading.

 

Back out of the yard, across Blacker Lane and facing toward the Midland viaduct. The track in the foreground to the exchange sidings and the other to the staithe. On the far left, just this side of the electricity pole, can be seen the haul road that went to the area for tipping waste.

 

 

 

[03060]

37 minutes ago, Ruston said:

A few photos of British Oak, courtesy of 5050, of this parish. Taken in 1982.

 

The former L&Y bridge - Horbury Station Jct. to the left, Crigglestone Jct. to the right.

 

Facing the other way and around the curve into the yard with 03037 and 08016 in residence. Both repainted into a darker blue than BR blue, but still carrying BR numbers.

 

Fuelling facilities.

 

Landsales/lorry loading.

 

Back out of the yard, across Blacker Lane and facing toward the Midland viaduct. The track in the foreground to the exchange sidings and the other to the staithe. On the far left, just this side of the electricity pole, can be seen the haul road that went to the area for tipping waste.

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing these Dave (and @5050 ) they are certainly very interesting views from angles that I've not seen before.

 

I didn't realise that 08016 had also been painted in the darker blue shade and have to say that I thought 03037 was still BR blue until it acquired the red buffer beams and coupling rods.

 

I presume the bit of brick wall in pic.1 is part of the weighbridge and office ? I also note that the siding under the bridge has gone by this time.

 

Pic.4 is very interesting showing this Landsale/lorry screen as a stand alone unit and not connected to any of the other screens by conveyor, am I correct in thinking that this does have rails running through it though ?

 

As I said ... all very, very interesting.

 

This was my 'O' Gauge test mock up on my living room floor the other weekend, all now transferred back to the railway room. I experimented with this a few years ago but couldn't quite make it fit with the Peco points that I had, I've now re looked at this using a few Set-track points which allow me to fit it into the 9'3" length available. The loading sidings will be to 'Inglenook' type lengths with a mirror behind for extra depth ... but enough of my thoughts ... I'm enjoying seeing your layout develop at a rapid pace.

 

Regards,

Ian.

 

[Ruston]

7 minutes ago, 03060 said:

I didn't realise that 08016 had also been painted in the darker blue shade and have to say that I thought 03037 was still BR blue until it acquired the red buffer beams and coupling rods.

I have another view of both locos, also taken at the same visit, and they both have the dark blue and red buffer beams and rods. Despite these pics being said to be c1982, I do wonder if that's correct as there is a Fickr pic of 03037, shown as being taken in 1985 (below)

When I first visited, in 1986, both were in dark blue, so perhaps @5050 is wrong with the year?

 

13 minutes ago, 03060 said:

I presume the bit of brick wall in pic.1 is part of the weighbridge and office ? I also note that the siding under the bridge has gone by this time.

No, it's a retaining wall.