Hookton Riverside – Hookton and the Lipp Vale mark II

[Mike]

With the demise of the original layout and bits and drabs posted on a mixed thread I thought it would make better sense to give Riverside its own thread. So as you may have read the original layout was ruined by water ingress and after much gnashing of teeth and several expletives was scrapped, although almost all the buildings were saved along with the hand built turnouts and their operating mechanisms. Riverside is longer and has much more operating potential with a tried and tested trackplan. As per usual I have tweaked history by using the characters from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson in the late 1940s early 1950s. The Pub/Inn is the Admiral Benbow, the large Georgian house is aptly named Trelawney House, there is Benjamin Gunns cheese shop, L.J.Silver & Son the friendly butchers, not forgetting B.Pew the Grocers I had thought he might have traded as an optician. Doctor Livesey, Captain Smollett and several others. I really do need to get out more, although railway modelling has to be fun, with for me, the back story being just as important as the modelling. None of the buildings are finished and are just plonked in place plus the first bare bones of what will be three supports. Legs eleven. well not really just the supporting units for the layout. The photos show the construction not quite finished as there is some serious finishing needed and the front and one end panel to be fitted plus the fold down shelf . It means that drapes are not required and there is a place for storage of all the bits and bobs we take to shows of which I have 3 bookings in the last 3 months of the year.

[marc smith]

Sorry to hear that your last layout was ruined by an ingress of water.
However, it's great that you have been inspired to build another layout. Even better news that your buildings survived - there's some great modelling there :) 

Have you got an overall view or "track-plan" - though I think I can work it out.... it's always nice to get an overview. Best of luck with the build

[Mike]

Leg unit take 2 needs cleaning up and painting, just another 2 to complete the set.

 

[Mike]

Layout support base units almost complete. Paintwork needs to be sorted with cutting in  and a general tidy up but they work. There is still an end panel to fit and 2 shelves to make which will act as front panel protectors to the 2 scenic boards during transit. and then slotted into place once the boards are on the base units. Presentation is important so no curtains which would have to fireproof and with ancillary's such as tool box coats etc can be safely stored and hidden from view. Now to complete the lighting rig and fiddle yard and the jobs a goodun.

[Mike]

A little bit of nonsense. Not so much a Galloping Goose more of a Waddling Duck. Royal Mail unit under construction, needs lots of tidying up and the painting finishing, but at least it runs well.  Hacked about Corgi lorry with a bogie van fitted with an Athern diesel chassis.

 

[Mike]

Changes are a foot, well to be more accurate almost 3 foot. I have started a new structure namely J Hawkins maltings, which has resulted in a remodelling of the first board. The building is far from finished the two halves are not joined nor is the linking arch fitted. The roof is purely temporary and the ground surface is just plonked for effect. Once some more materials arrive I will crack on and complete it. 

[Mike]

I've started so I'll finish. I have started to tile the Maltings roof, well the added bits ,with Slaters plastic tile sheets. Perhaps not the best method but given the area that needs tiling the easiest, although it will take some time and maybe some choice Anglo Saxon expletives. 

 

[Mike]

Tiles and more tiles and I'm not even half way through. Whose silly idea was it to have a structure that is 900mm long? Oh! it was mine. Dark room beckons no I'll stick to the G&T's.

[Dunalastair]

That has a certain presence - looking good. We live in a converted three-storey maltings (one of seven properties) so I can attest to the length of such buildings, even small ones. Do we get a cupola?

[Mike]

Sorry no cupola as it would be too high and be well above the back board.

 

[Mike]

Hookton Riverside Maltings all 3 feet (900mm). First waft of base colour on the Malting roof, or should that read roofs still need to paint the two wooden structures.

Now the fun starts with guttering ,down pipes and weathering. Oh! forgot the door knobs.

 

[Mike]

A little more work on the Maltings. Waiting on a delivery to arrive so that gutters and downspouts can be installed.

[Mike]

Just a little more progress, station building needs weathering and fire buckets added. The platform needs benches, lights and populating.

 

[Mike]

Today I have mostly been playing trains and just a bit of modelling or should that be mostly modelling with a bit of playing trains. Ex Vale of R look-a-like locomotive needs a clean and the crew now painted adding but on a commercial chassis runs great.

 

 

[Mike]

Update number too many to count. Hookton Riverside in the workshop. One base unit showing the public side and the other showing the removable shelf from the operators side. Lighting in place this locates in two pockets fitted on the back of the backscene, the workshop needs to be tided so that there is nothing to spoil any proper photos. The first 3 pics have the light on with the workshop lights off the last photo is just natural daylight.

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by Mike
spelling

[Mike]

Hookton Riverside at the recent (7-10-203) Cradley exhibition. The coach in the photos is only a stand-in and will not feature at future shows.

 

Edited October 15, 2023 by Mike
spacing photos

[JimRead]

Hello Mike,

Really great :-) I do like the spacious look of it very well done indeed.

Cheers - Jim 

[Mike]

New cassettes built from modified Intentio kits ready for the Solihull exhibition on the 11/11/23  this Saturday. Shake down for Warley in two weeks time. 4 shows already booked for next year.

 

[Mike]

I was thinking of retiring from exhibiting after Solihull and Warley but I have already received 4 invites for 2024 including the 7mm Narrow Gauge Associations Burton on Trent AGM show. Ah well! perhaps now turned 82 I think I might just call it a day once I turn 83. Oh! now hang on a minute the last show of the 4 2024 bookings is December and I will already by then be in my 84th year. Might just have to reconsider and start planning for 2025.😁

[Mike]

A very interesting day working on the fiddle yard rebuild after the Solihull Exhibition. The cassettes proved to be troublesome as the succumbed to the changes in humidity and warped, so instead of being flat they rocked end to end. The new arrangement see fixed track and points, I say points as one failed along with the Bluepoint unit quickly replaced and rewired so all is now well. Just a little scenic touch up and a new Pub sign to make and finish the bogie coach  before Warley. I might even have a day off.😁

Edited November 16, 2023 by Mike
spelling

[john new]

On 26/04/2023 at 15:05, Mike said:

Layout support base units almost complete. Paintwork needs to be sorted with cutting in  and a general tidy up but they work. There is still an end panel to fit and 2 shelves to make which will act as front panel protectors to the 2 scenic boards during transit. and then slotted into place once the boards are on the base units. Presentation is important so no curtains which would have to fireproof and with ancillary's such as tool box coats etc can be safely stored and hidden from view. Now to complete the lighting rig and fiddle yard and the jobs a goodun.

I like the idea of panelling in the legs rather than using drapes. Not suitable for my current set up as there would still be a gap between my existing support legs that would need a drape to hide; however, definitely one of those ideas for filing away as could be very  useful in a future project.

 

Thank you for posting it.

[RobAllen]

I saw Hookton Riverside yesterday. Lovely to see in person and a joy to watch. Thanks for taking the time to chat about couplings too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mike]

I’m going to be busy over the next couple of months. Tidying the ballast, changing the magnets and all the couplings. Finishing the coaches and the bogie wagons. March will be the Redditch exhibition first of the 7 shows now booked for 2024 and I had considered retiring from the show circuit, how silly was that.