Bacup - Mills in the hills

[coachmann]

Shed allocations is only the start. Say you want 4F 0-6-0, it's easy to find one shedded locally. But have you got a photo taken at around the time of your layout? It could be LH drive or RH drive, might have an exhaust injector, Stanier chimney, a small Deeley tender, Fowler tender without doors into coal space, non-beaded splashers, valve tail rods, plain coupling rods, rivetted construction, non-standard insignia postioning and so-on. They are problems I have encountered.

[ChrisN]

Jason,

This may or may not be a bit late as I have only got as far as page 33, I will catch up eventually!

 

You asked about traffic in the fifties and sixties.  I only remember that I had a photograph of myself and a friend  around about 1960 taken in our cul-de-sac that must have had 40 houses in and there were only 3 cars.  When we went to visit my parents in the 90s we had to park outside it as all the available prking space was taken, cars nose to tail.

 

That is not a lot of help but I hope this link is.  http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=1773236&displayclass=slide

 

It is a link from RMWeb on a thread on Trollet buses to about 40 oictures of the beasts. In itself not very helpful but they were all taken in the sixties and they show the general emptyness on the roads.

 

Hope this is of some help.

 

On the theme of cars I always liked to see them parked as if they are sitting in the middle of the road they are still stationary and I think it detracts from the realism of the layout. 

[Physicsman]

You can tell that you're nearing completion of the "build phase" when you start to get bogged down with the minutiae of shed allocations.... Good luck if you can sort it out, but I guess it's for your own satisfaction. How many people would dare pull you up for a wrongly-numbered loco on your layout? Especially as you could, justifiably, argue that it was just visiting owing to re-routing etc.

 

I'll stick to the broader classes of locos on Kl, perhaps doing a bit of renumbering. But I daren't think about that for quite a while - or I'll get stuck!

 

Your commitment to detail is fantastic!

 

Jeff

[2ManySpams]

Shed allocations is only the start. Say you want 4F 0-6-0, it's easy to find one shedded locally. But have you got a photo taken at around the time of your layout? It could be LH drive or RH drive, might have an exhaust injector, Stanier chimney, a small Deeley tender, Fowler tender without doors into coal space, non-beaded splashers, valve tail rods, plain coupling rods, rivetted construction, non-standard insignia postioning and so-on. They are problems I have encountered.

 

Makes it more interesting though doesn't it. Oh, and at the end of it all, you have a unique loco, different from all those straight out of the box. Personally, I love the research bit and knowing I've probably got the right loco for the location / period. 

[Jason T]

With this 4F, because it is an ancient Airfix one picked up for a song (although with a new chassis, etc., already a tad more expensive....), I have no qualms about chopping and changing the shell if required. I'd rather do it to this one than the forthcoming Bachmann model

[coachmann]

With this 4F, because it is an ancient Airfix one picked up for a song (although with a new chassis, etc., already a tad more expensive....), I have no qualms about chopping and changing the shell if required. I'd rather do it to this one than the forthcoming Bachmann model

I gave up any ideas of making a decent 4F out of the Hornby. These two 4F christmas trees have just been dug out of the garage. The RH body with its overscale bright handrails is very elderly I suspect. I think the brass chimney is supposed to represent the Stanier type.

 

Edited April 28, 2013 by coachmann

[2ManySpams]

Jason, if you need another Airfix 4F I've got one in the loft that I can send your way.

[Jason T]

Cheers Chris; let's see how badly I mangle this one first

 

I do have a question though, that hopefully one of you guys can answer / advise. The sandboxes on the Airfix chassis are moulded on and the Comet chassis kit doesn't come with any replacements. I've had a go at removing them from the old chassis with some success (although one went a bit 'snappy' in places I didn't want it to snap) but would rather add decent ones. I've had a look on Comet's site and they do Stanier sandboxes in whitemetal, although not Fowler ones (and the two look, to my untrained eye, to be noticeably different in shape, dimensions, etc). So, for anyone who has done a Comet chassis conversion for the 4F before, what did you use for the sandboxes? Is it a case of use the old ones, fabricate some myself or is there another supplier that I haven't yet found that can provide what I want?

[2ManySpams]

Cheers Chris; let's see how badly I mangle this one first

 

4Fs hunt in pairs though Jason, and it would be cruel to have one on its own!

[51235]

All this talk about shed allocations is very good, and I admire those who go to such depths of research to gain the information. Enjoy the research, but don't get obsessed by it - remember rule 1 always applies.

Andy

[Andy C]

Jason - I fabricated my own sandboxes out of plasticard - I had a drawing to work off and its a simple enough job.

[Worsdell forever]

 

Jason - I fabricated my own sandboxes out of plasticard - I had a drawing to work off and its a simple enough job.

Andy, problem there is all Jason's plasticard has stone embossed on it...

[Jason T]

Cheers Andy, thought that would be the best way to go.

 

Paul, there is a lot of plastic on some of those large stone sheets

(I do have plain plastikard as well, just in case.....)

[bluebottle]

All this talk about shed allocations is very good, and I admire those who go to such depths of research to gain the information. Enjoy the research, but don't get obsessed by it - remember rule 1 always applies.

Andy

 

I's nice to get things absolutely correct, but, if it all gets too much, one can always fall back on chaos theory and invoke the butterfly effect. The name of the effect, as Edward Lorenz nearly said, is derived from the theoretical example of a shed's allocation of locomotives being contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its wings on some previous date.

 

Edit: typo.

Edited April 29, 2013 by bluebottle

[ChrisN]

When I finally get a layout that has more than 009 in it the time period will be the turn of the century, sorry I'm old so that means around the 1890s.  I will endevour to get the stock and locos correct but if they are wrong I am sure someone who was there at the time will be able to put me right.  

[Jason T]

First attempt at weathering a steam loco is almost complete - a bit of dry brushing left to do on the motion, etc., but it's nearly there. From 1965 onwards, according to http://www.brdatabase.info/index.php, the loco was shedded around the North West, with stints at Rose Grove, Lostock Hall, Birkenhead and Lower Darwen.

 

Airbrushed and then weathering powders.

 

 

 

 

Apologies for the 'quality' of the photos as per usual

[Old Gringo]

Well that photo of 48062 brings back some memories Jason.

 

Last noted by me amongst the dead engines at Rose Grove (what a strange name for a shed) on 2nd August 1968, not far away from one of my favourite 8Fs, 48115.

 

A few feet away some really young children were playing in the mucky yard, oblivious to the huge hissing steam engines still at work. HASAWA! What's that then?  On the night before, we'd spent several of the 'small hours' keeping warm with the crew on the station pilot locomotive at Preston, Stanier 5, 44806, before setting off to tramp around the sheds for the last time.

 

Those were the days! 

 

All the best, John.  

[LNER4479]

First attempt at weathering a steam loco is almost complete - a bit of dry brushing left to do on the motion, etc., but it's nearly there. From 1965 onwards, according to http://www.brdatabase.info/index.php, the loco was shedded around the North West, with stints at Rose Grove, Lostock Hall, Birkenhead and Lower Darwen.

 

Airbrushed and then weathering powders.

Nicely done sir! Definitely 'dirty' yet subtle at the same time - difficult to achieve.

 

Been following the discussion re loco allocation. The ideal is of course to find a photo of your chosen loco at your chosen location which correlates with the shed allocation and  known workings - then no one can say 'that aint right'! (Better still, find two separate photos on different days!)

[2ManySpams]

First attempt at weathering a steam loco is almost complete - a bit of dry brushing left to do on the motion, etc., but it's nearly there. From 1965 onwards, according to http://www.brdatabase.info/index.php, the loco was shedded around the North West, with stints at Rose Grove, Lostock Hall, Birkenhead and Lower Darwen.

 

Airbrushed and then weathering powders.

 

 

 

 

Apologies for the 'quality' of the photos as per usual

 

Needs a good clean Jason. 

[hornbyandbf3fan]

Great work, very realsitic. It'll look great with a rake of wagons behind it!

[Andrew P]

Hi Jason that 8F looks awsome mate, are you going to take the front coupling off or will it run Tender First at times?

 

Bodgit

[Jason T]

That, and other couplings, will be replaced at some point Andy, just not sure with what yet.

 

I have the steps to fit back on too.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Sandside

[artizen]

Nicely done - are you putting real coal in the tender?

[Jason T]

Tis already done (not long after the photo was taken)

[georgeT]

Morning Jason,   Must say l really love the  8f  l think you have got it spot on well done very impressive..

 

George..