Bacup - Mills in the hills

[coachmann]

I agree Precision Weathered Wood is very effective. I also have a single colour for all things....It is a large Mekpak bottle mixture of black and red acrylics well watered down and Fairy Liqud added. I also have a jar of 'sandstone' colour mixed as matt cellulose paint which is sprayed on first before the earlier colour is brushed on. It is used for stonework, brickwork and unpainted timber, and can be varied by adding more coats once one coat is dry. I also use it for distressing painted items such as station canopies and lamp posts etc. A glance at any colour photo will show that many things in a picture are all-but the same colour. The end results look far more realistic and subtle than a kaleidoscope of colours.

 

Rails vary though usage. A busy line usually has bright orange-yellow rust on the side of the rails, washed off rail tops by passing trains. Brake dust also plays its part. From there on things get darker towards dark red starting with lay-bye loops. Sidings that have been there since time began and are purple-lish as are rails towards the ends of sidings. Finally there are the sidings contaminated by the product that is stored on them such as coal, stone dust, clay etc. Railbuilt bufferstops I've seen appear to have been coated with tar in the distant past, such is the thickness of chipped off paint.

Edited December 21, 2012 by coachmann

[Removed a/c]

Looks really great, everything is coming together nicely !!

Edited December 21, 2012 by thebritfarmer

[Physicsman]

Jason, without any undue attempt at weathering, the photos in post 600 sum up the industrial nature of your area and hint at the grime of the period. Beautifully "dark" with just the right atmosphere.

 

Your entire construction really is a masterpiece!

 

Jeff

[2ManySpams]

A bit more progress this week, as it really has been dead as a doornail at work.

 

Can I have your job Jason?

[Jason T]

It's an odd one Chris. I work for an Investment Bank, in I.T. and at this time of year, because of the risk of making changes to applications and infrastructure with so many people being on holiday, they put a freeze on changes with the end result being that I have little to do. Come January, however, I will be working 9 -10 hour days again, stressed out, swearing, shouting, etc. there are peaks and troughs like you wouldn't believe and there has been the constant fear of redundancy since September 2008 (Lehmans went, we were saved).

 

I also work from home four days a week which most people think must be great but I would rather be in an office as I am a gobshite and miss talking rubbish to (at) people. Gives me the chance to get on with modelling when it is quiet but I do more work per day than when I was office based

[mudmagnet]

Hi Jason,

 

I've missed the last few pages and just catching up on the progress!

 

I'm impressed with the mill and chimney. Although they are both large, do not dominate the scene as the yard in front is still spacious - just works well.

Added to that, the 'curved' house on the hill work really well.

[Jason T]

I'm heading up North soon and won't be back until the 27th, so unfortunately there will be no time to do any modelling before then, but I have progressed slightly this morning with another job I have been putting off for ages, namely the gas lamps for the platform.

 

I am using the Langley ones (LNWR pattern but I notice that Andy C has used the same for New Hey, so I don't feel so bad and I thought they would be a bit more fiddly than they turned out, although it did take a while to get to the stage I am now, with the worst bit being cutting out the 'glass' globes. Anyway, all the bits are now cut out and filed, the posts glued together and sprayed in primer, waiting to be dealt with next week.

 

I think I'll have a couple spare but I'll most likely break a couple over time so that's no bad thing.

 

Oh, and:

 

[devondynosoar118]

Merry Christmas to you too.

[Mythocentric]

Merry Christmas Jason. Hope you and your lady have a good one!

[Andrew P]

Merry Christmas Jason, and  Happy New Year,

 

Andy.

[Mythocentric]

Hi Jason

 

Welcome back to the real world and hope you and your lady had an excellent Crimbo! I’ve just been reading your posts over on Jeff’s thread and thought I’d be mean and remind you of the one you missed!

 

L&Y Class 27 0-6-0 3F. Almost as numerous as Crab’s and allocated to virtually every local shed. Bacup had six until they moved to Lower Darwen in the early 50’s. This is Lower Darwen’s 52523 which was a favourite engine and shed ‘pet’ until it moved to Bolton in 1955 (and then spent it’s days on trip workings to Blackburn Daisyfield yard!). Apologies for the crappy (hand-held macro) photo! This one is a brass-built example commissioned by me and paid for by my daughters. Best Christmas present ever!

 

Regards

 

Bill

Edited December 28, 2012 by Mythocentric

[Jason T]

That's lovely Bill, no wonder you are chuffed to bits.

 

When I get round to stock and kit building, one of those is on the list, for sure.

[Jason T]

I've not been up to much in the last couple of days, other than finish off the station lamps (apart from totems - still to procure those) and add Romford wheels to the pony truck on both my 8F (which just happens to be a Rose Grove allocated one, so no renumbering required) and Xmas present, a Stanier 4P; both to be weathered properly at some distant time, obviously.

 

The shot of the 8F is for Jeff

 

A bit blurry:

 

Wider view, not as blurry:

 

8F:

[bluebottle]

Love the photo of the 8F; your best snap yet, I reckon.

[westerner]

Love the photo of the 8F; your best snap yet, I reckon.

 

 

I must agree with you bluebottle.

[Jason T]

I knew I'd get lucky with that camera sooner or later

[Physicsman]

A few 8F fans here, myself included!

 

Yes, it is a good "snap", Jason.

 

Jeff

[Mythocentric]

I'll add my vote to Jeff, bluebottle and westerner. A cracking shot of Staniers finest (that's my opinion anyway) design. LMS freight power in typical workaday condition! Please tell, where the Romford wheels on the front bogie a simple job. As you say they are a big improvement on the Hornby effort.

Also a vote for the station platform. It's amazing how the addition of details like the lamps help it spring to life! You've probably seen the L&Y platform seats from Southwark Bridge Models in L&Y Magazine 250. They'd make a worthy addition to Bacup.

 

Regards

 

Bill

[Jason T]

It was as simple as popping the old wheels out and the new ones in, Bill. They need to be painted but even in their shiny state, they really do make a difference. I have also fitted them to the Stanier 4P 2-6-4T and once again, what a difference.

 

Of course, what this now means is that I will need to buy a load more for the 2 Black Fives I have, as well as suitable replacements for those on the Patriot.

[Mythocentric]

Thanks Jason

 

Now theres a thought. I've got the Stanier and Fairburn 2-6-4T's to do as well (plus front steps for the Fairburn if I can find them!). Looks like I'm going to have to come up with a list before I go and bug Richard at The Train Shop. Again! (I bought a shed-load of wagon kits just before Christmas so he's already low on wagon wheels (Hee Hee)

 

Bill

[Jason T]

And here is the 4P with the Romfords on

 

[Mythocentric]

And another fine shot of a cracking engine sir! They really do make a difference don't they? I hope you realise I'm getting a bit jealous now. So much so that I'm going to have to stop work on my good shed and go play trains for a while. (Some chance!)

 

Must go. The youngest grandaughter Lucy is demanding Shaun the Sheep videos and she's getting quite insistant! (Like hitting me most severely with dolly!)

 

Many thanks

 

Bill

[Jason T]

I was awake really early this morning so with a few hours to kill, I finally made a start on bringing the area around the mill together, namely glueing the modular sections down and then, using offcuts of foamboard, bits of foam underlay and anything else to hand, followed by lashings of plaster bandage and a first coat of brown paint, have made a huge leap forward.

 

 

As the brown paint is taking forever to dry, I have also made some progress with the outhouses for the front of the layout. A loooong way to go here (as can be seen from the second shot) and another 20 to make but I always knew that this layout was going to take a long time. I had intended on using a sheet of Slaters slates I had but after trying them out and being a bit shocked by the profile of them (slates too thick, looks like planks, etc) I am now cutting slates from paper AGAIN.

 

 

[coachmann]

Good to see the L&Y 3F 0-6-0 earlier on this page. No 'cottontown' layout is complete without at least one. Tetley Mills III, Newhey, Bacup, Holt/Delph, Greenfield III and numerous others would be up front with multiple orders if a RTR model ever materialised.

[Jason T]

I agree wholeheartedly Larry, although I'll be stunned if we were lucky enough to get an L&YR Class 5 one year and one of those the next, so it'll be down the kit road I venture. On that note Bill, is yours from the Craftsman kit?