Bacup - Mills in the hills

[Jamiel]

A funny thing about telegraph poles, although there are quite a lot of ones that aren't straight in reality, on models they tend to look like they have been knocked, or are just not right.

There are a few things that just don't look right when modelled, perhaps there is a high degree of personal taste in this.

 

Obviously if you were to model Chesterfield, (or even Pisa) the notoriety of those wonky buildings would need to be represented though.

Love the layout, a thread I keep dipping back to every week, thanks for sharing your work.

Jamie

[Jason T]

 

Love the layout, a thread I keep dipping back to every week, thanks for sharing your work.

 

Jamie

 

Likewise Jamie, I've been an avid follower of your layout thread, and am loving your buildings

[BurnleyModeller]

Hello I live in Bacup now in a newish estate and it is nice to see a layout based on where I live I go to the preserved line that Bacup Station was originally part of and it is nice to see what it was like!

 

             All the best, Alex

[freebs]

Hi Jason, I've finally caught up with this mammoth thread. Your modelling journey has been an epic one and your work is consistently excellent. I am totally in awe, and both inspired and depressed by your output. Depressed only by the knowledge that I'll never have the time to achieve what you've managed so far. What you've done is what I aspire to, but having managed to take three months to build an incomplete Station building, I'm getting disheartened somewhat...

 

I think this is definitely on a par with Dave Shakepeare's Tetley Mills. You have evoked the feel of a grotty Northern Mill town superbly, and as others have said before, that curving, sloping run of terraces is just sublime!

 

Lee

[hybridangel77]

Some very nice photos of the layout richard.i like the one of the over bridge.

[Jason T]

Hi folks,

 

thanks for the kind comments.

 

Lee, I've just had a look on your blog and your station building is looking superb. Personally, I don't think you've used too much black in the weathering but I would say that, wouldn't I

 

Cheers,

 

Jason (or Richard if you prefer, Terry )

[freebs]

Cheers Jason/Richard

I'm almost at the point of painting over it all and starting again :|

[mark axlecounter]

hi Jason when are you commimg up to see the nutters  i can ask nev to see if you can join them  i think you would be happy

layout is looking brill pitty its all swept away now

[Jason T]

I may venture over to Bacup soon, when I've relocated. I guess I should visit the real place at some point.

 

Anyway, not been up to too much of late but I have made a start in chopping off tension locks and replacing them with 3 links, which is a lot easier on kit built stock than on RTR, which involves a fair bit of chopping. Why 3 links, you may ask.

 

The first reason is asthetics, and personally I think Kadees look worse than tension locks. The thing is, when I go to exhibitions and see wagons on finescale layouts, I always think that they look better than mine, even if they are RTR and have only basic weathering. It struck me at the weekend whilst messing around with Mark's Foundry Lane that the big difference in looks is caused not by the the tension locks on their own, but the huge chunk of plastic / NEM pocket that hangs down, e.g. the mounting point. 

On the left is a wagon with 3 links and on the right, one with the tension lock and NEM pocket. See what I mean? And that isn't the best of pics to demonstrate it

 

Secondly, and maybe I am a masochist, but I like the fact that fiddling around with the links when coupling/uncoupling delays the shunting manouvres, so the temptation to (tension) hook up and shoot off straight away is eliminated.How many lovely layouts do you see with 'instant' shunting at exhibitions? Loads; it says to me that the operator is bored.

 

So, tonight I have been shunting the yard with the locos and stock so far converted, and it's been very enjoyable although it has highlighted (or maybe increased) the necessity to try and sort out the overhang issue with Hornby Black Fives when they go round curves (the body doesn't follow the pony truck) so I'll be looking again at what Richard (Ben Alder) did and having a go myself.

 

Anyway, here are a few more of the 'converted' and in the background, my new purchase courtesy of Tim. This will become 90555 shortly, as I can place that at Broadley on the Facit branch in 1961.

 

 

(the flash on this has made the Five appear a bit brown; it's not in reality as previous photos will prove)

 

 

 

 

Oh, and whilst I was at the job of changing couplings, I finally got around to adding lead weights to my wagons, something I should have done ages ago. I also sorted out the Double Bolster with new buffers and uprights after clumsiness had snapped the original Parkside bits years ago. Beer o'clock now

[coachmann]

The 3-links look great. I'm sorely tempted to revert to 3-links because most freights will pass non-stop through Greenfield and very few will actually enter the yard for shunting. It'll save fitting unsightly uncoupling ramps too. Who's did you use, Romford or Smiths?

Edited May 21, 2013 by coachmann

[Jason T]

Smiths. They are a bit over scale but I can live with that. Not overly impressed with the screw links though, they are a bit basic looking, flimsy and a tad rigid.

[coachmann]

ThanKs for that. I too had used Smiths but goodness knows where i put them. Smiths 3-link were a pain in the butt and no mistake and I always doubted their strength for the job.

Edited May 21, 2013 by coachmann

[freebs]

Are you comfortable with the non automatic "great uncoupling hand from the sky" method of uncoupling? I inherited a load of old stock with Spratt and Winkle couplings, which again look a bit odd with the coupling bar. I do think that the 3 links look so much better. What about Coaches though? Are they 3 links too? I guess Passenger stock are more often than not in fixed rakes and not a lot of shunting goes on there. 

It's good that you can play trains though, having pulled up all my track, I'll be looking at a few weeks before anything can run again...

[Jason T]

Not sure what to do with the coaches yet but as 99.9% of passenger workings were DMU by 1960, it's not too big a concern really as I have a Cravens and a Derby Lightweight (desperately in need of renumbering and weathering). The only passenger working with coaching stock is likely to be Wakes Week specials and Aspinall 2-4-2's on push-pull services when I finally pluck up the courage to build the carriage kits, Belpaire boilered Aspinall and Bachmann release theirs (which will most likely be prior to me building the London Road kit). I have some parcels stock which will get screw links though.

 

Edit: I prefer freight to passenger; I very nearly built a freight only layout.

Edited May 21, 2013 by Sandside

[freebs]

I must admit, there's a certain something about freight - I have a soft spot for modern freight, especially when you catch size of a mammoth rake making it's way from Scotland down towards Cumbria....

[Jason T]

Lee, I forgot to say that I am happy enough with the hand from the sky because it is a home layout and even with tension locks, I was uncoupling with a 'shunters pole'. Strictly speaking, with ten days to go before the big move, the layout should be stripped down and ready to move but I can't bring myself to do it just yet. Most of the stock and locos are packed away but I have to have something to keep me occupied

[freebs]

Did you start building this with a move in mind? Would its dismountability lend itself to the exhibition circuit? I wish I had your time to devote to the layout... My wreck of a layout is sat in the garage crying for some TLC, but I'm forced to sit here putting together a Web Design (and yes, procrastinating on RMWeb) .. I have, however, begun repainting my Station Building this evening - I just wasn't happy with what I'd done (I may come to regret this...)

[Jason T]

Not really exhibitable, although I have in the past said that I may drag it along to a members day some time (and I will be looking for volunteers). I did build it with a house move in mind though so it does split into four boards and the rails are gapped accordingly.

 

So far, the only people who have seen it are me, the girlfriend, the landlady and some bloke who was looking round the house last week (who was genuinely gutted that it didn't come with the house, and he wasn't - apparently - a rail fan)

[mark axlecounter]

Hi Jason I would help you on bacup if you take it on members day.

We have people on the railway who says they have no interest in it but really the do. We call them closet cranks lol

[Jason T]

The move day is fast approaching so I've started to dismantle the layout in preparation. As can hopefully be seen, it was designed to be moveable (to an extent) and as such, scenic areas, buildings and even the raised section for the trackbed is removeable; the mill at the back is removable too, but I need to pull the baseboard away from the wall first.

 

The last train was a pick up goods hauled by 45026, captured as it approached by a solitary cameraman. however, plans are afoot to reopen the line in exactly the same format so all is not lost.

 

Last train:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All stock is boxed, controller packed away, smaller buildings wrapped up and placed carefully in boxes, vehicles wrapped and placed in a shoebox, control panel for the fiddle yard (and now the corner piece by the goods shed) removed. All quite sad really but the phoenix will most definitely rise from the flames.

Edited May 24, 2013 by Sandside

[AJ427]

I hope you can remember where all those buildings go!

[hybridangel77]

Sorry jason i meant to say jason not richard,lol.

I suppose i could have called you worse.

 

Terry

[artizen]

Really like the last shot. All those buildings represent a serious investment in time and effort! Hopefully the new home will be large enough to accommodate it all without major rebuilding!

[coachmann]

I hope you can remember where all those buildings go!

Yay I was thinking that at least two should go on the road below the embankment at Greenfield....!

[Jason T]

It's rather strange seeing the area near the station look like it did many months back, with areas of bare baseboard, etc. I am quite glad that I hadn't glued the retaining wall in place - I actually thought I had done so was pleasantly surprised to find it tacked on with a couple of blobs of hot glue.