Bacup - Mills in the hills

[Jason T]

Cheers Larry, will give that a go.

 

A couple of shots I've just taken:

 

Houses by the mill - STILL need to add the missing gutters and drainpipes

 

 

A slightly different angle to the Black Five shot I put up the other day. No messing around with the photo this time

[Worsdell forever]

I've had success using Woodland scenics fine ballast for yard surfaces, glued down then sanded and painted with thin watercolours and weathered with powders.

 

That terrace on the hill looks the business 

[coachmann]

Those houses really capture the look of the 1960s. We purchased one at top of Greenacres, Oldham, in 1961 with a non-flushing tipler loo down't back yard. I lke your colours.

[hornbyandbf3fan]

I might try that textured paste for my goods yard, or at least part of it

[Jamiel]

I have been trying the Das ballasting method for the well trodden ash ballast look for my layout, there is a thread with some lovely examples if you are tempted to try it.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/25693-ner-ash-ballast/

 

Not quick or easy though, and with your track you may not want to hide it as much as I want to, using Peco code 75.

Jamie

Edited August 12, 2013 by Jamiel

[Alister_G]

 

A slightly different angle to the Black Five shot I put up the other day. No messing around with the photo this time

 

It doesn't need any messing, either. Cracking shot Jason.

[coachmann]

Watched a video this morning showing a special hauled by a 2-6-4T to Bacup marking the end of passenger services in 1966. The narrator said DMU's took over on the branch in 1956. I remember them as being the early Met-Camm units with a cowl below the bufferplank and saw tem in Manchester Victoria occasionally during the teatime rush hour....

[Jason T]

Been messing around with the camera again. 2MT 46406 sits in the headshunt awaiting it's next turn of duty.

 

 

What jumps out at me (other than some tidying up being required) is that NEM pocket which will be gone when I get some more screw links.

[hybridangel77]

Hi Terry,

 

they are here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/68948-new-4mm-bufferstops-new/

Basically, Dave at Lanarkshire Models has made it his role in life to provide us all with fantastic buffer stops, with choices galore

Thanks for the info jason, im on my way to check them out now and i may even treat myself to a few buffers.

 

terry

[coachmann]

Wow, platform canopy pillars all upright and in line. Try that with Ratio's! I glued in a fresh set last night spiked on brass wide for strength and the darn things aren't upright this morning..

[d winpenny]

Looking superb

 

David

[bluebottle]

Everything gels - the scene has the purposeful air of a small station built, with no pretence at elegance, to serve a "dirty old town". The kind of place with which those born in such places have a love-hate relationship. I feel that that half-seen figure in the station building will at any moment open the door and we'll have a glimpse of 1950s Bacup...

 

...Sigh...

[black and decker boy]

Been messing around with the camera again. 2MT 46406 sits in the headshunt awaiting it's next turn of duty.

 

 

What jumps out at me (other than some tidying up being required) is that NEM pocket which will be gone when I get some more screw links.

 

The only thing its missing are the stair rods of rain water running down off the canopy onto the platform edge \ track like a waterfall and a group of passengers huddling together for warmth (it is August so coats and wooly hats are in fashion in Bacup).

[Jamiel]

I'm not sure if the Ivatt 2MT has the same front truck as the 4MT, but George Dent in is book 'Detailing and Modifying Ready-to-Run Locomotives in 00 Gauge' (Steam Engines - Vol2) suggests replacing the front truck with the Brass Masters etch, which uses wound guitar strings to replicate the springs.

The book is good, but it does depend on how far you want to go messing around with engines.

His blog spot is a nice read though: http://georgedentmodelmaker.blogspot.co.uk

 

I am very impressed with the canopy supports, that is one of the things that can let an otherwise really good layout down. I like the atmosphere your photos are capturing/creating too.

Jamie

Edited August 14, 2013 by Jamiel

[clecklewyke]

I might try that textured paste for my goods yard, or at least part of it

I would say that it's too granular. The ash in goods yards tended to be very fine. I would suggest using real coal ash from your (or a friend's) fire. It;s fime and has a nice variety of shade.

 

Ian

[92220]

I'm not sure if the Ivatt 2MT has the same front truck as the 4MT, but George Dent in is book 'Detailing and Modifying Ready-to-Run Locomotives in 00 Gauge' (Steam Engines - Vol2) suggests replacing the front truck with the Brass Masters etch, which uses wound guitar strings to replicate the springs.

The book is good, but it does depend on how far you want to go messing around with engines.

His blog spot is a nice read though: http://georgedentmodelmaker.blogspot.co.uk

 

I am very impressed with the canopy supports, that is one of the things that can let an otherwise really good layout down. I like the atmosphere your photos are capturing/creating too.

Jamie

Good call on the pony truck Jamie. The BM item looks brilliant, and still somewhat scary!

You could also alter the Bachmann one as I did on this blog entry http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/653/entry-5222-Bachmann-9f-evening-star-upgrading/ a while ago. I can't remember where I got the idea but I have a feeling it was George Dent as well...

 

Iain

[coachmann]

Everything gels - the scene has the purposeful air of a small station built, with no pretence at elegance, to serve a "dirty old town". The kind of place with which those born in such places have a love-hate relationship. I feel that that half-seen figure in the station building will at any moment open the door and we'll have a glimpse of 1950s Bacup...

 

...Sigh...

I agree. The layout and that picture certainly typifies station environment on the Lanky. I can't put my finger on it why L&Y stations always seemed oppressive while LNWR stations did not.  

[Jason T]

The grainy effect is down to that textured paint rather than the putty stuff; putty gets a thumbs up but textured paint..........

 

I have just been browsing Brassmasters site. At five quid, it'd be rude to not buy one

[Jason T]

Cheers for the comments on the canopy supports Jamie, especially as they are fudged together using slices of Evergreen plastic tubes and Microstrip.

 

Larry, I wonder if the reason was because the Lanky were much more freight orientated?

[Jamiel]

Wow, getting Evergreen tubes that straight is a real achievement. I have enjoyed your other thread on building the models as well. Great to see Bacup being worked on again.

Jamie

[Jason T]

Funnily enough Jamie, the below set of photos that I am entitling the Rogues Gallery, includes one where the column is most definitely not straight, although I removed a mill building to get the shot so it's not usually noticeable. I also notice that a totem didn't survive the move so will have to make up another (God only knows where it ended up !!)

 

Anyway, as we take the first shot, the station employee (could it be the Station Master?) is staring right at us. Perhaps sitting on a wall next to the track wasn't a wise choice?

 

A couple of shots looking down Platform 2, with the usual number of passengers lazing around waiting for the 08:32 to Bury and the porter waiting to load a huge parcel onto the expected bog cart. 

(The newspapers are placed there in part to help me know when a loco is clear of the crossover)

 

The train is running late as usual. And as usual, as a result, a couple of passengers are beginning to doubt which platform it will actually arrive at, despite being told by the ticket office.

 

None of this matters a fig to Bert and Harry, who are quite happily having a chinwag with a cuppa by the old shed.

[Clive Mortimore]

Hi Jason

 

I hope you are open to a suggestion or two. Your passengers waiting on the station seat look like children sitting on granddad's big chair with their feet in mid air.     Adults when sitting usally have their feet on the ground, to achieve this I normally file a little of the backsides of my model people and /or a little off the legs of the seats.

 

Oddly the workman sitting on the box looks right with his legs dangling.

[Jason T]

Good point Clive, I'll see what I can do with yer man on the bench.

[Jason T]

Over the last couple of days, I've been building up one of two Cambrian Salmon bogie bolsters that I've had for ages, and have been quite chuffed with how it's been going.

 

Anyway, I came to the part where I needed to pop the wheels in the bogies so did so and to check whether everything was square, popped it on the track, only to find that it wouldn't sit right, making me think I'd made a huge error somewhere. After scratching my head for ages, it turns out that I'd been given EM wheels rather than OO. 

 

That'll explain why it looks a bit wonky in this shot

 

[coachmann]

I think I've got th answer to why Lanky stations were gloomier than LNWR. It was down to Lanky's saw-blade canopies with tall fronts.. They excluded light and cast shadows. LNWR canopies tapered towards the track and so the whole station was lighter and more airy.