micknich2003 Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Richard, I'm pleased to learn you "Have made it Legal", me and the missus "Have been waring for 42 years" and we are still together, three kids, and nine grandkids later. As my late father used to say, and himself a signalman, "Get that Distant Off". Best Wishes, Mick. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted August 27, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 27, 2012 My next job is to rebuild the damaged signal bridge I mentioned a few posts ago. Have Cliff and Co been fighting on their Zimmers again Mick ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Have Cliff and Co been fighting on their Zimmers again Mick ? No, I think it was 20 paces and Handbags at Dawn. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 So, in the spirit of "here's one I built earlier", then here's one I built earlier. This is a model of the down gantry which stood by the shipyard bridge at Hessle Haven, just outside Hull. The gantry was progressively modified as the layout at Hessle Haven was rationalised and simplified but this model represents it as it appeared during the 1940's and 50's. When I built this originally, I fitted route indicators to it, based on the design carried by gantries further down the line towards Hull. Only when I had finished these route indicators did information come to light that this gantry had the standard LNER rectangular half glazed route indicators on it, at least until 1957, when they were replaced by theatre indicators. But at what level were these rectangular route indicators mounted? Testament to the old adage 'everything comes to he who waits', an old modelling friend, from many years ago, sent me a photo of a D49 approaching Hessle. In the background of this photo is this gantry with its rectangular route indicators clearly visible. I can't reproduce the photo, here, for copyright reasons but here's the model, though not yet with its new route indicators. Cheers Mike 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 By the time I got to "Haven" your bracket had long gone, but I wish I had a pound for everytime I "Pulled Off" the colour light replacement. Mick. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) And on the other side of the line at Hessle Haven, around two hundred yards east of the one above, stood this one. Correct me if I'm wrong, Mick, but this must have gone in the mid 1960's, possibly even earlier. The construction of these was covered on various threads, a couple of years ago, but they're not kits and they're not etches; these are scratchbuilt. There are no etches for these prototypes. And between the one above and this one, was an even larger signal bridge. Funny how we saw these magnificent McKenzie & Holland structures day in and day out and we took no notice of them; they would always be there. Of course, now they're not there and the last ones are in the process of being replaced and the railway is an aesthetically poorer place without them. Cheers Mike Edited August 27, 2012 by mikemeg 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) And finally, at least for this small selection, here's one I am still building and have been for some time. This one fell victim to a bout of loco building which has stalled any progress but it will be revisited and completed towards the end of the year. This was one of the fabulous array of such structures which stood at Scarborough, some until the eighties and one until late 2010 - the now famous Falsgrave Signal Bridge; soon to be resurrected on the NYMR.This one stood at the north end of Londesborough Road station and was only around one hundred and fifty yards from the Falsgrave signal bridge. The model spans almost sixteen inches (very nearly 100 feet prototype span) and, again, is entirely scratch built apart from the end lattice posts which are MSE. Even the decking, on this, was scratchbuilt as I needed decking a scale 5' 6" wide. Around 200 strips of plasticard, each 1.5 mm x 22 mm, glued to the lattice 'L' angle cross members, using a very simple home made jig. I think some compromise on driving all of those arms might be necessary. Cheers Mike Edited August 28, 2012 by mikemeg 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) Of course, now they're not there and the last ones are in the process of being replaced and the railway is an aesthetically poorer place without them. Very true Mike. There are several things I regret about building New Street when I am. One is the roof - i see the stuff being done on Lime Street and Manchester and wish New Street's roof was 'pretty'. The other is the signals. While the searchlights are unique and interesting in their own right theres something a whole lot more satisfying about how proper mechanical signals work. Keep up the good work Jim Edited August 27, 2012 by jim s-w 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) Thanks, Jim. Yes the railway has changed a great deal since I started watching trains and I can't think it has become any more interesting, aesthetically. There was something about Victorian and Edwardian design (and most of our great stations and many of the great McKenzie & Holland signal installations emanated from those eras) which, though functional was just so elegant. Sadly, we seem now to have lost any affinity with aesthetics on some of the functional design on the railway. If you're talking 'pretty roofs' then take a look at what Gravy Train did for Peterborough North, just out of this world. Recently we seem to be seeing some incredible model architecture being built yet it is still sturdy. For me, these great arrays of semaphore signals just embodied everything which was wonderful about the railways of the 1950's - just coloured boards of wood or metal, with coloured glass over a lamp, which changed their angle and colour and then changed it back again. Simple technology but such lovely structures. Cheers Mike Edited August 27, 2012 by mikemeg 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 (edited) I'm actually photographing these models for an article intended for one of the modelling magazines so, while I've got the old digital camera out and photoshop up and loaded, may as well update this thread too. Earlier, I referred to a third large signal structure which stood at Hessle Haven, located between the two shown above. This was the Hessle Haven signal bridge, almost the same span as the Scarborough Falsgrave bridge, both around 60 - 64 feet. This was the second of the models which I made for the railway, even though the section on which this and the easternmost gantry above were situated, is not yet built. The signals, on this short section of the Hull - Selby and Doncaster main line, were such a striking feature that I decided to build them as central features rather than as incidental model railway 'furniture', hence the scratch building rather than adapting available etches. So the Hessle Haven up signal bridge, as it was when we were lads. Cheers Mike Edited August 27, 2012 by mikemeg 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Of course, now they're not there and the last ones are in the process of being replaced and the railway is an aesthetically poorer place without them. But sadly most enthusiasts won't even notice 'til they've gone... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Mike, you asked about the age etc of the various signal brackets and bridges at Hessle Haven. There were actualy two of each, and all brought into use late 1912 or early 1913, the exact date "Haven" box opened is unkown to me, but it is known, the BoT inspected the new works in February 1913. All four signals were still in use October 1964, but the two Up signals were replaced by a colour light before the year was out. The Down bracket lasted until 6 April 1975. I don't know if any M&H brackets now survive, but one bridge remains at Harrogate, or it did until recently, can anyone please confirm? Mick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 (edited) Mike, you asked about the age etc of the various signal brackets and bridges at Hessle Haven. There were actualy two of each, and all brought into use late 1912 or early 1913, the exact date "Haven" box opened is unkown to me, but it is known, the BoT inspected the new works in February 1913. All four signals were still in use October 1964, but the two Up signals were replaced by a colour light before the year was out. The Down bracket lasted until 6 April 1975. I don't know if any M&H brackets now survive, but one bridge remains at Harrogate, or it did until recently, can anyone please confirm? Mick. Indeed there were four; two brackets and two bridges, so for completeness and at the risk of boring readers of this thread to death with pictures of these model structures, here's the fourth. This was the Hessle Haven down signal bridge and was at the easternmost limit of Hessle Haven's block? Again, this model fell foul of the loco building fest which I embarked on last year and which I am still involved with. This will be revisited and completed later this year - honest guv! Here I should once more thank my old mate, Mick Nicholson, without whose photographs and plans none of these could have been done. So the part completed down signal bridge as it was just before its re-equiping with upper quadrants in the summer of 1950. With their NER slotted posts, lower quadrants and those beautiful finials these were just very elegant things; yet just to keep the trains safe. Mick, while those little wheels work well on upper quadrants, they're not up to driving lower quadrants. So I'll abandon that technique on lower quadrants and use angle cranks. What is it you say about scaling gravity - it won't scale? As I understand it, Mick, the Harrogate signal bridge is the last of the M&H brackets and bridges. When that goes then they are all gone, save for the listed and preserved Falsgrave bridge, soon to be re-erected at Grosmont. I hear that they plan to equip it with lower quadrants so that should be a sight when finished! McKenzie & Holland, Engineers, Worcester. Once the largest signal equipment manufacturer in the world. Cheers Mike Edited August 28, 2012 by mikemeg 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 (edited) Just to prove that it's not just McKenzie & Holland lattice structures which I build, these are the first two signal models that I ever built, now more than four years ago. They stood a few yards to the east side of Hessle Station, until the late sixties. These were very much the prototypes for the construction techniques on all of the rest; many of the techniques 'borrowed' from Peter Squibb and, of course, Mick Nicholson. Easy to see that these are not yet in use; no down wires to the track formation! Cheers Mike Edited August 28, 2012 by mikemeg 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 The attached, possibly explains why the signal bridges and brackets at Hessle Haven looked in later years bigger than nead be. The trackwork on Mike's model is a little more complex, as in 1935 further connections were laid in for the "New Inward Yard". Mick. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 (edited) Yep, the old North Eastern didn't stint when it came to signalling. Thankfully, this signalling arrangement had been considerably rationalised by the LNER by the time of my model - 1950. Now to plan the build of Hessle Haven signal box, regretably too early to include a 4mm model of Mick, busily pulling off that distant. Cheers Mike Edited August 28, 2012 by mikemeg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Now to plan the build of Hessle Haven signal box, regretably too early to include a 4mm model of Mick, busily pulling off that distant. Mike, I don't know if you are aware, proper "Garden Wallbond" brick sheet is now available from South East Finecast, or similar name. I have not yet seen any. Mick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Now to plan the build of Hessle Haven signal box, regretably too early to include a 4mm model of Mick, busily pulling off that distant. A bit like the attached, taken almost 30 years ago, the box closed two months later. Mick. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemeg Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Now to plan the build of Hessle Haven signal box, regretably too early to include a 4mm model of Mick, busily pulling off that distant. A bit like the attached, taken almost 30 years ago, the box closed two months later. Mick. Is that all that was left of the Hessle Haven lever frame, Mick? Far cry from the 60 levers of the 1950's though even then I think there were spares. If there is a garden wall bond brick sheet available, then it'll save me having to scribe out some. I'll have a hunt around on t'internet. Thanks for the info, Mick. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Dear Mike, please see below for details. I lifted this from a few pages back. Mick. I managed to track down some 'English Garden Wall' and 'American Bond' embossed plastic sheet in 4mm scale. They are South Eastern Finecast (product codes FBS423 and FBS414 respectively), but do not feature on the SEF website (though the American Bond is quoted in the price list). Judging by the product code, the English Garden Wall may be a new/recent product. I got mine through Expo Tools website. Hope this helps someone. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Slowly comming on, and most of the accident damage now repaired. Mick. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Almost done. Mick. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
7mm Mick Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Great job mate, you can't even tell it was ever squashed !! Looking forward to seeing it finished, ATB Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Great job mate, you can't even tell it was ever squashed !! Looking forward to seeing it finished, ATB Mick All below the decking boards is new work. Mick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
7mm Mick Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Lovely mate, the lattice work looks very nice. Maybe one day one could appear on Holderness Drain North somehow?? If would look even better in 7mm ! ATB Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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