Black Country Blues

[Steve Williams]

Some cracking photos there Steve. Feel free to link any more threads you have. I'm particularly looking for a building with an interesting rear, that goes to a taper on one side (down to about 15') and is two storeys high in brick. Not much to ask but may ring some bells.

 

I'm always on the look-out for interesting rears!

This link should take you to my 'Black Country Collection' main page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevewilliams7/collections/72157624573055508/

 

There are quite a few 'sets' there. Can't think of a building off the top of my head, but will have a look around.

Edited September 2, 2012 by Steve Williams

[Steve Williams]

Doesn't taper, but a lovely building. Or at least it was! No longer there:

 

http://www.flickr.co...57622231621714

Edited September 2, 2012 by Steve Williams

[2ManySpams]

Link doesn't seem to work on the phone but one I did see was Priests in Silverthorne Road.

[Steve Williams]

Link doesn't seem to work on the phone but one I did see was Priests in Silverthorne Road.

 

Doesn't seem to work for me either! Easiest access is via my main flickr link below and then click on 'Collections' under the 'Photostream' heading. That should work.

[Indomitable026]

All I'll say is that the bag came from Damian's house..

 

That's not mine.

 

Mine's always blue.....

[2ManySpams]

Steve, I've finally won the laptop back from the rest of the family and had a good look through some of the many photos you recorded. Would you mind if I posted some of the images in this thread (plus a link back to your site)? many thanks

[Steve Williams]

No problem Chris.

[2ManySpams]

No problem Chris.

 

There are some great folk on RMweb!

[wagonbasher]

Looks like we have found an 'insider' in Steve !!!!

 

A

[wagonbasher]

In this particular case I'm using the felt as base layer scrub and other scenic treatments will be added on top to give deep vegetation. It will be left as it is until the cork, track and ballasting is done. Then will be thinned down and generally tarred with, hence why I'm happy at this stage for this layer to be brown. Feel free to post photos as they could be useful for later stages.

 

He means he will be waxing later !!

 

A

[2ManySpams]

I find this canal bridge very interesting. It's obviously been a brick type at some stage but, when widened, had a concrete deck put in and a concrete wall on the south side. The north side has the original brick retaining walls. Plus there's a pipe crossing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[2ManySpams]

And just down the cut, there's a old roving bridge. Not the classic black and white BCN type but interesting 'weathering'. Between the rust, missing rivets and crumbling concrete I'm not sure what's holding it up! And just round the corner again an interesting wall. Steel H columns with brick in between and a doorway. Wonder if it was a building at some stage?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steve Williams]

Looks like we have found an 'insider' in Steve !!!!

 

A

 

West Bromwich born and bred

[2ManySpams]

West Bromwich born and bred

 

Honorary BCB member I think!

[Steve Williams]

Honorary BCB member I think!

 

I'm flattered.

[Mark Forrest]

I think the pipe (another must have feature?) is holding the roving bridge up!

[wagonbasher]

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/56607-black-country-blues-the-winning-rmweb-project-layout-proposal/page__pid__775572__st__200#

 

We are going to need one of these at the right hand end where the oss ramp goes up to the pub.

 

A

[wagonbasher]

After some nibbling of the track bed the skew bridge abutments are offered up to the poly cutting.

 

A few things are clear. The wing walls need to be higher to suite the track bed height and at the 1 : 1.5 gradiant.

 

 

 

The plan is to lay the bridge deck level and use plastic strip to represent timber packing between the tops of the 'cross' girders to create the gradiant on the bridge. You can just see a bit of packing in the picture, this is the front abutment and therefore the highest point of the track on the bridge. From what I have seen on the part skelatal bridge (posted earlier on this thread) the packing runs the full width so that the timber planking rises at the same time.

 

 

Finally it looks as though I need to raise the height of the wall to at least above the track bed and maybe higher (comments welcome). Also it need to be extended further back into the embankment

 

 

 

The two upright butresses (sorry if that is the wrong word) need extra height adding. I have imagined that the current arrangement was constructed to suite the two big beams however the board of trade regulations introduced after construction meant that a minimum height if 4' 6" was required from rail height to the top of the big beams to stop people falling off. I am opting for this approach:

 

http://www.google.co...r:10,s:36,i:222

 

or like this on the Bilston Road

 

http://www.google.co...29,r:5,s:0,i:86

 

On the Bilston bridge the brick work has been extended to accomodate the increase in the side beams height

 

There were a couple of comments recently that the abutments becoming too narrow and would have been further truncated, Note also the 'flush' heavy capping on the brick uprights.

 

This is the ex Midland line at Heath Town and the source of the main design. The castellated brick work the houses the side beams appears present in Skew bridges and I think it is to stop the ballast falling through

 

 

Andy

[Indomitable026]

After some nibbling of the track bed the skew bridge abutments are offered up to the poly cutting.

 

A few things are clear. The wing walls need to be higher to suite the track bed height and at the 1 : 1.5 gradiant.

 

 

 

The plan is to lay the bridge deck level and use plastic strip to represent timber packing between the tops of the 'cross' girders to create the gradiant on the bridge. You can just see a bit of packing in the picture, this is the front abutment and therefore the highest point of the track on the bridge. From what I have seen on the part skelatal bridge (posted earlier on this thread) the packing runs the full width so that the timber planking rises at the same time.

 

 

Finally it looks as though I need to raise the height of the wall to at least above the track bed and maybe higher (comments welcome). Also it need to be extended further back into the embankment

 

 

 

The two upright butresses (sorry if that is the wrong word) need extra height adding. I have imagined that the current arrangement was constructed to suite the two big beams however the board of trade regulations introduced after construction meant that a minimum height if 4' 6" was required from rail height to the top of the big beams to stop people falling off. I am opting for this approach:

 

http://www.google.co...r:10,s:36,i:222

 

or like this on the Bilston Road

 

http://www.google.co...29,r:5,s:0,i:86

 

On the Bilston bridge the brick work has been extended to accomodate the increase in the side beams height

 

There were a couple of comments recently that the abutments becoming too narrow and would have been further truncated, Note also the 'flush' heavy capping on the brick uprights.

 

This is the ex Midland line at Heath Town and the source of the main design. The castellated brick work the houses the side beams appears present in Skew bridges and I think it is to stop the ballast falling through

 

 

Andy

 

That's another entry for my new book entitled "Wilful vandalism to my nice new baseboards".

[Siberian Snooper]

Hi Spams

 

A second try at this later than expected post.

 

Grass eitherside of the track bed

 

Ready to harvest wheat? and a grassy cutting

 

I hope these piccy's may help in the completion of this marvelous trainset.

 

Cheers SS

[2ManySpams]

That's another entry for my new book entitled "Wilful vandalism to my nice new baseboards".

 

Well, if you leave your babies at any old house, without suitably vetting the new parents first, what can you expect ;-p

[2ManySpams]

Andy,

 

not sure if the following pictures are of use but they show the anatomy of a skew bridge which is on the former Bickershaw branch near Wigan. Originally the span took the LNWR Wigan - Tyldesley line across the line which deviated from the same line at Bickershaw West Junction to give access to the GCR route to Wigan.

 

As you can see the bridge has been altered to give a higher clearance which I think was due to mining subsidence causing the embankment to sink. The girder sides have been raised using a welded steel 'box' structure which sits on the original pad stones whilst the engineer blue brick work has been added to using a later style brick.

 

The final picture is not of the same bridge but shows the trackwork arrangement at Wigan North Western (as it enters Platform 1) to give an idea of how it is secured onto wooden baulks.

 

 

 

 

 

Very interesting collection of photos, keep them coming.

 

I note in the last one that there appears to be curved track laid on the waybeams - so it was done...

[2ManySpams]

Great detail shot for Wagon Basher!

 

I suppose the wooden keys allow the alignment to be subtly adjusted.

 

PS, I suspect the coffee cup is not in our period ;-)

[Mark Forrest]

The rods between the baulks are interesting too. Presumably if they weren't buried in ballast we'd see a nut on threaded bar at the outside ends?

[2ManySpams]

A new thread started for a guest BCB member who is building buildings for us....

 

This (then) breaking news was shared below. The hints were:

 

"The doctor in now in the house"...

 

Oh, and a second hint...