Hemyock - Down on the farm...

[Mikkel]

 I wonder where we find the extra time needed to achieve all our ambitions in this hobby?

 

I don't know if we ever will find all the time needed. But maybe unlimited time isn't always an advantage. When time is limited we are forced to focus our efforts, and that sometimes makes the result better.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Mikkel

[Deev]

My father-in-law is on the council in Hemyock and he's sent me this aerial view of Hemyock as it is today (showing where the new BMX track might be).  The former station / shunting area are to the right of the blue box.

 

Thought it may be of interest!

 

Dave

 

[aberdare]

Hi Dave

 

Thanks for thinking of me and posting that. I had seen it on Google earth when I was checking the river direction and local lanes that may have crossed the track even though it has changed considerably over the years, mores the pity but that's progress.

 

I did pay a visit to the site just after the dairy was demolished but there is so little left now I just use the street view option to look at what remains, the only thing of note being the road bridge over the river, everything else has to come from photographs.

 

Good to know the site may be put to some use.

 

Jim

[aberdare]

Time for another update.

 

After a bit of time away from modelling it is time to break out the plastic strip and knives again for some more building, this time it is the Engine shed. For those of you who don't know what it looks like see the following link http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/h/hemyock/index34.shtml it is the building on the left. 

 

Unfortunately for me that is about as good as any photographs get so apart from some additional information in GWR Engine sheds on size and roof type that is all I have to go on. When making up some drawings I had to decide on how many windows there were and what they may have looked like, so it was a case of studying the shadows on the shed floor, it looked as if there were four and they were square with a thicker bar under the top row of panes, I assumed that there must also be four on the opposite side. They appeared to be quite long windows so I made several drawings of differing widths and number of panes until I was happy they looked right - to me anyway.

 

As they would be fitted into the framework I wanted to make them first so that I could build the frame around them. this would also ensure that they were square, be a good fit and also give the frame a bit of strength. a couple of nights was spent making all eight of them up and this is what I had.

 

 

The usual cruel close-up to show some added strips to the wider sections to increase the outer frame size. I did think of having smaller panes but another 96 little strips, Hmm maybe not!

 

 

 

The frame was then started and consisted of the top rail and the vertical supports only so that the fitting of the windows could take place.

 

 

Once I was happy with the fit they were glued firmly in place again checking for squareness, the additional bracing bars were fitted in between the windows and the whole frame was now fairly rigid, the decision then was how to to fill in the frames themselves. I used the Tiverton Museum book which includes a shot of the internal frame albeit much later in life when it was a shed and had a few of the original timbers inside, I wasn't sure how accurate this was but liked the unusual design so used it anyway. I don't think there will be too many people tell me it's wrong seeing that it was pulled down over 80 years ago.

I made up one centre section to see how it went before deciding to continue, this is it.

 

 

and both sides completed

 

 

 

The eagle eyed among you may have noticed that the two end sections ( lefthand side) are different sizes, this is because one side is shorter than the other because the shed has an angled corner to it to avoid being hit by the engine due to the angle and closeness it sits against the track.

This was going to present a few problems of its own especially with that door being an odd shape too but first onto the far end and get the easy bit out of the way.

 

Sides and end assembled.

 

 

 

Now for the tricky end, I couldn't assemble this flat on the drawing as I had with the other parts so had to do it upright and check for squareness on the plan while adding the parts. The next photo shows part of the build with spacers between the sides and door frame, note the left door post which is a 3.2mm square section filed down to a triangle to get the post shape to add the planking.

 

 

and the doorway completed.

 

 

 

That's as far as it has got until I fix the roof trusses and start the planking, by then I should have a fairly rigid and damage resistant frame ready for the slates, yes slates, so I get a rest from roof tiles this time.

 

Jim

 

 

[emt_911]

Jim

like the attention to detail for this shed. I'm looking forward to seeing the next stage.

 

Cracking work.

 

Duncan

[Mikkel]

Beautiful work, Jim. You're basically building it from the ground up as the real shed would've been built - including once again bits that cannot be seen from the outside, if I'm not mistaken? 

[aberdare]

Thanks Duncan - it's the detail that matters to me as I would like it to be as accurate as possible so I hope this build carries on as it has started, that is with no mistakes, it's the first one where I have not scrapped bits and started again. I must be getting better.

 

 

Hi Mikkel - Yes I do seem to like building things in a similar way to the originals and the detail inside may be seen, I would like to try and get those atmospheric pictures from the period so am hoping I can get enough 'sunlight' through the windows to reveal the scene inside.  A bit like your signature photo above, I'd better think of some inside details now then. 

 

 

Jim

[billyb_imp]

Jim

 

An awful lot of detail going into the engine shed I'm sure it will be worth all the effort, certainly looking forward to the finished item

[ChrisN]

Jim,

Up to your usual standard I see.  I am sure building it like that will add to the rigidity of the final structure.  With tahat many windows I am sure you will be able to see inside so the effort is certainly not wasted.

 

Keep up the good work, and I hope all is well with you.

[gazmanjack]

G'day jim,

 

The engine shed is looking very good. I like the way you tackled the windows by building them first, then building the shed frame up around them. Very smart indeed, plenty of foward and thoughtful planning ! Keep up the great work.

 

Cheers, Gary.

[aberdare]

It's been quite while since I was last on here so apologies to those that posted and did not receive a reply.

 

 

Life has been full of ups and downs over the last few months with too many of the latter in the first of them, but not all downs are bad as I will explain later. With the wifes health causing concern modelling took a back seat and when I tried to start again things went wrong and plenty of mistakes were made, quite a few bits ended up in the bin in frustration and as the weather warmed up the modelling room (conservatory) got hot, the models suffered from neglect and I got pretty fed up with it all. Even when I went out to the layout to do something easier the winter had took it's toll in the old garage and motivation went completely, I wondered what had been the bl--dy point of it all. I was on the point of giving up.

 

 

However you can't keep a good man down for long and a couple months ago me and the missus decided it was time for a big down of own making - this tatty old asbestos garage. So it was emptied and I set to on some 12" to the foot demolition.

 

It had a 4.5" drop from the front left corner to the back right corner but the high spot was actually in the middle which was higher than either corner.

 

 

going

 

 

going

 

 

gone

 

 

A wave of the magic screwdriver and.....

 

Hey presto - a new railway shed

 

Hemyock - which had been cut in half - sits at the far end on the right, magic screwdriver in the foreground.

 

That was a couple of months ago now and things are starting to move on now the enthusiasm has been rekindled but more on that later. In the meantime there are a few more appointments to attend and I will then complete the insulation that is half done and then look to repair the neglected models.

 

 

It feels good to be back and dare I say it - steaming along. My wireless card in the laptop packed up a short time ago so I'm now on a dongle which is a bit erratic so apologies for any missing words/punctuation. (I think I got em all) I know I wouldn't have laughed that off a few months ago, the laptop would have joined the old garage

 

Catch you again in a day or two.

 

Jim 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DLT]

That's great Jim, and a fantastic new place to play trains.  Brilliant!

All the best, Dave.

[wenlock]

That's quite some shed Jim! Looking forward to seeing pictures of Hemyock in its new home.

 

Dave

[ChrisN]

Jim,

Good to hear from you again.  Sorry that you have had a rough time but things seemed to have turned the corner and I hope things continue to go well, not just with your modelling but with your wife's health.  I know you are a perfectionist which makes great models but can be very frustrating when it does not go right.

 

Are you going to insulate the shed or alarm it?

[aberdare]

Thanks Dave & Dave

 

It's a great space and the same size as my garage the the original Mk I started in back in the 70s and I am looking forward to getting it all set up.

 

 

Thanks Chris,

 

Things have settled down now so I have more time and thanks to the hard work from our care worker I now have a much clearer mindset.

 

As for the shed I am halfway through insulating it and hope to complete it by next week and get some lighting fitted before the nights draw in too far, it is also alarmed though I had to disarm while I was working in that area, all back now though.

 

 

After I bolted Hemyock back together I had to assess the damage which was really only to the track and odd bits of groundwork, so the cut or join was patched up and the boards leveled - so much easier in a shed that doesn't lean - and all the affected track was lifted. Is this known as 'doing a Larry' now for those who followed Coachmans Greenfield thread.  The track was then relaid and fixed again, I also took the opportunity to modify the Peco points so that the spring mechanism was removed and tidied up the sleepers, I think they look much better now.

 

The track being lifted

 

The modified Peco point

 

 

 

Of course I then had the issue of how I was going to lock the point when I changed it manually, as this was something that had bothered me for some time I had plenty of drawings of complex spring systems and a collection of springs, wire and various bits of metal. However, it was while doing something completely unrelated that I found a solution, a simple ball catch for a cupboard! I forgot whatever I was doing and dropped into 'I wonder if' mode and with the aid of a length of wood, a doorknob, a couple of screws and a pin I had it sussed. As I have had a number of all these items for 10 years or more from renovation work in the past I classed this as not costing me a penny, most important seeing that I have blown my modelling budget on a shed.

 

Anyway here it is, a bit Heath Robinson but it works.

 

a simple push/pull system held in place by the ball catch, a pin in the other end is fixed in another bolt and up to the point, no flexing anyway it is as solid as it looks, I never have been one for aesthetics under the baseboard. It's probably been done before somewhere but maybe not for free, future ones will be neater as I will have to buy some dowel.

 

 

I meant to take a picture of the proposed track plan too - I still prefer pencil and paper - but that will have to wait, I left it outside in the shed, oops.

 

 

More later

 

Jim

 

 

[The Great Bear]

Agree about the point, looks good - much more in keeping with the high standard of the rest of the model. I think on The Far North Line Ben has added cut chairs to the outside of his Peco points, another subtle improvement if one has the inclination, patience and steady hand. (I lack the last two.)

 

Will be great to see more now layout safely in its new home,

 

Cheers

 

Jon

[mjcampbell]

That looks like an excellent home for the layout, I'm sure it will prove worth the effort. Insulation will be worth it too...

 

The ball catch is a good idea. Did you know electrical slide-switches have a nice latch too? Here's how I used them on a recent project with hand-built points:

 

 

The wooden dowels pass through the side of the board (in this case through the control panel), I haven't put a nice knob on the end but you could. They are attached solidly using a screw to the plastic switch. The point in this case is operated with wire-in-tube which has a slight springiness, though it could be operated by a wire from the dowel. The copper-clad under-board tie bars are on the left. Operation is by pulling/pushing the dowel which has a nice click action and latches in place. The slide switches are pretty cheap, and have the added bonus of providing electrical switching for the frog vee - something I consider essential.

[john flann]

Jim, I was wondering what had happened to you, and whilst you've obviously had your 'downs' you certainly have bounced back (I don't know whether we bounce at our age, however we get there) but things seem to be looking up not only in respect of your wife but the shed.

 

Very well done on all counts.

 

Kindest regards,

[aberdare]

Hi John

 

Thanks for the comment and I have to admit I have cut some chairs from the sleepers and am thinking of sticking them on, I follow the Far North Line but have yet to visit again, I'll get around to it soon.

 

 

Thanks for your post Michael

 

I had read somewhere before that the slide switches had been used but not having any to hand I couldn't try them out, I know you can buy them cheaply enough but it is always nice to pick them up and try them to see if they feel just right.  I like what you have done and may adopt something similar later. In the meantime I will stick with what I have as its robustness is pretty grandchild proof, my grandson is pretty good (age 6) but his younger sister hasn't quite grasped the concept of gently yet and if she sees us changing points she has to join in. So mods in the future maybe, thanks again.

 

 

Hi John

 

Thank you and I will have to pop over to Hintock one evening. My wife was out with her companion the other day to give me a break and she came back with some RM magazines from 2011, they were only a few pence each and she thought they may be of interest, well one of them was the May edition which featured Hintock so it was interesting to read the article as I was not modelling then and had never seen it. A happy coincidence seeing as how I am a follower, the wife is obviously learning my tastes pretty quickly.

As for bouncing, your are right, we don't even though we think we can.

 

Thank you to all the comments and likes etc.

 

More to come later as some work has occurred on top of the boards too.

 

 

Jim

[Rich.B]

Hi Jim,

 

Just found your thread on here, was great meeting up with you for a chat today at SDRM exhibition, was very good to be of help to you and Thanks for your kind comment about the show,...we all really appreciate it.

 

Also, just like to comment on your layout and standard of modelling!!....MOST impressive, and to think you don't use any CAD software to set out your buildings.....they look good enough to me

Love the river by the way,....looking Excellent now, so looking forward to seeing the finished product.....and Hey!!...what a fab sized shed, GREAT STUFF!!!

 

Cheers Rich.b

(lol.the one with the garage & house at the show....in case you're wondering)

[aberdare]

Hi Rich

 

No wondering here, now I know who you are and what you do you will be easy to remember.

 

As for the lack of CAD when setting out I was pretty good at engineering drawing and only disposed of a drawing board

and other equipment 10 years ago when I gave it to my son when at Uni, I think he moved onto to CAD later though.

 

 

No work in the shed as we had unexpected family visits so it will be Friday before I can get any serious work done,

 it looks like a bomb site currently but I hope to get it done over the weekend.

 

 

Jim

[aberdare]

It’s been quite some time since my last post so what’s been happening in the meantime, as I have a free day from normal duties here’s a brief update.

 

Well the track all got re-laid and it was then a case of what to do next, I had always wanted to get the river a bit further on but to do that I needed a bridge so that was what came first, a short break in Devon soon got the information I needed to make the prototype – the only original thing left now.

So out came the balsa wood, embossed plastic and paints and...

 

 

....the bridge was made, the coping stones are paper strips over a sanded curve. The river started to receive its first coats of PVA as well.

 

This now led me on to the fence from the bridge to the cattle dock, so the dock was fixed in place, the bank reshaped to sit it in and the fence constructed.

 

 

Bits of grass were added and still being added as time allows.....

 

 

..and the river gets ever deeper.

 

 

A metre long retaining wall was made to define the station boundary and the hill formed with the help of some willing labour, Grandsons are so useful. A hole was left for the Refreshment rooms.

 

 

The Refreshment rooms were then drawn and a trial assembly was made....

 

 

...as well as a positional fit into the hillside.

 

 

More on this in the next post as it has taken up quite a few evenings in its construction and details, I hope to be back later this afternoon.

 

Jim

 

 

[john flann]

Jim, I've been wondering how things were with you and I'm happy to see the progress made. All most admirable.

[knobhead]

Nice to see you back in action Jim!

 

Regards,

 

Stefan

[aberdare]

Thanks John, your comments are much appreciated. I have made myself model more and surf (the net) less to maximise my spare time. I must say though how great the new shed is to allow me more time on the layout during winter, not too long out there though or else I get moaned at for heating that bl**dy shed.

 

Stefan, the modelling always continues, it’s the posting that’s a problem. I started this one at 2.30pm then interruptions delayed it. Oh well, that’s life.

 

 

Right, onto the build of the Refreshment rooms.

 

This was made from card, a change from plastic I know but I have a large stock of the stuff so I need to use it.

Now that I was happy with the way it all folded together the doors and window positions were cut out, I then covered it with some old Superquick brick paper that I’ve had since 1980 that also required using up.  The colour looked a bit flat though and not quite right so I used some water colour pencils on a few of the individual bricks to give it some warmth. The supporting pillars were then added as were my usual plastic windows – well, I was bound to use some somewhere.

 

 

I then hit a problem, as I was trying to find anything that showed me the right-hand end I spotted on an old 1905 picture that showed that the end wall had been removed and there was a pile of rubble outside the building instead. Well there was only one thing for it, model an open end. Hang on! That means you can see inside, a bit more thought required here. I produced all the sides and ends complete with windows and doorway and planned a supposed inside.

The assembled model with open end.

 

 

Not only that I needed to show where the brickwork had been cut away. I was now beginning to regret the card and paper choice at this stage as This could be harder than I thought. I took a break to think things over and then just went for what I considered the best option.

First shot showing how I assumed the inside would look with all the walls and fittings removed, The floor is simply printed on the PC and some brick pillars added with bricks cut out.

 

 

Then it was trying to recreate chopped brickwork on the outside wall, a couple of extra pillars were added to represent the inner course of brick to a solid wall and again individual ones cut out and coloured. A cruel close up here of it in progress.  Ignore the bars on the inside of the window as they are there to aid alignment of the shorter individual bars on the outside.

 

 

So it was now on with the roof, dirty the windows up – it has been neglected for 20 or more years at this time.

 

 

Believe it or not I didn’t like the roof, it looked wrong. It had to be changed.

That’s better, much more to prototype.

 

 

So really all that was needed was a few more details and some more colouring and we’re there, so a few pictures to show current state.

 

Scratchbuilt sacks, wheel and grindstone.  A bit more painting to do.

 

A bit of landscaping and a pile of bricks will finish it.

 

I hope you enjoyed your latest visit and I look forward to your next. (no promises as to when that is though).

 

 

 

 

Jim