DENT STATION with CHESTERGATE

[Physicsman]

Welcome back Mike. Hope everything went well.

 

Don't artificially force the viaduct - it might look totally out of place. Look forward to hearing your scheme!

 

I've fitted an Index into KL, so if you were interested in finding anything there it should be a lot easier than previously...

 

Jeff

[67A]

Hi all,

 

Still hard at it, so modelling is taking a back seat but I have managed a little progress, the poor old (new) building has had nothing done to it for a fortnight - disgraceful.........I agree.

 

Anyway, I made a start on the Coal Road overbridge and there is a sequence of photo's below showing the s-l-o-w progress to date.

 

First on the agenda is the bridge structure. The dimensions of which have been taken from the excellent 'Stations & Structures of the Settle & Carlise Railway' book by VR Anderson & GK Fox. Almost all my scratchbuilt items will be taken from this excellent publication which is an absolute wealth of information to S&C modellers.

 

The structure is formed of 16mm plywood for the piers with 3mm MDF forming the road, parapet and arches, the incline is 1:10

I noted from my visit to Dent and from photographs that the arch nearest the S.M. house is actually larger than the drawing describes so a little modellers licence has prevailed. The blocks at the base are simply for stability at present and will be removed when fitting.

The next stage was to create three separate arch mouldings from which to resin cast the eight required. The arch forms were drawn onto .020" plasticard base which was in turn built-up with brick arch sections cut in either 2-3 or 4 bricks from the Wills Arch Detailing pack, tedious but necessary. The formers were then cut from the backing sheet of plasticard and stuck to a suitable moulding tray made from foam board. A silicone mould mix was made and poured into the tray, left to set for a day or two and the 'master' arches removed.

The next stage was to line the arch with Wills 'Flexible Brick' sheets, now as this was the first time I have used these I was pretty annoyed at the STUPID and UTTERLY USELESS moulding recess on the back of the sheets, its an absolute nightmare as it causes the so called flexible sheet to KINK!!!

Anyway one must continue, these sheets were glued with contact adhesive and clamped overnight in each case to ensure a good bond (4 days!)

The next stage was to trim the excess and dress the edges

Resin castings were meantime made in readiness for this stage and the last two views show them attached

 

All of this is being done with the approval of er'indoors as its on the dining room table, what a lovely woman!

 

Cheers
Mike

 

[Physicsman]

Nice work Mike. 

 

Good to see someone else who values his bridges and viaducts! Quite agree about the Anderson & Fox book - a mine of information...

 

Jeff

[Portchullin Tatty]

Excellant stuff.  I would echo Jeff's comments immediately above.

 

If you understand how structures go together or carefully follow the prototype the finished product looks right.  Joe on the street may not know the technicalities why they look right but they are constantly looking at bridges and thus do know what looks right or wrong simply by experience - so it is well worth it in my view and you are doing a grand job.

[67A]

Hi Jeff & Mark,

 

Thanks for the comments, I'm no civil engineer but I do try to get things to look right, presently I am in the process of cladding the arch faces with Wills 'English Bond' and painstakingly matching the brick courses. I do love a challenge, well thats what I tell myself!

 

Cheers

Mike

[67A]

Hi all,

 

Going to Stafford show tomorrow, hope to pick up a C&L point kit to practise on!!! Expensive mistake if all goes wrong.

 

New roof cover for the 'Den' rebuild is due next week, still a while off setting the layout up in there yet but some small jobs will be kept on-going which will save on time when construction starts in earnest.

 

Anyone going to Stafford?

 

Cheers

Mike

[Physicsman]

Evening Mike.

 

Thanks for the additional DJ articles. These, and the older ones, make interesting reading. I keep wondering to myself what he'd make of all the materials available today, had he been able to use them in the 60s and 70s. Maybe his way was best as he had to innovate and scratchbuild most things!

 

Shame you couldn't get the C&L stuff you were looking for.

 

Hope you get some further work done on Dent this week. I'm calling a halt to the scenics for a week or so - time to get some of the electrics connected and the fiddle yard area working!

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff

[67A]

Evening Mike.

 

Thanks for the additional DJ articles. These, and the older ones, make interesting reading. I keep wondering to myself what he'd make of all the materials available today, had he been able to use them in the 60s and 70s. Maybe his way was best as he had to innovate and scratchbuild most things!

 

Shame you couldn't get the C&L stuff you were looking for.

 

Hope you get some further work done on Dent this week. I'm calling a halt to the scenics for a week or so - time to get some of the electrics connected and the fiddle yard area working!

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

 

Don't you start playing trains now, cos' you know what will happen - no work will get done.

 

I have stuck a few more bits on the coal road bridge, this is in between, work, installing a downstairs loo' rebuilding the den and going to the Stafford show! I need to get on those 36 hour days like you have. ha ha.

Cheers

Mike

[67A]

Hi all,

 

Finally got the main roof cover on the new 'den', still a massive amount of work to do inside before starting the construction of Dent 'proper' .

 

I have also managed to clear the dining room table and can get back to work inside the den once the heater has dried things out a bit.

 

The coal road bridge is however progressing well and a couple of pic's will follow shortly.

 

Cheers

Mike

[67A]

Hi all,

 

A few pic's of the Coal Road bridge as promised..

 

Sorry that things are a bit slow on Dent at present but I promise in due course some decent progress WILL be made...

 

First off some pic's of the bridge taken at Dent last November...

 

The above is what I hope to achieve, efforts so far shown below...

 

Basically where we were up to last post

Most of the Wills sheets now glued in place on the station side of the bridge

Note the brickwork is level and plum up to the road surface and then at 1:10 at road level.

This photo shows the piers which jutt out from the structure due to their angle

 

Cheers

Mike

 

 

[67A]

Hi all,

 

Thinking ahead to construction and operation I have been working on a number of fiddleyard designs and think I may have found a decent solution. The planned F/Y will be located directly below the main baseboards and reached via a spiral at each end, the northbound scenic break will be 'Rise Hill' tunnel and southbound will have to be another tunnel unfortunately not found on the prototype until you reach Blea Moor having crossed both Arten Gill and Dent Head viaducts! A simple schematic is shown below.

 

Fiddle Yard.1..pdf

 

The outermost of both the main lines through the F/Y will be for through running with two or three full length sidings for express or long freight, a further number of shortened loops will suffice for general traffic. There is a central route to be utilised for stock transfer from Up to Down to lessen the handling of rolling stock.

As this is only option 1. several changes may and probably will take place - watch this space!

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

[Sasquatch]

Hi Mike,

Really enjoying this topic. Bridges and viaducts are great fun to build and a must on any layout if you want achieve dramatic effects for model trains.

I like your track plan but beware of steep gradients, some of my locos can't climb  the 1 in 50 up the viaduct on my layout but this could be due to the garage floor slopping away!

On your plan you may want to consider a passing loop on the red crossover line.

 

Shaun

[67A]

Hi Mike,

Really enjoying this topic. Bridges and viaducts are great fun to build and a must on any layout if you want achieve dramatic effects for model trains.

I like your track plan but beware of steep gradients, some of my locos can't climb  the 1 in 50 up the viaduct on my layout but this could be due to the garage floor slopping away!

On your plan you may want to consider a passing loop on the red crossover line.

 

Shaun

Hi Shaun,

That sounds like a plan! A passing loop would definately assist.

 

Sorry, will finish it off now...

 

I've never used a spiral before and can only presume that it will work like others 'seem' to do. It will be about 30" radius on the outer rail so there should be about 12-15 ft circumference on each circle (maths not my strong point). Its not something worth trying on a whim due to the work involved in creating it just for a trial so can only hope.

 

Cheers

Mike

Edited February 11, 2013 by mike61680

[Sasquatch]

I've never used a spiral before and can only presume that it will work like others 'seem' to do. It will be about 30" radius on the outer rail so there should be about 12-15 ft circumference on each circle (maths not my strong point). Its not something worth trying on a whim due to the work involved in creating it just for a trial so can only hope.

No doubt someone on here will help ;-)

[billyb_imp]

Mike

 

A good looking thread going here yet another Lunester to watch, great progress being made. You are obviously putting an awful lot of planning into this project and it's clearly paying off.

 

The station building & viaduct are very impressive, back soon  

[ianwales]

Hi Mike

 

I don't know how accurate you want the station to be, but, there wasn't a scissors crossover at Dent, and don't forget there wasn't a facing point either, in fact the Midland had such an aversin to facing points there wasn't one the length of the S&C southbound and only 1 (at Appleby) northbound until BR changed the lay byes to loops at Blea Moor sometime in the 1950's, I've added a sketch of the prototype plan of Dent for you.

 

 

Ian

Edited to correct pointwork

 

Edited February 12, 2013 by ianwales

[Andrew P]

Hi Mike, Just popped in for another look and the Viaduct is coming on well, especially when compared to the real thing, well done matey.

 

Andy. (Old Lune)

[Joseph_Pestell]

Hi Mike

 

I don't know how accurate you want the station to be, but, there wasn't a scissors crossover at Dent, and don't forget there wasn't a facing point either, in fact the Midland had such an aversin to facing points there wasn't one the length of the S&C southbound and only 1 (at Appleby) northbound until BR changed the lay byes to loops at Blea Moor sometime in the 1950's, I've added a sketch of the prototype plan of Dent for you.

 

img029.jpg

 

Ian

Ian,

That sketch is wrong. Single-slip into the dock road as well, not double.

[ianwales]

Ian,

That sketch is wrong. Single-slip into the dock road as well, not double.

 

Hi

 

You are quite correct, I've edited the original sketch, it ws drawn a bit quickly is my excuse!!

[67A]

Hi all,

 

Sorry for delay it was club night tonight.

 

My pathetic sketch was not a real track plan, it was scribled with a DTP program just to show the outline in relation to the fiddle yard configuration. I have the correct details to hand - 6 points and 2 single slips - job done... wish it was that easy.

 

Made up a test track with my first cobalt motor at the club tonight with a bit of help! I find doing this makes it easy to follow for all the others and in fact I will attempt to produce a schematic diagram prior to any wiring being done, I am doing it first because I know I won't do it as I go along - I never have but this layout is going to be perfect! (say's he)

 

Roof on the 'den' is now fully finished and the place is drying out nicely. Hopefully a bit more bridge building later this week.

 

Cheers

mike.

[67A]

Hi all,

 

A little more progress has been made on the Coal Road bridge with all faces now clad in embossed brick. Next stage is to form the coping stones for which I will make a 'master' and cast the full requirement in resin. I will also be forming the concrete fillets above the main pillars which curve nicely into the brick face. A little more filler around the odd gap or two and it will be ready for painting.

 

As usual I can't just do one thing at a time so I have begun drawing up the window and door sheets for the station building.

These are drawn onto 0.5mm plasticard and when cut from this the laser cut components commissioned from York Modelmaking (shown below) will receive a primer and finish coat before being applied to the plasticard.

These photo's show the full range of items laid out in relation to their position on the building

The above shows the platform elevation entrance with an unbelievable level of detail to the mouldings. Pity this side will not easily be seen on the layout! Sod's Law.

This view shows the station entrance door, again the detail is beyond anything I could wish to produce myself

 

I hope the above photos do justice to York Modelmaking's efforts in producing a beautifully detailed set of components, I can only hope that my building will compliment them when its built.

 

The 'den' is 99% complete on the outside so er' indoors is happy.....ish. The inside is still a while off yet however.

 

More to follow at the weekend I hope.

 

[67A]

Hi all,

 

Just an update on progess.

 

The floor is now finished in the den'. Ceiling and walls next followed by electrics and decoration then some serious modelling can start.

 

I have purchased one helix in readiness to set out the baseboards and levels etc.

 

I have also decided to make my own points for the fiddleyard in preference to the Peco I was going to use. The benefits are I can shape them to suit the entrance / exit at the helix plus there is less chance of electrical problems commonly associated with Peco. This will be a first attempt at handbuilt track so I will be lurking in the appropriate forum for guidance

I am finding that without my normally well appointed worksop to hand that the general modelling I want to get done in advance is very difficult to be getting on with, the den' is at the rear of the garage and everything from the old den' is now crammed in the garage - result CHAOS!!

 

Still I am moving in the right direction.

 

Cheers

Mike

[billyb_imp]

Mike

 

Sounds like the den is coming together, I am sure all Lunesters are looking forward to seeing you up & running again once its completed / repaired

[Physicsman]

Hi all,

 

Just an update on progess.

 

The floor is now finished in the den'. Ceiling and walls next followed by electrics and decoration then some serious modelling can start.

 

I have purchased one helix in readiness to set out the baseboards and levels etc.

 

I have also decided to make my own points for the fiddleyard in preference to the Peco I was going to use. The benefits are I can shape them to suit the entrance / exit at the helix plus there is less chance of electrical problems commonly associated with Peco. This will be a first attempt at handbuilt track so I will be lurking in the appropriate forum for guidance

I am finding that without my normally well appointed worksop to hand that the general modelling I want to get done in advance is very difficult to be getting on with, the den' is at the rear of the garage and everything from the old den' is now crammed in the garage - result CHAOS!!

 

Still I am moving in the right direction.

 

Cheers

Mike

 

Interesting decision. I'd planned to use all Peco stuff on KL. Once I saw the difference with SMP and Marcway turnouts there was no going back.

 

Jason and GordonS have encouraged me to have a go at handbuilt pointwork. I will do so on the next layout.... I'll watch your progress, once you get the chaos sorted, with interest.

 

You ARE moving forward, Mike. honest!!

 

Jeff

[emt_911]

Interesting decision. I'd planned to use all Peco stuff on KL. Once I saw the difference with SMP and Marcway turnouts there was no going back.

 

Jason and GordonS have encouraged me to have a go at handbuilt pointwork. I will do so on the next layout.... I'll watch your progress, once you get the chaos sorted, with interest.

 

You ARE moving forward, Mike. honest!!

 

Jeff

Will it be bigger than KL

 

Duncan