Bakewell - Peak District Line BR - Layout Views

[Jaz]

that tunnel mouth is really coming along.....lovely rocks.

[georgeT]

Hi Al,   Really looking the part now mate, worth all the hard work, watching with interest.

 

George

[Jock67B]

Al, a fantastic amount achieved in such a short time - don't know how you've got time to go to work! Look forward to the next episode,

Kind regards,

Jock.

[LNER4479]

that tunnel mouth is really coming along.....lovely rocks.

...don't you mean 'Great rocks'?!

(hat, coat, going...)

[Physicsman]

Al, nice to have a catch-up on here. Very good progress! don't we just love our cuttings?!

 

Btw, I'm a bit concerned with the subsidence problem being suffered by the occupants of the white house, top pic, post # 2131. The railway company appears to have undermined the foundations a tad! 

 

Ok, as has just been said....where's my coat?

 

Jeff

[Alister_G]

Al, nice to have a catch-up on here. Very good progress! don't we just love our cuttings?!

 

Btw, I'm a bit concerned with the subsidence problem being suffered by the occupants of the white house, top pic, post # 2131. The railway company appears to have undermined the foundations a tad! 

 

Ok, as has just been said....where's my coat?

 

Jeff

 

Hi Jeff, thanks for popping by. Hope you are on the way to recovery. You can't beat a good cutting, I reckon

 

Yes, I wouldn't be very pleased if it was my house - and as it belongs to the Stationmaster, i bet there's been some interesting telegrams passing back and forward. However, never fear, the situation will be remedied shortly.

 

Cheers,

 

Al.

[Marcus 37]

That cutting now looks superb. You only have to look at it now and know the real location for anybody who is familiar with the area.

Can I send my RF Red stripe and RF Construction 37s round for a photo shoot.LOL.

Cheers

Marcus

[JCL]

Hi Al, I've just been catching up again, and boy have you been busy. I really like what you did with that camera, the interior, and the cutting. It really does look brilliant mate.

[Alister_G]

This morning, I weathered the track through the cutting:

 

 

 

However, on reviewing the photos before posting them on here, I notice that the Up line (on the left) has developed a strange kink in it, and doesn't flow properly, so I'm going to have to rip it up and relay it. I must have nudged it whilst I was ballasting, and didn't notice

 

Anyway, I've also moved the retaining wall through the station and goods yard back a bit, to provide a cess, and layed some ballast in the gap. This will need tidying a bit when it's set, but it already looks much better. Thanks to LNER4479 and Marcus37 for pointing that out.

 

 

 

 

I might get chance to do some more scenic stuff this afternoon.

 

Cheers,

 

Al.

[westerhamstation]

Hi Al, like the down the line shots, it shows the wall off well, all the best Adrian.

[Rowsley17D]

Hi Al, glad you noticed those kinks. How about putting in those missing sleepers too while you're "at it"?

[Andrew P]

Hi Al not been in for a while, but its looking good mate, I love that cutting, really good.

 

Bodge.

[Classsix T]

The following shots are all copyright the Stan Roberts Collection, used with permission:

bakewell(sr3.1967)93.jpg

 

By the way, on the second photo, there's a short telegraph pole with an equipment box between the span of the main telegraph pole route, I don't suppose anyone has any idea what that would be for?

 

I'll just bump this in the hope a more knowledgeable source comes forward Al if you don't mind?

 

My primary thought would be a lineside telephone, however my lack of knowledge confuses me as it's in rear of the pertinent signal and indeed within a trudge to the 'box.

 

One for “Prototype Questions” perchance?

 

Nice work btw, C6T.

 

Edit: Lima 33!!?

Edited July 30, 2014 by Classsix T

[Alister_G]

Thanks Carl.

 

Yes, it confuses me for much the same reasons as you mention. I would have expected a shunters phone to be near the manualy operated points into the goods loop, but that's the other side of the main lines.

 

I think I will put in Prototype Questions, as you suggest.

 

Lima 33! I know!

 

It's not really correct for my period, or area, and I've owned it since 1970-something... but it's such a crap runner that if it makes it round the loop I know there's not much wrong with either the track or the electrics

[Alister_G]

This afternoon I've taken up and relaid the section of the Up line in the cutting, as it wasn't aligned properly.

 

Here's a reminder:

 

 

A nasty kink had crept in from somewhere.

 

Here it is relaid:

 

 

 

Much better, much more flowing - and I put the missing sleepers back as well!

 

Can't run any trains now, line slightly obstructed:

 

 

and someone's dumped 500 tons of Limestone cliff in the goods yard:

 

 

 

More later,

 

Al.

[Jaz]

If it was going to niggle you....better to sort it now.....

[Alister_G]

Having watched Westerhamstation do his brambles, I though I'd have a go myself at some scrubby undergrowth.

 

So I took a pan scrubber, and pulled it apart into small sections, and stuck them onto a disused corner of the goods yard. They were already a dark greeny-blue colour, so I left them as they were:

 

 

 

I then sprayed it in Humbrol Matt varnish (I didn't have any hairspray available) and used some medium green flock to scatter all over it:

 

 

 

Not having any long grass fibres, I tore off some bits from an offcut of hanging basket liner, and stuck them at the base. However, I think this may have been a step too far, and I'm not particularly happy with them, I may remove that bit.

 

Here's the result, in front of a bit of fencing:

 

 

I think if I revert to where I was before adding the torn off HBL it will be better.

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Al.

Edited July 30, 2014 by acg_mr

[Jock67B]

Love the cutting Al, looks great with the retaining wall in the new position. Agree about the brambles - what a simple idea, I'll certainly have to make a note of that. Those MK1s further up still make me jealous!

Kind regards,

Jock.

[Allegheny1600]

Hi Al,

Looking good mate! I agree about the brambles, they were better before the HBL went in.

Much improved track too, that kink was most unfortunate so a good job done.

I really like your lineside wall and glad you moved it back, I have a similar problem with my safety wall but that's screwed & glued in place!

Cheers,

John.

[westerhamstation]

Hi Al, the track looks good after your realignment work, it drives you mad when you know that something is not quite right, so it's better to fix it now, I had the same problem with those doors if you remember. Brambles are looking good. all the best Adrian

[Classsix T]

Lima 33! I know!

 

It's not really correct for my period, or area, and I've owned it since 1970-something... but it's such a crap runner that if it makes it round the loop I know there's not much wrong with either the track or the electrics

I couldn't agree more Al, and a useful tip for newbie modellers:

All wheel pick up and can motor driven traction tends to flatter “iffy” electrics, better to send round the most ancient dodgiest runner you've got to fault find.

(That said, fitting additional pick-ups to old Lima kit is one of the simplest tasks I've undertaken. Plus I've found getting those pancakes running smoothly is highly rewarding.)

 

I digress, the scenics are coming on a treat, C6T.

[Alister_G]

Cheers C6T.

 

Oh, by the way, the answer to the question about the telegraph pole is as follows, supplied by TheSignalEngineer:

 

"The cupboard is not a telephone. It's the LMS standard cupboard for the relay end of a track circuit. One side would contain the relay and the other the cells to power the TPR circuit back to the box. The bit of wooden trunking in front of it would contain the two wires going to the rails at the insulated joint. The fact that the line up to the signal is track circuited is shown by the diamond sign on the post which exempts the Fireman from carrying out Rule 55 if a train is detained at the signal."

[Alister_G]

Yesterday, I did a whole load of different bits and pieces.

 

Firstly, I put the cutting back together after having relaid and reballasted the track.

 

 

I ran one of the 4Fs round it a bit to check all was happy.

 

 

Then I ran a local parcels service, here it is passing through the goods yard:

 

 

and then entering the fiddle yard from the cutting:

 

 

 

I also added the next section of retaining wall to the layout.

 

Here, the wall is in place, and a line of PVA glue is run in the cess:

 

 

then I spread the glue out with a soft brush:

 

 

and poured on some ballast:

 

 

Once the excess ballast was hoovered off, the wall was held down with miscellaneous heavy things whilst it dries:

 

 

In the evening, I had ripping time with a pan scourer.

 

I thought I'd post some more detailed photos to explain the process, the same as Adrian has on Westerham and Brasted,

 

So here's the scouring pad:

 

 

If pulled from above and below, it separates into two layers:

 

 

which can then be further torn apart to create some undergrowth:

 

 

 

This particular pad was quite a virulent shade of green - even though it looks ok in the photos, so I soaked it in a dilute wash of artists acrylic Burnt Umber, to tone it down a bit:

 

 

Once dried, it can then be used as the foundation of some more undergrowth on the layout, with the addition of some medium green flock stuck on with hairspray, as I did yesterday.

 

 

I also started preparing some fencing.

 

I'm using Slaters' Midland fencing which comes as plain white styrene:

 

 

First job is to paint it all over using Humbrol Matt acrylic Dark Earth (No.29) which represents wood quite well.

 

 

 

Once that had dried thoroughly, I applied a wash of dilute Burnt Umber, which gives a darker brown colour to areas where the wash settles:

 

 

Finally, I applied a wash of Humbrol Black Green (No.91) which is the same colour I use to weather the stonework with. For the fencing, it just adds a dull green tinge, which mimics quite well the mildew / lichen / mould look that old wooden fencing tends to have:

 

 

I'm going to need a lot of this fencing around the goods yard, so plenty more to do.

 

Thanks for looking,

 

Al.

[westerhamstation]

Hi Al, you have been busy, I like the colouring of the fencing, glad that you are having success with the brambles, what's the chances of the manufactures of pan scoures making them in brown save us painting them. All the best Adrian

[C&WR]

Hi Al, you have been busy, I like the colouring of the fencing, glad that you are having success with the brambles, what's the chances of the manufactures of pan scoures making them in brown save us painting them. All the best Adrian

 

Or at least a different colour so they weren't so artificially green:

 

 

Or having the slightly blue tinge:

 

 

Still, seems to come out OK in the end: