Boxenby depot

[class"66"]

Coming along great

[ben pez]

cracking model work! hats off too yer!

 

your visit to toton reminds me of when the old man took me round thornaby shed in the mid 1980s,its only 10 mins from where i live.

i,ll have been about 14,and loved it! wasnt an open day,just me and him doing our own thing.

the old man took loads of pics,there on slides,i,ll have to dig them out and get them scanned.

 

keep those updates coming mate,great work.

[iankemp]

hey bud how's things? hope all is ok!

[Grimleygrid]

First of all I would like to say a big thank you to all the members for their kind words and support, it is very much appreciated.

 

As with a lot of people in the country it has been a tough few months and although work is not completely sorted hopefully there is some light at end of the tunnel.

My mind has not been able to fully focus on anything other than work up until now but I do feel that the time is right to turn my attention away from work and to relax a little with some modelling. I think I need something to help me take my mind off it and wind down after a few months solid focus. Oh and I have been getting serious modelling withdrawal symptoms!

 

Despite not doing any modelling since my last update I have still been visiting RMWeb albeit briefly and only to browse what other members have been up to. I have also spent my time away from modelling conducting research from Boxenby so not all has been lost!

 

After seeing some of the superb modelling that has been undertaken by members on here I have decided to slowly get back up and running again. Yesterday I decided to start experimenting with weathering the inspection pits. So on one that I had prepared earlier (Blue Peter job!), I made a start on weathering it to come up with a process for tackling the 16 pits.

 

I will post some photos of progress as and when I have something to show.

 

Once again many thanks for all the support.

[Robert McGee]

Great to here your getting back on two feet. Hopefully, after your break, your modeling won't have taken a trip down the park slide, and it good as it ever was, maybe better. Good to have you back.

 

Robert.

[iankemp]

It is great to see you back on here and slowly returning to doing some modelling work. It is good to keep your hand in doing some work on the shed again. i have found even though funds have been short to do stuff on my layout i have found small stuff that can be done.

 

Can't wait to see the pics of what you have been doing!

[Lee m22]

Good to see you back!

 

Boxenby is one of the most impressive threads going, for the shear quality and attention to detail of your subject.

 

I was in a similar position last year and it took me an unhealthy number of months to get back into employment. The model railway was my little escape of an evening, though I couldn't fund it's progress. Still it kept me sane after hours of form filling and posting.

 

All the best for a speedy turnaround so you can get back to what you clearly enjoy

 

Regards

 

Lee

[D802 FORMIDABLE]

Good to see you back and still with us mate.

looking forward to seeing some progress as it is allways

an inspiration.

cheers

Anthony

[Waverley West]

Hi Alex,

 

Good to have you back. I've been getting modelling withdrawal symptoms myself after our recent house move, so I can sympathise!

 

Looking forward to more updates when you get chance.

 

Cheers,

Dave

[P.C.M]

Same here mate, glad to see you back on, looking forwards to seeing some updates.

 

All the best Peter.

[McGomez]

Glad you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, Alex.

[dickiegrid100]

Well, what can I say that hasn't already been posted?

 

The level of modelling is truely outstanding and on a level miles above anything I would have thoguht possible in 4mm. It's almost like you have gotten the plans from British Rail, from when they built the place in the 1960s, and scaled them down to oo gauge. I only hope your footings are deep enough lol!

 

Toton TMD and it's surrounding yards have always held a massive interest for me, as coming from the Anglian region, we didn't get the traction in the quantities as could be seen 'on shed' at any given time. We used to get the odd grid or bone, choppers,peaks and rats were more frequent obvioulsly peds,tractors and duffs were very common in Anglia on all the usual workings.

 

It was the types of traffic that used to fascinate me, coal,stone,steel,scrap and oil and the hustle and bustle of 08's making up trains and sorting the yards.

 

As a teenager In the early to late 80's we used to just walk around the yards and up to the back of the sheds after getting the bus from Long Eaton, getting what numbers we could before heading for the hill with some binoculars to finish off what we hadn't already got oh happy days.

 

So after all this waffle, I'm slowly getting to my point ( at last I hear you cry) my own layout is based within the midlands, a small sub shed of Toton 1985-89 ( a blog will appear soon) and a few photos can be found here dickiegrid100.smugmug.com.

 

It's nice to see someone modelling the best period for liveries in railway history. Well done, a fantastic model and inspiration to me.

 

Thank you Dickie

[Grimleygrid]

Thanks to all for the kind comments.

 

Hi Robert, thanks, I too hope that my modelling has not gone down hill! Well we shall see....

 

Hi Ian, although it has been nice to not have the obsessive behaviour of mine where I must do some modelling or I get twitchy, I am really pleased to be back in the saddle so to speak. Luckily at the moment I have most of what I need to progress with the inspection pits so I do not need to spend much.

 

Hi Lee, thanks. Glad to hear that you got yourself back in employment, modelling certainly helps to relax, although it sometimes can frustrate and make me wonder why on earth I do it!

 

Thanks Anthony, hopefully we will see more progress over the coming months.

 

Hi Dave, how did the move go? I take it you haven’t finished your Haymarket depot yet?!!!

 

Thanks Peter, you had better watch out as those Llanbourne 20s might be sent to Boxenby for exams sooner than you think!

 

Thanks Andy, getting there. Hope you have been looking after those sound fitted locos!

 

Hi Dickie, I look forward to seeing your blog. I too really like that period, great locos and great liveries. Only recently I purchased a load of Motive Power Monthly magazines, some great photos and articles which I have really enjoyed looking through. Brings back memories! Hopefully I can recreate something that resembles that superb period of BR.

 

Well over the past few weeks I have spent quite a few hours turning the lovely and clean inspection pits into dirty, grimy, filthy ones. The pit walls have been given the treatment with the floor requiring further work.

 

Here is a photo quickly taken this morning of one of the pits in position, apologies for the quality I will post some better ones later in the week. Hopefully you can see what I am trying to achieve;

 

[Pugsley]

Glad to see you've managed to get things sorted, and you're getting back in the saddle, Alex. I've not done any actual modelling for weeks, been suffering from a real lack of inspiration of late, hopefully it's only temporary.

[Lee m22]

 

Hi Lee, thanks. Glad to hear that you got yourself back in employment, modelling certainly helps to relax, although it sometimes can frustrate and make me wonder why on earth I do it!

 

 

 

Hehe, Know that feeling! I'm currently having a week off the layout, which has turned into two! I'll be sure to get a sudden rush of enthusiam again soon...something in alignment with payday!

 

The levels of detail and accuracy you are working to, I could only imagine how frustrating things can get some times.....That wheel lathe and conveyor still stand as one of my favourate scratch built images on the forum!

 

Good to hear you've started making progress again:D

 

Lee

[MRDBLUE17]

Hi Alex,

 

Its good to see you back on here as your thread is one I have missed due to your circumstances but I do hope things get back to some sort of normality for you soon.

 

All the best,

Mark

[Grimleygrid]

Hi Pugs, thanks. I hope that you find some motivation and return soon, as you have always been an inspiration and help with my modelling. I am sure that you will!

Next time you are in the area pop in as I could do with some help, although that might put you off modelling even more!

 

Hi Lee, sometimes it does you good to have a break from it. I know at times I get too obsessed and really should just stay away…..Mrs. Grimley has often remarked that I should give it a rest!

Glad that you like the wheel lathe and conveyor belt, hopefully later in the year we will see it actually in position properly!

 

Thanks Mark, hopefully as the work situation improves more time and money can be allocated to Boxenby!

 

This evening I spent a couple of hours weathering the pit floors of roads 1 to 4 which are the through roads. Here are a couple of photos of the inspection pits in position;

 

 

 

Once I have finished weathering the floors of the other inspection pits the rails will be painted and weathered and then I can start weathering the outer sides of the pits where the depot floor is lower.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Grimleygrid

[Waverley West]

 

Hi Dave, how did the move go? I take it you haven’t finished your Haymarket depot yet?!!!

 

 

Hi Alex,

 

The move went as well as can be expected, thanks, but my modelling has taken a bit of a knock sideways at the moment. I've been doing a lot of painting recently, but only of door frames and skirting boards! I've been toying with the idea of a portable layout for the time-being, until I get WW up and running again. I'm thinking of doing Oban before it was "modernised". My current thinking is to wait with Haymarket until WW is back on its feet.

 

Good to see you back again and making progress. I guess we all go through these non-modelling periods when life gets in the way.

 

Looking forward to more updates from you.

 

Cheers,

Dave

[Grimleygrid]

This afternoon I decided to see how the inspections pits would look with a couple of 58s on top and with natural light coming in through the window.

 

 

 

[Grimleygrid]

Now to get the rails painted and weathered and then get the outside of the pits treated to some dirt!

[Gallows Close]

Hi Alex,

 

The 'Bones' are looking good. Can't wait to see the pits weathered, and of course the locos!

 

Best wishes,

Chris.

[Grimleygrid]

Hi Dave,

Apologies I seem to have missed your reply!

Glad to hear that the move went well, don’t envy you with all that painting, not a fan of painting and decorating!

When are you planning to get WW up and running again? You are quite correct sometimes modelling has to take a back seat despite us wanting to do more of it!

 

Thanks Chris, it is a slow process weathering the pits. I have been painting the rails over the past few days which is very boring.......but hopefully will be worth it.

The inner pit walls certainly look better now that they have been weathered and do not stand out as much but it is still difficult to picture it without the depot floor up to the rail height.

I need to do some weathering on the 58s and 20s but that is a long way off!

[Grimleygrid]

This week I have finished painting the inner rails and whilst I work out how to weather the outside walls of the inspection pits have turned my attention to the inspection platforms.

Yesterday I started work on the bases that the inspection platforms will sit on. These are now ready for the platforms to be glued in position which will hopefully be done this week. Once glued the gaps will be filled using model filler and then the base and platform given a coat of grey plastic primer.

 

Here are a couple of photos showing a short and long version of the platforms:

 

 

 

[artizen]

Stop teasing us!

[D802 FORMIDABLE]

Awesome, my regular Boxenby Depot fix is here!! All is right with the world!! Looking magic Alex!!

Cheers

Anthony

Edited March 19, 2012 by D802 FORMIDABLE