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Coney Hill Light Railway


Dava

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Delighted to see the Ixion Hudswell Clarke and Manning Wardle on your layout.

 

Not only that Chris, Paul Martin had his new 'Coffee-Pot' based railcar running on the narrow gauge layout as well so it was quite an event for Ixion !!

 

Have a look here for one of Paul's photos http://www.ngtrains.com/Pages/A-stuff/Railcar2.jpg

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Thank you Chris, and we shall be delighted to showcase Ixion Gauge 0 locos in future - send us your prototypes and demonstrators!

 

Having returned from Derby, the layout is being prepared & improved for Mansfield in 3 weeks time. The brewery building is about finished and the brewery yard & siding area will be detailed (clue - lots of barrels!).

 

1st stage of ballasting on the platform road & points with a layer of 'dark polyfilla' being poured yesterday prior to cork chippings being added - I dont like granite ballast. A Midland van kit (Slaters) has been built and lots of small things underway. Such fun.

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So with the Mansfield show this weekend, a lot of work has taken place on the layout since Mickleover. But now its set up for test running along the wall, so unphotographable now until the exhibition!

 

Just to say that the bit of cutting side has been completed with rabbit burrows for those coneys...but will they get painted before the weekend? The brewery loading dock, factory back and other areas are better finished, but we're short of people too.

 

Come and say hello if you're at Mansfield!

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A good weekend was had by all at Mansfield show, quite busy on the Sunday & a warm welcome.

 

Coney Hill had added scenic detail, small animals etc since the first outing. Also a small electrical problem which Jim Read helped deal with on the Sunday morning. Thanks also to my son Andy for helping operate on the Saturday. Now we've time to work the layout up, add track ballast, scenic depth, more people and lots of detail before future appearances.

 

Two photos below, showing the passenger train in the station and the Peckett shunting the brewery siding (signage to be applied).

 

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One of the things we learned from the Mansfield show was that another couple of locos would be handy for when the smaller ones (esp. the Peckett and Sentinel) need a wheelclean, minor maintenance etc. Also the 'Planet' (ex Atlas Plymouth diesel hack-job) is not an ideal show-runner, being a bit fast and capable of levelling a buffer-stop, such is its mass.

 

One of the ideas for Coney is to be able to run stock in different periods. So whilst I started with the pre-WW2 'thirties' period, there will need to be a late-fifties/early sixties era so we can run the AC Cars railbus when it comes out from Heljan, small diesels and late-period steam.

 

Anyway, all this led me to buy a Tower Models '02' diesel shunter kit which someone had started on by drilling handrail holes but not much more. So this will be the next build, giving a heavy cast body. I think the chassis can have one axle compensated. Project for the Easter break...?

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Very inspiring little layout. I'm looking at my first foray into standard gauge O scale shortly; very excited by these new RTR prospects, especially the Heljan railbus!

Do you mind if I ask - what make of kit are those short passenger coaches, and do you know (approximately) what sort of operating radius they'll handle?

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The brake end is a Slaters and the othe is from Mercia, I think- i didnt buid either. They are OK on 3 foot radius curves. I work on 36" minimum.  rad. PECO are talking about a 42" radius point but not soon....

 

It can take less space (time and money) than you think. I'm waitning for flexible couplings too!

 

Dava

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No news from Coney Hill for ages....I've been working on a BR 02 diesel shunter which will add a bit of heft when the layout runs in 1960's mode. Getting wasp-stripes right on this took some time & I'm not happy with the flush-glazed cab windows, will try casting resin instead. Also the track ballasting work has taken several weekends. But the scenic work is under way for the Derwent Valley gala weekend on 20-21 July. There are plans for a backscene too.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/50653-02-diesel-shunter-coney-hill-2/

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Thanks for the interest guys...

 

The buildings - the station is an Alphagraphix card kit of a Derwent Valley light railway station, so lots of fine scalpel work to cut out & make up but much easier than scratch-building. The matching goods shed is a simple card box with scribed planks I scratchbuilt, both have corrugated roofs from plasticard. Alphagraphix have several good light railway stations in their range.

 

Martin, the 'Planet' (imposter) has always been a bit uncontrollable - it takes a few seconds to get started and then gains terrific impetus, I'm not sure a resistor would help or not. Most of the time its the test loco, such as on all the ballasting work just completed. Tidying up and work on the scenics and details is next. Its surprising how much ground space there is even on 'micro' gauge 0 layouts.

 

Good luck with your layout projects...

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I visited the GOG event at Cleckheaton, Meteor Models very kindly agreed to supply a set of Sentinel castings which will help with the planned Derwent Valley Light Railway early build 'CE' Sentinel which is the next project - needed for the DVLR centenary event in July. I also ordered a Heljan AC Cars railbus - for delivery in Dec/Jan. Expected price £400+! Also bought a couple of used wagons. Highly impressed by Alan Gray's 'St George's Pit' layout.

 

Dava

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No posts in the last few weeks as after returning from break in Northumberland (with visit to the wonderful Tanfield Railway en route) I've been busy with the DVLR Sentinel CE type. Tonight its basically finished, bar fixing the roof and painting, so photos over the weekend. Then its back to Coney Hill, to progress the scenic work before the Derwent Valley centenary gala in just 3 weeks time!  

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Andrew,

 

Yes - good to hear this. Jonathan Stockwell, the other author, is also archivist of the DVLR & has been really helpful in inviting the layout to their centenary gala on 20-21 July. So looking forward to the book appearing in September. Meantime getting the layour ready for the display and painting the Sentinel loco. Photos to follow this weekend.

 

Dava

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Little news from Coney Hill and no photos until today as we've been busy preparing for the Derwent Valley Light Railway Centenary Gala on 20-21 July.

 

The big project has been building a model of the original DVLR Sentinel loco, this was completed today and took its first runs on the line. The photos are an attempt to copy the originals taken in 1925.

 

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The loco had couplers and other details added after the photos were taken.

 

As well as the loco there will be lots of added scenic detail, a backscene and a couple of wagons since the last outing to Mansfield - and the figures and wildlife if we have time to finish painting and add these.

 

See details of the DVLR event here and please come along to support it - see you there!

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70331-derwent-valley-light-railway-centenary-event-2021-july/

 

Dava

 

 

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We had a great weekend at the Derwent Valley Light Railway Centenary Gala, met lots of people and Coney Hill performed pretty well, gaining some young admirers (and operators!).

 

See the photos at:

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70331-derwent-valley-light-railway-centenary-event-2021-july/?p=1105851

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Whatever happened to Coney Hill this summer? The answer is that after the Derwent Valley Gala, it stayed crated up in the garage. Meanwhile, lots of clearance work around it took place, with the plan of creating a workroom in half of the double garage which could house a layout, workbench, micro-brewery and other vital facilities etc.

 

The problem with working in the garage had been the temperature (too cold last winter!), lack of natural light, dust, & water creeping under the doors when it rained heavily. I'm sure all this affected the quality of the modelling I was able to do on Coney, because I could not see what I was doing too well! Excuses...

 

So we had the builders in and now there is a completed shell, with a 13 foot run down one side and 8 feet across the end...lots of potential. It needs decorating & fitting out but when complete will be a much better working environment.

 

In the meantime, Coney Hill has booked shows at Woodthorpe (Nottingham) on Oct 26 & Weston-on-Trent school on Nov 16, so it will need to be set up, tested & got ready in the next few weeks. As there is the day job and a book project to finish, not much progress likely to be made on new modelling projects before December...

 

 

 

 

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I've spent the past week painting the new workshop, and varnishing the woodwork today. No modelling whatever! New floor covering gets fitted on Thursday, so for next weekend we can set the layout up at last and get running before the Woodthorpe show.

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So, a break from decorating & fitting out the new railway studio/workshop yesterday, and a visit to the Heathcote show at Shepshed. The heavy rain probably explained why it was less than busy, but the Air Cadets did their usual impressive duty organising the parking!

 

Good to see 'Scout Green', 'Chard' and some G1 & G3 exhibits. Then it was back to the P&D. The actual room was completed with floor covering fitted before moving anything in. Seems to be a problem with uploading pics at present so will try later.

 

 

 

 

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Coney Hill in its new home. These are lo-res photos as nothing bigger can be uploaded at present.

 

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Even the narrow gauge 'gypsum tramway' is now running more reliably, but it cold do with a Ruston 10hp or something.

 

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There is quite a lot of detailing to do on the layout in the next week, and the lighter, warmer workshop really helps, but 'work' gets in the way during the week!

 

Come & see us at Woodthorpe (Sherwood) show on Sat 26 Oct

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/calendar/event/957-nottingham-woodthorpe/

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Thanks to those who appreciated the last photos. This weekend I've continued adding detail to the layout in the much-improved conditions. So the brewery (the model one, not the real microbrewery in the other corner) now has a chimney & enhanced details, most of which can't be seen in this shot at all!

 

Apologies for the background clutter, this end of the layout does not have a backscene.

 

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Here is the Peckett shunting the brewery siding.

 

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This picture apparently has nothing to do with the layout, except that it is a 10 minute walk away - 'Ugly' RS&H 63 at Rushcliffe Halt on the GCR (North) with the morning train. Maybe a clue to why we bought a house here?

 

I can hear the trains with the workshop door open and later on they'd evidently gone over to diesels (classes 31 and 20 I think). I've just joined the Friends of the GCR which when the link between the two lines is complete (2019?) will mean I can catch a train not just to Loughborough, but to the planned museum at Leicester North. 'Bridging the Gap' is a fantastic project, so worthy of support.

 

Much sooner than 2019 is the planned Great Model Railway Exhibition on the GCR on 20-23 June 2014, with model and engineering dispays along the line. Coney Hill has solicited an invitation so we look forward to being in the display at Rothley!

 

 

Dava

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