The Great Bear

Alan, I will shortly be doing some lineside fencing and minded to give EZ Line a go. Can you recall what size you used, 0.075mm or 0.15mm? Thanks, Jon

Interesting choice, look forward to seeing this develop. A good mix of building styles/materials with the wooden station, the corrugated iron goods shed and the brick engine shed (abandoned, unless you are going to use further poetic license.)

I really like those aerial shots, they show to good effect the scale of the project, your and your contributors outstanding efforts.

Having done some testing making some signals using MSE components (with varying degrees of frustration) I thought I'd start looking at making some of the simple signals and place them. The plan, being to do ones on the outside along with the scenic work and work my way inward. Luckily the signals on the outside, the up direction, are the more simple ones. (My thinking being if I get the signals in early I only have to detail the cess once rather than make good after drilling holes.) The signal on the right, on the refuge siding will have a goods ring. I have a 3ft arm on it, the running signal is 4ft arm. I'm thinking the signal posts 26ft look too tall, both would look better 1/3 or so shorter, around 18ft. Just feels better to me and looking at the first phot, moves the arm lower so not on the horizon to improve sighting coming under the bridge? Could the goods signal be shorter again, perhaps to differentiate between the two, think that might look better too? Also, here's the 3ft arm with the goods ring resting on it. It seems a bit stumpy to me, maybe be better when eventually painted.

hs2 of course already leverages foreign experience in its design, just not as obvious as the Japanese input - for instance the civils design of C223 Country North is by Capita Symonds Ineco JV - Ineco being Spanish. Nice people and knew their stuff on high speed rail, a lot of good work for instance optimising the track layout in the delta junction-Leeds spur jnc on outside of Birmingham. The rails systems consultant, Parsons Brinkerhoff also utilised German sub-consultant/partner IIRC and I think Atkins had tie up with Systra (French).

Fantastic modelling. As said before, the back scene, seems so real and integrated with the model. Love the photos, especially the low level views and interesting angles like the last one, really gives the feel of being there. Look forward to more Jon

Excellent. Last pic shows the quality of the model really well.

Extensive detailed flood modelling has been undertaken for hs2 and agreed with the EA. Lengths of viaducts, bridge opening, culverts sized so that the railway has no material impact on water levels upstream. In general, the works then do not encroach into floodplain. Where floodplain is encroached into by embankments areas of lowered ground are to be formed to provide compensation for loss of storage in the floodplain. All hs2 design takes into account climate change in accordance with ppg25 for developments, 20% for fluvial flow, 30% for rainfall. Outfalls from the railway drainage or other works are designed to limit outflows in 100 year event to no more than existing. Typically balancing ponds are provided to do this. There was specification requirement for water levels in 1000 year event to be no closer than 1m to rail level, to avoid floodwater contaminating ballast - very onerous and much more than say road drainage. I don't have knowledge of the route in the Chilterns, but based on what I have seen done, the argument hs2 will make flooding worse is complete rubbish and opportunistic scaremongering.

For a bit of variety, some work on signals! Not sure if too soon or not but figure as involves drilling holes in baseboard better done before have got all the scenics done? Begbrooke will have four bracket signals. In the past trying to construct the Ratio kit and get the cranks and wires to work was an incredibly frustrating experience. Based on a recent thread I thought I'd try the same approach to reduce the frustration. Below is a very rough first test of concept, using broken bit of previous attempt at bracket signal. The pivot beam is too thick, its mounting to the bracket a bodge and the link to the spindle even more so; nothing like a back-blinder. I thought using this pivot beam was a bodge, but it appears not. It appears the GWR sometimes at least used this approach but mounted to the front, some good pictures in "A Scratchbuilders Guide to Semaphore Signal Construction" by Peter Squibb (Wild Swan). (Most of the modelling techniques in there far too advanced for me at this stage, but lots of good photos of signals, as one might expect.) The only example of this mechanism I can find on the web is 2nd image down here, albeit it's a concrete post. The arrangement as shown not withstanding the bodges, a lot easier than the arrangement with cranks for me to get working The Ratio bracket is a bit flimsy as still is the joint between the spindle and the signal arm - but better than with the ratio original arrangement. Next step is to try something finer and sturdier - whole lot of goodies from MSE ordered. Thanks for looking Jon

Mike, coming back to this thread with a question as I am going to give this approach to bracket signals a go. To confirm - so you used the Ratio arms and, presumably, superglued the wire to it? I really do like the idea of the rocker arm - the one Ratio bracket signal I've tried in past those cranks were so fiddly and the length of wire had to be spot on, both overly testing of my skill. Did get one working eventually - but it did get ever so close at times to throwing the work in hand across the room in despair. It's a sunny day here so a pleasant drive to the local model shop beckons to get some suitable bits and pieces to give this a go. Thanks for the good ideas Jon

Really like that set of photos, especially the one of the platform. Always good to see models from different, everyday/non-trackside angles. Also now working out how to illuminate what I'm building, have already noted your fine work on the signals even the ground discs. Look forward to seeing more, Jon

1960s photo of the station, found on web This does show ballast/stone between tracks too. Also the signal visible under the footbridge looks different from the arrangement in signal diagrams I've seen, this one looks to have mutliple arams and possibly something round on post beneath too? This metal post signal though looks to date after my modelling period so won't make the signals any more complex, though still curious of course.

Looking at my collection of photos again for Kidlington at least, looks like I was mistaken about the 6ft, does look like ballast/stone, possibly a bit finer? Now erring toward fine ballast mix

I've been doing some experimenting with ground cover for the cess and between the running lines. Post war photos show ballast/stone here but pre-war photos show clear difference in material, the cess and this area being ash or something like that? From the right: mixture of fine dark & light grey woodland scenics ballast (the track ballast is mixture of fine and medium size) carrs firebox ash Plastikote Gotham Grey textured paint, with paint wash (badly done) All are on the tracklay rubber I used as underlay for the track - in the case of the latter it being upside down Not convinced about any of them: looks to much like the ballast right colour but close up looks like hair Best of the bunch but too much texture still and colour iffy. For the goods yard at Marlingford I used DAS this was time consuming and I was not convinced over the colour I had there either. I think I tried using textured masonry paint, talk and odd bits of sprinkled stone. Might need to give this another go after all. At least this way of doing it would cope with variable track spacing etc. Any thoughts on the above or suggestions welcome. Thanks Jon

Forgot to say that my drawing is based on photos of the box, angles limited, but thankfully show the porch end. The box dated from 1890s and looking at pictures on the Signalbox website, I'd surmised Brymbo was nearest there to what I had, proportions - width of box/roof angle looked similar to me and also Leckhampton which I found details of in this old thread on RM Web http://rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4003 and used the drawing therein as the basis for my drawing, stretching it to suit size of frame/window layout I could see in photos.

See PM. Photos perhaps indicate some form of drain coming down from the porch, a wash basin? The box was manned 24/7 and quite a long way from the station buildings so I'd have thought some kind of "facility" would be provided?

Recently I've been carrying on with the station buildings, but for a bit of variety I fancy having a crack at the signal box. Again construction will be from card, but the windows and stairs will use etches from Churchward Models. There's a few things I'm not sure about/not clear from the photos I have - where door is to the locking room is, what is under the porch and what is on the porch at the back under cover - is this or the space below the khazi?

Excellent modelling of a charming prototype

Looks tidy to me...

Hmm, thanks but not sure on that...my understanding is that 7 reads to branch, 4 for the route to the mainline and in-line disc 25 reads to the siding. Which would then mean the bracket arm on the signal was the wrong way around? Similarly going other way toward Begbrooke from Marlingford 40 and 36 should be on a left bracket, not 28 on a right bracket. Looks like quite a few anomalies in the prototype. I'm inclined to just follow that, but curious for my education to know if it was "right" or not. Once again thanks Jon

Just trying to get my head around the bracket signals, what is correct practise, which may not necessarily be what my prototype had. What determines which route is the bracket (if there is only two arms) - is it based on what is the higher "class" route or the "diverging" route. I'm thinking in particular of nos.8 and 6 which are drawn as the prototype, which had 6 as being a small arm on small bracket - looks like a retrofitted bodge. Should it really be like 7 and 4 - even if the route back onto the mainline is really the diverging route and most traffic would go straight on up the branch (and on that basis 4 would be the bracket not 7). Hope this makes sense. Thanks Jon

Well I like it, something different

http://assets.dft.gov.uk/hs2-environmental-statement/volume-2/Volume_2_CFA_11_Stoke_Mandeville_and_Aylesbury.pdf pg40 has the construction programme for works in the Aylesbury area

At last some (physical) progress with the station building... The windows aren't great, especially the one in the foreground with superglue stain. I should have planned this more. In the end I've gone with the expedient option of address labels on tranparent film. If I'd tried making them this way before sticking the layers of card for the walls together I could have sandwiched the windows neatly in the walls rather than wedging them in afterward. They aren't too firmly fixed so if they really grate/spoil the whole model maybe I'll try something else. Waiting for the glue to set overnight then onward!

So you reckon what we're getting is a 59xx? That would be very Design Clever...surely not from Bachmann?