alancaster149

I like both sets of buildings, Arthur K's and Rumblestripe's. It'd be hard to choose between them in a competition as they've got their own character and style. Arthur K's use of brick, and slate roofs, and Rumblestripe's use of Wills' Coarse Stone both deserve a 'First' 

Doesn't seem worth the effort to resuscitate ailing model businesses if the manufacturing base isn't up to scratch. You'd buy a name and nothing else. The Kirk kits would need to be updated, the mouldings on the Gresley coach kits spruced up. The last ones I bought - some years back now - I had to bin several components and replace them with either Comet or MJT ones (white metal/brass (etched or cast, depending what was available and what the components were for). Roofs were often replaced by Comet ones because the Kirk versions were 'lopsided', i.e., wider on one side than the other... Want me to start on the Coopercraft products? It would be different if quality kits were on the table, like Chivers Finelines. Parkside were snapped up quick enough by Peco, if only for the range of kits (some were dropped, taken up in the ready-to-run market such as the steel-bodied, high sided wagons built by the LNER and continued by BR, with timber doors). Likewise Peco snapped up the Ratio range and re-packaged them - as they did the Parkside kits - rolling stock, buildings/structures and signals, although they could've dropped them and left signalling kits to Wizard.     

I've been 'starved' of rail joiners - aka fishplates - recently and as Hatton's had three packets I'd ordered a while back and stored in my 'Trunk', notified by e-mail the other day, I thought I'd get them sent. It ain't easy. After following online directions and getting nowhere twice I thought i'd send an e-mail by clicking on their 'contact' icon . Andrew replied today, to tell me he'd got them going. The helpline is easier than following their directions. I'll get them to send the stuff straight away, sooner than have them fester in the 'Trunk'. No use to me where I can't get at them. Anybody else had the same issue?

Alan L

This looks a very workmanlike project. Looking at it - especially the close-ups - makes me green with envy!

Mind you, just a couple of niggles.

One - if you're looking for historical accuracy the footbridge you see there now wasn't installed until late on in the days of the NYMR. It was added as a solution to the problem of accessing the up line platform when there was a train on the down side. Before that - pre-closure in 1965 - it never really mattered because trains between Whitby and Malton/York were never long enough. Even in steam days the passenger workings only tended to be on average three coaches long. Later there were only two-car diesel multiple units (d.m.u's) that halted close to the barrow crossing that was also used for passengers from the village side.

Two - generally Whitby engines in early BR days tended to be Class J24 for goods traffic, G5 and A8 for passenger workings down Eskdale and towards Pickering or Loftus (until closure in 1958). After closure of Whitby Shed in May, 1959 engines that worked down this way would have been Malton, Scarborough or York allocations. Every now and then specials came from further afield behind Black 5's, and although the length of these was probably more than Goathland's platforms could take, they wouldn't normally have halted here except on signal check.

Class L1 wouldn't have been seen down here on local trains, as they tended to be Darlington allocations and returned there via Battersby and Middlesbrough. After 1958 passenger traffic down from Battersby was d.m.u, pick-ups would have been from York behind J27 or B1.

Just thought this might be useful for you (shame to muck up the image with locos that wouldn't have run this way).

TTFN

alancaster149

Very atmospheric! As to the building being poorly 'founded' in the early images, it's part of the learning process. We have to make mistakes to learn, unfortunately. Wish I could model without bloomers, but I've blown some dosh in the past on cock-ups. What matters more than anything is the creation of an atmosphere, and you've achieved it.

I shall be posting some images of my layout THORALDBY on this site when a friend of mine has put processed the disk. We had a little gathering in my cellar today whilst he took the pictures to accompany my article: NORNING SLOW THROUGH THORALDBY, which I am told will appear in the March DOGA JOURNAL.

Meanwhile why don't I post a picture or two of some of my stock from the DOGA website. Also, why don't you look up a series of model-making articles I've put together on my Hub sub-domain: alancaster149.hubpages.com, titled RITES OF PASSAGE FOR A MODEL RAILWAY. My next one will be on modelling mineral wagons. I like the ones you've got on your Teesdale layout, by the way.

I had the good luck to meet Ken Hoole back in the 80's a few times. Sadly he died in Scarborough Hospital in the late 80's. Are you a member of NERA, by any chance? I don't get the chance to get to the Darlington meeting, but next year I hope to rectify that.

Again, very atmospheric Arthur K! Very North Eastern. Thoraldby is based on early 1950's, about twenty years on from your period, but I have a few kitbuilt NE locos in my 'stable', such as a Q6, a J21 and an A8. Most of the locos are modified ready-to-run, such as three J39's, three D49's (one being a 'Hunt', 'The Garth' of Scarborough - and there are a few foreigners' amongst them, WD 2-8-0 and 0-6-0, LMS 2-6-0's and a Mexborough K3.