mallaig1983

I ordered my copy this morning also. I find that I had missed signing up for an email notification for this so thanks Rob for mentioning it your post this morning. Not having received an email I don’t know if it includes the flyer. If not it is worth looking up for the wonderful photo of 37014 with its rather discreet teeny tiny thin white stripe. Also of note and apologies if dragging this slightly off the current topics but unless I’m mistaken there appears to be at least 2 of the international vans, that were discussed up stream some months back, in the consist. But I could very well be mistaken. SDFID-Sh-37s-flyer.pdf

I’m eagerly awaiting this particular loco to be released. Not owning an airbrush and unknown talent in using one I’ll have to be patient and bide my time. Looks stunning 👍

Yes it is another useful video full of details and warrants a few viewings. With very little freight on the Mallaig extension I too have been planning on a couple of engineers wagons at Glenfinnan so that clip made me smile too. The small warehouse building will also have to be scratch built so that was very useful too.

As my attention has turned to the signal box area of Mallaig I decided that the next building that really needed to happen was the signalman’s cottage. Working by guessing dimensions as I have no measurements (a practice that I have been forced to use for most of my buildings) a card mock-up was first made and offered to the scene. I was content that I’d established what the footprint and height of the walls were roughly I was a little disappointed to find it didn’t fit. The depth I had allowed was to narrow and I had a hill and a rock face in the way. Now Street View has been a good friend to me while I’ve been building Mallaig but I’m pretty sure this area today is changed from how it was in 1983. Sure the cottage is still there but the car park for the health centre appears to have had some development of the landform in order to allow it to be flat. Steam To Mallaig dvd has been a big help and resulted in the big knife attacking my landform to accommodate the cottage with something similar now sitting behind it. However once passed the cottage there is a shed and this shed blocks a decent view of the landform that the garage above the signal box looks like. Trawling through Flickr and YouTube I came across the little gem linked below. Filmed in 1988 the shed has gone so a very helpful view can be seen. I haven’t linked the video so you can all enjoy my newfound view behind the box but because I think you’ll enjoy a rather nice run up the West Highland Line in the snow. The WHL section kicks in around 5:25 mins in. It’s been on YouTube a year now so you may have already seen it but if you haven’t, enjoy 😀

Pop Up designs do a laser cut kit of Ballachulish station. I think it is available as two kits for the complete building but perhaps one or both of these kits could be used for a station at Kinlochleven? If not identical there would have been similarities and entirely plausible if Kinlochleven had of been the terminus with Ballachulish a through station. This line would have been built by a different company to that portrayed in the Kinlochmore thread so the new Peco laser cut kit wouldn’t be so accurate but obviously this is entirely down to how fussy you want to be. It’s your model railway after all so your rules. As BoD has said we’re a friendly bunch within these threads and a nice community to be involved in. Sometimes when you are in need of a little boost to the mojo or some advice on modelling or the prototype it’s always there. Welcome to West Highland modelling and I’m looking forward to watching your layout develop. The line from Connel Ferry to Ballachulish is nowadays a cycle/footpath and although not as remote as the West Highland Way could be something you’d like to walk or cycle in the future. Andy

Im enjoying following all your excitement and reviews. This really does look like a beautiful model. By my user name you can see that for me it is out of era and area but I am very jealous. I live very close to the Cambrian and may just as easily have built Pwllheli in the 50s as Mallaig in the 80s. Our interests are wide and our space, time and finances narrow but if there is a second run I fear a weakness may overwhelm. If only BR had of used a Manor instead of one of those boring Midland 5 things (😉) on the 84 steam specials. Excited and a tad envious of you all who have received them and absolutely gutted for you folks who have been severely let down by Key. If I do get a Manor it won’t be through them! Enjoy your stunning models folks.

Yes indeed, there is quite a lot in there of interest. I thought it was definitely worth sharing. It was a quickly fired off post due to it taking longer than hoped to copy the link for some reason. I will have a look for the Oban line video and let’s keep our collective fingers crossed for one on the WHL mainline.

Found this little gem this morning. I hope the link works. https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F0XtgRx8Lg8A&data=05|01||23bd1e180eb141bd7b8808db9fd86cd4|84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa|1|0|638279524104591610|Unknown|TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D|3000|||&sdata=2LVG4rfEJx4BcbmpVdniFwsrpv7fbVileUQwCr25eDA%3D&reserved=0

Good question Bill. I pondered the very same and decided it almost certainly would have been. My paint collection believe it or not does not contain BR blue. Well it does in the form of a rail match rattle can but sledgehammer and nut scenario would be severe overkill. Besides I wanted it to be faded BR blue so I ended up using a French blue and Sky blue that were used for painting the work worn ‘Heather Ann’ on the slip. To my eye it’s a slightly faded BR blue and I think stands up well to photos of the era, indeed the scenes linked by Mr Young earlier today. I have struggled to find a decent 1983 clear photo of the box but the 1984 photo minus the white steps and newly painted window frames makes me feel satisfied I’m close enough. The keen eye will of course notice the blue barge board between the brick base and the matchboarded facia. This is not included in the Peco kit.

It looks like the steps have had a good lick of paint for the 1984 season while the window frames also look like they may have also had a coat while the boards have been left. Also of interest the shed on the hill has been re-panelled horizontally rather than vertically and the signalman’s cottage has had new windows. Possibly these buildings had been rented out once the signalman had been made redundant? Thanks for the links Rob.

I have kitbashed the signal cabin to suit Mallaig and fitted an interior. It will need lighting inside before I can fit the roof properly. This project has been a lot of fun and rewarding after 2 failed attempts to scratch build it. Thanks Peco 👍

And a seagull on the roof I think. Yes a little more tidying of the paintwork, I hadn’t noticed the splodge of brown on the blue on the steps until I saw the photo once posted. The white does look a little grubbier in the flesh but I feel there is scope to do a little more. It’s had a coat of very very thinned humbrol brown wash. Studying photos of the cabin from the early to mid 80s it would appear that the blue was deteriorating and flaking off at the time and worsening over the years but for 1983 I’m happy to represent it still in a reasonable state but with the white looking a little worse for wear.

The signal cabin has almost been completed this weekend. It does contain an interior but it will need a light in there to see it properly. Because of this the roof has not been glued down. I’ve really enjoyed bashing this kit and had fun with the painting. I may well weather it a little bit further but for now I’ll just enjoy it as it is. I have acquired another one for Glenfinnan along with the station building and up line platform shelter. Just in case these ended up being out of stock when I needed them but I have enjoyed this build so much that I will probably have a look at them sooner. In the meantime at Mallaig next I will be back to the scratch building.

Seems all the easy parts at the start of the project have to be repaid. Just be patient and work through the snags Andy. Yellow is always an absolute bitchkins. Steadily work through the other bits. She’s a work of art and love and I promise I’ll leap from my BRUTE camera in hand at Christleton with my camera. Don’t lose heart now on the final push, you’ve created something that we never noticed back in the day but we miss sooooo much now. Good luck with the fettleing, you’re almost there and I really can’t wait to to see her on service. Calm and patience for the final push. Good Luck. It’ll be grand.

The layout looks wonderful Andy and that 37 sounds the biz. The viaduct really adds something special to the scene. Well worth the effort I’d say.

Micheal Palin? 😀

A couple of Eastfield’s namers basking in the sun at Mallaig in 1983. I absolutely love these Accurascale tractors. I had a problem with one of them which Accurascale told me to return and sent a return label for. Quickly turned around and a replacement arrived within a week. Blown away by the helpfulness and top drawer service. There was nothing for me in the second tranche but with a roadmap to 500 specimens I’m already saving for more. This pair were ordered as I started track laying so I’ve been building the layout and looking forward to photo opportunities like this. Can’t wait for more. 👍

The man with the white paintbrush has swooped at Eastfield and 37012 Loch Rannoch has her first run to Mallaig. This is a renumbered and renamed 37027 Loch Eil. I just had to have a pair of white stripe namers on the layout. Running in past the signal box And standing with classmate 37027

Ps you really need to make a start on that layout 😀

That’s spooky Ian because Catherine Ann McPhee’s cd is in the car at tge moment and I too have been listening to it on my commute and it’s the one that provides several tracks for that video/dvd from a few years back. Great minds and all that. My main interest in Scottish folk is what I describe as Folk-Rock with the likes of Runrig, Teail West, Heron Valley, Skipinnish, Tidelines etc. Ideal soundtrack when touring around the west coast and the Islands.

I’d love to go to HebCelt one day. And the Tiree music festival. Im just listening to Travelling Folk on Radio Scotland via BBC sounds. Great music. Will check YouTube clips later thanks

What do you do when your scratch building confidence is a bit rocky? Well you kit bash. I had acquired the new Peco Arisaig signal cabin with the plan to modify it to represent the box at Mallaig which was a mirror image. I took the two ends and two sides from their frets and clamped a straight edge to a suitable square of mdf and sharpened a pencil. I put the inside face of one of the ends and the front and rear sections sandwiching it with their bottom edges tight against the straight edge and with a small metal rule I drew a new line across the rear face of the end piece. Repeated several times and then the other end the same. Then with a new blade in Stanley I used the rule and scribed the new V joints along the pencil lines. The kit has an inner skin with the window frames so those sections needed modification to so a wee bit of thought required but all was good. I found the steps the biggest challenge and they do look like they have been fitted by Shane McGowan’s dentist so I will have to see how I feel about them once painted, perhaps there is something 3d printed out there. They’re ok for now at least. I’m the photos the roof, which is still a separate section, isn’t quite sitting 100% flush but it does fit properly. I would retake the photos but the model has now been primed and is drying. I still need to glaze and fit an interior Yesterday the catch point with fitted and wired in and the tortoise motor fitted and wired. This works in sync with the loco release point. It now requires painting and ballast. A nice productive weekend and it’s time for a beer and some Scottish folk music. Cheers Gents.

It all looks good to me. I remember when mine looked like that. All of a sudden there’s a ‘Ta Dah’ moment as it all comes together and you can feel slightly smug. This layout really is looking very nice already. Thank you for the information and advice regarding signals. And yes I did mean MSE lol. Andy

An absolute feast of inspiration and motivation in there Dave. Wonderful photos as always. Thanks for sharing and giving us the update. Right, lunch break over, I’m back to Mallaig

Looks great. I’m paying particular attention to your scenics. Love the rocks. Is tge signal an MME one? Looks perfect and I’ll need a few too. keep us posted on developments.