pippindoo

Regarding the lack of adhesion, I remember years ago I worked for Beatties model shop in Leeds and we regularly took locos in for repair and part of the service was re-magging the magnets. A quick blast in the machine and the loco would be transformed. Is this still available anywhere does anyone know given the design of modern motors?

Triang TT? What's all that about then??....  A lot of it from my childhood, plus 1 or 2 bits picked up along the way, all there, cleaned and ready to run.  Around a dozen or so locos including a 3 car dmu, 3 dozen coaches, 70+ wagons, buildings, accessories, you'll note the rolling stock is stacked 3 deep! Doh! The stock list is years old so possibly not everything is listed. One day, one day.....

Boom! Somewhere hidden away, I've got an early Beatties catalogue from the 70s, full of the model railway standards of the day, Farish Formoway, Wrenn, Tri-ang Hornby, Hornby Dublo, Fleischman, LGB, Wills Fincast, Ks kits, Riko, H&M, Minitrix, Lima O, OO, HO and N, Atlas, Rivarossi etc, and all priced in £ s d. I will find it!..... 

I'm ex Beatties too, almost 18 years at the Leeds branch, and there were only 4 when I joined! Best of luck on this bold venture, I for one wish them every success.

Am I right in assuming the last few posts are regarding Beatties?  I started at the Leeds branch, when there were only 4 branches, in 1973, and left 18 years later in 1991 to join the railway. Saw lots of big changes during my time but loved every minute! Still got a very early Beatties catalogue (from well before the big sticker book) 

This any use? Taken at Morecambe where the units often did a couple of trips on a weekend, it shows the shade of orange in at least the First Class end. I seem to remember they also had cream plastic covered antimacassars too. You probably know that class 123 cars featured in a few of the Trans Pennine sets in later years. Used to love hearing the spectacular rasp from the exhaust as they powered away. Happy Days!

Just adding a link to a Flickr album of my Bassett Lowke, Darstaed etc for you perusal. Cheers!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pipps_trains/albums/72157624154808581

Just been browsing the British Pathe film library and came across a clip entitled 'The Railway Today 1960' It features a short clip, beginning at 3 mins 10 secs, showing an architect's model of the station's planned reconstruction. May be of interest... 

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/the-railway-today/query/the+railway+today

As an ex Leeds Driver, (31 years), I've walked beneath that canopy so many times. Phenomenal modelling!

Further news! Down at the canal wharfe, the canopy has seen further work towards completion, as well as a lick of paint, again courtesy of Virginia, well, it's an excuse to convene further meetings down the pub.... the wharfes jetty and access ramp have also now been paved to provide a solid workspace but the top of the ramp requires a wooden decking on top of the girder work, once the final level of the railway yard has been settled. The retaining wall will be stone clad, the stone has been delivered but will be cut to size and have an initial coat of colour, ANOTHER pub visit, probably on Friday as it's Darts Night and Virginia throws a mean arrow. Once it's painted, it can be fitted as access would be tricky otherwise. The canopies are the well known Dapol, ex Airfix kits, altered to suit, as is the Knightwing gantry crane, an unusual arrangement maybe, but it all adds interest. I'll let the photos tell the story. As ever, your thoughts are welcomed. Cheers!

Avid viewers will note a change of building in the station yard, this is the premises of Hollycross's coal merchant, Mr Orson Carte, who also acts as Goods Agent. He will in time be provided with horse drawn transport, some sacks and weighing scales, but his coal will be delivered by the Railway Company into the goods yard, and will then be handballed across to his premises. To this end, the Company have very kindly provided a gate and wooden walkway to assist in the short but heavy journey twixt yard and office. This feature is shown thus...

Greetings. I'm back again with more tales of sliced open fingers and other acts of derring-do! Some slight progress with things, the paving and cobbling have been finished and the buildings around the station area have been completed and received an initial coat of paint. The colour scheme was decided at a Company meeting convened in the Railway Arms one night, the colour combination being rapidly settled by the outfit being worn by the barmaid Virginia, a voluptuous beauty of a girl, who quite frankly would look mightily impressive in any colour, but tightly stretched green and fit to burst cream were ajudged to be very attractive and the meeting was over and an order placed, both for the paint and for another round of drinks, with nuts, which happen to be on the bottom shelf.....! Hope you approve.

We have 2 sayings in Yorkshire, one is 'Ey up cock!', the other is 'ow much?!!' So, when a sheet of sandpaper reaches the end of it's life, it hurts to just throw it away.  And!, it makes cracking ground cover for a goods yard.... Ballast will cover the edges and the creases and worn areas just add to it once its painted and weathered. Plus it was free!

Well, it's been a paving and walling day today! The cobble layers arrived first, though ran out right at the death, the pavers were next and did complete the job but....I'm not 100% with it. The Drystone wallers cracked on in fine style but there's more to do yet. I'm thinking different shades of colour and weathering is definitely what will blend it all in. There will be a fence along the back of the platform, and the shed building may yet be changed but it's the coal man's plot, and there'll be a few sacks and some scales. The sacks he'll fill in the Goods Yard and have to carry across. Hmm, maybe he knows how the wall got damaged!....

Lovely looking model, definitely worth developing the idea!

All in all a good couple of hours work, I've put plastic angle on the shopping list to allow tidying up of the entrances, and once a colour scheme is finalised, both the station and new Goods Shed will look very much a part of this developing little railway! I've also gained a few windows, and enough wooden planking to install walkways at the far end of the platform to allow easy access to the loco depot and signal box. 

Loco Shed?  Signal Box?? Hmmmm....... Watch this space

Things were going well, I had a Goods Shed, and a growing pile of left over bits and bobs, so, how's about an internal platform to assist things along? The kit includes a full sized wooden planked base, plus the wooden framing which the store is meant to sit on. Handy!.....

After a few minutes sawing, sanding and glue sniffing, the windows were now big enough to suit requirements and the initial installment was looking good. You can see that I'd already slewed a siding across earlier to make room available. The new Goods Shed would also match the Station Building which pleased his Lordship! Onwards....

As you can see the small end windows just aren't big enough to get a Goods Van through, so need a little bit of work. I set to with a razor saw.....

One thing a Goods Yard needs, is a Goods Shed, but the yard at Hollycross is a bit tight so it was going to have to be quite a small building. I decided on the Wills SS63 Goods Store which duly arrived and contained a photo of said building after assembly. Yeah, right!.....

Thanks Zomboid. Leeds City station, where I was based as a train driver for 21 years, is built on a viaduct and the River Aire and Leeds-Liverpool canal both pass beneath the station. Each platform road and through lines in between, has a very similar girder bridging the brick built structure beneath. It always fascinated me so I wanted to recreate something similar. The bridge on the layout is very shallow too so its feasible the engineers might strengthen it with some steelwork. Anyway, it works for me!

Negotiating newly ballasted track and level crossing work, an afternoon service approaches Hollycross. I think I'd rather like to fly down that long hill on the old Enfield, but it'd be just my luck to have the train turn up!

So, any initial thoughts, suggestions, ideas etc, I'd love to hear. Cheers!

Creeping into the last photo set was a glimpse at the canal Company's yard and interchange arrangements. Verrrry interesting!.... Photos?