cbeagleowner

Sounds lots of fun Malc and that's the most important thing I think! I did some track painting tests today on some old track. Not sure what I think really... It's sleeper grime with various shades of brown on the rails.... Various.... This is here for the Railmatch dark rust Humbrol 118 Humbrol 62 Humbrol 186 Matt 29 Sleeper Grime alone

I know it and have driven by many times! that would have been my dream but I got the 1980's in Chesterfield instead... I have was as a kid always fascinated by all the tunnels in Matlock Bath and seeing bits and bats on the way to Buxton to see mums friend there. She lived on Ash Terrace right next to the line that joins the Midland and LNWR - in fact in the famous photo of the loco which has come down the embankment you can see the laundry next to her end of terrace. Mum used to do dog agility training just behind the turntable - I was very impressed with how much Peak Rail had done and how much interesting stuff there was there...but that would have been no substitute for the real thing! Thanks Malc! Rich

Hi. I’ve had a look through my books and E M Morton’s pics on David Heys super website and all I’ve managed to find is that it was a colour light in August 1955. My gut reaction would be that originally it was a distant and was replaced by a colour light. That’s what happened for Bakewell’s up distant I believe.

Thanks Al. What ballast is that please?

I'm on annual leave this week so I've been doing some work in the loft. Firstly I've wired up some more points. I can't say soldering is my fave thing but since I've started using DCC concepts flux and solder I've had more success. I've tried to solder to the base of the rail as I don't like the wires showing. I've also discovered the merits of files and a fibreglass pen! Also I've been doing some viaduct surgery. It's based on the short 3 arch viaduct north of Millers Dale. I based the proportions from the drawing of Headstone viaduct in Bill Hudsons book. A mate of mine who is a master carpenter built it with me but did about 90% of the work so the credit is due to him. He did a super job. However in the summer I found a website with the actual measurements and the distance from the arch top to the parapet was too large. So long story short I removed the ply road bed with the cork on which saves me about 12mm and makes it just about correct. So what I'm going to do is add in some ply between the supports and then stick a layer of 1mm styrene sheets on top to be the new base of the road bed. Then I'll run it through a bandsaw to bring the parapet height down too. That's the plan! One last thing, in the previous layout I just sprayed the track with Railmatch sleeper grime with geoscenics 2mm limestone. I was planning to paint the track itself with a different brown colour but didn't get around to it before we moved. Would anyone have any suggestions as to other ways to make the track look good please?! Finally, it seems like my friend here is a model railway fan. I test ran my Peckett - he followed it round the loop with great interest.

Thanks Malc for your comment - might I ask where you lived please?

Thanks Al. The inside curve at the north end is 60 inches and through the station 98 inches. I was inspired by Stoke Coutenay and Wharfedale of this parish.

I've managed to complete the inner circuit on the layout and bought the points to begin the outer. Unfortunately until peco release the slips I'm stuck for a bit but I can work on the wiring at least. I've also laid the track in the station out so we can see roughly what it looks like. Originally Litton and Cressbrook was going to be a small local station, but I've now changed the track plan to be Millers Dale before the widening. That means I need to accommodate 9 coach trains. I'm not sure if it looks a bit too long....see what you think. Down end throat - two running lines, head shunt, siding, line to quarry station area - shame about the beam but it stops the house falling down... North end of the station South end of the station with temporary Metcalfe buildings Top view showing sidings... I might extend these when I lay them properly The north end from above too. The stub is for the cattle dock

Sorry - you are of course totally correct that it's an up signal. There was just a lie-by and a goods dock at Monsal Dale but I think this was to control these. I need to get my books from the garden shed tomorrow and see if there is a picture of the signal before it became colour light. This is the signal box diagram in 1966

Hi - I think the signal is for the Manchester direction so it's for the lime sidings just south of Millers Dale station rather than Monsal Dale - hope that makes sense! Just to say since I started this I did decide to change the track plan to make it more based on Millers Dale pre widening as I thought it might have more operational interest. I've also manages to complete the inner loop too. Only took 4.5 years!

I'm in a zoom meeting at the mo, but my memory kicked in I think. I may be wrong, but I think that it protects the lime sidings just before the viaduct. There was a repeater just there before that at some time. I know that the lime sidings were too small so they had to assemble trains on the main the line so there would need to be some sort of protection from the south before the junction signals for Millers Dale itself.

Hi - I'll have a look for you in the next couple of days. I seem to remember looking for the answer to this at some point in the past...

I thought the same. I think it’s vat?

There is a pic of Prestatyn at Chinley North Junction - that's the 'famous' pic. I think it's in the Foxline books... It's also interesting to see how many Longsight engines got over the line...

Hi. As 65179 said we did put together a list. I also have started the task of going through all my books in the peak line and ‘spotting’ what I saw. It’s a work in progress but I’m happy to send the file if you on me your email.

Hi John. I know Simon so I’ll drop him a message on here.

Hi. If you want to use the coaches with an LNER loco you could have them as part of an inter-regional service. For example a Newcastle -Bristol cross country service Or a Liverpool - Newcastle would change locos at York for an LNER loco and crew to Newcastle. Similar happened in other places too. As all Portholes were delivered in crimson and cream so you could run a rake with an LNER Pacific in a whole load of liveries. You can find the actual coaching formations In a working timetable or various books. However think I’d say that though not impossible it would be unlikely to be an all porthole rake but also include some Stanier period 3 coaches and even other P2 amd P1 stuff though the later you get the less earlier coaches there are. I hope that’s helpful.

According to the Irwell Press book of the Jubilees 5596 got tender number 9045 on 23/8/60 and 10750 on 5/10163 Both of these are stanier 4000 gallon tenders. I do t have my RCTS so can’t tell you if they are welded or rivited though - sorry!

I’ve looked into this a bit in the past. I’ve not nailed an A2/3 on the Extension. However I believe that Peppercorn A2 Happy Knight was at Annesley fir about a week? What I can say is that: a) there is a photo of Apple Green A2/3 Ocean Swell at Sheffield Victoria on a running in turn from Donny. Fir that matter there is a pic of the W1 there. ImGine that an A3 broke down... B) York engines Got to Annesley And there were A2/2’s there. c) They ran Pacifics on Charwelton back in the day - maybe Tony Wright could shed some info. I can also offer you as a one off Silver Link in the early 50’s (one day only) This site has good info about stuff at that shed. http://annesleyfireman.com/id9.html Books that are good / I like on the extension that will give you a good idea of stuff on the line: celebration of steam: the chilterns great central then and now: mac hawkins great centrals London extension: Robert robotham though not the extension, the foxline books are good. They will take you from Manchester to Nottingham. And the Bell code books.

On the subject of changing identities I thought I'd share that I was looking at whether 46206 could be coverted to 46203. It was looking good until I found that Princess Marie Louise was the only Princess with the coal pusher fitted. I checked the model pics and and it indeed on there. So great attention to detail by Hornby but that does mean a simple renumbering isn't possible. Just in case anyone else was wanting to go down that route...

I got a length of both a bit ago. From memory the DCC concepts track had shallower sleepers. This made the length quite fragile - more so then the peco bullhead. It also has stainless steel rails rather than nickel silver which would have required a hotter soldering iron (I think). It may have had a different key-ing too - think it was based on Midland practice - which would have been perfect for me. I have a feeling in light of peco's track they decided not to go ahead with the points instead opting for the point kits. All this is based on my memory though and I can't always remember my kids names!

HI - I think that there is a Fowler 4MT that was trialled on the GN for a little while in the mid 50' and was about Kings Cross shed. Also there was an N7 at Hatfield I think from memory. I can't remember which one and to be fair I've not seen pics of them in the station itself. I'm sure I've read about a Flying Pig working down there from the M&GN too. Not seen a pic of this though. Again, my memory is hazy but there was a rail tour with a Red Duchess 'City of London' and I've seen a pic of a Jubilee on a special in the 50/60's in one book. Just after grouping you have some GC and NE locos trialled on the ECML - eg GC B2 and Raven Pacifics. And B1's and even a couple of V2's got to St. Pancras at different points. I've got a pic of one at Kentish Town on shed. When Millhouses was taken over by the ER they obviously got down there randomly!

I finally went in the loft while the kids were away at the grandparents and did some twiddling with the track layout as I wasn't satisfied with the way things were before. I think Lecorbusier you're right with adding the operational interest but I thought that if it were a station that had the Buxton Bay i would also need to be bigger to accommodate the expresses who drop their coaches there like the real Millers Dale. So to make the platforms bigger I've moved the station throat to the Left. If you have any thoughts, please let me know. I knocked up the drawing on a train journey yesterday, so apologies it's not great! Also we've got two new friends in the family! The ginger one seems to confuse the litter tray and the carpet though ;-)

Not updated this for a while - well since I've been back at work after Christmas really. And not made much progress on the layout, only gone through the moment of wondering whether my track plan is any good at all and getting all flustered about it...I did however receive some nicely weathered wagons from Mr. David Smith so I thought you could see them here. They look a bit 'flatter' and darker here then in 'real life' funny how the old iPhone changes things.