BurscoughCurves

Perfect, thanks gents I'll go with the smaller- they do look more appropriate. David; hope the office is treating you well! More updates soon, Pete

Hi Folks, Thanks so much much for the positive comments. Just a quick question; which I beams look better for my cut-down bomb damaged canopy- just over 1ft square or just under 2ft square section? Just thought the original (larger) ones look too big, especially when you look at the canopy at Chester; Any thoughts would be appreciated, Pete

Evening all, Just a couple of quick pics. Started some scenic work on the carriage sidings earlier. I wasn't satisfied with my general 'earth' ground cover and thought that the mix of Carrs ash ballast was too dark. I have experimented with a brown scatter purchased at the Wigan show on Saturday and I think it could work; it does lighten up the scene slightly! A touch of autumn 10mm static grass has started to blend the retaining walls into the ground; Please ignore the yet-to-be-filled corner...! A sunny afternoon in Halifax; Had a good time at the Wigan show on Saturday, so many incredible layouts. My favorites were Diesels in the Duchy, Calderwood, Lime Street but I think Canada Street won it for me. I was blown away by The Worlds End though; The epic Lime Street; The wonderful Canada Street; Thanks people, Pete

Evening Folks, Managed to mount the back-scene this evening using double sided tape. It seems to hold well- I just hope it stays up! There is an awful join near the middle of the layout. A large factory building will cover some of this but it isn't an appropriate place for a chimney so I may have to disguise it in another way. They are 'overcast sky' set 1 & 2 from ID back-scenes. Apologies for a horrible 3/4 view; The other direction; A few quick shots; I quite like the first of the above three shots, I feel it nods it's hat to Tetleys Mills. I plan to finish the platforms next. Looking forward to the Wigan show next Saturday also. Pete

Thanks people, very kind comments. I just wish I had more time to spend in the railway room!! John- the pics weren't from the gala, just an early September visit whilst on a short break to Whitby (convenient that our short break involved a steam railway!). I really wanted to see Sir Nigel in steam before she is overhauled but she wasn't running. I was really lucky with the other engines I saw though, and loved every minute. Thanks also scotty, I'm learning so much as I go and taking so much inspiration from the great layouts on this site. Copy all you like- just show me when you do it properly!! Hope for a bit of progress on Sunday, Pete

Thanks also Manna, I've found some lovely images searching for Broad Street. I think I may model a small "modern" canopy, not a patch on how the original would have looked! Pete

Great link- thanks Russ. I have been looking for information on Halifax during the war, so that is spot on. The subject of how towns and cities changed because of war damage is a somber yet fascinating one. I remember being so engrossed by the stories of my grandparents during wartime Liverpool; my gran being bombed-out of her home but yet telling such funny tales from that time. Pete

Quick update from a few hours on the layout today. I first started by fitting some location dowels to the main platform so I can remove it for painting & detailing and relocate it accurately (ish!); I then painted the plastikard sides with the base sandstone; Then dabbed on several coats of matt black, with a gentle dusting of dark weathering powder; I then started on something I've been meaning to do for a while. I have been debating whether to model a station canopy or not, which would be similar to this at Chester; I have decided to not model the canopy in full, so to not obscure the platforms. I have pictured it being cut down in the late 40's (after sustaining damage during the war perhaps?). With this in mind, I have started to model the support girders in a cut-down state; I'm still unhappy with a general ground cover, I need to find a fine textured, brown scatter. Any suggestions would be greatly recieved. Pete

Hi Trev, Yes no problem. If you search my blogs I show the construction in a bit of detail. It is essentially a kit-bashed shed made from two Wills kits and some extra embossed plastikard and detailing parts. The small office at the rear is scratchbuilt. It has a core of foam-board with scribed brick interior and is illuminated with LED's in the shed area and in the office section. My original layout plan had the shed facing 180 degrees to how it is now, so the detailed interior of the out-building is fully hidden now on the non-viewing side! The chimneys are 3D printed, and the smoke chutes on the underside of the roof sections are from the safety covers of my diabetic needles (see image below)! They have a lovely shape and I am planning on using them in a few other detailing areas! Here are a few photos; Cheers, Pete

Thanks very much Gismo. I'm glad I went ahead with the sleeper spacing, and I did consider trying the same with the points but as it's a first real layout I am content with the standard Peco points for now (after stripping some excess plastic from them). My next effort (years away yet) will feature hand built points. I can't wait to lay the MPD trackwork and get properly stuck into the scenics. Roll on more weekends/holidays!!

Evening all, After a week off work and a few lovely days in Whitby, I have a decent number of images to upload. I have made a little progress on one of my platforms, but have spent most modelling time enjoying running sessions. Firstly, a few images from a day on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. I don't get to spend enough time near the real sized beasts, and absolutely loved the sight, sounds and smells. Due to issues with points outside Grosmont, there were 3 locos in steam to gawp at; black 5 Eric Treacy, standard 4MT and K4 The Great Marquess. I have a lot more photos from this trip but here are a few; Inside the cab of the K4: Back to the smaller stuff, I have really enjoyed detailing some of my locos recently. They all have crews now, and the inside of the cabs have been weathered. I will weather them externally soon. I weathered the inside of the tender on my Jubilee with a coat of humbrol clear and then weathering powders; I coloured a sample piece of edging with a thin wash of black to highlight the scribed flags, followed by a general coat of sandstone and finished with brown weathering powders; A few shots from a running session; The pilot is busy moving empty stock; The Kadee magnets at the opening of the carriage sidings helps to keep shunting moves fluid. They are located under the dummy trap points; The delayed uncouple feature from the Kadees are great in this location. A local DMU service pulls in (the spotters aren't impressed); The trusty Fairburn pulls in with a semi-fast; A short freight pulls in behind a 4F and awaits to reverse into the off-scene goods yard; Finally, a beautiful jubilee reverses onto a London bound express; I think the next step is to paint the platform sides and then start on the tops. Thanks folks.

Hi all, I recently purchased a L&Y radial tank and intended to use it as a station pilot. To be perfectly honest I was rather disappointed with its performance. It didn't respond at low speed increments and was VERY sensitive over double slips. It definitely wasn't suitable as a pilot loco. I have read that the front and rear bogie wheels are wired to pick up power from the track but I seemed to get a rather high resistance when they were measured with a multimeter. I opened up the chassis and made sure the pick-up contacts were touching the wheel axles but it didn't seem to help much. I thought i'd dry a DCC Concepts Stay Alive decoder and after dismantling the loco realised there was very little space for the decoder board and capacitor unit. To fit both in the space under the coal bunker I had to remove the factory fitted PCB socket and re-wire a spare socket. The underside of the factory fitted socket, showing some sort of frequency chokes I believe: The hard wired socket, allowing the decoder and stay alive unit to fit into a tiny space: The result is like a new loco, running smoothly and slowly over a range of speed steps. I'm so pleased it has improved the running of what is a delightful model. The next task I have started is the construction of the platforms. I started by marking out a template on A3 paper which could then be used as a template: I ordered a back scene from ID Back Scenes and because I want a West Riding backdrop set in Autumn (not bright, green, lush summer!) I went for the overcast sky only. Because the retaining walls are quite large, I want to give the impression of not being able to see 'over the walls' so other than low relief buildings, just the plain overcast sky will be seen. I put a sheet in place to see how it will look: I have gone for solid platforms, laid on top of the 3mm cork which will be fixed with screws from the underside of the base board. A combination of 12mm ply and 3mm, with edging made from scribed plastic. The rail to platform height is just over 12mm once the edge has been sanded down: For the edging, I thought I'd try using some plastic corner strip from B&Q, cut down one edge with the trusty Olfa cutter: This gives a nice strip with a pleasing radii edge to scribe. My only concern is if I can put a gentle bend in it; perhaps using hot water. I will try this tomorrow night hopefully: I am planning to 'fill' the area between the two edging strips with filler and scribe flags in between. Thanks everyone, Pete

Haha! Come on- we're all friends now! Besides Lancashire also had steam, grime and grot!

Will I get kicked off my own thread if I hold my hand up and say "I'm from Lancashire!"

Hi people, Thanks very much for the comments, very kind of you all. Gismorail- my original plan based on a rough estimate of the loft space in my new house was a little more ambitious. It is still my dream layout of an ex- LNER mainline somewhere out of Leeds Central crossed by a former LMS line and I think it was around 6 meters long. I'm very relieved I've started on something smaller, this layout is taking me long enough! But it is an important learning curve which will hopefully set me up well for the future. The track templates are 1:1 printouts from SCARM the layout design package. It is a simple to use program, and a little basic. The library of track, Peco finescale for me, was so useful. I will use something a bit more advanced in the future. Ben- Ais Gill looks spot on, lovely modelling. I am jealous of that lovely duchess! So I got my airbrush out for the second time ever today, and started by giving the track a general dusting of railmatch 'sleep grime' between the rails. It is very subtle and I may give a few more coats this week. I sprayed some modelmatch 'oily black' weathering dye at the areas were locos will stand: I also tried to spray a little of the oil colour at the point tiebars. I think i'll add some black to the sleepers on the outer edges of the rails for a little more tonal variation. Whilst the airbrush was out I thought I'd start to weather some stock by spraying the under-frames with railmatch 'frame dirt'. I went at it very timidly but at least I've made a start! In fact you can't even tell I've started on the horse box: More to follow soon, thanks folks. Pete

Hi Al, Love the layout- it's really coming together well. Is that slaters palstikard you've used on your bridge? Pete

Looks great William. Love the ground cover. Pete

Hi Ed, Halifax King Cross is one of my favorite layouts, just full of atmosphere. After an earlier discussion with knowledgeable RMwebbers I though a 'might have been' would be better than a pure fictional location- hence the former LNWR terminus in Halifax (off Powell Street!). I'd love to pick his brains though, thanks. A few stock photos after a running session; An express from Liverpool headed by Jubilee Falkland Islands (please excuse the dust!) rests after a decent slog through the Pennines: The station pilot is an old L&Y radial engine: I am going to replace the standard Bachmann decoder with a 'stay alive' one and ad extra weight to this loco as it could do with being a bit more precise when on pilot duties! The old faithful Fairburn is on a local to Huddersfield: Progress is slow going but I'm loving seeing things come together. A glimpse of the atmosphere I am after; Pete

Hi Folks, It's been a while since my last update but I have made some progress. I have finished ballasting all of the track- other than the unlaid MPD area at the front of the layout. I'm going to finish all of the rear detail before laying the MPD and building the turntable. I will either scratchbuild a 65 ft one with a lathe turned well or I may purchase a MetalSmith Cowan & Sheldon kit- does anyone have any experience with these? The ballasting method I started with was painting Copydex between the sleepers and then sprinkling the ballast onto the glue. This took an age but produced a nice, neat finish however I don't think it is appropriate with the thickness of Peco sleepers. The ballast level looked far too low even after 3 'coats'. Because of this I moved over to the traditional lay dry, spray and dilute PVA method which is so much messier but produces a decent, full depth. That being said i'm not 100% happy with it but i'm hoping after an airbrush of sleeper grime will bed-in and blend a little more. I had read about the sound deadening quality of the Copydex method and cannot believe how loud the PVA track sounds now! If my layout was a roundy-roundy i'm sure the neighbors, and more importantly the missus would have more issues with the hobby! I have also had my first play with a static grass applicator. It is a Finescale Model Railways tea strainer type and the tiny test area I played with looks promising. The grass fibers I have bought are 3mm and 10mm autumn colours as I don't want a vibrant green summer scene- more of a yellow washed out depressing Northern feel! The long retaining wall has been completed and the stonework painted and weathered. The method that seems to produce the filthy look I am after is to paint a sandstone base colour, followed by applying a brown colour applied with a sponge to the high stone relief. When the paint is still wet and tacky I layer on black weathing powder with a coarse brush and allow the excess to fall off (collecting the loose powder for re-use). I am planning on bedding in the retaining walls with the scenics and ground cover but I have made them removable in case or emergencies with numerous magnetic door catches; These hold everything in place well enough. I bought several 3mm white LED's from Maplin some time ago, intending on installing them into the signal box and coaling stage. The were all duds however, none of them worked. I tested them all with the correct resistors and made sure the polarity and voltage was correct and safe and my thoughts were confirmed by my Dad, a retired Electronic Engineer. He ordered me some quality replacements (from RS or Farnell components- I can't remember which one) and I have now installed lighting into both the coaling stage and signal box; I am going to fire up my airbrush this weekend and try to weather the track. The next goals will then be to make the platforms (more RMweb research needed on this subject first!) and over-bridge, and then scratch-build the low relief factory and commercial buildings. Onwards and upwards!

Hi Folks, It's been a while unfortunately; and this is usually the point at which I say 'slow going on the layout front due to work...' So, slow going on the layout front due to work! I have progressed a little on the retaining wall front and have butchered (hopefully) about 80% of the slaters plastikard that I need to. I bought a couple of wills viri-girder kits and would have finished off the back wall section but ran out of DAS so was unable to finish the upright pieces; The stone inside the tunnel has only been plonked in place, and before painting and powdering it really does look a mess! A young spotter trades scraped knees and lifts himself for a glimpse over the wall; A few addition to the stock front in the form of a couple of suburban MK I's and a lovely horsebox; The brakevan was a 2nd hand purchase for a few quid from hattons which was strangely weighed down with a PP3 battery! Ironically the replacement 'liquid lead' is probably far less safe! On a recent return trip from London, I was made up to spot (I think) Union of South Africa at crewe heritage centre; Always a bonus to spot a legend! Sorry it's late, but thanks for the tip Phil, Pete

Thanks for the comments gents. Unfortunately I haven't even been able to get into the railway room this week because of work, hopefully things will be back to 'normal' soon! Phil- another cracking image, thanks. There doesn't seem to be too many 50's or 60's colour images of Halifax about, unless anyone has any hidden away?! Thanks, Pete

Thanks Phil and Gilbert. I must be too familiar with post Clean Air Act modern pressure-washed stone; all of the images I found in any area (Bradford, Liverpool, London) around the 50's and 60's were almost all solid black! How did peoples' lungs cope?! I dismantled my DC Derby Lightweight DMU (built by Dave Shakespeare) and started converting the Black Beetle motor to DCC. Black Beetle with motor/contact wires unsoldered; Extra holes added and Hatons decoder prepared; Lovely interior! After almost blowing up the decoder on my first attempt, the loco is now under DCC control. It isn't the greatest runner, I think I may have to adjust the wheel pickups, but it just has that look that oozes nostalgia. I'm very fond of it. Slowly getting there! Pete

Hi folks, Hope everyone is getting plenty of modelling done over the bank holiday weekend! I'm not doing nearly as much as i'd like! I have started to paint the small section of retaining wall completed last week but I am struggling to replicate the finish I achieved on the small test samples. I'm now making progress after a few attempts so hopefully things can start to move forward on the scenic side of things. After first painting the whole wall in mid stone colour, I dabbed chocolate brown over the higher areas and sprinkled black weathering powder over the damp paint. My first go at this made the wall appear VERY dark. Although it did look very similar to some colour images of the stonework at Bradford Exchange, it didn't scale well and just looked too dark. When the area was dry I brushed the wall with a nylon brush and it started to bring out the finish i'm after. Not sure if it is too uneven? My task for tomorrow is to convert a black beetle powered DMU to DCC... Thanks, Pete

Hi there, Managed to alter the first DAS upright, I prefer the look of it now but think it will blend better when it has dried, been re-scribed and painted: I think I may have to alter my ballasting technique. I have currently painted dilute Copydex between and along the edge of the sleepers and covered the track with ballast (Carrs 2mm for the main running lines and ash for the carriage sidings). When the excess is removed, it leaves a nice, but thin layer of ballast. I think because the Peco sleepers are quite thick I may have to use a thicker layer of PVA to build the ballast layer up in fewer coats. I'll have a play soon to see if is more appropriate. Happy modelling folks. Pete

Hi all, Had a good time at the Liverpool Model Railway Exhibition on Saturday, and picked up a lifetime supply of black weathering powder! Did a little modelling today, with mixed results. I started the stonework on the retaining wall but tomorrow night i'm going to alter the DAS uprights to taper at the bottom to match the main wall as the blend between the plastikard and DAS looks awful. Failing that wont bother with the DAS at all (other than for blending corners/joins) but this will mean lots of awkward cutting and bending. Corner area with Mikes Models buffers. The two pieces of walls are just propped upright temporarily; Awful DAS uprights; Also painted and weathered the wooden cover for the coaling stage/water tank. I like the look of it but doubt i'll keep it. What was the purpose of these? Surely rainwater refilling the tank was a good thing? Also I can't find a picture of a former LNWR/LMS coal hole with a cover on! Can't wait to sort out my mess from today! Thanks for reading my ramblings, Pete