Billy Flathead

Had a nice walk the other day along the remains of the GC Houghton Main branch. There is nothing much left at the Houghton end until these bridge piers where it crossed over the Midland mainline near Storrs Mill. A mile towards Stairfoot is this cutting which has been dammed at each end to make a lake. Somewhere along the line there were some loco watering facilities, this might be it, there is a stream running under a culvert, a toppled brick wall and lots of large stones above. A bit further along the Midlands Chapeltown loop crosses the valley and over the Houghton branch. Into the northern portal of Ardsley tunnel. The Houghton branch skirted around the hill passed under the H&B then crossed the valley and joined the Barnsley Stair foot line A H&B bridge I've not noticed before. The Houghton branch is in the valley beyond and the Midland on an embankment behind the camera. David

Waiting for a load in Scotland, I've got the in-cab dashboard work bench out. OK its a small piece of MDF. The brickwork on the base of the signal box has been toned down and a start made on the upper parts. The front and sides are clear plastic, with the wood built up on top from plastic strip. I don't know whether this is a good idea or not, as I have had to polish several marks off the glazing with toothpaste already. Try a bit more tomorrow as the light is fading. David.

Thanks Brian, its slow going at the moment but I can landscape along the front now and get some grass down. David

Took a rare opportunity to get out into the black hole yesterday. I can't do much without electricity but I had found two long pieces of 3mm mdf in a skip. I cut these to shape to make a facia along the front of the layout, the slots are for the point levers. Cheers David

Seven months after moving the layout is in its new temporary home. Its a dark spider infested hole without electricity, but its on the premises and not in a garage eight miles away. There is slight damage to a piece of fencing and the track around the baseboard joint but nothing that can't be fixed. the work bench is a piece of ply on some drawers which I will just have to make the best of for now. Cheers David

Yes it is, I worked there for seven years until Lawsons lost the contract to ECM.

Here are some of the vehicles I have driven over the years, some of them nearly thirty years old. First full time job after passing my test. Lovely motor but only a short sleeper cab 1993 Went to Thurso Truro and most places inbetween Can't believe I spent full weeks away in this tiny cab 1996 Wadebridge 2013 best ever Red shed Cheers David

Hi Brian, plans at the moment are to use the back end of a garage with a partition across, the track to the outside would then go from the junction end. I am thinking about using nickel silver track outside on permanent baseboards. It does look small now its out, much better when it filled the shed at chest height. David

Not much modelling going on at the moment because everything is packed up for a house move. I was hoping for a bigger shed but that's not going to happen. I thought I had better make sure the layout would come out of the shed well before the big day. This is the first time it has seen daylight since I started. David

Forgive me fathers for I have sinned, guilty of gratuitous elephant racing. Plodding back to the yard doing 53 on cruise an Argos home delivery van slips on behind me at j35 M1, he moves straight to the middle to overtake. I will always slow down to let a struggling wagon pass, its easy just press cruise down once and they're away, but this guy is just creeping up so slowly it really ticked me off. By j36 his cab is level with mine but then its down hill and my empty 44 tonner rolls away from him. On the hill under j37 he has crept level again and I have to back off for a slow artic and slip out behind mr argos. When he pulls into lane one l blow him away, he eats my dust, recedes into the distance and it feels great. Apologies to anyone stuck behind him but not to Mr Argos. David

Thanks Brian, I practiced on the back wall first, l won't be showing you that bit. David

Done a bit more on the signal box. I sprayed it with red primer, then used different colour washes for the mortar, I think contrast between the two needs toning down slightly and the steps need darkening. On the crab chassis, the bracket that the end of the valve rod runs in, don't know what its called, has been soldered up from scrap nickle silver. The top will need trimming so that it will fit beneath the footplate. Cheers David

Thanks Brian, the plinth round the bottom of the box is ready to go on, I'll paint it before I start on the upstairs, to make sure it looks OK. Can't really tell while its all white. Cheers David

Bit of progress on the signal box and the crab. The main parts of the ground floor are together, the brick courses need finishing on the corners. The steps are a pain to file square, there's no evergreen strip of the right size that I could see. The cylinders have been skinned with 10 thou nickel silver and a start made on the slide bars, but these can't be fitted until I find some thick brass for the ends of the cylinders. Cheers David

Thanks Brian. I've cut the windows out, they just need the brick courses continuing into the window openings, then I can fit the ground floor together. David

Its been too cold to be out in the shed for long, but yesterday and today I made up the frame for the cylinders from two pieces of nickel silver and some turned brass spacers. These are soldered to a plate between the frames, the motion bracket will be soldered to it later Also started on the signal box, this will be based on Moorhouse H&B. I bought an Olfa cutter at the Wakefield show so I tried it out on some 60 thou plastic. It makes lovely clean horizontal groves but the short vertical ones need a bit more practice. Cheers David

Not had the motivation to work on the layout in the last month, but the crab moved on slightly. The coupling rods have been soldered together and used to set the High Level hornblocks. I have a set of Sharman driving wheels that cost me less than a fiver but, I don't want to mount them on their axles until I sort out what gearbox I will use Until then I have made up the motion bracket from scrap brass, I didn't like the one in the kit. Proberbly do the cylinders next. Cheers David

The crab frames are now soldered together, hopefully square. The sloping frame spacer at the front is to screw the cylinder assembly to. Its now on the in- cab workbench for excess solder cleaning up.

Hi Brian, the loco in the picture is O4 63656, built from a Proscale kit but I threw away the cab /firebox /boiler /smokebox and made my own. I haven't done a C13 yet just the O4 and a scratch built N5. Working on the chassis for the crab at the moment but having trouble soldering it together square. Really should get out more on my bike but it finding the time. I want to do the TPT from Woodhead to Hatfield, the bike will go in the back of the car to Woodhead though.

An autumnal scene at Moorhouse H&B today looking south towards Wath.

Not much thought has gone into this end of the layout so the holes in the sky in full view. I have carried the grass on right to the end behind the buffer stop. Maybe some sort of building in the front corner will help. Everything seems to take an age to complete so I tried making something in one day. These steps are 30thou plastic painted with acrylics. Cheers David

Hi Brian, Mick, looking at the old maps website I think its a bit further east. The line running top right to bottom left is the curve from the S&K round to the GC at Wath, going under the Midland main line. On the 1930 1:2500 there is no signal box or crossover, but on the 1958 map there is, with a connection to the works off the top of the picture, which could be Manvers Main coal preparation plant. Cheers David

Thanks John, I think this grass is better than my first effort around the bridge and much faster to produce. I always wanted a long straight run for a decent length coal train and having a 8ftx6ft shed this was the only way I could do it! Cheers David

Bought some teddy bear fur to try out, I did a small test piece, trimmed it short and painted it with water colours and was very happy with it. I then cut shapes out to fit the layout painted that and this matted mess was the result. I rescued it by wire brushing it, then dry brushing a straw colour on top to represent dry grass. I've stuck a couple of pieces down, they may get trimmed and more colour before its finished The crab tender has the motor fitted, drive shaft and some pickups fitted. Cheers David