HeatonLodge40

Quick (and final) update.. Work is about to commence on the new station, marshalling yard and a fully operational MGR facility situated at the front of the fiddle (marshalling yard). There’s also going to be the aforementioned giant cooling towers and a turbine house within a fictional power station based on Eggborough. Just to say thanks for following this thread ..it’s been a decade and I’ve enjoyed it! HLJ including the above will be at Warley 2024.. From now on if you wish to follow the build then it’ll be covered on the BBMR facebook page with a link from Realism Redefined. Whilst I have had no issue whatsoever with RM Web and it’s admin, I don’t hold Warners/BRM advertising Dept with the same high regard so won’t be contributing to their turnover anytime soon. So with that I’m signing off.. Simon G

Possibly not but when in front of the public the period covers 1983-1993.

Yes well spotted, there was a track alignment issue with one of the Halifax lines so it didn’t get used too much. The dive under lines got used far more as they are much nearer to the public. That said on Saturday afternoon the Halifax lines were used by DMU’s almost constantly. Thanks for coming

Thanks much appreciated

Yes I have been told about locos with tail lights on 100’s of times. Unfortunately I had to borrow around 10 locos and didn’t have time to program the CV’s to switch them off. There was only 2 of us operating on Friday (and only 4 of us set it all up) as I was let down by a couple of people, but Saturday was great fun! Really enjoyed the 56’s running alongside each other. Thanks for the compliments and for coming!

Short video of Heljan’s new Class 58 under test on HLJ a couple of weeks ago. Haven’t heard one of these in years..

Well here’s the venue and it’s epic. Very pleased.. Looking forward to this one !

Probably some of you will know but Heaton Lodge is appearing at this weeks Harrogate Model Rail Exhibition at the Great Yorkshire Showground. It’s on the Friday & Saturday 10/11th and includes a model engineering exhibition in the next hall. HLJ will be running in manual this time as I’m determined to have some fun! Double headed 56’s with 50 loaded HAA’s will be running alongside each other in the same direction, the new Heljan 58 will be running in the opposite direction with empties, plus steam specials too. I’ve been flat out weathering another 100 HAA’s today. I’ve decided I’m a crap businessman as everytime I order from Dapol/Heljan for my shop I end up putting them on the layout

Thanks. It’s a liquid by a company called Precision Ice & Snow. It’s used by military modellers mainly for snow dioramas

It’s been a while I know! The online shop has kept me very busy but there is some developments on Heaton Lodge about to commence. Firstly the frost effect is becoming a touch more hard core throughout the layout. I like the winter effect and I’ve been busy experimenting with a haze machine to create a light mist especially over the river. Work is beginning imminently on the ballasting of the marshalling yard, and the platforms are under construction for the new albeit fictitious station next to it. The worst thing having a workshop in the middle of the layout is it’s too tempting to start a running session. Once started the day is completely written off. Apologies for the same video appearing twice! Can’t seem to delete one of them

It’s been a while I know! The online shop has kept me very busy but there is some developments on Heaton Lodge about to commence. Firstly the frost effect is becoming a touch more hard core throughout the layout. I like the winter effect and I’ve been busy experimenting with a haze machine to create a light mist especially over the river. Work is beginning imminently on the ballasting of the marshalling yard, and the platforms are under construction for the new albeit fictitious station next to it. The worst thing having a workshop in the middle of the layout is it’s too tempting to start a running session. Once started the day is completely written off! On that note, I was meant to be working this afternoon but spent an enjoyable couple of hours right back in 1984 stood on the grass lineside. Here’s a taste of it :

Whilst researching for the forthcoming power station project I found this super 1979 video by the NCB about MGR’s and the unloading/loading operations. Great soundtrack at the beginning, some great footage of (I think) Castle Donnington power station. Those were the days https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h3esA-JldCo

No loaded & empties went in both directions although granted more loaded went west

Spent an enjoyable day building a diorama for a mate to photograph his locos on. I’ve never constructed anything with a summer theme so there was a bit of head scratching! Walls are by Ten Commandments, static grass by Mini - Natur, concrete trunking by me, postiche/dolls hair by Treemendus and 03 from Heljan. By the way I’ve just launched the new website for O gauge locomotives. Ads are on RM Web but if Andy York doesn’t mind the website is realismredefined.co.uk

Not much modelling lately but lots of spotting! Enjoy Heaton Lodge at dusk with 3 ‘Tractors’ & a ‘Grid’ First up is 37191 which heads west with a long ‘Speedlink’ freight taking the ‘dive under’ line to Manchester via Huddersfield 37222 heads east with a Motorail extra 56071 heads towards the Stanedge Tunnel with a heavy engineers train from Healey Mills And 37407 rushes towards Hull with a loaded steel train..

Heaton Lodge is back up and running finally! The first two loaded MGR’s left the fiddle yard a few hours ago, and in this short clip the camera captures them passing on the crossovers. 56099 is heading for Fiddlers Ferry & 56101 for Healey Mills. Turn the sound up!

Radio silence recently, a stack load of weathering Class 56’s probably has something to do with it! The layout is on its way to working again, whoever said a DCC layout needs 2 wires think again. This is only a third of the cables!

Pleasure, I do enjoy weathering - it’s knowing when to stop is the difficult bit!

Yes I’m going to working on something to produce the vapour, fog machine or similar. It’s getting the diffusion of the steam at the top that might be difficult! Yes the legs at the bottom are pretty vital to the overall look so they will be modelled. Ultimate goal would be a working MGR unloading facility. It would mean a lot of butchering to the Dapol HAA’s though!

CAD design complete for the 3 metre high cooling towers. Thanks to Jonathan. As I mentioned these will be constructed in two parts out of fibreglass. Still need two people to lift them mind.. The smoke stack that will accompany them will be another metre higher. Just need to work out how to construct the power station building & MGR receiving sheds

This week I’ve been concentrating on finishing 20 of the first batch of Heljan 56’s that landed recently whilst reassembling the layout. The first one off the line is 56083 - for a time a Tinsley Loco and from what I can gather the only BREL/Crewe built example in plain blue based there (all the others being Romanian built). This one is for a customer and is moderately weathered. That said I’ve tried to exactly copy the grubbiness of the real 56083 from photos I have of it. I’m really pleased how it’s turned out given it’s had at least a dozen different shades applied to it. The other 18 56’s are a mix of large logo, plain blue, Railfreight grey and Loadhaul. 56133 Crewe Locomotive Depot especially (once it’s had it’s grilled painted grey) will be popular I think. I don’t think this one will hang about long. I hope AY won’t mind me saying this batch will be available soon - all moderately weathered & numbered plus handrails fitted (a fiddly job) included in the £595 price. Just cos I love it! DM me if you fancy one.

It’s going up again..

Got my weekend sorted numbering and weathering this lot! Fixing the cab door handrails on takes a while too. The holes for them are a touch small so need opening out. These will be going to new homes in the next couple weeks

They do have this cult status you’re right. I think the sound these classes make helps.

Thanks, I used thin superglue for the ballast this time instead of the usual PVA. I’ll be numbering & lightly weathering the first batch of 10 Grids next week. These I’ll be moving on. The table is bending under the weight! In the meantime the basement is finally back to normal after the Bath exhibition. Going to start reassembling it in a few days