HeatonLodge40

Here is Wood Lane bridge again modelled with the above..

Staying on the stone subject a minute.. for texturing this stuff is excellent for getting that rough surface something close. Its a powder mixed with water and daubed on using a spatula. I carve the ‘stone’ out of Das once dry then use this on top before painting with watercolours

I too have had this problem Jamie and have used watercolours, emulsions and god knows what else over literally days - it’s almost impossible to recreate. I’d have liked the bridges at Wood Lane (on the model) to look more like York Stone but got away with it to a certain extent as in winter it’s noticeable darker, and often greener and damp. If you examine each stone in say this picture of the bridge I mentioned (already modelled) - each individual stone must have 7/8 colours in it. If anyone has the solution/colour combo please let me know!

This in fact is the side I took close ups of the stone work from for you Peter, so clearly the other side has definitely ‘weathered’ more since it faces north. Obviously this side faces south so I guess has been bleached a tad more! My fault for not noticing any difference.. Whatever, the cottages look great!

For those following this thread James owns one of the ex signalman’s cottages at Heaton Lodge virtually opposite the ex LNWR footbridge (which I recently built) & which still stands.. James - I had no idea your cottage was due the chop, what a crying shame. I’m guessing they are adding more tracks here and electrification too. I called down to see you just last week as I needed some more pics of the stonework.. You weren’t in so I took them anyway hope you didn’t mind! Here the model of your cottages take shape ... I’m on a strict timescale now with Heaton Lodge so couldn’t devote the time to constructing the cottages.. Peter at Kirtley Models has taken it on and by sheer coincidence sent me these pics of them taking shape yesterday.. The photo of the real building show them viewed from the track (ie the rear). The model shows the much more elaborate front view which were built in a gothic style..

Thanks for that. Great maps..The signal box defo closed in April 1970 tho

I did always wonder what this pronounced dip in the cutting just a little further east was too - thought it best to model it anyway. Last year I was reading Paul Bambrick’s book about backscenes when look what I found..a pic of a short train appearing from a siding that cut through to some clay kilns a few yards beyond..the reason for the ‘dip’. Also you can see in the background the bridges of the LNWR Leeds ‘New Line’ that closed in the early ‘60’s. If you check the printed track plan a few posts back you’ll see where it says ‘Battyeford’ is where (a few years after closure in 1970) this part of the line was severed and realigned to join the Calder Valley line, which is the track plan in the model of Heaton Lodge itself

I spent about 3 years researching the area around there and found mention of the drift mine - but not the siding nearby. Neither did I find any photos of that part of the line apart from this dreadful one showing an 8F in the background heading west up the Calder Valley line. No siding in evidence here in the early ‘60’s tho they may have been just out of sight..

Yes it’s a bit sad. I was there yesterday in fact and NR were there cutting down more foliage. That said it’s finest period was 1900-1963 in my opinion. With 4 tracks meeting from 3 directions on flat crossing it was an impressive site. Couple of pics and a track plan from that time..the photo is looking west towards Hebden Bridge/Lancashire and shot from the signal box veranda. I seriously considered modelling it in that era but in the end this was about bringing back to life what I remembered as a 12 year old..

It’s all on the cards Bob.. when the ‘golden spike’ has been made and trains can run continuously I’ll be doing all that.

You’re right there must have been an easier way. When it’s finished I shall sit next to the junction with a pint and just watch trains go by every day

A reminder of the overall track plan.. What has changed from this diagram is the last 90deg of the curves on the left are now 30ft radius and lead into Healey Mills which is approx 50ft ft long now before the 120ft long fiddle yards. The Huddersfield line curves (two thirds of the way down the model) are also stretched to between 25ft & 30 ft radius. This has the effect of widening the space required for the whole model. This idea originally came about in order to clear the iron columns you see in the pics.

Finally work on the fiddle yards is drawing to a close. Just 15 cobalt point motors remaining to fit, track dirt to spray and job done. Should have it completed by tomorrow night. I’d factored in 6 months to get the fiddle yards constructed start to finish but done it in a tad under 5, so still on schedule. The 3 kick back siding in the foreground will eventually form part of phase 3..ie landscaping/detailing of the fiddle yards themselves. Since this part of the model will be fictitious obviously, I’m thinking a working MGR coal loading facility here would be great fun. Or maybe an oil terminal? Any other suggestions?? It won’t please the rivet counters but I think the great British public would give it a thumbs up. Next week & all you see in the photos here will move 30/35ft backwards to provide room for Healey Mills (Phase 2), then back to work on Heaton Lodge (Phase 1) next week and scenic work aplenty at last!

Just west of the junction..

Wood Lane bridges ..

The fiddle yards (seen in the background) will soon be moving 30ft or so to the right to provide room for Healey Mills

On another note I’ve picked up the first of the 10ft radius curves (which will be covered) and are located at the east end of the scenic break. These take the 4 tracks around 90deg before they appear from underneath a (fictitious) Bridge and enter into a 30ft radius curve which will then lead into Healey Mills. This curve will be super elevated and almost 40ft long. Whilst Heaton Lodge is (hopefully) pretty accurate this part will just give a ‘feel’ of the local area..

Whilst I love constructing scenery, wiring is not the way I’d spend my finest hour.. So far I’m on my 51st Cobalt point motor for the fiddle yards. These are all being connected to their own power bus which in turn is fed from a DCC concepts alpha power box. There’s 4 fiddle yards so a bus/power supply for each. Reason for this is to narrow down any shorts & reduce draw on the track bus.. As I said recently, the fiddle yards are fortunately near to finishing now with just no4 to complete. Then I can get back to the scenic side yippee! However, I do like the look of the massive fiddle yards (especially now I’m painting them), the third phase of Heaton Lodge will be to ballast all the track, add a backscene and construct the usual trackside paraphernalia seen in a marshalling yard. So to recap : Phase 1 is HLJ itself, Phase 2 in 2020/21 will be Healey Mills and Phase 3 the marshalling yard.

Thanks for that. Another update in the next couple days..

I spent literally weeks trying to crack the look of gorse on Heaton Lodge Junction. in the end I opted for medium bushes from scenery company Polak (based in Pickering). These bushes aren’t cheap - £15 for 8/10 bushes but are well worth it. Once unpacked, spray liberally with matt varnish, and sprinkle with dark flock. Once dry spray again with matt varnish before sprinkling with yellow flock to represent the flowers (gorse flowers mainly in the winter). Simon

For those of you that are on Facebook this is what it was all about.. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=855718514801180&id=100865096953196 just to add this a 5 min BBC film of trainspotting in 1975 narrated by John Stapleton.. brilliant

Yea Simon I lay the boards on the trestles with a 1 inch gap now! Then roll the cork over the gap before slicing it. Once it’s all dry and latch them up

It’s not all good fun either.. When laying cork over the fiddle yard boards I didn’t separate them, instead leaving them latched together. Ive done this before whereupon once PVA is dry and cork cut down the join, a tug will pull them apart. Yesterday I spent 4 hours trying to separate 2 boards that had welded themselves together with PVA that had leaked into the join. After using chisels & crowbars I finally had to bend them apart standing them on their sides and wedged against a wall. Result? They broke apart ok but all the ends of the track and 3 points damaged .. I’ll be corking one board at a time from now on ..

Umm no..the whole model will go in 3 ‘highliner’ articulated trucks with double internal decks. I’ve designed 3 types of T bar handcarts to carry the eventual 100 odd frames. Type 1 takes 2 scenic frames stacked one above the other (like bread trays) with a 9’’ gap between. Type 2 takes 3 fiddle yard boards stacked on their side with ‘stanchions’ in between Type 3 is a general handcart to carry stock, spares, tools etc On top of this are the 80 or so aluminium frames c/w castors some of which I’ve built already. Some of these ‘buffer up’ no pun intended to the far scenic side to extend the width by 3 feet and will carry less detailed scenery fading into a back scene. Theres also the front angled aluminium frames also on castors which will run down the front of the model - these will have interchangeable plastic panels onto which is info about the model/prototype etc - all in good old BR typeface. I do have an HGV class 1 license but I’ll probably end up hiring the trucks to transport it. All the aforementioned T bar carts once loaded with the frames will simply wheel onto the trucks via the tail lift. I think 6/8 people should be able to set it up in a day. But I guess we’ll see!