HeatonLodge40

36 minutes ago, AndrewT said:

Looks like Simon O made a nice job of the trolleys....! He does an excellent job for us - mainly subframes for changing room bench seating.

 

Very grateful to you for that contact Andrew. He’s a top chap and they are superbly made

8 hours ago, peach james said:

I'd be going for the full height spotters bridge...located right above where the one is on HLJ :).  

Being serious, is there enough height to do that in the basement?  Could you build a bridge over the layout, and still have 6'6" above? It might be far more comfortable than ducking under the layout.

 

James

James I’ve thought of that but there isn’t the height sadly. !

4 hours ago, Les Johnson said:

Simon, just looked back over90% of this to find brass ferns but can’t see what make. Are they Scalelink or what? Can you remember?

many thanks Les

Hi Les I started off using Scalelink. However I ended up having 100 large sheets specially made as the amount I needed would have cost a fortune.!

53 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Are the coffee cups there as an incentive to lay the fencing, a railway take on the carrot and donkey?!!

 

Mike.

Yea it’s annoying cos the tea urn is the other side of the layout which now requires getting on hands and knees to access. 
 

On another note once Healey Mills at the other side is finished next year I’ve been working out there should be 9 x 56’s, 3 x 47’s, 5 x 40’s, 3 x 31’s 7 x 37’s and a few 08’s actually ‘based’ there.
So they will basically live ‘on shed’ rarely going onto the main lines.

I’m really looking forward to constructing HM which will of course be fully manual.

With 8 large gantry towers lighting up the yard it should be great fun 

Another view with the track heading south west ..

& lots of fencing waiting to be painted 

On 06/11/2020 at 15:00, mac1960 said:

Heaton Lodge 40

I was and my family came form Mirfield with an Aunt living on the opposite side of the valley from Mirfield engine shed, with the "New line" running behind her house. I was only young (5) when the "New Line" closed but have good memories of Class 40,s on Liverpool - Newcastle climbing hard from Heaton Lodge junction at around 17.00 each evening. As my grand farther was a loco driver I actually got an unofficial footplate ride on a double headed 9F Oil train from Stockport to Hargreaves Terminal at Heckmondwike on this route when I was 5 - H&S would have a fit today as my grandfather could see the end coming for steam and was due to retire with it.. Came to a stand on the viaduct in the middle of Mirfield Park and he had to get an 8F from Mirfield to give us a shove too get going. They used to really try and get a good run at the bank, so would crank things up as soon as they passed Bradly Cricket pitch (it was there marker as the rear of the train would have cleared Bradly junction). The day was just a blur of sensory overload for a little lad and there were some tears on entering Stanedge tunnel. All a long time ago now but the memory is still very clear. 

 

Cheers

Mac        

Those are some great memories to have! 
Yes the Hargreaves fuel oil terminal stayed open till the 1980’s and after the ‘New Line’ closed in the mid ‘60’s it was accessed via the L&Y line to Bradford via Heckmondwike. 
I’ve got some footage of a 9F climbing light engine up from HLJ through the dive under and up towards Battyeford. 

Thanks for sharing those memories Mac.

Simon 
 

7 hours ago, pirouets said:

Simon, having watched the Pete Waterman content on the virtual exhibition this weekend, he talks about a Ken Payne loco that took 1hr 53mins to crawl round Leamington Spa can I sow the seed of a daft idea.

 

If you get bored one day, just how slow do you reckon a lap of Heaton Lodge would be? Maybe measure with a before and after picture of a piece of scenery you are working on.

 

Look forward to seeing more develop and who knows one day as you say, see it for real when it makes it out on the road.

Good question. One of the slowest running locos is a kitbuilt 08 which moves at about 3/4mm a second.

Watch this space I shall try it !

6 hours ago, mac1960 said:

I actually live in the Colne Valley west of Huddersfield, and there were West Bound loaded MGR trains during the day on the LNWR route in the early 80,s. They were often put into the loop at Marsden. You have to remember that there was not the volume of passenger traffic that there is now on this route, and paths could be found back then. Indeed in the early 70,s there were about 70 freights per day of all types (this was after the dropping of 4 tracks) and this steadily declined over time to the current levels of perhaps 8.  

 

Yes true - there was actually 125 freights in both directions up to the late 1960’s.

This when there were 4 tracks going east (as of now), 4 tracks west to the Calder Valley (L&Y), 4 tracks to Huddersfield on the LNWR route & the 2 tracks going directly to Leeds via the Dive Under (New Line). See diagram.

Of course the New Line was shut in 1965 and that first part inc the dive under realigned to join the 4 tracks going east/west in 1970.

I’d love to have been around then 

Yes you are all dead right well spotted!

There was only one occasion I saw loaded MGR’s heading east, in all the time I spent there.

Just didn’t have time to change both trains onto the correct tracks.

There was an occasional MGR on the Huddersfield lines heading east but never going up the dive under gradient, for obvious reasons.
 

Those last pics of the 56 have inspired me.! 
I shall have to add some newspapers and crew to the 56 before it goes back to Brian. 
In fact digressing somewhat, the MIOG event at the weekend meant HLJ was used for the very first time, as its meant to be. i.e with all 28 fiddle yard roads being used constantly.

It revealed some small issues with faulty droppers etc which were easy fixed. 
Since then I’ve got no modelling done as I’m running trains all day. I knew this would happen..

New video on the 56 is being put together at the moment..

2 hours ago, Giles said:

I sincerely doubt that anything in model railway terms as extraordinary as this will ever be achieved again.

Thanks Giles coming from you that is most appreciated 

21 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

Just as a matter of interest, all the MGR's seem to have shiny wheel faces on both wheels that can be seen, are the non disc braked wheels not yet weathered?

 

Mike.

Hi Mike, 

yes well spotted. 
Haven’t got around to it yet but it’s on the cards. Thats speed weathering for you 

11 hours ago, AndrewT said:

What sound module / speaker combination have you fitted in the 9F? On video at least, it seems to lack volume, and in particular the bass of the real thing, whereas the diesel locos come over exceptionally realistic in terms of sound.

Hi Andrew 

The 9F has the standard set up fitted by 55H who built it. I don’t think the speakers are as large as those fitted in the diesels.

To be fair the 9F does sound pretty good in the flesh - the whistle especially so.

However the smoke unit has packed up so it’s off for a new one soon..

For weathered concrete Precision Paints do the best shade I’ve ever used.

To get the rough effect sprinkle on talc when the paint is still wet. 
For different shades of concrete do three mixes of the PP weathered concrete, 1 original, 1 with a few drops of pale yellow enamel and another with a bit more pale yellow. 
To finish I dip a toothbrush in yellow paint and flick spots of the paint over the concrete once dry to represent moss 

1 minute ago, HeatonLodge40 said:

Thanks for the suggestion although that is already the case. 
The tunnel is about 35ft long and a lined divider covers the first 10ft.

Cos the tunnel is on a gentle left curve I think that’s why it gives the impression you mentioned 

Actually having looked again you’re right .. I’ll have to extend the divider