Powerhaul 70 Pey

I will stay clear of wine and lager when the time comes to do ballasting. I've not got a clue how to tackle that yet!

Hello Jim. I would stick with the stone wall myself as I think it looks a lot better. I like the contrast of the red brick station and stone wall together. Great layout by the way. Look forward to more updates.

Great photos. I like the royal mail train passing and snaking away. Fantastic layout.

Got some hanging basket liner to try on top of my rock faces after looking at some of the other fantastic layouts on this forum for inspiration. I have never used this technique before but gave it a go and here are the results. This is the hanging basket liner just glued on top of the rock faces:- Tonight I applied some scatter and lichen. Attempted to make the lichen look like that heather-type bush with yellow flowers you get by glancing a brush of yellow paint against the lichen. Also had a quick attempt at making a coal terminal yard where the Freightliner hauled coal trains are loaded. Here's the contours of the coal pile with 2mm card used. In between the contours was stuffed with newspaper, then masking tape on top then modrock on top of that but I ran out so used some polyfiller. Once dried painted black. At this point I really wasn't happy with the yard floor being painted grey. I had bought some brown ballast ages ago but decided I did not like it so I glued it to the coal pile and painted it black. The yard floor now looks better aswell. Not sure if this is a keeper yet or not! I have not been up in the attic to place it on the layout and take some photos of it to decide if it looks ok or not Freightliner 70006 passes the camera with a train of loaded hoppers.

When I popped into B and Q at the weekend for some timber for a couple of extra legs to support the layout baseboards I saw this cloud wallpaper that could potentially look quite good as a back scene in places on my layout. So I grabbed a bit of the tester roll as it was £17 a roll if i remember righty. I think it looks pretty good though. Here it is behind the quarry rock faces I made which still are not finished and I forgot to look for some hanging basket liner to experiment with. Saves trying to paint clouds badly!!!

A couple of photos of Colas 60002 taken on the 14/10/2015 with the Lindsay to Preston Docks tanks train. Firstly heading to Preston Docks photographed on the approach to Rishton station. The return working the same day passing Huncoat level crossing and signal box. Today 60056 approaches Huncoat station with the Preston Docks to Lindsay return working.

Thanks for the info. How come there are so many at Midland Road? Are they undergoing maintenance or modifications? With coal trains being a rare occurrence these days I imagine that the 70's are now heavily used on Freightliner intermodal duties around the country?

So here is my new attempt on rock faces. 2mm card base and the card board boxes cut and glued in layers with erratic shapes glued in various places. Then a layer of Asda polyfiller over the top of the card. Then a quick base coat of brown which i did consider keeping! Anyway, I decided to apply some grey topcoat as planned. Also applied some lichen, some scatter and stone. Here's how it turned out. What to you think? This is the old quarry face workings and the two track quarry sidings. This is the other side of the old quarry workings, a rocky cut-out which will sweep right into a tunnel. As you can see, half of this is is finished and half is still at the polyfiller stage. A project for this week is to fill in between the two faces, maybe with mod-rock and scatter but having browsed other layout posts on this forum for inspiration a lot of people use hanging basket liner. Is this used as-is or has anyone used this on their layout and have any scenic technique tips for me please? A Freightliner Class 66 shatters the peace on the station with a rake of empty container flats. Then arrives at what will be hopefully a small container yard. Thanks for looking once again!

In this months Rail Express magazine in the modelling section there are some pre-production sample photographs of the Dapol Vossloh Class 68. Looks impressive and I might have to invest in a DRS livery 68 for my modern image layout!

I have been experimenting making rock faces with cardboard cut erratically and glued together then a thin layer of polyfiller over the top of the card, then painted. Then quickly added a bit of scatter and lichen to see what it looks like. I think I prefer this method to my original method of card, newspaper and modrock seen in the photos on my last post. Bought some coal for the Freightliner hoppers which i sprinked into the hoppers on top of the black sponge in the photo after cutting to size to fit inside each compartment. This is to keep the weight down. I have moved the wagon loading tower to the quarry area rather than using this for the coal terminal. The coal terminal will be a raised concrete yard above track level and the coal will be loaded by CAT wheel loaders. The rock faces will be in this area going back to the tunnel entrance A Colas Rail class 66 slowly passes under the tower, each hopper filled with stone from the quarry. I have also been working on the station and high street section after getting home from work and the kids have gone to bed so I will post some photos next time. Thanks for looking!

Hello. A great start here. I really like the electrified track section that you have got. I might have to invest in the OHLE for my layout as I run a Virgin Pendolino. Looking forward to more updates. Keep up the good work.

During the evening this week I have been experimenting with making some rock faces which will go in between the tunnel entrance where there are two mainline tracks and one siding and two quarry sidings on the other side. Made this rock face with some cardboard and some mod rock plaster then painted with acrylic paints. Maybe it would look better if I were to apply some green scatter, lichen and stone where I have painted it brown! I am not sure if I am happy with the length/height of the faces nor the colour when I placed it next to the track this morning. I think I will have another try, maybe experimenting with car body filler. A Virgin Pendolino service calls at our station this morning with a train bound for London Euston. A Freightliner Class 70 70006 hammers through the station with a rake of empty coal hoppers.

Yesterday GBRF 66716 was parked up just outside of the Seaforth container terminal inside Liverpool dock complex with the biomass hoppers snaking back along the track to the Cargill entrance. Snapped a quick photo with my phone. Looking at Realtime trains it looks like this train originated from Tyne Dock.

Working in Liverpool yesterday and today and saw GBRF Class 59 59003 for the first time. The loco was at Liverpool Bulk Terminal for most of the day yesterday with other GRRF Class 66's. At one point one biomass train was top and tailed by a 66 and the 59, looked on Realtime trains but couldn't work out what the hell was going on! Photos taken on Monday 26th October. A bonus was also seeing the Drax biomass hoppers for the first time . . . they are quite a size! A close up of the loco. I do like the light set up on this 59.

Managed to do some paving for the station which is unfinished and placed some tarmac sheets under it to see what it will look like. Also made a wooden frame which will be a raised section featuring a rural scene of some semi detached houses, a church, the village school and a farm. It's quite a challenge to fit everything in the room I have, I feel I have to use all the buildings I salvaged from my old 8*6 layout plus the new buildings I have bought for my ideas for this layout. Technically I know that you wouldn't have a railway tunnel under your semi detached house but It's just purely the fact I want as many features as possible in the space I have. Below is a few photos of the buildings arranged on some card cut to the shape of the wooden frame. A view of the tunnel My little boy liked his birthday present, a Hornby Flying Scotsman with TTS sound. We take it in turns being signal man and driver . . . . no wonder I can't get any modelling done! Here's a move that took place on Sunday 25th October with Flying Scotsman passing through our station with two coaches to Carnforth Steam Town!

Unfortunately it looks as though the Carlisle/Chirk log train being Class 70 hauled has come to an end for now and reverted back to Class 60 haulage. I did, however, in the time it has been Class 70 hauled manage to get some photos of the train in the goods loop at Warrington Bank Quay. Last Friday 9/10/2015 the train was some 40 minutes early arriving at Warrington and I was walking to the station as it pulled in. I thought I was going to miss it but it stayed parked in the loop until just after 18:00 so was an ideal time to grab some photos.

Thank you everyone for the kind feedback and viewings so far. Quickly tried my little boys birthday present tonight to make sure it works for when he is 5 years old on 22nd October! A Hornby TTS sound Flying scotsman. We can do some steam charter trains with this and I am sure he will love the playfactor with the various sound functions. Here's two businesses under the railway arches below the station with a Wigan/North West twist Every north west town needs a good pie shop! North Western Garage is a good place to take the motor! I am going to move the station so it is on your right as you drive under the railway bridge. I am going to set it back slightly so that there will be a bus stop and a drop-off car park in front. Bachmann do two nice little accessory kits that I will buy for Station signage and a modernization pack that will improve the image of this area . Here is a couple of views of the station. Like I say it's very slow progress and nothing is glued down yet! Thanks for looking!

Great pics Jim. I would mind seeing that today at warrington but its unlikely i can get there. Its showing in rtt now. Do you know where they are taking the 70 off and are the logs running saturday/sunday this week?

Working in Accrington, Lancashire today and noticed the Preston to Lindsay tanks running so I went to Rishton Station expecting to see a Colas Class 60 but instead 66847 was on the front of the train. I think this is the first Colas Class 66 to be used on the train.

Brilliant photos Jim. The colas class 70's Look pretty impressive in those night time shots with their oddly shaped bodywork making them Look awesome.

Great photos once again. Looks like theres two coal trains scheduled to run from Immingham to fiddlers looking at rtt for tomorrow.

Nice photo. I noticed it was running today but cancelled yesterday.

I did have a 8*6 00 gauge layout in the garage in my old house but it had to be dismantled when we moved. Now my little boy who is 4 and I have a attic layout that is a fictional present day layout based in the north west of England. The layout is DCC but at the moment the point work is all manually operated as my little boy likes to be "the signal man" but is also a free lance driver who DB Schenker, Freightliner, Colas, Virgin and Northern Rail all hire in. I don't know whether to go down the route of point motors yet. Not a thing is glued in place yet. I think the track work will stay as it is though, of course it will be ballasted but not sure which technique to use yet. If you care to scroll down you will see it is far from finished and is no where near as good as some of the other layouts on this website. But hey ho, it's only a bit of fun and something to keep us occupied! This is the overall layout. A couple of views of the station that is a crude attempt of something along the lines of the station buildings of Wigan North Western that I have made myself uisng Metcalfe building material card and spare parts from other kits. The station is served by northern rail class 150's and Virgin Pendolino services. It is also a freight hotspot for coal, intermodal, stone and engineers trains. The station however is 4 tracks straight through, missing the 2 bays that Wigan has because I do not have the room really. A freightliner Class 66 hammers through the station on an intermodal working. The station, like Wigan is above street level with some shops under the arches. They are Metcalfe card viaduct kits and Metcalfe shop fronts that I have cut and adapted or made myself using spare parts from other Metcalfe kits. This is the high street view, again Metcalfe card viaduct kits and Metcalfe shop fronts that I have cut and adapted or made myself using spare parts from other Metcalfe kits plus a couple of Metcalfe high street shop kits. A terraced house street scene on the outskirts of the town. Typically of North West England towns there are plenty of old mills that now serve purposes for more modern businesses. I am thinking of attempting a Wigan Pier type scene with these buildings with a canal but I am certainly no modelling expert but will attempt it and see what it ends up like. A Colas Rail class 66 is stabled in what will be the old quarry working sidings. The Metcalfe signal box, along with other buildings I have was salvaged from my old 8*6 layout that was dismantled. The signal man must be on a good wage, look at his car parked up. Old quarry working sidings This is the approach to the station and will be hopefully a nice rural area featuring some semi detached houses, a farm, church and village school which are currently in no particular position. A EWS livered class 60 comes out of the tunnel approaching the station light engine. This is a Hornby Class 60 DCC sound on board. NOTHING IS GLUED DOWN YET AND BUILDING POSITIONS/ARRANGEMENTS COULD CHANGE DAILY! More old mill type buildings Going to have a coal facility where Freightliner have the contract to move the black gold. Usually class 70 hauled although 66's have been seen in charge of the train! Freightliner also have the contract for intermodal trains. Freightliner class 66's, 70's and the occasional Colas Rail class 66 has been hired in to work these trains! This will hopefully be the container yard to the left of the siding with stacks of containers and a couple of HGV wagons. I will try to make the container yard concreted! This is going to be a very slow process as I do not get much time to get up there to do some work on the layout.

Finally managed to see Colas Rail 70805 on the Carlisle to Chirk log train. I decided not to go to my local station Wigan but go to Warrington where there is usually a crew change. It was just a matter of which line through the station it would take. I was hoping for the goods loop as I would probably have preferred the photos of the train on that line but it briefly stopped at platform 2 for a quick crew change, then off it went with plenty of clag sounding well. 70805 slowly comes into the station Quick crew change And with plenty of clag off to Chirk Many thanks to Big Jim for the for the information regarding the 70 being on this train for a few days.

Hello Jim, sorry to mither but do you know if the logs will be running on friday with the class 70? Would really like to see it but struggled to get somewhere en route so far due to work. Might be able to get to wigan or warrington tomorrow though.