Rosedale

Great stuff Ian! The S Scale standards are really good and work well. I'll e-mail you the RCH instructions by the way. Regards, Paul

This is very impressive and I think that metal 3D printed centres that can be fitted into our tyres and mounted on a split axle is the holy grail for our scale. So, I take my hat off to you. I would be very interested in the running quality, trueness, concentricity etc. Please keep us posted either here or via email. Brilliant!

Another angle to this interesting debate is that perhaps MRJ could now do with a permanent Editor rather than the current approach of a rotating pool? Although it is now fashionable to believe in controversy and that even bad publicity is good publicity (look at the current POTUS and Michael O'Leary of Ryannair), perhaps a permanent Editor would have had the confidence to swish the blue pencil over Tim Watson's more controversial comments (but thanks for the apology Tim - takes a big man etc) and would not have published Mr Bennett's second paragraph which was too angry (he had clearly worked himself up into a lather before pressing send?). Just a thought. I have every MRJ since 0 and although it sometimes disappoints, and occasionally infuriates, it is full of so much inspiration across the scales and varied subject matters of this marvelous hobby. I also wish they would make it easier to buy and renew - online banking anyone - to have a more secure income and be a safer treasure for us all in the years to come.

Copenhagen Fields is superb but Tim Watson's general comments about other modellers layouts and modelling approach were a tad smug - never a good look - and detracted from an otherwise interesting, informative and useful article. Good modelling should always just speak for itself and there is no need to look down on others who are just trying to enjoy their hobby. Very few layouts achieve immortality; of those that get sold on following their builders demise, I do wonder if they'll last into a further generation. Of those that are 'immortal' there seems to be no constant factor and many are often a bit crude in modern terms, mainly because techniques move on in this wonderful hobby . The point is, they surely all gave immense pleasure to their builders, operators, readers and viewers. I'm so looking forward to the return of exhibitions in general and seeing CF again in particular.

Good idea Jim! Your gauge is great by the way, but you do often need more of the widening gauges so yes I'll explore the possibilities. Paul

Great progress Ian! I really like the TOU and may try this approach on a future layout - I'll be interested in how it turns out. All the best, Paul

Blimey Ian that's quick (and good) work - I only sent the parts on Friday! It looks a great project and shows what can be done in a small space. And there will be plenty of help here from S scalers and other modellers if you need it. All power to your arm, Paul.

Really good stuff Scott. Great advice, techniques and superb end results! Looking forward to seeing more, cheers, Paul

Lovely stuff Scott!

Barry's scenic and grass work has stood the test of time according to those photos. Unless it has faded since, I'm not sure it will need extensive 'static grassing'? Its great that you have taken on this seminal layout and that it will be back on display in shows around the country.

A lovely engine Paul! Which transfers do you use for the side and buffer beam? I'm asking because I'm about to paint my S Scale Y7. I'm going to use Fox transfers for the lining but need to use something for the letters. Thanks.

Sounds interesting Keith! How do I get hold of a copy - not that I'll be playing it at shows though!! John Taylor did suggest I needed a tape of sheep and grouse though.............

Ah, all high tech LED pelmet stuff now and a backscene to hide my workbench!

I'm not a great blogger so posts are in fits and starts. I took a few pictures before coming away on holiday and these are added in. The early NER Brakevan is now finished and painted apart from some lettering and weathering which I'm planning to do alongside a few other wagons. The scenery is virtually complete now and my friend Graeme added a few more bits of texture to increase the 'tussocky' verdant feel that Rosedale has in the summer; I'm really pleased with it, thanks Mate! And I'm well under way with 3 Salt Wagons which will be used to convey the output of the Farndale Potash Mines (which have not been written about in any of the area histories for some reason). These wagons are from laser cut card kits produced by Dave Provan of the S Scale Society and lovely they are too, or will be when I've finished adding the etched ironwork. And finally, on the loco front, I'm building another engine (an NER Class 59) and am awaiting with some excitement for the return of the NER Long Boiler Goods from the painter. It's all go and needs to all be done for the Leeds Show at the end of October. Phew!

The weather can sometimes turn up there in an instant, 4 seasons in one day etc. It must have been incredibly hard living up there on the tops and I am full of admiration for the railwaymen, their wives and children, plus the miners and their families. No central heating, no double glazing or cavity wall insulation. And long hours. I'm glad to hear that your accident hasn't put you off going there though!

The footboards are missing in the photo as they will be added from thin ply after painting. I also hope to add a suitable brakeman, a hardy soul for Rosedale - I was up there with my Dad and Brother on Thursday 15th August and it was blowing a gale. But we needed some fresh air after a few pints and another gargantuan meal in the Lion Inn!

The layout itself is largely complete - I just need to do a bit more scenic work, including more grass and heather, plus some vegetable gardens for the cottages. I am therefore, now getting back to building more stock, starting with this early NER brakevan. I got the drawing from the Ian Sadler book about NER Brakevans. The photo shows it before painting alongside my scratchbuilt V1 Brakevan. It will be painted in a highly worn and weathered early NER livery. I'm assuming it is being hired by the Farndale Iron Company to help move their wagons to Blakey Junction and then down the incline to Teeside. Construction is from plasticard with etched SSMRS w-irons and scratchbuilt brakegear. I have put SSMRS 3'6" Maunsell wheels on it as the original vans ran as part of passenger trains to provide braking and luggage space. Then it is back to loco construction - a Class 59 or small wheeled Long Boiler Goods, probably no 1129 for which I have the plates.

There were more sheep but the farmer said some of them have wandered across the valley to The Depots!

It has been a while since I gave an update on progress, but much progress has been made, I just haven't written about it! In fact the layout itself is now largely complete apart from finishing the ballasting, doing some gardens for the cottages and a bit more foliage. Then, I have 3 months to finish and build more stock before its debut at the Leeds Show at the end of October. Quite a tall order with my time also being spent on lots of other things like running, cycling, holidays and DIY. I have now finished the fascia and lighting and the backscene. All have taken longer than planned, mainly because I have been experimenting with different (to me) approaches. The fascia is actually made from a UPVC shelf instead of timber. This has saved weight, but was the devil to paint, needing a lot of primer, red oxide from a Halfords spray can, intended for plastic bumpers etc. It has then been painted in Dulux "African Adventure 2", the nearest approximation I could get to the rusty red you see leaching out of the soil in parts of Rosedale because of the high ironstone content still up there. Then I have got some custom graphics made to show the layout name and scale. I'm really pleased with the final effect. I decided to give the new fangled LED lighting a go and am a convert. It uses very little power, gives off hardly any heat and the 2 strips of cool white I have used gives a good hue to the layout. It could do with another strip of warm white, but given that the roof is open as it were, I need to take exhibition hall lighting into account and will see what it looks like at Leeds before I add another strip. The lighting strips all point downwards and this has minimised, but not eliminated shadows. Again, this is something I am going to 'park' for now. The backscene has given me a lot of grief. My plan was to follow Gordon Gravett, Paul Marshall Potter etc and have a single drape around the layout in some sort of Ricean Cameo approach. But, and I think this a big but, I like and use 3 link couplings and having an all embracing backscene would mean operating from the front (no problem), but constantly obstructing the viewers. I have spent a long time at the Manchester and York shows looking at Geoff Kent's brilliant Red Lion Crossing where operation is at the front with 3 links. But viewer obstruction didn't seem a problem because of the length of the layout, whereas Blakey is only 8' long. For all these reasons I decided to have a lower backscene to facilitate rear operation and the shaking hand of god wrestling the 3 links. I then thought that I could still go for a single backscene cut from roller blind material that would avoid an unsightly gap in the sky. A template was made and fitted from decorators lining paper before the pricey vinyl was cut. I made and fitted and aluminium frame and then cut and added the vinyl backscene attaching it to the frame with Velcro. It looked great and and I was mightily pleased with myself. But, oh dear, I found that fitting and taking the backscene down was an almighty pain and it was difficult to avoid creasing it. I could also predict smudges from my sweaty dirty hands, putting up and taking down a layout being a sweaty, grimy business. So back to the drawing board.... I did momentarily consider hardboard or ply, but then decided to split the vinyl backscene in 2 and have it semi-permanently fitted to the aluminium frame. To hide the join in the sky, I have made the split behind one of the cottages. It isn't perfect, but it isn't too bad. Finally regarding backscenes, I am not totally convinced they are even necessary. I can think of quite a few superb layouts where they either don't exist, or are minimal - East Lynn, Dewsbury Great Northern and Tarring Neville and Laramie (where, sacre bleau, the layouts are viewed brilliantly in the round) spring to mind. The human eye is so fixated on the excellent modelling that the lack of a backscene on these layouts is not apparent. I have loved doing the scenery. The hills are a chicken wire frame covered in modroc then painted brown. Then I have applied 2mm patchy static grass to start off the peaty moorland look. This has then been covered in various summer shades of grass in both 2mm and 4mm lengths to build up the rufty, tufty texture I have observed in Rosedale. I have added in some streams and paths to give a bit of relief - I should stress that I have not sought to faithfully model the Blakey landscape as it is. I have attached some photographs to show progress. More to follow, but in the meantime I must paint my Y7, build another loco ( a class 59) and some more wagons. Much to do, but all enjoyable.

That is a superb piece of work Paul and looks good up on Rosedale. It runs like a sewing machine on the rolling road and looks absolutely beautiful! What's to say that it couldn't have gone up to the tops? I know that getting an engine up the incline was a big job, but I'm not sure all the records are complete and a bit of modellers licence is not a bad thing. I'm biased and just preparing the ground for a J7 and Darlington Class 59 on my Blakey Rigg layout!!

Really superb engine Paul! Are you going to let it have a run out at the Depot?