Rosedale

Progress is being made. I have recently finished a rake of 6 P5 Hopper wagons. I made a pattern sometime ago and the wagons were then cast in resin by Phil Traxson of Port Wynnstay models. Phil has cast quite a few bits for me in both S and 7mm and did another great job. He is going to cast me another 6. Then I did some drawings for both P5 and S1 ironwork and Dave Provan in the S Scale MRS turned these into artwork for etching by PPD. I just then had to build them! Together with lovely Slater's S Scale Open Spoke wagon wheels I now have a 6 wagon mineral train to go with the V1 Brakevan I scratch-built plus the lovely Long Boiler Goods built for me by Trevor Nunn (now being painted). I am working on patterns for the S1 Hopper wagons. I have made the fascia and painted it in a suitable ironstone colour - see attached pictures taken at the recent S Scale MRS AGM. Currently I am building another engine. And before the York Show, where I will be buying some suitable static grass from Greenscene, I am going to make a field trip to Rosedale to study the grass and foliage. I may be forced into the Lion Inn at some point. Then I'll work on the scenery and finish detailing and ballasting the track. But the other priority is more stock. I may have mentioned the surprise discovery of potash in Farndale? This wouldn't be unusual given the regions vast potash reserves. This is modellers licence of course and enables me to introduce some variation into the main traffic of just empty ironstone wagons in and full wagons out. Blakey then becomes a busy marshalling yard for ironstone and potash traffic. Dave Provan has done some superb laser cut card kits for salt wagons plus etched ironwork and I have 3 of these to build. Dave and myself have been experimenting with a 'rocking solebar' suspension system and I will make a separate post about this as it develops. The layout's debut was the SSMRS AGM but sadly it developed an electrical fault in transit, later traced to a shorted phono plug, now resolved. Annoying. I do have a video shot on my phone of a train in motion but at 22MB is too large to post here - I'll investigate zipping etc. So there you have it, progress on various fronts, but progress nonetheless. And all very enjoyable.

No my items were not mouldings. The plot thickens. I hope he turns a corner, resolves all outstanding orders and satisfies all new ones promptly. It may be that he needs to take on an assistant to deal with administration etc!?

Just to say that I went away on 2 weeks holiday and my ordered goods from Coopercraft were waiting for me on our return and i thought that be fair i should let everyone know. I am very understanding that all hobby businesses are run as 'cottage industries or as part-time sidelines to a main job. So I am very understanding that the many proprietors are probably juggling their time for little return. In this case, I just wish Coopercraft had replied to my e-mails to keep me posted. i hope everyone gets their goods as well and that the business has turned a corner.

I have come onto RM Web to see if anyone else is having or had problems with this business. I ordered on-line and paid for some items over a month ago and have still not received them. I e-mailed them and got no reply. Then I phoned last week and the proprietor seemed very helpful and alluded to "a few problems" and promised to despatch my goods. But I still haven't received them. Very frustrating. And I don't know what to do next. Any advice and has anyone else experienced similar, recent problems? It's such a shame as most other businesses in this great hobby give wonderful service to help us make our models. Thank-you. ps - I will be the first to withdraw my note if I suddenly receive my goods!

Please see a link below to my blog in the layout's section about my new S Scale layout. I will make further posts as I make progress. But the layout is coming together and is due to go to it's first show in Leeds on 26th and 27th October 2019. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/100858-blakey-rigg-ner/&tab=comments#comment-1944514 I hope this works and you enjoy my blog. Rosedale aka Paul!

After a few years of being busy with work and losing momentum with Blakey, I am now making some real progress and have had a lot of help from friends to take a quantum leap. To recap, after a long time trying Blakey in 7mm I decided to model it in S scale. I am a long time S Scale modeller and although I like 7mm, it is big and I don't really have the space and don't want to cart round a big layout to shows. But most importantly, I love S scale and scratch-building. I had mixed results with several 7mm kits, but the libel laws prevent me from saying much more. Except to say that in many ways, building from scratch can be easier, and is certainly very enjoyable. So S it is. To give a comparison, the 7mm version of Blakey was going to be 20' by 2'6", while in S it is 14'6" by 2'6". I had nowhere, except under the lean-to to set up the 7mm version, but can fit the S version in my loft. It makes a big difference to be able to set up a whole layout and work on it. And I will be doing some 7mm modelling helping my good friend Graeme with his DVLR project. I should stress that I am only at this stage with a lot of help from other modellers. For starters, the beautiful Long Boiler Goods has been built for me by Trevor Nunn. And the wonderful cottages were built by another S Scaler, Bill Pearce, with the grounded carriage body given to me by Jim Guthrie and where I have painted it in a heavily distressed condition. And quite a few others have supplied information and inspiration. I have built the boards from ply with 25mm extruded polystyrene for the tops. They are light but I think I'll go back to well-braced thin ply in future. The track is laid on 3mm cork and has been built from the S Scale MRS's plastic chair and Code 87 bullhead rail system, . The chairs are 3 Bolt and I had thought the NER used 4 bolt. But I was at Richmond NER station in November walking with friends and having a few refreshing beers at the bar there when I noticed they were using 3 bolt chairs as door-stops! And it wasn't the beer confusing me. So, I'd say that 3 bolt is accurate. I have used Cobalt point motors and there are only 2 sections - either side of the loop. Figures are from the S Scale Society, including the Railwayman and his son and daughter so that I can recreate the wonderful photo of Blakey Junction showing the family and rail-workers in the 1890s. My layout is a bit later, say 1900. The hills are made from a mixture of chicken wire, papier mache and Modroc. My next task on the layout is to go up to Rosedale in March and have a good look at the scenery, grass and heather so that I can apply the Gordon Gravatt approach to creating realistic spring scenery. I am currently experimenting with static grass and want to reproduce the tough heathery landscape up there. I went up there in early December with my fellow S Scaler James Lynn and I realise I want to model a more colourful spring landscape. Just as an aside, by cracky was it cold then and we were forced into the Lion Inn to get warm and toasty over a few pints and a pie. But I digress...….. Apart from the scenery, the most important task before the first show in October 2019 at Leeds, is to build more stock. I need at least one more engine, if not 2. I have started to build a Class 59 - a Darlington engine as it is very similar to its older Brother, a McDonnell 101 class from the GSWR in Ireland and for which I have S Scale etches. And an H class 0-4-0T is on the stocks where I also have lovely etches rescaled from the Jim McGowan 7mm kit . Now, I understand there will be howls of protest from some quarters that neither of these engines went anywhere near Rosedale. But first of all, it's my trainset, and secondly they could have done. There was a Stephenson Class 59 there, which could have been a Darlington rather than Stephenson one. And in my interpretation of Blakey, I am assuming that the Farndale Iron mines were more successful than they actually were and that, sacre' bleu, they also discovered Potash (iron stone and potash being geological bedfellows just across at Boulby). So the Farndale branch expanded and needed a wee loco to bring in the Farndale Iron Co's ironstone and potash wagons into Blakey to be marshalled into trains to be pulled by the big engines down to the incline and off to Teeside. I think an H class would have been ideal. For all these bits of modellers licence, I have decided to name the layout 'Blakey Rigg' instead of Blakey Junction as I am changing the story and representation a bit. I have also introduced a cutting at one end and brought the Water Tower nearer to create view-blocks. So, there you have it. I will post further updates as I go along...……...

Hi Paul, Yes and I can model in 4mm, but find it too small. Too many thumbs you see! Paul

I meant to say before now, that The Depots was the star of the show for me at Shipley. Paul has made a fantastic layout here, a model of beauty and an accurate and faithful record of this interesting prototype. I am mildly biased here in that I am, very slowly, building an S Scale model of Blakey Junction, up the Line from the Depots. So, Paul's layout is a great inspiration, a work of art. And it ran really well. If only I had the skill to model in EM! But I don't and can only look in wonder at Paul's fantastic layout.

All absolutely superb Paul! My own efforts with Blakey Junction are coming along very slowly in S Scale and I will post some pictures soon. Paul

Hello G567281,progress has sadly not been great, mainly because of work and looking after ageing parents. And my dithering over the scale to build the layout in. 7mm or S. After making the progress you see in 7mm, I have changed the scale to S. I have made a master for the P5 wooden hopper wagons which have been cast by Phil Transon of Port Wynnstay models. My good friend Bill Pearce has made brilliant models of the 3 cottages. I have scratch-built a V1 brakevan. And I have cut out the frames for a 1001 long boiler goods. So, some progress has been made in S Scale and I will post some pictures soon. Happily, I am likely to retire later this year and will get more time. I am determined to cracking on with it! Enjoy your trip to Rosedale and a few pints in the Lion Inn, a great pub in a great area! Paul

Looks fantastic Paul and I take my hat off to you getting so much done, and to such a high standard and with a Wedding as well. Well done and some inspiration for me to get on with Blakey Junction!!

I heard about Richard's passing just before I went away on holiday and am writing this in Vancouver. I also remember the Manchester Show at Christmas 2016 that David Holman refers to when Richard and he were together at David's brilliant layout Arigna Town! It is a great regret that I didn't take a picture such was the occasion, like a lunar eclipse, of 3 Irish Broad Gauge modellers together! I have known Richard since about 1985, through David Walker, a fellow resident of Leeds, who had another Irish Broad Gauge layout, Killaney. Richard was then the 'go to' person for information and inspiration about Irish railway modelling and was, I think, the HMRS lead on the subject. He was incredibly helpful to me and invited me and my Wife to pop in to his house while heading north on a holiday in Scotland. I have been to see him many times since and enjoyed his and Elizabeth's hospitality. The house was built by Richard onto the side of a Cattle Bank next to the main Edinburgh Glasgow main line with a massive basement to house the Castle Rackrent 'system'. The more I write, the more I am in reverence of Richard's creative energy and genius. He built so many layouts of Irish, French, Scottish and more recently, Norwegian prototypes. And had started on a Brecon and Merthyr (?) layout I think. He thought and built outside the usual confines, not just in terms of space, but also, subject, era and style. He also produced some great mini layouts that showed great verve and what could be achieved in a small space. In Richard's view, no one had an excuse not to build something. And he was a really nice bloke. Hospitable, encouraging, but also with some deliciously funny and acerbic opinions about layouts and the hobbies received wisdom. he could be relied on to point out civil engineering clangers on layouts and one particular O gauge layout with a prominent bridge always got him going; hilarious! His newsletter for friends Faugh a Ballagh (clear the way, in Irish) was a bi-annual treat of modelling inspiration, reviews, put-down and score settling which I for one will really miss. But I will greatly miss Richard and can't quite believe he has gone, such was his fizzing energy and creativity. As has been said, we probably won't see the light if him again. And I so wish I'd got that picture of him at Manchester last Christmas!! Paul Greene

I feel your pain Paul as I struggle to find more information about the houses at Blakey Junction! There are so few photographs, in fact I've only got two; the famous and wonderful one of the family at the buffer stop by the houses, and another one I found in the Lion Inn (a favourite haunt) of the Junction just before dismantling. I've done some drawings but am concerned that at some point in the future I'll be exhibiting the layout and someone will lean over the barrier and say "that's completely wrong mate!". So if anyone has any more info then I'd love to find it! But your layout is coming along great Paul and I look forward to reading more and seeing it sometime. Cheers, Paul

This is another fantastic layout in the making from you Paul. I am interested in the models of the cottages because I am currently trying to do some drawings of the cottages at Blakey Junction, and apart from 3 photos there ain't much info to hand. Even the rubble and foot print left isn't very clear. So, any further clues? Cheers, Paul

Mark/Furness, An interesting development, particularly for the S1! Whats the latest? Thanks

Paul, I've just spent a very enjoyable hour or so (I'm a slow reader!) reading through the postings about your new loco having been alerted to it by Barry O. You've made loads of progress since you showed me the bare loco at the Gateshead Show in mid-November. She is absolutely superb and I love the blow by blow account! And I think they are lovely locos and you've made a great job of it. As you know, I need to build one, or two, for Blakey Junction and yours gives me a lot of inspiration. And I've learned about sand-blasters and been reminded of ale and Wensleydale cheese! So, all in all, a great read and inspiration all round! Cheers, Paul

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Hello Alan, I am replying on my mobile phone as I am away with work at the moment. I will give a fuller reply at the weekend. Yes, the cottages will be there, roughly behind where the loco and wagons have been photographed. By exchange sidings do you mean the loops that ran alongside the East Mines branch as it ran into Blakey? If so, then no I do not have room for them and this will impact on operation and I will be using sidings in the station area to exchange empty and loaded wagons. From what I have read the 3 lines into the Junction were in effect run as 3 seperate lines and when I eventually have 3 locos then I will be able to do this. But in the early stages I will probably just have the long boiler goods I am building at the moment. Realistically exhibitions are a couple of years off at the moment what with work etc etc! In addition I hope to run in stock from the Farndale line and, controversially, plan to use this as an excuse for an old industrial loco. We'll see. I'll try and add in the trackplan at the weekend when I have sussed out how to make our new printer/scanner work! Thanks, Paul

Thanks again for the interest shown so far. I said that I was having some time off work and hoped to do some modelling and would post some pictures of progress. And now that I have battled through the accumulated DIY etc I have made some progress. As I said before, the layout is in 7mm scale and the scenic part is 12' by 2'6" on 3 boards. It will be continuous run with a fiddle yard at the back and another one the front for the East Mines branch. In a future post I'll include the trackplan. I wanted to have a reasonable width so that I could set the layout in the landscape where Blakey Junction was perched on the side of Rosedale with the valley below. I am looking forward to the scenic work to recreate the heather and moorland scene - it's part of the attraction of the subject as well as the railway itself. My current layout Kilbrandon (going to its final show at Gateshead in November) has boards 2'6" wide and it has been a struggle moving them to exhibitions or upstairs to the loft railway room because of the weight as much as the size. So, with Blakey I am using this new fangled extruded polystyrene stuff to cut the weight down allied to 9mm ply ends and 6mm ply sides. They are undoubtedly lighter and with proper bracing pretty strong. The scenery is chicken wire and modroc, bonded to the ply and polystyrene with staples and No More Nails, plus a light skim of plaster on top and underneath to give it strength. This has added to the weight but they are still lighter than the Kilbrandon boards. They are then mounted on lightweight trestles 45" off the deck. I am also going to make a fit a roll-up backscene made out of rubber backed blackout blind material as I always thought that the gaps in the sky of Kilbrandon's ply section backscene was not great. It also gets a right battering and dirt when transporting it. By having a roll-up backscene I can hopefully protect it. To the photos! These are taken in the garage with all the usual stuff - paint, bikes. But I am doing doing all the heavy dirty stuff there before hopeful transfer to the warmth of the loft for track and scenics across the Winter. Hopefully you can get an idea of the layouts size and layout. I have modelled one of the Rosedale brakevans from the very nice Jim McGowan kit, although it was a bit of a ###### fitting compensation - rocking solebar as used a lot in S Scale. The S1 hopper wagons have been made with a lot of help from Doug Hey before he emigrated and when I get time I will write more about them but for now, thanks Doug! The loco, well that's quite a story! It is in fact a 7mm Irish broad gauge GSWR J15, itself McDonnel's prototype for the NER Class 59. Its well known that the 59 was a failure on the NER, but the J15 was a great success in Ireland - and still is with one, 150 years old, still going strong on railtours in the Emerald Isle. McDonnels big mistake was to build a new loco for the NER that was less powerful than the preceding 398 class. Oh, and the wee matter of foisting left hand drive on the NER locomen. But I think the 59ers were atractive engines and one did find its way up to Rosedale, so I am going to build one for the layout as well as a Long Boiler Goods. I hope I don't fall out with Wordell Forever as I am a great admirer of Greyscroft Mine which I have seen at Redcar (you were exibiting there at the same time as Kilbrandon a few years back) and York. A great layout, but I'd better also build a P class! The figures include the Dad and 2 kids from the great picture of Blakey Junction - this might not be to everyone's taste but I want to capture the life of the railwaymen and their families at this bleak, but beautiful, spot. I am currently making the fiddle yards and have started to paint the plaster hills - with brown paint from Hobbycraft at £1 for a 300ml pot. But the main job is to build the track but this won't be until the Autumn. Thanks again for all the information and comments - it is much appreciated. Cheers!

Eager to see the results as I am just about to build a NER Long Boiler Goods using Slaters wheels!

Thanks to everyone for their kind comments, information and encouragement, it is much appreciated! The Lion Inn is a great feature of the area and I have spent a few nights and many a lunchtime in there enjoying the huge meals, great ales and of course the photos of the railway. It must have been great fun G567281 watching the RC Rally up there and getting snowed in at the Lion! The walking up and around Rosedale and Farndale is great and I have always enjoyed the peace and quiet whilst imagining the hive of industrial activity in the area 100 years ago with all the mining and the railway. Fortunately, I have a few days off work next week and hope to do some more work on the layout boards and I will then post a few pictures of progress to date. Thanks again.

This is the openning blog to start explaining and illustrating progress on my new project, a 7mm model of Blakey Junction high up on top of the North Yorkshire Moors. The real railway ran from Battersby Junction to the foot of the North Yorskshire Moors escarpment then up an incline onto the moor top. It then ran across the moors to Blakey where a Junction saw it run to ironstone mines on both the East and West sides of Rosedale. A further line ran from near Blakey down into Farndale to service smaller ironstones. Blakey Junction was, and is, an isolated and beautiful spot high up on the Blakey Ridge (or Rigg) that seperates Rosedale from Farndale. It was a hard life for the miners and railwaymen and their familes who toiled in harsh conditions to extract and transport iron ore down to the furnaces in Teesside and beyond. In later blogs I will set out more of the history and give some links to interesting material. I first came across the region while a student at York University in the early 1980s. I had been driven up to area with some other friends for a bit of a lunchtime stroll and a few pints in Rosedale Abbey, the village in the heart of the valley. We were driving out of the valley up the incredibly steep Bank Top Road when I spotted some ruined kilns in the valley side. And that started a lifetime's obsession with the area and a determination to one day build a model. Most of my modelling to date has been of the Irish Broad Gauge in S Scale, a tad obsure I admit! I fancied a new project and wanted to build an NER model being a great admirer of that fine railway. And I always knew it was going to be of Blakey Junction. The problem was, what scale? I have therefore spent a few years now pondering about S and 7mm, boring my various friends in both scales. I will write again to explain why, after much soul searching, I finally plumped for 7mm scale. But for now, I can say that the scenic part of the layout is 12' by 2'6" and features Blakey Junction set high up on the valley side. The boards and trestles have been maden and basic scenery has now been sculpted in chicken wire and modroc. I have kept the weight down by using extruded polystyrene and 4mm ply, following many of the ideas set out by Gordon Gravett in MRJ. So, that's it for now. Future posts will show progress, trackplans and the history of the line.