Ben Alder

Here are the last of the Ferryhill pics- some B/W ones I took for some reason. This seems to be the lot, although its not beyond possible that others may be tucked away somewhere, as my "filing"is non-existent. The last two I have included in the Dept. thread but for completeness I have included here as well. So, that's a record of a very small part of the once vast array of wagons reaching near the end of their working lives, and hope it has inspired some modelling ideas.

I am afraid that we are coming to the end of my photographic foray- that, I think, was all the slides I have, and here are a few film shots. After that there are a handful of B/W ones and then that's it. Why I didn't take more, I don't know- wish I had- but at least they are now out and about rather than sitting in a box for far too many years. If anyone wants copies of any, just ask, and feel free to make use of them as you will- perhaps we could start a weathering thread based on them! Anyway, the photos... This was a brake van set aside for the Corp. project and was in Duthie Park, so that's as good as I could get. For the use of Bristol wagon shops- wonder if they ever found out where it went?

There were paper mills around Aberdeen that used the stuff-perhaps someone aware of more recent traffic patterns can confirm if it continues.

Some more wagons.

Yes,there were three of them, kept for a Council scheme in Duthie Park,IIR,that eventually came to nothing. Here they are, along with a view of some of their wagons as well.

Glad this is throwing up discussions-I'll post more up later. I think that these were in traffic when taken in, but as can be seen, some didn't make it out again alive. The 5 plank with the added ends is interesting, and here is a shot of another?/same one with it as well. Edit- looks as though it is the same one.

A further selection. BTW, the wagons seen on the raised section are stabled on the old coaling stage ramp, and were somewhat inaccessible with regard to build details, but it was the state of their liveries that I was interested in.

Yes, to a wagon afficiando/nut like myself it was like Xmas- it was the variety of types ,almost all as singles, mixed up in no order- put me in mind of a full size train set of someone who bought an example of each type of stock available and ran them all together, that was part of its appeal. Each time I went I wouldn't know what was going to be there. The stripes were also on another dept. van, so it must have had something to do with that usage- see below-, and one wagon has a chalked message referring to TOPS- see the 24T coal wagon poking in on the right of the second pic. I don't remember great numbers of 12T vans being there- perhaps they were done at times I wasn't around- although one or two can be seen lurking in photos. By this time all revenue vans were BR versions, and I had seen plenty of them already, so took shots of any Big 4 stock I could find. There are some LNE vans here, but this seems to be the only BR one I took-

Cheers, here are some more. I'll sort some more out tonight.

As a follow on to my earlier postings, I spent four years at Aberdeen from 1972, and often wandered round Ferryhill shed on a Sunday, this being the sum total of any railway activity during this time, the usual student distractions occupying most of my life. I did photograph a few engines there from time to time, which I haven't got round to scanning yet, but usually the depot was very quiet, and nobody seemed to mind me being about. Due to my general disinterest in diesels I never photographed any of the passing trains, but in 1975,IIR, there was a flurry of wagons appearing to get their metric weights applied, and suddenly I had found something of real interest to me. By this time I had graduated to colour film and started taking shots of these passing wagons. They seemed to have been hauled in at random, as there was always on my visits a real mix up of types and usually in singles. Due to the pressures of uni. work most of my visits were in the early part of the year, and decent shots were difficult often due to the position of the sun and the sidings they were kept in, so once more much went unrecorded, but I do have a selection of photos I did take. They are a mixture of slide and film, with the slides being much clearer, but they do give a portrait of the state of some of what was around at the time. Here are some at random. I didn't, or have lost, any details of these photos, but they are all pretty obvious what they are. Some of the weathering/ patching had to be seen to be believed!

The Far North Line My replacement for Kylesku and The Mound, set in the same timescale and place, but with an interpretation of Thurso and Helmsdale as its focus. Currently still under construction but starting to take scenic shape. Click on the link at bottom of post to reach it.

A good idea! Here is one of mine- 54491, as shedded latterly at Wick, and a member of the Pickersgill class of 4-4-0's that served long and well in Scotland. They were used till the end of steam in the Highlands for various duties and were well liked. The kit is a DJH one that took me some thirty years to get around to building, and is powered by a Hornby T9 chassis with the traction tyred drivers replaced with a set of plain ones, and runs like a dream.

You've set yourself an interesting project, which I will be following, as the wife's uncle was a driver at Haymarket in steam days, and I have always had a soft spot for this shed- who wouldn't?!. If that is your first attempt at buildings, then I reckon you can join Coachmann in doing masterclasses in construction- look forward to more photos.

AFAIR, wasn't it a loading bank for ballast hoppers?- all this is just reinforcing my lack of foresight in photographing the once everyday, - just shows how much change there has been.

George mas.

Re. removal of goods shed- I've no idea, but I think it was well before the general rationalisation of the system. I've asked about this on the Highland Railway Society Yahoo group, so a date may emerge.

It's the base of the water tank- they tended to be left behind after the tanks themselves were removed. HTH, Ben

Couldn't open this as it seems to require membership to access.

The last of a Highland trio-a conjecture of Thurso box, pulled down after the war, replaced with a ground frame and to all intents and purposes with no photographic record. Based on the frame and looking at the myriad variations on a theme that the Far North line managed with their boxes, I have built my thoughts on the subject. It is certainly more picturesque than its replacement- a shabby corrugated iron lean-to- and once spring comes will be surrounded by vegetation. I have reached the strange state of having built more cabins than there will be signals on my layout - Helmsdale has a starter with shunt arm in the area modelled, with the others out of modelling sight, while the terminus has a single bracket starter in view, so that is going to be one part of the project that is not going to be too onerous!

Looking good, again.... Your ingenuity in transforming what used to be called proprietary stock never ceases to impress me, and is certainly pointing a way round the lack of ScR R-T-R. Please keep them coming.

I like the "unflashed" effect on the buildings, really conveys that grimy feel of sooty brick and stone work. The whole thing is coming together very nicely, and I don't envy your task of all that house building, and in such a short time too. Following this with much interest, and admiring your work immensely. Keep it up!

I have now got the other Helmsdale box to a similar state, and for the sake of completeness here is a shot of it in another raw part of the layout. Interior detail is limited to a bit of paint and the lever frame, as normal viewing angle is from behind, so this omission is not going to be noticeable.

The fittings are from the Wills WM signal box kit - I draw the line at making something myself if there is a suitable substitute available already. Highland boxes, esp. on the outer stretches of the railway, were rather spartan affairs, usually even without stoves as much of the section control was housed in the station building rather than in the box.

Thanks for the kind words- its mate is almost finished and should make an appearance here in the next few days. Interior? Ahh ......this is where the perils of turning up in specialist areas become apparent . I have made a crude representation of its interior, but signalling experts can look away now. The layout was based on an interior photo of The Mound signal cabin and actually is almost invisible when sitting on the layout, but the levers can be seen through the windows, which is all that really needs to be fitted. And as for the driver having his tea in the box against the rules about visitors to signal cabins,well, we'll say nothing......

My semi-completed HR Helmsdale platform box- the only painted piece of my current construction.Built with plasticard round Lochgorm window etches and bits of the Ratio kit. It has some shortcuts, but looks passably Highland enough for my purposes.