mac1960

Well a few photos of the start of the colour palate as its called I am told but still away to go. We are dropping the amount of Snow / Haw Frost on Pen Y Gent as well as it was starting to look more like Mount Fuji. oh and we are moving it a tad as well ! However I think you can see what we are aiming for. Incidentally I got the detail on the composition of the Thames Clyde Express and un like today 1st Class was scattered with in the train around the Buffet / Restaurant car. The other thing which I had totally forgotten (shows how long since I was last on a locomotive hauled train) they had 2nd class breaks at both ends which is sensible when you consider the issues of running around. Anyway will post more when we have stopped moving mountains around and colours are more fixed.

I have an interesting question for those following this. We have a possible photo shoot for a magazine and wondered what iconic trains we should feature. As a stater we think Thames Clyde , Anhydrite,, Bradford Stopper, Stourton afternoon freight for starters. Could I ask if there are any others you can think of ? Another thing does anybody know the coach layout for TC ie First back or front for a starter’s. Any help appreciated. Cheers Mac

JRSS Thank you for the kind comments, and I am sorry we have taken so long to get to this stage, where some other models seem to be completed in no timeframe at all. However we have had some issues which you will be aware of, if you have read all my ramblings, that sort of got in the way, and understandably so. However I am glad you appreciate what we are about with this model. I can’t stress it enough but we are both believers in putting the railway in the landscape and not the other way around if you understand what I mean and N gauge or 2mm are ideal for this given the size of most houses, unless you are fortunate to have a small Georgian pile with stables etc, when 00 or larger could be achieved. I would like to do a smaller urban one, which would be easier to take to exhibitions when I finally get bored with the 1 to 1 scale, which I work in for the day job. I thought the South Manchester line through Oxford Road would be interesting, modelled in the swinging 60,s with the overhead electrics and steam and diesel and a more urban setting, with the line sort of hidden in and amongst the buildings, and similar in size to Staly Vegas but we will see. Anyway the painting of the back scene starts next week, but I think it may take a little longer than the pencil sketch ! We are going to give Pen -Y -Gent a little light snow or heavy Haw frost to its top as we think it will enhance that autumn feeling we are trying to weave into Horton. Thanks once again for sticking with us. Cheers Mac

Just thought I would post this picture of the real thing taken on a hill above Horton in Ribblesdale (the railway is immediately below you with only the top of the station masters house visible through the tree tops) on reconnaissance mission in autumn about 5 years ago.

Well Richard got out his HB pencil and went for it as they say, and you can see the results below. Its been a long time coming as those of you who have stuck with us over the years will appreciate, but we are on the final leg of this layout, and you can now really see what we were trying to achieve. If we make you feel that you are on a hill in the Yorkshire Dales in autumn looking down on the S&C in the mid 1960,s then we have done a good job. Let us know if it does. Painting starts next week !!

I remember seeing a 141R near Perpignan in around 1967. We were heading from Spain to the airport to catch a Channel Airways Viscount to Southend. I am pretty sure an Oil fired one. Incidentally the inbound flight made 5 approaches before landing on a clear night. Fire engines were out and about . First passenger threw up on the tarmac after disembarking! We flew back with the same crew but no issues. My last European Steam was two DB Class 50 on an Iron Ore train in the Rhine valley I think in 1974 . I witnessed some stationary ones in the Ruhr on a later trip around 1975, smoking but not moving when we passed on the autobahn from Venlo.

Back in the 1960,s the traffic which was mostly freight over the S&C , moved at night. Indeed some of the signal boxes were unmanned during the daylight hours, but manned at night due to this traffic. As an example Mallerstang, which must have been a lonely walk.

Just a couple of photos received today (I am on my travels). One of the foot path crossing and the other is from the viewing area with the temporary bar across. The bar is because it makes it easier to work on rather than the full fascia which actually goes there. This is the fascia which holds the lighting bars for the scenic area and forms the top of the stage to go back to my theatre analogy of this build. The two back scene areas painted in Grey primer and the central section which is being done in one piece means that we will only have 2 backscene breaks and Richard is confident that they will not be too noticeable. From his description I think the painting maybe more JMW Turner ie swirling mists and clouds and not very much Blue sky ie a typical Dales autumn day. Below the scenic section you can just see part of the quite extensive fiddle yard for the size of layout which has 5 loops in each direction with the longer ones being able to take two rakes depending on the size of train. In reality most of the trains running over the S&C were quite long back then in both passenger and freight with the exception of the few locals and pick up goods. The Anhydrite train though undoubtedly heavy when full was quite short in comparison with some of the normal freight operating over the route.

Just a couple of photos tonight. A little cameo of the station masters wife brushing the outside steps (something my Grandmother did and then edged in White Paint, I am not sure why but pretty common back then). The others are of the recently sighted signals set in the Ballast. So not much but thought you may like to see.

Scott Sorry I somehow missed your post. Thank you very much for the kind comments re our efforts on Horton. Not too far to go now we hope, though do they ever really finish as such ? Cheers Mac

I remember Hexham had domestic coal until quite late. Not sure how long but I remember going through there heading to Edinburgh for a New Year’s party and there was a 37 messing around with some hoppers which I assumed to be Coal and that would be late 80,s I think.

Just got these from Richard (apologies for the formatting but leaving tonight and dont have time to muck about) Suffice to say as you can see trains are indeed running on Horton and dont fall off after around 2 hrs of running. Also looking at positioning some other bits of kit like the cliche of Bus on a bridge, but all vehicle's need toning down just a bit in colour, as too just out of the box at the moment. Signals have to have their base removed and sat into the ballast. There has also been further learning for the pair of us on the AWS system and magnets etc and ground signals !!

Well just a few pictures this weekend showing the arrival of signals, but they are just being temporarily placed at the moment, and further discussion as to back scene location with reference to the major land form on the back scene, which is a depiction of Pen- Y-Gent. We feel its profile fits well with the line of the cottages, and is pleasing to the eye even though in reality it is slightly NE of the station, but this is not Horton in Ribblesdale ,it is just the feel of the place, which we hope we have captured. Also a picture of the detailing work which has gone on around the station. There are a few people cropping up, but not many as generally the sheep to people ration as Richard says is 1 person to 10 sheep. His parents live in Grassington so I bow to the local knowledge in this ! Lastly and perhaps more importantly after I had left the first locomotive turned a wheel on Horton, the first in probably 2 years !! Its good to know that the electronics still work after all this scenery work !

Well a couple of pictures with the back scene on with its Grey undercoat on. There is not any change to anything else yet, but I thought it was worth posting them as it sort of brings the foreground to life . Indeed as Richard said it would make a good diorama even without the railway ! I did mention further back up that if we had known how well this would have worked we would have forgone the building of the station and goods facilities, and just gone for something simpler like Selside with a loop / siding perhaps, maybe next time ! Anyway its the weekend and unfortunately chores beckon.

They used to block the footpath when it was open before as you can see from the videos of Black 5 shunting the sidings. I am also a little sceptical of 3000 people a day and I do know it’s on the 3 Peaks walk not Pennine Way . Pennine Way comes over Pen-Y-Gent from Malham Tarn then heads up Ribblesdale I have walked both. I think the 3000 doing all or part of 3 Peaks maybe a once a year or so spike as I have certainly never seen that many though it’s an about 10 years since I last did it. As for disabled access it does seem an expensive way of managing a problem , especially when the lifts break down which they will. Ramps would be better if you really need to do it. It would be intriguing to see the figures for disabled use of the facilities there to get an idea of the scope of the issue compared with other Stations which largely do not have bridges or indeed underpasses on the S&C. Oh and before anyone shouts me down on disability discrimination, my wife is clinically disabled from a hit and run in 1997, but won’t admit it 👍, so I am well aware of the issues. It is good however to see the return of rail hauled stone freight .

A quick update, the sheep, or to be more precise the Ho Sheep have arrived, and have been planted so to speak. Also in the background the more Eagle eyed will have noted the arrival of telegraph poles , Phone Box, Planters on the platform, the later a legacy of the Station Master Mr Taylor, who had moved onto Settle by our time period, where he continued his winning streak for station gardens. His replacement alas did not have his Green fingers, and the boarders were by now a shadow of there former selves. However they have now been reinvigorated by the Friend's of the S&C and I am sure Mr Taylor would heartily approve of their efforts. I will try and get some better pictures upon my return, though Richard is on a charge it seems, so more may arrive before then. Anyway more Lamb this evening but hopefully not so plasticky 😀

I think also Castle Cement train and some steel goes over there and there maybe some residual coal traffic but not at the levels of a decade ago which probably effectively covered the costs or at least helped with some or the essential maintenance that had been missed and proved to be required.

Just found out that Horton Quarry is being resurrected ,hopefully this summer. They say on Wiki that rail link stopped mid 60,s I thought it was early to mid 70,s anybody know? Don’t worry there will not be any 66,s on Horton, though given the lack of change up there you could go to Blue Diesel and Tarmac / Tilcon wagons easily. Cheers Mr Mac

Wickham Green Disabled access trumps local objections I am afraid. I am not sure why they need a bridge as it’s not like there will be that many stone trains and you could still use ramp. Funnily enough if you look on S&C layout thread on here, you will see our representation of the S&C in 5hat area.

Jeff Thank you for the kind comments about Horton, and we consider it high praise indeed from yourself, given the excellent nature and quality of your own modelling. The reason for the use of N gauge was that we wanted to place the railway in the landscape so to speak and as I am not blessed with a space large enough to do Horton in OO or EM it was N gauge or 2mm. Years ago we both had seen Luton Hoe which was a Bedfordshire Midland mainline and branch layout, which perfectly showed what you could do in that scale. The later 2mm in my admittedly limited observation does seem to sometimes be a little troublesome. Richard has more experience due to work on Millsbridge where it is a bit “intermittent “shall we say. Also given the distance that you view Horton at, we think we can getaway with it, but we will leave that for others to say. Anyway I am away for a little this week so it’s Richard’s baby so to speak. I look forward to seeing further progress in time on Gill Head when the Mojo comes back 👍 All the best Mac

A short update, as its late, and an early flight beckons for me. Well courtesy of Sankey Signs, Horton now has her official name, and the fine detailing is coming along well, and our grass fields are finally completed, and fences are also appearing around the run down station, as that is how it was back then, rather then the brightly painted pastiche we have now . That by the way is not a dig at all the friend's of the S&C who do wonderful work keeping the station and line very pretty. However unless you go back to the pre WW1 or just post WW2 (on Mr Taylors watch ) things were not so bright, and I hope we have captured that with the use of autumn hues, and the run down feel, as if you look at the various photos and indeed 8mm film of the line and location , that is what you had in the mid 60,s. Anyway the back scene has been tried for size and works, and now it is most definitely with Richard to work his magic for the last time on this model / canvas and I could not be happier having worked with him, and all the other suppliers who have contributed with their skills and or materials on this build. We are just now building, if you forget the pun, to the finale, though there will be more little detailed cameos before that, but the back scene is the last large job, which has just been started, though it may take sometime as we don't want to rush it. Cheers Mac

Glad to hear that you are maybe looking again at the model. It’s getting a little lonely on the S&C models thread ? All the best Mac

Ruston sorry looking at it on phone and it appeared to have an Orange / Yellow hue. I will await the completed product. 🙄

Griffgriff The Dutch have built a new freight line from Rotterdam to the German border to free up paths, perhaps doing up GC for similar use would have created those paths required at a fraction of the cost of HS2. Capital projects in UK seem permanently blighted. Mac

Nick I am in Japan in a month so will follow up on your recommendation. Cheers