Marly51

Good luck with any new artwork Annie. I wouldn’t dream of using your artwork for anything other than a personal project with due credit to yourself as originator! I have too many projects on the go at present so any attempt to model in 0 scale won’t be for quite a while. Marlyn

What a pity you lost the artwork for your litho artwork. I have a fondness for the the old tinplate Hornby O gauge clockwork trains and buildings and wondered about recreating some of the building artwork to build in card as a fun project? I have already seen the backscenes which one company is producing and fits perfectly with the art style of the tinplate models. Enjoying your posts as well as those of 'Nearhomer'. Marlyn PS Even when a hard drive crashes, your files might still be retrieveable if you get an IT savvy person to check for you. I joined a trust in the 1990s who had a major crash, hadn't done regular backups on any of their machines and the IT guy managed to transfer a bulk of files on to the new set up for us.

My brother loved the Boys Brigade - think it was an escape from all the women folk at home and Dad thought it was a good thing! There was the Girls Guildry in some churches in Edinburgh which was the female equivalent of the BB. I tried the Brownies and lasted only six months - too tame for me I'm afraid, when there were other more exciting things to do elsewhere! My poor mum bought the full Brownie outfit, but think she managed to pass it on to a cousin.

I like your board connector idea, Mike. Look forward to seeing your layout as it evolves. Marlyn

Really enjoying your thread - the historical background research to model railways is fascinating whether highly detailed, as in your case, or more tenuous for some of the fictional interpretations elsewhere on the Forum. Marlyn

Another layout ‘Longdrem and the Pinkhill Branch’ based on Edinburgh operations - the name derived from Longniddry to the east of Edinburgh and Pinkhill in west of the city. Pinkhill Station was the stop for Edinburgh Zoo. In the 1950s/60s a short cut to the Station was through the allotments from Balgreen Road. Nearby was also the ‘sheep field’ where the sheep were held before going to the slaughter house at Slateford. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/18631-longdrem-the-pinkhill-branch/ I sometimes find it is easier to search online for older RMWeb posts - the search option here on the Forum didn’t return a result for this posting?

I’ve found Anyrail a great program to design a couple of heritage layouts and now hoping to plan a few small layouts based on smaller historic stations, mainly Scottish. Looking forward to seeing how your layout evolves! Marlyn

Good luck with your plans Kevin! There’s no shortage of ideas and advice on this forum. Marlyn

I thought there was more than just the dairy - timber yard and stoneworks (maybe stone cutters and stone dressing for all the new building work beyond the city centre?) How many times we played in Harrison Park as youngsters! I remember where there were buildings, but the detail is not always there until you see the photos and plans if they exist. Many thanks, Marlyn

Burnham and District Model Railway Cub produced a limited edition E & D milk tanker! http://www.burnhamanddmrc.org

Finally found some photographs of the Edinburgh and Dumfriesshire Dairy Depot at West Bryson Road, when it was owned by Kennerty Farms Dairies (not Murchies as I thought earlier). Unfortunately no images from the railway track side so will need to trawl through aerial photographs again to see if there is any detail which could be used to reconstruct the layout of the buildings, yards and loading bays. https://www.flickr.com/photos/cagiva1994/14459008847 Flickr photos by Steven S Many traditional buildings including the Weston’s Biscuit factory and other small industrial buildings have disappeared over the last two decades to make way for housing schemes. The whole character of Fountainbridge and some areas of Merchiston has changed with university campus buildings replacing the old brewery, the rubber company, the railways - ahh the aroma of yeast, rubber and ‘Auld Reekie’s’ coal fires!

Rob, Have you seen a copy of Ian Futer’s two books on modelling Scottish Railways, which also feature articles printed in the Railway Modeller? I have them both somewhere and can list the West Highland based layouts if that’s a help? Marlyn

Hi Peter, I was given a copy of your book ‘Scratchbuilt Buildings the Kirtley Way’ as I often use textured papers for my models when there is a time restriction on a project. Very impressed with the commissions you have undertaken - lovely work! When I first used downloaded photo textures the photo paper to hand had a silk finish, but I was able to dull it down with a coating of spray matt varnish. I now use a matt photo paper and the detail seams OK, but still have to varnish before doing any careful weathering! Sorry to read your recent project was not going ahead - disappointing after so much intensive work. Marlyn

The old Angle Park Fire Station (Photo copyright Ian Scott) is an interesting line side building for a possible Merchiston Station layout. I know for a fact there were lovely old plans and elevation drawings on linen in the City Chambers Planning Department, which I copied back in the 1970s for a design project - I assume they are still accessible somewhere? http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_STREET/0_street_views_-_angle_park_terrace_-_fire_station_1960s.htm

On checking NLS website found some map detail of the milk depot on West Bryson Road which was serviced by sidings NE of Merchiston Station?

Just had a memory of the Edinburgh & Dumfriesshire Dairy Depot (later run by Murchies?) which was located between the Merchiston and Dalry Road Stations. Another possible feature? Few records exist for the dairy according to https://oldestscottishcompanies.wikispaces.com/Edinburgh+Dairies+Limited - reference to milk being ‘imported’ by train from Dumfries. E&D also had a chain of shops - we bought our bread daily from the Polwarth Gardens shop (pan loaf and Edinburgh ‘plain’ loaf), milk was delivered each morning by horse and cart.

That’s quite enough about the trams... now back to the railways. Edinphoto has the only photos of the Merchiston Station Buildings which I could find so far - Copyright George M.Staddon. http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_edin_t/0_edinburgh_transport_railways_gms_merchiston_42269.htm There are more images of Dalry Road Station including this one by Peter Stubbs http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_edin_t/0_edinburgh_transport_railways_dalry_road_backs_of_travellers.htm Need to check with CRA archivist to see what station plans and elevations exist. I’ll probably build models of the station buildings first then produce a diorama/mini layout setting with fiddle yard to suit. Next trip to Edinburgh I’ll check out both locations for reference photos. Merchiston Station was bounded by traditional tenements on the Harrison Gardens side and colonies buildings on the other (Edinburgh Colonies housing has an interesting history of its own).

I agree with you about Draper. Bought their soldering station and, as a beginner, found I was struggling plus the cable is so stiff it kept getting in the way. Borrowed my husband’s Antex and now using it all the time. Marlyn

One of the things which prompted this topic was finding the scale models of Edinburgh trams and also the Stenlake Books of old photos which are a good source for building references. The one relating to Merchiston by R.J.S. Wiseman was about the last trams. And here I am, aged two and a half,walking alongside the pushchair in Granville Terrace, with my dad, sister and cousin behind us, admiring the trams. Cousin Brian ‘allowed’ me to help him check he had all the pieces in his aeroplane kits - my earliest contact with modelmaking! The photo is dated August 1953.

Thanks Dave and 'yes' I have browsed this site often. I have also checked out old aerial photographs at the National Collection of Aerial Photography in Edinburgh. It is fascinating comparing the old photos with maps of the period to orientate the routes of the old railway lines. The character of the Edinburgh and Leith tenements, combined with the Union Canal, the docks and the railways provide endless options for creating model dioramas which capture the essence of the different eras of steam. Marlyn

Thanks Ian - just checked out the topic and I remember the old station buildings at Barnton when they were shops latterly. Last time I passed through Edinburgh, the Barnton Hotel had been razed to the ground. I am a member of CRA but not engaged on their forum yet. Lindsey mentioned researching old photographs and I have also wondered about copyright ownership of railway related images which are being sold online?

Two lovely Leith layouts - I seem to remember a layout based on South Morningside decades ago when Railway Modeller Magazine was black and white? I'll use this topic to research and explore the possibility of small layouts based on some of the old Edinburgh Stations.

Andrew F's amazing Baltic Street Leith layout http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/41309-leith-baltic-street/

Found Bob Rowland's model layout of North Leith Citadel https://www.bradfordmrc.org.uk/images/Layout_database/2005/northLeith.JPG

I grew up in the Merchiston/Polwarth area in 1950s Edinburgh and was wondering if anyone had already modelled some of the old stations in that part of the city? I have just ordered a couple of Oxford N scale Edinburgh Trams with a view to including them in a future layout. I have a number of Stenlake books of old photographs of Edinburgh including one of the last trams and was amazed to see a photograph of myself as a two and a half year old girl in one of the images! I never visited Dalry Road Station but remember there being a door leading to one of the platforms in the Telfer Subway, which was on the route Mum and I took to church every Sunday. I am interested in modelling some of the smaller stations from an historical perspective and keen to see any models which have been created in the past or models which still exist.