JustinDean

Thanks Al, your cottages look great! Definitely going to make the diagonal join - something to look forward to post work tonight! :-)

I bought some Woodland scenics tree armatures- another new development since my younger modelling days. Not quite right in the position shown above so I’m going to scratchbuild some trees for this section. Tonight i’ll Be starting the retaining wall that runs across the back of the layout. Part of this is stone which will be made from DAS but the majority is brick. I’ve bought some plasticard for the job but still wondering how you can make a good join with this stuff. I really don’t want to see a line running through the wall part way down the layout. Does anyone have any tips? Cheers J

Been adding some rust to trackwork. Most of this track is going to get covered in static grass - waiting for an applicator in the post. The bare edge at the front will form a stone wall for the canal while the area in the background was previously used as a loading area, is raised and houses an old LNWR full brake used as a mess shed.

Thanks for the advice Al - this is the area I've most struggled with. I'll be revisiting the shed with a paint brush for sure!

Luckily there’s also some great resources available in book form: I particularly like the John Evans book - it really captures a feel and atmosphere that I aim to recreate. I guess this layout will be a small homage to John’s photos.

Great to hear from you Al and thanks for the kind words! Armed with an engineers scribe the DAD stonework isn’t as difficult as it may seem. Another reason for tackling this in small sections is to evaluate techniques I haven’t used before and this was one of them. Still don’t think I’ve captured the yellow tint of Derbyshire stone yet though. The engine shed photos weee particularly buried on the net- I have found a lot of photos scattered around and would be happy to email the lot to you if you like? J

So keeping in mind for starters I'm tackling the engine shed area, these photos illustrate what I'm taking on initially. Part of my reasoning is that I want to treat each section like a diorama, so I can focus attention and detail on small areas rather than have a huge expanse at the end to deal with. Also treating each third almost like a separate layout means I'm essentially building three layouts which will link up at the end - keeping each process of the build fairly short so my attention doesn't wander!

For those unfamiliar with Cromford Wharf here's a couple of maps. It was quite literally a stones throw from the Derby - Manchester mainline and featured a canal wharf, engine shed, workshop facilities and was the starting point of a 1 in 8 incline.

Hi folks - great to see a C&HPR layout here. I've been following the progress of this across last year and a little sad to see Al's lost his mojo as it has inspired me to get off my arse and start mine! I've started a thread here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130603-cromford-wharf-brchpr/ Al - I have masses of photos of Cromford Wharf if there's anything you need! Cheers J

Hi folks this is my first post here and a return to modelling after a short 26 year break. I've been lured back in by my partner and her family; a visit to Warley with the father-in-law along with purchasing a DJModels J94 sealed the deal. Back in my teenage years I managed to win and come runner up in the Railway Modeller Junior Cup so the last time I exhibited was at IMREX in (I think) 1991. Like many others I constructed many GWR branch line terminus, was in awe of Pendon and swallowed up as much info from Wild Swan publications as much as possible. These days I live in the beautiful town of Wirksworth in the Peaks and have chosen to model nearby Cromford Wharf in 60's era BR steam. The reasons why? I've been walking and cycling the High Peak trail for a couple of years now and this being the trackbed of the Cromford and High Peak Railway along with its many restored buildings sparked my interest. I've spent the last 6 months researching the line (specifically the Cromford Wharf site) and thanks to the internet there are a wealth of photos available to gain information on buildings, track layouts, stock and details which will help bring this layout to life. This is probably a good point to mention another forum member here is also building a very fine layout of Cromford here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/121657-cromford-wharf-shunting-layout-structures-and-scenery/page-1 There's an amazing layout of Sheep Pasture (top of the incline from Cromford) by Robin Whittle: http://glevums4.co.uk/sheep-pasture.html I've also gained a lot of inspiration and discovered some new techniques reading through the blog of this gentleman, Chris Nevard: http://www.nevard.com/ So onto the build. This is going to be an OO layout, approximately 12 feet long with varying width. In the past I've planned layouts to the nth degree and had 4'x2' boards that link together. This time I'm taking an entirely different approach. Instead of making all the boards, laying all the track, creating all the ground work and so on, I've split the site into thirds and I'm going to complete each section in full, then 'bed' each section into larger scenic boards. In my head this totally makes sense and will probably cause problems down the line but that's all part of the fun. First of all I'm building the North end, engine shed area. This is the only part where the original building don't exists so having lots of photos was paramount. So far I've built a 'sub board' for the trackbed, laid some Peco code75 and used Chris Nevard's technique of using modelling clay and fine ballast. The mix of these two materials varies across the board to match the prototype. I'm also partway through building the engine shed. This is my first ever attempt at using DAS for stonework and using scribed card for doors and the roof. Here's some work in progress shots: This is how the trackbed is looking: I bought a couple of the rather nice illuminated buffer stops: ...and the engine shed: