Firecracker

For what it’s worth, there’s a BTF film on YouTube (think it’s ‘They take the high road’) showing a gang of wagon drivers shifting bagged cement to a hydro dam under construction in Scotland from the local goods yard. They’re hand balling the bags out of 12t vans onto pallets on the wagons, with a forklift unloading the wagon at the dam site. The film claims this has been going on a while, so suspect this was standard practice, rather than BR not being prepared to send a forklift. Owain

Despite the bug I’ve caught, it’s come on a little further, with a bit more on the platforms. These are either Wills sheets (for the original platform around the station building) or mounting board card treated with Plasticote ‘Stone’ textured spray paint for the extension of the Southbound platform and the new Northbound platform on a wood or foam core base. These new platforms however need edging. Whilst thinking about how to best tackle this, I saw these Scale Model Scenery offerings in one of the comics, was rather taken, so picked some up at Warley. Given a waft of grey primer, they look rather good. So the card is trimmed back along the outer edge (score with a scalpel and peel the edge back) And the edging is glued down with Mod Podge glue (care of hobby craft, I’m taken with it because any excess dries matt. Just needs a little touching up and weathering. Anti trespass grids (also SMS) have been added for the finishing touch. Owain

Well thanks! I popped my head above the parapet on another thread on here about this, I have my own views, which I’ve said on this thread. I think there’s a feeling that a preserved railway is an excuse for ‘anything goes’ which I have to admit ruins it for me (says he with more P.O. wagons in decent condition than’s feasible and a Park Royal railbus). But as I said earlier, I justified that with a simple tweak of history. Suppose the Park Royal railbusses were more reliable? Sure the passenger traffic they were built for disappeared, but maybe Derby RTC found a need for one as an inspection saloon or track recording vehicle? O; the PO wagons, I haven’t got round to sorting them all anyway and suppose someone bought (or was donated) an internal fleet from somewhere.....he says, desperately trying to justify them. There’s another I’m aware of on here, featuring the Mid Hants that’s got the feel dead right and is in my opinion excellent work. They’ve gone to town on the locos based there, including some of the more unusual stuff and a lot of what’s under repair. Because mine hasn’t reopened in reality I’ve got a bit of a blanker canvas, plus I’m modelling the (hopefully) tidier station rather than the yards and sidings of rust and rot. Owain

No worries, happy to help. I’ll speak up for scale model scenery, I’m using various of their bits and they’re very nice. Current job (when I get rid of the bug that doing the rounds at work) is some of their very nice modern platform edging to finish off the platforms. Owain

And another, I’ve recently picked up at Manchester exhibition a bag of various secondhand goodies. Several of these carry a price tag from ‘Hobbytime’ which apparently was ‘Kent’s Model Shop’. Anyone? Owain

No bother, happy to help. However, a word of warning - somewhere on here (think it’s in the ‘small suppliers’ forum) there’s a thread about cooper craft. I don’t know the full details, my understanding is that in ordering off their website they’ve been very good at taking your money and less good at dispatching the goods. So mind how you go. EDIT - here you go, sadly not the most encouraging situation. Owain

Glad you like it! The signal box nameplate is a cooper craft moulding (I understand there’s issues nowadays with coopercraft, so I don’t know if it’s still available) supplied with individual letters to make up your own name. It had been in stock for over 20 years when I found it in a box of junk in the attic. I really must do something about the join in it, it looks dreadful in photos. Owain

A bit more - the first batch of figures from Warley have emerged. In progress. Finished (all Monty’s apart from 2nd from right - ModelU). Playing with washes and pleased with the results. And planted. Also at Warley, I discovered on the Noch stand a set of dogs, including two German Shepherds. As a result, Shadow and her boss (both friends from GDSF) make an appearance. I’ve just got to breath on Bachman’s paint a bit, make her hair redder and tweak Shadow’s markings. Finally, an experiment with skytrex castings and Vallejo dipping washes. Stay tuned to see how and where it goes... Owain

A few I remember, from Cumbria/Lancashire. First up, the small shop crammed with stuff at Steamtown Carnforth. Often was taken there by the old man when infanticide was moving up my mothers list of priorities. Found an Airfix GMR siphon bought there whilst sorting the crap in the attic. Also another shop in Lancaster, where as I remember the customer service left something to be desired (or maybe the owner just didn’t like children). Moving North, O’Loughlins in Kendal, where I spent an awfull lot of my pocket money upstairs. Several of the Bachman locos I’m running now came from there in the late 90’s-early 2000’s (standard tank, class 25, Ivatt 2-6-2 tank). Also carried a lot of plastic kits, woodland scenics. Closed sometime in mid 2000’s The was also a tiny short lived second hand shop on Windermere road, I remember various aged triang bits following me home from there. A tiny shop in Penrith, I bought my first ‘decent’ new loco (as opposed to an early Hornsby Jinty) with my own money there, a Dapol pug (it was that or a Terrier) that’s being resurrected on Sedbergh with a DCC chip insinuated in the cab. Introduced me to the Dapol range, various of their kits and RTR bits came from there. Finally, the only one that’s still in business, C&M models in Carlisle (although according to Google street view, the health food shop it was above has gone belly up). First shop I discovered Woodland Scenics in, the (then) wonderful scenic stuff I’d only seen in magazines before. Spent a few coins in there, one day I must pop back and repeat the experience. Owain

Flushed with the success of a visit to Warley and determined to get some use out of my renewed passport, the lure of the bright city lights got too great and yesterday I ventured to the joys of Manchester. First time visiting the exhibition there, nice layouts, I was very taken with the Woodhead line in 7mm effort. It’s a good venue that’s easy to get there by train with catering that’s in my budget, rather than akin to time travel, ie what it’ll cost in 20 years time. Anyway...... The pway dept have acquired a riding/tool/mess van, in the form of a BG. Now I know that when scrapped the prototype for this van was very heavily modified (gangways removed, doors and windows blanked off). But remember, this is a preserved railway. So, it’s going to loose the ADB number and I’m assuming this is a bog standard BG that’s been internally modified. It’s in the breakdown livery because someone likes it and fancied having a go at replicating it. Next up, a Bachman Jinty, sold as a poor runner for the princely sum of £25 off the club second hand stall. Missing the steps, so they’ll need replacing. And when stripped, the poor running was traced to a gaugemaster decoder that’s sprung a terminal smoke leak. Now I do have a Lucas electrics (all hail the prince of darkness etc...) smoke refil kit, however I’m not sure that’s OK for a non negative return vehicle, plus I’ll have to make up an adaptor. So nuts, I’ll just spring for a new decoder! Some etched plates off Judith Edge, to finish off the Janus. And a selection of second hand bits, including some wheel sets, a midland water crane, a buffer stop and the new station gents (anyone know of the original shop, hobbytime?). At Sedbergh the original gents were stone built on the north end of the station building, they were demolished soon after closure, but I’ve always liked the style of these cast iron efforts, so in preservation, they’ve been rebuilt. Owain

That cutting mat is over 20 years old! There’s an upgrade coming to the whole bench (new relocated bench, drawers, test track and a major reorganise) in the new year, that ratty mat is getting an upgrade as part of it! Owain

As an update, I’ve found two other photos. Both are in Clyde Booth publicity material. Irritatingly, both are also low resolution scans. One shows the Dapol version loading something into a commer lorry. The second shows a crane with a different jib and body, but identical chassis to the Dapol version. The body on this is larger, suggesting it’s an industrial version that doesn’t have to fit the railway loading gauge. Going off Volume 3 of Peter Tatlows magnum opus on railway cranes (they’re expensive, but superb books) the only ones BR had were on the rigid eight wheel chassis, with a 38 foot jib. Hydraulic drive was used for the travel/hoist/derrick motions, slewing was controlled by electric power, supplied by a generator also used to supply lighting and auxiliary equipment (eg electromagnets). An air compressor driven direct off the Diesel engine provided air for the control clutches and brakes. For haulage in train formation, the final drive to the wheels would be mechanically disengaged by separating a pair of spiral bevel gears, to allow the crane to freewheel. Photos cribbed from Tatlow, showing details of primary drive gearbox and interior arrangement (because the body is identical, I’ve assumed this is the same for the Dapol version). Tallow also has an excellent set of drawings of the crane and runner (converted Macaw H) plus an interior layout, cab layout and detail drawings of components. Apparently 4 of the ex BR cranes survive, two at the Dean Forest, one at GCR and one at Gwili. Anyway, thanks one and all for the assistance, I’ll go with the Dapol/Airfix effort being a prototype. Finally, here’s my humble effort, as survives on a (fictional) preserved railway in Cumbria (on my ‘Sedbergh, as a preserved railway’ thread). The GWR sleeper wagon was chosen as a runner due to a) having one, b) several survive into preservation, c) it’s long enough to support the jib with no overhang and d) it satisfies my engineering sensibilities and looks ‘right’. The livery is that of a fictional heavy engineering concern (United Marine and Locomotive Engineering Ltd.), somewhere in the industrial NE, which a previous shunting puzzle layout featured a small corner of their sprawling site. Owain

Finally given in! If it leads to me selling some of the stuff in the attic, it’s win-win. Owain

This has to qualify as one of the more over thought bits of modelling I’ve ever done. One signal box interior, which is near as damnit invisible when the roof’s fitted. That box is getting a few bulbs in the roof (I’m damned if I’m hiding this work), getting power to it is easy, because the rear wall is against the back scene. Signal purists - I’ve probably made mistakes with the lever colours, I’ve assumed the station has fixed distants (hence the absence of distant levers), the junction signals at north and south act as the home signals, the platforms are signalled bi-directionally (plus there’s the doll for movements to shed), ground frame release and barrow crossing gate release are controlled from the frame. The bobby will be resetting the north point lock, whilst his colleague reclines adjacent to the stove. But I’m rather pleased with it! Nuc id vides, nuc ne vides..... Owain

And a few more, non Warley bits. The trees seen earlier have been planted. In the background the occupation bridge (a moulding from Skytrex) can be seen in the early stages of installation. Just got to shift the electrical box slightly to get it central. And a start has been made on the interior of the signalbox (using the ratio kit picked up in Wales in the summer). Owain

So yesterday, having made sure I’d got my passport and all my shots were up to date, I ventured off to Warley. Various goodies followed me home. First up, the evenings entertainment for the next few weeks, part 1 (in there can be seen various passengers, the staff for the signal box and the occupant of the abandoned mini van). They’ve since received a quick toot of grey primer. And part 2. Following a very useful chat and an impressive demo on the Noch stand, an upgrade occurred. Also a pair of cheap mk1’s were picked up, a BFK and a BG (not shown). The BFK has received a minor mod, to suggest its been altered to carry passengers in wheelchairs in the former luggage compartment. So the partition has been removed and seats added. Finally, a pair of tankers also joined the fleet. I work with several lads from Middlesbrough, including some ex British Steel, hence the Dorman Long tanker (out of idle curiosity, what were these used to carry?) and the milk tanker reminds me of one in that livery I remember seeing at Carnforth, back when it was Steamtown. Owain

The results of a few hours sat at the bench tonight with 2kw of oil fillled goodness doing its stuff behind me. First up, a brace of trees. Woodland scenic armatures, planted and then treated with Fine leaf foliage. Any bare spots are dusted with Peco static grass layering spray and fine turf dusted on. First go and rather pleased. A few few other projects - the van body out of the pway yard has had its 34 year old paintwork treated to a grey wash and the roof repainted to remove that bizarre orange wash. Just wants a gentle dry brush with humbrol 121 to suggest bare wood (particularly on the inaccessible rear) and a few dabs of good ol’ Typhus corrosion on the vents, hinges and other metal. The whitemetal shitehawks (Langley) on the roof want painting too. Incidentally, this has appeared on a grand total of three of my layouts (Greyridge, Sedburgh (both fictional preserved railways, the names are a tip of a hat to the area I grew up in) and Backbarrow (modern image, based very loosely on the Ulverston-Lakeside line as if it had stayed open into privatisation) (the baseboard frames built for Backbarrow are also recycled under the two centre boards of Sedbergh). So this is its fourth outing. It’s not looking too bad. The warflat that’s eventually appearing with a load of grey fergies has had its deck breathed on (121 and a grey wash, cleaned off with a cotton bud in the direction of the grain). In the foreground the crane runner can be seen, that’s getting a random selection of rail chairs (rh rear) added as a load. Finally, the signal box is being breathed on as well. It’s getting an interior and the paintwork is being touched up, starting with the roof being made to look more like Westmorland green slate. Owain

First up, a session with the static grass has lead to the end of the ballast siding becoming a bit more overgrown. I’ve also started to add a figure or two. As I’ve said before, I dislike the ‘frozen mid stride’ style, I prefer figures in a pose that could be held for a minute or two. First up, Robinson’s driver gets directions off a member of the station staff. A quick confab about these cable drums in the yard (yes, I’ve spotted the gap under the sleeper kerb, it’s being sorted). Having got his shot of the southbound 4F on its train, a familiar photographer awaits the departure of the northbound DMU. Owain

And following a weekend away, I’ve retreated into my lair and it’s come on a bit more. First up, one of those bits of the hobby that can have people looking at you sideways, when you expain you’re painting miniature oil drums. In progress (L-R red diesel, Morris oils, Castrol and Texaco). Castings are very nice efforts from Skytrex. And around the fuel point. In the rest of the yard, the cutting side has been done with woodland scenics static grass, in a blend of 4-8mm length. Also the start of a hedge has started to appear on the field boundary from fine leaf foliage (along with the strip of grass that the mower can’t reach that was mentioned above). The new buildings have been spaced out a bit and started to gain scenics around them. Also using various paints (mostly games workshop acrylics) a start has been made on creating th impression of tyre tracks from the loadall doing its stuff and ballast deliveries. On the subject of deliveries, the idea is that Robinson’s curtainsider has just delivered two cable drums, one sits in the ballast pen out of the way, whilst the second is loaded into a container to ensure it doesn’t go walkies. Owain

And a bit more. First up, the crane’s got dirty as well. Not quite there, need a bit more dirt on the jib, random pway bits in the runner and a bit more on the roof, but looking better. It’s a combination of games workshop typhus corrosion/ ryza rust/leadbelcher, the Vallejo wash mentioned above (on the cables particularly) and humbrol oil stain/rust washes. I’ve also been in the pway yard, first with some new buildings, I’m not completely happy with the 40’ container (that van body first appeared over 30 years ago on my first layout, so I’m keen for it to make a comeback, if only to show how my painting and weathering’s improved). Then onto playing with some new woodland scenic stuff (fine leaf foliage and briar patch, along with the old favourites of coarse turf and foliage) on the cutting side. Rather pleased with the effect. Owain

A bit more, the fuel point isn’t quite as clean and tidy any more. The adjacent containers have been weathered a bit more and glued down as well. Just needs a little scenicing around the edges and some empty oil drums (once I’ve painted them in Morris oils and Castrol colours) adding. Also experimenting with a Vallejo dipping wash intended for wargaming figures (found in Boyes when ambling round after finding cheap work socks). Quite like the effect on the lighter containers, such as this ex Cosco box (it also smells lovely when using it). Owain

A bit more progress, first up, a start on weathering the crane runner seen earlier. The station building has gained the paving around it and the beginnings of a roof. In the pway yard, the ballast dump has come on a bit more (there’s a lot more work to do to make that ballast look more like a heap). The edging has been glued down and backfilled. The fuel point starts to take shape, plasticard base, barrier from evergreen styrene and bullhead rail, cabinets are castings of unknown provenance. Finally, more of that random junk that preserved railways attract, no one knows who owns it, where it came from, when it arrived, how long it’s been there or notices when it departs... Owain

For a bit of variety, I’ve been revisiting some earlier work. First up, the pway yard. The ballast dump has been added to, gaining another side. The plasticard apron is to be finished as the concrete floor of the bin and the foam core board will disapear under ballast. Also, whilst browsing the stock in my local, a pair of bachmanns fuel tanks followed me home. With a concrete base, handrail and pump cabinet, they’re becoming a mini fuel point for pway kit. The tellihandler has received a pair of cable drums to play with. Finally where the ballast wagons are loaded is receiving a kerb/mini retaining wall along the cess made out of styrene strip and sleepers, the back will be infilled with ballast (which has been accidentally discovered to be a perfect match for the spray paint used as a base on the rest of the yard). Finally, the station building has been gently breathed on, it’s now joined together in one solid and reasonably square lump and some doors (peco) have been fitted. Owain

And one final one for tonight, rigging tidied and adjusted, chassis and runner given 1st coat of Matt black. Runner is going to be finished with yellow ends to match the crane. Owain

A bit more, the crane runner has had more detail added to the jib cradle, then given a coat of grey primer. Further shunting trials have shown no issues with the jib whilst negotiating pointwork, so I’m happy. Owain