Ben B

Deep inside the works, on a gloomy morning, a fitter checks over a wheelset. (old project, I dug out some pics whilst looking for something else, so might pop a couple up on here. Deliberately arty sort of a build and shoot, taking inspiration from the shed photographs and paintings by the likes of David Shepherd and H.C Casserley).

Is 45 minutes the industry standard, out of interest? The other day I spotted there was a post going for a signaller at Hellifield, which I'm sure specified 45 mins travel time. It would have been just doable for me, traffic dependant, but my eyesight (minor red-green colourblind, just bad enough to disqualify me for most fun jobs) discounts me anyway, which is a shame. Will the fact you're to be so close to home-base mean you're more likely to get loads of last minute 'can you justs' as well?

That's a lovely tank loco :) I'm wondering about one for my garden line, bashed from a Thomas the Tank Engine,,,

Here's one of mine from a while ago... like most Steampunk creations, best not to think too much about the engineering practicalities. Probably some engineer with a name like Isambard or Thaddeus, who invented a new type of mechanism incorporating Applied Plot-Devicium to create it :) Steampunk-themed project as part of a photography exhibition at the Bradford Industrial Museum; I made a load of props of vehicles and things, photographed them as background items and photoshopped them into locations around the Aire Valley. Working to a budget which was laughably low, this was a bash from carriages from the scrap boxes from Pennine Models, and a Dapol "City of Truro". It actually ran too, on an XTS battery-powered N gauge loco chassis, with farish steamroller pony trucks. A few modellers at the time criticised it, not for the design as such, but for not being Steampunk enough; they said it should have been done in 4mm scale but using 0 or G components, and named "Colossus" or something :) The track -laboriously hand cut from mountboard in my pre-laser cutter days- has long gone, but I still have the stock.

Amazing the difference made by the fence, and the open gate provides such a natural, welcome point of focus onto the platform :)

There's a pic of the train I spotted earlier on here, might have been in the HST pics thread? Two Rail Adventure HST's pulling it on the mainline

It's 1988, and with the engineering works at Spon Lane heading for inevitable closure, management have taken the bizarre decision to overhaul and repaint their stalwart Ruston 48 into high-vis yellow. This expenditure on maintenance for the little loco will, however, guarantee it's survival into preservation in the early 1990's when the works finally succumbs to economic pressures. For now though, the mist is rising off the canal, and the driver strolls back to his machine from the break room, ready to take another wagon-load out of A-shop.

It is a nice trackplan you'd come up with, and equally from what you'd shown on your thread it looked to be an effective compact layout for showing off the trains. As regards the chap in the TCS, I wish there'd been a bigger pic of his set-up too, that Class 101 looked really nice.

Damems on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a bit of a weird one; I think it's technically classed as a station rather than a halt, but not every service stops there and I always think of it as more of a halt when compared to the likes of Ingrow or Oakworth either side of it. Anyway, thought I'd put a shot of it up, as I was out to get some pics with the newly-repainted 101 the other weekend :)

More than happy to, I'll PM you a couple of questions before I knock some text up, if that's ok?

That's a compliment coming from you :) Thanks for your input during the scenery stages too, it turned out a fun little project. BTW is that a shot of your layout with the Class 101 DMU in the back of the latest TCS mag?

Forgot to put it in the text, I'll nip back and put it in; "24 diameter board :)

Back at Spon Lane again and their 'pet' Ruston 48DS, immaculately clean and ex-works, ticks-over on the bridge outside A-shop on a foggy Autumnal afternoon.

A few shots of the finished layout :) A bit of unintended adverse-camber on the curves, a result of the track sinking a bit into the cork (placemats) used as ballast. Station, figures, and some of the really nice vintage accessories I treated myself to. The biggest loco in my collection that will successfully traverse the layout- I love this Hornby machine, it's clearly been very well cared-for by previous owners, but I got it cheap as there didn't seem to be much of a market for this generation of Hornby loco when I bought it. The layout is just a little too small for my absolute favourite clockwork loco... I'm going to be building something a little bigger for this beastie :)

Initial scenery, and a lot of fillering of the screw-holes and gaps in the bendy MDF used to face it. Sans trees and most of the greenery, but with drybrushed rocks. I decided I wanted to use proper tinplate buildings where possible, and cut-up a damaged footbridge (where I'd originally planned a tunnel, to hide the train a bit). Hornby level crossing, blue hut for the crossing keeper, and some platform accessories. Also, I re-used the S&D figures from the Steampunk Cakebox project, as I'd blown my budget too much for Dinky figures by this point! Lacking a small station building, I had the choice of a Hornby permanent way hut (one in mint condition), but then this one turned up a second-hand box at Frizinghall models. I cut the front open, and with a mix of plasticard and wooden stirrers, created a somewhat coarse little station hut. Side by side with a proper Hornby example. The layout, just about finished at this point.

I thought I'd post this- my entry I'd made for the Micro Model Railway Cartel FB group/Micro Model Railway Despatch 2023 competition. The brief was to build a pizza layout, and after coming up with some ideas, decided it would be an opportunity to make something for my little collection of tinplate clockwork O trains. I wanted to do something a bit retro, but not just to the level of 'circle of track on a green board' level. In the end I probably went a bit too bonkers with it, but it's all reasonably old fashioned (scatter not static grass, moss and lichen, bog-brush trees). Amy (my wife) used it as an excuse to have a practise with the band-saw at work, cutting me some MDF circles from scrap. Its sandwiching some thick ply strips to allow me to have a bit of dropped scenery and a water feature. As to fit in with the competition rules, it's a "24 diameter circle. It was the tightest circle of track I could find online (Chad Valley I think), it was going to be mainly for my pair of Bing 0-4-0 tank locomotives, but I set some clearances with a shorty bogie coach, so that I could accommodate some slightly larger locomotives. Having planned to use a commercial tinplate bridge, and finding I couldn't make it fit without major surgery, I drew up my own kit of parts... ...dolls house card inside, and the bridge itself was painted then dusted with sand to provide texture. Scenery was carved foam packaging, with papier mache. More embossed dolls house brickwork for the abutments for the footbridge...

So you're not expecting a "Can you just... deliver all these presents to the children of the world" tonight then? :) I'd like to add my thanks for another year of interesting posts, and great photographs (especially your night shots), they make for great reading, and an informative insight into the working of the railway.

Thanks for the nice comments :) especially as I had to climb a tree to get the shot. Easy when I was younger, less so as I rocket towards 40. Kind of get now why a lot of photographers invest in poles or drones...

I really like that loco- I think it's the small wheels and tall cab; it looks like it's standing on tip-toes :) It's nice to read that the old locomotives are going to new homes- I have a thing for industrial shunters, it's nice that they're not just going for scrap. I can't imagine there's many sources of such locomotives to come straight out of service for the preservation sector these days.

Blue is the colour :) The KWVR's class 101 looking mint in the winter sunshine last weekend at Damems. OK, I know that technically this is a 3/4 view, but this is one of my favourite shot's I've taken this year, so thought I'd include it in this little selection as well :)

Does Sellafield (mainline) still have a water column too? Remember one on the platform when we got off train there in 2006, it looked in good condition.

My father in law likes to recount a saying of his late mother; "Money can't buy happiness, but you can be miserable in comfort" ;)

It's a foggy winters evening at Spon Lane in the 1980's, and 'Pug' 51218 (on hire from the Worth Valley Railway) simmers away outside 'A' shop at teatime...

Warhammer paints are very good, my only complaint is the modern ones seem to dry out fairly quickly (apparently the bottles don't quite seal properly; no doubt a deliberate design choice, to ensure the need to keep buying new paints. I still have a few of their early-90's acrylics in an earlier design of pot which are still perfectly usable, despite them being dipped in and out of since I was 10!) Nuln Oil is worth a look, a thin weathering wash. Great for rolling stock.

I remember it being filmed. What channel is it on please?