Dunmar

Hi, 

Thought I might have a go at laying down some templates and see how the points will fit, it's going to be tight, but I think I can pull it off. 

The first photo shows the line from Wick, excuse the piece of card as I have run out of plywood. Not sure if I can accommodate the siding ( centre of photo) that originally went into the goods shed and remained there for some time. The second photo shows the cross over at the end of the platform at the north end. Finally, the third photo shows the approach from Inverness from under the road bridge. Hope this makes sense. 

Bill. 

Hi,

Photos of Helmsdale  are thin on the ground, unless I'm not looking in the right places. But boy when you come across them , what little gems they turn out to be . Like this one from Scott Borthwick of 26 037 at Helmsdale in 1985 and after having round empty stock off the unadvertised Wednesday only Inverness to Dunrobbin Castle waits for clearance.

Or how about this one from David Mason of 37 414 arriving at Helmsdale in 1987 and having stopped just around where the signal box is , I would assume the rear of the train must just about have cleared the road bridge.

I hve downloaded some more photos from these talented photographers who have given me permission to use them.

Bill.

On 03/02/2021 at 12:34, DavidCBroad said:

You will need 6 coach platforms, Class 37/4 loco 3 coaches for Thurso and 3 for Wick  was normal circa 1987. From memory SO/SO/BG So/SO/BSO (micro buffet)  post the Ness Viaduct collapsing it was 2 X 156 units then 158s.   Three up and three down trains per day. Clapham Junction eat your heart out.

Hi,

Had an idea that might be the reply ! My problem is not with the length of the platform but more to do with the length of the cassettes. The platform will be shortened in any case, and using good old modellers licence, the odd coach will be dropped depending on passenger numbers and time of year. And oh ! I plan to  set the time of year around the Autumn. Fancy having a go at something different in the way of colours.

Bill.

19 hours ago, Ben Alder said:

Have you seen this? It should help.

 

https://maps.nls.uk/view/82907286

 

You can zoom in on it.

 

Hi ,

Thanks for that. It helps me to understand better the layout as was back in the day and how I want to set out my track plan.

Bill.

Hi, 

As I am planning to fit Helmsdale into 10ft due to space restrictions when operating at home I will have to reduce the length of the platforms. Can anyone give me an idea of how long they might be in relation to train size, ie. the number of coaches + loco. Although to be fair trains would have consisted of a varied number of stock. 

Under normal circumstances I would have planned a trip to the location, but this is not normal!!! 

Bill. 

Hi,

Almost  completed the construction of the two scenic boards. As they were glued and screwed the second one is going through the drying process, once this is done they will both be painted in a mid grey undercoat to seal them . The next stage will be to see if my proposed plan will fit using my templates which I have downloaded from the Peco website. I have yet again amended the track plan to include the siding on the UP line and re-introduced the crossover pointwork  along with the siding on the Down line to accommodate the goods shed.

I feel that this will create more operational interest.

Bill.

20 hours ago, David Bell said:

I think the answer generally is that the up line is the direction heading towards London and the down line heads away from London. Thus the southbound line on the ECML is the up line. Quite how this works on cross country lines I am not sure!

 

In Scotland apart from the routes into England ie ECML and WCML up is towards Edinburgh.

Yes, all rather confusing David. I did a bit more digging on the subject and it seems that the UP is referred to the train travelling to its base or Major city and the DOWN is referred to a train travelling away from its base or Major city. It would make more sense if I referred to Helmsdale as such! 

On 17/12/2020 at 12:32, CloggyDog said:

The Helmsdale North and South Cabin diagrams are on the SignalBox.org site:

https://signalbox.org/~SBdiagram.php?id= 537

https://signalbox.org/~SBdiagram.php?id= 536

 

Though both show 'amended 1989, so might be too late for your era?

 

HTH

Hi,

I'm not too good at reading track diagrams but can you tell me why if travelling North to Wick the line through Helmsdale from Inverness is not called the Up Line and not the Down Line as on the drawing and vice versa. I'll get my coat shall I.?????.

Hi, 

This is as far as I have progressed. It has taken me an absolute age to get this far. One scenic board completed 5ft x 20 inches, only one to go. 

You will notice the softwood braces in the centre, by this stage I felt I had enough of making up plywood supports. Yes its nice and light, and it's solid and will stand up to the rigours of exhibition abuse ( if I ever get there) but oh! It's a lot of work! 

Have also decided to change to cassette storage as I did for Kinlochewe, and to employ four removeable legs for one scenic board with the other connected and supported on two legs. 

I can safely say without fear of contradiction that I hate this part of the hobby, it seemed a good idea at the time. Glenfinnan was built with the aid of Tim Horn, enough said!!! 

Bill. 

Hi,

This is how it's meant to look! I haven't done a baseboard like this before and I have been reliably informed that I should take great care to make sure that the top edge is flat before attaching the top board as it can go horribly wrong and you could get some warping of the board. Well here goes !

Bill.

Hi, 

Finally decided on a totally plywood girder style baseboard. There will be 2 x 4ft scenic sections, both will have a fixed angled extension added at each end to accommodate a curved fiddle yard left over from a previous layout. The final length of those extensions have not been decided yet. Will draw up a plan when that happens. 

Bill. 

On 25/12/2020 at 12:51, young37215 said:

Not quite the angle you are seeking but hopefully of some use. There are a couple more pictures of Helmsdale on the same persons Flickr site

 

 

 

Hi,

Been doing some research into the signalling and it appears that  both lattice and round post signal styles were in use as shown in both these photos kindly provided by Arnie Furniss. I have already built the lattice versions and am now looking at the Dapol round post versions of which I have two and hoping I might be able to use them. 

I am continuing to trawl through some fascinating photos of the line around Helmsdale and learning a lot whilst slowly trying to organise the materials for the baseboards !

Bill.

Hi,

Sorry to keep everyone waiting , but I'm just waiting on a few guys getting back to me with permission to use some photos for this project. The other problem I have is I don't have proper heating in my loft and that is where the baseboards are being constructed. When  I think back to 2014/15 when I was building Glenfinnan it was round about the same time, and just as cold!!!!!!!!!!  So bear with me , it will be worth the wait. 

When I set out to look at what I was going to do next I wasn't quite sure that Helmsdale would fit the bill, after some thought, I'm certain it will. Let the build COMMENCE !!!!!!!!!!

ALL THE BEST , WHEN IT COMES, HERE'S TO A BETTER 2021.

Thanks Rob, this is the kind of stuff I'm looking for!

Bill.

Great photo. Can you point me in the direction that photo came from ? I have a Flickr account and have recently got in touch with a couple of guys but still having trouble tracking down photos of Helmsdale  just like that . 

Brilliant!

Bill.

Hi,

Please if anyone else has any information or details, especially photos of Helmsdale station, please feel free to post them here. Or , if you just want to point me in the direction of photo albums or references, then I would really appreciate it.

Cheers, Bill.

Hi Ben,

Once again you have come up trumps!!! That pic speaks a thousand words! have you got anymore of them at home. It really tells me a lot. I'm also looking for a photo of the south end of the small road overbridge, I have the odd pic or two from a distance but I did come across a full on view but failed to record it and am now unable to find it. It  will be used as the scenic break from the south end.

The more I delve into this project the more excited I get. But, I musn't get carried away and keep to my original remit. With regards to the box at the north end I may model that in its last days of existance.

Thanks once again.

Bill.

Hi,

Sorry about the missing amended track plan. Since I made the changes on a programme not recognised on here it wouldn't accept it. I had to re-do it.

Bill.

Hi,

Further to my question with regards to the track plan . After ploughing through loads of pics I'm no further forward to finding out what it looked like at the different stages it went through ie, which parts were lifted and when. My amended track plan shows the removal of the cross - over at the end of the North end of the platform and the removal of the siding  from the up line, ( marked here as down ). I still don' t know when the box was taken out of use at the north end either. The lower signal arm has also been removed from the corresponding signals as they are no longer required.

My reasons for these changes are as follows; My hope is to place the station on 2 x 20" x 5ft boards  so as to show off the flowing curvature  on the approach and departure from and through the station. I intend to shorten the platform accordingly, but I still want to have the feeling of length to the station and trains. 

I also want to be able to position the signals at a realistic distance so as to be in keeping with railway practice. 

The last time I was faced with such a dilemma was when I was building Kinlochewe, which was based on the track plan at Mallaig , it worked then, let's hope I can do it again. I look forward to your comments, and hopefully some answers.

Bill.

19 hours ago, David Bell said:

I have mixed bullhead rail with code 75 3 way and curved points on my model of Glasgow Queen Street. It is no problem at all

Hi David,

Wow! You've certainly given yourself a mamoth task there! I take it you have a ' cunning plan '.

I haven't been as active on here as I have been in the past, however, I have been hankering after a new project and the time as arrived. With regards to the track , as I 've said I haven't made a final decision yet ! But thanks for the photos.

Bill.

2 hours ago, mallaig1983 said:

Really excited about this new project Bill. Your previous two layouts have been excellent so I will enjoy watching this one develop. Can I echo what Class 26 has said about the Peco unifrog points. Absolutely faultless pieces of kit and they look lovely. I think the Bullhead points justify the extra expense but at around twice the price of the electrofrog example can be a bit of a stretch. 

Helmsdale is the furthest north I've been on the Far North line by train. I needed to get my campervan into a garage for repairs and it was the furthest I could get to between dropping the van off in the morning and getting back before it closed at 5. 

Good luck with it and I shall look forward to your updates. I'm off to get my video 125 Far North cabride now. See what you've done 

 

All the Best,

Andy

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the comments, its so difficult to let go of the West Highland its been a passion of mine for so long. It seemed a natural move to the Far North considering the stock I have with more on the way from Accurascale with the release of their 37's. I've been following your progress on Mallaig , all be it from a distance .

Bill.

10 hours ago, class26 said:

 

As Jools 1959 says I have just started a Far North layout based a little further up the line than Helmsdale using Forsinard as the passing station and Thurso as the terminus.

 

Regarding track my previous layouts have all been code 75 with electro frog points but this new one is using the new Bullhead rail with the new unifrog points. My experience with the unifrog points is that they are a revelation. They have been installed for over 6 months now and I haven`t had one single stall. They also look so much better. I would say if it fits your budget (and your stock) make the move to bullhead  completely. You will not regret it.  I am waiting for more points for the Thurso section but the wait is worth it for the running. Once you have used the unifrog points you will never go back.

 

Good luck with your layout. Ben Alder knows far more than I about the Far North but I might be able to assist as I am modelling the blue period so ask away if you wish

 

Class 26 

 

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

Keeping my options open at the moment with regards to track choice. I have been follwing your progress with Forsinard and am suitably impressed. Great bit of modelling. Hope to get in on the comments soon! Love the Thurso part, my other choice was Wick which I haven't totally discounted as yet.

I have been in touch with Ben already and will be looking to him to keep me right!

Bill.

Hi,

In my efforts to formulate a working track plan based on the drawing so kindly supplied to me I have cunningly joined the two together , correctly I hope. Modelling skills I have in abundance, alas, understanding railway practices, eh! No!

As my stock is primarily  70's to late 80's corporate blue and L/Logo it looks as though I may have to lay most of 

the pointwork which is shown in the drawing. I probably will have to include the North box, incidentally when was this taken out of use ?

Which brings to the subject of track.

Although I haven't made a final decision, I have a surplus of Code 75 Peco  streamline track and curved points which would do nicely and would blend in with the flowing curves required on the south approach and the exit north.

However, I could also use the Code 75 pointwork  with the new bullhead rail, thats if one can get a hold of it ! Has  anyone on here tried this combination?

Baseboards!!! Yes! Apparently there is an acute shortage of wood! Covid!!

Bill.

2 hours ago, young37215 said:

I suspect that you are aware of Ernie Brack's Far North Line gallery on Flickr. I can't see any pictures showing the northern point layout but I enjoyed looking. 

 

 

Hi,

No I wasn't aware, keep throwing all these gems at me. I've spent the last 20 or so years modelling the West Highland I didn't think anything else existed. Will have a look later.

Cheers, Bill.

3 hours ago, CloggyDog said:

The Helmsdale North and South Cabin diagrams are on the SignalBox.org site:

https://signalbox.org/~SBdiagram.php?id= 537

https://signalbox.org/~SBdiagram.php?id= 536

 

Though both show 'amended 1989, so might be too late for your era?

 

HTH

Hi,

Thanks, 

Yes I was aware of these drawings from another source and yes they may be of some use . I can use all the help I can get. It will be inevitable, but ' modellers licence ' will have to come into use at some stage, in limited quantities.

Bill.