john dew

A small but very significant improvement......definitely worth the effort Not sure I agree with you about the lighting.....to my mind the first shot is rather harsh and a bit flat.......the second shot seems warmer and softer Kind Regards

Very gratifying and encouraging response! As I have remarked before, modelling as I do, alone and on the other side of the world, feedback is like oxygen......thank you all. John : Thanks for going to the trouble of posting those photos. Thats a good idea with the nail. I wish I had thought of it earlier. Mike Models supply a piece of fabric rather like a shoelace......but it was rather frayed and didnt look realistic. I have very few shoes with laces and the ones I have were too big......hence the use of Heat Shrink . In the end I plucked up courage and applied even more pressure to the wire guide and without breaking anything the hose now droops satisfactorily over the grating . Fat Controller: thank you for that fascinating reply about Swansea......you included a number of positions that I hadnt even thought of. Glad my khaki clad fitters seem credible. I think the use of "liberated" service kit continued in all walks of life (Greengrass in Heartbeat) right through the fifties. After all National Service didnt finish until the end of that decade. I keep trying to establish a time stamp on Granby by suggesting some sort of Military presence. I have just finished painting the rest of the Monty's figures so shortly I will be able to show some photos of the completed back of the shed......completed........theres a concept! Then I intend to take a break and run some schedules to and from the shed

As always thanks for the "Likes" Guys........I appreciate the reply "81C" .........I know I sometimes appear super self critical but the thread was always intended to be warts and all. I guess I need to point out the errors in case the reader might think I was blissfully unaware of them. Of course I rather suspect there are also a lot of errors of which I am blissfully unaware of! To start this post ......some questions about Sheds in the late Forties/Early Fifties What was the relationship between the capacity of a shed and the number of locos on its roster? Would a shed have more or less locos on its roster than its total storage capacity? Secondly is there any sort of approximate ratio of total manpower to locos rostered? Working on the shed has really brought home to me how labour intensive the whole operation must have been.....Shed Labourers in the Ash Pits and Coaling Stations....the various grades of cleaners.....Fitters and Maintenance Engineers.....Store keepers Foremen and Supervisors.....Clerks to keep the records and pay the wages.....no computors or internet! .......all that is before counting the Drivers and Firemen I wonder how many Engine Crew on the payroll per loco rostered? I realise there must be economies of scale but I am guessing that a smaller medium sized shed with say 40 locos would carry a payroll of at least 200? Any comments would be much appreciated All of this is a neat (I hope) segue into this post where I have started detailing the service road including the addition of people First the LMS Shed Mess Hut that first appeared at the end of the Signal Box Thread Its a genuine Hornby Celestory that I spent hours detailing and lightly weathering before I decided I didnt like it So here it is with bogies removed and many washes of diluted acrylic gunge. Some windows have been boarded up.....for the stores and latrine.......I have tried to suggest its hooked up to the yard sewage system. And there is a chimney (surplus from the signal box) for the stove Cant show you the front yet because the people got put elsewhere! Next up the Sandhouse Last seen on the other side of the yard, this is the reverse (lineside) view,.......but I was never really happy with the idea of sand being delivered via the turntable. Its now located on LMS owned (or leased?) land But I am sure I can create a believable legend about a sub lease!......and now I have a bit of siding for wagons. The ex LNWR Water Crane is now bedded in......just need to tone in the concrete a bit The lump of lead you may have seen in the first shot was an attempt to train the (shrink wrap) hose to droop over the grating Doors added to the workshop........I dont really like the Scalescene print outs. These are made from Wills clapboard sheet....scribed on the reverse with thin plastic strip added I had added some detail to the interior of the workshop A fitter working on a very dead (definitely not resting) Mainline Collet Goods......bit superfluous really....you need a neck like a giraffe to catch a glimpse now the doors are on An equally dead 57xx is being prepared for a wheel change. I am notoriously un-mechanical so if I have got this all wrong please tell me I have a vague memory that the skilled fitters had Brown/Khaki overalls as opposed to the commonplace Blue/Grey overalls worn by the rest of the workers If I am wrong please tell me although it is a bit late to change....... I will just have to invent a convincing legend (ex Servicemen?) Of course the best laid plans invariably go amiss....... A malfunctioning Whee Drop Hoist I rather suspect Gareth Jenkins is calling the jammed cable something less diplomatic Particularly with the Foreman Fitter Mr Edwards giving helpful advice from below Hope you enjoyed these bits of make believe.......to finish a black and white shot. Regards from a very wet (again) Vancouver

As some of you guys may know my other hobby is sailing. The last three weeks have primarily centred on the boat.....sitting on the hard ....dollar bills ticking away Nevertheless I have found a little time to finish off a few projects.........first the Signal Box The levers arrived from Dart Castings and I had a lot of fun painting them up. Many thanks to Rick (Gwiwer of this and other parishes) for his help with the colours.....any errors are mine alone. I supplemented them with some surplus Knightwing point levers........even so I realise I dont have enough for this size of box Fitted into position in the box.....barely visible even without the roof The shot above rather shows up the bow in the box name . I tried a couple of times to rectify but decided to live with it This is the Ratio Hipped Roof and its sub structure The sub structure with built in guttering and bargeboards is brilliant.......hands up those guys who have had to re fix the guttering on the smaller Ratio Boxes? I decided there was no way I could cut and join the two rooves anywhere near seamlessly. So I decided to build my own. I have long since ignored the precept that you shouldnt mix modelling mediums.....Plastic and Card............but other than added detailing I have never mixed them on the same model before. I guess I could have tried with Slaters sheets but I really like the Scalescenes Tiling when applied in individual courses.....its very picky but also very effective The completed box was mounted on a "concrete" foundation and set in place by the down main and down relief home bracket. What about the levers you may well ask? As I suspected.....once the roof went on they can hardly be seen......but up real close with flash..........: There is some detailing that is slightly more visible. The steps were the usual pain to construct Most of the bobbies live in Granby and get to work by crossing the down relief. Gareth Davies cycles to work through the yard at Newydd You can see the path he uses below Like most of my models it aint perfect.......bowing sign and roof 2mm too long.......just too much to obscure the gutter at one end! However I think it does serve its purpose in the overall composition More about the mess for the LMS staff next post

Oh dear that shows how long it has been since I ran any trains! Thank you for pointing it out and the kind remarks about the layout. Regards from a hot and sunny Vancouver

This is yet another update on the shed........will it never end you may well ask.......I certainly do Next job was the the Roof Ventilators............John Wiffen's version of a Chinese Paper Puzzle Its one of John's more ingenious designs......although at one stage I wasnt sure whether I was producing a water lily or an aeroplane Lots of cutting and folding......after the first couple I recalled Doug's (Chubber) tip of scribing the underside of each fold.........makes a huge difference.......particularly when you have to make 18! I blacked out the white cut marks but it seemed to me that metal structures like this must have been very susceptible to rust so I added a fair bit of weathering So here they are all lined up in three ranks (I remembered my military training and buried my first efforts in the centre rank) In the shot above you can just see the outside door that opens on to the back door......it isnt used that much but perhaps explains my obsession with this end of the layout.......its what everyone sees when they come into the railway room.........hence the detail I am progressively adding to the rear of the shed Done a fair bit of weathering including the front with brushed powders .....still need doors but that will have to wait a while The roof is now on the booking in office.....just needs chimney pots,guttering and bargeboards. I was a bit concerned the roof was pitched too steep but only last night I was browsing a book "Steam Sheds" and there was the self same structure.....felt much better even if it was LNER All those ventilators and a flat roof would need a lot of maintenance so I added a roof access door Next job .......add an extension to the rear of the workshop, start repairing the Metcalfe LMS shed....finish the Signal Box (some levers have just come from Dart along with some great figures)..........and its time I started running trains again!.

That brings back a few memories! I think its the the station approaches and the storage siding sidings ( in the background)...in the foreground .you can see the Liverpool-Southport Electric Railway carriages....lots of interesting detail in the shot....is that an ex L&Y tank like the one we will eventually get from Bachmann?

Thanks John.........I guess I am a regular little George Washington! Somehow I find it easier to live with when I have told the world. Glad you like the box.......normally I dont bother with even a hint of interior but this will be right at the front of the layout and even when the roof is on I think the interior will be visible to a degree..........I just need a suggestion of activity within.......I have got some white metal levers from Dart Castings.........any suggestions about painting them? I need to do a bit of research but I think most were white with the occasional red and blue one......before I really irritate the signal experts.......it is only a suggestion I need! Thanks Scott...........I use Mat Board (Artists Mount board in the UK) off cuts for the medium card........they are approx 1mm thick and are cheap/free from frame shops. The heavy card (2mm) I buy in sheets from an Art Supply store.......its a very basic material.....no fancy finish or core and consequently relatively inexpensive......and much easier to cut. I do know (to my cost) that when John Wiffen says 2mm he means 2mm! I find its worth while making sure the thicknesses are both accurate and consistent Regards

Thanks Jim and as always the "likes".........I wasnt too sure about the digression....but that is the way I model and my aim with this thread is to recount, more or less in real time, the development of the layout......warts and all (as you will see) Been a productive few days......The side and end walls of the last three shed bays are now done The end bay shows the start of what I intend to be the booking in office. The scalescene shed of course is rectangular so the end panels have to be scratch built.Given hindsight I wish I had made more with windows......the railway room faces almost due west and the sunlight flooding through the real windows through the shed illuminating the model windows is sometimes quite spectacular Anyone with an interest in pure geometry should look away right now! The six "pie" slices should all be the same identical shape.........but they are not! First off, to save space both end walls are at right angles (sort of) to the entrance.......secondly I some how got the spacing wrong between roads 4 and 5...........and finally the horizontal levels are not! In fact this shot shows it quite clearly........the wedge was necessary to ensure clearance for the low level coal trains........I did the tests when I first constructed the baseboard with my permanent test pilot ....a 57xx pannier........forgetting that the coal trains are hauled by 56xx 0-6-2s which are somewhat bigger!.......even now, with the wedge the clearances are extremely tight......when my 52xx 2-8-0 T finally arrives (allegedly next month!) I dont think it will be going underground the end result has become a bit of a dogs breakfast and definitely not for the purists. Personally, I am both amazed and relieved that it has all come together without being too obvious Here is a shot from the front......still has to be weathered etc And in Black and White Overhead shot showing the mark ups for the North Lights and the drainage gutters that separate the individual roof sections In case you wonder why I butterfly, here is the production line for the 9 North Lights that are now required I rather wish I hadnt done this......but I counted up the number of cuts just to make a single Northlight........64 .......64 x 9 = ???? Which is probably why, from time to time, I take a break Here is the signal box with the front windows inserted.....I just had to trim the centre uprights.....it was surprisingly trouble free......... .Hopefully the doubled hip roof and steps will be equally easy Regards from a very warm and sunny Vancouver

My apologies!! Its was just that you mentioned a couple of East Coast Resorts and I failed to see the location on your avatar I must say I have found this a very interesting thread.......what a super concept for a layout.......I wish I had thought of it earlier!

These comments are from the wrong side of the Pennines......(well to you!) but this may help I was brought up near Southport, Lancashire ...........here are some quick recollections.......the sort of Iain Rice "Signature Items" I would include if I were planning a layout in a seaside town 1947. Woolworths, Marks and Spencers (Not M&S in those days), Burtons,Boots, WH Smith Dolcis (Shoes) and other chains but far more privately owned stores on the High Street......no Supermarkets but probably branches of the local Grocery chain (the equivalent of Sainsbury's down South......on Merseyside it was Irwins) Lots of cinemas...... there were at least five (I think) in Southport.......Odeon, Gaumont, Regent etc.................Variety Theatres.....at least two.......Amusement Arcades/Parlours......Fish and Chip Shops. Most resort had some sort of permanent fun fair.....Round-abouts, Ghost Rides, Dodgems, Big Dipper...... very often a circus would be there for the season.......but if I were doing the layout I would "suggest" this on a back scene rather than model it..................my signature item would be: Streets of "Private" Hotels and Boarding Houses (B&B now I guess) emblazoned with names that would now fall foul of trade description legislation ...."Sea View" etc........this could probably be replicated with the Scalescene 3 storey terraced housing. Open top Double Deck Buses......Cream and Black Taxis (not London Cabs) Hope this helps.......quite bizarre writing all this thousands of miles away in Vancouver!

For those of you following John Flann's delightful thread "Hintock" you will have seen that a couple of fruit vans have left Hintock for Granby via Wolverhampton.... ..http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/60526-hintock-gwr-oo/page-9&do=findComment&comment=1021009: Clearly the GWR runs a fast service Dorset Golden Russets from the Orchards of J Flann & Son Little Hintock! Now for a change of pace in every sense......I am something of a butterfly when it comes to modelling......so in addition to finishing the main engine shed roof I have started on Granby Junction South Signal Box I wasnt really certain whether to leave these shots until both projects were completed because this rather interrupts the flow of the Engine shed build, although in truth it is part of that overall project.........its destined to go in front of the Turntable. Moreover I like to write about things as they happen rather than wait until its all done and dusted. So here is Chapter 1 of my Signal Box kit bashing Granby South controls the main lines into to the South end of terminus. I wanted it to be of sufficient size to reflect its importance. So I decided to join together two of the recently released Ratio GWR Brick Signal Boxes Box. This kit came out with surprisingly little fanfare........I have built a couple of the Ratio Wooden Boxes and at least 3 of the Wills versions.......this is somewhat different in a number of respects..........the integral hipped roof moulding and the guttered base are particularly ingenious. Its relative newness is reflected in the crispness of the brick moulding and the accuracy of the mitre joints on the window frames. I am guessing it shares some heritage with the older Ratio Midland box.......there are a number of unexplained surplus bits on some of the sprues......the instruction sheet is more than a little rudimentary. I washed the brick mouldings with dilute dirty grey acrylic to flow into the mortar courses then dry brushed with dirty red/orange with the exception of the base foundation which I dry brushed in Engineers Blue Brick along with the detailing on the upper structure. First step was to join the two plinths and glue the support walls. I strengthened the underside with some spare plasticard. The kit is designed to have the ground floor door to the locking room at one end and the entrance to the first floor at the other end. In view of the length of the two kits I chose to have a ground floor entrance at both ends. Window Frames inserted in rear wall and the wallls glued to the plinth and then one of the floor sections secured in place This is the right hand end with the single locking room door With all the handling the initial paint is more than a little bashed about so a fair bit of touching up and weathering will be needed. To accommodate the entrances on the left hand side...... two end moulding had to be cut and joined Not the most expert job in the world.......I seem to have gained 1/8" and a slight tilt but hopefully I have a cunning plan! Here is the box plonked roughly in position between the Turntable and the main line. I dont normally do interiors but even with the roof on I think the inside will be quite exposed so I have glued some wallpaper and a clock from the Scalescene Signal Box kit and I have ordered some levers from Dart Castings.The centre join is quite obvious but will eventually be obscured by a drain pipe Next step is to trim and fit the front window frames

Thanks Mikkel All sorted now! Kind Regards

Thanks for being so patient.......clearly I am still doing something wrong I have tried all manner of combinations with quote/brackets!

Thanks Scott I have tried but as you can see not entirely succeeded........cant even find the embarrassed emoticon.........at least I have a link!

Thanks for all the likes,replies and kind words........dont think in all the years I have ever had a "like" from the boss......never earned one I guess....not sure its merited this time but very nice all the same Thanks for the advice Jim...........I agree the Pagoda has to go.....I have run out of Wills corrugate and its not stocked by Model Shops in Vancouver......but I think Evergreen or similar do an HO version. I am thinking of replacing the Ratio hut and scratch build/kit bash some Scalescene stuff to make a slightly larger structure....Office/Mess/Latrine Thanks John......thats a great site....... thank you for reminding me I had forgotten all about it....lots of really good ideas. One of the more striking first impressions was that the locos seemed to move faster in the Shed area than I had imagined.......I guess I could change some of my maximum speed settings on the computor.....which will help with some of my dodgy track! Thanks Scott......good to hear from another Canadian ......albeit a few miles away..................I have been meaning to ask for ages a really dumb question almost too embarrassed to do so...... maybe you can help? How do I convert my signature so that the Granby bit is an actual link (hyperlink??)..

Thats very kind of you John......and much appreciated.......its still very much work in progress though! Kind Regards

In pieces at the moment.......but there will be one!

I posted a general enquiry about the LNWR water crane hoping to attract some LMS experts who will not be following this thread.....not exactly an overwhelming response....one! But it was quite helpful..........many thanks Jol!......Dark Grey for the Water Crane and Yard Lamp......LNWR Brown for the Shed doors it is! I have spent the last few days doing some initial detail/scene setting. Yard Lamps...water cranes.....fire devils and water hydrants........no people or junk at this stage. I do have a question......should I be modelling piles of ash on the concrete service apron or would that be confined to the Ash Pit and the roads leading up to the Turntable. It does seem to me that one of the most obvious differences between model and prototype is that the latter is invariably dirtier and much more cluttered At this time of the year the trajectory of the sun through the railway room window creates some interesting effects The Water Hydrant is a Gem model.....I bought a set for Granby II and managed to save a few Not sure about the paint scheme ......suspect it is too pristine Yard Lamps are Mikes Models (Holts)......I have seen a number of photos of yards with lamps similar to these and each has a permanently attached ladder.....I have thought about this but think that by 1947 the lights would be gas or electric rather than oil.........what do you think? Mikes Model Water Crane repaired and bedded in......they really are superb models the mounting plate for the crane even has GWR embossed on it! I have started playing around placing some buildings on the far service road......they are not bedded in yet and I am very open to suggestions. Not sure about the GWR but LNER sheds had tanks to store used Engine Oil. I had a spare tanker and a spare corner and it seemed to me an eminently sensible war time practice Next to it is the Depot's sandhouse........its based on my only on the ground research trip.......Didcot circa 2000 This is a very cruel close up Clearly I need to sort the drunken Fire Bucket......what part of Right Dress didnt it understand? I had a Fire Iron rack, like the prototype, in Granby II and on reflection I think I should fit one here. I have a Cambrian Starfish (?) Kit to build for the sand wagon......a bit over the top because it can hardly be seen........mind you the idea of a sandhouse being supplied via a turntable is even more over the top.....cashing in my ML chips I am afraid! I have put a couple of buildings on the other side of the track.........an Oil Store and the Yard Foreman's office If that becomes their final location I will put a barrow crossing in the siding. I think it is very (totally?) unlikely that an MPD would have a Pagoda hut......I just happen to have one spare.....I will probably leave it as a place holder and build a more conventional store with Wills Corrugate Sheeting I have had a lot of fun fiddling about.....I do enjoy detailing.....but tomorrow its time to start finishing the roundhouse .

Just heard from Liverpool........latest arrival time is now September/October 2013

Thanks for the likes and the kind words Actually I think both John and Tinker (MIB) are correct! I am fairly certain from a number of sources that Water Tanks/Cranes/ Shed Doors etc were originallly painted in GWR Light and Dark Stone at medium sized MPDs.......I am equally convinced that for my period 1947 (actually it stretches to '48 to accommodate the Hawksworths!) nothing had been painted for 9 years and as a result would be both faded and very dirty......far more so than at country branches where I am sure there was a certain amount of local staff initiative in repainting.......those were the days when staff took great pride in the appearance of their stations......as a boy in 1947 I remember my station (albeit LMS) winning the NW station garden competition!......I digress I may well be guilty of my paint not being faded enough.......although in truth my GWR cranes were painted 7 years ago.....but then despite my wife's remarks.....the railway room is a little cleaner than the prototype! I suspect I am also guilty of not dirtying stuff enough......it is something I am very conscious of but it is difficult to wash over all the fine detail you have just spent hours constructing! It is also remarkably difficult to make the dirt look naturally accumulated. Sadly not getting too many bites on the LMS/LNWR crane........I fear you may be right about Grey John.......but it is sooo drab! I have been looking at a delightful LNWR thread by Penlan and he used the reddish brown/cream scheme very effectively on his shed....unfortunately no water crane in sight.......maybe I will PM him Regards from a damp Vancouver

Thanks for the kind words Jim.......It is really only the beginning of the end of construction......so.hopefully I will then have more time to run trains.......I do find myself to be poor at multi tasking. Regular running does suffer when I am building. We have had unseasonably warm weather here so I have been dragged out into the garden and progress on the layout has slowed somewhat The big focus has been on completing the "concrete" infill I used the same method I described previously. Matt/Mount board painted sludge grey....weathered with pastels rubbed in. This second phase took considerably longer because of the set in track for the wheel drop hoist and the compound curves leading to the LMS shed. Finally completed......its not exactly finescale but the advantage of modelling gritty industry means I can get away with less than perfect......in fact I guess perfect would be imperfect! I was pleasantly surprised in that the curved road now seems less obvious once infilled. The part completed shed has been temporarily removed so I can sort out the placement of the Water Cranes and Yard Lamps. Even allowing for the wide angle lens I find it astonishing how much space is taken up by this very compressed facsimile. In real life the acreage must have been vast The three GWR cranes are Mikes Models ex Granby II.......they are super models but quite delicate and mine have suffered some damage over the years......so a spell in the repair shop is called for. At one stage I thought of surface mounting them......then changed my mind but forgot to cut out the apertures when I was laying the concrete! So a touch of retrofitting was called fo............they do look far better bedded in: In order to emphasise the dual company set up I have bought a fourth crane...... Mikes Models ex LNWR between the two LMS roads...........and now I need some help. What colours should I paint it? I know very little about LMS colours. The research I have done leads me to believe that the LMS were relatively slow to impose a corporate scheme on the buildings of their constituent companies. I am inclined to think that in 1947 the crane, and indeed the Shed doors etc, would still be in LNWR colours.....albeit very faded............... I think that means a reddish brown coupled with either off white or quite a deep sort of institutional yellow/cream Any help/advice would be much appreciated although I suspect most people who read this are, like me, GWR fans.

Thank you so much for the all the replies and "likes" . I am glad you didnt find it too self indulgent..........Mikkel, I was uncertain about including the family shot but I am glad that you felt, like me, that it helped capture the moment. I may have hyped up the last spike a bit too much Jim......the last track has been laid but there is still a daunting amount of construction before I can consider the layout finished.....if, indeed, a layout is ever finished Regards from Vancouver

Finally..........a glass with something more palatable than paint water The Last Spike Regular readers may well feel there have been more delays with this post than Hornbys 42xx 2-8-0 T release This is the earliest photo I could find...... December 2008 I havent done a great job keeping records but, for what it is worth, I guess there must now be about 200 yards of track......RR&Co tell me I have 80 turnouts and 120 blocks. Anyway the great moment has arrived......the final piece of track has been laid. To get the length of carriage sidings I needed we had a bit of an issue with the brewery and the railway had to slap a compulsory purchase order on the Star and Dragon's yard So here are the three sidings all ballasted with the retaining wall rebuilt and re aligned .......complete with cosmetic Outer and Inner Home Signals for the adjacent Down Main Fortunately the landlord can still get his barrels delivered This aerial view shows why I was so keen to get the carriage sidings in The two far sidings can each accommodate up to 3 carriages......one will be used as a headshunt for parcel and milk traffic and the other for coaches that will be added and detached to trains from Birkenhead to the South The near siding can accommodate a rake of 4 60' carriages which means that I can now run regular out and back services from Granby to Manchester, Shrewsbury (LMS) and Aberystwyth on the old Cambrian Line (GWR)................more on this in later posts A picture is worth a thousand words. This is the last time these older (12+ years) carriages will carry coachboards.......in prototypical fashion they are being cascaded down to the Ordinary Passenger service to Shrewsbury and their place on the Express service to South Wales will be taken by a rake of the new rather splendid Hornby carriages So thats the background to the last spike........now back to the party Last Sunday we invited the family round to lunch......ostensibly to celebrate my eldest daughter's birthday .........although in reality there was a far more significant event to celebrate! My daughter's dog wasnt too impressed.....our dog had the good sense to hide. Everyone else had a great time

There are a number of decoupling options available now....... Kroik(?) springs to mind........ that can be controlled as a function by DCC or better still by RR&Co........one can initiate the uncoupling function at any specified measurement after entry into a block. One can also control the original train speed in the block so in theory one could just rely on prototype practice........and reasonably lengthy platforms! I do wish you hadnt raised this topic.......I am now seriously tempted to add it to the long list of potential operations on Granby! Regards from a very damp Vancouver