Mrkirtley800

Jmie92208, re the bargeboards. They are dead easy. I took a photo at as nearly 90 degrees to one on the actual station as I could.. This was on film in the days before I had a digital camera. When I got the pic back, I photocopied it, adjusting the size to fit my station roof, and using cheap copy paper. All I did then was to stick the paper to thin (10 thou) plastikard with Pritt Stick (or similar) and cut round the differing shapes on the bargeboard with a sharp scalpel, or where there is a round hole use the correct size drill. When done, peel off the paper, clean up and paint. Takes no time at all. Simples! I added a small piece of 10 thou to the ridge. Handy as it covers the join. Derek

Jeff, this is the pic I was trying to upload but very much cropped down. Derek

Jeff, Have you considered using plaster to reproduce the stonework on the station? On mine, modelled on Lazonby, I used a basic shell of several layers of plastikard, then covered it in soft "base coat" plaster, there used to be a name for it but I can't remember. You have to do each side at a time, let dry overnight then soak in solvent. I remember using chloroform (naughty) on mine, being a chemist I had access. When each side is covered and the solvent dry, smooth over and scribe in the stones,, I used a pointed scriber, and it is surprising how small the stones can be produced. It's also easy because the plaster is soft (and very cheap). However when painted using Humbrol let down with much white spirit it is surprising how hard and durable the stonework becomes. I built a Midland 24,000 gallon water tank on a large stone base and used this method to produce the stone finish. I succeeded in knocking it of my layout onto a concrete floor from a height of 4 feet without any damage. It actually won a modelling competition just a little later on. Don't wish to put you off using plastikard but just another alternative, and doesn't take too long. The secret is to mark feint lines with dividers as guides, then fill in with the stones. I have tried to include a rather poor pic of my building but I keep getting messages so say I can't, although the file is only1.3MB. Strange! Derek

I am with 'londontram' Am impressed and would be very interested in both sets described. My layout is set in (June) 1908 so they look just the thing to replace the motley assortment of figures which have populated my layouts for years. Derek

Thanks Jaz, sadly my son left home some considerable time ago and lives about 180 miles from us. He now has a wife ,son and two daughters of his own. He lost interest when at uni but now at the ripe old age of 39 he has regained it with a vengeance. He is into '0' gauge Midland/LMS and I have spent the last few years building 7mm locos for him. Couple more pics showing the 00 section in action, both dreadfully out of period. Derek

This is my attempt at a Midland through station in North Yorkshire in 1908. The footbridge is a very old George Allan kit, lamps and water columns are Mikes Models, the low relief houses/shops along the back are modified Metcalfe Models. I wish I had seen what Jason (Sandside) on his Bacup layout has done, might have had a go myself, and, of course, the figures are from numerous sources. However, all the remaining is scratch built. The buildings from Plastikard covered in 'base' plaster and scribed. When I started modelling the Midland back in the 1950's there wasn't much available so it was scratch building or nothing. This layout was started in 1985. . I cannot now climb up on a pair of steps to clean it , so please excuse the covering of dust Still runs well, the nearer tracks are my son's 00, the far tracks are EM.

OK I'll get me coat Derek

It's these North Eastern fellas you know. Wouldn't happen on the Midland. Derek

Hello Jeff. In full agreement with Jason. The line beyond the tunnel is not supposed to go to a fiddle yard then round through KL again. Presumably it goes to Skipton or Bradford etc etc. So why not give the tunnel an appearance of being straight by the siting of the vent. Here is a pic of a vent above Blea Moor Tunnel taken in 1966. Not a very good photo but I mainly used it and dozens of others, taken at the same time, in talks I gave to various bodies on the S&C. I have no idea of the size but it was much bigger than me and I am nearly six feet tall. Perhaps an estimate of about 10 to 12 feet.

Excuse the poor photography, not my strong point.

Can be very interesting, especially when a guest tries to put an EM vehicle on 00 track. Truth is, we have a four line through station supposedly the Skipton - Ilkley line (00 gauge) and a might have been 'son of Settle-Carlisle' which in reality became the Grassington branch (EM gauge). The lines come together just before Skipton station, which of course is off-stage Crafty eh11 Derek

Thank you N15class. Forgot to add, the Atlantic is to 00 gauge, the LNWR stock is to EM gauge. Our layout is dual gauge, 00 is my son's , the EM is mine. Derek

A couple more examples of Keyser kits. The large Atlantic was bought cheaply second hand. The previous owner must have had real problems getting the thing to run. First job was dunking into nitromores, to clean up and remove all the bits stuck on with glue. Some of the kit had been soldered, so I had no option but to leave alone. Went together pretty well, but had to scratch build a new chassis. The front bogie was always going to be a problem, so it was split, with the leading bogie axle on a pony truck and the second axle running in slots and sprung. Driven by a superb Ultrascale motor/gearbox units, it is powerful and will easily take 2'3" curves. For many years thought it was a DGH kit, until I saw one. I was then told my example is from the K's stable. you live and you learn. The two LNWR six wheelers are a bit on the heavy side despite being fairly free running. Both painted by Coachman Larry back in about 1973. My apologies for my poor photography.

Hi Jeff, not been around for a while. I have been scratch building a Midland 0-6-0 (1F) open cab tank loco in "0" gauge for my son. When I get involved with building locos everything else goes to the wall, so a bit of catching up is required. Like your rock face/ stub wall and bridge arrangement, but would a wing wall be required with a rock face? Sorry to be a drag about that but I have been looking at some piccies of similar situations, and they all show the tunnel/bridge etc seemingly growing out of the rock. Like your wall, did the same thing on my own Midland layout, with the low wall running between two over bridges. Bit crude now but it was installed about 1992. My rock strata was made by breaking 'soft board' in pieces, sticking them together and coating with plaster. Looking at them now makes me think they look like softboard broke up and stuck together. Derek

Thanks Eric, I will give it a try. Have to re-line a Midland Railway Johnson Compound, with all the twiddly bits, so we will see. Derek

Very nice looking loco, Eric. How did you persuade the lining around the splashers. I have tried to line out my Midland locos with a lining pen but am really not happy with the result. Using transfer lining would, perhaps, be the answer. Derek

Thanks for the nice comments folks. I started modelling in EM back in the mid 1950's, why - I have no idea. Seemed like a good idea at the time, although I have never regretted it. I joined the EM Gauge Society in, I think, about 1961-ish but for some reason didn't renew my membership. Rejoined in 1966 and have been a member since then. Well worth the membership subscription and I found really nice and helful people running it. I would probably have modelled in 18.83 gauge had it been a viable proposition in the early 60's but to change now would be a massive undertaking and anyway EM gauge satisfies me, although during the last few years I have been building '0' gauge locos for my yougest son and my grandson. Sorry to get off topic. Derek

Hello dajt, I posted a few pics of my layout on the old RMWeb. Look at RMWeb 2006 to 2009, 'Kit building and scratchbuilding' and then 'Modelling the pre-group scene' There are some nice examples of Coachman Larry's handiwork. Derek

Thank you for your nice comments Simon. I have posted one or two pics of my layout on RM Web to illustrate what I am trying to say, but normally I am a bit loth to push it. Since most folks contributing to the web seem to model diesel or late BR steam I fear that a layout set in 1908 may not be of much interest, especially one covered in dust as mine is. With my troublesome knees I can't keep the thing clean. However I do have other K's kit built stock and here are some more piccies. The Kirtley goods kit was bought for me by my wife as a birthday present in 1965. It still uses the original mainframes (chassis) but with Gibson wheels, a Mashima motor and Branchlines 80/1 gearbox. If I was building it now, I would fit it with a Johson smokebox door and chimney with continuous handrail. The Johnson goods (on the double header) was a kit given to a friend. He took the wheels and gave me the body kit, so everything under the footplate is built from scratch. The first wagon in the train, a three plank open, is also a K's. The 0-6-0T I bought as a bodyline kit in about 1959 and built it as it was intended to fit a Hornby chassis. I rebuilt it during the 1980's with gearbox and big Mashima motor and sratch built chassis and use it extensively on shunting duties. Most of my engines are getting on in years, the oldest is a scratch built Midland 3P with bogie tender, now 54 years old, and it still runs pulling a heavy train of corridor clerestory stock.

I built many of the K's kits during the 60's and 70's, the first being a LNWR 0-6-2 coal tank. It was assembled using Pafra glue, as recommeded by Mat Ascough, the owner of the model shop in Leeds. The Johnson single was built about 1971 - ish. The large driving wheels as suppllied were of cast white metal and were pretty awful. The wheels on this loco were taken from the Triang GWR 'Lord of the Isles' and turned down to fine standards. The tender drive is very good, it is quiet, powerful and very contollable. The pic attached is of my single, built to EM gauge and painted by Coachman Larry. It was all very tight to get EM wheels to fit as the engine is very narrow but it is still running after 40 odd years. The K's motors - marks 1 and 2, were useful, especially the mark 2 which would fit all my scratch built Midland locos. If you got a good one it was very good, but a bad one was terrible. Derek

Hi Jeff, The discussion about an alternative exit-to-fiddle yard has been interesting and the several ways suggested would work very well. Here's how I did it with two road bridges The tracks in view are my son's '00' but in the background are my EM. The first pic shows the first bridge along the line. You can just see the second bridge in the bottom right corner, linked by a cutting. The bit of dry stone walling was built with individual stones by my wife. Nearly drove her mad, as there is quite a lot of it elsewhere on the layout. Derek

Nice to see you back, Gordon. I have missed my fix of reading about your modelling. I can sympathise with you. Over 3 years ago I had a total knee replacement . Unfortunately it didn't work, it had become infected. For 18 months the consultant dilly dallied and eventually discharged me even despite the raging infection. I sought a second opinion at another hospital and they were horrified. The result was I spent the whole of the summer of 2011 in hospital while my knee joint was taken out and replaced by a temporary joint. So I was on a heavy dose of antibiotis, walking with crutches for 10 months and only last May was my knee finally fitted with a proper joint. All that time my interest in doing anything on the model railway was non existant and my layout with it's scratch built locos and stock were left gathering dust. I did tune in to RMWeb occasionally, but otherwise watched endless repeats of Midsommer Murders. So my advice to anyone contemplating total knee replacement, think very carefully. Derek

I found there were such things as model railway magazines in 1951, when I saw a Model Railway News on a newsagents counter while at school in Leeds. That edition featured a layout called "Lutton" by Frank Roomes. It was an EM gauge pre grouping layout that looked a complete jumble in the photos, but the thing that stood out was a scratch built model of a Kirtley outside framed 0-4-4 well tank in full Midland livery. I lusted after that loco until I built one for muyself many years later. But, it did start me on the path of striving to build better models, and I bought every model mag Railway Modeller, Constructor and News for years.to come. Derek

Hi Fellas, going on from what Poliy Bo Peep was saying about having sheep of the correct appearance for the Dales reminded me of the times when I had an exhibition layout which I used to hawk arround. On one occasion when everything was going well, the locos were running reliably, de-railments were non existant, the automatic couplings were 100% and the signals worked as they should. One chap stood watching the layout for a long time and when he eventually spoke to me it wasn't about the scratch built locos beautifully painted by Coachman Larry, the hand built EM track or the scratchbuilt buildings, oh no!, it was to tell me the cows in the cattle dock were the wrong colour!!. Derek - a very sad old (no I'm only a lad) Lunester.

Hi Jason, Saltersbrook is correct, the rows of setts should run across the street. I well remember as a young lad living in west Leeds in the 40's and early 50's riding my bile along Tong Road, one of the major roads in the area. The setts there were shiny and very slippery and many a time I came off. I hated them, especially when I had to cross over, the road also had tram tracks which were pretty lethal if you got the bike wheels stuck and I often went flying over the handlebars. Derek