Worsdell forever

Done very little modelling since before Christmas, it's been too cold in the workshop to do anything on the layout and just had no chance to do anything at the bench as my dad's been in hospital since just after new year, thankfully he's home now and doing well, just managed a couple of bits and pieces on some wagons until Sunday when I decided I had a free day to just get on and do something, I've been wanting to get on with some half built carriages for a while and thought it would be a good opportunity to make some progress on this diagram 5 lavatory composite. On Sunday I got all the door handles and grabs fitted along with the footboards along the full length, tonight I've fitted the lamp tops and ventilators. The body has had a waft of grey primer.

Caption for this photo where it appears in 'Signalling Centres North East : No1 York' NERA 2020.

I built Felton Lane with C&L flexi and hand built turnouts, I think their flexitrack is to H0 scale so has the correct proportions, comparing it to EM there's quite a sleeper spacing difference.

One B4 did end up in North Eastern territory at Skinningrove iron works.

That is an early NER G2 van, it would have originally had a canvas roof door and it looks like the drop door has been cut in half and incorporated into the cupboard doors as each door has 3 hinges.

Obviously Paddington bear beats them all...

NER Autocar regauging. The two bogies are different, even down to the wheels, the powered bogie has spoked and the trailing has disc with a plastic insert. Starting with the trailing bogie, remove it from the chassis and gently ease off the two ends, unfortunately these can’t be reused as we need to move the bogie side frames apart. Next the centre bolster needs to be removed, the bottom half unclips and the two sideframes can be eased off the top part. The top part of the bolster will be found to have four square pegs, these need filing back from the centre line .5mm, the corresponding holes on the sideframes need filing in over by about .5mm so that when the sideframes are remounted they will each be 1mm further out. I also filed back the pick up strip a tiny amount as it was rubbing on the wheels. Next the wheels need attention, first, obviously, they need re gauging, holding the plastic axle sleeve with serrated pliers each wheel can be twisted and persuaded to the desired B2B. The plastic inserts now need working on, the outside flange needs removing as it sits proud of the tyre, then if the back of the insert is filed back until the four circles disappear they will fit in the wheel much better and will be lass likely to catch the pick up strips. Now the bogie needs re assembling, the two halves of the bolster should clip back together and the screw fixing it to the chassis should hold it all together, a little glue could be run into the holes around the four pegs to stop any movement but it’s a very glue resistant plastic. The power bogie is more difficult to remove but easier to re gauge, the body needs to be unclipped and the interior removing, it won’t come off completely as there are pick up wires attaching it to the chassis, there’s no need to remove these. Remove the bogie clip from the top of the gearbox and ease the bogie and propshaft out of the chassis, the propshaft is a tight fit into the gearbox but is better removed to work on the bogie. Next remove the axle keeper plate and the bogie sideframes can be slid out and the wheels removed, re gauge the wheels as before, there’s no inserts here, this bogie has spoked wheels. As on the trailing bogie the square holes on the sideframes need filing in over, as this bogie already has a little sideplay there’s no need to file the pegs which are on the axle keeper plate. Clip it all back together and re fit the bogie, it’s a bit of a squeeze to get it in the right position, there’s a pin to locate the bogie which it also pivots on.

It's this one. https://www.graingeandhodder.co.uk/product-page/1200-x-400-turntable

First run into the (unfinished) fiddleyard.

I do have it all written down with pictures, thought I'd put it on here somewhere but can't find it, pictures will probably have disappeared anyway. I'll put it all on when I get a chance.

And the first two lengths of track down.

So that's what you got for Christmas is it?

Just about all I've got done in the last couple of weeks is a platelayer's hut. But today I've managed to get out and have a fiddle with the fiddleyard.

From a few years ago. Nearing the end of the Rosedale line's existence, J24 No 1860 prepares to depart The Depots for Blakey Jcn. where it will run round it's train and head off across the moor top for Ingleby incline top.

Last trains heading for home before Christmas.

Level crossing boards cut.

Still cutting up bits of fence, also made a couple of 'kissing gates'.

As I said above, the Southern ones were a copy of the North Eastern one. Buy the book here- https://ner.org.uk/product/railway-snowploughs-of-the-north-east/

Been thinking about platform lamps as I'd like to have the positions of them sorted before the final surface is put down, ideally I'd like some Mike's Models lamps, fluted posts with square lanterns, and I have some, just nowhere near enough! So I've been looking around and there's a massive selection ranging from utter junk to some good stuff, unfortunately the good ones just don't seem to be available. It seems the best compromise are the ones from DCC Concepts, bit expensive as they're working ones which isn't really needed, it's a warm late spring early summer day here! Anyway, they've had a coat of Indian Red (they were maroon) and had the station name added.

Not even unique to the Southern 😲, they built 2, as the NER had already built one in 1907, which I would imagine the Southern ones were a copy of. The only difference being the addition of the beam and lifting pulleys.

Yeah, last time I was down there, there were no traces of the railway left, I'm assuming the the line went over the road somewhere near the village hall as the road turns east.

And the other end of the platform, nothing is fixed yet, I want to get the scenery substantially finished before final fitting. Starting to look like a station now.

Warm enough to get out in the shed today so I'm cutting the sections of platform fence to length and fitting pins into some of the posts to secure them to the platforms.

Yes, 2 of them. They are light, I've built one tonight and it weighs in at 2.8 kilo, it's 6mm ply but it seems to be a well designed frame and all joints fitted together neatly.