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Looking good Derek. The atmosphere you have generated reminds me of the Derby Museum layout that used to operate every Sat morning at 10.30am many years ago. Kevin.

This photo was taken when the body was basically complete but before I dismantled the bogies for painting. The side grilles and etched side strips have been soldered on with the 75 watt iron and lots of flux. The next stage was to make up some buffers from round headed nails soldered to oval brass heads, running in brass tube soldered to the front panels. These are sprung behind using springy N/S wire which also runs through the back of the coupling hooks. I then decided to give the whole thing a coat of grey primer so I could see what needed filling.. This is the stage I am up to now, with the chassis and bogies painted, but some more detail to go on the body. The main roof fan grille is giving me a headache as the one that came with the etch is solid, and I cannot find a suitable etched one of the correct linear-barred type. I might have to drill and file out the slots in the solid one! That will keep me quiet for a few days.

I would not be suprised Dava. I think the NBL centre wheel sets were smaller diameter, as the LMS 10000 was going to be, before EE stated that they required the power bogies to be Co-Co. So perhaps that is where the NBL design came from.

Thanks for the kind comments. I was taught by my late father to look at redundant bits and pieces and think "what can I use that for".

I have now reassembled the bogies and floor and given it a test around the garden. It is all looking good, so work can continue on the body.

So now I had powered and slave bogies, a wooden floor, and the brass shell of the body. The next problem was the bogie side frames. These are unique to only 2 loco types - the Derby Twins, and the EM2 Woodhead electrics. I decided since I had the plans, and the excellent LMS society/NRM book, that I would build the side frames exactly as the works did - from flat sheet. I cut out 2mm plasticard with a fret saw for the main side members, and added 10 and 20 thou sheet as the top and bottom flanges. The cross members were made the same way and glued in. The coil springs were made by winding solder around a suitable wooden stick, attached with super glue, then cut to length and glued in. The leaf springs were cut from 10thou sheet and laminated up to the required thickness. The round axle box covers were made by using a hole punch on 10thou sheet. I did not at this stage realise now many seperate bits were going to be required in each bogie, but I think the final number was just under 500! They are not as detailed as those from JLTRT, but once weathered they will do me fine. The round sand box tops are made from the plastic tube from a suitable old Biro, topped with more 10 thou hole punchings. The whole lot was then primed white from an aerosol, then sprayed with a silver aerosol. Once this has hardened I will put the bogies together for the last time.

Hi Mike, there was nothing marked on the etches as to manufacturer, but they are quite thick brass! They also included an etched section of nickel silver for the body side trips and the LMS and 10000 numbers. In this photo you can see the numbers at the back of the photo on my layout. The rest I had to invent. Now I had a body, I needed some bogies. These were made out of 25mm aluminium channel section, marked and drilled for 1/4" axle bushes in the pillar drill. The driven bogie uses delrin chain and gears to connect the outer axles, and a £2.99 motor from ebay driving a 13:1 gear set. I used wheels from Pear Tree Engineering, which are insulated on one side only, so by unscrewing the axles and putting them in from different sides on each bogie, you have pickup via the frame without any seperate wire pickups. This is called The American System of pickup and works well for diesels.

You can see how much of the body was missing at the front. Looking at the drawings, I worked out that i could make the vertical section of the nose from a curved piece of brass, and the compound curved domed top from a sanded section of 1" square timber. The front was rolled and soldered in, then the wooden dome was araldited on. The windscreen frames were cut out of scrap brass to match the drawing, then soldered to be body sides and araldited to the wooden noses. The missing sections of roof were also cut out off scrap sheet, rolled around suitable diameter rods, and soldered in. The body was now getting much more stiff.

The bare brass body.

Having completed the write-up of my N gauge layout Mickleover for Radbourne, I thought I would tell you how I created an O gauge model of the pioneer LMS diesel 10000. The real thing, which emerged in Dec 1947 was the first successful mainline diesel-electric loco in the UK. My grandfather Arthur Haynes (Big Mac) drove the thing, and his brother, Reg Haynes (Mech Mac) was one of the loco inspectors at Derby involved with the road testing. I only found this out 7 years ago at my mothers funeral, when all 6 of us male cousins were reunited. I have always wanted to build a model of this machine, but had been put off by the lack of suitable components (i.e. Bogie side frames) to make it. The only kit I am aware of is by Just Like The Real Thing, and by the time you have added wheels and motors to it, you would need to take out a mortgage to build one. By chance I spotted on a well known auction site an etch for the two body sides, and the aluminium letters/numbers. Quite who had made this I don't know, but it gave me a start, and saved a huge amount of work. There was obviously quite a lot missing, such as ends, windows, roof, floor etc, but it gave me the basic shape. I photocopied a drawing up to 7mm scale so I could make a start. I am a womble, and collect all sorts of useful things that everyday folk leave behind. So the floor was made out of a section of thin ply from the back of an old wardrobe, and the solebars are two rocket sticks found on the beach at Whitby, after bonfire night. Nice close-grained straight wood. These were glued together with white PVA glue, clamped and left to set. The battery boxes were made from plasticard and micro strip, and the 4 vacuum cylinders from some perspex rod I had found at the tip. The body etches were cut out and bent to shape. Some brass angle was soldered inside the lower body sides so the floor could be attached. A 100 Watt iron makes short work of this!

Hi Neil, I have a rough drawn plan which I have posted here.

Paul - that engine looks stunning . I'm looking forward to seeing the new layout develop. Kev

Thanks Paul.

The layout survived "trial by exhibition" over the 2 days of the Whitby Show. It was very well received and we kept a procession of prototypical coal/empty/oil/steel trains circulating, with occassional milk and paper trains. One milk train consisting of one milk tanker was sent round, then another tank added behind the scenes, and the scenario repeated 5 times much to the consternation of one old gent who could not understand where the train was picking up more tankers! I had a couple of requests for info from other show organisers so we may be on the road next year.

Don't forget that Mickleover(GN) is appearing at the Whitby and District Model Railway Club show at Goathland Village Hall this weekend along with 6-7 other layouts, refreshments, free parking, and all for £1. Opening time 10.30am Sat and Sun 18/19th July.2015 Poster(1).pdf

Well the layout was re erected in the garage, and all works perfectly. I have weathered the track, scenery and buildings with a thinned coat of light brown, and dark grey sprayed over everything with my airbrush. This does a good job of blending everything together and hiding some of my "rough" modelling. Here is the station building A view along the empty yard Station Yard Signal Box and 8f for testing purposes View from above the tunnel The lighting is not as good in the garage, so please excuse the over exposure. My wonderful wife, Maggie, has made a black curtain to go around he layout, so apart from making a big "MICKLEOVER (GN) " sign to go along the front, I may have well done.

Taking the layout down and re erecting it in the garage today, so I can finish the behind-the-scenes areas, and attach the front curtains. This should also test out the new trestles I have built. I will take some photos from the back later on. Kevin.

Hi Guys, sorry for the lack of updates recently, I have been away for a while, and now have visitors staying, so I should get back to work and posting next week. Kevin.

It is fascinating reading all these reminiscenses of excursion trips. Friargate had closed to passengers when I was a young child, and I used to shelter from the rain under Friargate bridge, listening to the freight trains rumbling over the top. It is in no way a distraction to my posting. Keep it coming. Kev

Hi, Mark Higginson's book lists excursions from Derby Friargate to Boston, Skegness,Mablethorpe, Sutton on the Sea, and Cleethorpes eastbound, and Alton Towers, Ashbourne, Tissington, Uttoxeter, Dudley Zoo, Chester, Rhyll,Blackpool and Windermere westbound. The layout has gone from the bare boards with the track layed, which I did earlier in the year, to fully scenic treatment in 5 weeks. I suppose I am a bit mad. Here are the photos of the exits to the fiddle yards, this is the west end where the exit is hidden by much foliage.Here it is from the inside.Another angle of the west exit.The east end exit, is via Mickleover tunnel, And from the inside. Looking west along the track towards the fiddleyard exit. I need to weather the ballast down with the airbrush and some thin brown paint.That will be next week now. Kevin.

Hi Peter, in real life, the line westwards passed under the occupation bridge that can been seen on the layout, then ran dead straight out of the cutting, across the fields to Etwall. This obviously posed a problem, as I needed to turn the tracks through 180 degrees to get to the fiddle yard. So I increased the depth of the cutting on the other side of the bridge, and took the track through the backscene, hiding the exit with over hanging trees on both cutting sides. From normal viewing angles, the exit is all but invisible. I will take some photos later and post them. Again, many thanks for all the kind comments, I don't usually model in N anymore due to needing reading glasses, so I am very pleased with the results and the comments generated. Kevin.

Here are a few photos of the fiddleyard behind the back scene. It will be far easier to operate when it is out of the shed! Tomorrow is for installing the station signs and making the ground signals. All that is left then is to make the trestles it will sit on, and I can have a well earned rest! Kevin.

Hi - I will attempt to photograph the fiddle yard tomorrow. It is behind the backscene, against the shed wall at the moment, but will be directly infront of me when the layout is exhibited. I currently have a large mirror hung from the ceiling at one end of the layout so I can observe it! It consists of 5 loops, 3 on one line, two on the other, each capable of holding one large train. Also the two mainlines feeding the fiddleyard are divided into 4 x 3' sections, each of which will hold a full length train, so in total 13 full length trains can be stored, shuttled forward one section at a time. There are electro uncoupling magnets in the loop, and the goods yard sidings so those wagons fitted with Peco easilift couplings can be used to split and shunt a train as needed. Kevin.

Right, well I have added a few more trees, and yet more bushes and telegraph poles, working from the photos in Mark Higginson's book. Here we see a Type 2 Diesel with a cement train held in the loop. A lot more greenery around the station drive area, The view across Station Road bridge. A 9F pulls up at the Box.. The view along the platforms from rail level. Now I have to make the station nameboards, and the ground signals. That should keep me busy for a few days! Kevin.

Back to the shed today to add more greenery, shrubs, bushes and trees to the scene, as well as telegraph poles and fencing. Once this is done to my satisfaction, the whole lot including the ballast will get toned down with airbrushed coats of thin grey and brown paint. I am very pleased with the result of my efforts and the kind words from those who are reading it. Kevin