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MAY 2014 UPDATE
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KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
HYWEL THOMAS *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
GREG BROOKES *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
JUNE 2014 UPDATE
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GREG BROOKES *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
HYWEL THOMAS *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
JULY 2014 UPDATE
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KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
GREG BROOKES *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
AUGUST 2014 UPDATE
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PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KEITH TRUEMAN *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Green liveried Peak class 46 number 166 leaves the Bradford route at Pudsey Junction
on the approaches to Wibdenshaw, with the Up Yorkshire Pullman on a summers day in 1970.
Recent activity at the Wibdenshaw Works has resulted in several locomotives passing through
for maintenance, additional detailing and backdating to suit the 1970 period. These two Bachmann Peaks are
seen back in service and earning their keep.
Dual braked 153 heads north with a Freightliner train. The 'liner' train was built by
Pete Johnson back in 2010 using the old Tri-ang Hornby model as a basis, with extra detailing and custom
built containers. Although it's never been noticed before with the naked eye, this image does show some
slight bowing to the chassis after a few years in service..... another job on the to do list!
Another Peak - this time class 44 number 5 'Cross Fell' hauls a mixed freight northbound
through Wibdenshaw..... possibly a bit further north than would have normally been seen for a class 44, we
can only assume a shortage of motive power for its wanderings in the area.
Some more Toton based motive power in the form of English Electric type 1 locos 8145 & 8077
on the headshunt at Pudsey Junction stabling point.....
.....awaiting the next turn of duty which will take them back to the East Midlands.
D3036 on shed in between duties, with sisters D4040 and D3918 in the background en-route to works.
A pair of BR Derby / Sulzer type 2 numbered 7660 & D7532 haul a train of vans south for
Tinsley Yard, whilst a Calder Valley DMU approaches the station with a service from Bradford.
A few hundred rivets later.....
.....further to last months preview of the mystery wagon project.
Track relaying vehicle DW274 that later survived into the early 1980s and was one of
a small batch built at Swindon in 1953.
A close-up of one of the turrets.
The two crane bodies have just been primed, and hopefully things should be
self explanatory!
Next task will be the crane jibs, which should then give me the dimensions for the
cabin and machinery area. I've no plans so it is all based on photos.
English Electric type 4 number 352 with a rake of Covhops heading south at Shenston
Road, passing sister loco 342 in the loop with a rake of 24.5 ton wagons.
A trio of the latest release from Bachmann (which replace the earlier versions now
transferred to Paul James Eastwell fleet).
A view of a Bachmann Covhop which has recently entered service. Other wagons from this
rake can be seen on the 'hopper wagons' page in the Gallery / Projects section of the website.
Another rake of wagons have been completed - the 24.5 ton mineral from the Parkside
stable. Other wagons from this rake can be seen on the 'mineral wagons' page in the Gallery / Projects
section of the website.
With the same carrying capacity as the above mineral wagon, a small batch of 24.5 ton
hopper wagons were scratchbuilt a few years ago and add prototypical variety to the rake.
This month the overhead light supports for the layout have been made. This picture
shows the supports for boards 4 and 5 folded for transport. The two sections are joined by a hinge at
the top edge, with a single bolt to hold them when unfolded. Grey primer paint has been applied to the
front face, with the black top coat still to be needed.
This view is looking into the light position for the board 5 overhead - the lights
and cables are still to be fitted. The units were made in 5mm marine ply, glued and pinned. The
lightening holes were cut by hole saw, with three layers of ply clamped together to save time……there
was a big pile of disks by the time the pieces for all five overheads were cut!
Painting of the scenic-break panels for boards 1 and 5 has also been completed. For
this a matt emulsion ‘match pot’ was used on a white primer, and with the name ‘Misty Harbour’ the
colour just had to be right for the layout!
Paul James has been out with his camera taking a few snaps at Shenston Road, and making
a note of the numbers in his spotting book. Here D1028 Western Hussar leaves the station on its last leg
of the journey from Paddington to Wolverhampton.
The Western will soon be followed up the line by this Derby Lightweight class 108, which
has been rostered to do the shuttle service, from the station's north bay platform.
1200 Falcon between duties on the holding sidings being kept company by a Hymek. These
sidings are usually host to a variety of locomotives which operate trains to and from BSC Shenston Works,
along with various departmental and service rolling stock.
Brush type 4 number 1720 heads a loaded train of 21 ton mineral wagons past English
Electric type 4 number 337 on a train of Covhops in the loop.
These are the Chivers kit made up, and further examples can be seen on the Mineral Wagons
page in the Gallery / Projects section of the website. The coal load is black foam rubber from the Heljan
loco box packaging, and is squashed in to fit with realistic effect (and easy enough to pull out if you want
an empty train).
Blue liveried 1728 heads a northbound freight. Additional images of Shenston Road, and
frequent updates can be found on RMweb..... details here.
D365 runs light engine to the north of the station.
The latest Bachmann version of the class 40 as 40141 with a rake of PCA wagons.
The yard lamps are shown after assembly has been finished.
The main post and top ring were shaped from square brass rod, the lamp shade is a
silver-plated earring blank from Hobbycraft and the glass is cut down from a Heljan grain-of-wheat
bulb – from the days before LEDs – and one benefit of not running lights on my loco fleet…..
One of the finished lamps is shown fixed in position.
The point levers have also been made and are shown after painting. For these I
used 0,4 x 0,8mm brass strip and bits of offcut from some old brass kit etches.
One of the levers is seen along with the Engineman’s cabin and the back of the
Newsagents in this atmospheric evening picture.
A shaft of sunlight lights up the Weighbridge hut after moss and weeds have begun to be added.
The dock branch curve after vegetation and litter have been added. This picture
provides an interesting comparison with the similar view of a few months ago. A mix of Noch and
Woodland Scenics products have been used for the moss and grass.
A view looking down the empty yard, it is beginning to capture the appearance that I
had in mind when I began the project.
Work continues with the track relaying machine.
The jibs are made from the ever useful Evergreen plastic strip range of sections. I
thought about using brass but figured I'd end up with too many burnt fingers and frustrations!
The staff got in from the ends of the cabin - you can just see the open access on some
of the grainy internet images.
Hanging orange jackets wait in anticipation for the next bit of track lifting!
Painted and finished track relaying machine at Morfa Bank Sidings.
Post Office workers await the arrival of the Up Thames-Clyde Express (Glasgow to St Pancras)
hauled by the obligatory Peak, whilst D7532 idles away in platform 4 awaiting a clear path to the stabling point.
03111 is seen shunting a Covhop in Wibdenshaw goods yard, with other examples of this wagon
type in the background. Normal operation will find just a block of 2 or 3 in different mixed freights running on
the layout, and have been parked to show the variety of finishes they appeared in.
Five unfitted Covhops are spotted in a mixed freight heading south at Wibdenshaw.
Their time on the work bench recently has resulted in a variety of livery and detail differences as featured
below.
The Bachmann model is nicely detailed straight out of the box, but as always there
are several ways to improve and represent different variations in the fleet. The roof walkways
have been painted to highlight the wooden planking with fixing bolts and associated weathering.
Bachmann have incorrectly fitted the 2 'V' hangers to the outside of the solebar on
one side of the unfitted Covhop - this arrangement was only found on the vacuum braked examples. It's
an easy enough job to snip off the offending outside bracket and fit a replacement inboard as shown here.
Wagons still require some highlighting to the chassis and the leaf springs painting rust colour.
The OHLE flashes appear to have been fitted on a ad-hock basis, with no particular
specification regarding the quantity or positioning, and were secured to blocks mounted on the bodyside.
To represent the depth of the block on the model, the transfer is left attached to the backing paper and
stuck on with superglue.
B886291 depicts a wagon fitted with roller bearings (51L Models), the oil boxes having been cut off
with a Dremmel and burr, and brass pinpoint bearings fitted into the axleguards. Different styles of roller
bearings were fitted to the fleet of Covhops, so it's always worth referring to a photograph of your chosen
model. As always, Paul Bartletts wagon website is invaluable for reference - details are on the links page.
There is also a useful article in Rail Express issue 217 (June 2014) by Trevor Mann in the
modelling section, which outlines the history of this wagon type along with some excellent colour images.
In the same issue, Alan Monk describes some simple upgrades to the model.
It's July 1971 with the summer sun bringing another day to life at Wibdenshaw.
Deltic 9009 Alycidon heads towards Bradford with a rake of the new mark 2D air conditioned coaches,
passing sister 9012 Crepello on a southbound express from the Leeds direction. A Calder Valley class
110 DMU watches over this busy moment as it approaches the station. There is still just enough traffic
to justify keeping the goods yard open, but the days are numbered for this type of operation.
As well as passing the time away at the lineside at Wibdenshaw, I've been spending
some spare time on the underside of the Hornsey baseboards. It's easy enough to stack it on its side
to make life easier when soldering wires. D type 25-way connectors are used throughout the layout, and
this view shows the wiring terminated on solder tag strips for ease of access and identification.
The wiring loom is terminated at the control panel to the left, and this loom will plug
into three adjacent baseboards, supplying point control, rail feeds, power distribution and return
signalling. The wiring diagrams are drawn before, and checked after each stage, so it's just a session
with the D plugs now. The old 8-core coloured wire loom was made to test the layout in a basic 4 loop
set up, and is now acting as a template for the new loom.
During the quieter summer months it's always good to revisit some of the stock photographs
that have been lost in the archives. Here a Ruston & Hornsby Permanent Way shunter is seen at BSC Shenston Road.
Based on the Airfix / Dapol engineers crane, the nonsense bogies have been discarded and a
proper rigid 4 axle chassis built, along with a bogie crane runner.
This trio of Diesel Brake Tenders were scratchbuilt a few years ago, and represent the most
common variants that were to be seen on British Railways.
With the introduction of fully fitted trains, these brake tenders were eventually phased out
towards the end of the 1970s.
Another variant featuring BR1 bogies.
Work has continued on various scenic elements this month. On board 2 the S&W Ltd works
yard has been painted, with the wall and gateway fitted. Further clutter will be added later – once I’ve
decided what S&W make or do!?
A view looking past the weighbridge towards the arrivals end of the sidings.
The addition of some bike racks (from the Wills kit) for the enginemen has seen board 2
completed except for final clutter…..only the Shunter is still riding his bike to work as with the booming
economy of 60’s Britain the Engine Driver can now afford a car….
With boards 1 to 3 finished except for final small items, attention turned to the concrete
wasteland of boards 4 and 5. Although I had hoped the coloured tile grout would give a good final colour, it
was clear that it was too pale for old concrete when dry. To overcome this, a thin wash of a Humbrol Matt
1 / Revell Matt 87 mix has been applied to darken the shade. (The pale panel towards the top of the picture
shows the original colour). The wash was applied panel by panel, with repeated coats on some panels to give
slight shade variations.
The toilet building is shown after fitting, surrounded by concrete dockside.
The dockside water is grime stained yacht varnish applied onto hardboard. This is built up
over several coats to give some illusion of depth.
The drain outlets on Canada Road often provoked comment at shows, so a similar feature is
on the new layout. The flowing water is scrunched up cling-film, fixed with super-glue and painted with the
stained varnish. Some flecks of white to suggest bubbles are yet to be added.
The latest loco to enter service in Paul James Eastwell fleet is D8404 with small
yellow panels. The weathering has been carried out by Greg Brookes, although this backlit shot
doesn't quite show it to its best effect. It's seen here at Pudsey Junction stabling point in
company with another classmate D8402, a class 15 in the background, and a couple of snowploughs.....
the thinking is it could be anywhere on the Great Eastern, with them all living out the last of their days!
With most of the large elements close to finished, smaller items have made progress
this month. Old sleepers were an ever-present feature of the railways in the 60s and 70s, these have
been made from strips of 2mm black plastic, textured with the edge of a medium file, knife, and pin,
and then painted in suitable greys and browns.
Two signs for use on the dock branch line have been soldered together out of offcuts of brass.
The signs are shown again after basic painting and lettering. The letters are 0,6mm
high and the words needed have mostly been pieced together by cutting up 4mm scale wagon markings. An
eye-straining challenge – but at least there were only two signs to do!
The external loading pipe for the Pauls building has been put together from various
sizes of brass tube, strip and angle. The fabric shroud at the bottom end is thin copper foil.
A dockside mobile caff has been made using the Wills kit. To bring it to life the
printed paper interior supplied with the kit has been created in relief using small plastic offcuts.
Further plates, mugs, and bottles have also been added on the counter.
The painted parts of the caff are pictured ready for re-assembly. I’m particularly
pleased with the way a sliver of shiny mylar tape has brought the hot-water tea urn to life.
Some of the cast iron columns for the Downing waterside building are shown in progress.
A superb matched set of basic pins, with a slight taper to the upper section, were turned in brass by
Ritchie Engineering of Manningtree. The raised relief rings are then added in the locating v-grooves
using three gauges of brass wire and solder.
The columns called for more drastic action as the dockside was drilled for the location
holes – but only after careful checking of positions relative to the column top plates on the building.
A view of the finished columns and the waterside building in position.
Final weathering of the buildings and some dockside clutter will complete this area.
The inset photo shows the office block which was featured on a previous update page
earlier this year, but after careful consideration I decided that the partially completed structure
didn't quite measure up as planned.
I'm much happier with this revised design, which is situated at the end of the layout
and also acts as a scenic break. Made from acrylic sheet, the basic structure can be seen here awaiting
cladding and further detail.
With a row of shops occupying the street level, the structure is shown here at a fairly
advanced stage of the build.
The new control panels for Hornsey Broadway are seen here, awaiting fitment of the final
few switches and LEDs for route setting, power distribution, and signalling. The panel top is cut from
3mm acrylic clear sheet, with reverse self-adhesive lining applied and then oversprayed black.
This view shows the completed storage yard panels stacked on top of each other, and looking
like something from a '70s hi-fi system! Route selection is by means of rotary switches for each fan of 4
sidings (indicated by LEDs). By utilising conventional variable D.C. control, this system allows for quick
and easy movement of up to 64 different trains within the storage yard.
