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JANUARY 2015 UPDATE
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KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
HYWEL THOMAS *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
FEBRUARY 2015 UPDATE
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PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KEITH TRUEMAN *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
MARCH 2015 UPDATE
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KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
PAUL JAMES *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
APRIL 2015 UPDATE
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KARL CROWTHER *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
KIER HARDY *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
PETE JOHNSON *****************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Deltics 9002 & 9009 at Hornsey Road depot, having been spotted by the group of
youths waiting to catch the bus.
A Cravens 4-car class 105 DMU leaves Hornsey Broadway on a suburban service to
Stratford, as a green class 08 loco hauls departmental wagons along the freight only branch.
A closer view of Long Row, with the addition of
the even numbered buildings bordering the railway.
The building on the left started out as the leftover parts of a 'City Classics' HO
scale construction kit with the addition of a pitched roof and detail bits & pieces, whilst the
building in the centre is from the DPM range. The other buildings across the street are a mix of
scratchbuilt and adapted Walthers kits.
Showing the expanding group of buildings by the lineside. Iron railings (plastic)
from Ratio.
It's always good to share a tip, no matter how simple! After looking around for
something I could use as drain pipe clips, the tube of a cotton bud proved to be just right.
A sea of blue featuring a 6-car Cravens unit making its way to 'The Cross' and
about to pass an Anglo-Scottish service headed by Deltic 9012 Crepello. In the background a Brush type
4 fresh from shed emerges from the gloom of Long Row Tunnel, with a class 501 EMU stabled in the
siding. The background buildings are nearing completion, which will then allow detailing work
to be started in the foreground, including the LT station area and tube stock.
This month has been a bit of a break from the new layout, with various rolling
stock projects progressing instead. First up is the Dia 2/072 Flat ED, B906811, now painted and weathered.
The 55T Arm ET, B908009, has also had its livery applied and weathered, and is ready
for a steel block load to be added.
A clutch of Brush type 2s, which have been taking the slow line OMWB for many months,
are finally getting close to completion. D5641 is a Finsbury Park engine with use on Hornsey Broadway
in mind. Modelled to a photo from 1971, the ‘D’ prefix suggests it was an early re-paint into rail blue,
but somehow dodged removal of the D in the livery revision of mid-1968.
A second Kings Cross suburban loco of the same period is 5595. All four locos are
based on the Lima model, but with various detail improvements, including glazing and fan grills from
the Extreme Etchings range. This was my first experience with ‘Laserglaze’ and I was hugely impressed
with the virtually perfect fit of every panel – a real boon to the 4mm finescale diesel modeller.
Next is a Class 31/0 of the same era, 5501 was a long time Stratford engine, but may
make the odd visit to Hornsey Broadway on an occasional cross-London freight. It will also suit Canada
Street for Ipswich-area segways of 1969-71.
More specifically intended for Canada Street is 5670 in the 1973 livery style. The
switch to a single central badge and cab-side numbers was to see the type through into the TOPS era.
Another first-time modelling experience this month has been a Judith Edge brass kit -
the intermediate style of low bonnet North British 0-4-0. I have not found it an easy build, and have
several burnt finger tips to show for progress so far……Improvised clamping with bent bits of brass,
clothes pegs and superglue has now lessened the suffering for my art somewhat. Once the bits are
together the result is truly superb however, and I look forward to starting a sister loco, armed with
what I’ve learned on kit No.1.
A second view from a couple of days later, with the engine cover almost finished.
Continuing with the major redevelopment at Morfa Bank, most of the demolition
work has been carried out with the remaining features bearing witness to the changes.
It might not look much at the moment, but all the scenery no longer required has
been removed with most of the materials for the new build already acquired. This view shows the
remains of 'wire in tube' point control, via omega loops to slide switches.
Showing the site of the old Glamolic Resins plant (now demolished). The row of small
businesses will remain but the existing line will now head off scene to serve a spoil tip alongside
the river. A small semi-derelict river quay will occupy the foreground and a run down coal tip as
the scenic break.
Looking in the opposite direction, the link to the former low level yard is on the
far right. This will remain but serving only a re-sited scrap yard and a fiddle yard representing
the ingot mould foundry (the former half relief foundry from the earlier layout will be moved 90
degrees forming a new back scene in the distance), and the river quay dealing with steel exports.
The yard tracks will remain as they were and the gap beyond the fence will become the new home for
the re-sited buildings from the removed board.
The 55T Arm ET pictured last month is shown after the steel block load has been added.
The second Judith Edge shunter kit has made rapid progress while the methods learned
from the first one are still fresh in the memory….
This one is the final style of North British 0-4-0, with increased fuel capacity and a
stepped top to the engine cover. Two of these locos have survived into preservation after being sold to
industrial use by BR. Both are now back ‘home’ north of the border where they spent their working lives
on BR. (All of the two earlier variants were scrapped)
The steam tug ‘Julia’ has been completed with the addition of some tyre bumpers down
both sides and weathering of the paintwork.
A new departure for me – road vehicles! ‘Canada Road’ got by without any for 25 years,
but on Canada Street they really are needed. Choosing suitable types to cover the 1960s and 70s is a
challenge, and perhaps a bit of a historical ‘stretch’ if I’m honest. For an HGV I’ve chosen this ERF
KV 4-axle flatbed…..a chassis format that is mostly used only in stone tippers these days, but was far
more common before articulated rigs were permitted. The vehicle models available now feature superb
livery detail, and all I’ve had to do is customise the tarped load a bit and add a little road grime.
Meanwhile on the layout itself, the Paul and Burtons buildings have been blended to
the dockside hardstanding using my usual mix of grime tinted matt varnish. To judge by the Anglia van
R&W Paul must have the electrician in.
A ‘drone cam’ view of the dockside rail lines, looking under the R&W Paul loading gantry.
Over at the old G&W.E.Downing buildings the waterside loading pipes and columns
have been weathered.
Looks like the vandals have been busy on the now empty main Downing building.
It must be a big re-wiring job at R&W Paul - the van was still there as the sun was going down!
The layouts traverser of six tracks is now functional as a storage platform for
the off scene area.
I have used a simple, self designed locking system to keep tracks aligned, a single
pin only through a piece of U channel, perhaps not an original idea but it is much speedier to use
than the more popular twin bolts method.
Electrical power to the six tracks is via a rotary switch, a personal preference
away from using the twin rail side bolts to convey current. SPST’s will also be installed to form a
bank of switches for the Locomotive refuge roads at this terminating end of the traverser.
To keep the traverser table wiring loom tidy, and safer, the wires are shielded
within a flexible tube wrap.
With a class 08 shunter and a NBL class 16 already receiving attention, Deltic 9009
Alycidon enters road 3 at Hornsey Road depot.
D3312 is on shunting duty at the wagon works, which sees the arrival of 2 new Hornby R6677
hopper wagons. I've already got a few different design 21 ton hoppers in the fleet which have been built
using the Mainline / Dapol model, and a variety of Parkside kits (one shown above looking rusty).
The bodies have been removed to aid the fitting of Smiths 3-link couplings. On the back siding is a collection
of other wagons (Bachmann) awaiting attention before entering service.
Representing LNER built 21 ton hoppers, the model is also suitable for some early BR
built wagons utilising the same chassis / brake arrangement and rivetted body. On the left is a wagon
straight out of the box, the middle two undergoing some detailing work, and on the right a Parkside kit.
I've repositioned and fitted new handrails as per the photograph of E270706 in David
Larkin's 'Working Wagons' book (vol 1 page 18). There's just a few finishing touches to do,
including the application of OHLE warning flashes. These hoppers will have to remain empty at all times
unless the position of those bottom door operating handles change!
With the required modifications finished, these 2 hoppers are ready for service. As with
all my wagon projects, thanks must go to Paul Bartlett and his collection of photographs and information.
Minicabs are go!.... with an urgent call for an airport pick-up. Showing at the Odeon
this week are 'Carry On Up the Jungle' & 'The Railway Children'. Centre stage
is the depot throat pointwork which intercepts with the branch line. As well as fuel oil and enparts for
the depot, there are occasional small wagon trip freights serving local industries along the branch.
Meanwhile on the depot D1100 is being prepared for its next turn of duty,
1L34 being the Down Yorkshire Pullman.
You would be mistaken for thinking the layout is in an advanced stage of
construction, but this January 2015 image shows little happening in the depot area.
The key to finalising the general track configuration is the throat pointwork
and the potential to access each track relatively easy.
A general view of the loco depot and the pointwork under construction.
You'll always see it's copperclad if you look closely, but it's a compromise I'm
happy to live with because of the size of the layout.
After trimming sleepers, ballasting and painting. There's still a bit of final
weathering to do on the track, and some point detailing to add.
The layout has been wired for good old fashioned variable DC, and everything is
documented for ease of reference and construction. The scissors crossover requires different
sections to be polarised, using 2 X 4-pole relays, for operation with 2 separate controllers.
Also showing underside of wired relay bases.
The latest project on my work bench is a Heljan Railbus which has been internaly
detailed and populated..... and the wheels spread out to EM gauge.
Showing the model dismantled and painting of interior started.
A few legs chopped off later, looking something like this.
I've also been dabbling with this conversion - a Hornby Trout (3 discharge chutes)
into a Mackerel with its lower bodysides and single discharge chute. Further details can be found on my
The making of a sign..…..Not letters for a ransom note, but for the Burton building!
These little projects can usually be knocked up on the computer in next to no time, but a rummage
through the spare transfers box found a couple of 30 year old sheets from Airfix ‘Prestwin’ kits with
a suitable font. Because of their age the carrier film had turned cream, so I went with the flow and
gave the 0.25mm plastic card sign a cream background.
The finished sign, cut out and fitted in position…..and then some geezer lent his bike against it!
Another finishing touch has been a few Seagulls. These have been shaped from 2mm
white plastic, with 0,3 wire used for the legs and beaks..... One of the finished Seagulls takes
in the view from the Downing building.
A detail view of cable drums left by the derelict Canada Street entrance gatehouse.
The trouble with picking-out bricks is once you start.....
..... several thousand bricks later, the end is finally in sight! I found that a
grime tinted matt varnish worked well for giving varying tones within the same basic brick colour.
The view looking up towards the wagon loader beneath the Downing bridge.
A closer look at the bridge reveals it's in a poor state.
Weathering of the waterside face of the building is now complete - this view can be
compared with the real structure pictured in the update of a few months ago.
While the weathering paints were out the four Brush type 2s were completed. D5641
finished to a picture of it taken in 1971.
Oil stained 5595, also modelled to a picture taken during 1971.
Stratford’s 5501, finished with only light weathering. I find the added grime around
the cab front features of Class 31s really brings them to life.
The last of the four, No. 5670, in a typical appearance for the early 1970s.
With most of the finishing touches done, test running has begun on the layout. The
first power-up in over a year found 3 cracked solder joints between rails and sleepers causing dead
sections, but otherwise things have gone well. In this view - re-creating the mid-1960s - a Class 03
shunts the yard while the driver’s Morris van looks on.
Later the same day the loco is pictured taking some vans down the branch into the docks.
Fast-forward a decade, and it is 1974 and Liverpool, where 02 003 is found working in
the exchange sidings.
And green TOPS number 24 136 was seen stabled between turns in the yard.
A move of house into rented accommodation at the very end of 2014 resulted in
a slowing of progress on the layout, but a certain amount was achieved prior to the Nailsea
show in March 2015, where these photos were taken. As can be seen here, the right hand end of
the layout has a scenic break formed by a substantial over-bridge and the September 2014 Update
pages showed this under construction. The structure is now just about completed – the main
beams are formed from Wills Vari-girder sections, with the upper wing built up in styrene,
whilst the piers are Wills coarse stone sheet, to match the other retaining walls.
Sited beneath the bridge is a Knightwing Portable-cabin, intended to divert the
view away from the backscene behind. It’s still in need of more weathering (as is the surrounding
yard area), but starting to look the part and adds to the 1970s atmosphere. A number of suitable
railway personnel have also started to appear, these being from the S&D Models range, whilst the
ubiquitous BR Brut Tolley is from Ten Commandments, again helping to reflect the 1970s period.
This little building appeared under construction in the November 2014 update.
Two versions were in fact built, one following the prototype with three windows, plus this shorter
one with just the two. In the end it was decided that this one suited the location better and it
helps to divert attention away from the exit into the fiddle yard.
The small stone-built office building has also now been permanently sited. With
point levers and some vegetation starting to appear, the scene is gradually taking shape, but still
with much fine detailing to be undertaken , and much-needed weathering of those road vehicles!
A more general view of the central part of the layout shows one of the new yard
lamps to good effect. These are by RM Lectronics and were so similar to those at Halifax goods yard,
I just had to make use of them, saving a lot of scratchbuilding. A general weathering mix has been
applied, and they should look even more effective once the lamps have been wired up.
A more general view of the layout, again showing yard lamps. Detailing the roadway
with lamp posts and other street furniture is another job on the ‘to do’ list, along with the much
larger challenge of completing the coal drop interiors.
I like this low-angle shot, though why parcels stock should be on the coal drops
is a mystery! Presumably these vehicles were being used as reach wagons to get some coal hoppers
from the far end of the coal drops. The layout is next due to be out at Stockport over the weekend
of 9th/10th May 2015.
D3312 haules a rake of Pipe wagons along the high level branch line at Hornsey Broadway.
Spurred on by the arrival of 2 Bachmann Pipe wagons at the workshops, my 6 (long on
the shelf) Parkside kits are receiving final detailing and weathering. For variety, a couple have
been fitted with clasp brakes, and this view shows other wagons nearing completion. In the background
are a couple of maroon mark 1 coaches which will join the existing fleet of blue / grey rolling stock.
There were still a handful of maroon coaches in service during the early 1970s, as
depicted in this rake heading for Kings Cross, whilst a pair of class 20s haul a rake of loaded 16ton
mineral wagons to Temple Mills Yard in East London.
A latest addition to the loco fleet is this Hornby Class 08. The model is
finished as D3988, built at Derby Works during 1960, and amongst the early recipients of
wasp stripes from new. Although the 3 chain minimum curve limit for an 08 will prevent it
negotiating the docks branch, it will see use on trip trains into the exchange sidings.
Springing has been added to the unpowered axles to give chassis compensation over uneven track.
A classic piece of British design which has stood the test of time, and
just had to feature on the layout….. This early 1960s short wheelbase Landrover MkII has
been converted from the Airfix 1/76 scale kit.
LMS ‘Jinty’ 47406 is pictured leaving the yard with a train of coal empties.
This was amongst my first EM models, built in 1982 using a Hornby bodyshell on a Perseverance
chassis kit, but it never saw much use on Canada Road. It has recently had new Alan Gibson
wheelsets fitted, giving much improved running for the Birkenhead 1962 segway.
From the same sequence, D1001 ‘Western Pathfinder’ waits while its train is shunted.
Moving forward a few years, Drewry Class 04 D2284 rests on the dockside during
a bright spring morning on Tyneside in 1966.
The delectable Dee waits in hope of a thirsty engine crew to bring her
some trade once the shunt is over.
…..And the seagull waits in hope of some scraps from a bacon butty!
Later in the morning D2284 is seen heading back towards the exchange sidings
with empty minerals in tow.
Fast forward 9 years, and it's now Southampton in 1975. Ruston & Hornsby Class 07
No. 07 010 sorts some vans and conflats on the tracks by the Burtons building.
The loco then rounds the curve towards the yard with a short string of vans.
In this long shot, the 07 is seen again just off the dock branch, in the
company of fellow Eastleigh loco BRCW 33 028.
The final view of the sequence finds 07 010 now stabled by the weighbridge.
Hopefully these few pictures give an idea of how the layout operates, with a ‘feature’
shunting engine, and a supporting cast of wagons and mainline locos to suit the location and
period.
