[Blackcloud]

My neighbour and close friend, John Marsden, passed away in June. His cousin has very kindly allowed me to have John's rather unique collection of trains, which gives me an opportunity to convert the Bell Inn diorama into a working layout in John's memory.

Having had chance to re-examine the trains and diorama at close hand I have come to some conclusions as to what needs doing. The track is currently code 75 and a lot of the trains bounce on the sleepers rather than running on the rails, also the middle track is too close to the waiting room, so I'll relay with code 100 to accommodate the old Triang wheels on some of the stock and realign the tracks to gain clearance from the building rather than try and move the structures. The new track will be buried in a shallow layer of sand to disguise the cross ties as a railway such as this would probably have longitudinal timbers or even stone block sleepers.

I have taken the opportunity of photographing the locos and most of the stock on the layout before work commences...


Probably John's favourite, the horse drawn coal train. Scratch built. The rear six cauldron wagons are also suitable for locomotive haulage.


Kit built "Lion" with a mixed assortment of rolling stock.


Triang/Hornby "Rocket" in two guises, note the different chimney. One in mint condition, the other looking a bit battered.


A third incarnation of "Rocket", this time with lower cylinders and a front drawbar as it was in later life. This is an adapted Airfix kit and is unmotorised but the coach behind it disguises a power unit and can push the freewheeling loco.


Vertical boiled loco based on "Novelty", scratch built.


Freelance 042 loco, scratch built.


An alien interloper, but not unlike many early British locomotives, Bachmann "Lafayette" and train.
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Bob Hughes
CM&EE Blackcloud Railways

[Jim Thompson]

Totally, completely, outstandingly awesome!

And condolences to all prayers are with you at this time...

Peace,

Jimmy
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c:\dos
c:\dos\run
run\dos\run

[giles b]

A sad way to get it, Bob, but a worthy addition to your collection of layouts. I shall look forward to seeing progress later. It's an interesting period for a working diorama and should provoke a lot of comment when exhibited.

[Blackcloud]

The diorama created a lot of interest when it was a static exhibit at the 2008 CRM show. I hope to have it working at our 2011 event, I know Sandbach is too far north for you Giles but I'm sure somebody will video it for Youtube.

In a slight change of track plan there will now be double track throughout. The reasons for this are:
1. Short wheelbase, light weight, four wheeled locos do not mix well with pointwork at low speeds.
2. Double track throughout makes operation easier with the up and down lines being independent of each other.
3. Plain line is cheaper than points.

I have now lifted the existing track and levelled the trackbed ready for relaying, the track is on hand and will be pinned down tomorrow. The tunnels to the left have been removed ready for replacement with an overbridge. I was playing with the idea of a building very close to the tracks in the style of the former post office at Grosmont but the structure I intended to use does not fit so the scenic break to the right will be dense woodland. The photos below show what the layout currently looks like.


Terraced housing on the high level road.


Viewed from track level.


Alternative arrangement with a barn on the near side of the road.


Additional clearance now available between the down line and the station building.


The lane to the right of the inn will cross the line on the level.


The forge end of the layout.


Small cottage, Airfix (?) kit.


The forge itself, scratch built. I like the way John gave the building some history with the newer stonework as evidence of an extension.


Overall view.

Tracklaying and ballasting will commence tomorrow.
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Bob Hughes
CM&EE Blackcloud Railways

[Blackcloud]

I add this in answer to a comment following a link to this thread posted by Shortliner on another forum... where I cannot reply directly.

[mog]

lovely stuff Bob. Nice that you are clearly trying to honour John's interest. (Not phrased well.. it's late.. but you know what I mean)
Apart from anything else though, it's interesting to see such vintage stock portrayed. Shame there isn't more of it about.
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Martin Hogg

Mogtrains at:
http://freespace.virgin.net/family.hogg/
Mogtrains2 at:
http://mogtrains.blogspot.com/
More railway stuff at:
http://photobucket.com/albums/b160/mogworld/
phew!

[Blackcloud]

Thanks Martin.

Mark Saturday 22nd January 2011 in your diary, the vintage trains will be on show at the fourth CRM exhibition.
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Bob Hughes
CM&EE Blackcloud Railways

[Blackcloud]

The track is now pinned down and cut to length. It has also had a sub-ballast of filler added, this was wiped between the sleepers to hold the track firm and also into the web of the rails. While still wet the filler was painted a light brown colour to simulate new rust.


The filler in the webs of the rail will, I hope, make it look as if the track is laid with bridge rail.

This is being left to dry overnight before the top layer of ballast is added to hide the sleepers.
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Bob Hughes
CM&EE Blackcloud Railways

[Blackcloud]

I have added the dropper wires at each end of the tracks ready for powering up the layout, but need to get some more multicore cable before I finish the wiring off. Not very photogenic so I'll leave this stage unillustrated.

Once I'd finished with the soldering iron I set about ballasting and patching up the scenery where the old tracks had been removed. The views below are taken from each end of the layout.


Still very much work in progress but I think the ballast will do the trick in disguising the rail profile. This might even resemble Barlow rail at a pinch but, with the deep ballast between the rails disguising the sleepers, it could certainly pass for being laid on stone blocks instead of cross ties.

I have also started planting trees at the right hand end of the layout, I'm not a great fan of bottle brush trees but with some trimming to prevent their symmetry and sameness they'll do, especially as they were in John's scenery box and obviously intended for the layout anyway.

After some deliberation I have decided to go with the barn on the near side of the high level road. This building has an upstairs door on the front and a door with steps down at the rear.

Setting this building below the road will make the upstairs door become a ground level entry and bring the rear steps closer to datum level.

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Bob Hughes
CM&EE Blackcloud Railways

[giles b]

That's really beginning to come together well, Bob. Like the new setting for the two-storey barn; makes a good visual link between the two levels.

[Blackcloud]

Cheers Giles, I've been working on this area today and think that the barn will look quite good when bedded in.


I have stated that I want to keep John's model as recognisable as possible but I think the three single track tunnels (photo above) were an unlikely bit of civil engineering so I'm replacing them with a bridge over the up and down lines and have removed the third track, which was a dead end siding behind the station building.

The bridge itself is being built with MDF structural parts, to be hidden by cosmetic beams and brickwork. The hillside is expanded polystyrene with filler applied over it. The yellow line shows the proposed ground level after the barn is secured in place.

The final photo for this post shows an overall view of the layout as it currently stands.
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Bob Hughes
CM&EE Blackcloud Railways

[Blackcloud]

I've been working around the barn and bridge today. The first photo shows an overall view of the area. The resin buildings have been rubbed down with sandpaper, both were far too dark and plain grey before but are a better match with the inn now. Rocket was being used for structure gauging under the bridge.


The barn is now bedded into the scenery, looking as if it belongs there, and the bridge has a timber deck.

I was brought up among stone buildings on hillsides and, even though the barn has lost a storey, I think this looks a lot more natural than plonking it in the middle of a billiard table-flat board.

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Bob Hughes
CM&EE Blackcloud Railways

[Jordan]

[Blackcloud]

The backscene used, ID 108D, does have a corrugated iron shed on it which John said was out of era and removed, hence the join in the sky behind the pub. I've just had a close look at the building you're refering to Jordan, it is actually of wooden construction and could easily have a tarpaper roof but I'll plant a bush next to the thatched hovel to obscure the shed anyway.
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Bob Hughes
CM&EE Blackcloud Railways

[Blackcloud]

The shed on the backscene is a bit to high for a bush to hide it so, in response to Jordan's comment, a new building (above) has been added instead. The roof is just temporary as this is an incomplete kit from John's box of bits. This building will not be weathered as it is meant to be new, the smithy's business having branched out into local carting and coaching now that the tramroad is a public carrier. I'll remove some of the hedgerow to allow direct access to the line for goods transfers.

Another building from the same source has been added behind the station. The origins of this structure are unknown but I'm taking it as being temporary accommodation for the navvies during construction, now taken over by either the inn or the railway company.

The station roof is missing in this photo because it is being re-worked to replace its corrugated appearance with one of tarpapered wood.

The high lane, which is to be called High Lane if only to save the definite article every time it is referred to, is now looking a bit muddy. Tarmac on such country by-ways is still a long time coming!
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Bob Hughes
CM&EE Blackcloud Railways