7mm The Derby Line: Basford North

[dibateg]

I'm also working up the kit that Geoff Taylor designed and laser cut for me in MDF for the Northern road bridge over Vernon Road. Here it is post closure. It was demolished a year or two later.




It is straight - the camera lens has distorted it a bit... I chose not to stand on the swivel chair to get more height!

 

[Dave Holt]

You're absolutely right, standing on swivel chairs is a sure fire recipe for a visit to the local hospital.
Dave.

 

[dibateg]

Sounds like the voice of experience Dave!

 

[Dave Holt]

No, not at all - just a vivid imagination.
We did laugh our socks off when the head of safety at a company I worked for climbed on top of a wheely bin to reach his guttering. Not surprisingly, it shot out from under him and he, sadly, broke a leg in the resulting fall. Off work for about 6 weeks. We didn't find his injury funny, just the irony of a safety expert doing such a daft thing.
Dave.

 

[dibateg]

Scenic work has commence around the Vernon Road bridge. Geoff T has kindly brought along his skills to help out. It is a big transition for me - from purely loco building...


An O1 rumbles over the bridge with a loaded coal train on it's way to Colwick yard. the bridge is in undercoat and yes, they are yellow bricks in the arch...

 

[Dave Holt]

Tony,
Coming along nicely. I'm in the same boat as you regarding scenic work versus loco building! Looking forward to further progress.
Dave.

 

[dibateg]

I've slowly been progressing the scenic topography. In the meantime I have collected the buildings from Peter Leyland. Given time, maybe I could turn my hand to architectural modelling. I decided to commission the buildings from Peter Leyland and what a superb job he has done.

Up waiting room:-


Signal box - the roof isn't on properly, complete with wartime blast wall:-


Numbers 2 and 4 Saxondale Drive!:


Basford North Station building. It's unusual as it was the only stone built station on the line, but the layout is very familiar. Originally the approach was from this side, but during the alterations around 1900 a bay platform was put in on this side and the approach was made from a path way from Vernon Road coming in from the left.


I just need to get on and make some platforms now!


Happy Xmas and a healthy and happy New Year to all Western Thunderers!

Tony

 

[Heather Kay]

Wow! Those buildings are amazing.

<inserts jaw-drop emoticon>

 

[john lewsey]

Agreed, those Buildings look great. All of it does really
John

 

[dibateg]

Yes - Peter has done a great job - far better than I could achieve - I 'm very pleased!

I am making slow but sure progress with the scenery... I've formed the path that runs from Vernon Road to Brooklyn Road around the back of the station. A removable section of ply has been made up- with the white card on top is for the council house. This will allow access to that remote part of the layout. The road base has been made out of hardboard, that will have a surface added on top. I just need to weather and finish the bridge and then the banks to the wing walls can be finished off.

 

[Phil O]

I like the sinuous reverse curve through the station.

 

[LarryG]

Agreed. It does look very good. I am of the opinion we 'get away' with sharper than scale curves on layouts because everything else in the scene is foreshortened as here. We are in effect looking at a telephoto view of the location. I always look forward to updates on the Derby Line.

 

[dibateg]

As you probably know the track plan was done with Templot and Jim G of this parish kindly refined the design with transition curves. It does mean that you cannot fit quite as much in, but the protoypical flow of the track makes up for that.

In the meantime I've been experimenting with the backscene by using printed photos of the council house that was made for me by Peter Leyland. I'm going to need to refresh my Photoshop skills...:-


I'm making up the platforms with 2mm MDF, there will be a certain amount of trimming and I am waiting for a vising Princess to check the clearances...

 

[Scale7JB]

I’m quite handy on PS if there is anything that you require doing, or remembering how to do..

JB.

 

[Stephen Freeman]

In my opinion I don't think that anybody can beat Peter Leyland for buildings.

 

[Pencarrow]

Excellent work on the buildings.

Regarding the platform gauging, which princess do you need?:

 

[dibateg]

Thanks JB, I will bear that in mind.

Yes - I'm very pleased with Peter's work I have to say.

In the meantime I've been working on the poster boards for the Vernon road bridge, it's easier to do them now than when they are in situ. As the wing walls lean back from vertical, there were some wooden frames to mount the hoardings. I found some images of the net and resized them in Photoshop. I wanted them to look slightly faded, so they are printed on plain paper and glued to the plastic board with MekPak. It's likely that some of these posters were never seen together, but there is something about that era that appeals to me...

 

[Suddaby]

This was on FB this week, I see it's TGH so you have probably seen it. (I wonder if it is now in Tony Sheffield's collection?) "Basford North: Bullied West Country Pacific 34102 'LAPFORD' is seen with an empty stock working from Nottingham Victoria after working up from Southampton with a Southampton v Nottingham Forest FA Cup Special, Southampton eventually won 5 - 0 at the 3rd attempt. 30-3-63. Photo: T G Hepburn."
There was some discussion in the thread about what the train was doing, and that it might have been turning the whole train ready for the return journey. This was someone else's comment - "The whole train was being turned around to head back south, so as I understand the train heads North from Nottingham Victoria comes off the GC at Bagthorpe Junction then into Basford North as in the picture. From Basford North the train would be propelled from Basford North to Bulwell Common South Junction, now the loco is facing south with the whole train without having to uncouple or turn the loco on a turn table, I can only guess the turntables at Nottm Vic were too short to fit a Big loco like a Bullied on it to turn."
So now you can have a bullied Pacific, and a most unusual working to boot! I presume it would have been stabled somewhere after this manoeuvre?

 

[dibateg]

Thanks Suddaby - I had just seen that photo on the Nottingham Railways remembered group and was about to re-post it! So I wasn't so far out when I tested 34091 Weymouth on my railway!

I wonder how the train was turned? Although I have no knowledge of the workings, I would thought it was unlikely that the whole train be reversed around that tight and steep chord to Bulwell Common... but who knows.. Maybe a pilot coupled up to the rear and took the set to the GN carriage sidings for servicing, whilst the pacific turned on the triangle..

Regards
Tony

 

[dibateg]

I'm well out of my comfort zone with scenic work, but topography and boundary work proceeds with walls sprouting up and road surface prepared. I've changed the orientation of the Saxondale Drive house on to Vernon Road. Everything is compromised as the formation through the station should be straight of course. Not prototypically correct, but it looks better and the house that is actually there wouldn't fit.. Space space space - there is never enough!