7mm The Derby Line: Basford North

[dibateg]

We are still concentrating on Vernon road, I've been putting in kerbs and the road and pavement surfaces. All those fiddly little gaps will need to be sorted out... Retaining walls are in and there is still a lot of Kingspan carving to do. Doesn't it make a lovely mess...

 

[dibateg]

There has been some scenic progress - mostly the acquisition of materials, but at last after many years of searching, I managed to obtain a copy of the local working timetable - it is a few years earlier than my chosen era, but I can now devise an operating sequence from it:-

 

[dibateg]

A week or two back, the goods shed was collected from Peter Leyland - it is much reduced in size to fit in the space, but I hope captures the feel of the original.



Meanwhile, work continues on the station approach...

 

[dibateg]

This is where I'm bogged down.. Due to the curve of the layout ( in reality, the line is straight here ) , the station approach is greatly compressed. So, I have had to make a few compromises to make it fit. The road to the yard now turns behind the curved wall, to then slope down next to Vernon Road to join it offscene. Otherwise, it would have been far too steep. In reality the footpath approach had a lot more width between the back of the platform and the buffer stops. At least the distictive stepped wall and triangular coping stones looks as per prototype, although there was only the adjoining pillar at the entrance. However, the topography is nearly there. I find loco building a whole lot easier!

 

[dibateg]

I seem to be doing a lot of painting, platforms, walls, anything that doesn't move... Geoff is cracking on with the soft furnishings.. at last it's starting to look the right sort of colours..

 

[dibateg]

Work in progress with background clutter. Geoff Taylor has been giving me a hand with the scenic work and we've started with the most inaccessible spot. In the meantime I've prepared what seems like miles of fencing, starting with the up platform. The path up to the back of the station also needs to be fenced... It's dark in this corner, so more lighting is waiting to be collected from Screwfix.


There is lots of touching in to do yet.

 

[Dog Star]

The photos in the previous post have potential to attract attention from the "no prototype photos to be passed off as model photos" brigade.

 

[3 LINK]

Hi Tony,

Wow, you can’t beat a bit of greenery. It must help having Geoff there as his work is always inspiring.

Martyn.

 

[dibateg]

Yes - I'm very grateful for Geoff's help Martyn, I did have some help from the late DLOS, And I know there are things he would have loved to have helped with. Machining the slotted concrete signals from brass would have been right up his street.

The master scenic craftsman at work - the greenery is spreading, as is the fencing... It is a bit green yet, I want to make it more faded late summer. We are trying to work from the back forwards and the main platform is re-enforced so I can actually stand on it if necessary...

 

[Compton castle]

Superb to see the greenery expanding, I would spray it with a layering spray or clear mat varnish if you’ve got plenty of ventilation and use autumnal and field straw colours blended applied with a static grass applicator to get that late summer look.
It’s good to add the last layers around the bushes etc as you get shadow pockets where the grass has not grown so tall as the bushes are taking the light and moisture and reveals areas of shorter greener grass.

 

[dibateg]

Thanks Steve - thats something we have been talking about. We were going to try it - it's not something we've done before, but I didn't have a battery for the applicator! We shall do a test somewhere first.

Any advice is gratefully received!

Tony

 

[dibateg]

I thought it was time to make a start on the signals over the winter. Useful workbench time on colder days, without having to heat the railway room up.

All from Wizard Models, an easy start with a couple of tubular and a wooden post to get my eye in.. There are hords of shunt signals and ther is a nice little LNER casting from MSE, but with my ham fistedness I could see them lasting 10 minutes. So I've fabricated up my own from some rail and brass. The lamps seem a little big, so they have also been cut down on one side.

 

[dibateg]

The weekly scenic session with Geoff progresses things and we've started ballasting. In the meantime I've been adding yet more fencing. The intention is to finish everything on this end and then progress through the station at the back of the layout. There are always endless bits of detail that can be added later. You can imagine heading up that path, wondering what locos you might cop today..

 

[dibateg]

Signals 48 & 90 take shape - now I can see there should be another angle support at the back. I'm trying to work out if there was a ladder. Notice the white painted balance weights - just to make sure you don't bump your bonce...

 

[adrian]

There are always endless bits of detail that can be added later. You can imagine heading up that path, wondering what locos you might cop today..

I hope there is going to be a camera or easy access to that part of the layout when complete - it'd be great to watch the trains snaking through the station from that vantage point.

 

[dibateg]

Yes - there is a complete 1st class carriage seat behind the camera Adrian. Visitors can sit comfortably and watch trains running over the embankment.



Regards
Tony

 

[adrian]

Yes - there is a complete 1st class carriage seat behind the camera Adrian. Visitors can sit comfortably and watch trains running over the embankment.

Now that is style!

 

[dibateg]

I've not had much time to get to the workbench, but after some research - discovered that my shunt signal above is entirely wrong! It's not an LNER, but a BR version derived from an LMS design. Bolton bits to the rescue! Jon sells a suitable etch, so there will be an update in due course.

In the meantime I've been working on the 5 arm signal for the goods yard. Most of the signals are modified or scratched up, as there is no commercial product for the calling on arms.

 

[dibateg]

I've now reworked signals 48 & 90 with those excellent etchings from Jon Fitness:


The shunt signals are an LMS design. The GC/GN changed over from ER to LM region in the late 50's, so there must have been some signalling updates at Basford North around 1959/60, where these and a new bracket signal were installed.. I wonder what the ex LNE S&T men made of these interlopers..

 

[dibateg]

Signals 68, 72 & 75 take shape. This is perhaps the most complicated I've made so far...

Seasons greetings and all the best for 2023!