Popular Post Mrkirtley800 Posted February 1, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted February 1, 2015 (edited) I have been threatening to start this thread for some considerable time. Our layout, part 00 part EM was started in 1985 when I acquired from the EM Gauge Society a large number of wooden sleepers and an even larger number of brass rivets plus a couple of packs of code 75 rail. The track building commenced with inserting a rivet into a pre punched hole in the sleeper, swaging it over then hammering flat on a steel block. Tedious? yes but once in the swing of things I could proceed remarkedly quickly. I took sleepers/rivets to work and during lunch time prepared hundreds of sleepers. On one occasion the door of my office burst open and in came the managing director demanding to know what I was doing, it was driving him mad. His office was directly below mine. He took an interest when I explained and even had a go, but politely declined when I offered him some bits to take home with him.The layout proceeded quite rapidly, the EM track built using the prepared sleepers, my son's 00 was Scaleway, with points scratch built using copper clad sleepers.The track layout in the station was a Settle/Carlisle type and based on Lazonby, although transported to the south, approximately where Embsay Junction was in reality. The 00 lines represented the Skipton to Ilkley, while the EM was supposed to be a line which was heavily promoted but never built, linking Skipton with the North Eastern Railway somewhere near Leyburn in Wensleydale. The date being early June1908 It was an area I knew well as a lad on my cycling trips out of Leeds but somewhat later than 1908.This railway became fully operational about 1990, when I was able to start the scratch building of many of the buildings, signals etc.which were required.Time passed and my son left to go to university then into the world of work over 170 miles away. The 00 lines became used less and less, usually only when a couple of mates, Fred and Peter called. Both these two friends have, sadly, died so the 00 was virtually redundant.The layout was set at 4'6" height and the station boards nearly 3' wide and to keep things in order I had to climb on my bench to reach the long siding at the rear. So, when, after a lifetime of abuse, my knees gave up the ghost, I wasn't able to do any climbing. Don't believe what these experts tell you. Sport is bad for you. I played cricket, tennis, table tennis and badminton plus years of English folk dancing and now can't walk very far.A knee replacement was done in 2009 which went wrong and which required two more ops to put right.All this led to a serious rethink regarding our model railway.Here are a few piccies of Embsay Canal Road in it's heyday. Many of them have appeared in RMW before, usually in the Lunesters in the Settle Carlisle section, so my apologies if you have seen them before.However, because of my cranky knees I made the decision to partially scrap the layout, so the demise of Embsay Canal Road was put into operation. If anyone is interested I will describe how Kirkby Malham arose from the ashes. Edited July 3, 2018 by Andy Y 51 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Hi Derek, great to see you've actually started the thread at last, looks really nice and although I've seen some pics before these above are more superb examples. Thanks for sharing and really looking forward to more updates. All the best. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mrkirtley800 Posted February 2, 2015 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 2, 2015 One or two more pics of Canal Road at it's peak and before dismantling. My apologies, once again, if I have put them on RMW previously. I did not keep any sort of record of the piccies I have shown before. Derek 38 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Jason T Posted February 2, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 2, 2015 Good on you Derek, your layout deserves a wider audience and if it isn't well received, I'll eat my trousers 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 I hope they are tasty trousers Jason. Thanks anyway. Derek 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted February 2, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 2, 2015 Great to see this thread, Derek. That canal scene in post #1 is exquisite! Will be following you closely on this one. As Jason says, it will be popular. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Another follower here Derek. Some amazing detail and I hope there are many other followers. Your work deserves it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mrkirtley800 Posted February 4, 2015 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 4, 2015 So, after quite a long time thinking about what to do, I decided I could convert the main part of the layout into a terminus, at the same time slicing off about 11" along the length, in effect, cutting away the 00 section. On May 14th 2014 a loco plus brake van travelled the line picking up wagons standing in the yard. Then everything removeable was taken off and stored. The island platform unscrewed but the main platform with the station building could not be taken off without fairly serious surgery. Baseboards were taken down starting at the northern end of the fiddle yards. The two main boards containing most of the station are 4'9 " long, so with a friend on a hot day at the end of May, took them on to the patio and cut a section off lengthways. At this point I looked at the wreckage and asked myself "what have I done"? The first two pics are when the layout was being pulled apart. The gods shed unplugs so was easy to remove. By 21st May board 3 looked like pic 3, with a new edge to the board and preparing to install a crossover in the main lines. I had used some thinking time to build some pointwork ready for the big renewal. Piccie 4 shows the new crossover in place. I had decided on a small loco shed and turntable. This area will come off the original up refuge siding via an interlaced point (3-way). All this new pointwork had to fit in with the track already in place which followed a large 'S' shape sweep. By 27th May this is the progress made. If all this description of slotting in pointwork to existing track is trying to teach granny to suck eggs, I do apologise. Derek 23 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Worsdell forever Posted February 4, 2015 RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted February 4, 2015 Really nice to see this coming along, it's a layout I have had the pleasure of operating a few times over the last 20 plus years and of course photographing last spring (see Railway Modeller Annual 2015). It was a bit worrying when Derek told me that it was to be altered but all seems to be going well. 28 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 To show the formation from the station platform, the next pic shows the curved nature of the layout. The 'hole in the road is where the goods shed was situated, on the long loop, it is now on a spur. Pic 2 :This is board 3 as it appeared on 17 June. When operating Canal Road, I had a centralised control panel. I would sit on a high kitchen stool balanced on my daughter's stepping stool. it is amazing how time flies when your having fun (operating a model railway) and after a couple of hours when I tried to get off my stool, I had stiffened up which made it very painful. So with this layout I decided to change points by slide switches situated opposite the points. Also the section switches by the sections they control. It means that when operating I have to keep moving although not very far. Pic 3 shows a slender shelf made out of ply ready to take the switches. Signals will be also controlled by levers , the only wiring required under the boards is that used for traction and electro magnets for operating the couplings. I have used Alex Jackson couplings since the early 1960's. Final pic shows the switches installed. Also, I am finishing off with mahogany varnish. Canal Road was finished in matt black emulsion. The varnish looks better. Derek 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
backofanenvelope Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Very nice! I also have had some rumination on the route from Kettlewell to Wensleydale and originally thought about std gauge NER/LMS joint with a fictional back story allowing for it to wheeze on till the 50's with the bulk of the traffic taking place in the war years as a relief to the WR. I also had it in mind that Bedale wold have been expanded to allow for loco changes and the route would have split at somewhere between Constable Burton and Harmby. Anyway that plan went by the wayside long ago due to a nomadic life and no space! However it was resurrected when I considered NG and Hunslets labouring up t'dale to collect minerals and farming traffic.. Anyway looking forward to seeing your progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Still on board 3, the long siding along the back was to go, so another point had to be made, this time I used copper clad sleepers and thinner cork underlay as I wanted these sidings to be slightly lower than the main lines, Pic one is where I chopped a piece of track away to take the new point. The second pic shows the new point installed with a new siding along the back of the station. The hole in the ground is to take the goods shed, and with a little more track to extend this line, the board is done The new wiring and point operating arrangements took a fair bit of time but I will not go into that aspect. Derek 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted February 8, 2015 Author Share Posted February 8, 2015 Board 3 was wired and working, so work on board 2 commenced -- the main station board -- required a new crossover. This was pretty conventional, just two right hand points with 1:7 crossing angle. I lay my trackwork and ballast it all at the same time. I have done this since my first decent layout, Grassington, built in 1965. The new crossover was installed and ballasted. I pin the track/points in place with small drawing pins so that nothing can move when I add weights. After a couple of hours I gently brush off the surplus ballast for re-use later. The pics show the original station minus the old island platform, preparing to install the new points. The final two pics are the two boards (2&3) together and at this stage working. By now we are at the end of July 2014. The last shot was taken quite a long time after the work was completed and it is really out of sequence, but it does show the effect I am trying to achieve. Next job was provision of board 1, carrying the buffer stops and a depiction of the village, and board 4 which carries the main lines and yard headshunt and loco shed. Both these boards were made using old baseboards built at the same time as the original layout in the 1980's. I had intentions of doing some exhibition work at the time. Soon dropped that idea. Derek 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 (edited) That was some layout Derek and a long-lived one at that. Still, it is coming along and I'll bet you are enjoying doing a spot of layout building again after all those years. Sorry to read the knee op went bad on you.....It is an all-to familiar story......Mary is waiting for one. I hope Olga is okay. Blimey, we all had young kiddies when we used to meet up.....It was a different world! Edited February 8, 2015 by coachmann Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 The world is certainly a different place, Larry. I don't think I could set off after work now, and travel to North Wales with a loco for you to paint. You are dead right, I have really enjoyed this layout refurb. Canal Road was essentially complete, just a few details to add like point rodding - which I had started - so it was getting a bit boring. I had all the stock and locos required so my scratch building operations had gone into hibernation. Now it is like having a new lease of life. Olga, also a folk dancer, has started with a bit of hip problems. Wish we could go back a few years and live it all again. Derek 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steaming_chris Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Hello Derek I really do enjoy your work here in this thread. Hope you don't mind me asking, what ballast are you using ? I can guess that you mix different shades as it blends well with your existing track work, weathering etc ? Regards, Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Hello Chris, Thank you for your nice comments. When I started the thread I wasn't sure if many folks would bother with it, as so far all I have done is chop out sections of track and instal points etc. The ballast is a mixture of Woodland Scenics light and pale brown. I am sure, when I used it many years ago they were called limestone and ironstone. Anyway I mixed them in equal proportions and used them on Canal Road when it was first built. I have just run out so got some replacements. The new ballast is certainly of a different colour and stands out a bit, so I may have to try dribbling paint on it. Then again it just might change colour over time. Derek Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gismorail Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Wow Derek what a fantastic layout you should be so proud of such excellent modelling ..... now don't you dare stop we will all be watching for more progress Excellent Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 (edited) Now that the two main station boards were up and running, as I said previously, I needed to build two more boards, one for the end of the line containing buffer stops and a bit of the village (that is board 1) and the other which will have the yard headshunt and the main lines (board 4). These two boards were built up very quickly and put in place with rough outline of the lines of rail drawn in. The first two pics show the new board in place attached to board 5 of which more later. At the time, I was trying various combinations for a loco shed and turntable. I wanted a small 50' turntable, and although it would fit in a few places, it was a case of where would the Midland have put it, and where would it have the best visual effect. By mid September, the two main lines plus the carriage siding (the old up refuge siding) were in place on board 4 (pic 3) and in October 2014 the yard was complete, however I had managed to introduce a nasty little kink right on a board joint which derailed even compensated locomotives. So, it had to go (pic 4). The track was carried over on to board 5. This board was, not to put too fine a point, distinctly ragged. It had been made back in the 1970,s and had been part of two layouts, and still carried trackwork from Canal Road. Being a born and bred Yorkshireman, I couldn't part with it, so used it on Kirkby Malham. It was a mistake really, being pretty heavy and cumbersome, I should have built something much lighter. Anyway, the final pic shows track being installed on board 5. I will have to do something about the chipped edges on this board. You may notice that pics 4 and 5 are a bit out of sequence. Derek Edited February 10, 2015 by Mrkirtley800 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I think the turntable will look great there with the mainline swinging in behind and around it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mrkirtley800 Posted February 12, 2015 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 12, 2015 So, to recap. The first two pics show progress up to early October (2014). Yes, I had been beavering away all through that hot summer, although I did sit in the sun for short periods to top up my vitamin D, you understand. While I had the boards down to work on, I was able to turn them round and "plant" the stables (for 5 horses) provender store, the tackle store and the cabin for the carters.. Pics 3 & 4 A buffer stop was installed at the end of the headshunt -- a temporary measure as it turned out, and an old H&M point motor put in to control the point into the shed, again a temporary fitting. Then I could play. The temporary buffer stop will eventually be removed and the headshunt continued on to board 5, where a private siding will be laid, serving a timber merchant. Derek 20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Beautiful use of space, by which I mean a sprawling layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Looking really nice Derek, the colouring of the Track and Buildings is very peaceful and balanced. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 (edited) Now it was time to think about the loco facilities, and decide where the turn table should go. The base board framing on board 5 got in the way so the table had to go on board 4. A 50' turn table would just fit between the board frames, so out came my dad's old keyhole saw (it is older than me) and a hole cut in the board. This is in pic 1 The actual turn table was built up on a piece of MDF, the basic well was a piece of thick card, covered in brick plastikard. It fits the hole in the base board from below and is screwed in place. When finished it will be glued. Pic 2 shows the early stages of the table, and pic 3 the thing in place. While working on the turntable, I installed a turnout in place of the 3-way point on board 5. This board is so cumbersome, I tried to put on the basic scenery while it was accessible. In pic 4 I was working on the ground cover. The point controls the private siding, and pic 5 is shows the first "coat" of grass (that dreaded word). Finally, in pic 6 we have the basis of the loco yard and the private siding. This siding will eventually be fenced off from the railway owned lines. The engine shed is scratch built and is loosely based on the one at Leicester West Bridge. The building right at the bottom right corner is the engine crew's bothy, a loose copy of the one at Dent. I built this some years ago for Canal Road, but found there wasn't room for it, so it has sat on a shelf until now. The 'industrial' buildings are just put there for a bit of effect and will be replaced by a timber yard. The row of houses along the back are stood on a piece of 2" by 1". It will be a cobbled street in due course. To get to this stage took just over seven months, and the last photo was taken on New Years Eve. By this time I was getting a bit bog eyed with it all and decided to take a week off. Little did I know that my wife and I would go down with the winter sickness (man) bug and the winter (man) flu. Certainly stopped me in my tracks. Derek Now it was time to think about the loco facilities, and decide where the turn table should go. The base board framing on board 5 got in the way so the table had to go on board 4. A 50' turn table would just fit between the board frames, so out came my dad's old keyhole saw (it is older than me) and a hole cut in the board. This is in pic 1 The actual turn table was built up on a piece of MDF, the basic well was a piece of thick card, covered in brick plastikard. It fits the hole in the base board from below and is screwed in place. When finished it will be glued. Pic 2 shows the early stages of the table, and pic 3 the thing in place. While working on the turntable, I installed a turnout in place of the 3-way point on board 5. This board is so cumbersome, I tried to put on the basic scenery while it was accessible. In pic 4 I was working on the ground cover. The point is controls the private siding, and pic 5 is shows the first "coat" of grass (that dreaded word). Finally, in pic 6 we have the basis of the loco yard and the private siding. This siding will eventually be fenced off from the railway owned lines. The engine shed is scratch built and is loosely based on the one at Leicester West Bridge. The building right at the bottom right corner is the engine crew's bothy, a loose copy of the one at Dent. I built this some years ago for Canal Road, but found there wasn't room for it, so it has sat on a shelf until now. The 'industrial' buildings are just put there for a bit of effect and will be replaced by a timber yard. The row of houses along the back are stood on a piece of 2" by 1". It will be a cobbled street in due course. To get to this stage took just over seven months, and the last photo was taken on New Years Eve. By this time I was getting a bit bog eyed with it all and decided to take a week off. Little did I know that my wife and I would go down with the winter sickness (man) bug and the winter (man) flu. Certainly stopped me in my tracks. Derek Edited February 16, 2015 by Mrkirtley800 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrkirtley800 Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 Having, at last, got over the dreaded lurgie we could get down to some modelling again Moving on, the private siding is looking something like pic 1 although some of those buildings will not stay there. It is all propped up on a bit of hardboard - I'm good at that (propping things up I mean). Board 6 is almost unaltered from Canal Road and board 7, taking the line round the end on a 4' radius curve is in pic 2. This board originally carried two '00' lines as well as my EM ones, and in the alterations was cut in half (lengthways). It shows what a mess the layout is in and the remedial work I will need to do, with pic 3 looking the other way. The point in (2) is part of a crossover into the yard. It is situated on a curve and in the early days on Canal Road gave a lot of trouble until I found I had built it way out of gauge ---- doh!! Those who may have looked in on Canal Road may recognise the bridge in pic 4 although it is now cut in half. It is at this stage I went back to the loco facilities and started laying the line to the turn table (pic 5) then to the shed (pic6). The turn table is still in it's early stages, so I cannot do any more with the approach track. Finally the shed in use in pic 7. The loco is standing over the ash pit, which was dug out of the board but a long way from being finished. Derek 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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