ScR steam in the 50's

Amazing photos!

Really looks the part. You’ve merged in the new track perfectly. 

Always been a fan of this layout Richard and its good to see it back in the pages of the forum.  The engine shed "throw-up" looks great with that light.

Barry

Some random shots from a recent session.

Couple of shots of some of the Small Ben fleet in BR lined black - they really should have lived  long enough to get this.

Lovely shots. That could almost be a T9.

Yes- great shots Richard.  :thumbs
What was the thinking behind that long platform in front of the smokebox door and the front bogie being well forward ?  Was it for better weight distribution ?

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

Yes- great shots Richard.  :thumbs
What was the thinking behind that long platform in front of the smokebox door and the front bogie being well forward ?  Was it for better weight distribution ?
 

Probably - it is a feature of several of both Drummond brothers designs.

[user=1120]peterm[/user] wrote:

Lovely shots. That could almost be a T9.

Thanks. That,s because it almost is….The two Drummond brothers closely coordinated their work, or another interpretation is that Peter copied Dugald's designs.Dugald introduced several 4-4-0's to the LSWR, one of which was very close to the later HR Small Ben, and the T9 was an enlarged take on the concept. Peter had plans for another half dozen locos for the HR, one of which was a T9 in dimensions but for one reason or another these never were authorised. My earlier take on the ben was built around the T9, and in retrospect I should have just kept it as the planned Bigger Ben, but this time by using the Radial chassis I have created a "proper" Small Ben.

Just out of interest Richard - are you "Ben Alder" after the locomotive or the Munro - and, whichever it is, why ?   :roll:

Thanks for that explanation. It makes things clearer.

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

Just out of interest Richard - are you "Ben Alder" after the locomotive or the Munro - and, whichever it is, why ?   :roll:

Dates back to my joining RMweb, where nom de guerre's were de rigueur, and I was new to this world, so went along with it but lapsed quickly to using my own name alongside it. Named after the unfortunate loco that so nearly made it, which was the last HR engine working  at my home town and would have been a most useful loco for a preserved line. Its hybrid identity with a CR boiler offended the high ups of the day and moves were made to fit it with an M7 boiler which would have returned it to HR condition, but that fell through and it was decided that enough examples of the pre group companies locos had been preserved already, so it was not to be. Thee is a putative rebuild proposed but I doubt if any of us will live to see it….

Great layout and photos which really do create an atmosphere. I can almost smell the smoke.

Thanks Richard - I suspected it was the loco rather than the "hill" ……………………..

It is indeed, such a pity insufficient forethought was given when the railways changed - be it from steam to diesel or from pre "Butcher Beeching" to no trains left…………………….. :thumbs

[user=1120]peterm[/user] wrote:

That looks great. I've always liked this layout and doing away with the 3 way has improved it further. The inside shot of the shed looks good too. You say you haven't modelled everything, but that inside framework must have taken some time.

Cheated and use the Ratio carriage shed framing to give an impression of the woodwork. It passes if you don't know much about it…. ;-) Here is a shot showing some of the interior  that I didn't do….

Most of this years work has been behind the scenes, with a further rebuild of Helmsdale's approaches to ease curves to allow a couple of acquired brass locos to earn their living. It is obvious that many veterans such as these either never ran or trundled up and down a shelfie..However, thats a story for another day. here is the result of some benchwork - a Pullman camping coach based on a cut down Hornby coach and more or less accurate and a gas tank that ran up to Helmsdale till the early sixties. Next to nothing has been recorded about these vehicles but I was fortunate to come across a good photo of one at The Mound which provided the gen for this one. Built around a Chivers six wheel chassis and two Oxford  tank wagon bodies hacked about it has a degree of interpretation applied to it but is near enough for my needs.

I'm still mightily impressed with your work. Not just the track work and stock, but the whole thing that's brought together by the scenery.

Thanks - its more a diorama rather than a scale model as I feel that the overall picture masks deficiencies. The problem modelling backwaters is the necessity to do a lot of actual old time creative modelling and to that end corners have to be cut if an operational layout is achievable in ones functional timespan. The Pullmans are a case in point - both the camping and restaurant cars are altered Hornby's as neither is or ever likely to be a commercial model but  I'd rather have a representation than nothing on the layout and I am finding that the list of things to do expands rather than contracts  as the years progress…Here is the restaurant car along with the HR TPO being shunted between trains. It is just about passable on this side of the coach for what it purports to represent and has just had curtains added which for whatever reason I omitted on the original hack.

No, thank you for posting. The more I look at this, the more I like it. Your representations look like the sort of thing I'd call work in miniature. Some have it and some haven't. I'm in the latter group.  :)

[user=1120]peterm[/user] wrote:

No, thank you for posting. The more I look at this, the more I like it. Your representations look like the sort of thing I'd call work in miniature. Some have it and some haven't. I'm in the latter group.  :)

Peterm - I too belong to the latter group….