The Brassgoggles Model Making Club (the second non-SP model making thread).

[Madasasteamfish]

I like it. 

Of course, this whole part of north Nottinghamshire is where the Sheffield, Lincoln and Doncaster operating districts met (as I'm finding out with trying to organise a working timetable for RLS- it's a right game trying to get something that gels without gumming up one of those three in the process), so if anyone wants to be particularly awkward about it just tell them it's on a running-in turn and ask them for definitive proof that a V3 didn't work into the area at all.

Exactly. It works for me (and my 80ish% protype), not to mention the specific section of South Yorkshire/North Nottinghamshire I'm using as inspiration is exactly the section of of GCR territory that the Midland and NER (through their acquisition of the Hull and Barnsley Railway) both had some inroads into, and it would have been an attractive prospect for expansion by the GNR, L&YR, and LNWR.

[Madasasteamfish]

I need to have a moan. Not because I'm at risk of pulling my hair out, but I do need to vent. My reference library continues to expand (especially after visiting a gala last weekend) but I'm getting frustrated at finding relevant pictures and information.

As I believe I've mentioned, Dukeswood is intended as a fictionalised version of a section the former GCR Sheffield-Lincoln line (specifically the bit between Sheffield Victoria and Worksop. Possibly extending to Retford if I have enough space) in the post grouping and BR steam eras. However the main focus for the LNER and LMS are the east and west coast mainlines or suburban routes through east anglia and along the Welsh border. I can't even rely on regional based volumes as Sheffield and its environs fall under the topic of 'Yorkshire and the North', Worksop is in Nottinghamshire and so is considered part of the East Midlands. I'm also struggling with stuff focused on specific pre grouping railways as the area was primarily covered by the GCR and Midland (although most of relevant books I've found so far focus on Derby and Leeds) the GNR, L&YR and NER all had their tendrils poking in.

[von Corax]

The North American solution would be to model a fictional short line, say the Sheffield & Retford, and then develop your own livery which resembles GCR livery but isn't, and perhaps includes influences from the other roads you mentioned.

[James Harrison]

The way I'm doing my research, because I'm in pretty much the same situation, is to look for books that deal with the area in the context of how it impacted somewhere else.  So my library is basically (and I might have mentioned a few of these before, so apologies if I'm retreading an old path) books that concentrate on Nottingham, Sheffield and Lincoln but venture into places like Worksop and Mansfield in an 'oh by the way' fashion.  Obviously mine concentrate pretty much wholly on the GCR but I should be surprised if there aren't others available covering the Midand lines.   

A few examples;
- Great Central East of Sheffield by Geoffrey Hurst.  It's described as 'Volume 1' but I've never seen a 'Volume 2' advertised. 
- The Mansfield Railway by Robert Western.  There's also "The Mansfield- Southwell- Rolleston Railway" by the same author, which might also appeal.
- The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway by Chris Booth.  Three volumes.
- Great Central Mainline North of Nottingham by Andrew Kaye.  Two volumes.
- Lines into Nottingham Victoria by Bill Taylor.  Covers both the GCR mainline and the GNR routes into north Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
- Railway Memories No. 31 - Retford, Worksop and Sherwood Forest by Stephen Chapman. 
 

[Madasasteamfish]

Well tbh I've started to embark on a similar route,  although I'm not trying to keep as close to the prototype as your good self. It's just infuriating not finding anything other than passing mentions here and there.

At the moment I'm looking to base the 'Sheffield' end station on a hybrid of Sheffield Midland (and a little bit of Sheffield Victoria) Nottingham Victoria (as it was shared by the GCR and Midland) and one of the multiple stations at Leeds in post grouping days (IIRC Leeds Central was shared by the MR and GNR).

[James Harrison]

I'm sure, somewhere, I saw a trackplan of the west bays of Sheffield Victoria- possibly on some or other model railway forum in a thread discussing smaller mainline termini.  I'll see if I can find it out...

By the way, Nottingham Victoria was shared by the GC and the GN, the GC and Midland shared Manchester Central and Lincoln St Marks. 

-Edit- that trackplan has disappeared from the website (after they lost a lot of images) but luckily I'd downloaded it.  Let me know if you're interested.

[Sir Henry]

-Edit- that trackplan has disappeared from the website (after they lost a lot of images) but luckily I'd downloaded it.  Let me know if you're interested.

Have you looked for it on the internet archive (http://web.archive.org/)? It's not guaranteed, but they have saved a surprising amount of 'lost' sites.

[James Harrison]

They have saved the forum up to 2014, but not the threads.  Good thought though- I didn't think they'd even have that. 

[Madasasteamfish]

By the way, Nottingham Victoria was shared by the GC and the GN, the GC and Midland shared Manchester Central and Lincoln St Marks. 

I must be getting confused in my old age, (I'm sure I've read about a joint GC and MR station in Nottingham). The important part is there's prototype examples I can utilise and I've had my eye on a Middleleton Press volume on the woodhead route that covers Sheffield Victoria. And one of my more recent additions to the reference library is a book on postwar Sheffield trams (I bought it mainly for the  purposes of referencing liveries and street furniture) which does include a couple of nice pictures of the surrounding street level).

[Sir Henry]

Now I can't see any particular use for this in a model railway scenario, and it is a Tw***** link, but to have this much control over lighting your model... 

https://twitter.com/spacehabs/status/1577314692544233473

It could become a whole 'nother obsession... 

[James Harrison]

Oh, I can see uses a-plenty for that. How else would you he able to model sun breaking through cloud cover?

[The Bullet]

Not much progress:

Teutonic loco sidelined as my pro welder does not have time to fix the running boards.

Next project started:
A six-wheel prussian compartment coach.
This one is special because it has compartments of all four classes.
Building the frame and getting the middle axle to move sideways will be a challenge.
This is going to be the driving truck for my prussian P3.1 loco.

[James Harrison]

I like the sound of that.  I have a weakness for older carriages. 

What I've been up to- quite slowly- is having a go at painting some of my carriages into the pre-1908 Great Central brown and cream livery.  It's time-consuming and very intricate, but I think it migth be worth it. 



So this is a six compartment brake third kit that's been given the treatment (work has stalled on this one because the bodywork just will not go together straight, I need to get around to building a lot of bracing in it).



And whilst I try to work up the enthusiasm to try and suss that out, I've moved on to repaint one of my Hornby clerestory carriages. 

[Madasasteamfish]

Well, after my moan the other day I feel I should offer up the latest additions to my reference library


The 1st is a nice companion to my big book of LNER wagons as its largely the same work, but focusing on the LMS instead (albeit slightly less full of scale drawings). The other two however are making me happy as they feature a number of photos of the platforms of Sheffield Victoria and surrounding stations which should prove useful, such as this view of Penistone station (no sniggering at the back!).

[James Harrison]

That photo only shows the last half of the station name board. I've got a photo, somewhere, that only shows the first half 

[Madasasteamfish]

That photo only shows the last half of the station name board. I've got a photo, somewhere, that only shows the first half 

Might it be *this* image?

Which is featured in the same volume (and another I've acquired)

[James Harrison]

I believe it is   

I can't get over that somebody saw that and thought, 'Yep, I'll put it in my book'.  Perhaps I just have a dirty mindset.

[Madasasteamfish]

I believe it is   

I can't get over that somebody saw that and thought, 'Yep, I'll put it in my book'.  Perhaps I just have a dirty mindset.

To be quite honest when you're a local it doesn't phase you and it's barely noticeable unless it's pointed out. Then again, that might be since it's pronounced as 3 syllables with a silent 'e' (ie pen-is-ton).

I suppose it could be worse, I mean Cumbria has Wordsworth's home town which is pronounced EXACTLY as its spelt.

[Madasasteamfish]

Well my signal box is mostly done.

I still need to add glazing and the roof, but since I've decided to include a Bobby Russell wait until I've got a suitable figure and a set of nameplates (I've managed to find a source but am waiting to decide on names, and when I've figured out how many I need).

I've also decided to put Dukeswood on the back burner for the time being. Partly because I keep getting "inspiration" (the latest part of which is potentially including a narrow gauge line exchange at the Worksop end) partly because of not having the 15 plus foot of space for it, but mostly because I'm trying to improve my neurodivergent tendency to go at things hammer and tongs until I put it aside and forget about it (unfortunately my current domestic arrangements don't help with this).

[Sir Henry]

I recognise that! Looking good. 

And I'm very glad to see that you've decorated/furnished the interior; it was something that I wondered about a fair bit while drawing up the plans.

[Madasasteamfish]

I recognise that! Looking good. 

And I'm very glad to see that you've decorated/furnished the interior; it was something that I wondered about a fair bit while drawing up the plans.

Always nice to see one's work is appreciated   

The interior was I'l admit something of an afterthought having seen the kit for one and thinking 'that could be useful'. The floor ended up being a bit of plasticard I obtained for another project.

[James Harrison]

I like that.

[James Harrison]

Well, the first of the chocolate and cream carriages is finished to the point that it can be used.  Of course, it does need the door handles picking out, transfers and varnishing still so easily anywhere between a week and three months until it's completely finished, given my current 'spoons' to get things over the line.

[Madasasteamfish]

Looks nice, and I can sympathise with the struggle for spoons as it probably affects my project(s) more than I care to admit.

Although, as I've forced myself decided to put Dukeswood on the back burner temporarily I'm trying to focus on my OO9 micro (progress on which stalled somewhat due to reasons). I'm hopefully going to be able to show some significant progress soon....

[Madasasteamfish]

As it's going to be my main focus for the next wee while I feel like I should give a sit rep on my OO9 micro layout.


This is how things currently stand. I have a fully built and prepped baseboard, some scenery and a rough track plan (things will be fiddled and fettled with I'm sure) along with a loco and 2 wagons (in all honesty I'd like at least 1 more, but that will depend on being able to find a suitable example).

And as I'm quite proud if my efforts, here's a closer look at the backscene.

The sky background is a pale blue I achieved by mixing several tester pots from a hardware shop, the buildings (as can be seen) are from a Peco printed backscene which I cut out along the roofline before fixing it in place (I think it gives a nice triompe l'oiel effect).

The rainstorm look was actually a happy accident. I had planned to paint some smoke pouring from the factory chimneys but wasn't happy with the result, and trying to wipe it away produced the effect seen, which I quite like (if nothing else its a deviation from the bucolic endless summer most layouts seem to inhabit). At present I'm toying with the idea of adding some water effects to the layout proper, and possibly a canal basin in the foreground.