A Herd of heywood part 1: Waggons

P1040359, a photo by jordan leeds photography on Flickr.

Two Kits dating from 1995 shown part built these are for the Heywood Top waggons used to convey the granite traffic from Beckfoot to Eurthwaite and onward to Ravenglass they where also used as a multipurpose freight vehicles with the aid of a central bolster pocket they could carry long oversize loads and there is a photograph of one of the early engines hauling two of these with a car perched on top.

R&ER 16 seater "teak" coach No627

R&ER 16 seater "teak" coach No627, a photo by jordan leeds photography on Flickr.

well as a slight interlude some modelling has been done... the commencement of the construction of a R&ER teak coach . the teaks where the advancement from the heywood derived bogie coaches and onto what we know today . the kit is a very elderly owen ryder produced item that i picked up part constructed last year and to be quite frankly it looked as though it had been sat on.all things straigtend out it now looks thus..

The coach will be finished in the preserved green livery  and allthough unlikely to see much service at dalegarth it will make a nice heritage train once running alongside the other Heywood coaches that are sat on the bench at the moment.

The Research & Development department v2

Well  Recent work has centered on  researching the Station buildings and attempting to source the Architects Plans which I am hoping can be viewed at the  lake district national parks offices in Kendal before too long and relevant copies made for use in Modeling the large spacious station and cafe building that was opened in 2006,
I also plan to make arrangements to visit the railway in the closed season to take measurements of some of the locomotives and coaches prior to construction taking place.

O9 Modeller: Sherwood Forest Railway - An O9 Modeller Trip Out

O9 Modeller: Sherwood Forest Railway - An O9 Modeller Trip Out: Due to various factors trips out to miniature railways have limited been in their number this year, so the chance to pop along to our local ...

Progress: The R&D Department part one

Now it is some time since i have Even thought to Write something about the planned layout  And i would even go as far as to admit that i had forgot about the Blog!

Northern rock  Departs ravenglass for dalegarth

Recently I have visited the R&ER and taken A vast number of photographs and measurements to record the scene that i would like to model However it may be that the model itself will need to be condensed to a manageable size or perhaps the railway curved to fit within the space i have at home to store such a model.

Willan Beck Bridge looking towards Fisherground

The most interesting feature that i noticed was whilst measuring up Whillan Beck over bridge in the form of a Cattle creep Just large enough for sheep to pass through and indeed myself It is little features such as this that I am keen to include not just because it is present on the site but it will add to the characterful nature of the R&ER  and capture the imagination of those looking on .

Stanley Ghyll Tramway cattle creep

In 2007 A new Station building was Erected replacing the buildings that had  come from the nearby Eskmeals gun range in the 1930s. The new building is in a traditional style yet the interior is reasonably Modern. at this time i suspect the Platform was lengthened and the track realigned  It is Still an imposing sight to see the Northern fells rise into the distance.

I hope to Commence construction In the New year And this will be staged In sections  Presently All efforts are aimed to producing locomotives and rolling stock With river mite Having been commissioned in march this is due for delivery shortly. 

Myself I am building A model of ICL no 4 Affectionately known as the passenger tractor. I hear you cry that this no longer exists in this form having been rebuilt in 1984 to what we now know as Perkins.

Its my layout and I like the quirk of a steam outline Quarry locomotive.

ICL 4 perkins rebult from the passenger tractor

When River Mite finally arrives from Paul Windle thoughts will then turn to the commissioning of River Esk  

The quality of Paul's work has to be seen to be believed  and i would recommend any one looking for a model of a prototype not available In kit form  could do no better than to speak to him  

River Esk possibly one of the Nicest engines i have Cabbed

Special thanks must be given to all the staff of the R&ER who  where accommodating me on my visit allowing me access to places where the general public are not permitted. 

Now i shall Keep the blog uptodate on the present stock builds  and if anyone Has any questions about the prototype or model please dont hesitate to contact me..

For those people with a general Narrow Gauge Railway Modeling  interest Have a look at NGRM-Online

In the beginning there was..

Over the past few weeks thought has been progressing to the way that the layout will be constructed i myself would like to model as much of dalegarth station as i possibly can It will take time but i eventually would like to be able to take  the layout to Dalegarth and virtually say spot the difference  this will be  possibly the largest 09 layout that there is out there theres no way that i am doing this to out do others  it is more to fuel my own passion for the little Cumbrian railway that brought me into havng a deep railway interest as a child

I am considering utilizing a DCC system for the layout  however the thought of DCC sound is a nice one the technology is ever progressing and i feel that in time it may become easier to have all locomotives fitted with sound as opposed squeezing  the present sound chips in to places Waiting and seeing what the future brings  will hopefully pay off and we will see smaller chips available .

In early march i met with Paul Windle who kindly took my commission for a one off model of River Mite in as built condition, sadly without the air pump the model is being built on a modified spectrum USA consolidation  this will form the nucleus of the embryonic Dalegarth fleet which already boasts a model of ICL1 "bunny" and a part completed Lady Wakefield Both locomotives run on Bachmann USA GP40 chassis i however am looking to undertake modifications to upgrade them to a suitable DCC ready chassis  in preparation for the future long term aims.

the above is just a drop in the ocean of what is Dalegarth it will be a large layout and i aim to portay is accurately with the odd interloper from other layouts and other 15" prototypes such as the forth coming kits from N Drive for Katie and Effie the Heywood locomotives.

After all If a Job is worth doing its worth doing Well and Right!

the name of the game is Research at present

New beginnings: introduction

Since  i was three  i grew up with family holidays to the lake district and further up on the Cumbrian coast near Whitehaven  these Holidays are cherished memory's made more special by our visits to the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway A 7 mile long 15" gauge railway that Runs from the Delightful coastal  village of ravenglass through two stunning valleys climbing as you go  to the foot of scarfell pike with the  station at Dalegarth as the end of the journey. The view up the valley from dalegarth station looking into the mountains is one that every person should see the mountains rise majestically on the horizon.

Since 1993 i have loved the ratty  from My first visit  having a footplate ride on Bonnie dundee  though to my last visit in 2010  riding with peter Van zeller on the footplate of River mite . i will 

say that The Ratty Will and has always been close to my heart

Now i started a 09 layout last year roughly based on Dalegarth  but i was never really happy with the results i had achieved because i was rushing to get it done now the Red scar and Whites railway  has been put to pasture elsewhere  i have decided to properly research and photograph Dalegarth Station As it was rebuilt in 2005.  The main Features that i Would like to include  are the Cottages at the old Junction with  the Stanley Ghyll Tramway  and the bridge over Whillan Beck  the station itself will be modeled as close to scale as practicality does allow Including scratch building the Theakston Turntable to scale as the peco offering that red-scar used does not permit the use of  any locos the size of the ravenglass engines  as they are very long and the use of such a table would be haphazard in operation with less than 2mm  to spare between the Ends of the track and the wheels of the engine and tender

So come with me on a Journey Into the Hills  where i will be learning all i can and share it  with you!...