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Little Salkeld

13389 Views 49 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  linka, 
R
This is my latest and probably my last layout. It is in a shed on the North side of our bungalow in an area that never gets the sun and is not much use for anything else. The shed is nominally 24' by 6' but part is sectioned off for gardening tools and things. Allowing for insulation and lining this gives me a space 18' 10" by 5' 7" or 5.74m by 1.7m for the model railway. That is a good length compared to what many people have but the width is restrictive. Like my previous layouts it will be L.M.R. of B.R. in the late 1950s/early 60s and will have a flavour of the Settle and Carlisle line.

I had nearly finished the previous layout in the shed, which was a plain roundy-roundy on one level, when I realised why I had not touched it for several weeks. It was because there were too many things about it which I did not like. They were :-
(a) Regular derailments at the lifting flap which I had obviously not made well enough.
(
Even more regular derailments at the point leading into the up line storage loops, even after I had replaced it with a new one.
© I didn't like the station main building being at the front of the layout.
(d) I wanted a longer scenic run.
(e) Peco had brought out their bullhead rail with very much improved points.

I decided that I would completely dismantle and rebuild it. This time it would be a double roundy-roundy with storage loops below the station. Also the whole thing would be built high enough that ducking under to get in and out would be easy, so that the lines across the doorway could be permanent fixtures. (The fact that I am only 5' 7" means that I can easily duck under 5' or a little less.) The main station building would be at the back of the layout. I spent hours on Anyrail checking that the proposed track plan would work while keeping to the 24" minimum radius that I had on the previous layout. I decided that I would have the minimum workable gap between levels so that gradients up to the station level could be as gentle as possible. In the end I chose 70mm between levels and this resulted in gradients of between 1 in 70 and 1 in 75.

I chose Little Salkeld from the stations on the S&C because I wanted one where the refuge siding went behind the second platform and where the goods yard was to the left of the station building looking from the main lines. I think that it's the only one with these characteristics. I shall make two changes though; for visual and operating interest, I will give it an extra siding, and I will put home and starter signals on both main lines, which the real station did not have.

If I can do it successfully, here are two pictures of the storage loops before the station baseboard was put on top.

Code:
I have got quite a bit further with the construction but this will do for a first instalment.

Robert

P.S. I haven't yet got the hang of transferring pictures from the gallery.

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R
Another update although there isn't much to report.

I have finished the bridge area at the far end of the layout. The walls and pillars all have their capping stones and the plate girder at the back has a stone pillar at each end, something I had forgotten about in a previous picture. I am not sure that the bushes by the right hand wall look very convincing.

Water resources Sky Natural landscape Land lot Urban design


I have also done a job which I have been promising myself for months that I would do. That is to paint green the raw top edge of the fascia that goes all the way round the inside of the layout. Compare these before and after pictures.

Green Plant Terrestrial plant Line Urban design


Plant Automotive tire Leaf Wood Line


I think that the next job is to add pillars and capping stones to the wall at the back of the long incline. I'm not looking forward to this as it will need lots of pillars which will not be easy to make as they have to be 2 to 3mm thick in front of the wall and 6mm thick at the top where they are above the wall. some 6 x 6mm strip wood to make them but it will be fiddly.

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R
I have made a reasonable amount of progress since the last update. I got fed up waiting for the bullhead double slip so when I saw a private seller offering a new code 75 FB one at a bargain price I bought it. I haven't glued it down and I've fitted it with half length track joiners which can be slid back enough to release it when the time comes. (Actually the difference isn't all that noticeable so I am wondering whether or not to replace it eventually.) In all other respects the goods yard is complete. If you compare mine to the original 'Little Salkeld' track plan you will see that I have given it an extra siding but this is the only difference. I would appreciate comments about the positions that I have temporarily placed the loading gauge and the water refill stations (water cranes?).

Sky Mode of transport Grass Cloud Asphalt


Ecoregion Building Plant Track Rolling stock


Train Sky Mode of transport Rolling stock Wood


I have also finished the left hand corner at the far end of the shed.

Water resources Ecoregion Sky Water Plant


I realise that the uniform green scenic matting is a bit bland and I will try to do something about that one day although U have no idea what that will be.

Right hand far corner is the next part to be tackled.

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P
Hi Robert its all looking good the green matting will no doubt receive some attention in time but for now it looks ok. Looking at old pictures it would seem that they were kept clear mainly of bushes and trees near the track at least up till the railway Nationalization . I like your backscene it looks just like your looking across the countryside and blends in very well. Jim
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R
For the last few days I have been working on the right hand corner at the far and of the layout. Here is the result.

Sky Cloud Ecoregion Nature Highland


And here is a picture of the whole of the far end.

Interior design Urban design Tree Plant Wood


You mat be able to see some model cows in the left hand corner. I realise that something is needed to keep them off the rails. I know that in S&C country it should be a dry stone wall but it will probably be a fence as I don't have the patience or skill to make a wall.

P.S. Please forgive the mess under the layout.
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Hi Robert. Love the trees yes the Settle & Carlisle dry stone walls mostly . I watch a few You-Tubers one in particular Yorkshires Dales, he has a loft layout depicting a single track country line with a couple of small country stations it looks great he has a lot of dry stone walls made quite simply . Some might think them not good enough but when you look at the whole scene they work. If you have some spare time take a look he has done a lot of videos and some on how he has done them. He is modelling the same period as you. A wall or fence is needed will help join the near and back scenes even more though they are pretty good as they are. Jim
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Julian2011
I don't know if it it might help, but I used to make dry stone walling for napoleonic military dioramas. It was a real cheat and so very simple. In truth, they weren't dry walls at all, but had solid middles. 🥺

I gathered stones from the side of roads, where they were well mullered by passing cars, to small, scale size bits. The next step was to steal some of my daughter's plasticine {you can sidestep this stage by buying some of your own... not half so daring!}. The plasticine was moulded into a shallow channel, as wide as the height of the desired wall. The, aforesaid, stones were then pressed into the plasticine, close by each other and to almost half their depth. Then the cheating spreading of pollyfilla {any suitable glue would do}, the pressing of the stones into the plasticine stops it from appearing around the stones. A second thin layer of stones was scattered over these and smoothed / shaken into the the spaces, a bit like ballast really.

Once thoroughly dry, the plasticine was gently peeled off the wall - definitely not the other way round. A bit of dark grey paint was brushed into the gaps, where odd bits of the Polyfilla could be seen.
[Any flowing glue could be used, in place of the Pollyfilla]
The Plasticine mould could, also, be picked up and shaped to the vertical form of the landscape, before the stones were pressed into it.
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John Webb
Little Salkeld is well into the Eden Valley. A look at photos of the area - see for example https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NY5636 show hedges and fences as the main field divisions and no stone walling.
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John Webb
John Webb said:
Little Salkeld is well into the Eden Valley. A look at photos of the area - see for example https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NY5636 show hedges and fences as the main field divisions and no stone walling.
Click to expand...
except away from the railway on higher parts of land.
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R
Thank you for the advice Julian but it sounds like a rather laborious process especially if you need several metres of it. Also I've already bought lots of Peco flexible fencing. I might try what you suggest for the left hand far corner which would need less than 1m and is separated from the rest.
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L
Julian2011 said:
I don't know if it it might help, but I used to make dry stone walling for napoleonic military dioramas. It was a real cheat and so very simple. In truth, they weren't dry walls at all, but had solid middles. 🥺

I gathered stones from the side of roads, where they were well mullered by passing cars, to small, scale size bits. The next step was to steal some of my daughter's plasticine {you can sidestep this stage by buying some of your own... not half so daring!}. The plasticine was moulded into a shallow channel, as wide as the height of the desired wall. The, aforesaid, stones were then pressed into the plasticine, close by each other and to almost half their depth. Then the cheating spreading of pollyfilla {any suitable glue would do}, the pressing of the stones into the plasticine stops it from appearing around the stones. A second thin layer of stones was scattered over these and smoothed / shaken into the the spaces, a bit like ballast really.

Once thoroughly dry, the plasticine was gently peeled off the wall - definitely not the other way round. A bit of dark grey paint was brushed into the gaps, where odd bits of the Polyfilla could be seen.
[Any flowing glue could be used, in place of the Pollyfilla]
The Plasticine mould could, also, be picked up and shaped to the vertical form of the landscape, before the stones were pressed into it.
Click to expand...
I saw a case where a person had used cat food! For real and it looked good, who wood have thought, although if you have a cat it might be a problem :D
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