The Far North Line

All my photography for the last five or six years has been taken with a compact Canon that I am very pleased with, but last year replaced my seldom used phone with a smartphone, having belatedly become aware of their contents beyond talking to someone. An eventual examination of the apps on offering led to a Kindle being downloaded, and to my surprise, I liked this format a lot, being ideal for one off reads of novels that would have no further need to call on.This in turn led to a tablet for a better screen size, and a realisation of the camera possibilities of the two devices. A HDD app was added to both, which gave a lot of manual control and the results have been impressive, I must say. Of the two, the tablet has proved the more useful, as despite its bulk the lens is close to the edge of the case which can give good low level shots. Here are one or two that were taken as trials.

Two of the mess shed at Helmsdale. The LMS built a series of these in the Highlands during the war to help cope with the massive increase in traffic, and were presumably more congenial than the usual timeworn van or coach that was the norm up till then.





The MR diner on a passenger train.



The end loading siding at Thurso with the concrete provender store to the right. These were built as rat proof grain and seed stores, hence their construction method and concrete supports.



And a chinwag going on as a Caley Ben shunts in the background. A Wick departmental coach is behind them. This is based on the GSWR six wheeler that was there and is two Ratio GW brake 3rd four wheelers hacked about. The panelling is slightly not quite accurate but it gives an acceptable overall version of it.



Lastly the signal box. This was demolished at some stage and replaced by a ground frame, but I felt a building looked better than some levers, so reinstated it for my model.

 

To finish off tonight, and it's back to the modelling bench for the next while, another look at Helmsdale shed from a while ago - two Black Fives, or Hikers as they were known on the HR, on shed. Workings often started and terminated here until the end of steam and it was not uncommon to see main line engines waiting their turn of duty.





Both Hornby's best with some titivation and a true workhorse wherever it went.

 

Thanks - no doubt there will be more to come...

 

Thanks all - sorry for not getting back sooner but computer has developed a terminal illness and is in the process of being replaced. I have a tablet, which I don't like for typing and cannot post any stored pics so will reply soonish once I am up and running and got to grips with W10......

 

My faithful XP developed a what turned out to be termimal disease due to the reluctance of the techie to devote the time needed to patch up an obsolete system, so reluctantly I moved to W10 - thought about 7 but knew this was only postponing the day. I got him to put in Clasic Shell which at least gives the appearance of previous systems and have spent the last week getting used to new things. Lots of updates to various programmes that I had been ignoring, esp. on my preferred basic photo editing trio but have I think managed to cope with them to an extent.

Work this last whiles has been on another LMS van build, which I will expand on in the workbench thread in the coming days, but here are are a couple of shots of the batch being trialled.

Whoops - sorry about that , but a train of LMS vans entering Thurso, no two the same.



Shunting the passenger stock - a mix of Early and post war coaches.



Sorting vans at Helmsdale.



And putting one into the goods shed - a bit of weathering is needed on the loco.



The freight that the tank engine shunted coming in to the station.....

Attached files

 

One of the left behinds on the workbench is now finished - the venerable Airfix cattle wagon, almost sixty years old now and still the most accurate model of any readily available type until the last year or two, when Parkside with their LMS one and Hornby's SR duo excelled themselves in these matters. The Airfix one, a bit heavy in moulded detail but a small shortcoming, can make up in to a perfectally acceptable model once the opening door details are removed and the gaps tidied up. Here is one sitting beside a Bachmann version, which they managed to make a scale foot overlong. I was going to replace my Airfix fleet , most of which are dated as 1978 builds, when they appeared but nice as the Bachmann one is, the extra length takes the edge off it for me. I have instead started an occasional upgrade of my older wagons - my modelling was far cruder back then and the cruelty of the digital camera was undreamt of. Attending to the doors and fitting wire window bars and axle tiebars brings the model up to date easily.



This was photographed at the terminus last Sunday, where it was a mix of clouds and sunshine, making it too bright for good daylight shots - the best weather is overcast or light rain; this manages to produce shadows and a natural look.However, I did manage to catch a few moments when the light was cooperative - one showing a branch service at the platform with a tank engine.



I was giving the vans a test run to check everything was OK - last week was mainly photographic to pick up any visual shortcomings - and here is another freight, this time leaving the station.





And another one, this time a bit lighter.

 

Cheers; here are a few more from the same day, at Helmsdale this time. A fitted freight heads into the station - despite the Black Fives being the mainstay of the line the Caley 4-4-0's did a lot of secondary work and were very much part of the scene till the end of steam. So, very much an every day sight here.





And a look at the shed, nothing much stirring here today.