The Far North Line

A big overhaul of various kit locos has been done in order to get them to the same running standards as the ones with RTR chassis. This was a long overdue task as I have gathered in several over the last five years of types I was never going to build, mainly Jidenco based. Having spent my life until now avoiding tackling any of these I could not see things changing, so decided to benefit from others hard work. I'll look at these one by one, but firstly, a DJH Jones Goods that I built some time ago. Unfortunately, due to the long coupled wheel base it wouldn't behave itself on my station curves. This I can't complain as I never intended to run these ones - Goods and Castle -and a lack of space meant compromises on radii in places. Having discovered all this via a HR Castle, the Goods sat unfinished, with a brass chassis to be built - the kit one was awful -until I faced reality and used flangeless centre wheels This solved the problem, and although glaringly obvious on screen, to the eye it is hardly noticeable. Here it is, in its spurious BR livery, at work on a livestock special the other day. " Some were kept as reserve power for extra traffic such as this on the FNL" Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it..

 

Missed that one,appreciated, thank you... I'm going to catch up here a bit - the loco overhaul plus the preceding station revamp has taken the best part of a year but both needed doing. Also I'm at my wits end with the latest incarnation of RMweb, to the extent I've more or less abandoned it, which has given me a lot more modelling time plus keeping my other occasional postings - WT and YMR - refreshed.

 

Thanks all, - here are some random ones from the last photo shoot.



Looking along the platform to where the footbridge masks the end of the scenic section.



Empties passing through the station, and in the following one as well.



And wet weather ahead by the look of it.....

 

Some shed views...

 

Freight leaving Thurso behind a Clan Goods.

 

Thanks, daylight...the only way to recreate a natural scene... The photo is not of the best by a long chalk - an overcast day makes for the best 4mm daylight, and it isn't as sharp as I would have liked, but I lost my pic taking mojo and am playing around when I am at the layout to see if it returns. Trouble is, it means I don't get done what I went up -it's in an attic - to do.........

 

Some recent shots. One or two shed ones, with a HR 0-6-0 and extra tender fittings for snowplough work - wooden walling for extra coal capacity and ballast weight and a tarpaulin rail and rear cab roof to cover the coal and keep snow out of the cab and a couple of shed scenes.

 

And the HR loco arriving with a short freight. What the fireman thought about clambering around the tender with that in his way is not recorded, but can be imagined.

 

Very much the latter, although if I have more than enough stock to work a much larger layout than this, but no space for one.. Just can't stop building things I'm afraid.. I have spells of running things, which I enjoy, but then the bench starts calling me.. I am fortunate, perhaps not so, to have a seperate room that is my workroom - if the layout and bench were in the same space I would probably run it more. I keep promising myself that I am going to do more operating; perhaps one day...Sometimes I'm quite happy to just go up to it for a short time and look at it, as if it were a 3D painting. Because almost everything on it is built I can reflect on the input that went in to the creation of it all.
Thoughtful mood over - the two local bars that sell cask ale have Directors and Old Golden Hen on just now, so some decision making is called for. A field trip is necessary, methinks.....

 

Did, thanks and spent the last half hour giving the track a dose of Deluxe Track Magic. It took a lot of gunge off , albeit with a head loosening aroma, and that was with a window open. All visible track is done - next is the hidden run and loops. Its either a question of trying a Dapol pulled track cleaner loaded with the stuff or taking the backscenes down. I'll decide tomorrow.