Underpinnings and The True Meaning of Christmas

We've had a busy start to the new year; I only had a couple of days off over Christmas. But at work it's all playing with trains so I don't feel cheated or badly done to! Sadly part of the time when I was off I discovered what one main things about Christmas - getting unwanted gifts from and spending time with people you neither like nor are related to. And why would I want a boot tidy? It's just what you want - the worst bit is trying to pretend that you're delighted with the gift...


So, in the little bits of time I had I did manage a little bit of modelling. Suzi's doing an Open University degree so there are times when she wants time to herself to work and I'm left to my own devices so can get on with modelling! And I managed to move my J21 build forward just a little bit.

The brake gear has now been assembled and fitted - it's not perfect as the kit isn't quite accurate in this respect, but from normal viewing distances I hope most people won't notice. Further builds, and there will be a few, will have modified brake gear. But one of those little jobs which was rather satisfying to complete!

Day Return to Levisham

Earlier this week we had a lovely afternoon on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway; the weather was rather dull but it some how really rather added to the whole day. We chose to go from Pickering to Levisham, it's about twenty minutes between the two and we reckoned that's a pretty good balance between length of ride and how long our pet human will last!


The southern section of the NYMR isn't as well known as the last northern stretch as it's not been at the centre of a TV drama and in some ways, despite my fondness of Goathland station, is all the better for it. Levisham has only a limited amount of stock stored in its yard and development work has been kept to a minimum. In some ways it demonstrates why so many stations like Levisham closed! It does feel very remote, a good mile and a half from its namesake village. Levisham station is kept presented in North Eastern Railway colours, and the NER signals compliment this rather nicely. Only the 'modern' crossing barriers are really at odds with this! However, the delightful signalbox more than makes up for this!


The day never really got, well, light at all... The day was terribly overcast and the with the railway following the valley floor often surrounded by numerous trees light didn't stand much of a chance! But I think it really added something; a dark overcast afternoon only makes the steam heated coaching stock all the more appealing!


A really nice afternoon with one very tired little boy as a result! It didn't stop him wanting to play with his wooden railway back home though!

Happy Christmas!

I would like to wish all my readers a very happy Christmas!

The photo? A rather wintery view looking towards Broomfleet from Crabley Creek.

Driver's Eye View at Welton

Recently I was very lucky to have a cab ride from Hull to Doncaster and back – despite having travelled on this section many times, it is always a very different experience to have a cab ride. For a start you have a much better, almost panoramic, view of proceedings.

Photo by Michael Kaye, used with permission.
Please see Derby Sulzers for the full set of superb photos.

What made it even more interesting is the opportunity to compare the resultant photos (I took nearly a hundred photos along the way!) with photos of a very similar cab ride. One view of my old ‘office’ at Welton really does show how little things have changed. Aside from the new PVC windows it is amazing how similar the two views are – the chimney from Cappa Pass is long gone but the Humber Bridge is still as visible as ever from Welton, weather allowing! The weather wasn’t anywhere near as good on my cab ride though! If you could see to the left in either photo the view would be very different – in 1988 a sea greenhouses would fill your view whereas now a new housing development does nothing but block the view from the train.


You can see the full set of the 1988 photos here.

Mike Cook

Today I heard some rather sad news that Mike Cook the man behind the York Model Railway Show has passed away.


The York show is one I have attended from being a very small child and one I have visited every single year since. I’d suggest it’s an exhibition which is a focal point and highlight for many modellers, not only in Yorkshire but throughout the country.

He also produced a number of layouts including one of my favourites, Sinnington on the Pickering – Helmsley line, which was particularly nice, and a model of a very rarely modelled part of the country.

His passing represents a huge loss to the hobby.

Kirkham Abbey

The eastern side of Yorkshire has some real railway gems. The Hull - Selby line is a wonderful example of a main line still signalled in the traditional manner for instance. The York - Scarborough line is probably better known to many enthusiasts - a traditional holiday route and also the stamping ground for preserved steam for many years. The line runs through a lovely part of Yorkshire and finishes up in one of the nicest towns on the Yorkshire coast. Along the way are a number of traditional manual signalboxes - one of these is at Kirkham Abbey.


It's a lovely example of a North Eastern Railway 'box and has been superbly restored in the lovely light blue colours of the old BR North Eastern region with a host of details which many similar boxes have had removed. It still has wooden crossing gates worked from a wheel - it seems only the trains passing by will remind you of exactly what year it is. And it must have one of the nicest views of any signalbox too, over looking the River Derwent with Kirkham Priory beyond. Just lovely.

Stately Progress

Not sure if the title refers to the locomotive's eventual style of movement or the pace at which the build is progressing...

Anyway, just a little bit about another loco which will be part of the Botanic Gardens fleet. The basis is a London Road Models' kit, which is showing its age but is still a good starting point for a LNER J21. It'll be a Hull loco when it's finished, though the exact one has not been decided upon yet. Photos of locos in Pre-Grouping days are not as plentiful as those for diesels. When modelling a particualr diesel a quick search on the net normally brings up a few good images within minutes so you can be very sure, but here, well, not so easy!

More details to follow soon!

My New Second Home

Some of you may have noticed that I seem to have either gone AWOL or have been posting sporadically here at times - and you may have noticed that this coincided with my final shift at Welton. Well this is my new 'second home' -


Crabley Creek Signal Box on the Hull - Selby line. Four months or so of training through Signalling School (of which more at a later date) and I've been able to move from a gate box (which isn't a block post) to a signalbox!

Steam Heat

We had a little family outing to Pickering yesterday - a really nice ride out! Cold with the sun clearly on strike but quite a clear fresh day. And the best bit, a lovely quiet day! By this time of year most tourists have moved back home and only a handful of visitors remain. It much more civilised this way. Even the coaches look so much more welcoming at this time of year as traces of steam hang round coach ends showing the steam heating is working. That beats air-conditioned stock doesn't it?!

So lunch out, a new book and a nice stroll round Pickering made for a rather nice day!

Tim Shackleton in Hornby Magazine

I must admit that I don't normally buy Hornby Magazine - there's nothing wrong with it just doesn't always have anything which interests me. In fact I've only bought two copies, and this is my second one! Though one of the reliefs at Welton use to leave his copies there and I read them!

Tim Shackleton has had a couple of articles recently in HM and his piece in the latest edition is a wonderful step-by-step weathering guide. Superb! I love his style, very readable and approachable! And the results speak for themselves. Well worth investing your four quid in order to read it!

Brake Time

A little while ago, well quite sometime ago, I posted about using ancient Airfix kits to produce models of the brake vans I require. Well here is one of them beginning to take shape. While this one will prove quite cheap to produce I have 'invested' in a set of Dave Bradwell etchings for the other Airfix 'van but hopefully the two will sit nicely side by side on the layout without it being too obvious that one has exquisite etchings at its heart and the other is 'bodged by James'!

The handrails need real patience, as does apply all the individual rivets on my version - but fabricating for yourself is at least a very economical way of modelling and both version will need very similar work on their bodies. I must admit I haven't moved the duckets, even though they do sit too low but I feel they look OK and it's better to leave them than try and hide the scars of surgically moving them.

The fun will really begin when I come to fabricate the foot steps! Think I may put that off for a bit longer yet!

Slowly but Surely...

Many projects have stalled recently for reasons which will soon become clear, but did manage to grab a few photos over the weekend of a few bits and bobs...

My model of one of Immingham's class 47s has come on a little bit over the last few weeks by having twenty minutes here and ten minutes there - the result is paint in most of the right places... The buffer heads are still naked brass but I'll be blackening them rather than painting them and seeing them chipped as soon as they even just touch a wagon!

So, just a few transfers and things to go on before glazing, weathering and handing it over to a friend for a nice and realistic lighting set up!