Railway Research Trip; The Middleton Railway

Considering I'm a railway enthusiast, a railway modeller, and a regular contributor to various railway magazines, I've not managed to make much of the Railway 200 celebrations this year. In fact, the only specific event I managed to get to was the Middleton's end of summer Gala. A bit of a case of FOMO with it all, but then real life and a busy job as a med-tech took priority. Stupid having to earn a living.

Anyway, enough moaning. I love the Middleton, even in its present, rather truncated, form. The atmospheric Balm Road Branch is closed for the foreseeable future (the ungated level crossing being somewhat lethal to the volunteers having to walk out into the local traffic with flags), so the Gala featured just an intensive service with a mixed train up and down the main line. Now, I have a potential project on the boil for which the Middleton is a perfect inspiration, so I thought a morning pottering about with the camera was in order.

Blimey, all the most scenic spots for my photoshoots. Some photographers are busy taking pics of fashion models on yachts out in Monaco. 

Hell... yes, glad it was 9.30am. I don't think I'd go down here after midday without Kevlar and a pet lion on a long-leash.

The old Dartmouth branchline, or what's left of it.

First train trundling past.

See, this is what I like about the Middleton; not much in the way of lineside fences (though mainly because the scrap-metal fairies wander off with them in the night, I'm told).

Finally, a bit of sunshine. Our normal trips to the Middleton coincide with superb weather; this was my first overcast visit, ever, so clearly Amy is the good luck charm for the Sun God.

There was one steam loco in operation during my visit. The nicer-looking machine was out on the Sunday, but I wasn't free, sadly.

Opportunities for linesiding were a bit limited though, as there were a couple of shady-looking characters who'd clocked me and were paying me a bit of attention, because, you know, Broken Britain and all that (even at 10am on a Saturday morning. At least it shows a certain work-ethic amongst the e-bike riding drug peddlers of the modern youth I suppose). I stayed around Park Halt for a bit, where there were enough witnesses, normal people with families, who could at least identify my remains if things went wrong.

There were some nice people aboard the train, so I got chatting to some of them, re-assuring my faith in humanity somewhat. 

Sadly, the open-ended carriage was also out of use, but I made do with poking the phone out of the window.

Back again to the other end of the line, for the sort of splendid viewpoint the Middleton offers.

And, because I was up to my elbows in work at that moment, it was time to head home and crack-on with some model-making. Plenty of shots as research for the project. Shame about the local atmospherics, I take my hat-off to the Middleton for running a suburban preserved railway without armoured trains. It's a lovely line, the vols are cheerful, and the trains eccentric, so all in all a nice, if rushed, morning for me.

 

Garden Rail Saturday; A little Tin Hut

Work on the garden line has taken a bit of a back seat recently, partly a consequence of the weather, and partly because I'm up to my armpits in other work. But, we did manage some work over the summer, and one of those projects was this hut. Our plan is to give our line something of a Light Railway atmosphere, key to which will be 'wiggly-tin' architecture. We thought it best then to try the concept out before we go making loads of stations, engine sheds and things.

The inspiration- if we had room for a proper garden shed, this is what we'd get. New-build versions of the classic railway Permanent Way tin shed. This one, still in mint, box-fresh condition, is in the yard at Ingrow, Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

New gadget! Who doesn't love a gadget? Being as this was mostly an Amy project, she purchased this gizmo and the tin sheets inspired by a project she'd done at work.

She also designed the frame, which we laser-cut from 3mm acrylic.

Butte-joints; if we were doing this again, we'd probably go for slot-and-tab joints here.

Clad with the sheets, and lashings of superglue, after cutting in some curves to the top panels with lashings of superglue.

A little late, we realised the corrugations on the roof should have gone side-to-side, not end-to-end, but that's why we've done a prototype.

Weathering inspiration; this part of the project was left to me (Ben), inspired by the shed at Oakworth Station. 

Two coats of black spray, then a lot of weathering in shades of brown, some Nuln Oil, and dry-brushing with grey, before blasting with acrylic varnish spray.

And here, in print.

 

Railway Research Trip; The Steeple Grange Light Railway

Another research trip, another railway, and something a bit interesting and unusual. 

Derbyshire has quite a few preserved railways, but nowt as eccentric as this one. The Steeple Grange Light Railway is built on the track-bed of a standard-gauge quarry branch line, itself an offshoot of the famous Cromford and High Peak line. We parked up at the National Stone Centre, then strolled down the track bed to the station.

This was the target of the visit; ZM32, the ex-Horwich Works shunter, one of the smallest locomotives employed by BR. The whole line here though is rather fun, comprising preserved industrial locomotives and stock, including quite a few mineral-sector battery locomotives. The passenger vehicles are ex-Coal Board mining stock 'Manriders'.

A lovely little machine; the plan is to something inspired by this loco for Garden Rail.

The ride on the train was great fun; propelled up by ZM32, the view from the end of the Manrider was an interesting way to see the line. Plus, as it was ex-mining stock, we were sat very low down in the carriage.

Up at the terminus, which was delightfully basic, and very modellable. 

The trackwork is nicely overgrown and weathered.

Back at the station; I know I'm sad for liking this stuff, but I was very taken with the moss growing on this old wagon turntable which was propped up against the retaining wall.

There's actually two lines here, a short one going off from the main station into another bit of quarry. A quick run on the open carriages (again, eminently modellable) with a battery locomotive.

Pic in Trackside magazine.

 

Medical Monday; Cutting Crew (Excision of a lesion from a robot's inner thigh)

Time for another Medical Monday! Today, a fake wound for one of the robots, for a surgical course.

So, on to another simulated surgical procedure. This time, removing a cyst. 

We do this quite often as a practice procedure up in the Lab, where we use slabs of belly pork. Now, we can't do this with the robots, because we try not to combine mucky meat with our nice clean machines.

We also can't have people cutting up the robots for real, because they cost more than a terraced house. In the past we've done this with fake scalpels, but last year I did a skin belt with a bump inside which could strap-on to Sim Man's inner thigh. It was a lump of hot-glue, with a bit of fake blood, sealed inside a kind of pocket of fake skin.

This year, for added realism, I decided to hook it up to a syringe driver to pump fake blood into it. And because I'm a bit of a sneaky bastard, I decided not to warn the surgeons either.

The pump was concealed under the trolley at the back, and the Nurse-Plant quietly triggered it. And then, the surgeons took a little longer than anticipated to get to the cutting. The pocket had been quietly filling-up like a pool toy hooked up to a pump...

To say it caught the trainees by surprise, would be an understatement. The plan had been for a dribble of blood, not "Oh Hell We've Hit An Artery, Sound The Major Haemorrhage Protocol!"

It continued to bleed all the way through the scenario, which did add to the realism, the team having to patch him up. It went down well with the faculty, who I'd also not warned.

And that's what it's all about. Next year, I'll have another go at upping the realism.