- This topic has 55 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 1 year ago by
Stuart Firth.
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Stuart Firth
Just to kick things off and test my posting abilities I thought I’d add a couple of pics of my industrial layout ‘Saltport’. It is based on a real place that existed quite briefly on the banks of the Rivers Weaver and Mersey in Cheshire. There was little development and it faded away in the early years of the 20th Century. However great things could have happened…
Here we see Saltport Estates no.5 (Hawthorn Leslie, from a modified Stewart Reidpath lead casting), running past the engine shed, and Saltport Harbour Authority crane tank no.40 (Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns, from a Backwoods kit) approaching the East yard.
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pcarrick59
Some lovely shots, Stuart. It certainly is superb layout you’ve built there.
Envious of Colchester….
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Membership Secretary
Excellent work
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Peter Rigby
Very nice work Stuart. Is it a ‘layout that never leaves home’?
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Stuart Firth
Thank you – Yes, very much so – it moved house 21 years ago but that was quite an undertaking and it was nowhere near as complete back then.
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Douglas Firth
Dear Stuart,
Great modelling and good to see where your excellent models run.
Thanks for posting,
Douglas Firth 17006
Western Australia
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Stuart Firth
Thanks Doug. I include a picture of one of the line’s more recent loco’s, a Hudswell Clarke & Rodgers 0-4-0 ST made from an old K’s kit, using a chassis kit by Ambis Engineering.
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Peter Rigby
Very nice work Stuart. May I ask whether there is an Area Group extant in Western Australia. I am aware that there are a small number of EMGS members in the state.
Thanks,
Peter
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Stuart Firth
Thanks Peter. I’m in Essex by the way, it’s Douglas in Australia – no relation, as far as I know !
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Gentlemen,
To answer your question Peter, We have a small group of members that loosely keep in touch but no official group which may include some non members, not sure, I am a relatively new member of the society(4 yrs) also one is a long time p4 modeller.
Stuart, I don’t know but my great grandfather came to Sydney to work on building the mortuary station and clocktower at Central railway station. Late 1800’s. We came from Huddersfield and wrote to members of the family in the UK until the second world war and then nothing. We always thought that the writer must have been killed in WW2. I replied to your post because I liked the authentic look of your model railway. My model is of a GWR Edwardian branch line terminus. Thanks, Doug.
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Stuart Firth
Some of the line’s ‘heavy metal’ parked outside one of the layout’s larger structures.
The Garratt is from a Backwoods Miniatures kit and the Nasmyth Wilson Scratchbuilt. The building is made from an American DPM modular kit. I can only justify such large loco’s by assuming there is an element of banking of trains up to the exchange sidings – I make it up as I go along!
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Great looking loco’s Stuart,
There is something about industrial layouts it must be the gritty authenticity that adds to the realism of a model.
Douglas Firth.
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Nick Ridgway
I love the way you’ve turned down the colour in some of those images, Stuart. It adds realism, because we are used to seeing steam subjects that way. It’s certainly something I intend to follow – all the way to monochrome, even!
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Stuart Firth
A couple of recent additions to the line’s wagon fleet, both courtesy of Messrs Tri-ang !
The Hull & Barnsley van is the old Tri-ang fish van, with a new chassis that uses MJT bits, and the L&Y diagram 3 van, now sold off by the LMS and in use as an internal user, is the ‘insulfish’ van that was once pale blue and ‘graced’ my childhood train set! It too has MJT underpinnings, and has had the roof line lowered slightly.
I think it’s fascinating to know that someone at Tri-ang all those years ago cared enough about what were basically toys to ensure they were pretty fair representations of pre-grouping wagons. I wonder if they did anything else that we could use?
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Nick Ridgway
Nice work, Stuart!
Ray Hodson and I were considering doing the L&Y diagram 3 van in some numbers for the Eastwood L&Y layout, which I believe is booked for ExpoEM 2023. He hasn’t made a commitment, so I have disposed of several via a popular internet auction site.
I still have a few left, though.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 12 months ago by
Nick Ridgway.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 12 months ago by
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Stuart Firth
Following some chat about the Forum and a certain lack of user comments, plus the desire to avoid too much duplication, I am adding this link to my layout thread on RMWeb, where the full story is told, and using this as a test of my ability to post such links.
https://www.rmweb.co.uk/index.php?/topic/153520-the-saltport-saga/
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Stuart Firth
The latest loco to join the stud is something rather different for me, partly because I didn’t build it and partly because of its size…
I bought this Stanier 2-6-4T on the 2nd hand stall at Expo in 2022. A Hornby body on a Comet chassis. Modern motor and gears, possibly Ultrascale wheels, all for £20 – I couldn’t resist. It needed a small amount of work to get it running properly, but nothing else happened until recently when I finally got round to painting it. Dirty post-war condition, unlined (conveniently). Compared to most of my loco’s this is just so big!
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Nick Ridgway
One might ask what such a powerful suburban passenger tank engine is doing lurking around a place like Saltport!
<ducks to avoid brickbats> 😉
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Nigel Burbidge
Stuart, that is indeed quite a beast when compared to other locos in your fleet. Having seen photos of some of the tight curves, presumably it’s availability is restricted?!
cheers
Nigel
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Stuart Firth
Hi Nigel, it can (just) handle most of the layout, but not this part:
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Nigel Burbidge
That’s a lovely piece of industrial track work; very reminiscent of the Romford brewery layout! I can’t imagine anything longer than a short 0-4-0 going around that.
Nigel
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Nick Ridgway
That’s not a curve; that’s a corner! 🤔
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Stuart Firth
On Nick Ridgway said
One might ask what such a powerful suburban passenger tank engine is doing lurking around a place like Saltport!
<ducks to avoid brickbats> 😉
I like them – is that a good enough excuse? I also have a Hornby Fowler 2-6-4T from my youth, with all the late period Perseverance add-ons, waiting for me to build a Perseverance chassis for it. Don’t worry though – the next loco project will be at the opposite end of the size scale !
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Nigel Burbidge
Sounds good enough to me! A sound application of Rule 1.
Nigel
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Stuart Firth
The latest loco, as promised, somewhat more suitable. Impetus kit, and has flown together so far.
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Nigel Burbidge
That is rather lovely Stuart! I suspect you may have to start figuring out where to load it with lead as otherwise it may struggle towing an economic load!
Nigel
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Paul Tomlinson
I love these little Rustons. Hats off to you, I failed miserably to correctly form the bonnet on mine. I put it back in the box and bought a 7mm version, which suited my fat fingers a lot better. I expect you already know that RT Models do a chassis kit, and High Level do a quad-driver for it. Maybe I’ll have another bash. Please show us more of yours as it progresses. Cheers.
Here’s my 7mm one. I think I bought it from Robin Arkinstall at an exhibition in Paddington.
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Stuart Firth
Thanks both. Keeping the drive simple and 2 wheel drive as designed, so I can use the gearbox and Sharman wheels that came with it.
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I have been following your last few builds with interest. I tried to post a photo of my 1366 loco but it failed so I gave up.
The Ruston will be a fine addition to the layout but I too am worried about weight or the lack there of.
Well done,
Doug Firth.
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Stuart Firth
Hi Doug it would be fine with 4 wheel drive but in the interests of keeping it simple I went with the original 2 wheel drive kit design, so it will have limited haulage powers!
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Stuart Firth
Well it didn’t take too long in the end, and I finished it this weekend. It won’t pull much (OK – 2 wagons!) but it does run very slowly and smoothly. A great project and good fun to build.
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Nick Ridgway
Lovely little thing, Stuart. Nice one! 🙂
I’m still hoping for a photo of that David Coleman loco to appear here. Go on. I dare you! 😉
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Paul Tomlinson
That looks very fine indeed. The shade of green you’ve used suits it very well. No doubt the (rather portly) crew add some useful ballast! Cheers.
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She looks teriffic. I have used that figure a few times with mods. He gives the impression of being the inspector of newly finished locos! Well Done.
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Stuart Firth
Thanks chaps – the crew are plastic I’m afraid, though I discovered that putting ballast that far back had no effect on traction anyway. That character’s chief benefit is that he hides the motor rather well…
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Nigel Burbidge
Lovely loco Stuart! Really looks the part and the motor is very well hidden given such a small unit.
Nigel
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Stuart Firth
Hi Nick – You mean this monstrosity?
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by Stuart Firth.
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Nick Ridgway
Only a mother could love it. 🙂
“What do you make of that?” – with apologies to the late, great, David Coleman.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by
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Stuart Firth
To continue in the spirit of freelancing I am in the process of building a Jamieson kit for a ‘Freelance 0-4-0T dock loco’.
This was a kind gift from another modeller who knows I like this sort of thing. I have decided to build it as a facsimile of a Lowca Engineering 0-6-0T as it looks a lot like one. New chassis is under construction. Mr. Ridgway has one of these too, but who will finish first?!
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Nigel Burbidge
As ever, looking good Stuart! Is the chimney copper and did that come with the kit or is it one of the modifications?
Nigel
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Looking good Stuart, I’m sure you will knock it out the park…
Paul
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Stuart Firth
Thanks chaps. Nigel, I managed to ruin the chimney whilst trying to bore it out, so I substituted a copper one from CSP which came as a pair when I was building the GWR 1361, it was the short one I didn’t use. I don’t think I can justify having a copper cap though!
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Stuart Firth.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by
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Stuart Firth
All ready for paint (clean up first)
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Paul Tomlinson
An attractive little loco with character. Thanks for posting, Stuart.
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Nigel Burbidge
That looks lovely Stuart! You really are an ace at resurrecting old/early loco kits!
Nigel
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Stuart Firth
Hi Nigel – well, there’s a Sayer Chaplin jackshaft diesel shunter kit in the Cupboard of Shame but I’m not quite ready for that yet !
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This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by Stuart Firth.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by
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Nigel Burbidge
Stuart, I think if anyone can breathe life into an old Sayer Chaplin kit, you can! I look forward to seeing it ease its way out of the cupboard of shame in the fullness of time… 😊
Nigel
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Stuart Firth
That’s the Jamieson freelance dock tank finished. I’m going to call it a Fletcher Jennings loco, and have ordered works plates from Narrow Planet.
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Paul Tomlinson
Nice one, Stuart. I think the Harbour Co. Crew in the background are feigning indifference, but are no doubt checking out the new arrival…
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Nigel Burbidge
Stuart, you have done a lovely job with that Jamieson kit; it really breathes ‘industrial’! Great paint job too. So what is the back story for Saltport Estates Ltd and how did it justify its own railway and loco? 😊
Nigel
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Very nice Stuart, Another fine build for Saltport. I have heard horror stories about Jamieson kits but all that dosn’t seem to slow you down at all.
Douglas Firth.
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Stuart Firth
Thanks everyone – Paul, I think they are secretly jealous of the fancy livery but would never admit it !
Douglas – I think the Jamieson offerings were very basic, you have to add the things that are missing, but what is supplied is generally good and they must have been very useful at the time.
Nigel – There has always been an industrial estate somewhere out there as a source of traffic, and as a destination for outgoing wagons. It only acquired its own fleet because I thought it would be a useful vehicle for some of the freelance loco’s that were likely to get built, and a good way to try a different livery style. The first Saltport Estates loco was this big Hawthorn Leslie (It looks a bit like one, but is actually a Stewart Reidpath casting). I made up the lettering using individual letters, but was never fully satisfied with it. Now I have had some transfers produced, there is a temptation to risk a partial re-paint of this loco…
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This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by
Trade Officer.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by Stuart Firth.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by
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Nigel Burbidge
They look great Stuart! I see you have set yourself a bit of a challenge on the SEL front, numbering your locos 2 and 5… Room for some more!
Nigel
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Stuart Firth
Oh yes there are a couple of candidates in the drawer!
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Nick Ridgway
On Stuart Firth said
That’s the Jamieson freelance dock tank finished. I’m going to call it a Fletcher Jennings loco, and have ordered works plates from Narrow Planet.
Drat! You beat me to it: my 2-4-0T version of it remains on the shelf, incomplete, and unloved. That will teach me not to do so much 12in scale modelling!
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Stuart Firth
The Fletcher, Jennings now has its works plates, courtesy of Light Railway Stores, so is substantively complete at last !
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