Allotments

Ok, so I finally got round to adding them to my own route, after all it is where they were made for!
Anyway, bottom of Cradock St looking back down towards Cockton hill school.
My Dad owned a large allotment here and One boxing day back in 87 maybe I remember making a shed with my dad, it was cold but we had a nice big fire to keep us warm.
Also use to walk Ben and Sam along down this old railway for many years.

Also use to walk Ben and Sam along down this old railway for many years.

Merry Christmas Everyone

To all those that follow my blog, I wish you all a Merry Christmas.
While not a religious man in any shape way or form, I do think it is a great time for friends and family.

I am not back to work till the 6th of Jan, so am enjoying being with the kids and wife at home, however 3 days in and we have all gone feral! :)

Hope to make the trip north (depending on weather) and hope to find time to build my route some more.

Here is the section of track looking towards the Station behind Eastlea Ave. Westllea Ave had not yet been built, it followed a few years later I do believe.
As you can see I have no winter version yet. I will be looking to improve on the winter views but  no time to do so just yet. So enjoy the summer view!

infants update

may take some time, but enjoying this model.

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cockton hill layout

Working my way around Cockton Hill, blocked out the United bus depot, and prepared the ground for the infant and junior school.

Cockton Hill infants wip

Just an hour cutting out the shape a little. Will be interesting to see how this turns out.

A little update

Deerhouse

Just a few hours to lay the trees in the park and gold course.

Here is a shot that is dear to me and reminds me of my youth. Nowhere near the track really but I could not make Bishop Auckland and miss it out.











A view from another angle.

Coundon wip

Just started the area around Coundon station, Coundon is actually about a mile away from the Station. Not sure how much of Coundon I will model, it may be just some generic houses and maybe the church.

Anyway, Here is the shot of a placeholder station building and good shed. The Station Building is still there and even the platform is still there, however the bushes and trees have grown up since I last remember seeing it, Chickens roam the back garden to that house!

Looking forward to seeing this area develop.

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A few hours of tree blis

Durham road looking towards Coundon., painted many miles of fields with the google overlay in place.
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Weekend back in Bishop

I was back in Bishop again this weekend, but did not do much information gathering, I was with the kids and it was really just a family thing. However I did go to Shildon Locomotion as usual and took this picture of the old information board.

It is a lovely thing, very solid! She this is all that is left!

Bridge - Bishops Bridge

I did say I would get round to finishing it Bob :)

now for the rest!

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BA 73

Just found this on Youtube.

Does not show a great deal but it is like someone reached inside my head and took images from my memory.

Video

Also here is a cab ride from Bishop to Stanhope

Cabride

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Bishops Bridge wip

Not had much time due to personal stuff and Marias Pass!

However, almost sorted out Bishops Bridge:

As you can see still some work to be done! :)

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Bishops Bridge

Next up are the 3 over bridges that cross near Byers Green (‘Byers’means‘ancient woods')

Bishop Lightfoot hated the railway and would only give his consent for the use of his land if a
special ‘double’bridge was built over the railway for his personal use.The bridge is twice the normal
width and had trees planted along each side to screen the Bishop from the detested railway. It is now
known as the Bishops Bridge and is unique in County Durham.

The bridges slope from right to left but not mine... :) While I could do it I see no point, it would only restrict where I could use the bridges. Often I square corners to suit my needs, after all I am the sky fairy of this world.
I will make sure the stone matches the under bridge so that the textures can be mixed and matched.
Modular is always wise.

On a different and tragic note, I will be taking a few days out, due to the untimely death of my dad.
I am heading back north to be with family and friends during this sad time.

derek

Bridge wip

Here is the bridge finished for the line to Spennymoor.

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Bridge to far

Just something I knocked up to keep my mind off other things.

This under bridge will be used on the Bishop to Spennymoor section. there are a number of these that are under the track up above the park/golf course.

Need to add the embankment and retaining walls.

I will also look to make the over bridges on this section next.

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My strange hobby

On cloudy days I can be seen walking around taking  photos of walls, below is a section of the kind of things I collect.

When you are looking to build an area you want to get the correct feel even if you don't have a real chance of putting in all the detail you want.

Getting the materials right is a big thing for me, of course there are many great texture websites out there and I use a few of them myself, however nothing beats taking your own images.

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Eden Theater

This building has long since gone and only a handful of black and white photos remain. There are no plans as far as I know (not that I am that bothered) so I made a best guess from what I had and come up with this shape. The length is about 48M(ish)  going by the 1945 google earth footprint, I also made a few guesses on height of levels based on the size of the people.

Details and textures to come! :)

I made the call a few years ago not to worry to much about exact/spotter/rivet counting details on many of the buildings that have gone. (or are still there!) To cover a hundred miles of track compromises have to be made. I know that is a concept a few in the simulator world struggle with but there you go.. :)

As my mam would have said if she was alive ' A man on a galloping horse would not notice!'

bless her.

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Some work in Progress

Jan is always a strange month, and I have been busy with Kent and Marias, but I am currently making assets to place along to Etherley.

Here are my 2 current examples.

Etherly Station

No current details but it will be pretty well detailed. The station building is still there but converted into apartments.

See the building Here

Escomb Saxon Church.

As you can see a simple shape, but some small elements are still missing which will be added.

Draw Distance

There is often talk about how far out to model, and like most things it's all down to user preference.

Here you can see that I have modeled out about a mile and really that is more than far enough. From a drivers point of view most of the time it is not needed, but the detail level out that far is not fine and I have added it so that the scene looks full.
I find it is best to keep the detail close to the track and do less and less as you move away from the track. I never have a hard edge to my world, I always try and fade the details out so that the scene looks more natural.

I am lucky that much of my route is full of scenes like this, building Darlington and Durham will prove more challenging but the same rules apply. Bishop Auckland and surrounding villages will be modeled in full (generic housing and buildings where I don't have any good reference material)

Here is a shot of Etherley Tip

My time frame is a little earlier than depicted in the flickr image, and I'm not exactly sure what the scene would have looked like in the mid 50s but I guess this will do for now. Once I have modelled more of Etherley Station and Witton Park the scene will be an interesting contrast to what is at Bishop Auckland.

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Towards Escomb

As I work my way along the track to Witton Park I find myself adding more foliage than was probably there.

I don't mind, I will add what I like and what I think makes for an interesting view.

A few miles of views like this till I get up past Witton-le-wear.

Grass Tree Bush