Devilla Colliery. OO modern image layout. http://simonsgallery.photos.de.com/ 8 rows en-gb 60 Devilla in 2008 http://simonsgallery.photos.de.com/c1495341.html We have a number of outings in 2008. Glasgow show for starters , then Perth in June and Falkirk towards Christmas. Friday 18 April 2008: We have a number of outings in 2008. Glasgow show for starters , then Perth in June and Falkirk towards Christmas.

DRS liveried 37229 arrives as a guest on a test run More modern playing about Bachmann 37 and Hornby 60 testing out DCC installation. Looks to be working selection of modern stock tests out the DCC again Roland wonderful 999606 recording coach showing the benefits of DCC and decoder filled coaching stock that bristles with LEDs. Very eyecatching!

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]]> Fri Apr 18 2008 'The Bods' http://simonsgallery.photos.de.com/c1444264.html The people who make Devilla Collery tick Sunday 20 January 2008: The people who make Devilla Collery tick

Mutley. My personal mentor! BS. Bill gets busy in Jeff territory RT. Roland is the king of the plastic and Mek. Talk to him at Glasgow show where he has a 'how to do it' stand with lots of fantastic scratchbuilt models AD. Andrew playing with big trains MD. Malcom in full on precision mode on the Airthrey Park layout. BS. Bill and Jeff on the choccy biccies? JP. Jeff and Malcolm. Jeff is the guy who got me back into all of this some 10 years ago and has cost me a bl**dy forthune in the process. Ace carpenter too! MD. Malcolm Donnely father and inspiration to Andrew. In truth a far better modeller than any of us. Check out his building on Devilla and Airthrey Park to see what I mean RT. Roland and the ever present and needed cheapo hairspray (for foliage don't you know?) SB. Simon, Bill Alex and Andrew contemplate Airthrey PArk's first show over a cuppa. MP. Mark (the original brains behind Devilla) Roland, Jeff, Simon, Bill Alex and Andrew. Nearly the whole crew. DP. David Paterson. Jeffs' 'wee' boy enjoying playing trains at Dundee 2007 RT. Roland goes MAD! Actually cutting up a 9F with a razorsaw sounds fine to me!? JR. Jim Reid takes a break during a show.

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]]> Sun Jan 20 2008 4. Rolling Stock http://simonsgallery.photos.de.com/c1428943.html wagons for coal.....and the other stuff that comes past while the colliery is at work. Monday 24 December 2007: wagons for coal.....and the other stuff that comes past while the colliery is at work.

Presflo cement. Older working era will see Presflos arrive occasionally. Later dated running dates at it is PCAs Salmon. AD's rail carrier. HEA. Domestic coal ex colliery leaves by HEAs for Speedlink workings ex Thorton or Mossend VAA. Van traffic for colliery stores becomes air braked and hence Vaa VBA VDA and even early VGA wagons will be seen TTA fuel oil delivery. Tis train is clearly unbraked!!! Grampus. Rake of spoil wagons Sealions Ballst working with a Shark

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]]> Mon Dec 24 2007 2. Buildings model and prototype http://simonsgallery.photos.de.com/c1428942.html The structures on the layout and some of the real buildings around the area which provided some inspiration. Monday 24 December 2007: The structures on the layout and some of the real buildings around the area which provided some inspiration.

2b Another view of the old shed and a small rake of cement wagons which deliver to the colliery. Replaced by PCAs in later years 3c Another view of the old winding gear. 2a The original shed had some strange Euro HO parentage and had to go. A new and more typically British 1960s creation will fill its place. 20. The 06 loiters in front of the winding gear in pre DCC days. The loco is having a Lenz Gold Mini installed before Glasgow show. THe winding tower is in the proces of being rebuilt in plastic for extra strength and with a new Mashima motor and 50:1 reduction gear. 3 weighbridge The weighbridge lies between the sidings and the screens. Every wagon is tared on the way in and weighed on the way out. An old Triang Hornby building that has been bashed about. 1b Another view of Bogside Box on what is now a very pleasant cycle path cum bridle path between Alloa and Dunfermline. 1a Bogside North British Signal box is the very box that the ficticious colliery was controlled from. Still standing and listed, on the road between Alloa and Dunfermline. We reckon the fake boarded up windows are wrong and would not have been 12 pane type but much more likely were 4 pane sash and case. So that's what Malcolm is modelling. 3b Yes we have a winding engine and chimney (Townstreet cast plaster) and yes we make a lot of 'reek' 3a The old winding gear and winding house (The prototype building is actually in Derbyshire) 1c The model box taking shape. 1d The model box and a rough for the new engine shed. 1l The hole in the layout where the ex Airfix box was. Now demolished and awaiting the correct structure. 9 Winding gear from a smaller Fife mine 6 Kinglassie pithead area showing winding engine house and winding gear 7 The old colliery pug ex WD Austerity at Comrie pit and Rexco smokeless plant. The 'next working' colliery to Devilla. 9 No5 laid up at the Comrie colliery in the mid 1980s. Now preserved at Bo'ness and Kinniel. 8 Randolph pit head gear. Part of the Wemyss group of pits in Fife to the east of Kirkcaldy 9a Valleyfield pit down on the Forth near Culross, produced high quality steam coal for the admiralty at Rosyth and was joined under the sea to Kinneil in later years. The pit closed in the 1980s 9b Valleyfield headgear. This pit would be only 4 or 5 miles at most from where we envisage Devilla colliery was situated 4d The headgear now has a Mashima motor, a decoder, a set of 50:1 reduction gears and a chance of being much more reliable? 4b The new headgear wheels set sitting on the old and very decrepit tower...more later! 4a The new tower takes shape. £40 odd of Plastruct and counting! Was going to be brass but couldn't afford the mortgage payments. Roland has used a whole bottle of Mekpak!! 4g Winding gear new tower. 'In the white' as they say. This will be fully funtional by Glasgow show and we are thinking of using the old tower as an old disused shaft on the other side of the winding house. 4e New winding tower takes shape on Roland's bench. 4f The old headgear and wheels with new motor and gears fitted is now test fitted to the new tower. 4c Close up shows that Roland has concealed the 'gubbins' well. So it is off to the painting and weathering shop now! 1e The box modelled on Bogside is complete and requires paint now. Looks the part! 1f Paint now appled and the interior takes shape. Is there a cat? 1g Another view shows the inside and the staircase. We have had to freelance this as the original is missing and appears to have been altered over the lifespan of the box. 1h The complete and painted box 1j Another view of the completed stucture. 1k Box alongside green?? Chopper for scale 2c The shed showing that it will fit a Type 1 or Type 2 diesel if required 2d Another view as the new shed takes shape. 2e Front view of shed showing size of structure. A very basic maintenance facility for the J94s and 03/08s 4h. The winding gear rebuilt and almost complete has a 'test fitting' then it is off for painting and weathering. Painting this bu**er with an airbrush was enough to try the patience of a saint.! 2f. The finished shed...Looking rather good. Malcolms tasty handiwork comes out tops again. A touch of weathering and we bring the colliery servicing shed into the 1970s-80s era. 1m. The box poses next to the shed with a strange black thing inside it? Looking good. Now the 100 mile trip for installation on the layout in time for Glasgow Modelrail 2008 2g. The shed weathered and looking superb next to the box. This time the posing partner is more like it though still the wrong colour! 2h. The shed finally 'rests in place' Looks great. Just a little fettling of the ground around the base to hide the join. See Motive power for an in use shot! 1o. Box from front. There is a wooden ramp to be fitted at the front and a walkway across the track for signalman. 1n. Box in situ. Some final weathering needed 3 weeks to show!

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]]> Mon Dec 24 2007 5. Work bench, projects and other http://simonsgallery.photos.de.com/c1428941.html Some views of the layout as it evolved from steam and green DC, through various more modern DC incarnations to BR Blue DCC. Monday 24 December 2007: Some views of the layout as it evolved from steam and green DC, through various more modern DC incarnations to BR Blue DCC.

Workbench littered with bits of Sulzers and another essential reference book. One of many that are always being pored over! 47550 that you can see in the background University of Dundee is an addball having a blue roof and revised livery. Also Inverness Stags on the cabs. A deliberate choice to have a 'one off' loco unlikely ever to be commercially produced. This is Ad's loco and has been sound fitted by SB Club workbench with Alex trying to get 37191 rolling after the gear train seized solid. OK it works and is thrashing nicely courtesy of South West Digital Bachmann factory sound 47. The model is ruined by the lack of fans under the grilles and a big shiny speaker on view. Enter Mr Graham Shaw at Shawplan's lovely brass fans. Carefully glued in place under the grilles with Araldite after being painted and weathered off the chassis. Looks a million times better? REMEMBER!! Don't weather the fans with the loco complete as inevitably some paint will end up in/on the speaker and associated wiring. McRats. Andrew Donnelly's pets. We should have at least 4 with sound before Glasgow 2008. They look great when worked on and are very popular with the crowd at shows up here (particularly when 'sound on board') The fleet of 'breathed on' Heljan McRats takes shape. This fleet serves both Devilla Colliery and Airthrey PArk our other Blue Diesel layout Expensive weekend. 24s for the 26s. 25s for the 27s and two v2 47s for 017 and 550. Time to get busy. Wagon. PWA 1. Hornby's ex Lima recently rereleased PWA Fertilizer pallet van is a shoe in for our 2 Scottish 1980s layouts. But Hornby (the rotters) have left the hideous and totally wrong Lima bogies on the model. Enter SKits Glos Fast Freight kit....duly made up with araldite and fitted. Wagon. PWA 2. Pretty straight forward fit. Drilled out and glued in brass bearings and refitted Hornby wheels with a gentle file off of the point on the axle which is marginally too long for the bogie width. Bogie needs packed up from wagon floor with Plastikard and I have fitted Instanters and airpipes too. Next to weather it!

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]]> Mon Dec 24 2007 3. MOTIVE POWER http://simonsgallery.photos.de.com/c1428939.html Locos which ply their trade at the colliery or are seen passing by on the branch line. Monday 24 December 2007: Locos which ply their trade at the colliery or are seen passing by on the branch line.

47017 Heljan spoon. Regular pain in the arse for McRat bashers as this loco appeared in Fife with monotonous regularity 08620 the Stirling pilot gets lent to NCB on a hire out basis when they have issues with the 03 or the J94s. 06003 Andrew's lovely Judith Edge shunter, Kept after class withdrawal as a depot pet at Airthrey PArk occasionally wanders to the colliery Kettle J94s. Soon to be Named 'Devilla no1' and another surprise name. The two chipped and ready for action Austerity tanks. We really like the later Hornby J94, Excellent little runners and with some compensation in chassis they climb over obstacles too! 27005 27025 on plough duty. Breathed on Heljan models. 37191. With ETHEL having run around ex the Stirling portion of the sleeper 25006 on shed. This is an old loco even by Devilla standards and will rarely get a run. 37191 departs the exchange sidings with a weekend ballast working 06003 and Gronk pals on shed at colliery. The shed you see here will be gone by Feb 2008. DMU 104. Andrew's Andy Elliott built 104 a Hornby Craftsman and a lot more job. Lovely! 37191. Cut away original Bachmann 37/0 with a SWD v2.0 sound chip on board. My Lords! 26026 on Airthrey Park platform. Soon to leave and perhaps pass by the colliery with a Dundee bound passenger turn? Kettle J94. Whiston soon to change ID. Kettle J94. Another view of breathed on J94. Kadees fitted for hands free shunting and various bits and pieces added. Shunters pole, lamps, wrench, oil can etc etc Kettle J94 The Comrie collery pug no5. In steam until the 80s and now preserved at Bo'ness. Kettle J94 No5 again here stored at Comrie 1985. 66052 56022 What might have been? Or the two ages of MGR power? Sound on board 66 creates a racket while the 56 is still awaiting its sound chip Come on SWD...... 56022. Hornby's beautiful new Grid, shown to look just the job here! Lovely grille work and the awful Hornby roof fans in the bin with Mr Shaw(plan)'s fitted in their place. How did the loco get to Fife? Don't ask! Its my layout. 47404 Gateshead vagrant courtesy of Bachamnn. Given a liberal dosing of Geordie muck (rumour has it that they never found the loco washer that allegedly existed at Gateshead depot) 47404 This loco has been detailed and weathered and is all the better for it. At last BAchmann have given us a reasonable compromise for a working screw link. The Hornby version while lovely and very scale is rather too stiff and small to use as a working coupling in reality. We favour Smiths over all others for this reason and try not to use anything else! DMU 107 444 a classic! And an early repaint into Strathclyde Orange and black, so here it is on the Sunday of Glasgow show when we were running 1986 era. The model is a Hornby 110 chassis with a Lenz silver decoder and Craftsman White metal ends, with various bits of Lima scrap box on the under frame. Built by the late great Andy Elliott

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]]> Mon Dec 24 2007 6. Friends and visitors http://simonsgallery.photos.de.com/c944406.html Other people's stock, layouts etc etc. Things that caught my eye and took my fancy. Tuesday 2 May 2006: Other people's stock, layouts etc etc. Things that caught my eye and took my fancy.

Airfix railbus of Jim Reid's on chopped down hornby pacer drive. Malcolm Donnelly's Dave Alexander Clayton. People like this loco a lot. We get many questions. It runs well too., but not he strongest in the fleet. Just like the real thing then!? Malcolms Clan. Lovely! The other loco we had a lot of questions about. Basis is old Hornby Brittania with the ungraded chassis finer scale wheels etc. The boiler is a kit that fits on Hornby chassis. Runs and looks very well. 999606 Roland's Ultrasonic recording coach with 10! white and orange LEDS (Some directional) scattered around it.

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]]> Tue May 2 2006 1. Layout History http://simonsgallery.photos.de.com/c944397.html This is a much travelled layout. Bought and rebuilt by me from a club in Midlands. It has now become a diesel DCC layout set in the very late 1970s early to mid 1980s in Scottish lowlands. These images show action from the previous life with kettle and other stuff running DC controlled in the main. We have run it as 'death of steam in Fife' in the mid 1960s and in 2 distinct diesel periods....solid blue and late blue/early sectorisation. Now the fleet is much reduced, sound fitted DCC and the span is from the late 1970s to 1986 Tuesday 2 May 2006: This is a much travelled layout. Bought and rebuilt by me from a club in Midlands. It has now become a diesel DCC layout set in the very late 1970s early to mid 1980s in Scottish lowlands. These images show action from the previous life with kettle and other stuff running DC controlled in the main. We have run it as 'death of steam in Fife' in the mid 1960s and in 2 distinct diesel periods....solid blue and late blue/early sectorisation. Now the fleet is much reduced, sound fitted DCC and the span is from the late 1970s to 1986

View from worms eye into exchange sidings Ex Tyne dock Bachmann 24...missing tanks and vac pipe on an upstand drifts past colliery sidings The Britannia Pacific tamper is beautiful. We have added extra pick ups and it runs better now. Pair of Lima McRats on drift ploughs...bought ready made from Britannia Pacific... Blue diesel 08 and a J94...odd? No totally legit Judith Edge 06....nice! AD's paint 06 chugs onto layout from fiddle. Signals are rebuilt Hornby Dublo. A bit coarse but very reliable and take a knock or ten. This schematic shows the layout of BR lines between Stirling and Dunfermilne. Devilla colliery would be situated above the Upper Hirst coal seam, near Bogside on the green line on the diagram. DCC control is now an option on Devilla. Looks great? Will be full DCC for Glasgow 2008 Recently repainted Bachmann 37/5. Peak National Park ticks over in exchange sidings The J94 on location..we use Kadees on the colliery 16ton minerals and can hands free shunt wagons and load them with coal EW&S rather than EWS 60. We one bought reliveried and running in 48 hours. It is a quick and easy job once you have the confidence to attack factory numbers. I ALWAYS strip the shell of all glazing, renumber and then revarnish before reassembly. The Lass O' Ballochmyle draws a loaded coal away from colliery 08620 sits rumbling away quietly at the headshunt before going to get some more wagons to load from reception sidings 37147 has left her train in the reception sidings and awaits the wave to come back for a loaded traind. The oer zealous driver has the loco right up against the stops. Tut tut! J94s sit waiting for next coal empties to arrive for shunting through loading screens on working coal loader on Devilla Colliery Bachmann 24 in headshunt waiting for wave from yard shunter to say his loaded coal train is ready J94 nestles in shed for running repairs Ooooops. One of many shunting accidents. This is posed and always creates a comment or two. Happened a lot in real life!

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