Fallgate

The arrival of the Bachmann R-T-R range of WD locos meas greatly improved running compared with the original GEM kits on Graham Farrish chassis, though these still make an appearance at exhibitions

Peggy, first outing

Hummy with excellent factory weathering

The full-size version at Tracks to the Trenches: rebuilt WD Baldwin no.778

Photographs taken by 009 Society member Bob Barnard on a student trip to the remains of the ALR in 1969

The Fallgate yard was still in use as part of the felspar mining operation but by then was isolated from the former route of the ALR

A solitary locomotive working the isolated yard

Despite acquiring the Fallgate layout from Brian Love in 2010 Steve Little and Matthew Barrett did not make a site visit until October 2019.

On the far right the station shelter can be seen. It survives as a store shed

The approach from the village cross the Amber river is recognisable although little remains of the railway infrastructure

The cottages remain but the trackbed is hard to identify at this point

Some development had encroached on the site of the yard and station, with more to come.

A week after the site visit Fallgate appeared at the Warrington exhibition.

By good fortune the  space allocated had the same orientation as the site and late afternoon direct sunlight transformed the appearance of the layout

Steve and Matthew cast long shadows across the roadway by the tarmac plant, courtesy of 3-D scanning by Modelu (https://modelu3d.co.uk)

The yard in 1936 with two time-traveling observers

Compare this view of the roadbridge with the site photograph in the section above.

Tar and limestone were mixed in the tarmac plant.

The tar was brought from Clay Cross in a specially constructed 9-ton tank wagon built on a standard War Department underframe

Lorries distributed the finished material

The horse and man-operated tramway brought the flourspar to the washer

Flourspar is calcium fluoride and can be used to lower the melting point of raw materials in steel production to aid the removal of impurities, and in the production of aluminium.

Ceramic grade fluorite can be used in the manufacture of enamels and acid grade fluorite, is used to make hydrofluoric acid which is used to etch glass.

Ex War Department Baldwin 4-6-0 "Guy" leaving the flourspar washer

The Dick-Kerr petrol-elecric, one of two internal combustion engines on the layout, in Fallgate yard

A horse-drawn W.D. class D wagon on the spur serving the quarry at Fallgate

Fallgate is stored in a cellar. The main baseboard folds into a self-contained unit

Fallgate is hoisted from the cellar with block and tackle

The cellar access was upgraded this year

The main baseboard unit, with integrated legs and the lighting rig, backboards and stock all fit into an MPV or estate car

Stephen Little can be contacted by e-mail at steve@stephenelittle.com
or by phone on +44 7792 590224