Focalplane

Western Thunderer
I think we have a lot to learn from modern film location techniques when it comes to building an authentic model. In my opinion authentic doesn't have to be exact, it should be believable and be able to create the right atmosphere. One aspect I remember from an old railway magazine was that colours should be stronger at the front with contrast fading toward the back. Whether I will ever be able to accomplish that I don't know, but it is one of many things to aim at. All the old photos of Moor Street have that city smog look about them, either cloudy, rainy days or simply smoke from funnels and chimneys. Stone buildings were near soot black, I can remember when they started cleaning them up. One of the well known Birmingham (and train) photographers was D J Norton, whose son has preserved his work with a web site and has published books such as Birmingham then and now. Now I am working on an urban scene I need to get some reference books! Next time in Brum it will be time to visit Ian Allan's store near New Street Station.

Right, then, there is progress downstairs which I will report on later, but right now I need to get some plywood and cork.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
When I started to be disillusioned about Penmaenpool I could not get in the mood to carry on with it. Hence the coach and loco building since Christmas. The old layout sat there half completed, Tortoises on their backs, no scenery and so on.

What a difference a decision makes:

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I am standing in the doorway, to the left and behind me is a two track lifting section. The LH point in the foreground will be connected to the inside track. The turnout will feed the old Legge Lane turntable, already in place but in need of some TLC. The straight point continues as a two track circle which passes the far side of the turntable and will eventually do a complete circuit with a storage loop behind scenery. The turntable represents Tyseley 84E and although not part of the Moor Street scene will be fully scenicked with storage roads to display various locomotives I own. This is where the Dolgelley fiddle yard used to be.

Beyond the turntable is a module from Penmaenpool containing the engine shed. I cannot junk this, it took a summer to design and construct, so it is going to serve a new purpose, a staging post for Large Prairies, etc. that need servicing but don't need turning at Tyseley. That's something Dr. Beeching never thought of! The old track section was careful cut out and will be sunk into an appropriate space beyond the throat of Moor Street Station, which will be round the corner to the left of the camera.

I have made the turntable easily removable for servicing, etc. It slides forward though there will have to be some removable "keepers" to prevent that sag that is just about visible and will only get worse. There will be roads off the turntable to display perhaps 4 or 5 locomotives. The turntable has a DCC module and is operated under address 88.

The back scene here will be a synthesis of Digbeth/Small Heath urban sprawl, and I can think of nothing better than including the old Singer factory. I remember it well because I thought they made sewing machines there! Well, my mother had a Singer which explains my naivety. The main line was on the long blue brick viaduct so the viaduct wall will be a useful scenic break with only the tops of the buildings beyond actually showing, becoming smaller scaled, Paul Bambrick style.

One departure from previous L Girder layouts I have built is that I am going with large sheets of plywood, each sheet firmly fixed to numerous uprights. I have been kneeling on top of one such sheet and it is rock solid. I need more sheets of 10mm ply (I thought it was 9mm) but cannot buy any at the moment as there is a Tramontane (like the Mistral) blowing at around 60kph and plywood acts like a sail when being transported across the car park. As it was I nearly lost some smaller sheets of white hardboard I did buy this afternoon.

The plan is to continue to build the outer two track oval. Only then will I build a new diagonal section across the room and this will be Moor Street Station.

Paul
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
The end of a busy day in the railway room. Obtaining more plywood is beginning to be a problem so I am forging ahead with dismantling the old and doing what I can to start the new.

Laying track has started on the first sheet of plywood.

The first photo shows a yard of track being formed into shape using a printout from AnyRail, a nice and easy piece of Windows software that I can use on my Mac thanks to Crossover. All I am doing is printing out a single 1.8m radius curve around 45º and a double 1.8m + 1.88m set of curves at 1:1 scale (in Gauge O parlance). I have not the inclination to do anything more sophisticated.

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Not only is the curve preformed but also the ends of the yard.

The double track oval will have super elevation on each 90º curve. Because I am using solid sheets of plywood I cannot super elevate the plywood so I am do an HO trick I learned in the States. I add small cut off pieces of Peco sleepers under one side of alternative sleepers on the outside of the curve.

I use thinner pieces at the commencement of the curve from the straights so that the angle builds rather than comes in all abrupt:

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When it comes to gluing the track down it is impossible to use boards and books, etc., but heavy canned goods work well:

IMG_0181.JPG

I should add that I use Copydex to glue the track to the cork (and exterior grade PVA glue to glue the cork to the plywood).

Here is the result of the super elevation:

IMG_0180.JPG

Over the weekend I plan to have all the old track lifted, except the scissor crossing which stays, and track completely laid on the first two boards, including the turntable roads. Then on Monday afternoon I hope to be able to source more quality plywood to continue. The aim is to get the double track oval completed soon before thinking about Moor Street itself.
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Coming along nicely. The superelevation looks the part with the loco leaning in to the curve. Got a feeling you'll be happier with a double track circuit and watching big locos on long trains...
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Chris, thank you. An “Agree” button would be good! More photos later today.

I must admit that the extra response buttons (agree, funny, thanks, craftsmanship, supportive etc) are about the only feature of the RMweb software I miss. "Like" doesn't always seem appropriate particularly when responding to bad news or looking at some extremely good modelling. Not the end of the day though.

It's a big step you've taken. Any comments from the other half in starting again? I know mine was bemused when I stripped everything off the boards to move from Pencarrow mk1 (Wenford based) to the mk2 (Bodmin based) design. Think I'm now fully committed though!
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
It's a big step you've taken. Any comments from the other half in starting again? I know mine was bemused when I stripped everything off the boards

SWMBO is in the UK with the grandchildren at the moment but I did mention the fact on Facetime the other evening and was pleasantly surprised with her positive reaction. She likes Moor Street Station's renovation (and hates the "blob" next door) so she was relieved to know that I will be modelling an earlier period. Writing of which, the late 1950s/early 1960s was the period of the great change to concrete so I expect a few skeleton structures will be justified; fortunately the 1960s Bull Ring is located where operators and visitors will stand, Does anyone remember the Midland Red Bus Station? Dreadful place.
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
Glad to see that picture of the super-elevated Large Prairie seeing as one is winging its way to this part of the world. I seem to recall you had some problems with your Heljan??? Anything naughty?

We have swapped sides, you going for a mainline and me back to a sleepy branch, and I must say your new layout is fairly bobbing along.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Glad to see that picture of the super-elevated Large Prairie seeing as one is winging its way to this part of the world. I seem to recall you had some problems with your Heljan??? Anything naughty?

Thanks, Larry, my Large Prairie came without a screw (special, of course) for one of the pony trucks which come separate in the box. The problem was that no spares had arrived in the UK and I had to wait. Ben Jones and Tower Models were really helpful. When it came to fitting DCC sound I discovered that they expect you to use Loksound with a smallish circular speaker. I contacted John Gymer at Youchoos and he had a work around using a special board plus a Zimo. When it came to fitting the special board it was faulty but I thought it was the decoder which had the fault, so it took a while to get sorted. John has put a page up on his website showing what can be done and have Zimo plus his sounds, which I know you like. Once fixed the loco works like a charm (fingers crossed). Incidentally I never used the Zimo special board in the end as I tested the stall current and it was less than an amp, so the 645R should cope. Of course, when I have 8 suburban coaches on a rush hour special to Leamington I might have a problem.

I still haven't opened the small bag of bits though decent and appropriate number plates have been fitted. I also need to get rid of the plastic look - have a look at Steve Fay's (a.k.a. Compton Castle).

Paul
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Thanks Phil. The first map shows the situation while Moor Street was under construction. Snow Hill was also being rebuilt at the time and the bottleneck (Snow Hill Tunnel) was compounded by a lack of platforms, so they opened what became Platforms 2 and 3 (now 4 and 5!) with some temporary offices of which I have no photos. The present day terminus building was built later and after that Platform 1 (now Platform 3). Maps generally show some track at Moor Street but the Goods Station came later though the area was already cleared for it, as shown on the map.

Yes, Moor Street is compact and I am hoping I can fit more than just the 4 station tracks but also the "hoist tracks" which were between the main line and Platform 1(3). By the late 1950s it would appear the hoist tracks were also used to store coaching stock. No doubt the Goods Station was not seeing as much business as before. In order to have good access I plan to build the station on a diagonal support across the room with access on both sides. To do this the station and the main line will diverge more than they do in real life. But that could all change, it's a long way ahead in my planning!
 
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LarryG

Western Thunderer
Heljan 61XX arrived today but I had to contact seller as there are no bunker side and rear steps in accessory pack. The front vacuum pipe in two parts is a joke so I'll get a brass one. What did your steps look like Paul?
 
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LarryG

Western Thunderer
Thanks for that Paul. I am slightly concerned that if your steps were factory fitted, I could be in for a long wait for spares, something I will not tolerate.
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
Taking a break from physical work I sat down and drew up a modified track diagram:

MoorStreetPlan1.jpg

The station area and the hoist roads are little changed. The relief lanes have disappeared and Moor Street is linked to the main lines by a longish spur, certainly long enough to allow a rake of coaches to be moved from one platform to another. The hoist roads will allow a limited amount of shunting of goods vehicles. The service area is fictional and consists of the Penmaenpool engine shed with ash pits in front.

T-1 and T-2 are the traversers. The double slip has printed as a single slip, I don't know why.

There will probably be an access space between Platform 1 and the Hoist Roads, that part is obviously not to scale.

The plan is actually quite close to the early plan before the main line was four-tracked. This plan is remarkably similar!!!
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
A bit more research, this time on the Hoist Roads and the 20 ton hoist that lowered vans and wagons into the lower level Goods Shed B. This photo is of the hoist that was located between the station and the main line. It should be included in the model and why not have it operational? The problem is I don't know exactly when the hoist was no longer used though they were present in 1965 when the Rotunda was under construction (but were they still being used?). I don't even remember the hoist being there, though I must admit that goods sheds did not have a great attraction when a King or Castle might pass by on the main lines.

Moor Street Station: An official posed photograph showing a ten ton, wooden Mink A covered wagon on the twenty ton electric wagon hoist

The view is looking towards Snow Hill, with Moor Street platforms on the left and the original brick parapet that supported the two track main line viaduct over Park Street.

Here is a fire insurance map showing Shed B with its two hoists. The one in the photograph is at the top of the map.

Moor Street Station: Fire Insurance Map showing the layout of the different levels of Moor Street Station and the surrounding areas

There is another traverser (actually even more of them underground) to move wagons and vans from one track to another. The Goods Station, to give it its proper name, was quite a place, as the map suggests.
 
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