A small yard for a micro-layout

[Tim Hale]

It seems likely that the micro will develop as a new entity, rather than continue, a new thread has emerged, click on the link.

Industriebahn

The idea of a micro seems to have gained some traction, partially due to the existence of three completed lightweight baseboards that have been laid with track albeit just a running line and a single siding to the yard. Moreover, the mainboard is acceptable to the domestic authority, it is a safer option than wandering down the garden to the workshop. Rather than a layout, it is 100cm mainboard and capable of detailing like a diorama, mostly inspired by Yorkshire Dave’s mini-scenes and I might get invited to bore at Expos.

The theme is a change from the usual rural early ‘50s to the ‘70s and an urban environment based on a small rail-served yard, something that is almost a thing of the past. Just a single hydraulic shunter and three steel opens located somewhere amongst the extensive inland harbour outside Bamberg, the railsystem will be the Bamberger Hafen Eisenbahn and the locomotive will be called Inga (a friend’s mum)

Like most small scrapyards it is a family business and a Wiking MB L406 is the ideal modern horse and dray, spot-on for the period.







Tim

 

[michael080]

Interesting theme, Tim!

I recall that scrap metal collections were common in the 70s. They were announced and everbody just put old boilers, broken washing machines or whatever just outside for collection. Your 706 is spot on! The trucks collecting everything were typically old and very shabby. I think they had some selfmade extensions of their side panels to increase capacity.
Btw., Inga is more common in northern Germany or the nordic countries. The southern German variant would be Inge.

Michael

 

[Allen M]

There are quite a few people still in Kidderminster who remember Bob Peden, the local scrap man with his horse & cart. He used the cart with several different horses from about 1964 and then for must have been 25 years, possible longer. He then went to a truck. He is now in his his late 70s but still does the odd small job with a trailer behind his car.

Regards
Allen

 

[Heather Kay]

It’s still fairly common round here to see a superannuated Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter creaking round the local estates, loaded with old barbecues, expired white goods, and broken bicycles.

I’m convinced they have a satellite spy network because you only need to dump something metallic at the end of your drive to summon the nearest vehicle to collect in minutes!

 

[AJC]

It’s still fairly common round here to see a superannuated Ford Transit or Mercedes Sprinter creaking round the local estates, loaded with old barbecues, expired white goods, and broken bicycles.

I’m convinced they have a satellite spy network because you only need to dump something metallic at the end of your drive to summon the nearest vehicle to collect in minutes!

Same in west Kent (sometimes the cycles are even meant to be disposed of, rather too often, that’s not the case).

Adam

 

[Richard Gawler]

'Schrottbetrieb' can translate into English as a scrap metal operation, business, enterprise or even division; all of these more informative and more pleasing than our usual 'yard'.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

What is interesting is the sign's typeface which looks to be a hangover from pre-war styles - the use of the uncrossed f instead of s in Munckerstraße (on the other hand it may well be a pre-war sign). Interesting looking at their website they are still in business today recycling metals and now textiles.

The eszett ß for the double s in strasse remains common today in street names - except West Berlin (later Berlin). They have their own typeface and the eszett ß appears as fz in straße. In other cases the use of the uncrossed f for s has been replaced by s.



The uncrossed f for s also appears in old english text and you occasionally see the uncrossed f in the middle of and the s at the end of the same word. This may well be indicative of the Anglo-Saxon origin of both languages.

Apologies for the diversion.

 

[michael080]

it's me again, the old German language grouser.

Schottbetrieb is quite an exaggeration. Junk merchants were not the most reputable business, so Schrottbetrieb sounds very impressive compared to what we see through the gates.

If you are planning to have a small junk merchant, as far as I remember they didn't have much of sign anyway. Certainly not that size.

Michael

 

[michael080]

Tim,

don't get me wrong: You notice the joke with the "Hinkelstein"?

Typically, menhirs were not standard merchandise at coalyards.

Michael

 

[Joe's Garage]

I do " like" this sort of photo as it provokes so many ideas about a small layout. The little blue diesel squeezing between walls and a gate....what more can I say.... lovely.
A Merry Christmas to you, Tim and yours. All the best for 2024.
Julian

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Not dark and satanic oop north anymore. - t'mills have either been cleaned or demolished.

When William Blake penned the poem in 1804 he was referring to the Albion Flour Mills in Southwark, then being the first major factory in London.

The term dark Satanic Mills later become used for wool and cotton mills and any other factory or mine which was seen as a mechanism for enslavement while the industrial revolution gathered pace.

 

[Tim Hale]

Finally managed to find the Grassmaster static grass applicator, for some strange reason it was lurking amongst the box of fishing tackle....however now the long unkempt grass can be 'planted' along the boundary fence and on the front edge.

​

The front edge has been enhanced with some pieces of foamboard recovered from 'Beaminster Road'. it had been painted brown and liberally covered in grass, although just 5mm high, it breaks up the monotonous 'flatness' of the diorama.

I need to weather the ballast, the track was painted at the outset but the ballast is much too new, any suggestions?

Unfortunately, the project is complete, it should be going to an exhibition but that is doubtful, instead it will be popped into its storage box and simply forgotten about.

Tim

 

[Joe's Garage]

Looking good Tim, nice to you are finding time to model.
All the best
Julian

 

[David Waite]

The weather boarding on the side of the Garage looks very realistic.
David.

 

[Richard Gawler]

Please Tim, don't be too hasty. Simply sharing your models in photographs lets many people enjoy them, including of course people who cannot travel to exhibitions.

 

[Tim Hale]

This rather oversized diesel has been lurking in the ‘roundtoit’ cupboard for quite some time, maybe, with the departure of the scrapyard, the time has come to ‘do’ something.

​

The scrapyard was hampered by the use of a proprietary baseboard that was rather ill-conceived, the transit box could accommodate a board 300mm wide but for some reason the board was just 220mm, the result was just too narrow. Grainge and Hodder offer a board 290mm x 1130mm which is just enough for a proto-Inglenook with further inspiration from the Small Layout Design book, moreover 1:45 is better for my eyesight.

Tim

 

[Neil]

I do like the concept of the scrap yard though I realise that you're not happy with its compromises. I have an idea brewing in my mind that takes the same principle but applies it to a different prototype.

 

[Tim Hale]

This rather atmospheric image of the long-gone gravel works at Kalkar from Hans-Peter Gladtfeld maybe a tad optimistic but it does trigger a desire to capture but a small part.
I'll get me coat.