Dublingham Goods Station

[76043]

Having changed the gears in my Wrenn 08's I did need to run them in, and having also recently purchased a Dapol 08, I wondered if I could make a dual gauge rolling road for almost nothing.

So this is in the build stage, it's a black perspex "tray" with aluminium brackets and roller bearings from eBay. The basic idea is to have the aluminium butted up for my 3 rail items but split apart for the O gauge. There is a third set of bearings "in the works". The brackets will be bolted to the perspex in the right places for different wheelbases. Power leads will also be fitted. The pic shows it in 3 rail mode, but move the right-hand brackets to the right to butt against the perspex side and you have the O gauge width.

It needs fettling in various places, for example to clear the Wrenn 08 coupling rods, but should be fine for the Dapol.

Cost so far, £12 for the bearings, everything else is offcuts.

Tony

 

[76043]

Ok, here's the rolling road spaced for the Dapol 08, not a part of the Cameo competition I know, unless I decide some strange perspective modelling comes into play!

The scolloped shape on the top edges allows clearance for the Wrenn 08 coupling rods. Next job is to create cable routing, probably using crocodile clips.

 

[76043]

The first of three 08 shunters are coming along, should be enough locos to cover for failures at exhibition now! Handrails, maybe some weathering, painting the black screw on the roof (!) and varnish to go.
Tony

 

[76043]

Ok, for some time now I've been experimenting with Switchlist, a US Mac based program for generating lists of 'freight cars to switch', shunting wagons to us on this side of the pond.

SwitchList | Southern Pacific in San Jose

I've never quite got the hang of why I need it, but somehow I think I will need it for this project, so I'll persevere until I prove myself wrong.
Tony

 

[76043]

Whilst on software, I've been using Railmodeller Pro layout planning software to finalise the layout, I've switched from SCARM, simply because it's Mac based. Using software is useful to enable 1:1 printing. This is version 10d, so it's been through a lot of revisions already. Faired in 14" computer monitor hides curved sector plate/fiddle yard, dark band is a road overbridge, and round ends simply because I like them in preference to square ends.

Each small square on the plan is 5cm, so it's 170cm long by 45cm deep, I now need to double check it can go in the car and then make adjustments as necessary.
Tony

 

[adrian]

Ok, for some time now I've been experimenting with Switchlist, a US Mac based program for generating lists of 'freight cars to switch', shunting wagons to us on this side of the pond.

SwitchList | Southern Pacific in San Jose

I've never quite got the hang of why I need it, but somehow I think I will need it for this project, so I'll persevere until I prove myself wrong.
Tony

Thanks for posting - nice to see some native Mac OS based products. I would be interested in updates once you've got the hang of SwitchList and how you intend to use it.

 

[76043]

Found a copy on eBay of the District Controller's View : No.3 Marylebone Rugby, P. Stears, Xpress Publishing, it's a fascinating book that gives a genuine insight in how the GC was run over a 24 hour period. Shows how difficult the south end of the London extension was to run as the Met had priority over all GC traffic and there were no goods loops to speak of. It's clear that whilst there was a timetable, it was quite difficult to stick to and a lot of ingenuity was needed to keep the service running, every day! You start to get a real insight in what it takes to run a railway, and whilst I always give railway staff the benefit of the doubt when I see other commuters complaining, occasionally I get frustrated, but now I really do have an insight in how they try keep to time.

Tony

 

[76043]

Thanks for posting - nice to see some native Mac OS based products. I would be interested in updates once you've got the hang of SwitchList and how you intend to use it.

Adrian, will do. I have put most of the variables into the program already and can get a 'switchlist' out of it, but it still needs a lot of work.

 

[76043]

Ok, more tweeking following measurement of my car. A 1:1 printout from RailmodellerPro has enabled the first placement of some items to see how things might work.


I'm planning on kitbashing Hornby station buildings into the various warehouses, the gable roof sections lend themselves to these sorts of buildings quite nicely in my view. The PECO goods shed will be bashed into a milk dock and an old airfix platform kit has already been bashed into the cattle dock.

My first thought is to now try swinging the fiddle yard towards the viewer not away, so the monitor becomes more prominent and the road overbridge exit to the fiddle yard hidden a bit more.

Tony

 

[Simpas]

Tony,

I have attempted to hide the fiddle on Callaton using a similar subterfuge (minus dishonesty...!) and although didn't get it exactly the way I wanted it I'm relatively happy about it. Paul Marshall-Potter did it extremely well on his 'Shelfie' layout. Like most of us here it looks like you're enjoying this exercise which is what model railways is all about.

Mick S.

 

[geoff_nicholls]

this reminds me of the layouts that used to be featured in Model Railway Constructor. I've been reading through some bound volumes from the late 1950's, that I found in my club library. I keep getting the urge to buy a load of second hand settrack and stock. Simpler Days! Many of the Airfix (now Dapol) lineside kits, such as the church, were introduced in 1957-59. Perhaps you might include them as its their sixtieth anniversary.
I baulk at the third rail though, perhaps because I grew up with Tri-ang.

 

[76043]

Mick, I must admit to being a little confused by PMP's Shelfie, is that Albion Yard? If so the exit is wonderful, no overbridge! I'm not entirely happy either with my exit, but have been tweeking it further and hope to having something that fits the Cameo brief.

Geoff, I have the remains of an Airfix church in an old bits box, it's most definitely ruined now! I can't deny the three rail is going to look weird. My biggest task will be to make the Hornby buildings look loads less Hornby, I have ideas, so we'll see. The Historic England survey book on Goods Sheds is a great resource as is my George Dow three volume set on the GC, so I'm not worried they'll be disguised.

Tony

 

[Simpas]

Tony,

Apologies for lateness of my reply.

Albion Yard is something different and makes use of what Paul describes as the 'Long View' and as you say, is wonderful. However, if you're minded to google 'images for shelfie model railway' you will see Paul's excellent minimum space creation - well worth studying.

Mick S.

 

[Simpas]

I've just had a look at some of the images you will see when you look online and a lot of them do have Albion Yard names. I attach a couple of pictures I took so you can identify the little shelfie layout in the pictures you will see. There are some constructional ones online too.

Mick S.

 

[76043]

Thanks Mick, that's really helpful and inspirational, I must have been looking at a different layout that had buildings as the scenic break. But as the layout is set in the Chilterns I might get away with an overbridge!

 

[76043]

I've finished reading the Cameo book, pretty much cover to cover now, and can concur with Iain's view on the modern mini (pg.99) and am cruelly reminded about North Leith. I once completed the baseboards for a 2mm version (all of it) and got as far as the track laying only to eventually see it skipped following a house move. I was proud of that set of baseboards as I had developed a wooden space frame baseboard that was what Colin Chapman would have designed if he'd been into model railways and had just finished a stint on the DH Mosquito production line... Apparently.

 

[76043]

In an effort to increase my knowledge of the operation and trackwork side of this project, I've bought the following books.

GWR Goods Train Working

GWR GOODS TRAIN WORKING VOL 2

Forgotten Railway Infrastructure - photographs from the Wallis Collection

All good reads and highly recommended.

I've also been researching various goods stations, such as the GWR South Lambeth and the MR Birmingham Central goods stations, the former for it's 20 century architecture and the latter for how a self contained operation might work. Birmingham Central like Scotland Street also had a tunnel entrance so perfectly placed for the modeller.

Images directly linked from the Warwickshire Railways website to avoid copyright infringement. All images © Warwickshire Railways.

Birmingham Central Goods Station

 

[adrian]

Images directly linked from the Warwickshire Railways website to avoid copyright infringement. All images © Warwickshire Railways.

I spend far too long on that website, loads of fascinating images.

Always thought that five ways would make a good diorama in 7mm - the upper level being the entrance to the Birmingham Central Good yard.

Five Ways Station

from Five Ways Station: Ex-MR 1F 0-6-0T No 1700 is seen resting between shunting duties on the freight only line to Central Goods Yard - Warwickshire Railways

 

[76043]

Adrian, I agree, I'm starting to wonder if an extension Cameo might be worth considering planning for, the whole area with canals etc is ripe for modelling inspiration.

As a Londoner, it does remind me of Farringdon, multi level and with a goods depot, two in fact if you include the Metropolitan micro goods depot (Vine Street) opposite the GN one. The surface building is still in use by LU as their escalator repair shop, whilst the vacant track space is obviously still there today next to the circle line tracks shown in the foreground below. An original Met bo-bo electric loco shunting really makes the scene.

Images: via London Reconnections, © LT Museum.

London Terminals: Fighting Over Farringdon (Part 2) - London Reconnections

Tony

 

[76043]

Midland Record 17 has the following 1887 OS plan of the first Birmingham Central depot, then called Worcester Wharf. This track plan with it's reverse curves and five tracks is almost like my plan above. But on looking at the cartographer's plan, the track layout does some strange things, the run round goes through the goods shed, that can't right and throat layout means the southernmost siding leaves wrong road. Of course the cartographer could be wrong or the layout was in transition as the Midland was continually expanding this depot at this time, there is also strange piece of trackwork marooned below the southernmost siding.

None of this really matters, but I'm now saying Dublingham Goods was planned to be a similarly large depot but the traffic never materialised leaving just five roads.

The image is © Crown Copyright, courtesy Wild Swan Publications. (I claim 'fair use' under UK copyright law)