7mm Lime Street Stabling Point

[PjKing1]

I had an idea a couple of years ago that the location of the old 60’ turntable at Lime Street station situated by the signal box could make an interesting fictional stabling point. It would also make a good layout as it’s self contained in the cutting with the signal box making a rather good backscene. The signal box opened in January 1948 and is a LMS ARP type 13 design, although it’s still in place it is no longer in use.

The max width of the layout would be 2’ and the length between 8-10’ in 7mm built to O-mf standards, with the signal box itself nearly 3’ long. The track plan itself is rather simple, a three way point giving access to two sidings and a head shut with a kickback siding in front of the box with a ground position signal protecting the ‘off scene’ main line.
Here’s the original turntable

https://flic.kr/p/2ftMiS7

Some photos of Lime Street station signal box I took the other day whilst at work






The track plan


I drew the plan up on Templot last week and printed it off today.





Hope this will be of interest.

Paul

 

[PjKing1]

Here’s some more photos of the area in the 60’s, some more from Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/Tqaoco

https://flic.kr/p/vVdHRL

https://flic.kr/p/vVnj2H

And some I found on tinternet so apologies if they are anyone’s on here.



Paul

 

[steve50]

Fantastic idea for a layout, look forward to seeing more of this. I love ideas based on real locations, wish I could come up with some!
As you say a fantastic ready made back scene, do you plan to have a view block for entrance to a fiddle yard?

 

[PjKing1]

Fantastic idea for a layout, look forward to seeing more of this. I love ideas based on real locations, wish I could come up with some!
As you say a fantastic ready made back scene, do you plan to have a view block for entrance to a fiddle yard?

Thank you Steve, I’m kind of thinking of a small tunnel, again it would be fictional but it would be similar to the small single line tunnel you go through as you leave platform 1, that’s the idea up to now anyway.

Thanks again

Paul

 

[PjKing1]

Counting bricks tonight, well to be honest I’ve been counting them for a couple of weeks now and slowly measuring up the signal box

It will stand around 236mm high.

Paul

 

[simond]

The fantastic EM Lime Street model is a regular on RMWeb.
I’m sure they have lots of prototype info, might be worth contacting Steve or John?

 

[PjKing1]

The fantastic EM Lime Street model is a regular on RMWeb.
I’m sure they have lots of prototype info, might be worth contacting Steve or John?

It’s a cracking layout, I’ve not seen it in the flesh though, I think it’s based slightly before my time frame as it’s got the original signal box.

Paul

 

[John57sharp]

This looks extremely interesting. Looking forward to developments.

John

 

[PjKing1]

This looks extremely interesting. Looking forward to developments.

John

Thanks John, find my box of O gauge track building goodies in the garage along with some Slaters brick sheeting which came in useful when measuring up the signal box footprint.

It’s rather large measuring just over 4’


I also found some more useful photo on Flickr last night

https://flic.kr/p/DjLiiA

Paul

 

[wigancg]

Hi Paul,

This is an interesting thread for sure and I shall follow your developments. Lime Street is a cracking station!
Do you work on the railway as well?

Chris

 

[Gilbert]

Fantastic layout idea based on a great location - as an exiled scouser who's been into Lime Street quite a bit in the last few years I'll shall follow with interest.I also do rather favour signal boxes as a model subject....

 

[Bulldog3444]

Hi Paul

This is a great layout idea and I will be following your thread with interest.

I am another Liverpudlian. Between 1960 and 1962 we lived in Lord Nelson Street, the road alongside Lime Street Station, as my family ran a small hotel there. So as a 10-12 year old I spent quite a lot of time during the school holidays at the end of platform 7, just where the class 40 is in the picture above by John Pownall. I split my time between Lime Street, and watching the ferries and liners at the Pier Head.

That was the period of transition from steam to diesel on the London trains, but the rest of the main line trains were still steam hauled. Then, a year or two later, the blue electrics took over the London services.

What period are you going to model? Will you be adding the Overhead Line Equipment?

Ian

 

[PjKing1]

Hi Paul

This is a great layout idea and I will be following your thread with interest.

I am another Liverpudlian. Between 1960 and 1962 we lived in Lord Nelson Street, the road alongside Lime Street Station, as my family ran a small hotel there. So as a 10-12 year old I spent quite a lot of time during the school holidays at the end of platform 7, just where the class 40 is in the picture above by John Pownall. I split my time between Lime Street, and watching the ferries and liners at the Pier Head.

That was the period of transition from steam to diesel on the London trains, but the rest of the main line trains were still steam hauled. Then, a year or two later, the blue electrics took over the London services.

What period are you going to model? Will you be adding the Overhead Line Equipment?

Ian

Good morning Ian thanks for the kind words, my memories of Lime Street are the early 80’s everything blue or blue/grey the giant roof was filled with diesel fumes the sounds of diesels and hum from ac locos along with all the smells from back then. I miss those days so much and as I walk down the old platform one each morning to book on it’s just not the same (I’m heading into work now so I’ll take a pic) Lime street is far to clean and modern looking for my liking.

As for the period I’m modelling it will be the mid 60’s that way I can have a mix of green and blue locos and although it’s a bit before my time I think it’s one of the best periods on the railway with lots of variation. Regarding overheads I’m thinking of maybe having one siding (the one to the bottom of the track plan posted previously) with OLE then at least if I ever get my hands on an AL6 it’s got somewhere to run.

I’m hoping once I’ve got the boards sorted the track should go down pretty quickly the only difficulty might be the three way point as I’ve not built one of them before.

Thanks again

Paul

 

[PjKing1]

The original platform 1 a shadow of it’s former self


Paul

 

[simond]

As a Woollyback (Birkenhead) lad, I too have memories, Central high level, and Lime Street, but vague and confused, as visits were infrequent, always due to some relative arriving or departing by train. These events were rare, as most of the relatives loved locally, and pleasure trips were a thing of the future.

I do recall the Post Office Scammell trailers parked on the road between the platforms, and a few hazy memories of steam locos, but I was young, being a ‘58 birth.

 

[daifly]

most of the relatives loved locally, and pleasure ….

Probably too much information about the family!
Dave

 

[PjKing1]

I was going to use foamex to build the signal box, calving the bricks and features into it like I’ve done with previous O gauge structures such as this hut I built






But having been counting bricks for a number of days, and there’s a lot of bricks in this signal box, I think I might just use the foamex as the main structure with Slaters brick sheeting over the top.

Paul

 

[DougT]

That really is quite excellent, especially the indoor picture.

Doug

 

[PjKing1]

That really is quite excellent, especially the indoor picture.

Doug

Thanks Doug I even tried to add cobwebs sad I know

Paul

 

[Jim smith-wright]

I had an idea a couple of years ago that the location of the old 60’ turntable at Lime Street station situated by the signal box could make an interesting fictional stabling point.

Can I ask, why fictional? Why not just model the place?