Old Parrock

[PaulR]

The electrics are now complete and working. On the left hand side the traverser is now worked by drawer runners. The Peco Bullhead track and points are good, and with Cobalt Analogue point motors the switches are working nicely. Since I have to store the layout disassembled, I'll have plenty of opportunity to test out the reliability of the whole thing.

Here's a photo:

The roof of the old LBSCR coal office will be stuck down eventually so will not actually have that curve! The next job is the lighting, track painting and ballasting, then I can start building the landscape.

 

[PaulR]

Aah, now the wretched electrics are done, I can really play! I've been working on the coal office. The pictures show it in situ, but without any scenery.

Fantasy time - it's 1932, but the old LBSCR lock-up has been maintained in Brighton colours.

Open doors reveal a table, chair, shelf with old ledgers, and on the other side a cupboard and a coal burner. More stuff will be added as time goes on:

It's time for a mid-morning cuppa, and George Tester, the coal merchant, is having his regular cogitation with Sid Haffenden who works at the farm. It's the usual theme - the fortunes of Brighton and Hove Albion in Third Division South last season. Arthur Attwood was an excellent buy from Bristol Rovers, he scored 35 goals and helped the Albion to 8th place. It's pretty much the same conversation each day.

The hundredweight coal sacks are for the ever hungry hot water system at Bolebroke Manor. They are being collected later in the day.

You may notice that the sign says 'Tester Brothers'. The business was set up by George and Frank in 1921, when they bought the lock up. Unfortunately the two brothers fell out over a shared passion for Betty Stapley and Frank ran off to New South Wales. The argument was actually pointless because she didn't want either of them - she married the local butcher.

The coal office was made with mounting card. It worked reasonably well, but it didn't take paint as easily as I'd like. I'm going to use art card for the outer skin of the cottage and mill.

Next jobs are to paint the track and backscene.

 

[PaulR]

One of the downsides of being a lone modeller is that you have to learn by doing rather than being told what to do. That is also the advantage of course. Why am I writing this - well, because of necessity I've been developing the left fiddle yard. I have made a traverser with drawer runners and it works really fine, but I've also discovered that foam underlay is absolutely no good for an accurate alignment of tracks across boards or gaps. That's obvious, you may think - well it is now! Although it's OK for now, next time I won't use foam in the fiddle yard and I may change it if time permits.

Here is the fiddle yard. It needs cleaning up, but that will happen in time. Track alignment is achieved by rod in tube, and it works surprisingly well. The felt sheets from Hobbycraft have two functions; they protect any wires underneath, but also provide a soft landing for valuable stock should the inevitable happen. A bit unconventional perhaps, but it works for me.

The three switches work the three points on the layout - left to right, and the rotary switch is for the traverser with an extra position for 'all roads off'. It's all working smoothly. A further development will be a short vertical panel to extend the sky beyond the layout to ease the visual transition.

 

[Richard H]

Super

Track is now laid. I hope to start the electrics next week - and get it out of the way as soon as possible because it's my least favourite job. Mind you, it will be stupidly simple; one engine in steam so all live with the only isolating switches in the fiddle yard.

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The hole in the sky needs opening up a little.

At the moment the whole thing is stored in the corner of the living room with tools and stuff distributed around cupboards downstairs. There may be a decent shed in the offing, properly lined etc. It's exciting in one sense, but I'm wondering whether I will really want to spend my time out there - I'd hate to invest it and then find that it's not really my preferred way of doing the hobby. Personal criteria would be a reasonable sound system and a kettle for tea/coffee on tap!

Any comments or advice on this would be welcome.

What a super sequence of photos - the shape of your layout is already apparent, and the loco is very convincing.

The vertical bolt to locate the traverser is a very elegant idea - I may nick that idea,
Richard

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

The vertical bolt to locate the traverser is a very elegant idea - I may nick that idea,

It also prevents leaning over and accidentally knocking the stock unlike horizontal bolts.

 

[PaulR]

I'm off on holiday for a week, armed with paper, ruler, fine pens and lots of pictures of Sussex cottages. My plan is to create a design vernacular to the Sussex Weald. It will be a brick cottage, half tile-hung with a small extension on the back which will probably be clapboard faced.

I've posted a photo of the mill and cottage which are my inspiration, it was taken in 1905. I have more photos taken in 2017 and that yew tree is still there, even larger, so the right hand side of the building remains tantalisingly unclear. I have three postcard photos of the mill taken by a prominent local photographer called Francis Frith, two of which include those little children - they must have been born around 1900. In the 1891 Census the miller and his wife were George and Kate Turner who had seven children aged between 20 and 7 yrs, and a 2 yr old grandson living with them in that cottage - ten in all. Perhaps the children were more grandchildren born at the turn of the century.

My cottage will be an amalgamation of this one but where I can't be sure of the design I'll draw on some others that I have photographed.

I'm really looking forward to making this building which will be at the end of a rough lane behind the track on the left hand side of the layout.

 

[adrian]

I've posted a photo of the mill and cottage which are my inspiration, it was taken in 1905. I have more photos taken in 2017 and that yew tree is still there, even larger, so the right hand side of the building remains tantalisingly unclear. I have three postcard photos of the mill taken by a prominent local photographer called Francis Frith, two of which include those little children - they must have been born around 1900. In the 1891 Census the miller and his wife were George and Kate Turner who had seven children aged between 20 and 7 yrs, and a 2 yr old grandson living with them in that cottage - ten in all. Perhaps the children were more grandchildren born at the turn of the century.

I love the history behind this image, particularly taking the time to search census records on this building. That takes layout research to a whole new level!

One small query (because I'm a pedantic bu***r) - I'd question Francis Frith being a local photographer. Agreed he was prolific and prominent but I believe he was more northern based (Liverpool). As part of his postcard empire he did try to capture as much of the UK as possible but I believe a number of photographs attributed to him were actually taken by a number of junior photographers he employed. I have a small collection of postcards I'll have a look through and see if I have any similar from that area.

Also I love the way in the photo that much of the image has been coloured but the two kids are still in black and white.

 

[PaulR]

One small query (because I'm a pedantic bu***r) - I'd question Francis Frith being a local photographer. Agreed he was prolific and prominent but I believe he was more northern based (Liverpool).

I'm sure you're right about this Adrian - I made a lazy assumption, partly because there are a lot of postcards local to this mill. I stand duly corrected!

Thanks for your comment about research. Actually, I'm hoping to close in a little more on identifying those children by looking at the 1901 census but that will have to wait till I get back from my holiday (unless anyone has got access to the 1901 census for Tablehurst Corn Mill, Forest Row, Sussex?) . For me, it adds a story and a bit more fun to the building of the layout.

 

[jonte]

If memory serves me right, wasn’t Frith also an artist whose work embodied the core of Victorian values with its wholesome family life subjects of carefree children playing merrily while their doting parents looked on?

On the other hand, if I’m right, his character was also undermined by that other Victorian ‘virtue’ of hypocrisy.

The story goes that his wife was rather curious one day to see her husband posting a letter (to her as it turned out) in the vicinity of their home town. Why so curious, you might ask? Well he was, at the time, supposed to be elsewhere on business and had been in regular communication with her by post.

Observations by his nearest and dearest, led her to a dwelling nearby where it transpired Frith had set up home with his mistress, by whom he had sired several other children. In effect two families, co-habiting with his illegitimate family whilst purporting to be away on business.

Those Victorians, hey?

That said, I’m probably wrong, but something rings a bell.

Nice cottage.

Jonte

 

[adrian]

Actually, I'm hoping to close in a little more on identifying those children by looking at the 1901 census but that will have to wait till I get back from my holiday

Having consulted with my better half we reckon the younger one on the left being about 2 1/2 to 3yrs old and the one on the right about 5yrs old. So not sure this fits with the data you have from the 1891 census.

 

[PaulR]

What a wonderful story about Francis Frith, Jonte, thank you so much for that.

If I manage to get hold of the 1901 census, I reckon there's just a possibility that the older child is on it. The 1911 one would be even better. Unless, of course, they are one of Francis Frith's families...

It's all speculation of course, but no less fun for that.

Now, l need to go on my hols!

 

[76043]

Jonte, even though I work for an art collection, I'm not a curator, so don't quote me, but could your Victorian philanderer be William Powell Frith? I looked up the version of the crossing sweeper in the collection I work for and thought I might post the link below with some details of his personal life in our biography section that eludes to his 'ways'. The Wikipedia link is below that.

Government Art Collection

William Powell Frith - Wikipedia

Francis Frith postcards can be found online here.

Francis Frith: Old Photos, Maps, Books and Gifts

I do hate pedants, so apologies for being one today if I am right.

Tony

 

[jonte]

Jonte, even though I work for an art collection, I'm not a curator, so don't quote me, but could your Victorian philanderer be William Powell Frith? I looked up the version of the crossing sweeper in the collection I work for and thought I might post the link below with some details of his personal life in our biography section that eludes to his 'ways'. The Wikipedia link is below that.

Government Art Collection

William Powell Frith - Wikipedia

Francis Frith postcards can be found online here.

Francis Frith: Old Photos, Maps, Books and Gifts

I do hate pedants, so apologies for being one today if I am right.

Tony

Yep, that’s ‘im, Tony: Where's Mary? Hunt is on for Victorian artist's secret mistress

Good job the other guy’s not still with us otherwise I’d be for the high jump.

No need to apologise, Tony, and thank you for clearing that up.

Jonte

 

[PaulR]

Odd moments during my holiday in Perthshire have been productive, and I now have a set of working drawings for my mill cottage. It's based on two buildings - the mill cottage illustrated above, and a cottage which was lived in by a friend of mine at primary school.

I've sought to avoid a chocolate box look, and used my (fairly amateur) knowledge of Sussex vernacular architecture to create something possible 80 odd years ago. I've actually learned quite a lot along the way.

The south elevation fascinates me. From photographic evidence it is pretty much authentic - an odd mixture of beams, windows and black weatherboarding.

I've had to recreate the rear 'west' elevation as the mill cottage has been extended on the back and no photos have come to light.

I'm looking forward to getting started on building this. By the way, if there's any weirdness in this post it's because I've done it on my phone, and I'm extremely clumsy on it.

 

[Richard H]

Your recreation of the west elevation looks convincing, and that south wall looks very interesting - it should have quite a visual impact. The whole building seems to have a rich mixture of materials and textures. Very nice - I'm looking forward to seeing it.

 

[PaulR]

I was heading off to Pendon today but the clutch went on the car. So... I've had a lot of fun making a start on the scenery for the cameo layout.

I'll openly admit that I'm nurdling as I go but I'm quite pleased so far. I've decided that the cottage will need an outside privy.

 

[jonte]

Already a tranquil place.

Track looks fab and love the tree. Nice ‘n’ airy canopy.

Jonte

 

[Alan]

A bit more tranquil and bucolic than my Louville Lane.

 

[PaulR]

Thanks lads - I think I must be suffering from that old 'GWR branch line model railway' syndrome! I say that, by the way, without a hint of cynicism - I love GWR branch lines and live less than half a mile from the old Fairford branch. Boy, don't we locals wish it was still open!

As a nod to Louville Lane (which I'm pretty impressed with, Alan), I'll make sure that the privy is a smelly one.

 

[Richard H]

Suddenly Old Parrock bursts into life, and a landscape begins to appear - this looks good. What a remarkably strong impression from just two scenic items.
Richard