St. Mary Hoo - P4 Southern Region third rail

[Simon Glidewell]

The shape of things to come at St. Mary Hoo. Many here already know about the proposed junction for either Gravesend or Cliffe with its CEGB bisection (leading to a dilapidated coal wharf which may also have a BR connection with working scale overhead) surrounded by extensive salt marsh and mud flats. Welcome to the nightmare that will become Cliffe Junction! This monster with wire tentacles has been an ongoing headache for about one year now, on and (mostly) off. It looks horrible at the moment and is only three quarters complete. Practically no detailing parts have been added; these will appear once I'm satisfied that all stock passes through on every road without exploding in a spectacular blue electrical flash! Knowing my "luck" with electrics that dreaded scenario is about 80% certain to happen. But one has to push the boundaries of 4mm modelling to extremes and experiment with seemingly impossible ideas; I never knew if my third rail would work or not when I first built the layout, but it did and with surprising ease. Here we see the 2 BIL driver trailer being used to test the BR lines; all seems OK there; the hard bit will be the CEGB line cutting through it. The Impetus Hunslet (see below) is sitting on the latter (little does it know). After the right hand BR fork I am contemplating adding another point with an electrified line (simple SR design overhead) that will circle to the right as well, eventually running alongside the power station railway to the coal wharf. The bisected point is seen on its construction board, not a baseboard; I have yet to build these.

 

[Simon Glidewell]

 

[Simon Glidewell]

The junction extension with its bleak landscape will have a WWII accoustic mirror (the forerunner to radar). This weird looking concrete structure is based on those found at Denge, near Dungeness in Kent. I scratch built the model from cereal packet card; plasticard and plaster. It took a month of Sundays to sand to the desired profile. It is painted with my usual concrete colour mix (Humbrol enamels) and weathered accordingly. It will be sitting close to the Thames and be surrounded by tall reeds. I am also thinking about adding a disused Cold War nuclear bunker to add to the concrete. This is the austere nature of St. Mary Hoo and the peninsula in general. I love it!

 

[Heather Kay]

Now that's something unusual and very Kent coast. To be properly authentic, it ought to be a little lopsided where erosion has washed out one corner of the footings.

 

[Peter Insole]

Simon, you've really cracked that concrete!

I feel slightly ashamed of my pillbox now - even though it was meant to be quite a bit newer and cleaner!!!

Pete.

 

[Simon Glidewell]

Many thanks for your comments Heather and Peter. I shall look into that, Heather, at the time of "planting" (rather than plonking)!

 

[Simon Glidewell]

How I long to change the view beyond the bridge, so that instead of bare baseboard you will see new scenery and structures curving off to the right. I have a few ideas for the area immediately after the bridge. The 2 EPB is awaiting new third rail pick ups; the MK I design worked very well but was a little flimsy. The new design will be more robust but still in scale. In due course I will add a few determined passengers and a driver; I must also change all my head codes suitable for north Kent.

 

[Simon Glidewell]

If I ever get SMH to an exhibition (it's never been exhibited) I would probably set up the layout so that punters could view it from both sides and from the ends; I don't have a favourite operating position and prefer to situate myself wherever the mood takes me. This view is looking west towards London, so the estuary is in the background (you have to use your imagination here). I hope to include some of the Thames on the two new extensions, especially around the coal wharf (I may build a boat for this, which will sometimes be there, sometimes not).

 

[Simon Glidewell]

One of my ideas for the area immediately west of the bridge is a series of buttressed angular arches (cut and cover type of arrangement) with a wall and sloping bank of vegetation facing the estuary. The idea comes from the Connaught tunnel on the old Silvertown to Woolwich line in east London. The arrangement would stretch as far as the new junction. I like the image of a dank and dismal space with areas of vegetation growing up the walls and over the track. There would be puddles visible and old cable runs lying loose on the unkempt ballast. The second and third links of the Connaught tunnel show roughly how the bank and wall would be placed on the estuary side of the railway. It seems that it is prototypical for the railway to run at the same level within an enclosed space like this, as that of the neighbouring landscape. In the second link the road to the far left runs at the same level as the railway; the one adjacent is higher up. And for all you concrete fans out there, yes it would all be concrete... as usual.

connaughttunnelsouthapproach2.jpg
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5143/5664870494_3b9066e1b0.jpg
57908_Connaught-Tunnel-_-Custom-House-station-aerial.jpg

 

[Peter Insole]

Simon, If you haven't already got it, then shift heaven and earth to find this book:

"A History of Faversham & Oare Creeks and the Faversham Navigation" by Frank Taylor, Chaffcutter Books, ISBN 0-9532422-3-4 .

It is only an A4 soft cover with 82 pages, but hopefully you will find all the inspiration you could need therein

 

[Simon Glidewell]

Cheers Peter, I'll have a hunt around for it...

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

I'd carry the scenery through and have a couple of rotting hulks visible (picture from Kent Life).

 

[Peter Insole]

Funny thing happened there, just as I was sending that last post our internet connection went down and the rest of the message has disappeared!
I was carrying on about the addictive effect of salty air and boats etc., but looks like you got the important bit!

Pete.

 

[Peter Insole]

Dave, That's exactly the stuff. Fabulously melancholic image that says it all! Looks like at least one of the hulks was part way through a restoration attempt if I'm not mistaken.

Pete.

 

[Simon Glidewell]

Great stuff Dave and Pete! Yes this is exactly the atmos and look I'm after with the extensions, as well as mud flats, salt marsh and general estuarine gunge aplenty! We are thinking along very much the same lines gents. I can hear the waders and Oyster Catchers as I pen these few lines...

 

[Peter Insole]

Here is the old sprits'l as requested. As it is a bodge up I could not quite make it an accurate representation of a particular vessel. I did however choose the long lost "Venture" (the name of my Dad's café/restaurant at Forest Gate in the early 1960's) as the inspiration.

The rigging is a bit fluffy, but was supposed to be temporary, just to check that the blocks worked properly!

Pete.

 

[Heather Kay]

Stop it! The marshes are calling me! I havent been out there for a photo trip for too long.

Dawn, July 2013

Being serious for a moment, Simon, if you would like some photos taken that you might be able to use as a back scene, do please let me know. I'm only too happy to head off into the Peninsula for a bit of quiet contemplation with the oystercatchers and the mud.

 

[Simon Glidewell]

What a superb model Pete! Hardly a bodge up as you call it! You've captured look and atmosphere of the vessel perfectly. Having seen it makes me want to build one in 4mm for the layout. What scale is your model? Many thanks for sharing the photos.

Cheers
Simon

 

[Simon Glidewell]

Stop it! The marshes are calling me! I havent been out there for a photo trip for too long.

Dawn, July 2013

Being serious for a moment, Simon, if you would like some photos taken that you might be able to use as a back scene, do please let me know. I'm only too happy to head off into the Peninsula for a bit of quiet contemplation with the oystercatchers and the mud.

Hello Heather! If that's possible I'd love to take you up on your very kind offer. Someone else offered the same a few years ago but it never materialised sadly. The views I'm after are facing due north towards Southend and north west slightly back along the Thames estuary. If you were able to find views with pylons and industry in the distance (such as Tilbury power station) plus maritime stuff that would be great! Maybe some mud flats in the foreground or salt marsh. How exciting! I didn't realise that you'd included a photo link Heather! These are truly superb images and so incredibly atmospheric!

All the best
Simon

 

[Peter Insole]

Thanks Simon. I'm not sure about the scale. It says on the instructions 1:67, but it was a kit of the Will Everard, and that was a particularly large vessel! The sheerline appeared to be massively over done and the draught much too deep and more like a coaster than a regular Thames river barge. Having made up the plank on frame hull, I sliced off the flat deck and reduced that sheer quite a bit, but probably still not enough, and replaced it with a proper planked and cambered one. The bottom had to have over 1/4 inch removed too! I used whatever drawings and diagrams that I could find to work out hatches, cabin and mast dimensions, so a bit of a mish-mash in the end!

I have lent my reference file to Colin (Eastsidepilot) for copying, as he would like to build one in 7mm, (I hope he doesn't mind me telling everyone?) so when he has finished with it...

Buy the way, he is on the lookout for any decent drawings of Thames Lighters as well, so if anyone has any info...?!

I am very happy to think that there are at least a couple of new barge yards springing up and that some very nice models of these will be built!

Thanks also for giving Heather the perfect excuse for getting out there, and having some battery re-charge time. The weather looks good for it too!

Cheers, Pete.