Middleton

[GERJim]

Hi, Middleton is intended to be a minor exGER station on a fictional line up the coast of Sufolk from Felixstowe towards Lowestoft

attached is an initial idea for a trackplan

The upper plan is the station, a passing place down the middle with a bay at the top with end loading ramp and cattle pens, while the bottom has a basic goods yard.

The lower diagram depicts the fiddle yard, with 4 lines to store trains plus a turntable to turn locos.

[Clock O' The North]

A couple of questions for You Jim. What size would the boards be? And What length trains would be required?

CotN

[wagonman]

A couple of thoughts: why would a 'minor' station need a full size bay platform? Secondly, the fiddle yards together seem to take more space than the station. Wouldn't a traverse or cassette system save space and allow a longer scenic section?

[DCB]

Not sure where the platform would be but the top sidings look a bit odd.  I suppose a couple of strong blokes could push a wagon into the kick back or they could use a rope....

 

The bay platform is an over used model idea.  Basically they were end load docks in most instances.   Apart from dead end platforms at main stations they were not used for arrivals.  Thinking of them as "Departure Bays" is a better way to make them look right.   Trains terminate in the though platform and then shunt to the bay to await departure at a later time.   Most bays never saw a passenger train especially at ordinary passing stations though a lot saw vans for sundries traffic.

 

The FY looks like it eats length, you need 12" between scenic break and first point to allow running round and 3 way points are bad news, I know, I used one very much like your plan but without the turntable

[TonyMay]

What could be further on from Felixtowe?  Felixtowenayl?  

[wagonman]

What could be further on from Felixtowe?  Felixtowenayl?  

 

 

Great Gabbard sandbank, I think...

[Zomboid]

What could be further on from Felixtowe? Felixtowenayl?

Denmark?

[DCB]

I guess Great Gabbard would be rather like Ryde Pierhead but with a rather longer approach viaduct?

[GERJim]

The drawings not to scale.

I was thinking maximum train length would be 4-6-0 and 6 bogies, though most would be shorter

The top "bay" is indeed for loading with both a end loafing and some cattle pens, possibly use for summer excursions from London would be another possible use

 

 

TonyMay - I was thinking more of a line heading north towards Lowestoft, though, Great Eastern and Jutland Joint..........

[Suffolk Dave]

What a great idea and a delightful and simple track plan. Jim, what scale/gauge are you thinking of for Middleton?

 

If you had room for expansion you could have a Minsmere Halt perhaps? 

[wagonman]

The drawings not to scale.

I was thinking maximum train length would be 4-6-0 and 6 bogies, though most would be shorter

The top "bay" is indeed for loading with both a end loafing and some cattle pens, possibly use for summer excursions from London would be another possible use

 

 

TonyMay - I was thinking more of a line heading north towards Lowestoft, though, Great Eastern and Jutland Joint..........

 

 

In 4mm scale a fiddle yard of the sort you've sketched out intended to take a 4-6-0 plus 6 bogies would need to be at least 8 feet long so that's 16 feet gone already. How long is your room?

 

Why would any railway company want to run excursions from London to a small wayside station in rural Suffolk? Even if they did, the train would terminate in one of the main platforms before being taken forward to say Lowestoft for servicing and lay-over. The siding behind the platform would be separated from it by a fence or, as it's the GER we're talking about, a brick wall. Not much happened at stations like Middleton...

[gobbler]

Been a bit quite on here for a couple of years...any progress?

 

I'm into the GER region, around the transitional period so I can run steam with early diesels and DMU's.

 

The bay I'd build would accommodate a 105, 109 or derby lightweight 2 car set. I suppose if you model earlier you would need 2 coach + loco.

 

Most of the pictures I have of the trains around the region show 3 coach (a 3rd with guard, a full 3rd and a 1st/3rd composite) that ran on the main line hauled by an F4/F5, N7 or an 0-6-0 either tank or tender.

 

I've scratchbuilt my coaches (read my thread on the bottom) and am attempting an N7 usuing a Hornby J68 chassis. Another project I have in mind and heard done, is using an Airfix 14xx 0-2-4 to make the F4/F5. For my station I originally thought of building something based on Southminster.

 

Hope to hear something soon

 

Scott

[DCB]

I wouldn't use an Airfix 14XX as a basis for anything, the chassis have a habit of snapping across the centre axle slot, The Hornby version is if anything worse.

A Bachmann or Hornby 0-6-0 chassis would make a better basis with an Airfix 0-4-2T body or maybe a Hattons 14XX though you will incur my undying jealousy if you can afford to cut one of these little gems up.