Middlechurch Marsh, a Small Light Railway setting

[bertiedog]

Well....... after returning to model railways after being ill, I have since collected far to many locos, that are unused at present due in the main to the model trade supply situation, glut or famine, and the long lead times to get suitable track etc. A certain frustration has set in and it needs a running layout to ease the depression. It has to be small and easy to handle without help.

 

I started an Industrial Brewery Line, only to hit Hornby's 040 Peckett sales plan, and Peco's fine Bullhead track has still not got a point to it's name. Later this year I will resume the L&B Woody Bay 009 layout, but it needs the locos, and stocks as limited funds allow.

 

Cost rules out alternatives for the bullhead points so using Peco code 75 flatbottom to hand, plus some new Peco bullhead track where it shows to advantage , I have rough outlined a light Railway terminus, no details as yet for the buildings, with space for a reasonable amount of track, feeding from a Fiddle yard or traverser.

 

The theme is a sort of Col Stephens style, but a bit better standard of repair than his worse, say an improvement on Selsey. No exact period, just a timeless period from about 1900 onwards, figures about 1920's style, Vehicles as available for the period prior to WW2, the earlier the better.

 

There are some W4 Peckett 040 locos and a Beattie 240 all ready to go, plus some other Southern locos. It will only need a couple of coaches, perhaps a Petrol railcar, and lots of wagons to get it up and running. All 00 gauge to ease the speed of building. Track laid on cork, with granite ballast, some buried track in the yard.

 

Trees and bushes will be Seafoam or natural dried material, grass from wool, applied with Static, and all scenery painted with Acrylics. No back ground scene for the moment, might paint one for marsh views later on.

 

All the track is on the level, the overall space available is about 6 foot, the layout as small in length as practical to leave space for an exit to the right for a connection to a sand and gravel works, and possibly the Selsey Lifting bridge on the left to connect the Yard. The right hand exit may have a slight inline, then change to wood baulk supports as if entering a marshy area. The line is supposed to run to a sand and gravel plant and back to the "main" line.

 

The Buildings on the left hand end can be Canal side to justify the lifting bridge, which will make a nice project to get fully operating.

 

The support for the lot is a Victorian chest of drawers, with an MDF top, about 5 foot by 20inches is available , plus space for the Lever frame and indicating lights and switches. All DC and lever frame operated points, surface run or for the three way point by servo controlled by the lever frame switches. The raised road at the back provides space to hide switch motors, servos etc. A cable form can be run in a routed out groove in the MDF and will take the wiring. The edge of the MDF will be finished in pine batten to strengthen it. The board itself rest direct on the chest with a rubber sheet to minimise sound transmission and protect the Chest of drawers itself. The drawers cab be used as storage for stock and removable buildings.

 

Engine Shed, modified Kitmaster Dapol Airfix, a Ratio Goods shed, Airfix water tower, and a scratchbuilt Station booking office, plus a couple of resin cast buildings from Bachmann and Hornby. As it is a terminus near the sea, I may add a lighthouse on the right hand end.

 

The drawings are not to exact scale, I prefer to work to the space with the real track and points governing exact placing of everything. Curves eased to max possible in the small space, Peco medium points, live frog type, all to hand from other projects on hold. Lighting by LED 12volt strip lights on batten above layout, along with all LED lamps etc., in and on buildings . Phone poles courtesy of Airfix, a bit modified with stretchy wires to protect the lines.

Main buy in's are cork, PVA glue, plasticard and a bit of ply for the road surfaces and the road bridge, plus Ebey's Chinese finest cheap acrylic paint sets!  And a set of Ratio 4 wheel coach kits.......

Rough outline

The tempting looking Lifting Bridge.......

Stephen

Edited May 1, 2017 by bertiedog

[bertiedog]

Well, that was quicker, the MDF top is cut out and fits the space! Now to the bandsaw in the workshop to do pine edging that will help brace it as well, all cut from an old wooden bed frame that was thrown out! Decent quality wood as well. The cork will have to be bought, along with double sided tape to take the track to the cork, along with pilot drilled track pins.

 

In fact just noticed there is some spare cork under the other layout, might be enough to do his one if confined under the track bed in strips.

 

Stephen.

[bertiedog]

    One inch of pine edging screwed and glued in to place on the 6mm MDF, still flat whilst off the chest top, so should fit with a soft rubber mat to bed it down and quieten the noise generally. two channels routed into the wood for wiring, but a lot will be on the surface under scenery.

   

   A new computer shelf is needed above the layout and will provide a surface for the lighting for the general viewing of the layout, with COB strip lights fitted under the shelf with diffusers and a shade to hide the lamps from view.

 

   Looking at the price of plasticard these days does any body know of supplies in bulk or larger bextrene sheets, the colour does not matter. Individual A4 sheets are frighteningly expense now, and moulded ones are outrageous from some makers.

 

  The lifting bridge can be started with what I have to hand, plus metal parts etc. The traverser can be made from MDF, with a pine sub frame to give strength and a tray to run the traverser in, in plywood, with pine bracing.

 

  The Chest itself is now packed with the locos and stock for storage, along with the existing buildings.

[nick_bastable]

Good progress  well done

 

Nick

[bertiedog]

It must be the local shop charging the high prices for the Plasticard, as on Ebay A4 sheets are from 47P in thinner sizes, and with buying ten or 5 the prices are much lower. Also they have the black, which is easier to work with bridges and girder sections, as paints marks barely show if it scraps through to the plastic, whereas the white shows badly.

 

So an Order the Ebay, the price of the layout is increasing!, also I need a new bottle of methylene chloride to use as glue. The plastic is mainly for the lifting bridge, but there is also the road bridge to make girders for. Wood will be used for platforms etc, must find a source for rustic type fencing, without looking rough.

 

May be worth making sections from the Plasticard sheet material. I have all the track now, and points, bar one to build, and the ballast in fine light "pink" granite that with be overpainted a flatter grey colour to get a nicer mixed finish.

 

A sheet of thin marine ply will be need for walls and the platform edges, with the platform edge in wood strips and the face detail in strips of oak wood over the ply. Thin MDF can do the road surfaces, with lacquered paper tarmac to finish.

 

Most of the soil will be just that, sieved garden soil and dust sand, dried and sorted to dust grade and courser. The grass I use is embroidery wool, which is done by art shops in lots of shades and mixtures, chopped up with scissors, and graded to lengths as flock. Most of the scenic material is painted afterwards with thinned down mixture of paint and varnish to stabilise and colour it. An airbrush is used for the best light effects.

 

Got to work out the best way to make tress in seafoam that are larger type, I think a wire armature and plaster will do, but I have not tried it with seafoam. The stuff seems rather delicate and will need soaking in a cellulose varnish to harden it a bit

 

Other scenics are sawdust from the workshop, vast quantities available, and used tea leaves and dried spices and herbs, plus dried lichen and small plants, all microwaved and dried out before use. They are treated with matt cellulose varnish.

Most  landscape is painted over with plaster based ceiling paint first, then painted over with a plain brown base in emulsion, any other colours are acrylic paints, Poundland or Ebay. There are only a couple of surfaces that need mod-roc or plaster, and it may be easier to use paper mache with a Tetrion plaster coat over it, rather than buy in plaster cloth. Expanded foam can be used under the road bridge area to act as support.

 

Most buildings will be modified Airfix or scratchbuilt, i think the Station would be best in wood and corrugated finish, or boarding, for a rustic finish. I may get a Ratio kit for the goods shed, and I have a spare coal merchants from Ratio to build up, all with be customised to look all right as as a group, common colours and finish on all.

 

The engine shed will be a reduced height Airfix, to bring it into line with a light railway scene, and an added workshop at the rear.

 

Next is to move the board upstairs to the railway room, from the workshop.

 

Stephen

[bertiedog]

Hunting around for a suitable name... Middlechurch Marsh...sounds about right for a south coast setting. The net confirms that it does not exist..........

Edited May 1, 2017 by bertiedog

[bertiedog]

The board fits the top on a sheet of urethane rubber left over for car restoration, and a quick test with a piece of track shows no noise problem, as without the battens on the bottom, there is no sounding box to resonate and make the track noisy, not that I am bothered with sound and DCC, DC is good enough to run things perfectly. It is again the crippling cost of DCC,when decoders, control unit, and power supply are added in, plus frog switches and return lop units.

 

I do not mind a bit of automation, a progressive start/stop shuttle is useful. But sounds just does not sound good enough to me, if I want loco sounds then recordings are far better, especially bass boosted to make it non directional sound. But by far I prefer a spot of classical music to go with the trains, or good jazz tracks, and plenty of hot real brewed coffee.

 

Stephen

[bertiedog]

Might be very tempted to get a Hornby Resin cast building to make the main Station building, very much in Col Stephens Light Railway style. For once not too expensive, and available at present,  and would save all the work and expense of getting corrugated sheet or metal in.

 

 

Stephen.

[bertiedog]

Can't resist the corrugated building, R9803, so it's on order via Ebay, it can have lots of extra details added to get it to act as the main station building, office, waiting room, ticket office window in the wall etc., Middlechurch Marsh sign on the roof ridge, signage directing to beaches and harbour etc., plus the usual advertisements and posters, and station trolleys, chocolate machines etc....and Staff.....Barely one man and his dog I expect.

[bertiedog]

   With the small size the whole thing is coming together much faster, the road surface wood has been found from scrap, along with all the MDF for support battens underneath.

   The right hand end has been extended a few inches to show a shingle beach beyond the Station buildings, and the coal yard and goods may be moved a bit more, to get a more cluttered look to the left hand end, fading to the flat marsh and shingle end.

   Dug up some Ratio four Wheelers to use and some old Hornby four wheelers that were modified to P4, but can have the wheels changed back.

   I would like a petrol railcar, but cost bars kits, and the multi windowed bodies are difficult to make, but I will see if anything around can be converted to a similar light railway type.

 

 

Lifting bridge on the left hand end feeds a fiddle yard that is removable.

 

Stephen

Edited May 3, 2017 by bertiedog

[bertiedog]

Enough Plasticard and wood till the new plastic sheets arrive, so doing the bridge parts first, the main issue is decent thread for the steel cables, got to be quite thick black or brown thread, sometimes difficult to find in the shops. I have micro Stainless steel cable, right size, but it would never bend around the pulleys diameter. It needs a thread to do that, maybe fine ships rigging rope from model boats.

the main section of the bridge will be brass or steel for weight with the detailed girders in plasticard as an overlay. Without the weight the bridge would not operate realistically. A small 200:1 Chinese gearhead motor will wind the cord, and turn the manual winch handles, with a figure attached as the operator. A couple of micro switches can operate as limit switches to control the movement, with a reversing switch as well. Most of the time the bridge will be down anyway.

[bertiedog]

Got some twisted black 0.45mm silk thread that will do for the chains on the lifting bridge, chain that fine would not work well and be very costly. The silk is black and will go around the pulleys easily, and is strong and stable.

 

From the photo it seems the bottom pulley is three sheave type, the upper is two pulley, with two large pulleys on top of the structure to take the chains to the windlass or winch, which is only vague in the photos.

 

The pulley will be made in brass, the frame around them in N/S, with wire hooks, and a steel shaft, I will start these tomorrow. The winch can have cable on the drum, but the cord will go around it once to drive it, and then down a tube to the motor mechanism.

 

The weight of the bridge lifting section is the only tensioning force, so it must weigh as much as practical.

 

It will lower onto a microswitch, and raise till the heel of the bridge operates a second limiting switch in the concrete base. I would assume about 2 minutes to raise the bridge in real life, maybe a bit shorter on the model. There may have been a hut for a keeper of the bridge, no mention of signalling is made in any reference I can find online. The track on this section and the bridge is the new Peco bullhead code 75 as it is obviously a focal point.

 

I can't use it much further than the approaches as it requires a three way point only done in flatbottom. The sand and gravel line can be bullhead and the other sidings beyond each point will be as well. In the station and loop flatbottom will be used but ballasted right up as far as practical to cover the track. The inside may be better in planks anyway, leaving it all level.

 

The embroidery wool has arrived in many shades of green, and also brown, tan, red, and black, to make mixtures. Cut up it makes perfect flocking for the grass and ground cover. It also needs sea cabbage made, not sure, but Japanese finest tissue may work, a roll then broken up into a floret. the tissue dyes well, and takes paint after a spray with cellulose varnish.

 

Still unsure about the seafoam tress, the stuff is delicate unless well loaded with varnish, and even then remains crisp and can break. May try a long soak in PVA or casein glue, and see if it strengthens up the seafoam.

 

 

Stephen

[bertiedog]

The unbraced MDF 8mm  board has been removed as it warped badly when glue or paint was added. I have changed it to chipboard, with pine edging, as it is a grade that's waterproof and warp resistant. The plan as been revised to match the points from Peco more exactly, and change the factory at the canal side to a Country Pub. Also the small signal box has a view of all the points etc. It still has to be test laid to get exact positions, and work out the control runs for the points to a lever frame

 

The Bullhead rail is being fitted with the new Peco bullhead rail joiners, much smaller than previous joiners, which still have to be used when joining the track to the existing code 75 points. It may be possible to file the foot of the flatbottom away to take the better fishplate, I will test this later. Other than that the ordinary type must be used, although I usually shorten these as they are to big in scale.

 

I doubt the Bullhead points will be made available in time for this layout, and anyway it need the three way point unit to save space.

 

[bertiedog]

The Bridge pulleys are nearly finished, lots of filling and fettling to get them finished, then the upper pulley wheels to make as well.

The bed of the raising section will be widened to take sleepered track, the real thing had rails formed on top of the structure, with no chairs etc., it may be possible to do it this way, but the rail would need soldering on to a metal base, and it is plastic at present. May be worth doing it that way but easier with the Peco Bullhead just laid on the surface, perhaps with shortened sleepers, but leaving the chairs.

Motor and switches all to hand as well.

As the edge of the board overlaps the chest top, the end will have a pine batten end plate added underneath to take the "Dropped" canal section, and the far bank as well, with just a short piece of the canal under the bridge. The water can be cast from resin, and ruses and reeds added to give added detail to the appearance of the bridge. The mechanism can be under the main board, with the silk cord run in a PTFE plastic tube to protect it.

 

The whole mechanism is about the size of an Xo4 motor, very small. The ratio is unquoted but on 12 volts it is 40 rpm, and runs from 2 volts giving about 10 revs per minute. The total movement is about 12 to 15 inches of the cord so a pulley to do this can be worked out. looks like about a half inch pulley, 1.5inch circumference approx, therefore say 15 divide by 1.5 would need 10 revolutions approx to wind from rest to raise.

At full 40 rpm this would be about one minute, a bit slow but adjustable afterwards.

The motors are only approx £2.60 post paid from Hong Kong.Some are 6volt some 12volt.

 

Edited May 4, 2017 by bertiedog

[shortliner]

Bertiedog, I model USA, but started many years ago in OO9/HOe and have an abiding interest in Col. Stephens-style Light Railways. I have only just picked up on this - glad you are better, by the way - and I think it is absolutely lovely. I shall take great pleasure in following the ongoing saga. A Model-T type railbus (or maybe a pair)would work very well, but may be a problem to motorise.

Best

Jack

Edited May 4, 2017 by shortliner

[bertiedog]

I am thinking of a railcar, I seem to remember that an etched one was once done as a body unit, I must look into it.

[bertiedog]

It seems that Worsley works Models do the Rother Valley Petrol Railcar units etc in body kit form, Ford and Shefflex versions. About £20 for each unit, but chassis to supply.

[bertiedog]

The board is now the right size and finish shape, and in place. It is covered in cork and insulation sheet or card, the cork under the track positions only.

 

Next is the support for the raised road section at the back, and  short incline on the line to the sand an gravel company site at the front of the layout. The road way is along piece of thin deal, which can be cut to fit the grades and covered in paper to give the road surface texture.

 

As it is marshland setting, the main "soil" will be sand, with shingle to the right hand side. The right hand end is treeless, and the left, with normal soil, and trees, with bushes height graded across the length of the layout from left to right. Granite chippings will be the main ballast with some silver sand added to the mix. The colour is so called Pink granite, but will be weathered out to nearer grey/tan colour.

 

Some photos to follow soon, and some track up and working as well. Stock is mainly ready to go, bar adding Sayer Chaplin type auto couplings, which will work fine with the radius of the points being not too tight. Uncoupling will be a slide in decoupler so allow operation anywhere on the layout.

 

ref couplings    http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/120488-auto-couplings-inexpensive-and-work/

 

Stephen.

Edited May 8, 2017 by bertiedog

[bertiedog]

The Hornby resin cast coorogated building is on it's way, the water tower done, and a laser cut kit being assebled and customised for the goods shed,

The coal merchants and wood yard is using the Ratio kit as a basis, again a bit modified to suit the site. Plasticard coming to do the road bridge and parts of the lifting rail bridge.

The lifting bridge is proceeding now, the pulleys are done, but need filing and finishing of the brass parts

[bertiedog]

Should be some things in today from Ebay, already stocked up on plasticard, bargain on Ebay, as I found the shops are far higher these days from the usual makers. I have got out of storage my old vacuum moulding machine, and will be producing the stones sheets myself again. the old masters are long gone, but I have enough samples to take plaster copies from, and use the plaster as the master moulding face.

 

Plaster is easy to modify as well.

 

The Vacuum frame takes A4 and A2 with masks and any other size with masks, and takes up to 25thou sheet, any thicker can be moulded but the heating has to be very careful as the heavier the sheet the more it pre-sags towards the mould, can can give uneven results.

10 thou or thinner gives crisp detail and is quick, but delicate for some uses.

 

Nothing sophisticated about the vacuum, an old electrolux vacuum cleaner!, and the heating is an array of fire elements at 2kw, controlled by a variac transformer, with a fan to spread the heat evenly on the sheet as it forms.

 

One thing I am going to try is forming the sleepering in one go for a standard medium point, complete with marks for the C&L chairs to be glued to. The moulded sheet can be glued with solvent to a thicker backing sheet to keep it flat etc

 

Back to the track laying.....

[The Bigbee Line]

Might be very tempted to get a Hornby Resin cast building to make the main Station building, very much in Col Stephens Light Railway style. For once not too expensive, and available at present,  and would save all the work and expense of getting corrugated sheet or metal in.

 

Hornby building.jpg

Stephen.

 

Good morning, just discovered this thread, an interesting read.

 

The Hornby building has potential, just needs a Col. Stephens type canopy over the platform and 'bob's your uncle..'

 

I toyed with the choice of the Ratio or the cast Provender store. Went for the Ration version, then purchased the Southern Concrete book. All very inspirational. I have some of the Wills thick corrugated sheet and can see some Southern style concrete structures on the cards.

 

Keep posting.

[bertiedog]

I found the metal corrugated sheet from Severn Models to be very good indeed. A canopy of the travellers on a Col Stephens line? Pure luxury and indulgence!!! Pandering to the travelling masses, but then he never attracted masses to his lines. I do know there were canopies at various stations on his lines.

This one has an air of the Selsey line in places, but not a copy at all. The Hornby building is just about right for a Station, and waiting room, see, no need for a canopy. Not much need to alter the detailing, just add a few, including a ticket window direct to the waiting area, which saves a ticket hall.

 

A roof billboard will be added with the name ad a sign for "this way to the sea", with a "to the beach" sign near the ticket office on the ground, along with the usual Station additions, chocolate machines, clock, time tables, trolley, and baggage stacks. dependant on whether the resin cast allows, internal lighting in yellow for gas light will be fitted, plus a couple of gas lamps on the "platform".

 

I'll be adding some other etched brass items from Severn for a green house and allotment near the left hand end of the Station.

The concrete Provender sheds are a bit modern for Col Stephen, a corrugated shed far more likely, although the Goods shed will be brick from a Lcut laser cut base. The Ratio Coal Merchant and wood merchant building will be used, again corrugated roof. Nice model to modify and detail a lot.

 

Fences are an issue, most commercial are a bit expensive, and not quite right in some ways, and I may make sections in plasticard and strip to get the right look.

 

The road bridge is nearly complete, all in plasticard, with a wood road surface, which will be surfaced in fine emery paper to give the right texture and matt surface. I have etched sets of road fixtures, drains and covers etc, which all add detail to the scene. Also at last I found a supplier of the elastic "wire" for the phone lines, so poles being fitted out when the layout is finished.

 

Not sure about the points control, but likely to be manual from a lever frame. I am experimenting with linear actuators as pint motors at present, and might use them. The old Gem lever frame is the type fitted with switches so it could be altered from manual to electric easily.

 

The lifting bridge will definitely be auto operation, fully motorised, the bridge is nearly complete.

 

Stephen

[mjcampbell]

I like the concept. Please post some pictures of your progress!

 

I would suggest that the road bridge is not appropriate for this kind of light railway - they avoided them at all costs where possible, so one would not have been situated so close to the end of the line. As it's not needed to hide the exit I'd remove it, or replace with a level crossing which is more likely where a road must be crossed. 

[bertiedog]

I really need the raised road at the back, to rise to a pub on the canal end. and the road bridge saves a crossing over pointwork, difficult to build up a road surface around, and being coastal many bridges were built in the wars to move defences into place. it is only a plate steel bridge with concrete supports, a very cheap type really. It does break the exit off out of view, and demands a look at the lifting bridge as a separate item.

 

The Tin Hut cast resin building by Hornby arrived and is quite excellent, with an interior space and not too thick walls, so lighting will work.

The surface finish is good, and at the moment the green finish will do, although it might be changed to cream and brown. The glazing is finely done, with gutters on the roof, and down pipes and stack, in place. The chimney is in brick.

I might fit a canopy as previously I said not, I will look up the Col Stephens stations in general and see how many had canopies.

 

Stephen

[bertiedog]

Looking up most of the tin shack station that Col Stephens built, (and who is to say he had anything to do with this one?), so the Tin House can indeed have a canopy added in an appropriate style, roof angle tipping backwards towards the station guttering.

The Burry Branch had a similar station, but has the canopy the other way as the guttering is higher. With the Tin House, such a canopy would be far to low at the outer edge. The station stands on a raise platform as usual.