Bank Top Yard (Industrial NCB with a touch of the Forest of Dean)

[wigancg]

Hello everyone,

 

Here goes for a new project...

 

Following on from the success of building, detailing, running and maintaining Berry Pomeroy, my GWR BLT, I decided I needed a new project to get some teeth into. One of my fascinations has been with the railways around the Forest of Dean. This is a lovely and, relatively unknown part of our country to some people and even moreso the railways which once ran through this area rich in mining history.

 

So, Bream Yard has been born. Here is a little bit of real and fictional background information for the basis of this shunting layout:

 

The village of Bream, located near to the town of Lydney and to the villages of Whitecroft, Pillowell and Parkend was never directly served by the nearby Severn and Wye Railway's line from Lydney Junction towards Parkend and onward to the town of Cinderford. Today, the S&W Railway has partly been resurrected as the Dean Forest Railway with their base at Norchard on the site of the colliery and the power station and extends down to Lydney Junction and as far as Parkend.

This new layout assumes that a junction was made between Norchard and Whitecroft, similar to Tufts Junction which once stood here and that this fictional junction would extend to a colliery and a small yard near to the village of Bream.

 

Here is the rough location of the junction on a map of the lines which once spread out in the area:

 

 

 

The layout will be a shunting design, used for slow, realistic movements of wagons around the yard to a fiddle yard at the rear. There will be no run round loop and any run rounds will take place off scene. The trackplan is to be kept as minimal as possible with only 5 sidings, one of which will serve a small, simple GWR style corrugated goods shed.

 

Pannier tanks will mainly be used, along with the odd Prairie tank, some LMS type tanks such as Jinties (to fit in with the joint LMS/GWR theme of the Severn and Wye line in the area) and the layout will be extended into the diesel era pre TOPS where possible into the very early 1970s.

 

Yards and branches within the forest were often known for their weed infested track and run down apperance. This is what the end result would have a feel of if possible using static grass techinques as well as the encroaching forest as a backdrop. Similar to appearance with the former yard around Marsh Wharf sidings here with a Class 22.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your time in looking.

Chris

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by wigancg

[Pigwife007]

This will be a good one

There is so much of the historical railway buildings bridges and track bed still very visible in the area. I've spent a lot of time in that area.

Like you bought the book last year and have often thought that is what I should have modelled. May be next time.

 

That pic of the class 22 is great,

Good luck

Dan

[Arthur]

 

 

Living just 3 miles or so from Bream I'll be interested in following your progress with this Chris.

 

There was a line/tramway serving mines and foundries, almost into Bream. It curved away from Marsh Wharf sidings, headed towards Bream from the north and skirted around the north west of the village.

 

Some of the buildings of the former Flour Mill colliery, served by this tramway, today serve as railway restoration workshops;

 

http://www.theflourmill.com/about.html

 

It's not generally open to the public but I wandered down there last year and took a few photos, later posted here;

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/89344-somewhere-in-the-forest-of-dean/?p=2434174

 

Good luck with the plan.

 

.

[81A Oldoak]

This new project my eye this morning. The Forest of Dean railways are a great source of inspirationand Neil Parkhouse's book is both first class and a must-have for anyone interested in the area. Simulating weed -nfested track was a chalenge before the advent of static grass. Here are a couple of shots of a weedy siding on my 7mm sale Tonfanau Camp layout. I simply spread the glue on the track and apply the grass with the applicator. When the glue has set I vacuum off the surplus fibres and then scrape the tops of the sleepers. I can then go back and apply longer pieces of grass if desired and provided they don't interfere with the operation of the locomotives.

 

I shall follow this with interests.

[wigancg]

This will be a good one

There is so much of the historical railway buildings bridges and track bed still very visible in the area. I've spent a lot of time in that area.

Like you bought the book last year and have often thought that is what I should have modelled. May be next time.

 

That pic of the class 22 is great,

Good luck

Dan

 

Hi Dan,

 

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement with this. I have just returned from a week's holiday in the Forest of Dean and have explored many, many of the former lines down there. It's surprising what it still there and left behind

Chris

[wigancg]

This new project my eye this morning. The Forest of Dean railways are a great source of inspirationand Neil Parkhouse's book is both first class and a must-have for anyone interested in the area. Simulating weed -nfested track was a chalenge before the advent of static grass. Here are a couple of shots of a weedy siding on my 7mm sale Tonfanau Camp layout. I simply spread the glue on the track and apply the grass with the applicator. When the glue has set I vacuum off the surplus fibres and then scrape the tops of the sleepers. I can then go back and apply longer pieces of grass if desired and provided they don't interfere with the operation of the locomotives.

 

I shall follow this with interests.

 

Hello 81A Oldoak,

 

Many thanks for your words of encouragement with this new venture. I have to agree that Neil Parkhouse's volume 2 book has been a wealth of information as well as a visual delight into the lines in the Dean Forest. As a novice with static grass, I am looking forward to developing the skills in this area and seeing what the results bring...

 

Chris

[wigancg]

Hello everyone,

 

Here is a further progress update on Bream Yard:

 

The baseboard was measured, cut and built last month to a strong and strudy design with plenty of bracing. The track plan was cut and pinned down ontop of the usual cork layer and wired up for testing which works well. The layout only has 4 points which will be controlled by rods under the baseboard and handles on the side of the board for pull/push operation.

 

 

 

Work has started on the rear brick arch retaining walls, ontop of which will be the encroaching Dean Forest. A bridge will disect the layout at a skewed angle, over which will be a single track line (non-operational) to give the appearance of one of the many branches/colliery/stone work lines to criss cross each other within the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some light industrial buildings will be at the right hand end of the layout along with the corrugated shed and only a couple of the arches will have internal doors for industrial use. It has been entertaining to experiment with weathering and painting up the archways to give a weatherbeaten effect and a feeling of constant dampness from the forest surroundings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, thanks for looking and enjoy your own modelling relaxation.

Chris

 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by wigancg

[Miss Prism]

Nice chunky baseboard, but what length is it?

[wigancg]

Nice chunky baseboard, but what length is it?

 

The layout is 6ft x 1.5ft

 

Chris

[Pigwife007]

That's a cracking start Chris

You've done a grand job with your weathering experiment on the brick work

The panniers look mighty fine too

Dan

[F-UnitMad]

Another "Panniers and F-o-D Enthusiast" here. Also got 'that' book & thoroughly recommend it. Be sure as well to buy anything featuring the photos of Ben Ashworth - they are also "must have" books!

Slightly Pedant Alert - to me your brick arch retaining walls don't seem very 'Forest of Dean-ish". Of course the A48 has some pretty fierce brick retaining walls just south of Newnham, but to me stone retaining walls would look better, as at Parkend. The low railway viaduct at Blakeney (some bits are still there) was also stone. Just my opinion of course.

 

To really set the layout in the Forest, don't forget to have some Scraggies wandering around, even quite close to the tracks, too!!

 

Edit: you've probably already found it, but just in case, there's a Special Interests Section here on RMweb covering the railways of Gloucestershire and the Forest of Dean.

 

And Scraggies is the local nickname for sheep. 

Edited August 14, 2017 by F-UnitMad

[wigancg]

Another "Panniers and F-o-D Enthusiast" here. Also got 'that' book & thoroughly recommend it. Be sure as well to buy anything featuring the photos of Ben Ashworth - they are also "must have" books!

Slightly Pedant Alert - to me your brick arch retaining walls don't seem very 'Forest of Dean-ish". Of course the A48 has some pretty fierce brick retaining walls just south of Newnham, but to me stone retaining walls would look better, as at Parkend. The low railway viaduct at Blakeney (some bits are still there) was also stone. Just my opinion of course.

 

To really set the layout in the Forest, don't forget to have some Scraggies wandering around, even quite close to the tracks, too!!

 

Edit: you've probably already found it, but just in case, there's a Special Interests Section here on RMweb covering the railways of Gloucestershire and the Forest of Dean.

 

And Scraggies is the local nickname for sheep. 

 

Hi F-UnitMad,

 

Thank you for the kind words, tips and advice. I have also found the book, 'BR Steam in Dean' with Ben Ashworth's superb photos of panniers in the forest to be of great value and for superb reading!

Thanks for explaining what 'Scraggies' are - I did see plenty last week during a holiday in the forest as they were roaming around Parkend quite freely! I'll have to find a couple of boars too to place in between some trees and bushes!

I am intending on building up the terrain on top of the brick arches and having the yard in a cutting down below. The forest will be seen on top and the damp and misty air will encourage the usual weeds and growth down below amongst the sidings and yard, along with the usual ivy, moss and wet growing and seeping down/up the brick arches.

I did at first think about having a small stream/river/canal scene on top but would rather have the forest. A branch will disect the yard roughly half way on an girder overbridge. I have yet to decide if this line will look still in use or disused with missing rail, just sleepers left or complete track but heavily overgrown and nature reclaiming.

 

The joy of our hobby is that things can be changed, adapted as the process goes on. It's all in the fun...

 

Chris

[Pixie]

Excellent choice of setting and era Chris, I'll be watching with interest! For the track grass, a beard trimmer is a really tool to brung it down to the correct height.

 

L9983_samp2.jpg

 

Ah, my favourite Forest photo!

 

 

Cheers,

Steve

[F-UnitMad]

Ah, my favourite Forest photo!

image.png

Cheers,

Steve

Looks like a layout I was previously unaware of - definitely Forest of Dean, even without the D63xx with local headcode!!

Any links to more info about it? It looks like 2mmF/S to me. Influences include the Sling Branch ex-Tramway, unfenced track?

With my truck driver's hat on, though, I would like to know how they managed to drop that road trailer where it is, with the front hard up against the grass embankment..??!!

[Pixie]

Any links to more info about it?

It's my little model of Parkend Marsh Sidings in 2mm - I'll drop you a PM to save clogging up Chris' thread, sadly Photobucket has destroyed most of the photographs of it on here but I've got plenty at home. Thanks for the heads up regarding the trailer, I'll be sure to turn it around! You may really, really wince at the reversing move the tipper lorry makes however!

 

 

Cheers,

Steve

Edited August 16, 2017 by Pixie

[woodenhead]

He forgot his load 

 

Without the magic truck that looks an amazing scene, with it loading wagons, off the scale.

[F-UnitMad]

It's my little model of Parkend Marsh Sidings in 2mm - I'll drop you a PM to save clogging up Chris' thread, sadly Photobucket has destroyed most of the photographs of it on here but I've got plenty at home. Thanks for the heads up regarding the trailer, I'll be sure to turn it around! You may really, really wince at the reversing move the tipper lorry makes however!

 

 

Cheers,

Steve

Where has this layout been hiding on RMweb???!!! Fantastic stuff!!   Know what you mean about Photobucket though.

 

Yes the truck does quite a long reverse, but in 2mm scale - what can I say?? (although if I look closely I think I can see how the tipper works )

 

Oh and I shall go off and kick myself very hard for not recognising it as Marsh Sidings right away - the other end, in the video, was instantly recognisable!!

 

Sorry to take Chris's  thread even further off topic.

[PaulCheffus]

Where has this layout been hiding on RMweb???!!! Fantastic stuff!!   Know what you mean about Photobucket though.

 

Yes the truck does quite a long reverse, but in 2mm scale - what can I say?? (although if I look closely I think I can see how the tipper works )

 

Oh and I shall go off and kick myself very hard for not recognising it as Marsh Sidings right away - the other end, in the video, was instantly recognisable!!

 

Sorry to take Chris's  thread even further off topic.

Hi

 

This might help

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/36645-pixies-workbench-2mmft-diesels-and-a-305mmft-cavalier/

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[wigancg]

Hi guys,

 

Steve, your layout, Marsh Sidings, looks the business! A simple yet effective design in a small space and I can't believe that I haven't come across it before!

Excellent shot of the 22 with the dogfish hoppers behind. Oh, thank you for the tip in terms of static grass amongst the rails...I shall have to grow a beard when applying the grass as my trimmer will have other uses!

 

Just on a slightly different sideline, when on holiday in the Dean Forest last week I paid a visit to Coleford. If you're in the area, there is a neat little model shop tucked away behind the sandwich baguette shop on the main street. It is signposted but you have to keep your eyes peeled. It is owned and run by a couple of chaps who also volunteer on the DFR and it is well worth going in to see what they have on offer.

As luck would have it, I picked up 6419 for the cheapest price that I have ever seen it anywhere. Even cheaper than box shifter Hattons...! So, as they are a relatively new model shop I had to have it - I mean, you have to treat yourself whilst on holiday, right?

6419 is pre-weathered up well and just need to get round to adding further detailing items alongside the crew and fit the etched plates when they arrive next week as well as lamps. According to a bit of research I did a few days ago, 6419 was the last of the 64xx panniers to be withdrawn and she was based at the time from Yeovil Town. Plus 6415 looks to have been based at Horton Road but was sub-shedded at Lydney? Does this ring any bells with anyone to confirm this? Anyway, it may be worth renumbering this model to 6415 if this is correct to fit in with the area...

 

Here she is looking lovely on the other layout during a spot of slow shunting after spending some time on the rollers...

 

 

I think we've enough panniers (and other tanks) to be getting on with for now between both layouts...

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Arthur]

 

 

Hi guys,

Just on a slightly different sideline, when on holiday in the Dean Forest last week I paid a visit to Coleford. If you're in the area, there is a neat little model shop tucked away behind the sandwich baguette shop on the main street. It is signposted but you have to keep your eyes peeled. It is owned and run by a couple of chaps who also volunteer on the DFR and it is well worth going in to see what they have on offer.

 

 

That's Derails run by Dan who is a frequent poster on here. The shop always gets favourable reviews for prices and service, both in the shop and mail order.

 

Thread here;

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/92361-derails-glos/

 

.

[wigancg]

 

That's Derails run by Dan who is a frequent poster on here. The shop always gets favourable reviews for prices and service, both in the shop and mail order.

 

Thread here;

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/92361-derails-glos/

 

.

 

Quite right!

 

I know Dan well from visiting the DFR. Having just become a member of the railway, I may continue to do some volunteering there in the near future alongside my roles at the South Devon Railway

Thank you for the thread.

 

Chris

[sjrixon]

Errmmm Chris. Where do the trucks and coaches go in that fiddle yard?

[F-UnitMad]

 

 

I think we've enough panniers (and other tanks) to be getting on with for now between both layouts...

 

     Rule No. 2   There is no such thing as "Too many Pannier Tanks".

 

... or 16t minerals.

 

... or Brake Vans.

 

Rule No. 1, of course, is "It's your layout..." etc.

[Liam]

Hi Chris

 

I've just come across this thread and your project sounds amazing. I was seriously tempted to model the Dean Forest but in the end opted to model some exchange sidings near a colliery in Shropshire, but in the late 1950s instead of the 1930s (when the colliery closed).

 

I follow this with keen anticipation!

 

And rule no. 3: There's no such thing as "Too many Swindon built locos"

 

All the best,

 

Liam

[Captain Kernow]

According to a bit of research I did a few days ago, 6419 was the last of the 64xx panniers to be withdrawn and she was based at the time from Yeovil Town. Plus 6415 looks to have been based at Horton Road but was sub-shedded at Lydney? Does this ring any bells with anyone to confirm this? Anyway, it may be worth renumbering this model to 6415 if this is correct to fit in with the area...

 

 

Hi Chris,

 

The only workings I've ever seen a 64XX on in the FoD were enthusiasts specials. Although 6415 may have been shedded at Lydney for a while (can't confirm right now), I suspect that this may have been for the Lydney to Sharpness (via Gloucester) school workings, which were put on after the Severn Bridge was damaged by the barge collision.

 

5420, one of the last working 54XXs, was also shedded at Lydney for a while for the same workings (although photos of her do exist in published books).

 

Having said that, they're super little locos and I'll be inventing an excuse to have one on my future FoD layout as well!

 

Best of luck with the layout, it's a great idea and I look forward to seeing it develop.