Liverpool Midland & Wavertree Playground

[inspectorsands]

So after a couple of aborted attempts where I ended up trying to recreate something way too big for the size available, I’ve decided to go for something small and recreate a terminus style layout set firmly in the BR Blue period, but with a large helping of modellers licence.

 

The inspiration for the layout comes from Liverpool Central High Level which closed in the early 1970s, however the idea of a compact terminus set in a cutting deep in a city centre fits the bill for what I would like to recreate and the space I have available. Expect to see lots of DMUs shuttling in and out, with the odd loco hauled train. A couple of through roads into a tunnel leading to Exchange and / or a station at the landing stages in the style Riverside also creates some interesting potential.

 

The layout assumes firstly that Central and the suburban lines of Liverpool and beyond didn’t close although there is a tunnel, the Merseyrail northern line wasn’t connected underneath the city centre, nor did the concentration of services on Lime Street happen, as it was felt that capacity to extend and offer contingency was more important that making money (or losing as little money as possible).

 

The name Midland places it in the location of Central Station, although this may be renamed more than once as I am also considering Liverpool Bold St, Church St, St Luke’s or Liverpool Hanover.

 

By the end the only service running from the High Level was an hourly service to Gateacre, but for the purposes of this layout I am assuming that the Liverpool Loop line was built and this service now extends all the way to also still open Liverpool Exchange, courtesy of a connecting line between Kirkdale and Sandhills. A tunnel has been built to allow for local services to run up to Edge Hill and onwards to Bootle. Services also run to Aintree, Manchester Piccadilly, along with longer distance trains to Leeds, Hull, Nottingham Victoria, Chester, Sheffield, Llandudno, and a train to Holyhead. Additionally there is the added possibility of trains to London St Pancras and London Paddington via the Midland Lines and Reading respectively. Possibly even a boat train to Harwich Parkeston Quay could still be operating, and an overnight sleeper to connect with morning boats to the Isle of Man and Belfast. 

 

I am also trying to recreate the idea of a small terminus station that was trying to be as grand as possible to compete with the LNWR Lime Street, but which has been a bit run down as it is now a commuter and local station resisting attempts at closure and rationalisation, although the presence of the underground Wirral line running around a double track loop under the city centre does mean that Central is an important interchange at peak times, and for those coming from over the water to access the main shopping area of the city.

 

Ready to run DMU’s form the backbone of the stock. With ready to run versions of the 101, 108, 110 and 117 all being utilised, with some conversions, particularly of the 117 somewhere in the future. Locos for the hauled stock will be classes 31, 37, 40, 45, 47 and 50. The ubiquitous class 08 shunter will also be present to act as station pilot. Coaching stock will mainly come from a variety of mark I and II coaches, although the occasional mark III will make an appearance.

 

 

[PjKing1]

Sounds interesting mate have you got your track plan sorted?

 

Cheers

[inspectorsands]

Yes, the Bold Street side of the station is going to be two suburban DMU platforms, with two longer distance / trans pennine platforms on the Renshaw Street side. Its going to be an approach from the fiddle yard side branching out to four tracks, with the centre two tracks continuing under Church Street. This potentially means all I need to have as a backscene in one corner is lots of Rapid DIY signs in low relief, although I do fancy having the bombed out St Lukes over the tunnel. If I ever do decide that in my imaginary world Exchange and Midland (Central) were connected by tunnel I could always run some EMUs through the centre lines too. As you can tell my main aim is operating potential rather and 'what if' rather than any degree of historical accuracy! 

[inspectorsands]

Progress has been slow the last couple of days; been remembering how to use a soldering iron and wiring up the various sections; I'm sticking to traditional DC, so won't inflict photos of the undersides of my baseboards. That and wondering how I can incorporate  lot of carriages labelled ScotRail into the north west of England in the mid 1980s.

[inspectorsands]

Since the Chritstmas blockade I have completed laying the rest of the double track section, sadly my local model shop had run out of right hand points so I am waiting for them to get a delivery in before I can lay the remaining two tracks which will complete the trans pennine / long distance platforms of the Midland station.

 

|Inspired by some of the layouts on here the second part of the layout is going to be a station serving the Smithdown Road / Sefton Park / Wavertree area, I think most of these stations names have been used so I am going for Wavertree Playground. I'm going to take West Derby as my inspiration for this, long enough for 4 carriage DMUs and the station building on an overbridge which will be a scenic break and hide the entrance to the fiddle yard. Having looked at quite a photos of West Derby, and a visit to the site I am going to bash a couple of the old Hornby large station buildings into a station building of the same style. When its covered in a dark brickwork and the windows are painted white hopefully the toy feeling to the building will be gone.

 

 

The photos attached show the beginnings of platforms for both Midland and Playground, nothing wrong with a bit of timber, some peco platform edging and some mount board as a platform surface.