Great Eastern based EMU Terminus.

[Pete the Elaner]

When I first saw your line-up in units, my first thought was that you needed to model Clacton to make them all look at home. You could always rationalise it.

I used to be able to see the Colchester-Clacton line from my bedroom window in the 70s / early 80s. Freight was very infrequent but I would occasionally see a 37 pass by. I can't remember what it hauled though.

I remember seeing 31s on departmental trains during the night.

[johnb]

Very promising layout plan, love the EMUs. I've done a rather similiar thing over the same length but with 3rd rail EMUs. Whitecross Street is at the Erith club's Longfield show this weekend 27/28 Jan. It's 13ft x 1ft and I can run 4car EMUs.  The two main boards are 4ft long and the fiddle yard 5ft. I too thought about cassettes but not for long, too vulnerable!

 

The fiddle yard is a sector plate and serves all tracks, but then I've not got the stabling sidings in front. I do have  small parcels depot and use locos and MLVs there.

 

See http://www.mmdmrc.org.uk/whitecross-street.html for a description

and http://www.mmdmrc.org.uk/whitecross-street-photos.html for photos

 

If you can make the show over the weekend I'd love to chat about it all.

 

HTH

 

John

 

Edited for typo

Edited January 26, 2018 by johnb

[Clive Mortimore]

Don't you remember operating Sumatra Road  at Tolworth? That had cassettes which were about 4' long. Unfortunately they were untreated wood on an untreated wood board so they didn't slide about very easily at all, which made it difficult to position them.

I much prefer a traverser, especially once the runners have been properly greased.

Hi Ian

 

Yes but I am trying to forget it. As soon as I posted my reply I remembered the downside to Lloyd's layout.

[Izzy]

I certainly think taking the 'best' bits of several stations and blending them to suit what you need is the best option as no single one really covers what you would like, i.e. Walton played host to 309/304/308's etc but had no other facilities past the two platform faces and - I think - one stock siding after the mid-60's, all goods being withdrawn from the Tendring lines after this date, being concentrated in the Colchester stations, North/Town. Clacton did some parcels traffic - via the goods shed - as per Colchester Town/St Boltophs.

 

Actually, a cut down Clacton/Walton amalgamation set in an urban setting might work okay. Two platform faces for passenger, one for parcels, plus whatever else you need. More sidings for stock storage might be more flexible than multiple platform faces in respect of track design and operation. More viewable and play value.

 

Rather than a CL15 I would plump for a CL31. After the demise of the 15's it was mainly 31/37/47. Although they did appear at times 20's weren't a common sight IIRC.

 

regards

 

Izzy

[jonny777]

I know it is over 100 years old, but I found this lovely photo of Walton station. 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart166axe/5877136287/in/photolist-9XkRRZ-BofvBC-KqJJYL-hz5qQH-chNUuJ-28zNU9-uN9gND-93WvH3-28uoSi-dKJ39a-bkSK3u-919GMC-Rqr1FX-iidj5b-5MzD6p-c3qbyS-BJZ1Cw-4H9riu-rbvovX-9mLRii-9fcPza-7DoezM-h3NGZQ-yUkQry-9vvRQm-dcKaep-9Srmma-E596mP-AMk2Qk-22XGgpr-eapNuc-Czdia2-bn7yan-6ifwAi-dXcXWe-bYELrJ-zVm3nA-5ECFjz-5doX8V-BZrSJh-hc6PtY-eavrzw-5doY3r-jJjYwZ-ofNssj-hDAUde-erHWG9-7Qf5He-Hf1fDQ-bkSAMf

 

I suppose you could find an excuse for the sidings to be left in situ?

[Harlequin]

"Remember to leave room for a traverser to slide across so that all of it's roads can connect to the rest of the layout. And the similarly for cassettes: you need room and easy access to handle them".

 

Hi Phil

 

I'm pretty sure that I am in traverser land here. I don't have the space to knock up a fan of sidings that would work and I'm not convinced that a 4 coach long cassette will be the best way to handle the EMUs without dropping them.

I do think that the width of my plan might be a sticking point and I might need to find the proverbial "extra 6 inches" which is a possibility.

I'm not too bothered if all tracks don't all line up but, obviously, most will need to if the layout is to operate properly.

It might be that with the extra width I can pull the stabling sidings forward leaving the space behind for the traverser?

 

David

To clarify: I was worried that a traverser only appears to have room to slide down one more road from your two feed lines. So a traverser could only have a maximum of 3 roads that can be connected to the scenic layout - and one of those could only be connected to the top-most feed line.

Edited January 26, 2018 by Harlequin

[Pete the Elaner]

I certainly think taking the 'best' bits of several stations and blending them to suit what you need is the best option as no single one really covers what you would like, i.e. Walton played host to 309/304/308's

I remember flat-fronted units (302's I assume) making the occasional appearance on local services too.

Some photos of Clacton & Walton should help you get the 'feel' of the area. Maybe the station building from one, getting the right style of platform shelter for the area etc. A blend of Clacton & Walton sounds promising though.

I often find a photo session gives me lots of inspiration, even now that much of the infrastructure has been removed, there are plenty of clues to where some of it once was. Clacton & Walton are not far apart so the pair can easily be done in a morning or afternoon if you don't live too far away.

[Titan]

A blend of Clacton & Walton sounds promising though.

 

Wacton? Clalton? Edited January 26, 2018 by Titan

[russ p]

How about a fictional line to Jaywick?

[Calimero]

There are a number of intermediate stations that could be worked into a terminus plan for example Cheshunt which would have two routes out, or perhaps Bishops Stortford which would have carriage sidings and could incorporate a yard.

 

other non-GE stations in Essex which have plenty of scope for EMU operation would be Shoebury (incorporating MOD traffic) and how about Tilbury Riverside!

[Calimero]

Wacton? Clalton?

It must include the '...on-the-Naze', those are the rules!

[Joseph_Pestell]

Brightlingsea ("Brittlesea") is a nice little port town that could have become bigger and needed the sort of station the OP wants.

 

Of course the classic might-have-been GER location is Dunwich, a major settlement in mediaeval times, which was lost to the rising North Sea.

[Fenman]

...

Of course the classic might-have-been GER location is Dunwich, a major settlement in mediaeval times, which was lost to the rising North Sea.

There are lots of those drowned settlements in Norfolk: like Shipden, north of Cromer.

 

Then there are the glorious places that nearly got a railway connection: the ports of Blakeney and Clay, for instance.

 

Paul

[Spikeyorks]

Well I must admit I never expected to see the names Dunwich, Blakeney and Cley come up in relation to possible locations. (Dunblacley being a possible name....although it sounds a bit Scottish to me). I did think of something like a Maldon (on steroids) where, perhaps, there could have been fast and slow commuter trains to Liverpool Street with an excuse for diesel services on the ex-Woodham Ferrers line.

 

No my location is definitely somewhere in the London suburbs with brick cutting sides, grime everywhere and a rundown feel. Probably it is the CL309s that are the indulgence here as they wouldn't have been seen anywhere off the mainlines but, perhaps, they might've visited my location for off-peak stabling or the like.

 

Building wise I'd have a set of Bachmann Art Deco stations together with their Underground station building so I'd like to place those on the layout if possible. (hints of Loughton?). Having said that I really do like the latest March station buildings. These definitely do have a North London feel to them. (I also like the Metcalf canopies which, again, would look good on my platforms). The choice is endless.

[Spikeyorks]

re the CL309s with the blue grey wrap around ends then these were the pictures that I had.

 

To be honest I had already requested that my unit be 623 and only at the last minute did I ask for this livery (and then immediately regretted it thinking that I wouldn't like it). Once the model was completed I thought it was great and, only then, did I wonder whether this livery was a one-off on 625.

 

Even now I still don't know.

[Clive Mortimore]

Well I must admit I never expected to see the names Dunwich, Blakeney and Cley come up in relation to possible locations. (Dunblacley being a possible name....although it sounds a bit Scottish to me). I did think of something like a Maldon (on steroids) where, perhaps, there could have been fast and slow commuter trains to Liverpool Street with an excuse for diesel services on the ex-Woodham Ferrers line.

 

No my location is definitely somewhere in the London suburbs with brick cutting sides, grime everywhere and a rundown feel. Probably it is the CL309s that are the indulgence here as they wouldn't have been seen anywhere off the mainlines but, perhaps, they might've visited my location for off-peak stabling or the like.

 

Building wise I'd have a set of Bachmann Art Deco stations together with their Underground station building so I'd like to place those on the layout if possible. (hints of Loughton?). Having said that I really do like the latest March station buildings. These definitely do have a North London feel to them. (I also like the Metcalf canopies which, again, would look good on my platforms). The choice is endless.

Hi Spike

 

When the electrification of Chingford, Enfield, Hertford and Bishop Sortford was being done the scheme was nicknamed Chenford.

[Clive Mortimore]

re the CL309s with the blue grey wrap around ends then these were the pictures that I had.

 

To be honest I had already requested that my unit be 623 and only at the last minute did I ask for this livery (and then immediately regretted it thinking that I wouldn't like it). Once the model was completed I thought it was great and, only then, did I wonder whether this livery was a one-off on 625.

 

Even now I still don't know.

Wow, that looks like 612 in the first photo. It is a buffet unit. The second photo also shows a buffet unit, middle unit, with the grey extending across the front. Excellent finds.

 

I said in a PM to Spikeyorks that it is difficult to tell if a buffet unit was in this livery as normally they have a Walton set on one end and a two car on the other.

[Spikeyorks]

_{1) Clacton does have an acceptable amount of griminess.}

 

_{2) As does Southend Victoria.}

 

_{3) Another CL309 pic with the wrap around BG ends.}

 

_{4) Found this pic on the web by accident.}

[Spikeyorks]

Wow, that looks like 612 in the first photo. It is a buffet unit. The second photo also shows a buffet unit, middle unit, with the grey extending across the front. Excellent finds.

 

I said in a PM to Spikeyorks that it is difficult to tell if a buffet unit was in this livery as normally they have a Walton set on one end and a two car on the other.

 

Dopey old me. Of course that first pic is of a buffet unit. So at least two units carried this livery.

 

Well that's the excuse I need to be happy that 623 must have done so too. Happy days.

[Clive Mortimore]

_{1) Clacton does have an acceptable amount of griminess.}

 

_{2) As does Southend Victoria.}

 

_{3) Another CL309 pic with the wrap around BG ends.}

 

_{4) Found this pic on the web by accident.}

In the third photo it looks like 625 again, with a buffet unit in the same livery at the back, the grey appears to go round the front.

[Spikeyorks]

Are you quite sure that you're not confusing a 5 with a 3?

 

After all it is a blurry image.

[Spikeyorks]

Re my original layout plan. I think I will now redraw it with the emu stabling sidings further 'south' thus giving more room for the traverser.

 

The stabling sidings will have the look of the first image below......I have some Bachmann derelict houses to go along the top of the cutting.

 

For the sidings at the top I did originally think dairy and quite like the look of the second image which has a very urban feel. Any thoughts? (mini Ilford)

 

Then all I really need to work out is what to put at the end of the stabling sidings. I quite like the idea of them ending with a shed. I think that the Peco Shed might have enough of a hint of East Ham to make it a possible starter. Just wondering how high the doors are in relation to OHL and pantographs. Looking at pictures on the web they do seem to have sufficient height?

Edited January 27, 2018 by Spikeyorks

[37114]

Loving the EMU,s, I know I am going against the tide of opinion but as you are running EMUs then you don't need to turn the cassettes so I would out of choice go for cassette's rather than traverserers so you can stick with your track plan

[Ian Smeeton]

I love the idea of Maldon-on -Steroids.

 

An excuse to run REALLY fast trains,

 

Or if overdone, perhaps out-of-gauge loads?

 

Regards

 

Ian

[jonny777]

Well I must admit I never expected to see the names Dunwich, Blakeney and Cley come up in relation to possible locations. (Dunblacley being a possible name....although it sounds a bit Scottish to me). I did think of something like a Maldon (on steroids) where, perhaps, there could have been fast and slow commuter trains to Liverpool Street with an excuse for diesel services on the ex-Woodham Ferrers line.

 

No my location is definitely somewhere in the London suburbs with brick cutting sides, grime everywhere and a rundown feel. Probably it is the CL309s that are the indulgence here as they wouldn't have been seen anywhere off the mainlines but, perhaps, they might've visited my location for off-peak stabling or the like.

 

Building wise I'd have a set of Bachmann Art Deco stations together with their Underground station building so I'd like to place those on the layout if possible. (hints of Loughton?). Having said that I really do like the latest March station buildings. These definitely do have a North London feel to them. (I also like the Metcalf canopies which, again, would look good on my platforms). The choice is endless.

 

 

 

You could call your station Loxford, and have it as an imaginary branch off the main line serving the built-up area between Ilford and Barking. This would give you the freedom to run anything you like.