Dungeness B - OO Modern Nuclear Flask Transfer

[cal.n]

After a few years of numerous layout sketches on the back of envelopes, exhibition programs and pieces of French homework, I decided to get on with it and start building a layout.

 

I’ve always been interested in Nuclear Flask operations, and a power station flask terminal seemed a nice choice, unlike any other type of modern freight terminal, a Nuclear railhead wouldn’t take up huge amounts of space and reasonably short trains would only require a smallish fiddle yard.

 

After a few happy hours on Flickr and YouTube, a settled on a similar trackplan to the Railhead serving Dungeness B station in Kent with a loop and fenced compound containing the crane for transferring the flask from train to lorry (or the other way round). Plain track will be Bullhead and (as prototype) points are flatbottom.

 

I think I am going with 3 x 2’ by 4’ boards. One mostly containing the fiddle yard.

 

Edit: Forgot to mention, all will be fully DCC controlled

 

Inspired by these images

 

https://flic.kr/p/MqKjay

 

https://flic.kr/p/Wz3mSF

 

 

Comments/advice/criticism please

Edited May 31, 2018 by cal.n

[Lyddrail]

Looks like an interesting idea, size is very helpful. Below a few pictures of the 1990s when I was involved in maintenance of the site.

 

Let me know if you want any further information.

Cheers.

 

 

[cal.n]

Thanks, those photos are invaluable. Do you know how the points are operated? I can’t see a groundframe in any photos?

[5BarVT]

Thanks, those photos are invaluable. Do you know how the points are operated? I can’t see a groundframe in any photos?

Must be a GF as rodding is visible in the last photo: I think the GF is half hidden by the hut.

Paul.

[Simon Lee]

Thanks, those photos are invaluable. Do you know how the points are operated? I can’t see a groundframe in any photos?

Groundframe is in the concrete hut. Visible in the last photo from Lyddrail.

 

Myself and Bigbee Line of this parish were both regulars on the day the train ran back in the 80s and 90s. Always a good days work, the 4 or 5 of us who attended rotated jobs as crane driver, slinger, and crane supervisor.

Happy days

[The Bigbee Line]

here is a link to some pictures on flickr showing rodding etc https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=55938574%40N03&text=dungeness&view_all=1

 

 

[cal.n]

Honestly the amount of knowledge on here is amazing. Thanks for all the photos, especially permanent way detail. All very helpful.

 

Start of board construction

 

 

[The Yorkshire Pud]

Nice work so far mate ...... an unusual subject not too often modelled.  I look forward to seeing how this develops.

 

Simon 

[Clive Mortimore]

Looks like an interesting idea, size is very helpful. Below a few pictures of the 1990s when I was involved in maintenance of the site.

R-972 Lydd 16-6-96.jpg

R-973 Lydd 16-6-96.jpg

R-974 Lydd 16-6-96.jpg

R-979 Lydd 16-6-96 FNA 550017.jpg

R-981 Lydd 16-6-96.jpg

R-984 Lydd 16-6-96.jpg

K-717 DN 24-5-94.jpg

 

Let me know if you want any further information.

Cheers.

Hi Paul

 

Did the BM meat container get persevered or was it allowed to rot away? 

[Harlequin]

Great idea for a very focused layout, Cal.

 

Paul and Ernie's wonderful photos show an interesting and atmospheric location.

 

Could you use all three boards scenically so that you can evoke some of the sense of openness of the long line running across the shingle to the railhead? I guess you probably don't need much in the way of a fiddle yard so maybe just some means of attaching a cassette to the end would be enough???

[1722]

Excellent start, really like the sounds of this.

 

Can’t help but think the right hand end of your plan would make a cracking micro. Light loco appears on run round duties, the propels two flask wagons in, each one loaded in turn, before pulling away.

[cal.n]

Great idea for a very focused layout, Cal.

 

Paul and Ernie's wonderful photos show an interesting and atmospheric location.

 

Could you use all three boards scenically so that you can evoke some of the sense of openness of the long line running across the shingle to the railhead? I guess you probably don't need much in the way of a fiddle yard so maybe just some means of attaching a cassette to the end would be enough???

Thanks, The longest train (I think 2x class 66 + 2 FNAs) will be 3ft long. I was thinking of going with cassettes and a 3ft fiddle yard at one end of the end board which will still leave 9ft of room to play with.

 

I can also use the loop for short departmental and test trains that can arrive into the loop and clear the section for the Nuclear train to add some traction variety and operational interest.

 

Is there any form of signalling present for departing the loop or clearing any level crossings along the route?

Edited May 31, 2018 by cal.n

[Zomboid]

There's loads of crossings on the route, though I doubt multiple train operation is a feature.

 

Making the crane work to actually load and unload flasks would be a fun element, and the loading/ unloading being on the headshunt might make shunting more involved than it could otherwise be.

[cal.n]

Making the crane work to actually load and unload flasks would be a fun element, and the loading/ unloading being on the headshunt might make shunting more involved than it could otherwise be.

Making the crane work probably isn’t impossible but if it was operational, the sliding lid on the FNA would have to move open and similar on the lorry. A crane would also struggle to pick up a flask by the two pins on the side.

 

There aren’t many photos about of the actual transfer (probably for good reason) but here are a few.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xy7xg7riulv06d1/37259%20%2B%2037608%20Dungeness%20Railhead.jpeg?dl=0

 

https://flic.kr/p/9bD4Km

[Lyddrail]

Hi Paul

 

Did the BM meat container get persevered or was it allowed to rot away? 

 

Clive,

I am not sure. It was gone when the crane was replaced in 2007.

Some more pics.

And a pic of the ground frame.

 

Cheers.

Edited May 31, 2018 by Lyddrail

[cal.n]

I wonder why the ground frame is inside the hut? Doesn’t look like you can see much from in there

[Lyddrail]

I wonder why the ground frame is inside the hut? Doesn’t look like you can see much from in there

 

I don't know why the ground frame was in the hut.

Flasks on site, 2 and 3.

 

Must have been fun shunting with a brake van and barrier wagons too.

Cheers.

[Simon Lee]

The frame only operated the points of the "main line" onto the crane road and back onto the cripple road. On arrival we would set the road from the main to the crane road ready for the trains arrival. Once the train had departed we put the road back so if any of the stabled flask carriers ready for next week ran away they would end up on the cripple road.

AFAIK the frame was in the hut from years before so it was as we at TLF South and later RFD inherited the location.

Minor alterations to the track layout were done in the late 80's at the behest of Ernie who supplied some of the photos here, to make the layout more user friendly.

[Simon Lee]

Hi Paul

 

Did the BM meat container get persevered or was it allowed to rot away?

 

Think the container literally fell to bits.It still had the full complement of meat hooks on the beams inside. The ID plate was sadly long gone.

[KeithHC]

Like the concept. I have often thought of a model based on Bridgewater but would like to do it in N gauge.  At least for detail I do not have very far to go. Berekley is still used by DRS.

 

Keith

[russ p]

The container and the some of the other buildings were cleared when DRS took over in 98.

There used to be a fees of the meet hooks lying around.

If you just saw them out of the corner of your eyevit was easy to mistake them for a snake!

[lmsforever]

An interesting layout the the  picsare very detailed but doesn't the official secrets act cover this area , so you can await the knock on the door at five am!

[cal.n]

An interesting layout the the  picsare very detailed but doesn't the official secrets act cover this area , so you can await the knock on the door at five am!

I’m sure I have been googling about Flask Trains enough to make someone notice, but the trackplan is clearly visible from google maps and if I wanted, I could go down myself. Saying that, I think I have chosen the very point on any UK railway that is geographically furthest away from me.

[russ p]

Anyone taking pictures on the day the train runs are generally asked what they are doing but in a friendly way

[The Bigbee Line]

The frame only operated the points of the "main line" onto the crane road and back onto the cripple road. On arrival we would set the road from the main to the crane road ready for the trains arrival. Once the train had departed we put the road back so if any of the stabled flask carriers ready for next week ran away they would end up on the cripple road.

AFAIK the frame was in the hut from years before so it was as we at TLF South and later RFD inherited the location.

Minor alterations to the track layout were done in the late 80's at the behest of Ernie who supplied some of the photos here, to make the layout more user friendly.

Before remodelling the run round was really small - Brake + Barrier + Flask + Barrier, so running with 2 flasks meant a double run round.  The track under the crane was also lengthened making the shunting easier.  Wish I had a £1 for every Thursday I spent there...

Edited May 31, 2018 by The Bigbee Line