RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted September 20, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 20, 2011 On Sunday I took possesion of 'Holcombe Brook & Tottington' after it had been at the Shipley Exhibition for the weekend. The previous owners being the East Riding Finescale Group who had acquired the layout from it's original builders and completly refurbished it. I was very impressed with the layout when I saw it at the Pontefract & Normanton Exhibition and asked if they would like to attend the LYDCC Exhibition as it was of local interest, I was told it was for sale and someone had expressed interest, I said if it fell through I would be potentially interested, I walked around the hall and was approached by Neil from the group and by the end of the conversation I had bought a layout! It is currently wired for DC but it will be converted to DCC. The layout consists of three sections, Holcombe Brook Station, Tottington Viaduct and Tottington Station, each is seperated by a small covered section. The fiddle yard is at the end of the Tottington Station section. The electric service on this line finished in 1951 and was replaced by steam until 1952 and freight continued until 1963. ERFG ran the layout as if the electric service continued until the 1960's with Class 504 providing the passenger service supplemented by a steam haulded service, and both steam and diesel hauled freight. I will continue to run the layout in the same 'what if' way. Here are a few pictures I took on Sunday, The Tottington Station Section Tottington Viaduct Pictures of Holcombe Brook Station to follow tomorrow. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted September 21, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 21, 2011 I have not had the pleasure of seing this layout looks very nice. Some lovely trees especially around the viaduct. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artizen Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 This has wow factor! More photos please. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike wild Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 That's one very attractive layout! As Artizen said - more photos please. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artizen Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 It's sad I know but I came back for another look at this fabulous layout. I just can't work out the scale? I know of a few East Riding layouts and most of them have been 1:43. I would also love to know how the trees were made etc. Possibly Neil could enlighten us if he is reading. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted September 21, 2011 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 21, 2011 The layout is OO but the track was made with the correct UK sleeper spacing, I think it shows how good OO track can look with a little effort, there is no going back to standard PECO/Hornby track now. I had used Tillig track on Rederring as I thought it was a good compromise but not any more, I will now be using CNL/SMP track and will probably be brave and build my own points. The intention is to convert the layout to DCC and it will be appearing at the Second Joint LYDCC/GMTS Exhibition at the Museum of Transport, Manchester next May (19/20th) and at our 2012 Rawtenstall Exhibition, along with at least one other exhibition which will be announced when confirmed. I had intended to convert all the points and signals to DCC operation but the Holcombe Brook section uses some really impressive hand operated points so I have decided these will remain so, there is one working signal on the layout and this works fine so this may stay as it is, there is also one dummy signal which I intend to either make a working signal but as it is one of the Ratio type I may get a more substantial signal made to replace it. The Tottington section has some point motors on it and I intend to replace these with slow motion points, probably DCC Concepts as they are nice and compact, there is only one signal on this section and I intend to use a DCC controlled servo. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted September 21, 2011 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 21, 2011 As promised yesterday some more pictures. Unfortunately I didn't take as many pictures of the Holcombe Brook Section as I got distracted and some of those didn't come out as well as I would have liked. I have some from the Pontefract Exhibition earlier this year so I will post some of those later. Holcombe Brook Station Tottington Vidaduct I took some pictures of the Class 504 I have been working on to replace the one used by the ERFG which didn't come with the layout. This is work in progress and last night it reentered the paint shop to redo the cream bands which were done in a rush to give it a trial run on the layout. More on the Class 504 later. Now a dash to Liverpool to get my Class 28 - now what excuse do I need to run one on the layout! Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Before anyone asks, the structures are all scratchbuilt by the original owner of the layout and are based on photos of the prototype. Incidentally, what looks like wood, is wood. The trees are sea moss with added Woodland Scenics scatter from the 'Forest In A Box' range if I remember rightly. steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artizen Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Bloody bewdiful! I take it the layout is three sections with a connecting device between. Is the connecting device just a black box for separation? I have a similar concept on my current 1:24 layout with small stand-alone dioramas linked by 300mm connectors so that each diorama is viewed as a separate entity - only the track flows through the entire series of scenes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinW Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Another great layout, would like to see some more pictures if possible. Especially like the viaduct over the river. Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 seen this last weekend and it looked superb any other shots of the other 504? Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted September 21, 2011 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 21, 2011 We put up the Tottington Station section tonight at the club rooms to get it ready for converting the points to Cobalts so I couldn't resist trying out my new purchases - the invasion of the Co-Bo's! Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted September 21, 2011 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 21, 2011 This is a picture of the layout I took at the Pontefract Show earlier this year it shows all the sections and the joining pieces. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
signalmaintainer Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 What a gem of a layout! Midland Region circa 1960s, or am I way off? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ427 Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 What an interesting and well modelled layout. And truly modular to boot. Very nice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted September 23, 2011 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 23, 2011 A selection of pictures I took at the Pontefract & Normanton Exhibition earlier this year. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Loxborough Posted September 23, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 23, 2011 A slendid acquisition; you must be really pleased with it! Mind you, I'm not sure I would want the responsibility of looking after something that represents so many hours of other people's time! Lovely photos, too. George Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennyboy Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Thanks for the pictures of Holocombe Brook as I've always been fascinated by it after seeing some pictures of it in LMS Branch Line Memories by P.B.Whitehouse. Although is the track layout accurate for the period modelled as the pictures in the book show that the siding that ran parallel to the headshunt was removed by the early 1950s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adanapress Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Do I remember aright, that in years long ago there were some very early electrification tests, and some very odd - even strange - rolling stock, on the Holcombe Brook branch? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidM Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Don't worry chaps - some of us will be helping Peter overcome his issues with running inauthentic stock (Cobos? ) on the layout, and steering him in the right direction of a fleet of Ivatt 2s, Dub Dees and other 26A-D based equipment B) Benny - the layout closed to passenger traffic in the early 1950s, and I recall being told that the layout is a 'what if' extension of services into the 504 era. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted September 23, 2011 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 23, 2011 Besides the quality of the layout I was also attracted to the 'what if' way the layout was run by the lads from EYFG. I think one of the advantages of modelling somewhere is that you can in a sense undo 'the mistakes' of the past and show what might have happened if abandoned lines had not closed, I am sure if this line was still open today with all the housing development in the area it would be a busy commuter line judging by the traffic on the M66! So whilst the layout will not be historically accurate in that it was more or less closed in the mid 60's I will run stock that was accurate for the area and period, but there are always exceptions to the rule and odd things did happen, for instance in the Foxline book on the Bury and Rawtenstall line there is a picture of a Western Blue Pullman on Bury Bolton Street Station on a football special in 1967! So why can't you have the odd working that could be a football special or a rail excursion! Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted September 24, 2011 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 24, 2011 Here are a couple of video I posted on YouTube after the Normanton & Pontefract Exhibition in January. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0NTyLTPUkI Shows the flash on the third rail as the Class 504 passes over. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg1sDRhyULM A very short one of the Tottington Brook Station section Regards, Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted September 24, 2011 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 24, 2011 Let the DCC Conversion begin! I have been making some purchases in preparation for converting the layout to DCC. I have bought 4 DCC Concepts Cobalt slow motion point motors for the Tottington section along with a servo for the semaphore signal. On my first layout Rederring I used the ESU SwitchPilot Servo and found it very restrictive, basically up and down at the same speed, so I wanted something better for Holcombe Brook & Tottington so I did a search and came across this Uhlenbrock Digital-Servo supplied by A&H Models in Northampton (excellent service, good advice, ordered at 2pm arrived this morning). It is a servo with an integrated decoder which is amazingly small, it has four stop positions so I should be able to re-create a bounce. I will keep a photographic record of the conversion. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinW Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Hi Peter, Can I ask what the sizes of each of the scenic sections are, thanks Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Savoyard Posted September 24, 2011 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted September 24, 2011 I need to check the precise measurements but from memory they are:- Holcombe Brook section 12' x 1.5' The Viaduct 4' x 1.5' Tottington section 8' x 1.5' Curved joining sections 4' approx Fiddle Yard 4' Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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