High Offley (formerly Exchange Sidings)

[nickwood]

I joined Andover MRC earlier this year, just at the right time it seems as thoughts were turning to a new ehibition layout. After a few months of thought and budgetting, myself and a few other members have been given the go ahead and funding to build a new exhibition layout.

 

The criteria we had to work within was;

1. The layout had to be interesting for both operators and public
2. plenty of movement
3. Suitable for members stock to be used
4. Suitable for any era between 1930 and 1980
5. Track layout to be finescale with an interesting but fairly simple layout.
6. Facility for auto uncoupling
7. Should be transportable in a single domestic sized vehicle.
8. Switchable between DC and DCC
9. Have a plausible industry to provide most of the traffic.
10. Scenery at front to be below rail height rising all along the layout to the rear.

In order to meet criteria 1 and 2 we would need have plenty of variety with some shunting thrown in. Various alternative configurations were considered, roundy roundy, end to fiddle yard, fiddle yard to fiddle yard etc.

 

To meet criteria 3 means the layout had to be either 0 or 00 gauge. The club already has two exhibiltion standard 0 gauge layouts so it was going to be 00.  

To meet criteria 4 we would have to carefully consider how to deal with regional indentification. We want to avoid setting the geographic location in a very specific area. Most members have  western region stock but we do not want eastern region or others to look out of place.

 

Criteria 5 will be met by using C+L 00 code 75 flexi track and building the pointwork by using their components.

Criteria 6 is easily catered for by use of strategically placed electromagnets

We liked the idea of through running but a roundy roundy was ruled out as being too big to meet criteria 7. We finally settled on a scenic section with sector plates at either end serving plug in cassettes behind the scenic section.

 

Criteria 8 is fairly strightforward but an essential requirement to meet criteria 3

Criteria 9 was met by an off-scene quarry and an on-scene lime works. To further meet criteria 1 and 2 on scene working will be loaded wagons being brought from the quarry into a set of exchange sidings and empties returned, supplemented by gunpowder and other supplies being brought in by rail. Loaded lime wagons going out with empties returned and a cross country passenger service passing a small isolated station.

To meet Criteria 10 It is anticipated that the scene will be a fairly isolated country setting with the railway cut into the hillside, hinting at the suitability of the area for quarry workings.


The track plan has been drawn up by one of the team members (and changed a number of times) using Templot. He printed it full size so that we could test operation by playing trains with it rolled out on the floor. After a number of changes we now think we've got a workable track layout. I don't have a plan to show you yet as I don't have a copy of the file but I'll post it up as soon as I can.

The next step is to make a card mock up to see if the scenics we have in mind will work.

Don't expect frequent updates as club work doesn't always achieve instant results but it should be an interesting project.
 

 

Edited February 27, 2014 by nickwood

[class"66"]

Sounds very interesting...    looking forward to more...

[AndrewF]

It has been some time since Nick’s original post and much planning, head scratching and testing of ideas has gone on since then, some at the club and some at The Old Bell and Crown – I’m sure many of you have a similar unofficial meeting place. Anyway, I thought I would update you on what has been going on.

During the autumn I produced a track plan of the exchange sidings (using Templot), which evolved over a few months leading up to Christmas time.

 

 

I printed this out full size from Templot and stuck the pieces of paper to a roll of lining paper. We tried out different combinations of trains and worked out the traffic flow (wish I had taken some shots of Nick on his hands and knees pushing cardboard trains around the layout!), and were almost settled on this; almost, but not quite. Neither Nick nor I were completely happy with it. My own view was that there was too much track which didn’t leave enough space for the scenery. I like to see a railway within it’s setting, whether that be urban or the wilds of the country or the seaside or wherever. As this layout will not be very wide (about 2 feet max) I thought the sidings were taking up too much space. So, back to the drawing board and Nick came up with a simpler plan of a junction on a single track line, with the added interest of an island platform and still a couple of sidings for exchanging wagons from one route to the other. I immediately felt that this was better so it was back to Templot to try out this new plan and see how it would fit within our limits. Below is the revised layout. It is not an uncommon junction layout, Broom Junction for example, but it now allows space at the front and back for setting the scene and giving a feel to the environs of this small junction station.

 

 

So, again, I printed out the layout full size and stuck it down on lining paper. And we again played with the cardboard trains to get the feel of it and see if all the traffic moves we had thought of were actually possible. Below is the layout on the lining paper and the cardboard trains used to test it.

 

The layout stuck to lining paper. The rule is 1 meter.

 

Cardboard trains to test the layout. In the station is a 6 coupled tender engine and 3 carriages.

 

After 'playing trains' with this layout all evening we are happy with it; the timber requirements have been worked out and are on order, and I am currently working on the track parts list.

 

More news soon.

 

Andrew.

 

 

[Andrew P]

The Plan looks good Guys, I like the Broom Junction idea, Looking forward to seeing it develop of the course of time.

 

All the best,

Andy

[Guest bri.s]

Sound. A very interesting plan .

Will be watching with interest .

 

Brian

[nickwood]

 

Thanks for the interest guys

 

I'm very pleased that Andrew didn't think to take some photos of me on my knees playing 'cardboard' trains.

 

What he didn't say is that we are developing a back story to this layout. Andrew interest lies with the LNER and it's constituents whereas my loyalties lie with the GWR. Other club members have GWR stock as well. Hence the need for a junction or joint line, but where to set it? We finally decided that the area to the west of Stafford could fit the bill.

 

 

The London North Western line ran from Stafford to Wellington and onto Shrewsbury and also of course through Stafford and on to Crewe. The GWR had a line running from Wellington through Market Drayton to join the LNWR just before Crewe. Therefor there is a large triangle formed from Stafford to Market Drayton in the North West and Wellington in the South West passing through the Staffordshire and Shropshire border area where no line existed.

 

The Great Northern actually bought the Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway which provided them with a route through to Shrewsbury via the LNWR from Stafford into mid Wales. This was as far as we can tell the furthest west that the Great Northern achieved.

 

We are assuming that the GNR wanted to push out to the North Wales coast from Stafford through Wrexham to exploit not only the coastal resorts but also the salt and coal deposits. The line would take a route through High Offley to Market Drayton, Whitchurch to meet the LNWR line from Whitchurch to Wrexham. At the same time the GWR were also looking at the possibility of another line to exploit the Staffordshire coal field trade and proposed a line following the Shropshire Union Canal from Wolverhampton to meet their existing line at Market Drayton.

 

Coal and salt traffic on the branch would be significant and the line could also be used for diversions for the LNWR and GWR north-south main routes

 

The two companies entered into negotiation and proposed a junction at High Offley with joint running rights from the junction north as far as Market Drayton. The Great Northern would be responsible for building the line between Stafford and Market Drayton, and the GWR for their own line south to Wolverhampton. Both lines would be single track.

 

The line was built but only as far as High Offley before the Great Northern abandoned plans for going beyond Market Drayton.

 

 

Following grouping (the period we will be modelling), it is assumed that ownership of the line from Wolverhampton to Market Drayton passed into the hands of the GWR with the former GN line from High Offley to Stafford passing into LNER ownership. The exchange sidings to the east of the station were laid to facilitate the movement of coal and salt traffic bound for Stafford and beyond via the LNER.

 

Oh! Did you guess that the layout will now be called HIGH OFFLEY

 

[nickwood]

Andrew has taken delivery of the track components and I now have the pre-cut ply so we are ready to make a start. Club AGM on Wednesday so not much will get done this week though.

[nickwood]

Last week, our Club Chairman, Mike who has a pillar drill took the end panels for each board which are to be a double skin of 9mm ply to glue and screw them together, drill and place the pattern makers dowels and drill for the bolts and T-nut connecters. I took the the rest of the cut ply down to the club last night to do a dry run.

It is difficult getting good shots on the phone inside during the evening but here's one of how one board will look (there are 4 of these making up the scenic section). The ends and cross bearers will eventually be trimmed down at an angle to the lower level of the front frame. The track bed will sit on top of the cross bearers.

 

 

There are three bolt fixings which can be seen on the end board. One end of each board has T-nuts with the thread drilled out and the corresponding end of the next board has T-nuts with the threads left in. All the cross bearers have three wiring holes one each for power, points and other electrics.

 

 

Just a shot to show how the boards locate together. C+L pattern makers dowels.

 

 

Everything is cut to very tight tolerances and fits together beautifully. I have to say that Mike has done a superb job.

The baseboard tops are not shown as these will be cut to follow the track bed. Andrew has taken them away to mark up using the templot template before cutting.

Whilst we have good reason for wanting to make the boards out of 9mm ply for durability when transporting and to cope with the storage conditions available to the club there is a downside in that they are going to be quite heavy, particularly as the boards will be bolted together as pairs when transported and stored.

A few of us are getting together on Monday to put the boards together, more photos after that.

 

[aberdare]

Hi Nick

 

I like the idea you have there and it looks an interesting looking project.

 

It's good to see you involved in something else now that MM is complete.

 

I look forward to watching the progress of this.

[nickwood]

Hi Nick

 

I like the idea you have there and it looks an interesting looking project.

 

It's good to see you involved in something else now that MM is complete.

 

I look forward to watching the progress of this.

 

Thanks Jim, although I'm not sure anything is ever complete, I still seem to make small changes and improvements to MM every now and them but I know what you mean. I'm really looking forward to this project now that we have made a start on the real work.

[nickwood]

Paul and Andrew arrived this morning for a baseboard building session in my garage. After a cup of coffee and a quick project meeting we set to.

The first job was to cut the trackbed. Using the full sized Templot track design as a template, Andrew had already marked up the baseboard tops so all that we had to do was cut them with a jigsaw. The photo shows the tops cut for the first two boards.
 

 

The first board takes shape, just needs the intermediate bearers to be fixed under the trackbed.

 

 

Progress as the first two boards get joined together

 

 

All four boards constructed and bolted together for the first time. Note that the two intermediate suports for each board are not all evenly spaced, some have to be adjusted to avoid point motors.

 

 

We have a good idea as to how we see the scenic development but some detail still has to be worked out. All baseboard joints are just screwed at present so that they can be taken apart to cut the intermediate supports to shape more easily once we have finalised our thoughts on the scenic developement. They will then finally be glued and screwed.

These four boards totaling 12ft in length form the scenic section of the layout. Still to be built are the fiddle yard boards which will be either cassette based or traversers, we haven't decided which yet although traversers are the favourite at the moment.

Andrew has taken the trackbed tops away to start laying the track and Paul has taken the rest of the boards to give them a sealing coat of matt varnish.

 

 

[AndrewF]

I've made a start on the track laying now. I'm building the turnouts on the printed card templates and will then lift them (very carefully!) and transfer them to the baseboards. The track is being constructed to 00-SF standards from C & L components, plastic chairs on wooden sleepers, and a set of 00-SF gauges also from C & L.

 

 

 

I think the finer check rail and flangeway gap used in 00-SF makes for better looking track. It certainly runs very smoothly, though I've only tried these with a wagon at present. The more prototypical sleeper spacing also makes a big difference, I think it stops it looking too 'narrow gauge' in the way standard commercial 00 track can do. The posts on this forum and Templot Club from Brian Tully and Martin Wynne, and many other 00-SF modellers, show how effective 00-SF can look and perform, and are what persuaded me to choose 00-SF rather than 00-BF. I also constructed a turnout to 00-BF standards first to try it out and compare against an 00-SF one. Needless to say, the 00-SF one won.

 

2 more of the turnouts back to back.

 

So far I have 3 of the 4 turnouts required for boards 3 & 4 made. After I have finished the fourth one I’ll make up the board joint-crossing plane track panels and then we can get some track down on those 2 boards. Really looking forward to getting the first track down on the boards.

 

[nickwood]

Another day another point (or two). At the club last wednesday evening Andrew brought along this point which he had made ready for making a start on the access to the goods yard. 

 

 

After getting the templates ready the first job was to cut and lay the sleepers and timbers

 

 

When the sleepers and timbers were laid the next job was to install the common crossing

 

 

Three hands are better than two when it comes to the fiddly Exactoscale chairs

 

 

After fielding many questions from club members all evening that is as far as we got. Luckily we are not relying solely on club nights to get things done.

[Classsix T]

A great start to a masterpiece in the making gentlemen. The trackplan is especially appealing to me, would I be right in saying barely a dead straight section on the whole thing? Nice.

 

C6T.

[nickwood]

A great start to a masterpiece in the making gentlemen. The trackplan is especially appealing to me, would I be right in saying barely a dead straight section on the whole thing? Nice.

 

C6T.

 

Thanks, yes you are correct the plan only shows the scenic section and there isn't a dead straight piece of track anywhere. 

[AndrewF]

Over the last few weeks I've been working on some more of the track panels and have some ready to put down on the baseboards. I've given them a coat of grimey rail colour before they go down and I think the ply wood sleepers look particularly effective.

 

 

Looking at this close-up it appears there might be a right and wrong way up for these (the second sleeper from the right)! Oh well, it wont be seen once the ballast is down, Just don't go telling anyone.

 

I then gave the track a coat of a rusty colour. I started off with a 'Rusty Rail' colour but thought that was too orange. So I toned it down with about a 3rd of mid-grey (actually LNER Frieght Grey), which has produced a sort of mucky rust colour.

 

 

Having shown one of the panels to Nick after appling the sleeper colour he did say that it is better to wipe the paint off the top of the rail while it is still wet. He was right, it took me ages to rub the dried paint off!

 

Hopefully we can make a start on getting some of these track sections down this week, or maybe next week - things always seem to take longer than you expect.

[Ramblin Rich]

Only just found this, somewhat of interest as I used to live near Codsall where your proposed GWR line would have joined the real world railway. Looking forward to watching how things develop.

Lovely looking track, I've had a trial run with 00-SF and I agree completely that it's a great standard to produce pointwork which works well without having to adjust (most) commercially available wheels.

I do like the colour you've achieved for weathering, but can I suggest you try to keep the rust colour intact on the top of the check & wing rails? Wheels don't run on those parts so the rust would remain. Seeing you took ages to rub the dried paint off you have every right to tell me where to go at this stage....

[nickwood]

While Andrew has been getting on with the trackwork my attention has turned to the road underbridge and station access. As the platform is an island design we decided at an early stage that we wanted a lower street level station building with access to the platform via a subway and steps. It took me ages to find a suitable prototype that could look right in a relatively rural area. I finally stumbled across Bourneville station and this link clearly shows the access arrangement we intend to use.

 

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/mrb476.htm

 

However we didn't like the bridge much and really wanted a plate girder design. A bit more research found this bridge in Patriscroft, Manchester which we have settled on with some adaption to fit our site.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/salford_ian/2170082066/

 

As you can see the original is actually two bridges, the rear is stone with a traditional arch. Ours will be a plate girder throughout and a bit narrower. The overall size and design has been replicated by counting bricks to gauge the size of piers and depth of the girders.

 

I started by fabricating the plate girders out of various thicknesses of styrene all pieces individually cut.

 

 

The completed girders which will be cut to length. The top one will be used for intermediate girders projecting up either side of the diamond crossing on the track plan

 

The bottom two will provide the girders front and back of the bridge.

 

 

 

Work on the abutments next.

 

 

[AndrewF]

Thanks Rich,

Wouldn't dream telling you where to go - this is a polite and civilised forum.

I agree about keeping the check and wing rails as a rusty colour. Once the track is down and working I'll go over it and touch up those bits.

 

Andrew

[AndrewF]

On Wednesday night at the club I managed to get the first of the track down on the base boards.

 

 

Not much there as yet and there was no time to rig up some power connections to try it out but at least we have something to show for the past few months work.

I have the track panel for the turnout exit made ready to go down so next week I hope to get that down and some more of the cork underlay. And maybe try it out with an engine.

 

Andrew.

[nickwood]

A major step forward Andrew. Sorry I wasn't there to see it. What did you stick it the track down with, looks like PVA?

[AndrewF]

Yes, PVA for most of the track. The 2 sleepers closest to the board joints are pcb board with the rail soldered to them. Those sleepers are stuck with contact adhesive.

Let's hope it never has to moved!

[nickwood]

I've made some progress with the bridge and completed the main piers, wing wall piers and abutment walls using Slaters english bond brickwork.

 

 

This is where it will be positioned in relation to the track plan right under the scissors crossover.

 

 

I don't usually work in plastic and I'm having to learn a few new techniques, particularly in terms of laminating the brick sheets to the base layer. Card and papers are so much easier, just glue and wrap

At least it is some progress.

[nickwood]

We successfully test ran the first bit of track tonight. Everthing ran smoothly after a thorough clean and a couple of minor and one major tweaks. I'll say it quietly in case he's listening, but someone forgot to gap the copperclad sleepers at the board joints didn't they Andrew? !!! OOPs

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Rxay12iTY&feature=youtu.be

Edited May 28, 2014 by nickwood

[AndrewF]

Yes, all right, it was me. I was a bit eager to get some track down and forgot to gap the PCB sleepers at the board joint.