Hawkinsfield Junction

[Andy R]

This is my first post on the web of the layout I have been slowly constructing in my basement layout room here in Tauranga, New Zealand. In an effort not to bore fellow webbers, I will write up my journey on constructing the layout in parts, as and when I can find time to compose. It is a meagre but honest effort so far away from the UK.

1. History

The layout was started about 4 years ago after being able to partition off part of a basement room to create a hobby room space of 14'6'' x 9' (in the old money- NZ is metric but I like the old measure!). It comes after constructing and operating a GWR OO exhibition layout occasionally at the limited number of model railway shows here in the upper north island of NZ. That layout is now rather over-exposed after 9-10 years on the show runs. It survives but has limited use and limited operational satisfaction.

 

Hence the desire to create something more meaningful and challenging at home. I have no hesitation in confessing that the inspiration, as with many others, has come from the famous Buckingham Branch of Peter Denny. Over many years I have read the articles in RM and then his PECO book on the model. More recently I acquired the DVD showing the layout operating and interviewing Peter. His way of approaching the creation of this layout, his high level of skill and ability to fashion out most of the layouts components from scratch never ceased to amaze me. It took a while to pluck up the courage and energy to make a start. My main, base decision has been to closely follow Grandborough Junction as the main station on my layout, and design and build the rest of the layout around that lovely modelled station.

 

So, Peter Denny's Grandborough Junction has become my "Hawkinsfield Junction", set somewhere along the GWR/SR joint line running northward from Weymouth. The GWR branch from the junction, which is yet to be started, has SR running rights for a little variety. This concept is not unlike the work of John Flann with Hintock, but that is purely coincidence on my part. The junction station is named after a good modelling friend of mine who tragically passed away a couple of years ago when just finishing his own first exhibition layout in O gauge -based on Lymbridge Pier. That O gauge layout I now part-own with some other friends having brought it off his family. We now exhibit it occasionally.

 

Finally in this history part I note that I have had the privilege of corresponding with the new owner Tony, then visiting Buckingham Branch in its new home up north. In fact I have been there twice in holidays back to the UK over the last 4 years- the last visit in September this year. I had a great time talking to him and several other regular operators, photographing and operating the layout as well- actually a very slow and deliberate learning process from move 41 to 49...over several hours. So much concentration and so much fun. The layout is IMHO an absolute marvel, and Tony is doing a fantastic job in restoring one of the iconic model railways of the world.

 

In the next part I will try and briefly describe the construction phase and try to work out how to follow instructions to post photos and/or layout plan...!

 

Andy R

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stubby47]

I had the privilege of meeting Rev Denny at his Truro home twice and seeing the layout in it's full condition - my youngest lad has also had the experience of actually driving a train into Buckingham. 

Will follow your progress with interest.

 

Stu

[Andy R]

Many thanks for your reply Stu -it would have been a privilege to visit the layout and talk to its creator. Did it help with your own modelling?

Andy R

[Stubby47]

Definitely. 

 

His concept of building a railway that serves a purpose, that goes somewhere and has a reason for being there, has been a big influence, not just in my own layout's track design but also in the surrounding scenery.

 

Why was that siding added ? What does it serve ? How are goods brought to and taken from the trackside ?

What was the scenery like before the rails were laid, what changes to fields, roads, buildings had to be made ?

 

Plus everything on BGC was handmade - even the switches; so use what's around and recycle.

 

Yes, definitely. 

[Andy R]

Part 2-general design and construction techniques

 

On a very wet 'summer' day in NZ... I have decided to add further post on techniques used on Hawkinsfield Junction to date. I am still experiencing issues with photos and track plan attachments and I apologise for this. My brother-in-law who is in IT has promised to help at Christmas!

 

Design approach:

 

The dimensions of the layout room (see above post) and a desire to watch trains passing through scenery drove the continuous circuit design, but with the ability to have a junction station on one side of the room and the storage/holding yard on the opposite side. The design also allows the branch line from the junction to gradually climb around to a terminus station above but in front of the storage yard. 

I am reconsidering whether this is the best practical design on this side of the room having seen 'Nod to Brent' and the open and scenic approach to his storage yard. My other option is to move the storage yard forward in front of the terminus and also have it open and scenic- no final decision on that yet. The width of the baseboard on that side of the room and its height are not an impediment to this second option, so both still possible.

For normal one-man operation and construction (with occasional help only from others) this design represents a reasonable modelling challenge and retains good operational potential with the double track secondary mainline junction and single track to small market town- type terminus scenario. I would have loved to create a good sized terminus but there is no credible room for that and keeping room comfort as well. People access is via a duck-under at one end of the layout room.

 

Baseboards:

 

After a lot of thought I plunged into building six baseboard sections; two on each long side of the room and one at each end of the room, thereby forming the layout rectangle. Nothing new there I admit. Rather than the conventional 2x1 or 3x1 frame approach used by many British modellers I have used the Barry Norman beam design as the frame for all the baseboards (3 inch depth plywood beams held together with softwood blocks). Each full section is held together with both split-pin hinges on the external face and coach bolts through the ends of each section. This approach created a very strong, lightweight set of baseboards that are also removable if we ever shift house (a strong possibility as retirement looms). Baseboard surfaces are 9mm plywood laid/shaped where track bed and station yards etc are and open top for most scenic areas away from the stations. The layout is set at 1 metre (39 inches) above the floor. (I will post some baseboard photos when mastered technique!).

 

Layout track construction:

 

A start was made by getting the mainline circuit through the junction and around into storage yard area so that trains could be run as soon as practicable. I decide to lay PECO code 75 track and points on the storage yard area for reliability but everywhere else on the layout I have taken the plunge and worked with code 75 BH SMP flexi track and hand-built, bespoke, made-in-situ points. I had never made a point before in my life but with a little trial and a lot of error...I have proceeded to make over 20 points including the junction cross over and many curved points. I am using the copper-clad SMP sleepers and track soldered method, which is very forgiving for beginners and when painted, ballasted and weathered look very passible to the eye. (hopefully pictures will help!)

 

The bespoke, made-in-situ method allows one to have flowing track geometry in keeping with the layouts design objective (noting again that the junction design is based on Grandborough Junction by Peter Denny) and I am very pleased overall with the results in the junction station. Some of the earlier efforts need further fine-tuning but the beauty of the copper-clad method is that you can do this easily of course. Another advantage is that the frogs are live to assist running. All track and points are laid on cork track bed, either chambered cork strips from America or kitchen cork tiles cut to size and shape for station yards.

 

Electronics/control

 

Not my strong point at all I am afraid. But, in getting advice/ help from a good American modeller friend here in Tauranga I have been happily pushed straight into DCC from the beginning, and he has been really helpful and supportive of this approach. The whole layout to date is wired for DCC (every track piece has wires to the bus) and every section has bus connectors from one section to the next. I have invested in NCE Powercab system which is able to be extended with additional hand control units as and when the layout expands to the terminus. All points routes are set and frogs switched by Bluepoint hand-activated machines with built in switches attached under the baseboard below each point. These are activated via a wire-in-tube method from the baseboard fascia and I am in the process of attaching the wire ends to GEM point levers. 

 

Well I think that is enough info for one post, so  I hope people find this commentary of some, small interest. (hopefully photos after Christmas help).

 

Andy R

[john flann]

Andy R,

 

Very impressive and a comprehensive introduction to what has the makings of an excellent and well thought out layout. In other words get the basics right and everything else will follow.

 

I look forward to reading more installments of your build with a great deal of pleasure.

 

Kind regards,

[Andrew P]

Sounds like the beginnings of a great topic, yet another to follow.

 

All the best.

[Andy R]

to John and Andy P -many thanks for your encouraging comments. I am reasonably pleased with my efforts to date but the proof will be in the viewing, pictures, which I have to master as described earlier.

Andy R

[Andy R]

Into Boxing day and family IT help has appeared. I may now try to post some images of layout baseboard construction as first up.

[Andy R]

An early photo of the layout baseboard erected in the layout 'man cave' before any track construction begins. This is to show the basic beam system which is really light but strong, and the legs etc.

[Gwiwer]

The wood is good.

[Andrew P]

Morning, just catching up again and looking really good so far.

 

All the best for 2015

[Andy R]

Thanks to members who have offered back comment on my effort to post pictures of baseboard construction. The next photo is to show the formation of the junction at its early stage; noting that I had not built any hand made points before and had started with the curved crossover as shown in a picture posted in an earlier post. I then moved along to dive into the junction cross over, which is also on a gentle curve through the station (as per Grandborough Junction) and then proceeded along the junction station laying track and building points in-situ as I moved along from right to left (when looking at the station and towards backscene).

 

This R-L sequence I have continued through the whole phase of building up the junction station, first with trackwork being built, wired and tested, then the junction bridges and adjacent scenery, then the station yard, station etc etc...this will be the subject of further photos as I post photos to compliment the layout construction text posted earlier.

 

The formation of the junction was a challenge to build (well the cross- over was anyway) to get the flow of the gentle curve through the station and also a crossover that does not derail stock or locos. Early junction formation is shown here...

[Andy R]

The attached photo is a further view of the junction cross-over area (as in construction in previous post),now a little more advanced as track laying continues in Hawkinsfield Junction locality. For example the bay track road is emerging from the rear point and the branch line merging into the single track from the double junction immediately after that. Some further tweaking of the cross-over and the two branch points has occurred (the beauty of copper-clad construction) but basically it all works ok now, which is pleasing.

 

Mock up bridge and some basic embankment shape beginning to appear to get a 3-D feel of the general topography and structures that will be transferred from layout plan (i.e. the brain) to the real thing over time. Red pin to remind us operators that the branch line is not yet 'ready' to receive any train formations at present!

[class"66"]

Nice modelling work,wil follow this now..

[Andy R]

Thanks Class 66 and several other members who have pressed 'like'.

 

Any feedback and comment is appreciated as it has been rather a lonely road down here undertaking this project, and basically learning through reading articles, web information and this forum's many excellent topics. I noted in an earlier post the help of one friend who is a good American modeller.

 

In the end you just plunge on in and feel the water...! and learn from trial and error don't you. I think the biggest hurdle is getting over the fear of making mistakes- no one will die from this hobby work in the man-cave and all mistakes can generally be rectified. I have had one or two harsh lessons along the way but nothing that could not be readdressed (crossed figures so far).

 

I will continue to add photos and little comments as and when I feel things may be of interest, leading through construction to the point the layout is now.

 

regards, Andy R

[Andy R]

Playing around with photos on the PC I noted a similar orientated junction photo to that I have posted above (posts 13 and 14), which is my 'inspiration'. From Grandborough Junction looking towards the branch (courtesy of Rev. Peter Denny) that I photographed on my visit to Mr Gee's place in September 2014-see the first post. if my hand-built junction can look half as good as Mr Denny's I will be happy.

[Andy R]

And I noted looking through my layout folder of photos that there is at least one of Hawkinsfield Junction from a semi-similar orientation- looking across to the junction and the two bridges. Not up to Mr Denny's level but a work in progress. This about a year or so after the basic track has been laid. Scenery and bridges begin to provide a landscape and character to the  earlier trackwork. Mixed good approaching from the storage yard into Platform 3 at Hawkinsfield Junction, with marshalling yard ends and Ralph and Sons coal and wood merchants to the right.

 

Scnery has moved on from this photo period and I will show some further progress in due course...but you get the general idea on my approach and the poor comparative with the master, Mr Denny.

[Andy R]

And to complete the day I attach a photo of the bridge area during construction showing the basic scenery technique approach I am adopting;

My sequence is card lattice, cover lattice with brown parcel paper wetted with PVA, then carpet underlay, then mixed acrylic colours and then a final blast with my Noch puffer bottle of static grass.

[class"66"]

Very nice modelling work!!! wil keep eye on this..

 

 

 

cheers neil.

[Andy R]

the other side of the junction bridges; first showing scenery construction techniques and second the same area later in the process. Railway fencing to be added later.

[Andy R]

New year greetings to RM web members. I thought I would post further photos of the early scenic thinking and construction of the engine shed area off the marshalling yard at Hawkinsfield Junction. This early thinking evolved a bit over the next few months to current, which I will post in due course. You can see that the engine facilities are served from the outside siding of the marshalling yard, which is a little limiting but works to keep a few locos ready for exchanging when required. The shed is of card construction and unusually for GWR, wooden- which I think is stretching the credibility a little, but a friend gave it too me and it sits well in this spot. It can accommodate two locos without difficulty.

 

This part of the marshalling yard is cork tiles laid over the plywood base, with the SMP track PVA glued down on this. Ballast is 2mm fine ballast sprinkled over, sprayed with water/washing up liquid solution, and then diluted PVA dripped with eye dropper- the tried and true techniques known by many. dried grass and weeds etc... are randomly glued through the yard using the old carpet felt tuffs and some static grass in some areas also.

 

For example, I subsequently decided to put in a turntable and further feeder road to it curving in front of the engine shed, and that required some scenery 'redevelopment' and expanding of the track roadbed, but hey, isn't that what makes developing a layout fun! 

 

I hope this is of interest for some -I am trying to 'unfold' the layout in pictures and text by looking back to the early days and then moving through in steps to the present. I only get a couple of hours a week in the man-cave and there is a long way to go.

 

Andy R

[Andy R]

A quick look at the finished loco service facilities at Hawkinsfield Junction from the other direction of earlier photos, towards the marshalling yard and junction bridges beyond. Station buildings visible (but work in progress) to the left of picture. To the right the line heads back to the turntable (also a work in progress).

The navvy seems in need of a good feed, and I should aim to replace the poor lad with a more portly sole at some stage. These things always show up in pictures- the camera does not lie! 

Andy R

[Dbr1295]

Hi Andy, real nice little scene. I especially like the rust effects, the step ladder & track.

Cheers, Les

[Andy R]

thanks Les. Appreciate your feedback. Its nice to create little cameos within a large canvas, just as many have in this forum; Much Murkle for one example -stunning.