Hawkinsfield Junction

[Andy R]

Hi John -appreciate your feedback on the SB- I had been pondering location and size for a while since a friend visiting suggested it was wrong. I had two built SB's and therefore used them -here and at junction end. The problem is one is smaller than the other. his small one will be sent packing to the branch terminus in due course. I will look for a larger GWR SB for this goods yard end location.

 

I also have a query on oo scale figures that would be appropriate for the late 1930's period -station passengers, loco crew and general station workmen? From my reading Monty's range appears to be used by many on this forum. If appropriate I may look to ordering some and have them posted out to NZ- any member observations on this please?

 

Thanks, Andy R

[westerner]

I've just come across this tread. Really pleased to see yet another GWR orientated layout. Like you Andy I have always admired Buckingham and have both the original Peco book and the later Wild Swan one. Will follow with great interest.

[Dbr1295]

Hi John -appreciate your feedback on the SB- I had been pondering location and size for a while since a friend visiting suggested it was wrong. I had two built SB's and therefore used them -here and at junction end. The problem is one is smaller than the other. his small one will be sent packing to the branch terminus in due course. I will look for a larger GWR SB for this goods yard end location.

 

I also have a query on oo scale figures that would be appropriate for the late 1930's period -station passengers, loco crew and general station workmen? From my reading Monty's range appears to be used by many on this forum. If appropriate I may look to ordering some and have them posted out to NZ- any member observations on this please?

 

Thanks, Andy R

Andy, I may be able to answer your question re the Monty's range in about 3 weeks time. I have just ordered some figures a couple days ago using their website, which was quite straightforward. They said to allow 21 days for delivery.

Cheers, Les

[Andy R]

Westerner- I value your encouraging feedback very much, and hope you enjoy watching my effort unfold. I have read your whole topic threads (archive and current) several times and your modelling skills and execution of your projects are exceptional in my view. The speed at which you are able to make additions and changes I marvel at. I am a tortoise by comparison.

 

I have learnt from your postings in developing my on meagre efforts, so I am honoured to receive your post. There must be thousands of people who have been inspired by what Per Denny achieved. As you can see from earlier introduction I have had the pleasure of visiting Buckingham twice at Tony's and it was an absolute treat...first to see his wonderful effort of restoring while keeping its raw integrity, and also just to meet and talk to Tony and several of his helpers- also fine modellers. I count myself very lucky to have done this although living downunder.

 

I am retiring from full time work end of March and will try to devote at least one day a week to the train room (I am moving into part time work and community assistance), so not everyday for modelling!. There is much to do.

 

regards Andy R

[westerner]

many thanks Andy for your kind comments about Wencombe. I hope you will be able to say the same about Kingbridge Regis.

 

Andy one of the advantages of being retired is that when the muse takes and the mojo is working well one can crack on. Also as I have said before when one has a good idea of what the finished article will look like one can just get on with it. That is one of the reasons it has taken me nearly 9 months from first mentioning that Wencombe would be altered to actually starting on the alterations. Now is the time to press on

[Andy R]

Alan -and I note from your recent posts that you are getting on with it. The first couple of weeks of retirement I hope to spend some quality time down in the railway room and press on with several mini projects, as outlined in earlier posts here. I do havea general idea of the layout design outcomes as shown in the layout sketch above, so I agree with you that there is no reason not to also up the tempo on this project after end of March.

thanks for your layout inspiration.

 

Andy R

[Andy R]

I had visitors into the railway room the other night so tidied and cleaned layout track etc for visit and running. After they left I snapped a few new photos and will post these in the next wee while.

 

A couple are attached to this post, to illustrate an evolving busy morning indeed at Hawkinsfield junction;

 

County of Flint heads south past Hawkinsfield goods yard heading for Weymouth.

 

N15 class no. 751 heads a stopping passenger and parcels from Weymouth out of the junction heading north. A coal train spies and opportunity to roll into the goods loop.

 

Andy R

[Andy R]

From a wet and wild Sunday evening as cyclone Pam approaches NZ from the Pacific, all is calm at Hawkinsfield junction.

 

County of Flint glides into Platform 2 then will go south to Weymouth,

 

...while later in the morning a Collett simmers in Platform 2 awaiting clearance and a Prairie sits quietly with a local stopping B set in Platform 3.

 

I am very conscious of the locos not having crew and to that end I am likely to plunge in and purchase some from Monty's range. Another New Zealand modeller Les (Somewhere out west) appears to have a very good service with his order recently. I find the service for on-line ordering from most of the main model shops very good back to NZ. There is no way we can purchase such specialised items here.

 

Andy R

[Dbr1295]

From a wet and wild Sunday evening as cyclone Pam approaches NZ from the Pacific, all is calm at Hawkinsfield junction.

 

County of Flint glides into Platform 2 then will go south to Weymouth,

 

...while later in the morning a Collett simmers in Platform 2 awaiting clearance and a Prairie sits quietly with a local stopping B set in Platform 3.

 

I am very conscious of the locos not having crew and to that end I am likely to plunge in and purchase some from Monty's range. Another New Zealand modeller Les (Somewhere out west) appears to have a very good service with his order recently. I find the service for on-line ordering from most of the main model shops very good back to NZ. There is no way we can purchase such specialised items here.

 

Andy R

 

Andy, love that second picture. Did you do the back scene? Agree about the loco crews, once I starting taking photos, lack of crew stands out like the dogs wotzits.

Hope Pam doesn't hit you guys in the BOP too hard.

Cheers, Les

[Andy R]

Les- we dodged the cyclone with rain but no big winds. The surf at the mount is huge though. The backscene was painted by my dear old father-in-law a few years before he passed on. He was a very good artist and we managed to get about half the backscene requirement done only. The majority of the backscene will need to be painted by my wife (she has volunteered) 'copying' the existing one somehow -keeping it reasonably generic. It is acrylic colours over sky blue wash over chip board.

 

Glad you enjoyed the pictures and thanks to members who pressed 'like' It is appreciated. Some photos are better than others and as I have said before, the camera is pretty  basic and the lighting in the railway room (I pause to defer to John Flann on his excellent explanation of his lighting...) is not up to his lumens yet  =yet another future job!

 

regards Andy R

[Andy R]

two more photos to finish the morning photo session ...

 

Revenue is on the rise. Passenger and yard movements through and within Hawkinsfield junction seem buoyant!

 

And, not to be left out a well cleaned 43xx class nearly serviced pops its front out into the daylight at the shed facilities and makes ready to make ends meet. This later Bachmann engine has BR livery as I could not purchase a GWR liveried 43xx at the time and I wanted to ensure I got one.

 

Like all locos on the layout it has been DCC chipped and runs well. Another job here, to repaint the loco in GW colours, given the generic period the layout is set in. 

 

Andy R

 

 

[Andy R]

After feedback on my query about good 00 gauge figures and loco crew I have bitten the bullet and ordered a cross section of loco crew and passengers from the Monty's range yesterday; not cheap when we have to convert to NZ dollars, but I wanted to make a decent order count with postage etc. I will be interested to see whether the order comes as quick as Les found recently.

 

It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to get into painting them. From what I have read on other posts here the start is a good undercoat and then using good acrylics?

 

regards Andy R

[Andy R]

NZ on a high after another stunning cricket victory in world cup...

 

But in reality in the railway business in Dorset it is just another day at the office, back in 1930

 

The junction is busy through the day with goods traffic marshalled and ready to go.

 

On the junction bridge near Budden Lane the local merchant's wagon clips along to his next delivery. 

 

I have only been to Dorset once in my life, and that was in 1980! I am probably following a 'romantic' view of the countryside in my model interpretation, but my reading suggests chalk downlands north of Weymouth and I have tried to capture this in the cuttings around Hawkinsfield Junction, and also in the country lanes surface (chalk?), as here in this lane.

 

I would value any feedback on this from people more familiar than I. I have used Google earth as well as book photos to give me some landscape tips. Anyway, this modelling is a journey and I am happy to learn on that journey from those with local knowledge. One example- I think I should be creating more tree and scrub vegetation around the layout??? what say others?

 

That's about all the new photos taken recently, so thanks to those who have 'liked' or provided feedback.

 

regards, Andy R

[john flann]

AndyR: for some inspiration/information on Dorset backgrounds have a look at posts #624 and 629 (October 2014) on my Hintock thread.

 

All due to, and thanks for the clever manipulations of AndyM.

 

If you haven't yet seen them, I think you will like what you see.

 

Regards,

Edited March 22, 2015 by john flann

[Andy R]

Hi John -many thanks for the directions to your thread which I have looked at. The coloured version on #624 is ideal for further reference.

 

I think the answer I get from looking at the coloured picture is to continue to work on more vegetation in the background or back ground areas of the station environs (as too much in the foreground will interfere with layout maintenance -leaning over to clean track, vacuum etc), and also to introduce maybe slightly more variety in the tree shapes and colour and materials. I try to force perspective to the rear also by smaller scale trees and buildings along the back edge.

 

I am assuming, unless anyone says otherwise, that the chalk cuttings are an acceptable representation? I will try not to overdo them...

 

Regards Andy R

[Andy R]

Coal bins in the Hawkinsfield local coal and wood merchants, Ralph and Sons. Just included this as there has been some discussion on Les's topic (Somewhere Out West) on what was the best options for locating these. My approach has been this...

[Dbr1295]

Coal bins in the Hawkinsfield local coal and wood merchants, Ralph and Sons. Just included this as there has been some discussion on Les's topic (Somewhere Out West) on what was the best options for locating these. My approach has been this...

Nice Andy. Certainly the more I look it seems just about anything goes, so I might toss the Wills staithes and get creative.

What's that you've used for the grass on the embankment. Looks good, and a nice colour.

Cheers, Les

[Andy R]

Hi Les -thanks again for your nice comments. My coal bins are Wills kit but with real coal glued over the top of the (rather odd) rubber moulding and generally scattered around the ground from tracks to bins -and don't forget the scales.

 

The grass embankment techniques I use are covered in earlier posts in general, but in sum, I create a net web of cardboard, then cover with brown parcel paper and PVA, then green paint base, then old carpet felt, glued and then watercolour washed, fluffed up with a nail brush, trimmed with scissors as needed, then vegetation to taste, except where the cuttings/banks are to be where I use plaster over the paper to create the chalk banks, then watercolour. Simple, cheap and effective. But then so is your wonderful techniques as well.

 

regards, Andy R

[Andy R]

Having now been on 'retirement' for nearly two weeks, I have ventured down into the layout room and started picking up on the tasks ahead outlined in other posts; such as taking up on John Flann's suggestion regarding the location of the southern end signal box. It was tucked up against the overbridge under construction, but as John pointed out this was not the best for sight lines under the bridge.

 

In keeping with this I looked for a more suitable location with sightlines all along the southern end (the Weymouth end) of Hawkinsfield Junction, and I hinted in another post of a site adjacent to the goods yard, between it and the mainline. So, this little project has begun, with some reshaping/removal of the cardboard ground profile, and checking into this the larger signal box from my buildings bin.

 

Herein a couple of photos taken today of the ground prep just after the scalpel has been wielded!, basic ground painted, cess ballast applied with the traditional 50/50 PVA/water mix (hence the white looking stuff that will dry off clear),and temporary siting of the box. Now I will start to key the box into the surrounding landscape, using the carpet underlay as the first ground material, building that up with appropriate colouring and static grass/buses etc. I will post a second set of photos for comparison when finished.

 

PS- Looking at the photos I just note that the signal box name (from a former layout) will have to be changed to fit its new role- " Hawkinsfield Junction South", as will the other signal box name to the north end - the camera never lies and is a cruel friend!

 

regards, Andy R

[Andy R]

I haven't posted anything for a while; retirement time seems to be diverted at present into other things...not good but a fact until I sort these things out.

 

In the meantime, I have been thinking about the storage yard/branch terminus side of the project -see post #27 for layout plan.

 

In particular I have been concerned about whether having the storage yard area open and in front of, and below, the proposed branch station will make operation of the branch terminus points (which will be hand made) more difficult? I would love to hear any views on this from other members.

 

The junction side has handmade points which are manual control at the facia board with GEM levers or similar. With the height difference between the storage yard area and the higher terminus, the manual point control option seems to be ruled out (or at least difficult) because the wire and tube type approach I use is not a direct feed to the facia (if that makes sense) -it has to travel downward and then out to the facia.

I am wondering with the height difference wether it is better to give in to electronic point control, which is not my preference. Any ideas please?

 

An alternative with the design would be to have the terminus direct above the storage yard and use DPDT switches at the facia (at the same height as the branch baseboard) to move the points through tube and wire as well as change the polarity- this seems to be a popular method used by many.

 

The downside obviously is the lack of access to the storage yard tracks, but as they would only be around 12-15 inch wide and open to the front this may not be so much of a problem?

 

Food for thought...any ideas appreciated.

 

Andy R

[sp1]

Depending on exact circumstances it should be no more difficult to make manual control work down/ up/ across than it does on a flat board - you just need to think about arrangement of the cranks. You may even be able to use curved linkages (have a look a RC model aeroplane linkages, especially their method of 'wire in tube' - look for something called 'slippery Sid' which is basically one plastic tube inside another - remember it can curve up or down as well as sideways!).

 

Hope this helps

[Andy R]

SP1- thanks for your thoughts. Mulling them over I can see that you are right. Wire in tube running from the point should provide directional flexibility if the tube and wire are working together neatly. I will ponder some more but I do think if should not be so worried now about this as I was initially. The advantage of having open but scenic storage yard (as per Nod to Brent) probably outweighs the hiding them underneath the terminus.

 

Is that a fair assessment?

 

regards, Andy R

[Andy R]

I have managed to get a few hours down in the layout room.

First tidying up the relocated signal box at the south end of the junction and placing it within its scenery base, and adding suitable vegetation, static grass/carpet felt base and other scenic material as required to 'bed' the building in. Compare to images in post #69 above...

Yet to replace the box name, and this will be done using Slaters 4mm alphabet over the repainted, black name base ( I can remove the building)

 

The second set of images are of the new cattle dock, very small, but suitable for the tiny goods yard siding here at Hawkinsfield. The cattle dock has been scratch built from card base, with plasticard stone facia and dock platform base. This was coloured with coloured pencils, as has been described by other members on this forum. The base will be sprayed with acrylic clear to hold colour.

I have knocked around some existing Ratio fencing and several gates from the 'bits' box to resemble a rough rail fencing etc. This still needs a rough rust-like paint. I constructed the water trough inside out of card, with PVA water in it. Tap from Mike Models out of the bits box. Just needs representation of a water hose to complete.

The dock needs also to be bedded down into the yard with suitable scenic/grass material in its exact location on the second good yard siding.

 

Regards, Andy R

[class"66"]

Some very nice pictures here..

[Andy R]

Thanks for the 'likes'.

 

Still would like to hear any other member observations on the layout of the storage yard and terminus arrangement on other side of the layout if there are any further views on this please? I am simply not sure what to do on this yet.

 

Last image for the day is another of the cattle dock/ general goods area.

 

As I said in post above the new cattle dock yet to be 'bedded in' and the goods yard is not yet finished. I am thinking of adding a built background behind the end of the two sidings; as a low relief warehouse/storage building (taking my cue from the excellent low relief industrial buildings on Hintock of this forum). One at this location behind the yard and along the backscene would I think break up the grass banks in the area and provide another source of goods traffic for operations. I might even extend the cattle dock siding into the warehouse via a gated entry...just thinking aloud here of course.

 

Andy R