If things have gone quiet on the Wednesford and Wombourne front since the video was uploaded, there is a reason.

I'm rebuilding the station.

Let me explain.  Having had a few running sessions, it became clear that despite my efforts to design in access for track cleaning, by mounting the scenery on removable boards, actually getting my banana fingers under the OHLE without demolishing the station in the process was going to be difficult.  The presence of the island platform severely restricted access to the main line, and that was with it only loosely put in place.  At some point I want to add lighting, which would mean the platform would need to be fixed down.  Add in the fact my ballasting was at best shocking and at worst causing some running issues and I decided that it was time to bite the bullet and rethink the track arrangements.

So now, I'm planning a single bi directional platform, and a second, non-electrified freight avoiding line taking up the alignment of the old bay platform.  Actually, I feel this arrangement is perhaps more plausible for a location like Wednesford, not on the main-line and originally planned for a limited service of an electric shuttle to Birmingham with some through long-distance trains in the peak.  I also thought about Walsall which on electrification, only had two platforms (later cut back to one) electrified, with the through lines to Rugeley, Lichfield (before closure) and Sutton Park not wired.  Of course, had the original plan to electrify the Rugeley and Lichfield lines with a new electric depot at Ryecroft not been banjaxed by Beeching, things might have been different, but as it is, I started to rework the plan along the lines that to save cash, only the platform line was electrified and equipped for bi-directional signalling,  In this way only one of the two single bore tunnels under the old town and Market Square needed to be cleared for OHLE and the removal of the centre loco siding meant the masts could be planted in the wider 6ft using simpler, single line masts of a new experimental type which later evolved into the BR Mk3 OHLE design.  Most freight through Wednesford would be diesel worked off other lines anyway, so any electric freights could easily be handled by the bi-directional platform road.  So that explains the single electrified main line.

Now, I had set up Wombourne to be a separate running line with it's own feed to double up as a programming track but as I have since made a  programming plank I can use in the house, this is no longer needed, so Wombourne will have to be reconfigured to feed into the line under the old town, basically turned through 180 degrees, and shortened slightly to gain access to the fiddle yard.  Again, not a huge issue, it's mainly backscene anyway, and one nice thing of the change is I can have the Wombourne Pullman either running into the platform behind a terminating EMU for a same platform connection, or in later years send the train on to Birmingham without a reversal.  In addition, the freight avoiding loop allows the opportunity to have a freight holding awaiting a path through the junctions off scene which allows for a bit more interest.

To be honest, I'm happier with the new plan and it should be a lot easier to maintain whilst improving play value.  I just wish I'd had the idea back in April and built it from the start, although fortunately, very little trackwork needs removal and reworking.  That's why you should never ask a planner to plan anything.  We couldn't organise a stooshie in a distillery.

Oh, and the sky falling in?  That's another thing that with hindsight wasn't a good idea, paper based sky backscenes.  I had anticipated paper might not be a good idea in the shed but given the weight of the backscenes and the use of Spraymount, I thought I might get away with it.

I didn't.

So, fortunately I still had half a pot of Wilko bathroom emulsion in a pale duck egg blue, which I had used to paint the back boards on King's Oak, some four years ago.  Amazingly, it was still useable, so I've given the plywood lining a coat of pale greeny-blue which, with the fact the emulsion hasn't gone on in a uniform density, gives a nice, milky sky effect typical of the polluted Midlands, and with some darker patches where the paint has thinned slightly on application giving a quite effective variation which makes it look less like paint and more like, well, sky.  I've ordered some self adhesive industrial backscenes printed on polypropylene which should be more able to withstand the shed climate and with a plainer backdrop, the coloured spotlighting should work a bit better.  So, despite having to scrap some very nice sky backdrops, it might just work out to be a better solution.



The Wednesford Blockade after track removal and platform relocation.  I can actually get an extra foot of platform in this way.

Sky paint.  The rough bottom will be hidden by a combination of backscene and low relief factories.  No one wants a rough bottom on display.

The slightly patchy application is quite useful in that it makes the sky look less painted, although the panel gap is a bit obvious.  By the time the Market Place and the flats are put back on I expect the eye will be deceived.
 

Surprisingly the blue paint to the roof actually creates a lighter environment in the shed which is an added bonus.

So, tomorrow, we start track laying.  Wednesford v2.0 may be some time.