The Farthing layouts

That was five years ago Mike! Wasn't too far out though was I?

well  .........  towns tend not to move about much over a 5-year period    In the case of Farthing, though, I suspect it must have disappeared down a giant sinkhole during WW1 and the event was 'covered up', to prevent loss of morale

PaternosterRow, on 21 Mar 2014 - 01:19, said:PaternosterRow, on 21 Mar 2014 - 01:19, said:PaternosterRow, on 21 Mar 2014 - 01:19, said:

Glad you've decided to keep with the Edwardian theme with this addition to Farthing and I'm looking forward to seeing this develop. Good choice of buildings too. Hope one day you'll do a dock or canal cameo which will nicely bring road, rail and water transport together at Farthing. Really do admire those that go the extra mile with research - this shows in the work and level of detail.

 

Hi Mike, I think it would be a canal then, as per Mike's post above maybe? The big challenge somewhere down the line is how to do the mainline platforms in a small space! It's complicated by the fact that it's not a terminus. Still, maybe I can use some of these tricks. Anyway, got plenty of time to worry about that. Say ten years or so . And maybe by that time I'll be living in a mansion that allows all the little layouts to be built into one, and my lottery win (due any time now, I'm sure) will allow me to contract people like Iain Robinson and Alan Downes to build the bits in between, while Mr Buckjumper does my locos. Simple, really.

Buckjumper, on 21 Mar 2014 - 19:27, said:Buckjumper, on 21 Mar 2014 - 19:27, said:Buckjumper, on 21 Mar 2014 - 19:27, said:Buckjumper, on 21 Mar 2014 - 19:27, said:

Ugh! Late to the party again - still not getting the update notices.

 

Oh boy, this is looking very interesting now. 

 

I know the location of Farthing has always been left deliberately vague, but (personal preference, probably) I'd always imagined it somewhere between PDN and Oxford (despite the 0-4-4T!), so it's interesting to see ideas coming together from both within and without the GW system, and I'm looking forward to see how you make it all gel.

 

Of course I'm delighted that you've decided to stick with the Edwardian period. The 40s is a very interesting time of great change, but the pre-Group period is a tenacious beastie and once it's got its hooks in you...

 

Hi Adrian, yep the 0-4-4T was always a bit of an oddity at Farthing :-)  As an alternative to its actual location, I can easily see Farthing as Oxford or somewhere around there. The locos that plied those rails are among my favourite ones.

 

It's a dilemma sometimes to like the rural GWR but also have a fancy for built up railway environments. Reading Basicilica Fields only makes it worse, there's so much of what you're planning that makes me think: I want that too!

I wish there was an easier way of multi-quoting  in the blogs! Anyway:

 

Buckjumper, on 22 Mar 2014 - 02:35, said:Buckjumper, on 22 Mar 2014 - 02:35, said:Buckjumper, on 22 Mar 2014 - 02:35, said:Buckjumper, on 22 Mar 2014 - 02:35, said:Buckjumper, on 22 Mar 2014 - 02:35, said:Buckjumper, on 22 Mar 2014 - 02:35, said:

That was five years ago Mike! Wasn't too far out though was I?

 

MikeOxon, on 22 Mar 2014 - 17:36, said:MikeOxon, on 22 Mar 2014 - 17:36, said:MikeOxon, on 22 Mar 2014 - 17:36, said:MikeOxon, on 22 Mar 2014 - 17:36, said:MikeOxon, on 22 Mar 2014 - 17:36, said:MikeOxon, on 22 Mar 2014 - 17:36, said:

well  .........  towns tend not to move about much over a 5-year period    In the case of Farthing, though, I suspect it must have disappeared down a giant sinkhole during WW1 and the event was 'covered up', to prevent loss of morale

 

QuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteQuote

The name 'Farthing' is unusual for the area, which lay outside the 'Danelaw'.  Perhaps the name implies that it was some distance from the main assembly!

 

You two can't have paid much attention in history class. As better educated people will know, the history of Farthing goes all the way back to Middle Earth. If you look closely at this map of Farthing (prepared by one J. Tolkien) you will notice familar names such as Newbury (at that time a mere village on the outskirts of Old Forest) and Overbourne (at that time the name of a marsh somewhat distant from its current location).

 

As for why we cannot find Farthing on the map today, I really don't know what you mean. I passed through it just the other day, on the way to visit my aunt in Avalon.

 

 

(Hmm, I think I'm getting a bit too nerdy with this now. I had better go do the dishes from last night before my wife wakes up!)

Thank you for the clarification on 'Farthing' - all is clear now.  As you have pointed out, my knowledge of history is highly distorted 

 

I'm glad I seeded the idea of a canal, though.  I'm sure it would make a fascinating addition to the Farthing scene.

And thanks for the idea, Mike. I know litle of Britain's canals, but the research is half the fun!

I'm not convinced that a waterworks building could be in quite such close intimacy with the other goods functions, and I wonder whether a waterworks building could be done justice in that kind of space. They tend to be rather palatial architectures (and eminently modelable in their own right):

 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Water_Works_Building_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1335426.jpg

 

Here's a more modest one in GWR territory:

 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:East_Worcestershire_Waterworks_Building,_Burcot_,Worcestershire_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1101956.jpg

 

Love the Biscuit shed!

Miss P, on reflection you may well be right. 

 

I had an idea that I could indicate the waterworks building in low relief, either on the extreme left hand end, and/or as part of the scenic bit that will hide the fiddle yard (although that could be just a wall). But you may have a point that a waterworks would not be so close to the railway.

 

Certainly at Gloucester, the waterworks sidings were only sidings, and I assume the actual works were elsewhere. In the photo below from Britain from Above (dated 1928) the waterworks sidings are the two sidings just on the edge of the white expanse (which I assume is ash). The only structure is the "roof on poles" (the depot behind is the "biscuit shed" as it actually looked).

 

If the idea of an actual waterworks building doesn't fly, I wouldn't mind just having the track and a gravel yard, perhaps with some mounds of coal, ash and salt.

 

How about making it Biscuit Central? The Biscuit shed could be biscuits out, with an overhead feeder (over the cameo road) a la Huntley and Palmers from the main biscuit goods in block, which is your current fiddle yard. Sort of solves the problem of 'the wall'. The cameo road could store a couple of opens plus maybe an occasional brake van. The loco coal road could become the biscuit coal road. You would probably have to pretend that the headshunt wasn't a headshunt, i.e. by making it look accessible from the right, because I doubt engines would be allowed to run through the main block. Put the headshunt behind the stable block?

Thanks for these ideas, Miss P. I think we share an interest in biscuit factories!

 

I've been mulling it over, but much as I like the idea, I think I will stick with the original plan on this one. I like the assembly of different buildings that I've put together so far, and the opportunity to exchange stock between two locos while drawing on and actual prototype.

 

That said, Huntley & Palmer (or something inspired by it ) would make a very interesting and unusual layout, I think. It's been on my list of "to do one fine day" since last time we discussed it. I know I may be creating problems for myself in the future by having a biscuit shed on this layout also, but I'm sure I'll be able to talk myself out of that if I decide to do another private biscuit siding at Farthing!