A relatively calm day before the storm has allowed me to further refine the layout.  For some time the drawbridge giving me access to the shed without having to learn to limbo was causing me issues with track, and current reliability, so I bit the bullet (I do like chomping down on ordnance it seems...) and screwed it down.  The height of the layout - sort of nipple height - means I don't have to bend too much to get in and I thought it a reasonable sacrifice for better running.  The drawbridge had caused me problems when setting out the fiddle yard, as I tried to avoid any pointwork where the drawbridge joins the baseboard, so fixing it down meant I could revisit the fiddle yard and the Wombourne branch.  So, a lot of experimentation and re-appraisal based on my emerging timetable plans meant I have now ended up with two "inter-city" loops roughly equivalent to a 2+8 HST length, or loco and 9 mk1-2 stock, a turnback siding 4 cars long for the EMU to Birmingham/Walsall which will connect every half hour with the Wombourne bubble, two more short loops capable of each accommodating two 2 car DMUs or one 6 car, and two loops which feed onto the freight avoiding line for two decent length steel or van trains.  All told it should allow me to set up about half an hour's worth of activity, before taking a pause, removing the Wombourne backscenes, and setting up new stock for the next half hour sequence.  The Wombourne backscenes are removable to allow me access to the fiddle yard, and setting up a flight of trains will avoid the need to constantly add and remove stock, whilst allowing a wide variety of typical formations you would have seen had the line really existed.  More importantly, I've been able to ease curves so hopefully Heljan 86s will get round without throwing themselves onto the cork.

One happy side effect of this replanning (did I mention I'm a retired Town Planner?  You'd think I could plan the layout better than I have, but no, I couldn't plan a drunken in a brewery) is Wombourne has grown again, without sacrificing Sam the Mechanic's tin shed, or the Engineers compound.  The Wombourne branch now spans pretty much the length of the fiddle yard side of the shed which at least makes a feature of what otherwise would be a dead area.  So, once the new ballast has dried, the glue cured and the weather has calmed down I will be able to launch some train services, although I will need to clean some of the track which has got tarnished over the winter.  Hopefully the next blog entry might be something including moving pictures!



The Wombourne branch curves in past the derelict ex-Railway cottages to run behind the old goods yard.  Sam the Mechanic's tin shed has been turned to face the front of the layout, and a pedestrian foot crossing put in to give me an excuse to blow the horn.

I play trains.  Deal with it or bite me.

Semi dereliction is the aim and a crudely painted "Keep Clear" on the doors shows a level of "couldn't give a f"""ery" typical of this on the margin type locations and businesses.



Mrs Miggins has moved, but is still doing ten rounds with the Wombourne Flasher.



Slightly reduced engineer's yard but still enough room to park a few vans and trucks and have a pile of resignalling items ready to load up for use somewhere.

The Flasher's footpath now turns into the backscene via a stile.  Some little scroate has turned the finger post.  The "Save Our Trains Barbara!" graffiti, dating from 1967 and aimed at Barbara Castle, is still there, having become a bit of a local landmark and mysteriously repainted every so often.

I need to paint the rails, having forgot to do it before laying.  Another cracking piece of planning.



The Wombourne branch has had at various times a Park Royal Railbus, Gloucester single units and Class 153 "Scuds".  In 1986 two early morning through services to Birmingham were introduced, using over-night stabled DMUs in marginal time, and in 1993, whilst for most of the day you still needed to change at Wednesford into a Birmingham all shacks, the morning through services had been handed over to Class 150s from the Tyseley "Centro" pool, a two car 150 just squeezing into the platform (a 156 would have one door off the platform so were banned).  Here we see the usual shuttle fare in 1993, unusually in a slightly grubby state given it hasn't long been outshopped as a single car unit.



The Wombourne Pullman departs past a number of bravely parked commuter cars using the remains of the old goods yard throat as parking.  Given the air of decay and the unstaffed station, probably not the most secure of locations but a half hourly shuttle with the train laying over in the station actually affords a high degree of passive supervision.



Welcome to Wombourne: Cell Block H.  "The Freak" will be round to sell the tickets, any cheek and you will be bent over for a rectal gloving"



Old Ma Miggins is still slugging it out with the Flasher who is seemingly oblivious to the passage of the Scud.



Clearances are a bit tight.  Looks like the gate might need repairing.