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It's all gone quiet over there....


wombatofludham

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You may be wondering why things have been quiet at Wednesford.  Or not.  The reason for the long radio silence is I've decided on yet another rebuild. 

Having already rebuilt the main layout after the original plan of an island platform immediately posed problems with track cleaning, threading a rubber between platform structures and the OHLE, I then rebuilt it to have a single platform at the back.  Trouble is this introduced a nasty reverse curve under the raised scenic board, which has caused some awkward derailments and poor running, which has annoyed me.  So, this summer I took time out to have a think, helped by me spending six weeks helping a friend move house (my Swedish State Barge, the Saab 9-5 Estate, having a carrying capacity not far short of a small van and loads of canny little cubby holes to pack smaller items into) and decided that rather than persevere with iffy running, I'd completely rejig the layout, do away with the mainline station, radically alter the branch and basically go back to Square 1.

So, I'm now engaged on Wednesford v3.0, which will be the final one.

The new plan is based on a section of plain line approaching Wednesford Station, the entrance to which is at the back of the old square.  It's inspired - if that is the correct term - by the approaches to New Street, or Walsall from the Rugeley direction with a retaining wall, which will now be moved forward by nearly 9 inches to allow a street of buildings to be modelled behind the track.  This has been made possible by me permanently fixing the drawbridge which allowed access to the shed but which was difficult to stop the track from causing derailments, into a "duck under", which means I no longer need to hit the joint with a straight length.  In effect, I can introduce a curve over the old joint which allows me to shift the track closer to the middle of the board.  After the curve, the branch will diverge at a single lead junction, meaning that trains coming off the branch will approach the main "station" on a section of bi-directional line.  The attached sketch plan gives some idea of where I am going.
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Personally I enjoy running trains, the variety of trains is more appealing than shunting for me.  The junction and bi-directional running will give an operational interest.  More to the point, adjusting the fiddle yard will allow bi directional access and running to a timetable, should give about 30-40 minutes running before needing to change locos or stock.  The revision of the branch will provide low relief scenery which will allow me to access the fiddle yard easily whilst the scenery will hide it at normal viewing height.

At the moment having taken a couple of weeks to remove the old track, ballast and cork, new cork mat is being laid before track laying.  This time I will make absolutely sure the track is perfect before ballasting and installing the OHLE.  I've learned the hard way.

However, whilst waiting for the cork mat glue to dry I had a go at seeing how the raised area over the two three car branch loops will work.  I recycled one of the scenic boards, reused the shelf brackets I used to support the previous branch backdrop as supports, used some plastic bottle tops as cups to stop accidental knocks and it all works fine, plenty of space to reach under without taking the board off, ease of leaning over to reach the main fiddle yard behind if necessary, whilst increasing the area for scenic modelling compared to the traditional fiddle yard.

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The raised section is meant to be a "decked over" railway cutting adjacent to a former engine shed which occupied a cramped site just off the branch at a lower level.  In our fictional scenario, the shed was destroyed in the Blitz, and being a small and awkward site was never re-opened, the land being made over for industrial development.  The old staff halt was extended slightly - and cheaply - pending a decision on the future of the branch, and an awkward pedestrian only access via a subway was provided.  In the 1960s it was felt the bus would replace all local rail services, so keeping the station and providing proper access to it was very much an afterthought.  So, the "booking office" is a Portakabin (which did happen at some Midlands stations) and the platform an easily dismantled wooden structure.  The retaining wall into which the subway dives is polystyrene insulation from my regular order of Cornish Pasties by post.  It will be painted a suitably grim grey when I come to finally fix the scenery in place following track laying, this was just a trial to check track geometry, accessibility and general feel.

 

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The high rise estate fits nicely onto the board.  Unfortunately the glue used in it's previous life proved difficult to disguise with paint, and whilst the road surface is probably correct for modern Black Country roads, as I will be covering the years 1968, 1975, 1988 and 1993, when roads generally were reasonably looked after, I will be resurfacing them with emery paper.

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The idea isn't to fully disguise the main fiddle yard, just to distract the eye.  To that end the old engine shed is literally two industrial units (Hornby Skaledale) and some retaining walls which provides an effective visual block without compromising access to the main fiddle yard beyond.  I'm pleased with how this section is turning out and how it will allow me access to the fiddle yard and have a meaningful scenic treatment as well.

 

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It might seem a bit of a waste to now be on the third iteration of Wednesford (or fourth if you include the various rebuilds of "Wombourne" but for me it's about getting reliable operation, capable of accepting all the new models being released soon which will require good track alignment, and taking my time to get it right.  Given I'm recycling and recovering a lot of scenic items, buildings and even wood, apart from some track which didn't survive being ripped from blast proof ballast, this new build will not be as expensive or as wasteful as first thought.

Greta, you can cut the frown, this is model railway recycling 101.

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