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JCL

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  1. Hi Jason I'm really enjoying this thread, and I'm learning a lot from it. That's a good looking chimney you have there, and now I know what those doors are for. I used to live in Hebden Bridge on the other side of the moor, so it's great to be able to rekindle memories of the area.
  2. Just about to start work, but I thought I'd write a list of references that I've been using apart from my own photos: Railways to Skegness by A.J.Ludlam - a great resource for this line with a lot of information about the Wainfleet and Firsby Railway (W&FR), and photos of all the stations between Boston and Skegness. Firsby to Wainfleet and Skegness by Stephen Walker - a little older, but another great book, and is referenced by A.J.Ludlam. A lot of history, motive power and old timetables. GNR Engine Sheds vol 2 - this book fills in the gaps left by the other two books. No engine shed at Skegness, so on the old W&FR only Wainfleet is included. The book has a wealth of information though about engine sheds across the east midlands. The Lincolnshire Potato Railways By Stewart E. Squires has a code of useful pictures of loading up wagons, and is interesting personally for the inclusion of Havenhouse. http://www.davesrailpics.bravehost.com/lincs/lincs.htm Dave has amassed a lot of information and pictures at Dave's Railpics http://www.Flickr.com has been very useful and has provided me with a lot of views that I wouldn't have got otherwise http://www.geograph.org.uk/ is another one Google streetview http://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html - much less user friendly than it used to be, and I'm sure there aren't as many maps on it than there used to be, but still useful I've also just joined the GNR Society and other than minor references that's about it. I don't think I've done this much research since I left education many moons ago. While I'm getting on with the doing, I'm always interested in more information. Although my location in Canada means I can't just pop into a library, if I've missed anything or anyone please let me know! Cheers Jason Edited to add mapping
  3. Hi Stephen Thanks for getting in touch. Good to hear you're using the line! I have to admit it looked a bit decrepit last summer. That said, and I know this is sacrilege in some quarters, but I really like what they did at Skegness. They just have to get that court case out of the way and uncover the work they installed out front. I read somewhere that they are thinking of upgrading the line. I saw a whole load of "setrack" in a field just past Pilgrim hospital! I know what you mean about being slightly too late on the scene. When you are younger you think that these things last forever. I was shocked when I arrived home one time in the 90's(?) and found the yard had housing on it. As far as I know, the grey asbestos clad building with the fan on it was the grain elevator, and the yellow corrugated steel goods shed was behind it. You can just about see both here in pinzac55's photo on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinzac55/3929572069/ I've no idea when the grey building was put up though. I'm going to contact wainfleet museum if possible and see if they have any photos. They are closed until Easter, but there's a contact number, so could be worth a try.
  4. Thanks Colin, duly posted.
  5. Just driven past the location of the golden spike on the Canadian Pacific Railway @ Craigellachie

  6. So I've glued down the cork sheeting where the track will be, and the first layer under the goods yard and I'm thinking about the contours. Wainfleet is pretty flat, but like most places, not entirely. On the road, there will be about a 1/2" rise from the base level to towards the back of the board over a 9" section before it pretty much flattens off. I've a few pictures of the yard, but only either from the tracks or the platforms, which means that it's not easy working out the lie of the land. I know that there is a ramp up to the agricultural siding behind the Boston platform, and I was talking to someone when I was in Skegness who remembers reversing his tractor up to the open wagon to unload. That's the extent of my knowledge though. So, I've decided that I'll glue down a strip of cork or two where the ramp will be, then I'll lay another layer over this and the rest of the yard to form a smooth ramp while bringing the height the whole yard (less the area underneath the agricultural siding) up slightly. Behind this and the other side of the main road some left over 1/2" foam will be glue down. I'm using woodworking glue (the yellowy beige stuff), so hopefully it won't all de-laminate! In my part of the world, the water in the river would be at the same height as the rest of the land (which actually lowered when the area was drained to below sea level in some places) which means that the Haven has river banks raised above the lie of the land, so two "sausages" of foam will be cut out to represent this. Oh, and I can't forget to dig out the dykes (ditches) around the fields! So with a back wind, that's what I'm doing this week and next.
  7. Hi Brian, Thanks very much. They're empties heading back to the coal mine at Sparwood. There's a huge reverse loop there with a tower that fills up the cars. We also have block grain trains, and general freight. We once had a container train, but they generally go via Banff, and about twice a year a passenger train comes through. cheers Jason
  8. Hi Michael Thanks for that, that's what I'll be doing this week. I'm going to concentrate on the area in the plan in my original post, and the rest will be enough to turn it into a round-and-round for now. Later I've plans for the other third of the room as I've a collection of Canadian Pacific locos and wagons. I'm intending to have a scenic break either side and the other side will be based in Canada, possibly the foothills between here and Lethbridge. Here's a photo I took last Winter; we have these passing through 12-14 times a day. My previous aborted attempt to put together a layout based on the Heart of Georgia used foam. I messed up the track laying and just couldn't get smooth running. That said, on the foam side, it's really easy to press items into it such as telegraph poles, trees, fences etc. It's a bit problematic if you are motorising points, but I've seen people glue plywood squares underneath the foam as a mount. Maybe the best is to have a layer of plywood with foam on top. I've not much scope for a lot of foam mountains in deepest Lincolnshire. The area I'm from is pretty flat, and my wife still takes the mickey out of Wainfleet's Green Hill; she calls it a loose collection of dirt. That said, I did watch this Youtube video a while back, this feller has a LOT of energy (enough for a series of videos)! cheers Jason
  9. At one point I thought it wouldn't happen, but I've finally got all the boards are finished now and faced with hardboard (which is apparently also called masonite - always learning) to stop the foam sheets from damaging. The legs aren't particularly good looking right now, but I will have to leave these until later because the garage now has the van in it and is sorted out for Winter. It's great to be able to finally put the table-saw away, especially as I'm allergic to sawdust! I won't be painting backscenes until the spring, so I've added tabs to the back of the baseboards for the hardboard backscenes to slot into. They will allow me to position the backscenes later without having to separate the layout up. I've fiddled around with the track-plan in Xtrackcad printed it off and taped it together. I've also checked clearances and everything seems to be good. I've just got to work out how I'm going to transfer the plan to the cork sheeting that I'll be glueing down. I don't really want to waste too much sheeting because it's not easy to get locally. The track itself is a mixture of Peco and Atlas. There is a Peco single slip and a double slip, and to make sure I'm not messing up the geometry I've bought their corresponding Peco points. Points that aren't leading to a slip are the Atlas points I bought some time ago in Calgary. The main problem with them is that although my Canadian stock and newer British stock can go through them, the older Hornby locos and coaches don't go through them very well - well actually they bounce out of the top of them because the back-to-back measurement is too small. I don't want to mess up the locos, so I'm probably going to get some sandpaper and sand the plastic check rails slightly to open them up a little. Here's a couple of photos of the "finished' boards. The curtain hides a cupboard, which isn't ideal, but would allow me a chance to see the main station board from both sides (another good reason to be able to remove the backscene). Plenty to be getting on with
  10. Spent yesterday snow blowing the drive and finishing the woodwork.

  11. That's looking fantastic Robert. It looks like a lot of ballasting is to feature in your immediate future!
  12. Thank you. I've got a couple of tips for working with the foam and plywood: - the plywood sides will be bendy, but you want them to be straight, so put a series of tabs along the length and the ends, then glue the top edges and slide the sheeting into that. If the sheeting is square it'll force the frame to be square - ill take a photo later, - the 8' panels I bought were 7' 11 3/4' - measure yours before building a frame 8' long D'oh! - don't be tempted to cut the foam part way through and then snap it; it won't snap cleanly, - use plenty of glue and open the window - no solvents!
  13. Since I last put an update up Winter has arrived in Fernie. We haven't had the snow that they've had on the coast and the Prairies, but it has meant that there's been a lot of work outside getting everything ready for the winter season. On Friday I was back downstairs and putting the baseboards/benchwork together. I've used 12mm plywood for the sides and bracing, and a 12mm-21mm-21mm sandwich at the ends. The middle layer has pockets that allow the legs to slide in and out or rather up and down as I level the the boards. Its when you do something like this you realise how uneven the a floor is. The framework has been covered in extruded foam insulation panels instead of plywood as they are easy to get and transport here. That said I've a couple of boards to finish because the hardware store doesn't open on a Sunday, so hopefully I'll get a cheeky couple of hours either tomorrow or Tuesday to do that. The layout will be at 46" so that I can a) get under it easily to get into the back cupboard and B) put the Ikea cupboards under there to store the paraphernalia that seems to amass in that room. The track-plan was put together in Xtrkcad and printed off. Now that the plan has been laid out and sellotaped together I've realised I can take Robert's advice and will be able to lay the main station area at a slight angle. The underlay will be cork sheet from Staples as I can get it easily (my local hobby shop is about 3 1/2 hours away and Staples is only an hour), and I'll use some more insulation to build up the slight slope along the back of the main board - even out on the coast there are very slight slopes! I'm so pleased I've finally got out of my armchair! Sorry about the poor phone camera photos...
  14. Hi Jeff, I'm going to have a go at scratchbuilding structures mainly using card (as I've loads of it from when I sold and mounted photos in town), but pretty rtr on anything that has wheels at the moment. Mind you, I don't want to come across as accomplished in any way - I've only just got back into this and a lot of what I've learned has been on here and the Model Railroader websites! Hi Robert, you found me I agree, it is a bit parallel, I haven't printed off the templates from XTrkCad yet, that'll be the end of the week so I'll have one more play with it. My only problem is that, from the pavement on the end of the road to the last point (I had turnout and switch in my head) on the right is 8' which is the length of the insulation and plywood I have. There's no reason why the lines coming away from the station need to be parallell to the sides though. Although the rails are pretty straight as a rule, there's a kink in them on the way to Havenhouse station (see map) There will certainly be some dykes around though as Wainfleet isn't Wainfleet if there isn't moat around each field. It's one of the reasons I'm using the expanded polystyrene insulation (not styrofoam) on a plywood frame. Well, after pulling everything out of the room and throwing a brush around the floor, the boards started going in today. This bit should be done by the end of Wednesday.
  15. Hi Jeff Thanks so much for that, it does seem to be very similar. I started reading your thread the other day, your work is astounding! Hi Theakerr, I've sent you a PM. (or is it an IM?) Just back from the Banff Mountain Film Festival in, erm, Banff. The forced air duct cleaner is around tomorrow so that is an incentive to finish clearing the room. The new boards will start to go in on Tuesday with a back wind.
  16. Thank you, You could easily be right, it is a bit early - I should have thought about that as I have those books. Would you believe that I found the receipt on eBay? The ebayer managed to spell Wainfleet in three different ways! That said, if you go back through the town's history it was spelled a number of different ways over the years Wainfleet, Wainflete, Wainflet, Vainono, etc. I also have a plan of Skegness station from the Model Railway Constructor 1936 if anyone is interested for research. I'm assuming I can't post it up on here. When I was in Skegness a couple of weeks ago I met up with the man that owned the goods yard and shed. He gave me some information about the yon side of the shed that I can't get photos for, and told me about how they used to back the trucks up to the beet siding to transfer sugar beet and potatoes etc into the wagons. Apparently the lady mentioned in one of the books that used to work in the office still lives in town and knows my family, so the next time in England I'll try to call round. The boards are coming together and there will be photos next week as I'm out and about this weekend. Hope you all have a good weekend.
  17. I'll look forward to reading about it hopefully. So I've been cleaning up the room the railway will be in and I've come across a document that I thought I'd lost. It's a receipt made out by the GNR for the Wainfleet to Firsby Railway (Extension to Skegness Branch) that was written in 1895 - I'm guessing as a part of the sale of the line to the GNR. I'm happy to send a larger version of this if anyone is interested. A copy is going to the GNR society.
  18. Thanks David and Simon for the class 114 info - I'm definitely no expert! Interestingly although locos are generally identified in my books and online, DMUs generally aren't. I'll definitely bookmark your build if you put it online - that might be a project for next year if funds allow. Simon, where are you modelling? In other news, I picked up some 2'x8'x 1/2" sheets of expanded polystyrene house insulation yesterday and a couple of sheets of plywood to start making the board. The 1/2" sheets were a lot cheaper than the 1" sheets, so I'll be gluing their surfaces together for stiffness. It's been pouring with rain for 3 days and won't stop until the weekend, so I think this week is definitely going to involve basement time.
  19. Haha, I think a few people might want to take him up in the witch p**** discussion. Batemans is about a 5 minute walk from the station - follow the path to the windmill. They did win beer of the year a few years running a few years ago now - hmm on checking, quite a few - 1986. I always like to refresh my memory when I go back there, but my preference is a pint of landlord. There was a somersault there, and one at Havenhouse, a request stop a couple of miles closer to Skegness, but it had gone by '97. Apparently the big grey box that landed next to the signal box this year is a part of the resignalling scheme. The railings in front of the station building are needed because the platform height had to be increased by a few brick courses. I remember my sister causing a delay to one train to Skegness by falling between down the gap between the train and the platform edge - not a bad achievement for a straight platform! Down to the hardware store this week. This Week, all things being equal, I'll be making the frames out of plywood sides and stretchers and 2x4 bracing at the end, and my current thought is to use 1" pink solid foam insulation sheets on top - there will be a few general slopes, but it's pretty flat around Wainfleet. The sheets are pretty stiff on the frames and hopefully shouldn't warp.
  20. After doing a lot of reading of this site and taking in the advice that's been given, I'm decided to move from the armchair to the basement and start a layout. Taking the lessons from my aborted layout attempt at the beginning of last year, from which I learnt how to do a number of things wrong, I'll be (hopefully) creating a representation of Wainfleet station in Lincolnshire. Wainfleet Station opened as a single line terminus on the Wainfleet and Firsby Railway in 1871. The extension to Skegness was completed in 1873, and the line was then doubled in 1900 as the number of holidaymakers to the coastal town increased. The golden years for traffic were the 1930s. The line was due to be chopped by the Beeching Axe along with miles and miles of railway in Lincolnshire, but somehow it survived, although as a shadow of its former self. Goods traffic ended in 1964, and the footbridge and canopy were removed as the station became unstaffed in 1969. Although the goods yard track was taken up quickly after closure, the shed lasted a long time after that as a place for storage. Now called the Poacher Line after the Lincolnshire Poacher, trains still serves the town hourly to both Skegness and Nottingham. Well that's the background. I'll be modelling the layout as a double tracked loop around the walls of the room. There were a few reasons for choosing this station and for modelling it as it was in 1964: it's my home town! there are goods shed, station buildings, crossing gates, weighbridge, signal box, and unusual footbridge (gulp) there is a sharp curve just after the station that will tie in with the curve that will have to happen to put the layout in the room. local traffic is varied: stopping service to and from Skegness, coal, cattle, sugar beet and others. doing an around the walls loop means that I can run longer excursions that act as through trains to Skegness - essentially watching the trains go by plenty of different engine types, many of which are or will be available rtr - B1, K3, J11,J39, 4MT, DMUs such as the Derby Lightweights, 105, 108. An Atlantic would be nice, I'll keep my fingers crossed. I've found some books on the subject, and spent the last couple of months going through them. I've also been all over Google, Flickr and eBay looking for old photos and taken the opportunity to take photos myself of what's left. to my shame I didn't have a tape measure, so I went by numbers of bricks and standard door sizes for most measurements. Finally Bing Maps and Google StreetView have been great for checking details such as signals. So the model will be of the mid-1960's but as this is for me, I'm going to do a "what if" and pretend that the yard wasn't lifted which will mean that I can run the trains I remember as a kid in the 1970's and 1980's. To that end I've a 31, 47, 37 (all Lima from years back that I've cleaned up and put decoders into), and a couple of class 20s.If I'm going to do a "what if" I'm also going to run Oliver Cromwell that ran a Jolly Fisherman special a couple of years ago. Anyway, here's the station plan, the main station area can fit on an 8'x3' board, and the curve on the left pretty prototypical, the one on the right isn't as the track that side was straight. I'll keep the rest of the loop simple for a while and concentrate on the station area so that I can make sure I get it done. And here are some photos I took this summer: This one shows a bit of the tight curve at the end of the station, I remember the squealing wheels! Edited the post to get it to make more sense and to amend a date.
  21. In the UK with the family, and looking forward to seeing the Peterborough show on my way back to Heathrow.

  22. I'm guessing you must be a light sleeper!
  23. I feel like I've turned up to the party as the dishes are being washed and put away! This was a great read from start to finish, and well done getting in under the hundred pounds.
  24. Hi Robert It's been a while since I've been on - I run a B&B here in Canada and it's pretty busy in the summer! It's been great catching up with the news. I remember it well. I was in Wainfleet a few weeks ago and saw the garden where the the shop was. Unfortunately it was demolished by a truck quite some time ago. I used to go in there as a kid for bags of flumps - very dangerous it was as well, especially in the summer as it was on that 90 degree corner on the main road to Skegness. I remember she was a very nice lady who was always kind to kids. cheers Jason.
  25. Well I'm from Wainfleet as well , I left when I was 18 in 1986, so a little after the period you're modelling! Do you think it would be possible to see a picture of the station buildings the next time you put some up? cheers Jason
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