HillsideDepot

'Twas on a Monday morning, the gas man came to call... according to Flanders and Swan, but there was no such activity down at Mortimore's Yard, and just as well given the way the story develops in the song! No, at Mortimore's Yard the week starts gently as neither 6B80, the bricks from Calvert nor 4V10, the shiny new air braked vans which come overnight from Glasgow, run. So it is 9B09 which first polishes the rails on a Monday morning, the empty Vanfits heading for Fry's chocolate factory. This train usually leaves a brake van at Mortimore's Yard for use on the local trips. Keeping the brake at South Depot which manned for longer hours helps prevent the van being torched, the fate of many such vehicles it seems, reading threads on RMWeb. But as I'm starting an operating sequence with whatever stock happens to be on the layout, 9B09 ran without a brake van today as there was already one in the sidings. 9B09 stops at the signal box to set down the single line token. Uncoupled from its Vanfits the loco runs into the head shunts, before running round. Coupled on to the other end of the train, and photographed from a signal post, 9B09 waits to head back out of Mortimore's Yard and take the Somerdale Branch to Fry's.

Froth, as on breaking waves? Fog as at the coast? Hmmm... Class 01, for the Holyhead Breakwater railway?

Thanks. The hopper for the bagging plant is made from the ends of an ancient Hornby 21t hopper body, glued together and mounted on some Plastruct angle legs. It needs more detail at the bottom of the hopper, but as its usually hidden by a 16t mineral wagon its not at the top of my "to do" list.

A long forgotten print recently found in an old envelope of holiday snaps shows Mortimore's Yard on a summer morning

It's been a while, in fact far too long, but armed with some track cleaning fluid, and a big dose of enthusiasm, I've spent some time cleaning the track this evening and also working on the wheels of the two locos which happened to be on the layout. Still a bit more to do to sort the last of the grimy spots, but more than I've done "down the Yard" for a while. I had to take quite a few wagons off the sidings before starting the track cleaning, mainly new arrivals which were unboxed and placed on the layout rather than stored neatly in the rolling stock drawers. By one of those strange coincidences which happen, I found my old Hornby VIX, in Speedlink livery, and placed it to one side thinking I would see if it was worth back-dating. Within a week Rapido announced theirs, and here they are. Although not quite here yet, Accurascale announced their Siphon G within a month of me changing the bogies an old Lima model. One of the reasons for nothing happening at Mortimore's Yard is that its days are now numbered. It's quite a high number, but I have started making plans for a new layout around three walls of the model room. Lots of research, numerous plans, loads of ideas, but no rush yet as some of the points I'll want aren't yet in Peco's bullhead range. That's not a criticism, I'm in no rush, as this is a long term project to see me into retirement, making the most of the time between mortgage and pension. But the research is fun! Another distraction, or source of inspiration has been YouTube, and not, as you might think, clips of blue hydraulics, although I do enjoy those, I've found a few American channels which I've started following. There are no doubt hundreds out there, but I've found a few favourites and am learning quite a lot, not least how to translate American trade names for DIY materials. They also have a much wider range of scenic bits and pieces, ready made to "plant", but we seem to be catching up. Another source of inspiration are the US live railroad streams. OK, the length of some of the trains is beyond my comprehension, but it takes me back to childhood. Sometimes I think we can know too much. In the UK so much info is available to us, and no doubt it is for railfans in the US too, but I haven't got into that and am just enjoying watching the trains go by. It all gives me the boost I've needed. Appropriately, given the above the end of the line at Mortimore's Yard, captured on a warm summer's day.

Well, what'd you know - long forgotten photos, found in a dusty drawer after Swindon Works closed, show a freshly overhauled parcels car, first on test at South Moredon, and then after a request from the dairy to move some tanks, engaged in some shunting. Believe that and you'll believe anything!

I think they are Calling-On signals like those at Newton Abbot, the coloured lenses of which are near the middle of the arm, so the light obscures most of the back of the arm, rather being at the side as on the main signals. The squarish thing at the bottom of the LH doll is the motor drive for the Distant.

I'd forgotten I was part way through "a day in the life", so apologies for leaving things hanging. Uncoupled from the brake van the D9500 runs forward before running round and propelling the brake van I do have a class 128 parcels unit, but in later era blue. It might get a run out at some point, but probably more likely to be on a test run from Swindon Works after overhaul than on the milk.

Or put it another way, your want my entrance fee but can't be bothered to advertise your wares? You will though, judge me as narrow minded because I might make a choice of era, location, gauge interest which doesn't align with your selection of layouts? Fair enough, I'll stay at home and play with my own train set then. I can't believe how negative some on here, who I take to be exhibition managers, have been over a reasonable request. Don't mind me though, I'll still be picking and choosing my attendance, or not, based on information available for each event. And when I do go to a show I will continue to look at every layout whatever size, age or colour the trains are. Only its very unlikely that I'll be at any where just the overall number of layouts is advertised.

For me (and perhaps, only me!) track and scenery planning go hand in hand. I consider how the railway is going to exit to the fiddle yard; I prefer a road bridge to a tunnel as the former are far more numerous on the real thing. But how does that bridge link into the rest of the layout? Is it a road bridge or a footpath? What about the heights of the surrounding land? What about the station? Where on the platform is the building, and how does that relate to any roads I might have. Does the station have a car park? A bus turning circle? A taxi rank? A dock for (road) parcel vans to back up to? You might not have space for all of these, even if your station needs them, but consider what happens beyond the baseboard, and how that would link together in the real world. The same with the goods yard, engine shed or whatever facilities you have. How do road vehicles gain access? What about a crane? Staff room? Office? A car park for recent times, perhaps a bike shed years ago. Also think about what was there before the railway, and how the railway grew and developed over the years, and perhaps how it then contracted again if you're modelling something more recent. All of that is, to me, part of scenery planning. Presumably when you designed your track plan you had a list of "must haves" and list of "nice to haves". Do the same with the scenery. A factory might give you the opportunity to have a really detailed yard, full of materials and finished product, even if the factory building is only low relief. Or a row of houses could have really detailed gardens. Then consider the heights of the scenery, do you want to partially block the trains, so that they run behind and between buildings? Or are the trains the attraction, with scenery muted and in the background so as not to distract from the trains? Finally, look at the real thing. The internet is a vast resource of photos. I'm at the early stages of planning a big layout, I have my basic location (North Devon), I have an era (early to mid 1970s) and I have a pretty clear idea of what I want to build. But I have an ongoing quest for photos of suitable real locations in the era I'm modelling. OK, as you go further back photos are lower in quality and fewer in number but there are lots of more recent photos which will serve as a good indication of years past. When I save an on-line photo (but obviously only for my own personal use) I usually give it a filename which reflects why I saved it - "lamps around telegraph pole", "carriage end board on platform", "track litter" and so on. All slowly building up to when I will actually build the layout and get into the detailing. But that's just the way I do it!

Rapido and Metropolitan? Must be one of these... Ex London Transport Scania Metropolitan now with Ensign Bus and seen at the abandoned village of Imber on Salisbury Plain working a 23A to Warminster.

An interesting question, and a topic I'll be interested to follow. My modelling era is a bit later, but I suspect steam era arrangements would be more applicable to the early 1970's than those which can be observed today.

The bridge over the Great Western Main Line immediately on the Down side of Bellots Road in Bath, AKA the Somerset & Dorset bridge

It's "Measured for Transport" (1962)

After a short break the Ruston is back in action and over on the coal siding. First the spare tank is drawn out. The tank is left in the middle siding and the Ruston returns to the coal siding. This time it draws out both coal wagons, one empty, one still loaded. The empty is left in the middle siding, while the loaded one is moved back onto the coal siding for unloading later. With BR's local trip arriving the Ruston stands aside in the coal siding. The the D95xx uncouples from its brake van, before running round.

I will be following along, as this sounds interesting. Not only is Savernake local to me, but I like taking real places for inspiration and re-locating and resizing them to suit my needs. Morden South milk depot had a capacity of 14 milk tanks and was alongside an electrified suburban line in south west London - South Moredon is my interpretation and can handle a mere 4 milk tanks and is alongside the MSWJR on the north west edge of Swindon. Others will have to judge the success, or otherwise, of my micro-layout, but I like it and enjoyed building it.

Continuing the story... With the first two tanks birthed the train is split and drawn back across the cross-over. Then the remaining empty tanks are propelled into the other siding for loading. Brakes pinned down on the tanks, the Ruston is uncoupled and waits for its next task.

Several years ago, a mate of mine, Tom Curtis, said that he was about to build a ZKV "Zander" spoil wagon on a Heljan tank chassis, and if I'd like him to construct a second one as an MTV for my era he'd be happy to do so, if I provided the chassis. This seemed a good deal so, three years ago I gave him a bare chassis and he gave me the spare tank from his conversion to potentially become scenery on one of my projects. Finally this weekend and the Taunton show gave us the opportunity to meet up again and the finished MTV was presented to me and has now been added to my fleet. The MTV and how it started out. The excellent body is finished off with the correct Pool code (the 3 is actually an 8 very carefully modified!) an appropriate 1975 shopping date and a number made of individual transfers, making this is rather a special wagon. Here it is coupled between a couple of smaller MSV stone tipplers.

That's very kind of you. Feel free to copy anything, although I'd suggest going to the real Morden South as your source material (there is a fair bit on-line, but for each question a new phot answers you'll find it raises 10 more!) rather than repeating my errors and assumptions. I stuck to my standard 1 foot width, an extra inch would have been good, an extra 2 inches would have worked even better, but I think it works visually as it is. I've built several small layouts now inspired by real locations, and I find it a great way of designing a layout . Give it a go!

With the BR loco out of the way Thomas Tripp (who is more famous for a different part of his career when he was the milkman in Camberwick Green and appeared in the BBC TV series) coaxes the Ruston into life and prepares to shunt the empty tanks. Initially heading the same way as the BR loco, but remaining within the private siding complex, Driver Tripp now comes back down the arrival road ready to propel the tanks into the loading shed As he does so the next passenger train of the day arrives and keeping a good look out, first two tanks are slowly moved in to the shed

Its in They Take The High Road by British Transport Films

Uncoupled from the tanks the loco moves forward towards the loading shed, taking care not to pass the red "No BR Loco Past This Point" sign and then runs round the tanks. D6326 will then drop back onto the tanks and couple to the brake van, before heading off "engine and van" [the latter happens off stage] leaving the tanks for the dairy's own shunter to deal with.

A 118 DMU, as a tooling variant of the Bachmann 117? It's a west country prototype and KMRC did originally say that they would be doing 116, 117 and 118 DMUs as exclusives before Bachmann (forgive me, I forget exactly what happened in the early history of the project), announced their 117. It is also in the Bachmann style announce on delivery, and 118 has, arguably, an 11 in it, but is also more than 11. Plain BR Blue, please, I'll take two sets. Well, I can hope.

It might have been Attwood Aggregates. They have a Facebook page, which hasn't been updated for a while, and there is this thread wondering if they are still trading, the most recent reply of which suggests that they are at the Taunton show in October. You've got me thinking about the correct ballast for my now-in-planning big layout....

With the railbus having departed the line is clear for the empty tanks, which were dropped off at Swindon Junction by the Kensington to St Erth train, to arrive. As usual a D63xx is in charge.