Buckingham West

[t-b-g]

I am a lucky guy. This weekend I achieved something I have wanted to do for about 35 years, but never really thought I ever would.

 

For me, the enjoyment of model railways is operation. I enjoy recreating the glory days of block sections, communication by bell codes, plenty of varied stock and locos, timetables crammed with interesting and varied trains, trailing points only, run rounds, shunting, private sidings and industry, puzzling how to get trains through complicated and restricted track layouts. I'm not so keen on building layouts, but I do like working out wiring or timetables. So for me, certain layouts appeal instantly - those with operating potential.

 

Since my teens I have been fascinated by Peter Denny's Buckingham Great Central. I don't think there are many better concepts. So much so, that my own layout is more than a tip of the cap in his direction. I make no bones about it.

 

But over and above the concept, Peter hand built the whole thing (with help from a few good friends and family of course as is well documented). The layout was ground breaking and he was never daunted by the fact that whatever he wanted to do had not been done before. He found a way round and invented so many things that are now common place, and most of it from wood, scrap, string, nails, all sorts of odds and ends. One of his locos has a wooden chassis and still runs. Its older than me!

 

The layout even has its own homemade analogue computer so there is always another operator. It looks like something out of Bletchly Park. He really was ahead of his time.

 

When Peter passed away a few years back, I feared the layout was to go the way of many classics, but it hasn't and Tony Gee has taken it on and is restoring it.

 

I am delighted that this weekend I spent a massively enjoyable few hours fulfilling that boyhood dream in the company of Tony Gee, Tony Lambert and the venerable Buckingham. I was not disappointed. The layout is amazing to operate - just great fun. When you stop and consider the age of the stuff it is truly amazing and then when you look at how it runs, the wiring, the work arounds with strings, elastic bands, springs, homemade switches etc, it is mind blowing how it works at all, but it does. And its all interlocked with track power determinded by signals etc. As I said, fairly common stuff now, but in the 1940s and 50s?! That was the age of Hornby Dublo.

 

Here are a few pics taken on the day.

 

 

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There is still work to be done. For example that bunch of wires hangs below Grandborough Junction. Tony is still not quite sure what it all does.

 

Operating Buckingham makes me even more sure that I am building the right layout. I only intend to build one and I look forward to being able to have a bunch of mates over for involved and interesting operating sessions.

 

Thanks Tony and Tony and I hope you continue to restore and enjoy this wonderful layout that is both a piece of history and a contempory compelling layout.

 

Many thanks for the kind words Richard. The photos have come out nicely and show the layout just as it really is. Still needing a bit of attention round the edges but with plenty to entertain. It was a most enjoyable day. I like to think that somewhere, Peter is smiling down on us and is pleased that his wonderful creation is still inspiring and giving such great enjoyment after all these years. Keep up the good work and I hope it won't be too long before we can make a return visit to yours.

 

Tony

[Neal Ball]

Sounds like you had a great day Richard. Truly an inspirational layout.

[Richard Mawer]

The growing pains.

 

Last night I cleared the middle board (again), and laid out the points for Buckingham West. The loco yard is to the right of the photo. The turntable is still boxed. Next to the loco yard are 3 carriage sidings, then 3 platforms. The rake is in what will be platform 2. Next over towards the left is the goods reception road, run round loop and then the goods yard. There will be general sidings (goods shed, coal, mileage and sorting) facing away from the camera and private (gas works, dairy, factory) as well as cattle dock running towards the camera.

 

3 lines leave the front edge of the baseboard. Up and down main and a headshunt. They will then go across a bridge over Charlton Junctions, into a tunnel below the (future) high level Brackley Road, for the main lines to appear on the back edge of the storage loops. There will be contryside built over the loops, with lifting access flaps. To the front of that passes the continous run.

 

I need to get the placement and angle where the tracks leave the baseboard correct so I can build the line round from Evenley (right at the back) behind the storage loops (very far right) and swinging round 180 degrees into Buckingham West.

 

[Ray H]

^{This looks like it will be a brilliant layout to operate Richard.}

[Richard Mawer]

^{This looks like it will be a brilliant layout to operate Richard.}

Ray, are you talking about mine or Buckingham Great Central? The latter is brilliant to operate. Great modelling too - miles ahead of its time, but it was clearly built to operate. If mine comes anywhere near the operational interest, I shall be delighted. It won't be anything like the standard scenically, but I can live with that.

 

Your layout is coming on leaps and bounds too.

 

Thanks for your interest and help.

[Neal Ball]

Going to be huge

[Richard Mawer]

Going to be huge

There's quite a bit of work to. I often wonder if I've bitten off rather too much. I hope I'll finish it!

[Andy R]

Richard (And Tony Gee)

 

I have come back from work and looked up RM web as I do several times per week and to my delight I have found this post of Richards and Tony's response in reply. I have shared the same delight as Richard and Tony have expressed here after my two visits to Tony and Buckingham (and I'm living in NZ!)

 

Richard, I am so pleased you have been able to visit Buckingham given your long interest (like many of us) in the layouts evolution and the modelling genius that was Peter Denny. It is just so much fun and challenging as well.. Like you I have many photos I took to cherish and look at for inspiration from time to time, as well as the wonderful DVD of Buckingham operating, coupled with the Denny articles on CD, and the PECO publication of Peters modelling.

 

Tony, so good to see you are sharing your experiences and restoration progress on the layout with us all via the RM web. It shows there are many modellers out there who are keen to follow progress and share in the joy of operating it...even if they cannot all get to actually do this themselves. I cannot wait to get to my third visit hopefully in mid 2016.

 

regards, Andy R

[Ray H]

Ray, are you talking about mine or Buckingham Great Central? The latter is brilliant to operate. Great modelling too - miles ahead of its time, but it was clearly built to operate. If mine comes anywhere near the operational interest, I shall be delighted. It won't be anything like the standard scenically, but I can live with that.

 

Your layout is coming on leaps and bounds too.

 

Thanks for your interest and help.

 

I was talking about your layout Richard. I am aware of Peter's layout(s) but don't recall reading about them in detail anywhere nor alas do I believe I ever saw them.

 

I can imagine the challenge you enjoyed during your visit.

 

Thanks for the comments about my layout, much smaller than yours.

[Richard Mawer]

Fiddling and Fettling

 

I've had quite a productive day. I've added more duplicate power feeds to Evenley. These blessed insulfrog points I used are a pain - never again. Where I've got an insulated break beyond a frog, I tend to get dead areas. Because I use servos I take the "center over" spring out. That means sometimes the blades don't make sufficient electrical contact with the stock rails. It relies on the wiper contacts. If I had used electrofrogs, I would have a frog feed anyway. So now I am adding feeds just beyond the frogs. All a bit of a bore, but do-able.

 

The next major phase of the laout is to link up Evenley and Buckingham West. This involes a middle height line around the back of the low level storage loops, bridging Charlton Junc and coming into Buckingham. The first thing was to be sure of the point of entry onto Buckingham's baseboard, so I double checked the track plan and I am happy. But to make sure I had the location and angle correct I had to connect the points up. So I've done that properly: cutting the links on the rear and soldering jumpers between the stock rails and blades and removing the springs. I've cut the small sections to link up the points and then aligned it all correctly. I also mocked up the loco yard as that is a crutial element to fit in. Thats the long ladder of points.

 

 

 

As you can see, I still have the goods yard layout to finalise on the left.

 

With the station throat sorted, I could lay out the 180 degree curve and know where this will fit.

 

I then moved to the Evenley end of the line and built the odd shaped baseboard that gets the line round out of that station. This is over the return leg of the dumbbell.

 

From the two single slips that form the cross over and trailing entrance to the goods loop and yard, the mainline will run round the right. On the inside of the curve will be the headshunt. A small section already exists but will extend to the narrowing of the board. On the outside of the mainlines will be the ironstone quarry. This and the mainlines will go under a bridge at the end of the headshunt, but the quarry line will go behind the backscene. Its just a dead end road to hide the wagons in. They will get removeable loads dropped in.

 

The mainline then just has half an inch height to gain before it goes over Charlton junction.

 

[Richard Mawer]

More baseboard work today.

 

 

The board for the line from Evenley to Buckingham running above and to the rear of the storage loops. The far end is level because wagons will have to stand on the headshunt and the (what will be out of sight) Quarry. Then closer to the camera a gentle incline to gain the half inch required to clear Charlton Junc. The gap in the supports below the ply top is to allow it to bend upwards and achieve the transition.

 

 

 

I've put the 180 degree turn in. I still have to get the supports in place.

 

 

 

The 180 degree will not be seen because Brackley Road will be above it.

 

 

 

The bridge over Charlton Junction and joining the Buckingham West baseboard. I have to add a curved board outside the mainline for the headshunt.

 

Next I will add the supports below the 180 and stick the foam down before track laying.

[DLT]

Excellent project, I will be following with interest.

All the best,

Dave.

[Neal Ball]

Today's developments at Buckingham seem hugely different to my humble achievements at Henley, good to see you achieving so much :-)

[Ray H]

Today's developments at Buckingham seem hugely different to my humble achievements at Henley, good to see you achieving so much :-)

 

And I can be excused progress on my layout today because I've been working on the club's control panel! It is coming along nicely Richard although I'm not too sure that I can keep track of the geography. I bet it will keep the operators on their toes when the trains start running.

[Richard Mawer]

And I can be excused progress on my layout today because I've been working on the club's control panel! It is coming along nicely Richard although I'm not too sure that I can keep track of the geography. I bet it will keep the operators on their toes when the trains start running.

Thanks Ray. I'll do a photo tour when I've laid the track on this section.

[Richard Mawer]

Does anyone know what type of shunting signals the GWR would have had in operation in the mid 1930s? I am thinking for reversing into platforms wrong line or across trailing cross overs.

[Neal Ball]

Ground signals surely?

 

Mike aka The Stationmaster is your best bet for this question.

[Richard Mawer]

I've done a bit more research - the TV was rubbish tonight - and it seems the GWR used backing signals for reversing wrong line. So I'm guessing where I use the down line for reversing back (up direction) into the platforms ( coming out of platform 2 onto the down line and then reversing (up) back into platform 1) I would signal the reversing operation using a backing signal. These seem to have been 3' arms instead of the normal 4' and to have two holes side by side drilled through, painted red facing the reversing train.

 

Is that right anyone?

 

On Buckingham, there will be a choice of 4 routes back from the down line. Would that be a 4 way bracket or would it be 4 arms stacked vertically on one post?

[The Stationmaster]

I've done a bit more research - the TV was rubbish tonight - and it seems the GWR used backing signals for reversing wrong line. So I'm guessing where I use the down line for reversing back (up direction) into the platforms ( coming out of platform 2 onto the down line and then reversing (up) back into platform 1) I would signal the reversing operation using a backing signal. These seem to have been 3' arms instead of the normal 4' and to have two holes side by side drilled through, painted red facing the reversing train.

 

Is that right anyone?

 

On Buckingham, there will be a choice of 4 routes back from the down line. Would that be a 4 way bracket or would it be 4 arms stacked vertically on one post?

The answer - as quite often with signalling (especially GWR signalling!) is yes or no.  First it depends to some extent on the nature of the movements and their frequency, secondly it depends very much on the track layout and its relationship to the first point,  thirdly it depends very much on signal sighting requirements, while finally it depends directly on when the layout was signalled or signals were renewed.  The other important thing to understand is that Backing Arms mainly seem to have been used where at least one of the routes they signalled was a wrong direction move (i.e. it will be going in the wrong direction from the line from which it starts to another running line).

 

Backing signal arms were normally 3 ft arms or shorter as in some cases miniature arms were used.  Very, very, rarely 4ft or even 5 ft arms were used on Backing Signals but they were, I emphasise, extremely rare.

 

If there is a choice of 4 routes immediately leading through a series of points from a single starting point a Backing Signal would inevitably have been used in a layout signalled prior to the early/mid 1920s and it would have been a single arm with a stencil route indicator (multiple arms mounted vertically on the GWR were very unusual - the normal limit seems to have been two although examples of three seem to have occasionally existed - more than that and it was definitely a stencil indicator job.

 

Post the mid 1920s multiple arm ground shunting signals started to become more common in new work although more than 3 was extremely rare so inevitably the nature of the track layout and relative position of the point ends through which movements were made played an important part in deciding how a layout would be signalled.

 

I hope that helps a bit.

[Richard Mawer]

Mike,

 

Thank you for your expert advice (as always)!

 

Also welcome to Buckingham West. This layout depends on working signals. Not normally ground signals though. Because they need to work and I am not the best modeller out there, mine are a bit rough and ready.

 

Whilst on the junction station (Evenley) the signals are only used as visual indicators and will only clear when the correct points are set, at Buckingham West (where I have this particular issue) the signals will also alter the power feeds to the lines. So I need the signals to be pulled off to connect the correct controllers. Its traditional DC. That's fine for the running lines, but this particular reversing move needs 4 different switches/levers - one for each route.

 

Just for reference, if you look at the photo in entry Number 53 above, the moves I am talking about would be to draw the coaches out of the platform onto the running line next to the cardboard box. This is a correct direction movement which I would signal by the platform starter and the train would stop clear of all those points at the advance starter. That's fine, but then I would want to reverse the coaches back into the station. The options are into the lines currently to the right of the coaches, route 1; the same line that the coaches are currently in (route 2); the (platform) line immediately to the left of the coaches (route 3), or the sidings to the left of that (route 4). Sorry I don't have a drawing at this stage.

 

The layout is set in the mid 1930s, but could have been signalled in the 1920s.

 

As this is the main terminus station and the movement described above is the main action for moving stock around the station (the headshunt is used for good only) the passenger, parcel and light engine movements use the outgoing (down) running line as far as the advance starter. So it is a frequent movement.

 

Regarding the visibility, the line curves round to the left as you leave the station. So visible signals will have to be on the inside of the curve. That's the left when pulling out of the platforms or the right when reversing back in (wrong direction).

 

Reading your reply, my options seem to be:-

 

- signalled prior to early mid 1920s a backing signal and stencil route indicator - tricky to do for me using 4 different levers/switches, but not impossible.

- signalled between early 1920s and mid 1930s multi armed ground signals, probably on two differently located posts (one of the first three routes later splitting into two) with no more than 3 discs per post. Very hard for me to make operating discs.

 

It looks like a backing signal and a route indicator then!

 

OR I just have the levers/switches that need to be pulled (and perhaps just change indicator lights on the control panel) and don't actually operate the ground signals which would be dummies.

 

Has anyone made a working 4 way stencil route indicator in 4mm?

[The Stationmaster]

Rich,  I would go for a Backing Signal and route indicator.  Such things did exist for such movements at Paddington although they were probably less common at smaller termini.

[Richard Mawer]

I think I am going to go down this route (no pun intended). http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrbsh1673.htm

[The Stationmaster]

As used on GWR power signalling schemes prior to 1914 (and again in those dating from the 1930s).

[Richard Mawer]

From Evenley to Buckingham West - stage 1

 

Having laid the track from Banbury to Evenley i have started on the section to Buckingham. This starts with the eastern end of Evenley. I built the baseboards a few days ago and I have just positioned and glued the track in the furthest corner of the layout. Because of the reach difficulty I soldered the droppers on 1st.

 

 

The nearest (inner) track is the headshunt for Evenley yard. The next two are the running lines and the outer one is the line to the ironstone quarry.

 

 

 

I hold the track in position before gluing by putting screws in strategic positions.

 

 

 

A good side effect is that I can lift the track up the screw thread and hold it in position while I spread PVA underneath then press it back in place.

 

 

 

This is the 4 lines glued in, waiting it to go off.

 

 

 

This shows the quarry line joining the two single slips (which form a cross over) and the yard entrance. Note that all are trailing: you cannot drive off the mainline (R-L) into the yard. You go L-R and reverse accross the slips. To get to the quarry you either reverse from the L-R running line across the slips or from the yard across both running lines. There are two small private sidings to the rear.

[RJS1977]

If you're spreading PVA under the track, would it not make sense to get the ballast down before the glue dries?