“WASHBOURNE”

[Northroader]

There’s plenty of jobs I’m picking over, but I thought I’d just do a post looking at another two lines I like, and tying it in to a design for small layouts. Usually if you’re doing a small line, it’s always  a terminus to fiddle yard arrangement, but a run through station is another possibility worth thinking about.

Going back to the Railway Modeller for December 1955, Track Topics featured an article “In time for Christmas”. In those days the magazine appeared at the start of the month rather than half way through the previous month, so you had three weeks to knock up what might be termed now as a “plank”, so a simple little design, probably the smallest that the editorial team, most likely CJF himself, ever produced. It was intended for space starved modellers who wished to carry out prototype operations, quote “ a very satisfying little system to operate” It would take three short trains, and was called “Much Waiting” station as at first they only had some goods sets. I’ve redrawn it and added sizes for the intended OO, together with equivalent O sizes, and I should say when I do imperial / metric, I tend to round off.

At a later date they added another crossover to form a loop, in my view it’s better staying as a siding.

At either end were “hidden sidings”, and trains were reversed by picking the loco up by hand and putting it on the other end. This was well before cassettes appeared, which would simplify this, and allow the sidings space to be shorter.

Turning to  the Washbourne line, two years ago for a while I had a second station. It went because it was placed in front of the fiddle sidings and made them inaccessible to a degree (stupid boy).  However, I always thought it had a really neat look, the main line was on a reverse curve, with a siding into a warehouse in a back corner, and a station across the track in the diagonally opposite corner, so in effect it was a small relation of what’s there now, but without the runround loop bit. You could exit at either end of the line, but at the one end only on to a short cassette.

 

The dimensions for this piece are 40” x 16” - 1015 x 410. The length is OK, but really the width should have at least a couple more inches. Now if you put 36” cassettes on either end, you end  up with a through running layout , in 0, with an overall length of 9’6” - 2600. There’s a lot more fiddle yard length to visually complete line, which may upset the visual balance. Would it? In my view if there’s a clear division from the central portion, and the outer parts are kept simple, it shouldn’t. I also prefer to keep the fiddle yard in open view rather than hidden, they’ve got trains parked on them which took a lot of toil and tears and which people want to see. At exhibitions I always do a lot of rubber necking trying to see what’s parked.

Now, time to turn to two layouts which I really like which are using the “run through” principle. They are both also  set as GWR branches in Cornwall, which helps to give them a really attractive look. There’s a school of thought which says “grot  is good” which I don’t subscribe to, even if it gets you to “reality”. I think you should aim at “prettiness” whenever you can, if only to get non modellers, starting with SWMBO, onside and in sympathy. Anyway, first off there’s ”Praa Sands” by Mr. Tony Collins of Andover MRC. This came to the Bristol GOG show several years back, and it was the simplest layout there, but all the time I was at the show I kept going back to it. His club drew up a spec for an O exhibition layout,15’ x 18”, to be portable, easy to store, with satisfying one man operation, and built to a budget of £250. I never come across a thread for this one, so I’ve done a sketch plan, (if it was mine, I’d just have one point into the loading dock siding, and ditch the left hand board) and a link to some photos done by an RMwebber at a show. 

 

 

 

The other through type line thats really really well worth a look, and is just coming to fruition, as it’s booked to exhibitions this year, is “Lananta Quay” by Mr Nick Salzman. It’s done in 3mm scale, so I haven’t given dimensions in this case, and is modelled on mixed broad and standard gauge, GWR and LSWR. The siding is entered direct from the fiddle yard (if you draw out a broad gauge point you’ll realise what a length they take up) then splits into two lines on a small pier. It is a very good example of why you should try make a line attractive to look at. Mr. Salzman has his own blog site, so here’s a link for your enjoyment:

https://moorestonemodeller.wordpress.com/2018/08/08/lananta-finished/

 

Edited March 19, 2019 by Northroader

[Nearholmer]

Thought provoking stuff.

 

I call these "postcard layouts", because they put me in mind of animated postcards, and because, long before I got into crude things like garden railways and Coarse-0, I was forever thinking-up layout ideas based on things I'd seen on holidays, and it struck me that a series of tiny layouts (I was thinking H0/00, often H0e or H0m, at the time) would be a great way of creating lasting holiday souvenirs.

 

Just recently, I've bought two old postcards showing Berwig Halt (http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/b/berwig/), because it seems to have all the right ingredients (except a siding), and I'm a great fan of Wood Siding Station on the Brill Tramway, which did indeed have a siding, for the same reason.

 

The one off-putting thing about the concept is that the fiddle-zones can easily become as big, or bigger, than the "stage", which seems like waste of precious space. What is really needed is a plausible way of having the "through line" disappear into the wings at each side, while the siding(s) remain visible across the complete length. Implausible "sneak offs" are easy to devise, but really effective, plausible ones, less so.

 

What do you think of this one?

 

its a very rough sketch, the proportions aren’t right, but it should give you the general idea.

Edited March 19, 2019 by Nearholmer

[Caley Jim]

On Kirkallanmuir I've hidden the cassette fiddle yards behind the colliery interchange sidings at one end and the goods yard at the other.

 

Jim

[Donw]

not a through layout but when I built Sparrows Wharf I had 10ft length and didn't want to waste any space. I reckoned on a 1m thrain length but the headshunt , loop and two turnouts came to over 2m so I decided if I took the main off the middle of the loop  and ran it under a brdige onto a 1m sector plate it would work. I could run off the sector plate onto cassettes behind the backscene. It also had the advantage that all run round moves etc were all in full view  unlike if I had used the sector plate to complete the run round.

 

Don

[Northroader]

The two examples I gave are both intended for exhibitions, and I suppose there’s more room to tack on fiddle yards, if we’re doing it at home the length needs to be more jealously guarded, which could well knock a through line idea on the head. The examples you’re all giving show ways of tucking fiddle yards out of the way of more real estate. Your description of Sparrows Wharf, Don, reminds me of the Piano Line?

 

[Northroader]

Looking at the picture of Berwig Halt, Kevin, it struck me how much of a curve it was on. Would it do as a corner layout?

 

Thoughts on the plan:

I’ll come back with more on “view blockers” in a day or two. Here it helps the line to disappear, and makes a necessary break.

skew bridge has been added for the line to exit out, it just has to be one of those cast iron girders with a Brymbo plate on it. The angle it’s at it could be very nearly flat.

the postcard gives a hint of the backscene, it looks like those tumbled little fields, mixed with small trees. A view of the Berwyns should be possible from there?

the Halt building, a “pagoda” would be good.

a siding has been added for a bit more interest, two chances—-

a) general goods with a platform and the smallest size goods shed, or a “lock-up” and small office.

b) cattle dock with pens handling cattle and sheep from off the hills and the local farms.

Edited March 21, 2019 by Northroader

[Nearholmer]

Given the lie of the land, I'd envisaged viewing it from outside the curve, looking up hill, rather than inside , looking downhill, as you have it. It had struck me that it might work as a circle of track, half of which is "on stage".

 

There is a chapel and a few cottages perched on a lump above the station, and looking at old maps there actually was a siding to a quarry, disappearing under a bridge below the lane/path leading up to the chapel, although possibly closed before the station opened.

 

For this location, I think that trees might be the best view-blocks at the wings.

 

I think, but am not absolutely sure, that the scene is shown in this film c9:40 onwards https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-minera-mineral-1965-online

 

 

Edited March 21, 2019 by Nearholmer

[Donw]

I was not aware of the Piano line. The plan was very similar except the turnout on the right was a crossover creating two long sidings at the front in opposing directions which was the Wharf frontage. It was documented in the Gazette in the late nineties and appeared at Guildex then. I doubt there is any combination of five turnouts that hasn't been used before. It was my response to the problems of space and a dislike of using the sector plate as part of the station pointwork. I found these disappointing at exhibitions, rather like a play where half the action is offstage.

 

Don

[Nearholmer]

Layouts where a very high proportion of the action involves popping out into the wings and coming back again are curious things.

 

Personally, I find that the good ones (I would name Llanastr and Washbourne) work exceedingly well as "pictures", the tight framing, artistic composition, control of viewing angles, use of foreground view-blocks part-way along the scene etc make for a beguiling whole. Its something about the "aspect ratio", and the fact that the field of view is very like the sort of field that occurs in reality.

 

But, operationally, as the operator rather than the viewer, they really don't do it for me at all; the "play value" is too truncated.

 

Its odd really, because all layouts, except perhaps "system layouts", which are only possible in 0 given either the archetypal redundant billiard room, or fairly free run of a medium-sized garden, are truncated, especially so with any BLT-FY, so there is no logical reason why having to imagine half of a station track layout should be any more painful than having to imagine the rest of the railway system ...... nevertheless, I do find it painful when operating a layout, rather than admiring it.

[Northroader]

Please don’t lump me in with Llanastr, kind diplomat that you are, that ones finished and working, going to exhibitions, and universally admired., Probably that’s the big draw of the terminus- fiddle yard layout, you can live in the faint hope that one day it will be finished, whereas if you go for a large operating oval, etc.,the prospect of getting it all made up is daunting. Way back I thought I’d have an oval line to fill the loft, but I never got further than about four sections of benchwork with a little bit of track. I find I do far more building than operating with BLT - FY, although there is a small oval layout taking shape where I can just watch trains going round in full flow, which will please my inner id.

[Nearholmer]

There is a lot of truth in that.

 

the only part of my layout that is 80% developed is Patty Circus, which is effectively a BLT, the rest being c40% developed. I end up playing trains, which then degenerates into tinkering with old locos and wagons to improve their performance, rather than focusing on building things.

 

In my case, inner kid, rather than id.

 

And, as soon as the weather becomes mild, I get further distracted into cycling and even, very occasionally, gardening. And, and, my good lady has now pointed out (on a number of occasions) the c50 yards of fence-painting that I ought to be doing!

[Donw]

Dont start on all the thngs that need doing,  all of which are supposed to be finished before any layout construction can be done.

 

Don

[Northroader]

Funny about gardening, I’ve been earning some brownie points the last few days, when bright ideas for modelling have been stewing while I’ve been forking manure and fixing fences, lovely weather and I’m wishing I was up in the loft. Last week I mentioned “view blocker” with the little plan for Berwig Halt, so I’d best explain this. When I get a transition from the station to the fiddle yard, I try to make a good clear visual break between the two, and I do this by mounting a screen in front. This is just a rectangle of ply, big enough to mount an A3 size sheet of paper. The back has small brackets made from aluminium strip, and the paper has a protective piece of clear plastic in front, which is secured by a light plastic angle screwed to the ply edge, all these items coming from Mr B&Q. The brackets clip over the ply strip forming the front edge, and also register near the top with an angle brace anchored near the back of the baseboard. The first two pictures show this arrangement as applied to Washbourne, and at present the paper is blank. I used to have the facilities to produce artwork to go on it, but upgrades of my computer and printer have left me with gear that’s smarter than I am, so I’ll have to hope from some help from my son at some time in the future. The other function is that it can form a way to allow the track to pass through the scenic back to the fiddle yard, without falling back on a bridge, tunnel, or going behind buildings to hide the hole. You just need a good overlap and have the track close to the screen. The third picture shows this happening on my Canadian line, and also demonstrates how you use the paper to add a bit of artwork to help the “finish” of the line.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Northroader

[Mikkel]

Nice artwork on the 'Canadian' screen. Now I'm curious to see what it says, any chance of a close-up?

Edited March 26, 2019 by Mikkel

[Northroader]

Your wish is my command..

[Nearholmer]

That is a very good, simple idea!

 

your Canadian line is very reminiscent of my old Maine layout, and as to fence-mending, I dug out the umpteenth rotted post from my mother-in-law ‘s fence today, and replaced it with a concrete one ....... a couple more winters and the last of the wooden ones will have rotted through and I can say goodbye to this rolling annual chore!

[Northroader]

Never mind about rotten fence posts, tell us about your Maine line, I never suspected you had American proclivities. (Thinking about it, I bet it was two foot?)

Edited March 26, 2019 by Northroader

[Mikkel]

7 minutes ago, Northroader said:

Your wish is my command..

 

Thanks very much, good Sir. An interesting read, including how the CNR was incorporated to operate lines that had failed financially, but were considered nationally important. That strikes me as a very European approach.

[Northroader]

Once it had happened, there was always a political conflict between the private enterprise Canadian Pacific, and the state owned Canadian National, with left and right wing supporters drawing comparisons as you can imagine, not to mention comments from south of the border, and railfan partisanship between the glamorous CP and the dowdy CN.

[Nearholmer]

Ah, well, I used to be an avid reader of Narrow Gauge & Shortlines Gazette, and wanted to try a lot of US-style modelling techniques, so c1990-96 I built and exhibited an H0 scene (0.5m x 4.5m) that was based heavily on the terminus of the Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad (http://cprr.org/Museum/BMLRR/index.html)), although I transposed it to Camden (Maine), rather than Belfast (Maine), and renamed the "road".

 

It was quite a big project, with a long waterfront scene, involving a great deal of scratch building and kit-bashing, including boats, and I was rather proud of it, but I'd built-in a giant flaw, by making the baseboards too big for easy handling up and down the stairs in our three-story town house (each was about 0.5m x 1.5m X 0.4m, and quite heavy, despite being 'plywood eggbox'), and it got junked shockingly soon after it was finished ......... I think it only survived c2 years 'in traffic', after a very intensive build over c4 years, during which I worked on it almost every evening 1900-2200. And, crazily, I barely took any photos of it - pre-digital, so none of your taking snaps every five minutes in any old lighting.

 

Anyway, the back-scene that I painted for it was eerily similar to yours, all early fall trees with white-painted buildings peeping between, and a distant view of the sea across a headland at one end.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Nearholmer

[Donw]

Very neat screening of the fiddle yard. I am now thinking if the screen could be slid along you could have it blocking the fiddleyard but slide it along for access. Perhaps not for an exhibition where someone might object to the screen suddenly blocking their view but would work well at home.

 

Don

[Northroader]

The thing is when I’m using it at home, I’d want to access the fiddle yard from the front, as there’s a worktop behind there, Don. As long as it gives a definite break between the station and the fiddle yard it’s doing its job.

Your Maine twofooter sounds a real labour of love, Kevin, a pity it turned out like that. I started to realise about board sizes with the Canadian line when I was kindly invited to take it to a show about two years back. I was euphoric about this, but reality started to kick in when I realised that I couldn’t get it up there in my car, and the struggle I’d have in setting up and so on, as I don’t have any “roadies”, so in the end I declined the offer. (Somewhere on the web here there’s a guy who takes his line to shows on the train in a small suitcase size set up)  Miniturisation is slowly setting in, will I achieve it in time before I go into a care home?

[Nearholmer]

To be clear, it was a Maine Standard Gauger ........ The B&MLRR was a 'short line', which remained in operation as such until 2007 (bits are now used for a tourist operation), and my layout was set c1960, when they used a small fleet of GE 70 ton diesels,

 

Regarding layouts, I think that there is a subtle difference between transportable and really, truly portable, and the older I get, the more I think that the latter means something no bigger or heavier than a medium-sized suitcase for each baseboard/module. Even Paltry Circus, when packed for travel, is actually ever so slightly too heavy/unwieldy, although I can and do carry it. 

[ianathompson]

The sign gives a nice transition between the layout and the fiddleyard allowing the track to disappear unobtrusively.

 

Effectively it provides a wing, similar to that on a stage in the theatre. The actors (trains) can hide there before coming on stage.

Iain Rice advocated this approach in his book about cameo layouts.

 

Unfortunately, from a sensible use of time point of view, i was seduced by the book into producing such a cameo layout, Bodran, which I occasionally exhibited in an incomplete form.

If you want to go the whole hog you could provide a similar wing at the other end of the layout and string a proscenium arch, complete with lighting, over the top to create a controlled view of the layout.

 

Although the incomplete Bodran languishes almost moribund in a spare bedroom the effect was, as Mr Rice promised, a pleasantly framed layout.

Oh and yes there is a pun in the name. Bodran was supposed to bang the drum (the Irish Bodhran) for the AFK, my main layout.

 

Hope that this is of interest.

 

Ian T

[Northroader]

Sorry, jumped in with both feet in assuming it was another two footer. Now taken the time to digest the link you kindly gave, and it is a very nice little line. Now recovered from postlunch siesta, off upstairs and DO something!