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Eastgate - Modern day 00 Gauge Terminus by Twickenham MRC


WCML100
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At Twickenham Model Railway Club, a small group of members, not directly involved with other projects have, with committee encouragement, proposed a design for a new '00' layout. Myself and Steve W (the current chairman of the club) have been drawing up several plans and measuring out lengths of typical train lengths and formations on and off for around 3 months now and have come up with a  final plan. The layout is to be 10ft long and 16”.

 

Several members in the club are lacking in general layout building experience, including young members just getting into the hobby. There are members for whom the current projects are not subjects or scales that they easily relate too and wish to build a British layout with a modern, post privatisation, theme. In the longer term, if we gain sufficient members, it may lead to a larger layout as a front for the clubs common fiddle yard. However, in the first instance the modest new layout will be self contained with a three road traverser fiddleyard.

 

The modest size lends itself to reasonably quick construction, ideal for beginners and young members as each stage should proceed quickly and maintain interest. Speed of construction is not in itself a key objective as we want to achieve a good quality of finish to enable the layout to attend promotional events for locations that are inaccessible or cost prohibitive to the larger layouts as well as building it with the intention to exhibit it in the future.

  

Provisionally called 'Eastgate' the theme is a modernised and refurbished northern town/city terminus within the Bradford / Leeds urban outskirts areas, although it could have been a through station at one time. Two island platform faces with station buildings on an overhead bridge provide passenger facilities, trains will be a mix of DMU and EMU's as it is intended to provide one track with overhead wires - modelled to look as it it has just been made live as maybe part of the  part of theNorthern Electrification scheme . The modernisation will be reflected in the buildings, signage etc. and also in smaller details like the track, with newly relaid and ballasted flat bottom concrete sleeper track for the electrified line, wooden sleepered Flat bottom track elsewhere and some old bullhead chaired track on the two sidings. Limited freight handling and diesel locomotive refuelling completes the railway scene backed by a retaining wall, overbridge and backscene of warehouses, shops and apartments.

 

Here a few pictures during the planning stage, after Steve had printed off and stuck together a full size replica of the layout - including peco point templates - good job!

 

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more to follow soon along with a full layout diagram and plan.

 

 

Edited by WCML100
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As a Twickenham MRC member of long standing ( that is a euphamism for being OLD! ) I warmly welcome this new project targeting beginners and modern image fans - a double whammy!

 

Unfortunately I now live too far away to help too much in a practical sense, but I'm with you in spirit and when it's up and running I'll even buy some stock to run on it!

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Thanks for the support folks. As we said at the beginning of this thread, it is early days yet, but things should go a bit faster as soon as the holiday season is behind us. For now we can shunt wagons along the paper track!

I was hoping for baseboard deliveries before Xmas, they might still come but there won't be time to do a build before. This will be the first T&D club layout with 'kit' baseboards and this raised a few eyebrows at first; mostly from a generation like me who were brought up with school woodwork and metalwork lessons followed a year or so later with the DIY mindset (of necessity in my case). Time changes, long working and commuting hours, multiple other commitments and lack of basic skills in many cases all conspire against a good baseboard. We want to build a model railway, not a coffee table and a kit board is a good compromise. For those wanting to learn we still have: assembling the modules, joining them together and making and fitting legs from raw supplies.

I'll try and get a track plan posted in the next few days.

Cheers

Steve W.

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I think it says a lot about TDMRC's positive attitude that it is prepared to back (and promote) a D&E project.

 

It is no secret that clubs do struggle to get D&E layouts off the ground - D&E modellers seem reluctant to join clubs as they seem to feel that clubs are stuck in the steam age.

 

Well TDMRC wants to pro-actively attract D&E modellers and are 'putting their money where their mouth is' on the basis of 'if you build it, they will come'.

 

Let's hope that's true - TDMRC are open for business for D&E - come along and join us!

Edited by TEAMYAKIMA
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Here's the proposed track plan. This is tidied up from the working plan and leaves out a bit of the detail including the short add-on section at the right end. This will have a further overbridge and station facilities and will increase the track length by about 6inches on the two platform faces..

One issue raised by the narrow baseboards (they both have to fit on one club standard storage shelf) is the stability once on legs; not sure how we deal with this yet.

The traverser will be partly covered by low relief or open back buildings and in the back of my mind there is the possibility of a rear of backscene siding that hinges up out of the way for storage, but we won't know if this can be done until the basic build is done.

 

Still no sign of the baseboards....will have to do the tax return to pass the time.

 

Happy Holidays.

Steve W

 

 

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Forget the last comment on the above post. A smiling chap from TNT turned up today and delivered two 5ft baseboard kits from Model Railway Solutions. They will be the first job in the New Year. Until then it's finish the club newsletter and try and get into the Xmas spirit.

To all who have looked in on this embryonic project - Thank you and a Merry Christmas and Happy New year, we will back in January to start on Eastgate.

Cheers

Steve W.

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  • 3 weeks later...

So, the time has come and the first meeting to discuss all the ins and outs of this new layout will take place tomorrow night.

 

I have been working hard on adding new stock to suit the layout as well as weathering and detailing current stock also. 

 

More to follow once more details have been sorted at our meeting!

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This Friday we hope to get started on the baseboards. The black PVC clad package that has been looking at me enticingly all Christmas has now been opened and contains a selection of decent quality parts from Model Railway Solutions. We also have a work day on the Saturday and this will give a bit more time for this work.

Last Friday Peter was elected Group Leader (everyone else took a step backwards before he did) and the club members making up the group had a great kick off meeting thrashing out a build sequence, some of the details and hundreds of ideas to incorporate. Look like it's going to be fun.

Cheers

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I would like to add to the above by saying i am exciting to be lead of this project and there is loads more to come from now for this thread! I will be encouraging all of the layouts members to gain RMWEB accounts to keep everyone up to date with there own individual mini projects for EASTGATE (mainly scenery and more of that will come later in the project) by posting on this thread so it isn't just myself and Steve W updating you all. You can then get more of a feel of how the the project is progressing from all angles as well as getting to grips with all the people involved.

 

Now on to the fun part...

 

As you would have seen at the top of the page some of the potential stock for the layout, heres a few more pics of what you can expect to see on the layout in the future and its allocated prototypical stock. This is by no means a final listing of stock but more of an outline to set the scene while we have no actual pictures of the layout to show you any visible progress. But most of the ideal stock has been decided on.

 

The main TOC using the station will be Northern (supplemented by Cross Country, First Transpenine, London Midland, and maybe the odd loco hauled set etc). The main FOC's using the diesel fuelling point, engineers siding and warehouse will be EWS/DBS/DBC, Colas Rail, DRS, Freightliner, GBRF etc. Most of the warehouse traffic will consist of the ferry vans already mentioned (which I am working on some of these examples at the moment), RES mail vans, and other small rakes of freight.

 

DMU's:

 

Class 144 - Northern Livery

Class 150 - Northern, Ex First North Western, Arriva Trains Wales Liveries

Class 153 - Northern, Northern Ex First North Western, London Midland Liveries

Class 156 - Northern, Northern Ex First North Western Liveries

Class 158 - Northern, First Transpenine Express Livery

Class 220 (depending on total length of platforms - yet to be finalised)

 

 

Possibly added at a later date:

 

Class 142 - Northern Livery

Class 155 - Northern Livery

Class 170 - Cross Country Livery

Class 175 - Northern Ex First North Western Livery (if model produced)

Class 180 - Northern Livery Ex First Great Western Livery (if model produced)

Class 185 - First Transpenine Express Livery (if model produced)

Class 802 - Transpenine Express Livery (if livery produced and depending on total length of platforms - yet to be finalised)

 

 

EMU's

 

Class 350 - London Midland, Silverlink (un branded) Liveries

 

 

Possibly added at a later date:

 

Class 319 - Northern (Electrics) Livery (if model produced)

Class 323 - Northern Livery (if model produced)

 

 

heres a few pictures to keep you entertained for now...

 

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keep watching out for some updates - hopefully we can make some progress on assembling the base board this friday and saturday

 

thanks,

 

Peter

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Work on the boards has been progressing slowly over this weekend. Work first started on the baseboards on friday and continued on saturday at the club. Steve W has taken them home to continue on them this week to speed progress up a little. Im sure he will update the thread in due course...

 

We also had a little running session with a few of the younger members of the Modern Image Group at the club on Saturday and the theme was to bring along some stock which could be used on Eastgate. So a video of the running session will be along soon. A few pictures will also be posted.

 

For the time being here is Steve W working hard and cracking on with 'readying' the the board sides to fit up perfectly when the baseboards are assembled. More pics of the baseboards to follow once a bit more progress has been made...

 

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Edited by WCML100
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It's a slow start but care is needed to ensure the baseboard alignment, especially between the two main boards because of the six tracks crossing. Pairs of end boards were screwed together and pilot drilled for alignment dowels and bolting holes before separating and completing the drilling. Previously I've always used brass 'bullet' pins so these flanged ones were a bit more of a challenge. One pair were fine, the other 'lost something' in the drilling and was a smidgen out of place. Putting the spigot in the drill and a quick lick with a file reduced the tight fit of the flange in the board housing providing enough wriggle room for a good alignment, initially with a spot of Araldite. The boards will be held together with 6mm bolts similar to the triangular headed one screwed into threaded inserts in the mating board.

They're now cleaned up, given a quick coat of primer and ready for assembly.

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I think it will look a bit odd if you don't electrify both platform roads.

 

But that is a small detail to what looks like a very promising project.

Thanks,

It's been niggling me as well in the back of my mind and I will discuss with the rest of the team.  It's come to the fore at present because we have had the promise of some OHLE from a member and this may help do both without additional costs.

Cheers.

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I think it will look a bit odd if you don't electrify both platform roads.

 

But that is a small detail to what looks like a very promising project.

 

 

Thanks,

It's been niggling me as well in the back of my mind and I will discuss with the rest of the team.  It's come to the fore at present because we have had the promise of some OHLE from a member and this may help do both without additional costs.

Cheers.

 

 

This was my idea, and the original reason behind this was that as a the amount of passenger traffic wasn't huge but the demand for operating capacity - certain trains and paths out of the bigger city terminus's to this location would have to be EMU's, making the need for the OHLE. But not so much demand that both platforms needed it as it would only see electric services in the peaks mainly. It was to be seen as something recently implemented on the line as part of the North West electrification programme which had cuts and they made do with just one line.

 

That is the story behind it. 

 

A few other reasons I thought this would be good, would be that the catenary wouldn't intrude the eye as much if only on the further back line and the newly laid track under the OHLE would add a bit of interest with the contrasting other platform consisting o more weathered track. 

 

Although I will put this up for discussions with all the members of the team soon!

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So as mentioned before - at the weekend we set up a running session with a few potential formations for the layout. Mainly Freight workings were concentrated on but the running session video which I am currently editing will show everything that ran. For the time being here is a few of my stock which will feature and the potential different formations.

 

First up is a formation I have seen a couple of times at West Ealing Junc on the GWML - this was something different which I have never seen before but thought it would be a perfect fit for the layout. On the different occasions that I have seen it, it has altered in what it consists of. I don't know exactly what train this was running as (or where it was coming from / going to) but it was always headed by a 66. It has run in the following formations on the occasions I have seen it:

 

VGA + FAA + VGA + VGA

VGA + OCA + VGA + VGA

VGA + VGA + OCA + VGA

 

Here it is replicated with my stock.

 

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And here are few other formations made up of VGA's and similar the vans of BR build and more continental cargowaggon stock which also see a good deal of use on Eastgate.

 

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And then a few images of my engineers rake which will also feature on the layout. Although in smaller formations but here is the rake al as one:

 

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Thats it for now but the video of the running session should be on its way soon...

 

thanks for reading :) 

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  • 2 weeks later...

A real team effort was full steam ahead last night at the club meeting. or if you look at in another light, a real 'Screw up' as some members suggested! 

 

Our group was leant a big helping hand with other group members coming in and helping out make light work and quick time in assembling the first board. I can now say this is complete and we are very happy with it!

 

Next is measuring up points to make sure the associated point motors underneath are not in the way of any cross sections. 

 

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thats all for now, thanks for reading.

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A real team effort was full steam ahead last night at the club meeting........

 

Our group was leant a big helping hand with other group members coming in and helping out make light work and quick time in assembling the first board.

 

Just showing what 'club life' is all about - I can recognise N gaugers, G gaugers and American On30 gaugers all joining in and supporting a new OO project. This is how any good club prospers .... the more established/experienced members helping out the less experienced/newer members.

 

All success to this new project - from someone who would like to be more 'hands on' with this project but who can only help from the sidelines.

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A real team effort was full steam ahead last night at the club meeting. or if you look at in another light, a real 'Screw up' as some members suggested! 

 

Our group was leant a big helping hand with other group members coming in and helping out make light work and quick time in assembling the first board. I can now say this is complete and we are very happy with it!

 

Next is measuring up points to make sure the associated point motors underneath are not in the way of any cross sections. 

 

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attachicon.gifIMG_4092.JPG

 

thats all for now, thanks for reading.

 

May I ask if you made those baseboards from scratch of if you bought them 'flat pack' from somewhere, and if so, where?

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