Tillingham

[Huggy]

I started work on my first 00 layout in January 2016, having completed a "test piece" in the form of a little 009 project, more a diorama that has some moving bits than anything, because I had no previous layout building experience, and wanted to try various aspects of the hobby before committing to anything bigger. I have "previous" as an aeromodeller, RC sport flying jobs mainly, so had a fair supply of tools, balsa wood, adhesives, and decided that railway modelling would make a pleasant change from making aeroplanes that I then get to fly much less than I'd like to due to the UK climate having, it seems to me, taken a right old turn to the bloomin' windy more often than not. I still like to get out in the fresh air, but on those wet and windy days, with retirement complete, railway modelling has taken a prominent place among - now I think about it - a fairly barmy amount of other hobbies!

        If this sounds a bit familiar, that may be because you're one of the comparatively few who have had a look at my Blog page, where progress up until about last October was chronicled on occasion; I'm hoping that a few more views will be had on the wider forum, and welcome as many comments as you like to add to my modelling know-how acquired so far!

          Tillingham is a small through station on a Southern BR branch in pre-Beeching days, originally built by the SECR  in the vicinity of the North Downs, in an attempt to reach the increasingly prosperous town of Maidwell Spa, via the valley of the River Till.  They didn't quite manage to take a lot of traffic off the LBSC, who got there first, but have a terminus on the lower side of town that serves a livestock market, and such commuters as find the London terminus reached by changing trains on the former SER main line more convenient for their city jobs. At one point, Tillingham had hoped to become a growing dormitory town, and after a couple of near-misses by the Luftwaffe in WW2, what damage there was and what funds could be drummed up by the soon to be nationalised Southern went into a new approach road, pedestrian steps, and a car park, with plenty of SR concrete involved.  But Tillingham didn't grow much after all, the short platform didn't need lengthening, though most passenger services call, and there's a regular local service on the line.   Freight traffic in the late 50s period is reasonable, with a few local businesses including a sawmill, and a chalk quarry down the line in the Maidwell direction still despatching a few loads to the cement industry, while the market at the bigger town is becoming run down. Rumours are that an oil company wants to build a terminal on that site (which it will, if I run it in the early 60s instead!) which might at least keep the line open longer in the cuts yet to come.....

         That's the back story out of the way. The  4mm version of the station and part of the as yet to be modelled town has to fit my very limited attic office/hobby room space, and while at  1200mm x 1200mm, which is the largest I could comfortably accommodate and still move about, it's not quite a Micro layout  I wanted to achieve a "roundy round" configuration in any case, and with only one of the two 1200 x 600 baseboards scenic, and three and three fiddle sidings at the back of the raised centre piece that will hold some low-relief terraced houses, a pub, and either a builder's yard or garage, when I get into that phase of the project, I think I'm managing to get quite enough into the layout without, hopefully, making it look too silly or crowded.

          So, here's a quick selection of images of the progress so far, with a few notes.

 

 

The basic boards and track layout on the scenic side of the layout. The raised portion will hold the townscape and backscene, there are three fiddle sidings to the rear, one of which will be cassette fed.

 

 

 

The poly sheet land form is covered with traditional plaster bandage and painted. I left a few patches showing white, to show a few outcrops of chalk, this being around the Downs.   Second photo above shows the same area after ballasting (remind me to use N gauge for 00 next time - it's too lumpy!) and grass sheet coated with static grass and odd foliage. Some trees will likely follow in due course.

 

 

New pedestrian access steps were added under BR Southern around 1950. Ratio stanchions used; I found that job, and the steps themselves, very fiddly, hence it looks like the vandals have been at it later in the decade...... Not totally pleased with my concrete representation at this point, but....

 

 

...much more pleased with the efforts with the platform fencing in SR style panels and walls around the carpark, although the latter is a bit too thick due to landscaping errors. Still learning!  The usual  Humbrol enamel mix of matt grey and sand used on the platform fence, downloaded printed sheet on the other walls etc.

 

 

Coal office and staithes made as a change from doing track and landscape work, it's the Ratio kit, and I have a couple of sack-heaving fellows ready to take up employment with the coal merchant in due course.  When I get round to painting them; seem to need a LOT of light to do detail work like that nowadays...a familiar story to many of you elder modellers I suspect.

 

 

General view of the Goods yard, Superquick shed weathered up a bit, coal yard temporarily in it's place (all buildings remain unfixed at this stage, the board has to be transported back up twisty stairs to my "lair" from the workshop - our old kitchen - I share with Mrs Huggy, who makes jewellery. And helps carry baseboards, if I'm lucky!)

 

 

Two locos acquired so far. Yes I know; it's an M7, not a likely runner on an Eastern section line, but I haven't got an H yet, and it my have wandered in from Guildford or somewhere.  My first effort at Loco weathering. The 2MT tankie is unmolested - this number is on the one now restored on the Isle of Wight isn't it?  I have a Bachmann Class 205 DEMU set set aside for use in "later period" running. I'm not going to be mega-fussy about what I run, to be honest, but DO want to get hold of a 'C' Class 0-6-0 one day, as well as an H Class. I did order one of the soon to be released Class P tanks in a mad moment... it will pop up as a preserved visitor I guess, and I have  already got a true Micro layout in the planning that will suit it nicely

 

 

 

Finally, another shot of the grubby Goods Shed - I like a bit of grime - an "under construction" barn for the corner layout farm, using photo-realistic concrete block prints,  , and an overall view of work so far.  Note - the derelict looking station building is also  work in progress, but I bought it cheap!   The rusty old loco at the bottom of the overall pic is a Wrenn R1, that is very old but was the right price and quite nicely "distressed", and runs reasonably well for it's age. The diesel is nothing that was ever likely to be seen on a BR(S) branch, but again, it was cheap, and runs very well indeed, since I added a few more electrical feeds to the track.

 

Phew! That's it, the story so far, have a look at my Blog  if you want to see the bare basics so far, apologies to anyone that has already had most of this blurb sent their way, but I hope the change to the main forum will stir up a bit of interest; I will link this to the Southern / BRS section later.  Ta ta for now.

 

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/2140-huggys-blog/

Edited January 30, 2018 by Huggy

[Huggy]

Appropriately enough - localised snow warning at Tillingham!   While ours clears away completely here in slightly sunny Hastings today, I pressed on with the barn for my corner farmyard which I think has come on quite well. It's pretty much the first scratch-built building of any size I've done, and decided to make it harder for myself by putting it at an angle to the edge of the board, which will have a backscene behind. There will also be a small stable for the farmer's daughter's pony, a pigsty, and general clutter in due course, and I decided that as the season I'm sort of aiming at is early autumn, the yard would be a bit stodgy, with the odd puddle.  I've used ordinary cheap decorators filler, and I'm glad I left the appropriate outline in the stuff  to accommodate the base of the barn, which uses photo quality image of a weathered, unpainted concrete block wall, much used for such buildings in the 1950s-60s, on heavy grey card walls, the roof is Ratio corrugated iron sheet, I made the apex flashing from the same stuff, which while it shows that the sheets are actually a bit too think for scale, looks OK to me, it all needs a bit of filler and some moderate weathering with only a bit of rust, as its not supposed to be that old a building, and I will face the fiddly task of gutters and downpipes (with a couple of barrels to catch rainwater possibly) when I feel a bit more focussed (recently had a bout of flu which laid me low for a few days).

        Then I'll get the other smaller buildings done, and a block wall at the back between the farmyard and the railway.   I'm please I thought to impress a couple of ruts in the entry track before the filler hardens, but I think I may need to smooth out the surface just a touch here and there before I get the yukky greeny brown paint on it.  I shan't fix any of the buildings on the layout in place until the board is back upstairs, in case stuff gets knocked off. I've also got a bit of fencing to put in here and there.... won't put that off any longer than I have to, but it will be another really fiddly job from what I gather!

       By the way, there are loads of download sites for model papers and kits nowadays, but the one I used for the barn walls cover www.textures.com is a gem for "something different". They aim their images at professional architectural modellers, and there are, for example, umpteen varieties of weathered concrete wall blocks, or brickwork, to help make your buildings and roads etc look a bit different from the next layout.  You can download a limited amount of any one item on any given day, but for those of us building small layouts, it's probably not a problem. Worth a look.

 

 

 

[Huggy]

Progress on the farmyard front before I get stuck in to some fences around the property and alongside the line - I need to do that before fixing the buildings in place, as they'll be in the way otherwise. I've used a mix of grey card, balsa wood, Ratio roofing and the Textures.com downloaded block paper. I've kept the buildings pretty uniform, as the scenario is the farmer acquired this bit of land (from the railway company possibly) in the fairly recent past to build an extra barn, the stable for his daughter's horse and a pig run for their domestic use away from the main farm and house up the road somewhere.  

 

The stable, pre-weathering. Modest pony-sized piece which will have the horse and girl stood outside in due course.

 

Pigsty, block built at the same time as the barn. The big post in one corner doesn't have any useful purpose; it was something to hold parts on but I left it on the premise that the farmer had some idea in mind, but never completed it!  Quite please with my ramshackle gate, very quickly done as you may guess

 

Bit of rust and general grime on the barn now, using rust and earth powders mixed into Humbrol MattCote. Also gave the main walls a quick spray of matt artists varnish to take a bit of a sheen off.

 

Here's the farmyard building group, roughly in place, the little stable on the left, the pig sty - the farmer doesn't go in for big scale pig rearing, just a few for the home - and the barn, all weathered up without going mad, as they are supposed to be reasonably new structures in the 50s. The muddy yard needs some flatting as it's a bit shiny, then I'll get busy with some rough grass tufts, general debris etc, and put some DeLuxe materials instant water in the puddles and ruts, finally I have a couple of figures to paint, pony and pigs.  I got hold of a Field Marshall tractor and a Series 1 Land Rover for the farmer recently, so he's getting tooled up!  The old Humber estate would probably get bogged down in the mud, it's just for show purposes.

 

Next step fencing - can't put it off any longer!

 

[Huggy]

At last I can run a few trains again, having put the two halves of the layout back together, with most of the basic scenic section complete. There is much to do on detailing, the townscape that will sit up on the "hill" in front of the backscene, there are end panels needed so it doesn't look like a railway floating in space. rolling stock to be modified/painted/weathered as fancy takes me - though I have enough items to have a bit of a play - people and things to be painted and given a spot to stand, buildings, a small signal box and a shed to build for the station itself, so it's far from finished. Although, I am getting planning fever for a future project (though God knows where I'll put it) having become fascinated by the many and varied efforts in the Micro and Boxfile layout section of the forum.

              Being able to loosely place a few figures, vehicles and such just to see how it looks when it's a little less barren has been very satisfying, although most will need some fixing, rethought, or weathering, and it was good to find that after a little bit of judicious filing and cleaning up on a couple of track sections, the extra power feeds I put in have resulted in better running, even on the more cranky items of locomotion that I've acquired in the last couple of years.    Here are a few more shots of the story so far. I hope I get a few more looks and comments, it's been a tad disappointing so far I must admit; I'm almost forced to believe I may have built the most boring layout ever! 

 

 

Overall view of Tillingham, with a few signs of life make it look much better.

 

 

Bit of activity in the goods yard, must think up a short name for the coal merchant. As it's a bit cramped, I bet the driver of the Foden  will wish he'd reversed it in the gate!

 

 

Mr.Palmer the Farmer doing a bit of muck shifting, with his unfeasibly clean Landy in the yard.

 

 

Class 205 "Thumper" on it's way through. Troubles with power bogie frame constantly falling off temporarily sorted with bluetak...proper repair pending.

 

 

Sid Short the Signalman wondering when I'm going to get around to building him a proper box. And take the concrete block off his boots.

 

 

My first loco weathering job was this M7, on it's way with a local passenger service. Hope to sort out a pukka pull/push set one day.

 

As I said, there's lots of detailing and finishing to do, but at least I now have a layout that works, with an empty bench to get on with some of those items, build a small goods shed for my local MRCs new layout - parts obtained from LCut Creative now arrived and assembly begun - and finish a fairly large model RC aeroplane that has been hanging about far too long, before another flying season comes and goes. If that wind ever stops blowing us scatty!

Edited March 5, 2018 by Huggy

[sigtech]

Hello Huggy,

- I like the improvements to Tillingham, I don't know how far you intend to take the 'realistic modelling' approach on the layout,but you need a 'trap' point at the exit from the sidings,( a short single bladed point connected by rodding to the entry point into the yard),there to prevent wagons being blown, or rolling out of the sidings and ending up foul of the main line. It doesn't need to be funtional, can be fabricated by fixing an old rail alongside the track, on outside rail edge - in this case the rail nearest to the front of the layout, tapered in and touching just before the coal siding/goods shed point and curved away at other end, about 3" or 12 sleepers long. When these points (worked by Sid Short from his ground frame hut/signalbox),were set for train to pass on main line, it would be open and any runaway wagon would then be derailed clear.

 

Hope this is useful info - I'm lucky that on my layout 'Sproston' the track does not need any! as all 'trapping' is done by the design of the track layout...

 

Regards

(SIGTECH)

Steve.

Edited March 4, 2018 by sigtech

[Huggy]

Good point Steve (pardon the pun...). I've just added it to the very long list of "things still to do".     Finished off the coal merchants with the guys at work - I've decided they will be S.Pike and Son by the way - and some sacks laying about and stacked ready for loading. Their  Commer Karrier lorry has had a bit of a rub down and RAF transfers removed ready for painting and weathering.

 

[llanben]

Far from being dull I think this is a very impressive layout in the making. I am all too aware of the challenges of space that you refer to; I model in a garden shed which accommodates a circular layout that can represent the Western Region in either the late 50's or early 70's dependent on locos, stock and vehicles. Unlike your very 'grown up' approach I have been unable to resist cramming the layout with depots, factories and such like; I know it's simply too full but all those lorises havre to go somewhere! I shall continue to watch developments with interest.

[Huggy]

Work on various details needed on Tillingham is slowed down just now, since we're doing some work on the house, but made a start on a Ratio signal box I've had for some time. It's technically a platform box, but I'm going to mount it on a separate base; the layout doesn't call for a large one and in Southern colours it should look reasonable. On a negative note - if the bogie frame on your Class 205 DEMU keeps falling off, don't try a temporary fix with BluTak..... it's a bit of a mess when it goes soft and gets in the gear cluster     Still, I managed to clear it up and am temporarily running with the offending item detached while I figure out how to sort it properly. The tags and slots that are supposed to hold it in place just don't.

        Quite like this shot of the layout that I managed to get quickly this morning while there was enough daylight coming in to my modellers garret

 

 

[sigtech]

Hello Huggy, thats very nice! quite atmospheric,  Shame about your DEMU, I'm sure you will get it sorted.

The only item that I have similar is a cl121 'Bubblebar' in green with whiskers bought s/h (Hornby), painted and passengers/driver added and fitted with a "Black Cat" lighting kit - gives me head and tail lamps plus internal saloon lighting.

Keep up the good work.

 

Regards

(SIGTECH)

Steve.

[Huggy]

Cheers Steve, I will want to do something one day with one of those 121 units (which I've never seen in the real world, despite a lot of miles on the clock) just the job for a little terminus layout on a random piece of shelving I imagine.  At least the 205 wasn't ruined by my bodge, still runs nice and slow.

[sigtech]

I managed to get a ride on cl 121 no: 121034 in March last year, travelling from Princes Risborough to Aylesbury, and return (twice).  - The  photos can be found  on my Gallery on here.

Regards,

(SIGTECH)

Steve.

[Huggy]

Well, been enjoying a few running session with Tillingham - in 1950s steam, 1960s diesel and "Heritage Line" modes (i.e. running what the heck I fancy!) but been occupied completing my first project for the local model railway club I joined in the winter, a goods shed. I used some of LCut Creative's excellent and very well priced modular pieces to make it to fit the allocated site, with Wills roof slate strips.  I painted the brickwork with Humbrol 70 brick red - which is actually pretty dark, as you can see, which is what most old goods shed seem to be anyway, plus a little bit of weathering, and Humbrol 224 Slate on the roof which I think looks pretty good. A trial fitting at the club revealed a lack of clearance inside, as there was a slight kink in the track where it's to be sited, but after a bit of a think I managed to rectify that.  I made up a bit of dummy track for sliding  doors - which they had to be, again due to a cramped site - which I'm quite pleased with. Now placing a few bits of cargo - crates, barrels - on the internal platform to be visible through the windows. The club layout, intended to be 1930s/40s south London Southern, is a long way off completion, but doing this has increased my confidence in constructing a building from scratch, or I suppose nearly from scratch, as I used laser cut parts.  What do you think?

             As for my own layout, other than a bit of track cleaning and tidying up a few gaps in the ground cover, and making sure all locos and units run, a spell of rather lovely weather slowed that down a bit, but I did fit a set of wooden steps originally made for the club shed but left off due to the space problem to Tillingham's shed. At last the lads in the yard won't have to pole-vault through the door!   I've attached a new aerial view of the yard as well.  

              Sadly the rather agricultural operating rods for the points on the scenic side have been a bit rubbish, so I have reverted to the Big Hand method on one of them, and the other needs a prod with the uncoupling stick to properly close the gap when set for the siding. As it's a home layout I might just live with that, but have learned a lot for "next time".  More fencing to put in soon, a job I find v.fiddly indeed, but progress will no doubt be slow in the summer months.  

 

 

 

[Huggy]

At last! A little progress on the layout; I must confess to having been a bit idle getting anything new done, along with a few short operating sessions, in recent weeks, but finally Sid the Signalman has his box.   It's a little Ratio platform box kit, mounted on a scratchbuilt brickwork base, with a laser cut set of steps left over from something else, and a balsa and card "landing" and handrails. I printed the name board on the PC, and mounted it on a thin balsa backing plate.

I've had to put another small sliver of wood under the front edge, as the building had a slight "list" towards the track, since taking the pics.  Next job will be to put s bit more fencing up along with some trees in the nearby farmyard and paddock, and think about completing the station building. In addition, I'm itching to make a start as soon as summer ends on the next project Filsham Yard (see separate layout topic).

 

 

[Huggy]

 

A little bit of fencing being prepared for the farm paddock. Scale Model Scenery kit does a pretty decent length of fence - this is about 1/3rd of whats in the pack - and the farm gates are good, you get three of those. Used DeLuxe Card Glue to laminate the bits, bit of greenie-brown paint mix on the fence. On the layout shortly.

[Huggy]

 

At last, the pigs are in the pen!  The farmer has a bit of a clear up while they finish off dinner.   Got a bit more farmyard tackle and debris to go on, and one or two puddles. Will try and pick off that rather oversize to scale bit of my hair you can see next to the wheelbarrow too, now I can see it in the photo.....

[Huggy]

Hurrah! Tillingham's station building is basically complete except for the signage and additional weathering, all for less than a fiver. The original centre section was £3 in bits at a show, a plastic kit from whatever range abandoned. I've added scratchbuilt Gents toilet (left) and parcels office (right), the differences in construction are down to post-war shortages of building materials e.g. bricks,. the latter extension having been added in the early 50's. These parts are card and Scalescenes printed papers, with Ratio corrugated iron roofs.  Note blistered paintwork on the parcels office "wood"....hamfisted use of adhesives there I'm afraid, but hey, who says it wasn't the painters?

 

 

[Huggy]

There's no doubt even a rudimentary Peco sky backscene makes a difference, some photo cutout buildings etc to be added later. 295 DEMU runs nicely. Lots of little things still to do.

[Huggy]

I haven't posted anything about my main layout Tillingham for a while, but here is a small batch; still no signals but station name boards, lamps etc now in place along with fencing, and I weathered a set of three of Hornby's cheapy 16t mineral wagons, having added some plastic strip detail to the outside of the doors and the ends, and painted them grey instead of the original brown (can't be doing with trying to change serial numbers though, please note) and at last got hold of an H class tank that I've wanted for ages for my push-pull set, with money saved during lockdown by not going out. I can dispose of the M7 on loan from central Southern now! I now have three of the items of motive power I used to see on the New Romney branch as a kid,  H Class, Ivatt 2-6-2 Br tank, and "Thumper" diesel set, just need a C class 0-6-0 one day.... 

[Huggy]

Hi - a couple of years, despite all that happened, seem to have gone by pretty quickly as far as modelling activity - such as it's been - is concerned.  The fact is, I've decided I have a few hobbies too many, as well as having ended up ,oving from playing music live to being an internet radio music presenter with two weekly shows (it was four at one time during lockdown!) so have decided to dispose of my layout Tillingham. The stock has already gone to Hattons, and I await the payment.... If anyone would like a basically finished small layout, overall size 1200 x 1200 on two  separate boards, scenic and fiddle yard, with mostly 2nd radius curves (see photos) with plenty of scope for extra detailing, a better backscene etc, or just for a younger modeller to run as it is, I'm looking for offers, starting at, say £50, £15 extra if the specially adapted trestles are wanted too, collected from Hastings please contact me by email on pkh@huggy.plus.com.  No stock or vehicles, but all buildings etc as are in the photos.  Kept a few old wagons and a couple of cheapo locos as I might make a couple more dioramas etc, but right now, the extra space would be most welcome.    Also some model RC aircraft for disposal.... Thanks for looking. 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Huggy
incorrect selection