Canterbury Road (Mk2)

[Mike Storey]

That is a tremendous piece of work John. Brilliant!

[Fishplate]

Thank you for your feedback Mike, and the other RMWeb members who have added their support to the my last post.

 

John

[Fishplate]

The Descent To The Goods Yard continues. . . .

 

I spent (some of) yesterday laying track on the Descent to the Goods Yard. Photos below. 

 

This includes the Peco transition piece SL113 between Code 100 and Code 75 (reasons for two types of rail in an earlier post).

 

Having used this, I can't see the benefit of having a very short length of thick rail on thin sleepers and the same very short length of thinner rail on top of thicker sleepers. You still need to raise the Code 75 beyond that up to avoid a slope down onto the smaller construction depth of the Code 75. So lesson for next time. . . . . . use copper clad sleepers and packing.

 

On the very small plus side, it was useful to be able to snap the wires off underneath to create a section break. But it is an expensive way to create an insulated joint.  

 

Having got most of the way round track laying on the descent, I thought I'd do a load test with a Terrier starting on the sharpest curve with 9 wagons on. I was going to upload a video, but it exceeds the 10MB limit allowed on RMWeb and i don't know how to make the video less than that. However, from a standing start on the 20" radius, shown on the first picture below, it sailed up the 1 in 60 with no problems . First experiments with 1 in 60 were just by inclining a length of wood with a yard of straight track on, which led to what has been built. Will gradually test everything to see how larger locos cope.    

 

Some stills from the video below (The letters in the first wagon spell out 'Southern' and will be fixed to the edge of the Board facing the door into the railway room. Eventually). 

 

 

 

 

 

So a new platelayers view of the descent. The gap in the sleepers on the straight is for the copper clad sleepers at the board join.

 

 

So then there is the next corner and the run across Board 7 to join up with the branch to the Dock. A bit of loosely laid out track was put down to get a feel for the run across that board. First a picture showing boards 6 and 7 and the end of the track on the descent to the left and the end of the loosely positioned track on Board 7 on the right.

 

 

The turnout to the reception line is just laid on top of the plain track across Board 7. This is matched with a turnout that will run up to a buffer, preventing a run through of the level crossing gates on departure from the yard. This is an equal split (Y) point which matches the 24" radius of the medium radius turnouts . This geometry allows the run-round loop to start curving towards the turnout that will give access to the dock. It also pulls the buffer stop away from the main line. This also gives a track layout that isn't just parallel to the edge of the board.  My only reservation is that this is a very short turnout.  Will ponder on this. Aerial view:

 

 

A quick picture of how the track will swing back round onto Board 2 to join up with the track coming in from the Dock beneath the high level lines. As mentioned in a previous post, the underlay on the low level board is in the wrong position. I got carried away earlier in the build before I had built the high level lines. Hopefully it gives a general idea where the track is going.

 

 

 

Having laid out the track, it seemed to be right to get a feel for what the level crossing area might look like with a signal cabin (see earlier post re the one borrowed from the Dock), and a road under the high level lines. So a bit of hunting around in my cupboard found the 4mm scale model of my first car, that little mini estate in that yucky green colour, and a royal mail van. The East Kent bus has nipped round from the station forecourt to bring up the rear.  

 

The plate girder was an internet find and matches perfectly one of the rail underbridges in Faversham. The girder is just balanced on the high level main lines to give a feel. 

 

 

 

Hope this is of interest.  

 

John

 

 

[Fishplate]

The Descent to the Goods Yard still continuing. . . . 

 

Some more progress made over the weekend. Pictures below.

 

1) Single switch Catch points made to protect the level crossing.  The timber spacing needs correcting at the switch end, so a warts and all close up. Track loose laid at the moment round towards the level crossing site.

 

 

 

2) I've swapped the 'Y' point in the earlier post for a LH/ RH combination. This has better geometry into the Reception Road at the expense of having tracks running parallel to the edge of the board. All loose laid at the moment.

 

 

 

Cheers

 

John

 

[Lacathedrale]

That arrangement looks much better, even though there are elements parallel to the board edge they are short and not adjacent the border - looks great.

[Fishplate]

A bit of progress this week. Track has crossed onto Board 7, which seems to be made of rock rather than plywood. It is definitely a different  composition to the other boards. Track pins don't like it at all, even with pre-drilled holes. Have had to resort to thicker (and shiny ) spikes. I think they are GEM spikes, so quite old. But they've done the trick. The Hob-Nob of the Track Fixing world, to borrow a quote from Peter Kay.

 

Drilled the board for wires and point operation on the first turnout, which is loose laid at the moment. Hopefully a bit more progress over the weekend. Pics of progress of the railhead towards the Goods Yard attached.

 

Had a Q1 on the downhill end of those 9 wagons. No problems in either direction, particularly propelling uphill.

 

John

 

  

[Fishplate]

Descent to the Goods Yard

 

I've been wiring up the first turnout and the plain line. Completed far enough for Q1 C21 to arrive at the railhead via permanent wiring. This extends back to the control panel location at the opposite end of the room. Pictures don't seem to show a lot of progress for several hours work over the weekend.

 

 

 

[Fishplate]

A lot has been happening recently, but not on Canterbury Road, so my attention has been elsewhere.

 

Over the last few weeks I have only stuck underlay on Board 2. But today the descent to the Goods Yard has met up with the exit from the Dock. Mr Bullieds Q1 and Mr Wainwrights C Class locos pose at Dock Junction where the high level  track has finally met that built on the low level. 

 

 

An aerial view below with a pair of buffer stops that indicate approximately where the sidings on Board 2 will finish. Sleepers left out at the board joint for copperclad to be installed either side, as elsewhere. the mock-up of the Faversham Goods Yard Signal Box just creeps into the top of the picture below. 

 

 

Then I loose laid a couple of lengths of track to get a feel for the sidings. . . . . . . . 

 

 

Then I got a bit carried away. I've been toying with this idea for a while for the layout. A few years ago I built a model of the Wagon Repair Shed at Faversham. This sits between the Up Ramsgate Line and where the turntable was in the old MPD. The building still exists today, although in an increasingly dilapidated state, as shown further below. 

 

 

I would like to build a model of Faversham, but it would be massive, so there is little chance of that occurring.  So: Is it best to keep this model hidden in a box, or get it out and use it. . . . . . . ? Buildings built to scale are huge. So what to do. I will ponder on, as the building has a pit, which would involve some retrospective carpentry.

 

As I think I've mentioned previously I want to use elements of Southern Railway/ SER/ LC&DR architecture.

 

Having seen these pics on the computer the windows have 'buckled'. They were made from the plastic you get in the stiffening for shirt collars and were then scribed over a (hand-drawn) master. The internal structures for the office and mess are modelled. There are wheel stops, rather than a full buffer stop, at the Ramsgate end of the building (the end closest to the locos in the picture).  There is still quite a lot to do to finish it (gutters, rainwater down pipes, finish painting, add details etc etc). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the original (just!) in August 2011.

 

 

I also have the footprint of Faversham Goods Shed cut out. This would take up a fair part of Board 6. . . . . .  The Goods Shed has been refurbished in the last few years and is now used as offices.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Fishplate
Pictures reloaded 16/11/22

[Fishplate]

Apart from laying a yard of track to bring the runround loop next to Dock Junction and laying some underlay on Board 3 (see May 2018 post), not a lot has happened in the last 11 months for various reasons.

 

I started off again a few weeks ago with an extension on Board 4 to acco mmodate the control panel. First photo shows the platelayers view from Dock Junction. 

 

 

Following a few evenings and working most of this weekend, below is the view this evening from the upper level looking across what is now the West Yard. The buffer stops are just balanced on the rails at the moment. Gaps at baseboard joints will be infilled with copper clad sleepers, as elsewhere.

 

 

Some side views of the West Yard and the extended Control Panel board 4. The control panel area in the centre is blanked off for the controller and a mug at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Fishplate
Pictures reloaded 16/11/22

[saxokid]

3 hours ago, Fishplate said:

Apart from laying a yard of track to bring the runround loop next to Dock Junction and laying some underlay on Board 3 (see May 2018 post), not a lot has happened in the last 11 months for various reasons.

 

I started off again a few weeks ago with an extension on Board 4 to acco mmodate the control panel. First photo shows the platelayers view from Dock Junction. 

 

 

Following a few evenings and working most of this weekend, below is the view this evening from the upper level looking across what is now the West Yard. The buffer stops are just balanced on the rails at the moment. Gaps at baseboard joints will be infilled with copper clad sleepers, as elsewhere.

 

 

Some side views of the West Yard and the extended Control Panel board 4. The control panel area in the centre is blanked off for the controller and a mug at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice layout build here John..

 

 

cheers neil..

[Fishplate]

Thank you for your comment Neil

[saxokid]

5 hours ago, Fishplate said:

Thank you for your comment Neil

Cheers my frend,keep up this great modelling work hope to see more soon ...

[Fishplate]

I sh ould have ended the last post with an overall picture, rather than two the same. Ooops . . .  so here it is:

 

 

Some of the gaps in the West Yard have been infilled with copper clad at the board joints during an evening last week. Progress has continued on the East Yard this weekend, but I'm having problems uploading this morning, so splitting into two posts to see if that works :-)

 

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Fishplate
Pictures reloaded 16/11/22

[Fishplate]

Some of the gaps in the West Yard have been infilled with copper clad at the board joints during an evening last week.

 

Yesterday saw continuation round to Yard 2, now renamed 'East Yard'. The Platelayers view of the formation from the double slip and some "before and afters" below.

 

 

The East Yard formation from the south:

 

 

...and from the north:

 

 

And after the permanent way has been laid. Buffer stops are on "temporary loan" from the West Yard. I'll need to find some similar when life returns to normal.

 

The siding on the left will be for coal. There will be a yard building up against the descent.    

 

 

 

Access to the coal siding will be between the two turnouts in the picture below. The left and middle sidings will be for general goods. The one on the right will have an end loading dock.

 

Access to the East Yard will be through a set of gates at the left hand end of the green cutting board seen in the distance. A road comes beneath the high level and over a level crossing at the bottom of the descent. I've then got a nice length to run up to the loading dock.

 

I'm unsure whether to put the cattle dock on the same road, or have it adjacent to the siding closest to the edge of the board in the West Yard. I don't recall seeing a prototype example of a loading dock on the same road as a cattle dock. Maybe it was done somewhere?

 

I'll be raiding the cornflake box cardboard stash and make some mock-ups to see what looks best.

 

 

East Yard from the south. Road entrance will be at the bottom of the picture below.

 

 

Next job is to lay the track at the over-run from the reception line (See the last picture in the Feb 12th 2019 post). That will be track laying finished in the Goods Yard area. Then lots of wiring up to be done/ completed and the control panels to be added for the Dock, the main lines and the Goods Yards.

 

As I think I've mentioned in an earlier post, points are only fully operational (wired and moveable) in the Dock area. All wires come to a single point in a chocolate block at the moment to enable 'one engine in steam' shunting. The Up and Down line are similarly wired and temporarily rigged to enable trains to run on each line. None of the points on the main line are operational yet, only temporarily wired through to the live frog awaiting micro-switches and point rods. 

 

Track is only loose laid on the site of the Carriage sidings behind the station. This is just to store the various locos that are on them to give some running variety.

 

And then there is the Cassette system to build on Boards 1 & 2.

And the train storage to do. . . . . . . .

 

Some way to go before I have a fully operational railway.

 

Enjoy your modelling.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Fishplate
Pictures reloaded 18/11/22

[Fishplate]

One of the problems of laying track is there is nowhere to put all the construction 'stuff' that just gets put on the layout. So I'll start with a picture of a pretty much uncluttered East and West Yard.

 

 

The loose-laid over-run to the Reception road has now been fixed down. It will also be the location for guards brakes to be dropped off from arriving goods trains, and to be picked up for attachment to future departures.

 

First a platelayers eye view of the over-run from the Reception Road /West Yard with the mock-up of the Faversham Goods Yard Ground Frame box acting as the Reception Road and level crossing box. Some road vehicles are pretending to use the future level crossing in the distance.

 

 

A general view from what will be the entrance to the East Yard:

 

 

The final picture tonight is from the main lines.

 

 

Last night was spent securing the wiring from some of the points in both yards, which will be continuing. . . .  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Fishplate
Pictures reloaded 18/11/22

[Lacathedrale]

Though there's a heck of alot of track in a small space, those photographs are wonderfully evocative and support the idea that tasteful application works even on a congested layout!

[Fishplate]

Hi William, thank you for your kind comments.

 

Having read through your Holborn Viaduct thread over the last couple of evenings, I think our layouts will have a lot in common. Arches for one . . . . . . 

 

John

[Fishplate]

Two options today (after deciding it was just a bit too cold to mow the lawn) .

 

Option a) Wiring. 

 

Option b) do a bit of mocking up out of cereal packet cardboard to see what a cattle dock in the west yard and a loading dock in the east yard might look like in 3D.

 

Option b) won, pictures below.

 

The different colours are just the inside colour of different cardboard boxes. All this needs refinement. I find spending a few hours making mock-ups pays dividends for no outlay. The cardboard is "free" and would have just gone in the recycling.  

 

It lets you take time to see how things work and what it is desirable to adjust to reflect prototypical situations before commiting to a permanent structure. As mentioned at the start of this thread, this layout isn't based on a prototype, but I do want it to be identifiable by an onlooker as typically Southern. 

 

The problem with cattle and loading docks is finding reference photos. Most people tended to take pictures of trains, rather than infrastructure.  And often the trains are in front of the infrastructure you want to look at. Fortunately I can recall some of these things, although they had become overgrown, or had been sold off and were going to be demolished. Like so many of us though, I didn't think to take pictures of those everyday objects that are now part of our past. So I am very grateful to those who did.   

 

Cattle Dock.

 

Within the footprint of this mock-up I would be looking to create a Mk2 version of the cattle dock shown in the earliest posts of this thread that showed my Mk1 layout. That dock was built for these particular (LMS) cattle wagons. I will ponder on whilst I consider Southern options with a similar wheelbase. 

 

The piece of card laid in the 4ft indicates an approximate position for a timber crossing from the yard entrance to the second siding.

 

 

 

 

Loading Dock.

 

The level differences from the east yard entrance up to the end loading dock and back down into the space between the sidings will require some careful landscaping to look right. They don't want to be too steep and mustn't impacting on siding length. The cardboard in this area is pinned down with track pins to give a rough idea on how this can be achieved.

 

At the north end, you can see I initially ran the ramp down to the baseboard joint to make life easier. This will be the route for road vehicles to the coal siding. Unfortunately that does look a bit like the ramp on a toy platform, so it will have to cross the joint. I've stuck a longer bit of cardboard on, again to give an indication. It might be cut back from the track with an earth ramp down to the line, and it might be longer still. 

 

As with the west yard, there will be a timber crossing to give access to the coal siding. This crossing point is shown between the two turnouts with some inlaid card.

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

Edited November 18, 2022 by Fishplate
Pictures reloaded 18/11/22

[Fishplate]

I've changed the Title.It struck me that the first page has pictures of my Mk1 branch line terminus which doesn't reflect what the Mk2 layout is. Any thoughts . . . . . . ? 

[Fishplate]

Cattle Dock.

 

The mock up has enabled me to ponder. From the photo posted above, I've reduced the size of the ramp, which was very generous, and extended the area for cattle pens.

 

The distance from the edge of the dock to the back is a scale 17ft at the buffer stop end. Taking approximately two feet off for construction of the fence leaves 14ft 6in for the cattle pen itself. The length works out at 21ft over the couplings on the LMS wagons shown, less the width of the fence when built. 

 

The revised raised extent and ramp, the marked out pens and some future residents are shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Fishplate
Pictures reloaded 18/11/22

[Fishplate]

Water Tower

 

Under the board today wiring up the Goods Yard turnouts meant moving some boxes. The water tower below was in one of them. This was built for my Mk1 layout on a previous caravan holiday. It was based loosely on the arrangement at Staple on the East Kent Railway. It can be seen in the distance in the first photo on the link here: http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/s/staple/index.shtml. The photos appear to show a replacement tank further down the same link. 

 

A similar example can also be found in historical pictures at the Tenterden end of the KESR platform at Headcorn.

 

Both were wind pump operated to lift water into the tank. My version will be fitted with a conventional water supply pipe on the outside and a central descent pipe to a water column.

 

This will be finding a home on the Dock. A small coaling platform is to be provided that will be just big enough for the 0-6-0 and 0-4-0T's that  will operate in that area. 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Fishplate
Picture reloaded 18/11/22

[Fishplate]

Control Panel

 

Trimmed and test fitted the aluminium for the main control panel today. . The track diagram will be traced through, section switches added and different coloured tape put down between switch locations. This will then be sealed with a clear varnish.

 

The panel is intended as a lift in/ out. Iit can then be worked on separately for wiring up. Electrical connections will be via soldered 'D' connectors onto board 4, then to the other boards by the same method. Some of these have already been completed. 

 

Goods Yard Track

 

Also completed the copper clad sleepers over the joints between boards 3/4 and 4/5. One siding between boards 5/6 left to do then all the trackwork in the East and West Yards will be complete.

 

Progress pictures of both activities below. Doesn't seem to be much progress to show for the amount of time spent!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Fishplate
Pictures reloaded 18/11/22

[Fishplate]

I'd been standing watching the activity on the platform, my hands on the bar above my nine year old head, a red sign, 'No Smoking', nearby.

 

The doors slammed, the whistle blew, a flag waved and we were off. The station buildings moved past with increasing speed.

 

My Dad called out from our compartment "Look out of the window on the other side if you want to see the back off the train". I rushed across the end of the coach and looked out. There, following in procession, was a rake of green coaches. A busy yard, full of wagons, lay beneath us.

 

 

Now my Dad was behind me. "Look the other way and you can see the engine". We both looked out. 

 

And there she was. Accelerating across the viaduct, the rails were turning beneath her wheels to bring her to the foot of the long climb out of the valley. . . . . . . . 

 

   

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Fishplate
Pictures reloaded 18/11/22

[Fishplate]

SECR/ Southern Railway/ BR(S) Class R1

 

A slight change to locomotives today. Progress has been made on the control panel (plug-in subframe completed) and a methodology for operating the upper level point work has been tested out and proved effective on one point. None of  this is worthy of a picture, so I thought I would share some pictures of one of the classes of locomotives that I own.

 

In addition to wanting to produce the 'feel' of the Southern Railway in a fictional location, one of the reasons behind this layout is to have somewhere to run the older models that I own (Rule 1 being fully applied).

 

The upper level and cassette system are/ will be in Code 100 for this reason. The lower yards are in Code 75, which will be the exclusive domain of my models with finer wheel standards. The first class of loco's I am featuring demonstrates this split.

 

I own three R1's in differing liveries:

 

Southern Railway 1127

BR(S) 31337 and 31340.

 

All three prototypes started as Class R locomotives, built in 1895, 1888 and 1889 respectively. They were converted to Class R1 in 1914, 1922 and 1913 and were withdrawn in 1949, 1960 and 1959 *.

 

In BR(S) days all three were allocated to Folkestone Junction shed **

 

The BR green 31340 was part of my first Hornby Dublo train set and came with two green tinplate coaches. I must have had her for Christmas or Birthday when I was about five or six, so she has been with me for a very long time (in fact longer than the prototype was in R1 format).

 

She currently sits on display with her coaches in my railway room. Interestingly she carries 31340 on the cab sides, but 31337 on the smokebox door. She will only run on Code 100 rail, having deep flanges. The photo further down shows her posed on Code 75.

 

 

31337 is a Wrenn model which I remember buying myself from the model railway shop that used to be in Sandwich.

 

 

1127 is also a Wrenn model, but she used to belong to my Father. As you can see, it has been converted to three link couplings to match the many items of rolling stock he built.  So I also have three loco's with three different coupling types. 

 

 

All are in full working order and can give the modern loco's a run for their money in terms of hauling power. I expect they were great examples of ready to run standards in their day. 

 

I recently came across a 45rpm record showing R1's heading a boat train out of Folkestone Harbour. On reading the description on the back, one of those recorded was 31340, so it was very necessary to purchase it. I have recently had the pleasure of hearing 'my' locomotive woofing up the bank in August 1956. This was on my friends record player in his railway room . The sound was turned up for the purpose. DCC eat your heart out . . . . . .

 

I now just need to find out how to get this transferred to MP3, so I can have that sound in my own railway room.

 

 

 

References above are from :

 

*J H Russell's A Pictorial Record of Southern Locomotives

** Hugh Longworth BR Steam Locomotive Allocations

 

Happy Modelling

 

John

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Fishplate
Pictures reloaded 18/11/22

[Fishplate]

Main Line Video Tour

 

Following my last post on Class R1's, the link below brings out the latest models I have be fortunate enough to be able to own. These are a King Arthur N15 Class locomotive in BR livery (something I've wanted for a long time) and a 2-HAL unit, which I've had for a few years now.

 

Whilst the latter is not necessarily an inhabitant of the Eastern section of the Southern, the King Arthur definitely was. Sir Hervis de Revel carries the 73A shed plate for Stewarts Lane. On the video she (?) is pulling a boat train whilst the 2-HAL trundles off in the opposite direction. As its only a 2 car set, I guess it must be an early morning Sunday service today. 

 

This is the first time I've seen the layout from some of the angles I've put the recorder at. A couple of things that I have noticed can do with improvement, and I expect you'll be able to spot those. For anyone who thinks the platform edge is a bit rough that Sir Hervis passes, then this is explained in an earlier post where I described the construction of my island platform mock-up.

 

As time progresses all the cardboard mock-ups will get replaced with proper models.

 

Thanks to @AY Mod for his help and pointing me at how to upload a video that fits on RMWeb and also for arranging such an excellent virtual exhibition. Some great modelling to aspire too! Maybe one day I will be able to enter Canterbury Road in a virtual exhibition that I have enjoyed looking at over the past couple of days.

 

Maybe I'll be able to arrange some future videos for the docks and goods yards as more areas get fully wired up and controlled centrally. 

 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy a trip round the main line on my layout. The sounds are "as recorded". I am very happy with the diddly-dum sounds generated by pure DC .