Farewell to Chestnut Lane

[AndyB]

Welcome, and sadly a quick adieu, to Chestnut Lane, a small N gauge project that has kept me occupied on and off for the last 3 years. 

 

Chestnut Lane is, i guess, a variant on the inglenook idea. In this instance I wondered what it would be like to have the fiddle yard (a traverser) at the "other end" , as the missing part of a bitsa station, rather than connected to the headshunt. I'm sure others have done this in the past, so probably nothing new about this.

 

Having built the layout in this guise I found two things quite quickly. The minimal sized traverser was just a bit too minimal and needed to be extended, partly due to the second change... which was inspired by reading an article in the N Gauge Society journal where a correspondent proposed doubling back similar schemes to allow a through running station operated from one end only. I felt this would increase the operational interest and let my trains stretch their legs a little bit. 

 

The track plan of the extended layout is shown below. 

 

 

 

Chestnut Lane is notionally situated somewhere in the east end of London. The general idea is for passenger trains to come into the station, either terminate, or progress on round the layout. A branchline service works into the stub siding. In addition, the proximity of Chestnut Lane to a 1st Division football team means that there are occassional "football specials" coming in from other regions.

 

A wide variety of freight trains can currently be seen at Chestnut Lane as, due to permanent way work further "up the line", access to the nearby docks and industrial hinterland can only be achieved by a reversing move at the station. Because only  part of the station is modelled, a long rake of wagons can be implied with just 3 or 4 actually needing to be purchased! 

 

Additional freight interest is from a rail-served line-side factory, Components for the Ford plant at Dagenham, perhaps?

 

So, how about some photos of the layout then....

 

This first shot looks down the length of the layout with the camera over the traverser. The scenic section is 4' x 15".

  

In this next shot you can see what remains of the station building, based on Woodgrange Park where the original building was knocked down and now the station entrance is litterally just that - an entrance! The backscene is a mix of scratch built and bashed kits, including Kestrel, Scenecraft, Graham Farish & Scale Model Scenery. 

 

The retaining wall / arches and bridge are scratch built from plasticard. These took quite a while to make, so get recycled from one layout to the next! 

The platform is also scratch built, but I've used the Metcalf canopy and newspaper kiosks. 

 

 

 

 

Now for a bit of history. My grandparents lived in a small flat not so far from where the layout is set. Early memories are of granddad tending his vegetable patch, so I felt that some allotments should feature on the layout. 

The allotments came as un-painted plaster mouldings. The bonfire does flicker, but not quite caught by the camera in this shot! 

 

 

The lineside factory is a mix of Metcalfe and Kestrel. Hopefully the mix of card and plastic doesn't look too striking. Given that rare commodity "time" this is an area of the layout that could do with a lot more detailing. The tarmac was wet 'n' dry paper straight onto the baseboard. I've noticed that in winter when there's a wee bit more damp in the air this does bubble up a bit. I'd do this differently next time. Also, one of my pet hates is to see a gap between a building and the ground. Not sure I've quite addressed that here, though. Some weeds growing up around the foundations might cure this!

 

 

 

Hopefully this has been of interest and if anyone would like to see more photos etc I'm happy to put some on later. 

Unfortunately I've exceeded my 10Mb file size so, photos of trains will have to follow. 

 

Cheers for now. Andy 

 

 

 

[AndyB]

My loco and rolling stock collection covers both the BR blue and BR steam eras, including some southern regions emus.

Both feature on the layout from time to time. Rule 1 does apply, especially when it comes to running 3rd rail emus without a 3rd rail actually being in place!    

 

Here a local branch line train has recently arrived on platform 1 waiting for its next turn of duty. 

 

A 4-CEP pauses on platform 2, awaiting the up service to clear the line. This also offer the chance from the local branch line service to join the emu to travel onwards. And yes, Rule 1 does apply as 4-CEPs north of the river. Really? 

I saw this emu in my local model shop and couldn't resist. An acquisition from ebay quickly turned this into a brace of 4-CEPs.

Having long admired Hedges Hill Cutting, I quite liked the idea of portraying emus in a grimy urban setting. 

I did try to model a 3rd rail using code 55 rail, but this caused some fouling, so reliable running was favoured over realism.

 

What you can see is the Bitsa station idea, only 2 coaches can really be seen, although implicitly we all imagine that this is just the front section of a 4 or 8 car unit.

 

 

 

I've used the line side factory as a view blocker to partly disguise the length of through trains. 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2019 by AndyB

[john new]

Is it possible for you to update your old, linked, blog albums so that the pictures are visible? (Only the thumbnails show, they won’t open)  Was interested in your track plan for Highworth but it won’t open.

Edited June 16, 2019 by john new

[AndyB]

9 minutes ago, john new said:

Is it possible for you to update your old, linked, blog albums so that the pictures are visible? (Only the thumbnails show, they won’t open)  Was interested in your track plan for Highworth but it won’t open.

 

I see what you mean.

I get "[[Template gallery/front/view/imageLightboxFrame is throwing an error. This theme may be out of date. Run the support tool in the AdminCP to restore the default theme.]]" 

Sorry, no idea how to cure that. 

Best. Andy

 

 

[gismorail]

What a cracking layout with excellent atmosphere which is not easy in N gauge 

[AndyB]

A quick look behind the scenes, so to speak.

 

The original fiddle yard was a multi-track cassette which could be married up to the tracks coming from the station. Sufficient length for a loco and a couple of coaches. I extended this once the 4-CEPS were purchased. Essentially it is a piece of 5mm ply braced at the sides to stop it warping. 

One thing I found was that it's not just about lining up the tracks but also ensuring that they align vertically. The weight and size of N gauge rolling stock is not at all forgiving. If I was looking to improve this I'd consider putting a bolt in place to help with this. 

 

  

 

Having decided to extend the layout it needed a turn around loop at the end of the headshunt. I used settrack for this, although again, if doing it again I'd maybe choose a larger radius. I did find that certain combinations of loco and rolling stock simply stuck due to the excess friction. The 4-CEPs didn't always like this tight turn. 

 

 

And finally, some extra storage sidings at the back to cope with the variety of rolling stock that would make the layout interesting! 

Don't forget, if you do this, then the voltage polarity of the sliding cassette has to be changed. Ask me how I found this out. 

 

The 3 points on the layout were originally controlled by GEM wire in tube. These needed to be extended when the rear fiddle yard was added, so I've gone for a more robust solution. To avoid getting spiked I finish the "wires" off with dowels.  

 

By now the layout was getting quite a bit larger than I'd originally envisaged for the portable layout I'd wanted. Hence the need to bring this layout to a natural conclusion, learn the lessons and move on. 

 

 

[AndyB]

The allotments and terraced houses were sourced from Timecast of Shrewsbury.

The houses are based on those in Shrewsbury, they do come with chimney stacks, which I'm sure I'll find again the moment I dismantle the layout!!  

Whilst I can't claim to be expert at painting I did get a lot of pleasure in having a go.

One thing I'd like to do better at on my next layout is judging how colour is perceived at distance.

I tend to go for quite rich colours, whereas perhaps a more washed out palette would be better.

Having said that, this layout is meant to be viewed quite close up,   

Again, if I was continuing with this layout, adding more detail behind the houses would be a priority - washing lines, dustbins, people, clutter, rear garden wall...

 

 

 

The low relief factory in the background was my first attempt at using a downloadable kit. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be and in future layouts I'll no doubt use more of these. I've added a layer of matt varnish to reduce the glossiness. 

 

There's obviously something about a bonfire that draws a crowd. And the Chestnut Lane Gardening Society are disposing of a shed abandoned by a lapsed member!  

 

 

 

Characters are, if memory serves, by PD Marsh. 

 

Meanwhile Mr Turner, the Society Secretary is responding to demand for new allotment plots by clearing an area of scrub adjacent to the allotments and marking out new plots.

 

Good luck clearing those thorns with a lawn mower!

It'd be interesting to hear how others model shrubs in N gauge - the rubbery material I used is most likely better for OO or O gauge. 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2019 by AndyB
More allotment photos added

[AndyB]

Time marches on, and with it new liveries are starting to appear at Chestnut Lane.

Enter the BR Blue era! 

Very much more my "era" for trainspotting, and going back over 40, the Great Eastern line around Manor Park would have seen my brother and I waiting for Class 47s & 37s thundering past on a Sunday afternoon. 

 

At Chestnut Lane, steam has given way to diesels and the branch line is now worked by a Class 108 DMU. 

 

 

 

 

Although in reality the length of run the DMU ever sees is about 12".

Talk about Beeching cuts!

 

[AndyB]

Any spotters on platform 2 of Chestnut Lane wouldn't be disappointed by the variety of loco hauled freight on offer. 

 

Class 47035 is some way from its home patch of Swansea, hauling components to Dagenham, no doubt. 

 

A mini project recently was to start to weather my wagon collection using washes and weathering powders.

Can't quite bring myself to do this on my locos quite yet, though.  

 

The slight indent in the ballast on the track to the fore is where I've been fiddling with the tiny rare-earth magnets I use to activate the Peco uncoupler; a small piece of metal superglued to the coupler. Works well, but there's a fine line between uncoupling the wagon and having it held firm in position by the magnetic attraction!!

Magnets were sourced from First4Magnets. They come in various sizes and you can find one that'll fit easily between the sleepers. then recover with ballast.

 

 

 

 

 

[AndyB]

The procession of freight continues with a Class 20 in charge of an empties up hopper train.

 

 

 

These wagons are very much "ex-works" and have yet to receive any weathering! A project for the autumn, no doubt.   

 

 

Having cleared the line, the Class 47 is clear to proceed....

 

[AndyB]

Chestnut Lane is handily close to a major football team (not my own, i hasten to add) and sees regular football specials. 

 

 

 

On this occasion, Class 33030 has brought up a special from perhaps Southampton or Portsmouth?

No doubt the platform will be a bit rowdier once the match is over!! 

A future modelling project might have been to put the returning crowd coming back from the match, escorted by police horses?

Not sure where I'd find those in N gauge, though. 

 

 

 

 

[AndyB]

So, nearly last, but not least, a word about layout name choices, I thought for quite a while about what to call this one.

 

It does seem that no layout is complete without having a bus on a bridge, so with tongue firmly in cheek I decided to include this "old chestnut" on my own layout. Hence "Chestnut Lane". 

In fairness the number 25, modelled here, was the bus I caught to college everyday, passing Woodgrange station on the way.

So, I can perhaps claim this is true to my own experiences! 

 

[stivesnick]

Really nice idea and some good modelling - look forward to seeing the next project

 

Nick 

[AndyB]

30 minutes ago, stivesnick said:

Really nice idea and some good modelling - look forward to seeing the next project

 

Nick 

 

Thanks, Nick.

The next layout will be "A Return Ticket to Nantford Spinney", re-visiting an old OO gauge layout of mine, but this time in N gauge and featuring some of the ideas proposed in the "Layout and Track Design" sub-forum for an L-shaped blank canvas. 

Andy