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Plaistow - 1950s ex-LBSCR Sussex branch line


Nick C
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  • RMweb Gold

I thought it was about time I started a thread for my current project. After deciding that my old layout Cowes just wasn't working, I've started a new one based loosely on Cranleigh on the Horsham-Guildford line. As it's a 'based on', I've shifted it a few miles south, to somewhere between Plaistow and Kirdford, on an imaginary line running from Billingshurst to Haslemere, with this being the principle intermediate station, along with smaller stations at Wisborough Green and Chiddingfold.

 

The track plan is Cranleigh, with one of the sidings flipped round to serve an industry (I've not decided what yet, possibly a brickworks like Southwater). The buildings will be typical LBSCR Sussex types, probably mixing and matching from around the county rather than sticking rigidly to the Horsham-Guildford (e.g. picking an earlier style of Saxby & Farmer 'box). Fiddle yard will be a 7 or 8 road traverser (bottom left of the track plan, just two roads shown for clarity), and I'm hoping to keep all the curves above 36" - though the FY entrance will probably have to go down to 30".

 

So far most of the baseboards are built, and I've started track laying. Progress won't be fast...

 

kirdford_final.jpg.363a0ebace8ac7fd6e38314ed692848b.jpg

 

And the box diagram (more explanation in this thread) - this is basically Cranleigh with a couple of modifications. The three starters all have shunt-ahead arms underneath, and the down home (3) has a calling-on arm underneath, which I presume was to allow freight into the up platform - I might replace this with a normal arm (or a bracket) to allow passenger trains to use that platform in both directions. Cranleigh had regular terminating trains from Guildford and so the up platform was signalled for down departures. The distant signals (marked 0) will be fixed at caution.

 

kirdford_box_diagram2.png.7f4c5548b21d8766a446cd253daa40a4.png.f1dc8491189164ef17a5e6be9f0d22a4.png

 

 

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  • RMweb Gold

Thanks Gary,

 

I managed another session this afternoon, and spent about an hour laying and relaying the curve at the left hand end of the fiddle yard - only temporarily pinned down for now, but I think I'm now happy with the position, and I've kept it at 36" radius. I'm just hoping that the tracks crossing onto the traverser on a curve will be reliable enough.

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  • RMweb Gold
12 hours ago, Brinkly said:

Hi Nick,

 

I'm looking forward to seeing you progress. I rather like the former LBSCR lines. Are you using Peco Bullhead? I found it really easy to work with. 

 

Regards,

 

Nick.

Hi Nick,

 

The scenic section is a mixture of Peco and SMP bullhead (as I had some of the latter left over), with a couple of FB points (2 curved, 1 Y). I agree that the new Peco track is very easy to work with. I've also been modifying the points as discussed in the thread in the Peco sub-forum here.

 

The fiddle yard will be Peco code 100, to use up a load of that I've got left over (as I noticed you're doing too!)

 

Cheers,

 

Nick

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  • RMweb Gold

Hello,

 

Yes I have quite a bit of code 100 track to use on Whitchurch's fiddle yard. 

 

Have you got any of these? Peco Code 100-75 adaptors? 

IMG_0480.JPG.e3dfac4f12dce4be3e8ae74b219dcbd5.JPG

 

They make life a lot easier. 

 

Regards,

 

Nick.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
  • RMweb Gold

Progress continues slowly... The full continuous run is now laid, with enough wiring to allow locos to be tested and run-in. I've fashioned alignment bolts for the traverser and the lifting section across the door, and started chipping some of the locos. 

IMG_20190915_185517376.jpg.1a6636476a79f3f395d4591607af237a.jpg

The open top section will feature a bridge over either a road or a river, with the scenic break being between that and the lifting section.

 

Next jobs are to continue with the wiring, point motors on the west end of the loop, lay more roads on the traverser, and lay the goods yard.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

I've laid the next two roads in the fiddle yard:

IMG_20190924_204951148.jpg.564fe2d5b923b11906080e734d821f38.jpg

 

I then started laying the headshunt for the yard, but wasn't happy with the flow, so I've lifted it again - I think the fairly large radius of the curved point looks odd in relation to the sharper curves of the running line and the headshunt itself. I'm thinking to swap in a straight left-hander in place of the short length of plain track, then keeping the headshunt parallel to the running line for it's full length. This reduces the length available for the yard slightly, but I think will still look better than this arrangement.

 

IMG_20190924_215914829a.jpg.8e43c7a9cef3b8ffa1f0eba43be3ee16.jpg

 

Edited by Nick C
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  • 2 months later...
  • RMweb Gold

I didn't realise how long ago it was I last posted in here! I did warn that progress would be slow... The shed is unheated, so I'm hoping the Wickes ply isn't going to warp in the winter.

 

Since the last update I've finished laying the goods yard, done more of the fiddle yard, and got some of the proper wiring in place (in place of the temporary wiring that went in to get something running). The points are still "clipped and padlocked" until the lever frame arrives (and gets built!) though...

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  • 4 months later...

Hey Nick - using Modratec?!  Brilliant.  I have had a few problems with mine, using electrics to drive turnouts (Cobalts), signals (Megapoints servos), and one turnout on Mark's bit of the layout (CDU powered solenoid). Basically the electrical switch units for the Modratec frame all consist of the same SPDT switches, whereas my three drive sources need a different switching configuration and work off different power sources!  This looks like it will drive me off Modratec at least as far as Ventnor West is concerned (I had a melt down at the last show following which I need to completely re-design the electrics for the layout). But my big news is that I am making major progress on setting up the shed in the garden to take your old model of Cowes!  I've  started working on the model of the Granville Road Bridge and hope to have the boards up in the shed within a week or two. Though VW is the current priority. 

 

Harold who makes Modratec is looking to sell the Company - it's too much for him in his retirement, but I don't think he's had any takers yet. I hope you've got all the bits you need. How are you going to drive the points and signals?

 

Chris

 

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I'm intending to use wire-in-tube, at least for most of them. Being a fixed layout, having the wires go across the board joints shouldn't matter. What I've not worked out yet is how to mount the frame so that the wires can get to it!

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1 minute ago, njee20 said:

Not my era, but as someone who grew up in Cranleigh and now lives in Billingshurst I watch with interest!

I went to school in Billingshurst! Over in LSWR territory now though...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yes, mounting the frame is an interesting challenge. The metal plates on the bottom which stick out at the sides, with screw holes are designed to bolt onto a flat surface. You need to have cut a rectangular hole where the levers are and the gubbins goes under board. I have worked out a way of using my frame on Ventnor West which involved mounting micro switches which are activated by the bottom of the levers. Works a treat and I have now got the servos (signals) and turnouts (Cobalts) working on separate common returns. I will be using the same approach on Cowes. 

 

I still have some work to do to finish the wiring on Ventnor West - the control panel is now permanently mounted at the front, so I don't have the complication of plugging in a separate control panel. Much neater, and I hope, reliable!

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I've also made a start on the platforms and loading dock. Timber edging cut to size, and glued down - and then I realized I've done them too long, and not left room for the barrow crossing between the end of the platforms and the crossover, so I'm going to have to work out how to shorten them by about 20mm...

 

 

IMG_20200412_161116919.jpg

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Chris, I'm thinking of using some spare inch-square timber to build a cantilever bracket off the bottom of the baseboard, and screwing the frame to that, with room for the cables then to run under the board edging. Need to decide how I'm going to operate the two hand-points in the yard too.

 

Frame is now painted, so just the locking to go.

 

I've also spent a lot of this weekend on the roof of the railway shed, after finding out it was leaking - to the extent that several locos had mould growing on their buffers and handrails - can anyone explain that?

 

The roof is now re-sealed, it turned out the previous owners had nailed through the overlaps on the felt instead of sticking it down with a bitumen glue. I've sealed all the nails and joints with a roof sealant, as that was the best I could get hold of in the current situation, and will do something more permanent when things get back to normal...

 

 

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Hi guys

 

Nice to read that Nick’s hard work building Cowes is to be continued by you, Chris.

 

Things are progressing slowly on my model of Merstone. Coaching stock is looking healthy and with this lockdown I have decided to order some wagon kits. Having moved home and now having the chance of utilising the whole garage I have turned attention to Merstone rather than Cowes. Then every couple of months the Cowes dream re-surfaces and all the research information comes out of the drawer!

 

keep up the excellent work gents.

 

KR

 

Pete

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

I've only just seen this e-mail, but I have to report that I abandoned the idea of developing Nick's Cowes. I have downsized my ambitions as a result of deciding to leave the loft for the shed - more interested in a small layout I have a chance of "finishing" than a big one which is never going to be completed, and which requires climbing a ladder to get to. As one gets older......  I started fitting Nick's Cowes into the shed and realised how much space it would take and also how long it would take to build the sheer number of buildings required. My thoughts turned to my 20 years old model of Cowes which was still in the rafters in the garage. I got it down to assess the possibilities - one of which was that I would scrap it. I removed all the scenery in a couple of sessions and started pushing rolling stock around it, then driving locos, and concluded that the trackwork was still good. And so that's what I've been doing for the last few weeks. It's been re-wired, points and signals now controlled by servos, working on the platforms and  the station buildingm, the road bridge, etc. The shed is slightly more than 10 feet by 10 feet and the full plan involves a model of Newport in its last days (reduced operational trackwork), a continuous run with a cassette yard, the branch to Cowes, with a triangular junction (in a tunnel) and a scenic section representing Smithards Lane crossing and Gas House siding. Three nice little cameos and interesting operational potential, providing interesting operations for two operators. Base camp is to get Cowes finished and scenicked, running to a temporary cassette yard at right angles. The layout sits on metre high shelving units which store all the modeller's "round tuits", and the whole thing has a good feeling. Nick's Cowes is therefore where my old Cowes was, in the rafters in the garage. It's funny how things turn out sometimes, and it took me a while to work out what I really wanted to do layout wise.  Just got a Hornby Carisbrooke this morning - lovely looking loco, and I need to get working on the new Worsley Works two car push pull set to go with it...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Chris

 

I do admire these modellers who choose a huge project and get it to 'magazine' standard over many years and do not deviate Kingstorre, Bristol Barrow Road, Retford etc....). Most of us alas are more like you - starting a layout, stopping, commencing something else, acquiring something else....I am in that boat too. Space time and finance always seems to restrict our idyll. I researched Cowes for years and collated rolling stock. Then looked at Merstone and made a start on that. Then deviated to HOm SBB-Brunig research with view to building some Swiss stations in my garage.

 

Where am I now...confused, 25 years down the line, nothing to show for it other than much cash spent in the form of various rolling stock and a large knowledge collected of IOW and Swiss railways!

 

I will look with great interest at your latest project of Cowes, Newport and especially Smithards Lane crossing - ideal cameo opportunity with the level crossing and the sloped road down to the Medina.

 

Now, which one of my attempted layouts will I pick up and run with................

 

Pete

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  • 3 months later...
  • RMweb Gold
On 12/04/2020 at 21:47, Nick C said:

I've also spent a lot of this weekend on the roof of the railway shed, after finding out it was leaking - to the extent that several locos had mould growing on their buffers and handrails - can anyone explain that?

 

The roof is now re-sealed, it turned out the previous owners had nailed through the overlaps on the felt instead of sticking it down with a bitumen glue. I've sealed all the nails and joints with a roof sealant, as that was the best I could get hold of in the current situation, and will do something more permanent when things get back to normal...

 

Rather upsettingly, it seems that the baseboards have warped, probably as a result of the aforementioned leak :( Not by a huge amount, but enough that anything going in or out of the loop derails...

 

Not sure what to do now...

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