Peckett B2 - what to do? Layout ideas

[Alex TM]

Hi everyone,

 

Over the years I have tried, and failed, on a number of occasions to build a small working industrial themed layout in 00.  Starting off with bodged conversions of Hornby 'Smokey Joe" types into variations on a Neilson theme, I progressed onto variations on a 'Sentinel' theme.  It was the former (possibly because of the make-do-and-mend approach to modelling) that got me most excited, but that was over thirty years ago.

 

Now, with the release of the Hornby B2, I am enthused to do something again.  It will be freelance, drawing on a few lines of inspiration from some of the gifted folk on this forum.  Here's the rub; what to build?  At present I have permanent space for a 6'x1' shelf.  I have some early 50s rolling stock in BR and big-four liveries.  I also have, as posted elsewhere, 'Sherwood' and 'Westminster', though both will be renamed and the latter will lose the APC logo.

 

Any prototype suggestions are welcome at this time.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read, and I'll update you all soon.  Hopefully, some modelling will be seen too!

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[Mark Saunders]

Alex

 

The question is what interests you have or any industry you have connections with or memories! 

 

British Sugar at Wissington or York have potential for general stock (Paul Bartlett has some nice photo's of both on the web).

 

Mark Saunders

[Alex TM]

Hi Mark,

 

Helpful questions, thanks.

 

Personal memories and connections would be with coal mines or cold-rolling mills.  The former would probably work better, even though the local pits were home to mostly Barclay 040sts (an HC 060t, and a sentinel 4WDH were also around).  Wagons were 7-planks and 16t steel minerals on internal use, with MCOs and a larger (24t?) steel wagon for mainline traffic.  I have previously started to build a layout based around a 'central workshop' idea to try to allow for a variety of stock, and to avoid the space needed for a pit though that never got very far.

 

I think what I am looking for would be an excuse to run as wide a range of stock as possible, both in terms of motive power and wagons.  I'll have a look at HMRS Paul's stuff as you have suggested.

 

Thanks again.

 

Alex.

[Steamport Southport]

It probably also depends on whether you want rural or a more built up town/city type of industry and scenery.

 

No use recommending a factory if you really want a layout full of greenery or vice versa. You're the one who has got to build it and look at it after all.

 

 

Jason

[Captain Kernow]

How about some exchange sidings, which could be set in a rural location, where a colliery loco brings wagons in from the fiddle yard, perhaps shunts them a bit and then exits, with a BR loco then turning up to take the wagons off to the wider world?

 

[Alex TM]

Hi again,

 

Thanks for the practical suggestions gentlemen.

 

I've decided to work on the idea of what I would like to run, and see if that leads down a particular path (or should that be track?).  Thankfully I've never really been into big locos or depot layouts so that helps.  Perhaps something more industrial than rural may justify the volume of traffic.

 

Again, thanks for the help.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[steve W]

Here's a bit of inspiration:

Falmouth Docks, well within your time period.

No room for a full docks system but they did operate up to some exchange sidings. Quite a lot of info on the Cornwall Railway Website and on line, plus some published ideas in, possibly, BRM fairly recently. Plenty of internal traffic variety as shown in the pic. plus oil, materials and various 'stuff' from and to the BR sytem.

Steve W.

[Ruston]

How about doing part of a cement works? Westminster is an actual cement works engine and even comes with APCM logo. You could have a working tippler for incoming coal in 16-T mineral wagons, which adds a lot of interest to operation. Presflos for outgoing cement and various styles of internal use wagons for the carriage of chalk (contractor's type wagons, home-converted tipplers, V-tippers) and flat wagons for the carriage of bagged cement. If you use internal use tipplers for the chalk you could even have a working tippler to unload them.

 

Have the scenic section between two fiddle yards with an exit through a chalk tunnel, as per Swanscombe, to the chalk quarry and the other to BR going behind a large building/pipe bridge, whatever. Lots of operating potential, BR and internal traffic, actually shunting for a real purpose, dusty locos... What's not to like?

 

 

Edited August 24, 2019 by Ruston

[D2000]

Alex there has been some great ideas in this thread. It will be interesting to see what type of theme you finally choose. I am like you I don’t seem to go for big locos and depots.

[Alex TM]

Hi again,

 

Thanks for all the ideas and support.

 

Steve - great photo, but think the loco isn't a B2 as it seems to have only four wheels.  Saying that, it just so happens that I've bought a W4 in Peckett colours (no. 560).

 

Ruston - great idea though a working tippler may be beyond me.  I could see you building that scene.

 

Both of the above ideas, as D2000 suggests, have a lot of mileage.  Both add a lot into the mix.

 

Hmmn, more thinking to do.

 

Thanks and regards.

 

Alex.

[maridunian]

There's a thread on the N Gauge Forum site about the Brynlliw Colliery Landsale Site, which operated a Peckett B2 (1426) and B3 (2114). 

 

https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=38503

 

See Martyn Bane's Peckett site and Wikipedia's List of Pecketts for more ideas:

 

https://www.martynbane.co.uk/images/peckett/locos/2114%2B1426-peckett.jpg

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Peckett_and_Sons_railway_locomotives

 

Mike

Edited August 27, 2019 by maridunian
Faulty URL

[Alex TM]

Hi Mike,

 

Thanks for those suggestions, the first of which is new to me.  That said, those awnings over the agents/traders sidings are interesting; I have seen these, or something similar, in a photo before though this is the first time I've seen a locomotive involved.  Interesting idea, and a little different.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[maridunian]

Hi Alex - the locos obviously served the rest of the colliery also, so a small layout like this could ultimately be expanded/joined to something more complex. 

 

Good luck! 

 

Mike

 

Edited August 28, 2019 by maridunian

[Alex TM]

Hi again,

 

Yes, expanding towards modelling a full colliery (even a fairly small one) would be great; perhaps one day, if I ever get more space.

 

Thanks and regards,

 

Alex.