Gilbertine Level

[ianathompson]

Gilbertine Level

 

Synopsis

Despite all the other modelling calls on my time I have decided to build yet another layout which will be little more than an Inglenook Sidings type layout.

 

Background (or a long winded pre-amble to my latest ill considered venture).

I suppose that the writings of Iain Rice have much to answer for in the modelling world. One of his most recent contributions to the canon appeared in Model Railway Journal 242, and was reprised in his book about cameo layouts. This recounted the desire of Bob Barlow to have a layout based on a narrow gauge light railway serving an agricultural enterprise in the fens. Mr. Rice even went so far as to suggest that this agricultural line could have sprung from the Wisbech & Upwell at Outwell Basin and run out into the adjacent fens. As the aforesaid basin is a mere six miles down the road, and given that I have lived in the area for thirty odd years, I considered that I knew the intended location quite well.

 

Despite being a serial layout builder with a proven track record of never ever having finishing anything, nothing of consequence happened for a while, except that, beguiled by Rice's ideas I built a cameo layout to potentially showcase the (7mm narrow gauge) AFK. This, needless to say, languishes today as a skeletal carcass, although I occasionally contemplate taking it on to the next step of scenic development. As a non-sequitur I then decided that the Great North of Scotland Railway needed to reach Inverness, in N gauge of course, although there was an underlying motive in that this layout is designed to be easily transported to my sister's house in the Cotswolds whenever I am called upon to look after my mother.

 

From raddled acorns withered oaks stuntedly grow, I suppose. Whilst contemplating a fairly extensive rebuild of the main, room sized layout, I visited Lynn, never King's Lynn locally, to watch the football team, as I often do, and entered the local hardware modelling shop for some supplies. It was there that I stumbled across a Bachmann Baldwin and the seeds of Gilbertine Fen were sown. After a week or so of desperate resistance I succumbed and bought one, and a couple of wagons, before the next home game. I suppose another half finished layout is in prospect once the first flames of enthusiasm die away. Never mind, the fun of the journey is in the travelling rather than the arrival, I suppose.

 

Locational considerations

Rather than contemplating a standard gauge line running from Outwell Basin I have assumed that a narrow gauge line was built north eastwards onto the fen. A quick survey of Google Earth shows a place importantly marked as West Head, which seems a likely initial target, with a further extension possible towards Stowbridge or Magdalen. West Head is so insignificant in reality that I did not even realise that it had a name for many years until, when I was teaching Geography, one of the new teachers produced a local map with this name on it, for the kids to fill in! Having played against Barroway Drove at cricket in times gone by, and knowing some-one who farmed there, I had always considered it an outlier of the village. Recent research has shown, however, that many years ago it had a pub rejoicing in the singular name of the Eel Pie!

 

Disregarding these ramblings the layout is set on the Gilbertine Level, roughly within the area outlined. My intention is to create a pastiche of the local area rather than create an accurate rendition of a real place so to this end a fictitious but plausible name was required. Harking back to Mr. Rice's writings he observes that many religious houses owned lands in the fens and suggests Abbott's Fen as a suitably generic name.  The Gilbertines were the only English based order and were broadly similar to the Cistercians in outlook. This latter order was well known for improving the agricultural output of its land so it seems reasonable that the Gilbertines would have drained their fen and developed it accordingly. The order had a local house at Shouldham so I have assumed that accommodation was built for the lay brothers on this exclave of their estates.

 

As for the village/hamlet name itself there is no guarantee that it would follow that of the area it sat within. Two alternatives have been considered. Tiger Drove would reflect the common nickname given to some of the obdurate "Fen Tigers" who lived locally. "Yellowbellies" and "Slodgers" were two other old nicknames in used to describe fen people, although I have heard much more derogatory versions as well! The Drove simply refers to a remote, sometimes unmade fenland road. The other option is Almoner's End. This would reflect the monastic influence and End is a common enough common suffix in the area not to raise eyebrows.

A quick ramble around the chosen area, one winter's morning in the car, produced a crop of photographs of modellable cameos. I did not set off at random as I had a good idea of the target buildings and structures that I wished to include, if possible, on the layout. Needless to say many will be excluded for reasons of space. More importantly aspects of the landscape were captured, particularly the winter skies. This is, after all an area where the sky dominates the landscape, because, "the fens are flat". Although the fens are obviously flat compared to other areas of the country, they are not quite like the billiard table that some would have you believe. There are many subtle variations in level that often seem to escape the notice of many modellers when they choose this area as their subject. I hope to incorporate these into my model.

 

 

The proposed model

It is intended to set the layout in the beet season at some undefined time during the late 1950s. Beet is only harvested during the winter months so it should make a change from the summer setting of many layouts. The locos will be RTR from the Bachmann and Minitrains range with the stock mainly being constructed from kits. Underpinning this is the assumption that all the equipment is ex WWI War Department stock in the final dilapidated stages of its life. A beet pad and a selection of local buildings will be included in an attempt to capture the bleak character of the area in winter. The layout will be contained within a four by one box with a fiddle stick extension. It is anticipated that the track will be built using copper clad sleepers and Peco Z gauge rail. The electrics will be kept as simple as possible and points will be manually activated. A couple of diagrams of the proposed arrangement are shown below.

 

2 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

A drain and pumping station will emphasise that this is the fens. Incoming traffic will consist of coal for the pump, fuel for the workshop/tractor station, fertiliser and other agricultural supplies. Outgoing will be beet, eggs and chickens. I suppose that, if I wished to stretch the concept and "change" the season that a jam factory and/or local greenhouses could be expected to contribute traffic. Time will tell.

 

1 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

This crude artist's impression should convey the feel of the layout. The buildings and roads will certainly not be square and level and the cottages will be kept standing by timber cribbing.

 

Ian T

Edited December 18, 2019 by ianathompson

[tom q vaxy]

being a process-person myself, I would offer your previous experiences are shaping this next undertaking in an exquisite manner!

 

 

following along.

[uax6]

looking forward to watching this develop Ian, you now have a month to get something built!

 

Andy G

[ianathompson]

Gilbertine Level has not quite sunk into the morass of semi discarded ideas that characterise my model building, and occupy various corners of the house, but doubtless it will soon reach that purgatory state.Anyhow here are a few photos of the latest developments.

 

5 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

The basics of construction are all but completed. The baseboard, fascia and background are made of MDF. Most of the landscape, such as it is, is carved from foamboard and the roadbed is Sundeala. The ideas of Mr Rice are apparent in that two wings have been added to disguise the awkward front edge of the model. I suppose that a lighting fixture could be added along the front, was I so minded, but as the layout is not likely to wander any further than the kitchen table this would seem to be an unlikely development. The main problem would appear to be the introduction of a backscene without an obvious joint. Any ideas anyone? I have one or two but we will have to wait and see. The low level of the drain entering the pumping station is quite obvious in this shot.

 

6 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

This is the right hand end of the layout. the loco has "pulled" onto the headshunt which casually crosses the (relatively) main road beside the Four Alls. The implication is that the line once continued along the drove but is now truncated. The observant will note that the Four Alls has developed a list.

 

7 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

At the left hand end of the layout the train enters the scene from behind a (very crudely mocked up) Nissen hut. This is probably too large but whatever eventually stands here will be a service point for farm machinery. I am contemplating using the conifers to form a wind break whilst disguising the abrupt edge of the model.. The sway backed hut in the background will probably become a jam factory. I know that we are a way down the road from Wisbech but it does not seem to be too unfeasible. The standing (to the right of the engine, beside the "factory") could be used for loading eggs and poultry.

 

8 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

The wagon, which will eventually be repainted, is standing where I envisage the weighbridge to be. Railway Modeller included a free small hut this month, so I might build this up to become the weigh office and operations centre for Tiger Drove. The Gilbertine Level Tramway operations would be a casual affair but a quick call on the phone to the "control" at Outwell would confirm whether it was safe to leave with a train, or best to wait, rather than have a "cornfield meet" and reversing back down the line. The Primitive Methodist chapel and the primary school stand in the background. The school incorporates many features of Magdalen's old school but is not a slavish copy. The chapel is named Yam Suph, a reference to the crossing of the Red Sea which seems appropriate for its location. To be honest its orientation is wrong as it is facing south rather than east but this presents a better modelling option.

 

9 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

The middle of the layout is occupied by the pumping station. Thanks to the advice of Auldreekie, on another website, I have bought  a copy of The Drainage of the Fens from Ebay. Perhaps the weight of the engine is causing the boiler and pumping houses to lean. The chimney is too short on this mock up but I anticipate uncoupling by hand and reaching into the scene. I suppose that the finished article could be made taller and removable. The houses in the background are a caricature and their lean is likely to be rather less in the finished state. The Post Office behind the Land Drover is a lean-to with the gable end of the adjacent house butting onto the backscene. There is an alternative mocked up but this is the current favourite. If it makes the final cut it will most likelty be made from wood or asbestos sheeting.

 

The next stage in development will be to lay some track and get things moving. For now though it is back to altering platform alignments at Inverness Citadel and doing some joinery at Lacono.

 

Ian T

[tom q vaxy]

"Gilbertine Level has not quite sunk into the morass of semi discarded ideas that characterise my model building, . . ."

 

cheer up; we've got an entire new decade which to explore!

[ianathompson]

A little further along.

 

10 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

The development of this layout has effectively been sidelined for some time now. The AFK obviously takes precedence in the pecking order and Inverness Citadel and the Skye railway (in the garden) have also muscled their way to the front of the queue. The major problem was that I ordered and paid for the Peco Z scale rail from the local model shop before “Lock Down”. They did not read the order properly and only obtained a small amount of rail. I am still, nearly 6 months later, waiting for these materials. I have obtained some directly from the factory so there is a prospect of progress.

 

The bridge over the drain presents a problem. It has to have rails over it but the backscene behind it has to be accessible for painting and blending the drain in. Anyway I have bitten the bullet and created an alleged “winter sky” effect. It looks more like the Apocalypse but this is version 3 which is much less threatening than the original. The smudges in the background represent distant buildings, although there is a little more to be seen from a higher angle. Not much, however: this is the Fens in winter! The wind whipped pewter grey drain confirms this. It might or might not receive some white water from the pump and I might add a couple of coypu when I get around to it. These were made extinct in the late eighties. I can still remember the ‘likely lads’ at the High School, where I taught, talking about their scores and bounties over the weekend!

 

The bridge is an amalgam of the features of local bridges that I have photographed. They look as though they were supplied in kit form as pre-cast components and were put together, following the instructions, on site. “Where does this bit go, George?!” I presume that the relatively light construction reflects difficulties with the foundations. They also featured slightly splayed outer legs, for the same reasons I suspect. The splay on mine is probably slightly too wide and the legs are on the heavy side. I have compensated for this by only placing one in the middle rather than the standard pair. Cutting nine legs to roughly the same length, and incorporating the splay, was a game and a half. Anyway it is finished and now awaits painting before the final fixing. The rails will then be added. I am not quite sure what the pipe is for but I copied the idea from the structure at Neep’s Bridge. It cannot be for sewage as they are all on septic tanks down there but I suppose that it could be a water main. A quick leaf through the reports of the sanitation committee of Downham RDC, in the fifties, reveals that it truly was a different world back then! If the pipe does stay, and I have considered removing it, it will need some steel straps to fasten it to the bridge.

 

There is also the question of what these bridges looked like in the fifties or early sixties. They are well weathered “biscuit“ colour nowadays with various bright yellow lichens colonising them. It would also be interesting to know when they were erected. I assume that they were pre WWII replacements for wooden structures.

 

Ian T

[Edwardian]

Excellent composition

[jcredfer]

The pipe may well be a remnant of one of the, round the country, fuel distribution pipes the military laid down during WWII.  They were underground, for protection from attack, as it would need a direct hit, which back then was highly unlikely, even if they could find it.  The problem presented it'self when it had to cross water, so some were just passed across between built piers and others run by bridges.  The distance was small, so a close strike damage it, but only a small span would need repair.

 

Julian

 

[ianathompson]

15 hours ago, jcredfer said:

The pipe may well be a remnant of one of the, round the country, fuel distribution pipes the military laid down during WWII. 

 

I would be very surprised if that at Neep's Bridge was one of these pipes but it is an intriguing thought.

 

It is interesting to observe that there seem ()and I am no expert) to have been few wartime airfields out on the fen.

The local ones, Downham Market and Marham (still operational) were on the hiigher ground at the edge of the fen.

I assume that it was due to the heavy aircraft pounding the unstable subsoil.

The heavy runways and buildings might also have been subject to subsidence, although whether that would have ebcome apparent before the end of the war, might also be open to question.

 

I wait to be corrected, and immediately think of Lakenheath and Mildenhall, although you are probably puishing it to calim that they are truly in fenland.

[ianathompson]

Slow but steady progress.

 

I couldn’t resist using that old chestnut from my school days, both as a recipient and, later, as a bestower of the accolade, when I taught. I think it fairly summarises the layout’s progress to date. It is moving towards, “more effort needed”, to quote another old favourite, as I have not so far lifted a finger on the AFK since Lacono was half dismantled. Anyway here are some photos of the limited progress.

 

11 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

1. The bridge over the drain has been completed, although it has taken a few knocks in the track laying process and needs retouching here and there. The general consensus, from discussion on various threads, is that these were Inter War replacements for wooden structures. The Four Alls, as with the other buildings, is becoming tatty but it will be kept to act as a template for the final model. The telephone box occupies one of its prospective positions, although it will not lean quite so much when finished!

 

I could not resist buying the bus. I had simply intended to place a bus queue in the pub’s car park, cowering from the wind and rain, but good quality models are relatively cheap nowadays and I cannot resist. There is, in any case, the option of leaving it off the model if I choose, whereas there would be no option if I did not have it! The bus is surprisingly large when compared to the other road and rail vehicles, although it is a relatively small single-decker. I suspect that many people have forgotten, in this day of obese vehicles for obese people, just how small cars were in the fifties and early sixties. It has rather lost its way if it is going to Cromer and I am interested in the route number’s provenance. I am not a bus enthusiast but a few minutes on the Eastern Counties Omnibus website pulled up a list of routes in the fifties. All Norfolk routes were in the 1-99 series so where 758 comes from, I don’t know. It will eventually be altered to display Downham and route 366. Many of the West Norfolk routes were operated by sub sheds of Peterborough which was allocated the 300-399 series. 366 appears to have been unused in my time period. I would also be interested to know whether the destination blind should read “Downham” or “Downham Market”, as I have, so far, been unable to unearth a relevant photo.

 

 

12 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

2. A photograph of the Baldwin as it pulls in off the fen. Unfortunately the cab has been knocked as the stanchion is unclipped. It is amazing what the naked eye brushes out! It was put back into place once I saw the photo. There are a couple of points of interest here.

 

The first is the trackwork. Various people commented on my proposed track layout and made suggestions about the choice of rail. I have used Peco code 60 (Z gauge) which I gather has an unprototypically wide head. I opted to use it because it is relatively easy to obtain and the ‘wideness’ is relative. In any case we all have our own view of things and I do not personally like the twee image that some narrow gauge models project. The trackwork on Gilbertine Level will be anything but level and, where it is not embedded in concrete or tarmac, it will be semi submerged in a sea of weeds. This is the test piece and to some extent explains why the build has been so protracted. The rail is attached to copperclad sleepers obtained for the AFK from the 7mmNGA so it is by no means to scale but it does offers an opportunity for secure fixing. The untreated track on the adjacent siding shows the construction in better detail, including the deliberately introduced bumps. I am trying to model a dilapidated agricultural tramway at the fag end of its days rather than a neatly manicured NG version of the East Coast Main Line. The loco was run into this position, incidentally, rather than being placed onto inoperative track.

 

The second point is the background. I have deliberately side stepped the ‘lovely sunny day’ common in Modelrailwayshire. This is meant to be the fens in winter. The initial intention was to portray gathering storm clouds with a potential “fen blow” in the offing. Believe me when it blows it blows. (I still rate the best penalty that I ever kicked for Downham was from 25 yards, smack in front of the posts, and would have been a ‘back heel’ job normally. I lamped it into the teeth of a Force 8 or 9 and it only just made it, by about 2 or 3 feet!) Back on Gilbertine Level the thought has occurred, given the indistinct outline of the few background buildings in sight, that it could equally well be a foggy morning where the trains emerge from the mist. Take your pick.

 

 

13 by Ian Thompson, on Flickr

 

3. To the best of my knowledge David Jenkinson first articulated the idea of “funnies”, that is trains out of place in the setting portrayed. Here we have a Belgian tram running down a fenland street. The tram is the latest Minitrains model and, I think, is a modern take on “Fiery Elias”, the Eggerbahn loco. I suspect that it runs rather better than the originals, as do the other Eggerbahn copies, but I would not know as I never had one. I bought a non runner from eBay a few years ago but have never got round to fixing it. I did look out the tramway coaches from an obscure drawer, however, but I cannot imagine that there would be too many takers for the Minitrains open carriage, given the prevailing weather!

 

The track in the foreground serves to emphasise the crude construction techniques. The rail in the foreground is not yet accurately set to gauge, but very few ever are with my track. The embryonic diamond crossings have had the rails soldered into place on the far side and the crossing vees will be cut with a disc. Do not bother to respond to this post by pointing out my blasphemous approach or Neolithic skills set. From experience, it will work, eventually.

 

With a little more effort the basics will soon be completed and then the AFK will take precedence again.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

And what, you might be wondering, has happened to Gilbertine Level? It never really went away if the truth be told, but was placed upon indefinite hold. There are many modelling claims upon my time, the needs of the AFK predominating of course. The N gauge Inverness Citadel layout has also received attention and finally, after a two year hiatus, attention returned to Gilbertine Level.

 

At the time of the last post I was contemplating an unlikely piece of complex track which many people pointed out was uncharacteristic of the prototype. Construction commenced but whereas I used to be able to build such formations in N gauge, years ago, declining eyesight and hand co-ordination resulted in too many burnt paxolin sleepers and a general mess. Eventually common sense won out and the whole process was aborted. One salvageable point remained in situ and the layout was placed into limbo.

 

It was recently exhumed and re-assessed. The obvious path was to complete the loop with another point which would at least allow trains to arrive and depart. This is the current state of play. The pictures tell the rest.

 

The belated realisation that my proposed route managed to cross the Great Eastern’s Wisbech branch prompted a slight relocation and the layout is now envisaged as being near Rungay’s Bridge, in area inaccessible to most of us as it lies on a large agricultural estate, although the bridge can be reached down the back roads. This technically put it in Walsoken UD but Downham RDC expanded at various times to include areas from surrounding authorities. By the late 50s timeframe envisaged for the layout I think that this area had been transferred to Downham. This still leaves the GLT too close to Middle Drove station but we all model in alternative realities don’t we?

 

Here are a couple of photos culled from another website.

 

 

An untypical train pulls in from the fen. Most of the stock would be open wagons but at this stage of development vans predominate. Some kits are awaiting attention to remedy this situation. The van in the foreground is standing on the proposed siding besides the office. I originally intended to hide the hole in the sky behind an agricultural depot but I now intend to put a goods shed there. There is a good photo of one on the Sand Hutton tramway which was little more than a garage with a staging inside to keep goods under cover. Norfolk County Council’s road roller will receive a repaint and be covered with a dirty tarpaulin. I assume that the roads were looked after by the county as opposed to Downham RDC. The chapel mock up has disappeared and a sheet of N gauge corrugated iron is standing in.

 

 

The tramway’s working methods are subject to some debate and experimentation at the moment. Despite the perceived flat nature of the fens they are actually undulating and some of the approaches to the bridges rise steeply from the shrunken fen. The drain was included to emphasise this common local problem. The Baldwin struggles with this short steep stretch and will only surmount it with a run up. I am not keen on overstressing these delicate mechanisms so alternatives are being considered. The various small diesels seem to cope better as does a German WWII Kreigslok, presumably bought cheaply after the war.

 

 

Clearing the yard points with a full train requires it to pull forward across the Gilbertine Main Drain which feeds into the “Sixteen Foot”. The replacement bus is much smaller than the original and fits the scene better although it needs a repaint. The loco has to pull into the road over the bridge and then check whether it is safe to cross the B road leading to Downham before running into the drove behind the Four Alls.

 

 

In the previous pictures there was only one train present but it is intended to regularly have two trains crossing at the terminus. The Alco and the van represent this. Downham Market RDC are not keen on the GLT running down the middle of Tiger Drove but there is little option other than to do this. The RDC have placed restrictions upon the tram however which has been requested to keep off the road as much as possible. The road is marked by the blue line behind the van and the outgoing train is standing in the verge. The sudden appearance of a Baldwin 4-6-0T from behind the Primitive chapel is prohibited by the need to come to a dead stop. Downham RDC are insistent upon this operating inconvenience. The car driver is thus spared a heart stopping moment. The incoming train then has to pull forward to allow the departing train out. As an aside the contrast between the bare track and the test piece of weeds is clear. The tram almost disappears into the ground. The Alco is proving prone to derailing on the rough track as the pony trucks often diverge from the straight and narrow.

 

 

Pulling the train forward reveals a problem. Once uncoupled, a move necessitated by the short headshunt, the back half of the train runs away down the drove. The local constable keeps a beady eye out for such illegal procedures although it is rumoured that a pint of Bullards in the Four Alls can smooth things over. Perhaps that is why he is so vigilant!

 

 

The loco, in this instance, pulls the front half of the train forward, uncouples, and allows the train to run down the verge by gravity. There are thoughts of placing a diesel into the drove, beside the pub, which will remove the need for the loco to carry out the shunting.

 

 

In this case the loco returns down the road to take the back part of the train into the yard. The Bachmann wagons are heavier than the others and run further along the loop. I have also discovered that the various manufacturers couplings do not like one another. “I’m not coupling with you because you’re Roco." The Lord alone knows how the Bosna couplers on the Heeresfeldbahn loco work.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

As per usual with my minor layouts considerable time has elapsed since I last posted anything about Gilbertines’ Fen.

Hand building a ”life time” layout (the AFK) tends to dominate other modelling interests, almost to their exclusion.

The Gilbertine Fen set up is a “far backburner” project, well down the pecking order behind Inverness Citadel, my portable N gauge representation of the GNoSR’s attempts to reach the aforesaid city.

 

Before looking at any physical progress on the layout it is perhaps best to visit the background once again.

With the passing of time this has been reconsidered.

 You might remember that the initial intention was to run the line into the fen from the Wisbech & Upwell station at Outwell Basin, having been inspired by Iain Rice’s writings in MRJ.

 Much time was spent drawing lines upon Google Earth maps until I eventually ended up with a railway around 8½ miles long.

Some of the Lincolnshire potato railways, which provide the inspiration for the line, reached and exceeded this length but I generally felt that this was rather too long for a very minor railway.

 

There were the additional problems causing unease.

The projected line lay within the catchment areas of two or three GER stations and actually crossed the course of the Lynn and Wisbech branch to reach its destination.

Rather than running to Stowbridge or Magdalen Road, the obvious termini, the route opted to interchange at the cramped station of a minor tramway which itself interchanged with the GER.

The other problem was the “Sixteen Foot”, or the Main Middle Level Drain to give its proper title.

This is a substantial water course which would either require an expensive bridge or the council’s approval to use an existing road bridge to cross it.

Similar minor railways tended to avoid such problems and, indeed, the Sand Hutton line never did reach Scrayingham, across the Derwent, as initially projected, because of the proposed bridge’s cost.  

The Nocton Estates Railway was also bounded by the Witham, but built a gantry over the river to serve Bardney sugar factory.

Having been beguiled by Mr. Rice’s vision, not the first I expect, it was obvious that any tramway starting from Outwell Basin would not cross the drainage channel and would instead run towards Marshland. I wanted somewhere closer to Downham than that.

 

 

 

A rethink suggested that Stow station would make a tenable starting point for my system and that the railway could run into the area today owned by Eau Brink Estates, as shown on the map.

 

This would still pose the problem of crossing the Ouse, but not the modern Relief Channel, which was built after WWII, so an agreement with Norfolk County Council to run along the side of the road over the bridge was needed.

The old OS maps suggest that there were once fewer buildings in this area than there are today so that the railway could easily run alongside the road through the western part of the village.

This was deemed an acceptable compromise (otherwise there would be no railway!)

I have no connection with, or knowledge of, the Estate company but it owns a large tract of land in the fen, mainly reached over private roads or awkward to drive single track dead ends.

(Do not ask how I know about the latter!)

Many of the farms are not named on either Google Earth or OS maps giving me a free hand with the lands of the renamed Gilbertine Level Estate.

Redrawing the route, beginning at Stow station, suggested that a more credible route of 5 miles and 19 chains could be achieved, with a 1 mile 0 chains branch to West Head.

The railway’s operations centre, loco sheds and general repair and storage facilities is at Holy Cross, the ‘original’ monastic centre of the order on the Level.

 

The site of the model, as the renamed hamlet of Seas End, relies upon a warp in the time-space continuum because it is sited directly where a gate house stood upon the Lynn and Wisbech branch.

This is assumed to have taken a different route in my parallel universe, crossing the Sixteen Foot further north, with its junction much nearer to Lynn than it was in actuality.

The modelled ‘main’ road, across the bridge from the pumping station, roughly follows the real railway’s course.

The village’s name suggests it stood on the thirteenth century coastline at the edge of the reclaimed fen.

There are hamlets incorporating this suffix into their name although whether they should include an apostrophe or not is a moot point.

As reclamation continued the land became prone to flooding and Syvington’s Leam was put in during the late fourteenth century to help control the waters of the Ouse.

Syvington was one of the Abbots at Shouldham Abbey, the mother church of the local Gilbertines.

It is all a little nebulous, I am afraid, but the real history of the area was complex with the drainage channels, such as the Ouse and Nene, often changing course and inundating the land.

 

Contemplation, and drawing lines on maps, is easier than actually doing any modelling but eventually the model was retrieved from Hades, the resting place of my many half built models, to allow work to resume.

Despite the trackwork remaining incomplete I decided to initially focus upon the pumping station at Seas End.

I had initially bought a Will’s craftsman kit for an engine shed to use as a basis for this.

Fortunately, during the long interregnum, I had realised my schoolboy’s error and decided that it should be replaced with a brick building rather than one of stone!

 A couple of replacement Airfix/Dapol engines sheds were bought and dismemberment began.

 

During the interim I had also obtained a Faller kit for a stationary steam engine, which was earmarked to fill the space in the engine room.

The large windows would have made its absence obvious.

There were some problems with the design, as originally mocked up, reflecting my ignorance of the general arrangement of these pumps.

Inevitably they were all similar but no two were alike.

Eventually I designed my own, following the general template but experts will be able to spot my bodges.

Of course, having drawn my design on the back of an envelope, there were unforeseen problems once construction began and, as with most of my modelling, alterations were made on the hoof.

 

 

 

The basic components of the engine have been laid out on a new engine room floor, the original was too garish, as well as too large, and the boiler house is being sketched in.

A large scoop wheel has been attached at the rear of the building.

Sometimes these were contained within a brick extension building but I decided that mine would be housed in a wooden enclosure to emphasise the size and purpose of the wheel.

I suppose that this is more of a throw back to windmill technology rather than the steam era but it just about seems plausible.

 

 

This view shows the completed pump sketched in waiting for detailing to begin.

One problem is that the pump has to lift out to allow access to the point behind and its microswitch hidden in the boiler house.

The point rod runs under/through the building.

The activator for the crossing polarities has fallen off and is lying in the Styx leam.

The discharge point for the water also needs relocating from that initially cut into the bank, although the logical route for this seems to run under the chimney base.

I cannot see any problem with building it into the foundations of the chimney so that is where it is likely to end up.

Some one will doubtless point out the error of my ways!

The chimney should also be tapered rather than parallel but I can accept this compromise.

The rationale behind sketching in the pumping station was that the position of the coal bunkers could then determine the position of the delivery siding, rather than the other way round, as had initially been the case.

 

 

A quick test of the layout showed that one circuit had become disconnected, one microswitch activator had fallen off, as seen in the previous photo, and that a number of points that had previously worked without problem were now playing up.

I appreciate that OO9 is picky when compared to 7mm scale but how such problems occur always baffles me, especially as the layout had been stored in a warm dry room in the house.

A potential problem with the kick back siding led to a wiring rearrangement which revealed that I had now inadvertently disconnected another area of track.

The original wiring diagram had, as per usual, been drawn on the back of an envelope which had been thrown away.

These problems were resolved before any new work commenced.

 

 

This kick back siding provides an excuse for some inward bound traffic, i.e. the coal required to feed the boiler.

Attempt number 1 placed the track on concrete pillars to allow for easy unloading into bunkers.

Unfortunately the supports dominated the scene and, after some contemplation, they were removed.

The worker provides some idea of their size.

It would be difficult to release the door catches on the WD wagon from this position.

The original idea was to supply coal from scratchbuilt Hudson hopper wagons but reconsideration suggested that this demanded a lot of empty mileage and specialised stock.

 

 

Attempt 2 lowered the ramp and proved better from an aesthetic viewpoint.

Unloading is helped by gravity and the man standing behind the wagon should be able to reach the door latches to let the coal spill out.

He can also climb into the wagon, without too much difficulty, to finish unloading it.

(No Safety Elf in those days!)

I suppose that this raises the issue of how he gets coal from the near side of the wagon into the boiler house.

You never can win can you?!

In a manner similar to that of the bridge on the Sand Hutton Railway the crossing of the drainage channel is known locally as the “Forth Bridge.”

 

That is all for now.

Hopefully I should finish the trackwork this time around which will then allow smaller projects, such as the buildings to be dealt with as and when.

 

Ian T

[ianathompson]

I have posted on other sites about progress on this layout but perhaps not so much on here.

This is the current state of play.

 

Having restarted work on the project by building the pumping station I decided that I might as well sketch in all the other buildings.

I think that it was Iain Rice that observed that buildings were a thief of time and he, or whoever else it was, was correct.

Time has also been spent fettling the track.

Speeds would be low on this type of line so although it is rough and ready it has to permit good running.

I am not quite there with this yet but I am progressing.

The views are seen from left to right.

 

 

Trains enter the scene from behind the goods shed, which is little more than a corrugated iron shed painted in the traditional Fenland black.

This is well weathered, rusty and sports a hole in the roof (due to an accident with the soldering iron used to soften the corrugated sheet). As this is over the track no-one is too concerned.

It is a typical “model railwayism” in that quite how goods are moved out of the shed is open to question.

It awaits a set of battered doors to complete it.

Behind stands the jam factory with a van at one of the loading doors.

As noted last time, the building has settled in all directions.

In the foreground the Norfolk CC steam roller stands next to the railway office.

 

 

The factory backs onto the Primitive Methodist chapel, No 14 on the Downham circuit.

The siding only just clears the chapel and the factory yard alongside it is also used for loading eggs into vans.

The road runs between the chapel and the Primary school which has acquired an out building for the care taker.

It is assumed that the entrance is at the rear of the building as presented.

The Alco and train are standing on the grass verge, out of the road.

The Alco will be painted into black when time permits and the first wagon (a Roco feldbahn example) will be painted grey.

The battered WD class E was originally a fancily painted Bachmann model.

There is no place for such twee offerings here, nor for carefully manicured track!

 

 

The small caretaker’s extension fills most of the ambiguous empty space originally left between the school and the cottages.

The two classroom school is typical of the village primaries that were common when I started my teaching career in the local comprehensive during the early eighties.

Nowadays they are nearly all closed and the pupils are bussed four or five miles, from the age of 5, into large primary schools such as the one around the corner from where I live.

I understand the economics but I remain to be convinced that this is progress.

The bracing for the subsiding cottages will have to encroach onto Norfolk CC property.

If they object the cottages could fall on the kids!

I have been less than impressed with the Slater’s brickwork sheets which seem to break and splinter very easily.

Their N gauge and O gauge counterparts are much easier to work with.

 

 

In my usual “bull in a china shop” style the subsiding houses have been overdone.

No subtlety here please!

The houses will be rendered with the cracked brickwork showing through.

The building seems to be sitting a little high in this photo but it is not uncommon to find fenland buildings approached by steps up to the door due to the peat shrinking as it is drained.

The lean to Post Office next door is a mish-mash of various local designs, many of which, like the schools, are now sadly gone.

Many survived into the nineties or the first decade of the new century before giving up the ghost.

I assume that this one was made from the asbestos sheeting that was commonplace as a building material during the mid-twentieth century.

The corrugated iron roof shows up where it was marked out for cutting.

The post master’s house behind it is not currently glued in place as access will be needed to provide an interior as the inside is rather exposed.

The wagon is a Minitrains’ Pershing wagon.

Most of the stock will be ex-WD, when built, but there are already one or two American and German interlopers to add variety.

The wall in the foreground stands next to the drain leading to the pump.

 

 

Little progress has been made recently with the pumping station, although it has acquired a chimney.

This is clad in O gauge bricks because the OO sheets simply splintered on application.

I am aware that the prototypes tapered towards the top and that using a pipe results in an unrealistic shape but it will have to do.

It has been suggested to me that raising the chimney base would allow for the flue to be placed above the drainage channel from the wheel.

This still awaits attention.

The photo also helps to show the general arrangement of the buildings in relation to one another.

 

 

 

 

Reaching the right hand end of the layout we find the final grouping of buildings.

The layout of the “Four Alls” was roughly taken from the Ten Mile Bank “Windmill”.

The side bar is in a rather worse condition than that at the “Windmill” ever was and the decrepit porch comes from my imagination and the desire for a view block.

The bar and porch will be rendered and the roofs will have to be individually tiled.

The sign post will lean but not quite to the extent shown!

Like the schools and the shops the “Windmill” is long gone.

This trinity was the foundation of village life until twenty or thirty years ago.

Some local villages have now lost all three but most seem to have kept one of them.

Those retaining all three, such as Hilgay, Southery, Wimbotsham and Denver are rarities today.

These four villages have all lost their football teams, however, which were a focus of village and pub social life.

I kept goal on Sundays at Southery for around fifteen years or so.

The Four Alls will definitely compete in the Lynn & District Division 3, even though they have to chase the cattle off their bumpy field (seen it happen) before playing.

Gotobed’s garage across the car park is a generic building which will be fitted, in time, with a couple of petrol pumps.

The owner has a highly localised surname to help give the layout a sense of place.

I do not know the provenance of the name but I can certainly testify that Fenland was still a wild and woolly place forty or so years ago.

 

Ian T

Edited March 3 by ianathompson
duplicate photos

[uax6]

Interestingly my parents bought their house in King's Lynn in the '70's, from the Gotobed's, who owned the shop that existed up until the turn of the century in Littleport (and which is now, of course a charity shop).

Very much a local name....

 

Andy G

[ianathompson]

As you are doubtless well aware, Andy, especially given where you live, all the local villages had family names.

Armsby and Rudkin were two Southery (?) ones.

There were a number of others, as I recall, from teaching at the High School.

 

I have heard it said that it was the coming of WWII that enlarged the gene pool of such villages.

This was due to their drove roads being concreted over for the modern machinery associated with intensive farming.

This allowed the more adventurous lads to get to the next village to meet their girls.

Seeing some of the results in the early eighties, evolution must have started from a very low base!

 

I cannot remember whether I told you about the Bishop of Ely visiting Southery around 1900 to preach upon the evils of in sest (NB. See edit)

His carriage was stoned as it left the village!

I was told this by Alan Davies the vicar!

 

Ian T 

 

 Edit: The prudish net nanny is auto editing this post to delete the correct spelling of the practice that I refer to.

You all know what I mean.

Perhaps the nanny and the 1900 Bishop of Ely were good friends!

 

 

Edited March 3 by ianathompson
net nanny intervening