Manifold Valley Minerals

[Mark Forrest]

It's fair to say that this project has had quite a long gestation, because I couldn't decide what I wanted it to be.  Over the last couple of years I've spent some time thinking about what it is I enjoy most about the hobby (and at times wondering whether I still do enjoy it).  For me,  it boils down to interesting operation (by which I mean shunting) and building kits.  On the other hand, I had a yearning to model a real location, with minimal compression and compromise. 

 

Like most modellers though, the space I have available for a layout is limited.  Trying to balance operational interest with a real location, in the space I had available was proving difficult - it seemed like I could get any two of the three, but never all three at the same time.  Eventually I had to accept the need to make a compromise, so had to think about what I valued most in these requirements.  In short - operation and size won; real location lost.

 

Parking the need for a "real location" and focusing on drawing up a believable, but operationally interesting, track plan brought me back to thinking about what I enjoyed most about my old Foundry Lane layout.  In essence, this was a loop with a couple of sidings facing in opposite directions, with a line going off scene to some further sidings (which were basically added because I'd built too many wagons to fit on the original layout).  Far from being unique, many others have done a much better job of building layouts with a similar track plan.

 

The current version of the plan I've come up with is as below:

 

 

The line at A once continued off scene to the left, but is now disused beyond this point.

 

B leads to an off scene industry, at this stage I'm undecided what the industry is.

 

C is the exit to the mainline, with the other end of the loop off scene.

 

Finally, D are hidden kick back fiddle yard sidings these will be beneath/behind scenery or buildings along the rear of the board.

[Robert Stokes]

What is the curved black line at the bottom of the diagram? Is it a backscene so that viewing would be from the top?

 

Robert

[Mark Forrest]

7 minutes ago, Robert Stokes said:

What is the curved black line at the bottom of the diagram? Is it a backscene so that viewing would be from the top?

That's the front, something that I've wanted to try out for a while is a layout with a curved frontage.  Here I'm hoping to do that, but also take it a stage further to encourage views from the left end.  The hidden kickback sidings are at the rear.

[Ramblin Rich]

Interesting scheme Mark. Does think mean Fryers Lane is finished with, or is this new layout going to be an alternative?

[Mark Forrest]

6 hours ago, Ramblin Rich said:

Interesting scheme Mark. Does think mean Fryers Lane is finished with, or is this new layout going to be an alternative?

Thanks.  This will be an alternative, I think Fryers has a few more years left in it yet.  Progress on the new project will be deliberately slow; I want to take my time with it and not give myself too many deadlines.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

If you are using the bit between the diamonds as a run round loop, is it a tad tight?, probably only enough room for 1 wagon, 2 at most.

 

Mike.

[Mark Forrest]

2 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

If you are using the bit between the diamonds as a run round loop, is it a tad tight?, probably only enough room for 1 wagon, 2 at most.

 

Mike.

That is more of a crossover to allow access to the siding, the other end of the run round loop is off scene to the right.

 

It's drawn as a double slip, I need to work through shunting moves in my head, as it might be a single slip by the time I build it.

[Mark Forrest]

The photo below might help make more sense of the plan.  Once I had a rough trackplan I tried a scale mock up in foamboard to see how it looked.

I had intended there to be a bridge over a canal at the left end, but mocking this up made me realise there isn't enough space to do it properly.

[MarshLane]

Hi Mark,

What period are you modelling with this.  Looks an interesting track plan whatever, and opportunity for plenty of slow speed shunting.  Its a shame the canal scene has had to go, because from your mock-up it seems to sit quite well there.

 

Wish you luck with it - I'll be following along!

 

Rich

[Mark Forrest]

8 hours ago, MarshLane said:

Hi Mark,

What period are you modelling with this.  Looks an interesting track plan whatever, and opportunity for plenty of slow speed shunting.  Its a shame the canal scene has had to go, because from your mock-up it seems to sit quite well there.

 

Wish you luck with it - I'll be following along!

 

Rich

Thanks Rich.

To begin with I'm looking at the post grouping, between the wars time period.  However, with the sort of scene I have in mind it could potentially depict anywhere between (say) 1920 and 1970 with only minimal changes (other than the stock, obviously).

I'm hoping that ensures it will hold my interest longer term as I can build up stock to suit multiple eras.

 

It's likely the canal will be replaced with a road/dirt track crossing the track on the level, although I need to mock up how that will look.

[Gordon A]

I would have thought there was room for a plate girder bridge over the canal?

 

Gordon A

[Mark Forrest]

10 hours ago, Gordon A said:

I would have thought there was room for a plate girder bridge over the canal?

 

Gordon A

To be fair, you might be right; I'm happier with how it looks full size than I was when I tried it on the mock up.

 

I do need to think about what that does to the relative levels at different points on the layout and how to get the canal off scene at the back.

 

[Kylestrome]

Here's a bit of canal inspiration, in case you haven't already seen it.

 

David

 

http://www.emgauge70s.co.uk/model_omwb162.html

 

 

[Ramblin Rich]

2 hours ago, Mark Forrest said:

To be fair, you might be right; I'm happier with how it looks full size than I was when I tried it on the mock up.

 

I do need to think about what that does to the relative levels at different points on the layout and how to get the canal off scene at the back.

 

If there's room, one arrangement could be a road over the canal near the backscene, with lock gates close to the arch so blocking the view through. A bit like the Bratch locks at Wombourne.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F9%2F9a%2FBratch_Bridge.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FBratch&docid=U5WLM_eyKMMG1M&tbnid=jWq4JpUj8EhRJM%3A&vet=1&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim

[Mark Forrest]

Thanks David and Rich for the canal inspiration, I'll give it a bit more thought.

Looking back over my previous jottings and doodles, I'd got as far as considering what the rail over canal bridge might looking like, being quite taken by this example over the River Goyt (I know it's not a canal!) in Whaley Bridge.

I was going to assume that its lightweight construction was the reason that the line over it is no longer in use.

 

After dismissing the canal idea, this is where I got to:

Although to me this suggests a more urban/industrial scene and I'm quite tempted to go a bit more rural with this layout, for a change.

[Stubby47]

If you want more rural, you could change the canal for a river and use that all along the front, giving a reason for the limit to the trackbed area.

With the pre-railway land then rising from left to right, there could be a cutting face to the rear of the tracks where the hill has been removed.

This would provide a screen for the hidden tracks and a possible reason for a farm overbridge on the right.

[halsey]

9 hours ago, Kylestrome said:

Here's a bit of canal inspiration, in case you haven't already seen it.

 

David

 

http://www.emgauge70s.co.uk/model_omwb162.html

 

 

 

Wow

 

this is incredible (to me) and in a way quite dishearteneing/humbling in terms of my efforts - this is modelling at a level I can only aspire to...……………. I haven't read the thread just cam across this link I do have a question though - how is the canal "water" done so well does anyone know is the modeller a member here?

 

Cheers

[long island jack]

I used a flight of locks at the end of my canal on Brewery sidings, don't give up on the idea to soon!!

Edited January 10, 2020 by long island jack

[Mark Forrest]

4 hours ago, Stubby47 said:

If you want more rural, you could change the canal for a river and use that all along the front, giving a reason for the limit to the trackbed area.

With the pre-railway land then rising from left to right, there could be a cutting face to the rear of the tracks where the hill has been removed.

This would provide a screen for the hidden tracks and a possible reason for a farm overbridge on the right.

That’s a fairly accurate description of how I’m currently seeing it in my mind’s eye Stu, except I’d been thinking lane/dirt track in place of river and retaining wall for cutting face - although I guess that depends on the ground conditions in the area to be modelled. 

[Mark Forrest]

3 hours ago, long island jack said:

I used a flight of locks at the end of my canal on Brewery sidings, don't give up on the idea to soon!!

Yes, something similar is what I had in mind for an urban setting, I do like what you’ve done with Brewery Sidings; I’ve considered a brewery as a source of traffic for the industrial branch on this project.

[Stubby47]

22 minutes ago, Mark Forrest said:

That’s a fairly accurate description of how I’m currently seeing it in my mind’s eye Stu, except I’d been thinking lane/dirt track in place of river and retaining wall for cutting face - although I guess that depends on the ground conditions in the area to be modelled. 

 

A dirt lane under / round the front and a lane over a bridge ?  Quite intense roadways for a quiet backwater area. Bridges (over or under) cost money (to the railway building firm) so maybe are needed in an urban area but tough luck in rural ones - "you find a new way round..."

 

[halsey]

looking forward to seeing this one develop

[Guest Jack Benson]

1 hour ago, Stubby47 said:

 

A dirt lane under / round the front and a lane over a bridge ?  Quite intense roadways for a quiet backwater area. Bridges (over or under) cost money (to the railway building firm) so maybe are needed in an urban area but tough luck in rural ones - "you find a new way round..."

 

Hmmm,

 

There is a very underused roadbridge under the Sherborne-Bradford Abbas line to Wyke Farms. Maybe the railway builder didn't read your post?

 

JB

[Stubby47]

3 minutes ago, Jack Benson said:

Hmmm,

 

There is a very underused roadbridge under the Sherborne-Bradford Abbas line to Wyke Farms. Maybe the railway builder didn't read your post?

 

JB

 

Maybe, but is there also an overbridge within a few hundred feet ?

 

[Mark Forrest]

I think that, while there will be exceptions caused by local rights of way, landowner’s access requirements and the history of the line in question, Stu makes a good point that generally the cost of building two bridges close together would be avoided.  Which takes me back to a lane crossing the railway on the level at the left end or a river/stream running under the line.

 

I’m picturing the ground level sloping down from the back to the front and also from right to left, making the right rear corner the highest point on the layout and the front left corner the lowest.