Docks away!, or, making a virtue out of a necessity . . .

[coline33]

15 hours ago, Corbs said:

I agree but there's no way that crane can take 20 tons unless it's made from Unobtanium

For context Crane 32 (10 tons) is closest in this photo. The 3-tonners are behind.

Ah, definitely Bristol fashion!   Sometimes our engineers considered some of the quay crane designs around Britain to be under-engineered and others over-engineered.   We carried a £1m. liability insurance last century to cover quay crane collapses which did happen as general cargo loads got heavier, stated weights were incorrect and non-container unit-load traffic developed.   An area where containerisation scored but of course being a new revolution it started with much stronger structures both in cranage and quay carriage.   Then there were the financial consequences out of the scope and era of this model dock!!!   Keep it in era, simple, but do not turn away traffic unless it is outside your crane's stated load capacity, to fill your trains!   For much lesser weights how about the old Airfix RAF kit of a mobile crane even the RAF 'Queen Mary' I have seen used in ship to shed transfer.   My same ex-WD mobile is back-up to ship's gear at "East Quay" where no 'fixed' quayside cranage is provided.

[coline33]

Going on from above I am definitely modelling the operational side according to prototype.   The top end of my ex-WD mobile crane's jib has broken off!   No not an overweight lift but down to a 'stupid crane driver'!!!   Quick where's the dock's engineer!

[Booking Hall]

On 23/11/2020 at 09:48, Dzine said:

Great to see activity again and wow it's looking really great.

Thanks Paul, hopefully this time I'll complete it.

[Booking Hall]

At the request of the Dock Manager the crane insurance inspector has visited, and having given it 'a good coat of looking at', and, more importantly, after carrying out a few test lifts, has declared the crane's S.W.L to be 12 tons. Everyone involved in its  operation is very pleased with this compromise and a prominent notice has been placed in the cab. Stothert & Pitt (Engineers) of Bath have been asked to make a new sign which will be installed when delivered. 

[Karl]

Just found this, I do like a dock scene layout. Wonderful stuff!

[hayfield]

I ordered a copy of the GER town and country book yesterday, think it has some photos around docklands

[Booking Hall]

It's time this layout had a name, and I've been giving it some thought the past few days. I still hanker after one that will fit with the B.C.G.D. initials on my Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 saddle tank, which, although is in the livery of the Burnley Corporation Gas Department and is destined eventually for a gasworks themed layout, looks very much 'at home' on the quayside. So, this afternoon I had a look at the map of the south Wales area and spotted, just around the corner on the Pembrokeshire coast, 'Broad Haven'. Although this seems to be a pleasant, small seaside town it sounds right and seems perfect as it gives a nod towards the inspiration for Paul Lunn's design, 'Milford Haven; and with a bit of creative thinking we get 'BROAD HAVEN CORPORATION GAS AND DOCKS COMPANY' - B.C.G.D. for short!

 

So, at last it has a name - Broad Haven.

[Northmoor]

On 22/11/2020 at 20:02, Booking Hall said:

Only just found this thread, what a surprise!  Very nice work; being brought up in "Little England", I knew Milford Docks quite well.  I wish Dad and I took more photographs when we explored them one quiet Saturday in about 1982, when most of the rail network and associated dockside infrastructure like the fish market was still complete. 

 

You've made it recognisably like the prototype with Hakin Road bridge crossing the tracks; in the real location your furthest two tracks would be closer together as the bridge actually formed the loco shed.  Just need to paint your Dock Authority diesels in something close to NCB green and you're there.

 

Rob

[coline33]

Glad you have found a suitable location in South Wales.   At least you have decent scenery as you probably wanted from Lancashire.   In the 1970's I was involved with consultancy in assisting Milford Haven docks to assess its future.   Apart from RO/RO facilities, container handling was to the fore for Anglo-Irish traffic (Bell Line emerged) and the need for 20 ton capacity cranes for non-container traffic.   You missed a commercial trick there on your big neighbour!!!   Coincidentally, my father in the Ship Division of NPL Teddington had at that time model tested the designs of those massive oil tankers that Gulf Oil built to serve their Milford Haven terminal.   Really 'small' world!

[Booking Hall]

The Puffer is virtually finished now, apart from some old tyres hanging over the side as fenders and maybe a bit more weathering next time i get the airbrush out - I've just used weathering powders so far. It will need 'bedding in' to the water when it's finally fixed in position, and the cargo securing in the hold, but for the time being I'll leave it removable so it doesn't get damaged.

 

Speaking of cargo, I've made a few crates and tea chests out of balsa wood and card. They don't look great close up but they should be alright as part of the overall scene.

 

I've now returned to what became the bete noir of this layout, the townscene on the cliff. It was at this point my interest waned back in June. I started by cutting a template of paper and sketched on the curve of the road. After playing about with several ideas I thought I would have the road exiting into the backscene (narrowing as it goes to give me a bit more space for buildings on what is a pretty small area) behind a small factory/workshop (1920's style of architecture, with a northlight roof hidden behind a parapet); and the frontages of some houses on the other side of the road. My left over bits of 'town' backscene suggest more urban area and a poster hoarding conveniently fills up some of the dead space between the bridge parapet and the workshop. I will probably use iron paling fencing instead of the walling I've just positioned to get a feel for the scene, and have scrubby grass etc. growing through the base of it.

 

I'll see if I still looks good in a day or two's time.

[Booking Hall]

I was happy enough with the idea for the 'town' element of the layout to make a start on the workshop building, which I decided should be in the Art Deco style, so after drawing out the base plan and adjusting the angles slightly I cut the shell out of card. I happened to have a sheet of suitable windows I had drawn and printed for a building on the extension to Brierley Canal Road and so the opening were set out to fit them. 

 

I used Scalescenes aged brown brick with stone sills and a lintel string course from the same range, with their painted brickwork for the horizontal detail courses. The doors were pinched from the free workshop download with a personnel door added. The interior backscene was scanned from a magazine and the lathe, pillar drill etc. were knocked up from lumps of balsa, cocktail stick and card.

 

Although buildings like this would often have a flat, asphalt covered roof, as this is a workshop I think a northlight type roof would be appropriate so work has started on that. I anticipate five 'bays' of this with the ridges running parallel to the door elevation. This will give me lots of practice in marking out and cutting interesting angles! I'm planning to build the roof as a separate sub-assembly for convenience.

[Booking Hall]

Nearly the end of January, and this is my first update of 2021. Not much has happened, not because interest has again waned, but because it's been so cold, and not at all conducive to working in my study, the heating being kept low for reasons of economy. But I have completed the fiddly roof which involved quite a number of templates to ensure the correct fit at the parapet. The northlight sections sit on a substructure cut from thick card which is intended to suggest the valley gutters. The northlights themselves were marked out on cereal box card, cut to the template and then backed with thin clear plastic sheet which projects below very slightly to provide a positive seating inside the roof substructure, so as not to rely solely on glue to hold them in position. A cowled ventilator was fitted to one of the panes. The slates are Scalescenes printed onto self-adhesive labels and fitted row by row. The lead capping, or ridge tiles, ( I haven't decided which, yet) have still to be fitted.

 

Drainpipes were made from 1.5mm black painted wire with 0.3mm wire twice wrapped round and twisted at the back, threaded into small holes drilled through tiny black painted bits of sticky labels mounted on the wall, all to represent the pipe collars. Tiny bits of balsa form the hoppers.

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Booking Hall
reinstate photographs

[Booking Hall]

A return to more temperate conditions has tempted me back into my study and to ease myself back into the build I've started by making a few wall lights to grace the walls of the goods shed and Power House. I make these from soft copper wire, bits of insulation cut from thin electrical hook-up wire, bell-shaped jewellers findings and tiny glass beads. With a coat of paint they look acceptable for industrial type fittings and only take a few minutes each to make.

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Booking Hall
reinstate photos

[Andrew D]

Always a delight to see you have posted - inspiring and informative as always, cheers! 

[Corbs]

Very clever, and effective

 

[Booking Hall]

7 hours ago, Andrew D said:

Always a delight to see you have posted - inspiring and informative as always, cheers!

Thank you for that lovely comment Andrew.

[sb67]

Love those lights, great stuff! 

[Booking Hall]

9 hours ago, Corbs said:

Very clever, and effective

 

Cheers Corbs.

[Booking Hall]

On 19/02/2021 at 18:16, David jennings said:

Like your lights - look really good. I’m sure you’re aware, but you can get similar on eBay and they have a small LED so can illuminate ? I’ve used them on Bole Quay and I like the options they give me for night scenes etc.

Hi David, thanks. Yours looks good on the side of your Airfix/Dapol engine shed. Yes, if I'd gone down the route of operating lights I would probably have bought ready made ones. These are strictly 'for appearance only', but I agree with you, carefully arranged lighting can really enhance the scene.

[Booking Hall]

On a roll now! The Goods Shed has had guttering, rainwater pipes and lights added, as has the Power House. As the roof on the shed turned out to resemble asbestos cement sheets rather than corrugated iron, it is logical that the rainwater goods would be asbestos cement also, hence the grey colour. The guttering was made from a small 'C' section styrene channel and the pipes from 1.3mm copper wire with 0.3mm wire for the collars in my usual way. I tried to buy grey coated wire but apparently that is not a popular colour, so I had to spray the assembled pipes with primer, and inevitably some has flaked off during installation. As fragile rainwater pipes would be vulnerable to damage from errant trucks and carts, I think some form of protection to the lower portion will be added when the building is finally installed.

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Booking Hall
reinstate photos

[sb67]

I like the goods shed, very good use of view blockers too. The layout is really looking good 

[The Johnster]

On 20/03/2020 at 08:46, Booking Hall said:

the line could exit stage left onto the fiddleyard

Followed by a bear, of course.

[SteveyDee68]

Really happy to see further updates to Broad Haven - as others have said, it is an inspirational build and full of character. I have to say that I find your non-rectangular buildings fascinating - of course, there's far more of them in real life, but I have shied away from even considering modelling them due to the difficulties of calculating roof lines etc! Having said that, I think my own dockside layout is going to need an odd shaped building, so expect something vaguely inspired by your buildings to appear in the near future! 

 

Looking forward to more updates, as and when.

 

Steve S

[Booking Hall]

On 22/02/2021 at 09:17, SteveyDee68 said:

Having said that, I think my own dockside layout is going to need an odd shaped building, so expect something vaguely inspired by your buildings to appear in the near future!

Thanks Steve, I look forward to seeing them.

 

[Booking Hall]

Little bit more progress. I've adapted part of the Scalescenes terraced house kit as a low-relief terrace end to give the backscene some added depth. Now to stick the backscene prints in place and add some fencing, walls and foliage to blend it all in.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Booking Hall
reinstate photographs