The Saltport Saga

[Barclay]

Well I find myself with somewhat more leisure time than normal and, for once have decided to direct it at my long-suffering layout

 

Ruston I am not, and this EM gauge effort was designed when I was a student in the late 80's, with construction commencing in the mid-90's, so it definitely hasn't been rushed. I've been careful when photographing loco's on it that I only point the camera in the direction that makes it look as if the layout is reasonably complete, but, in fact I've been dragging my heels for a long time now, probably because I feel less comfortable with scenery and structures than I do with loco's and wagons - naturally lacking in the artistic tendencies I think.

 

Hence, this end of the layout is distinctly empty:

 

 

 

 

 

Where that diddy little building is, is supposed to be a large warehouse to give balance to this end of the layout, but I've spent literally years procrastinating about what style, how to build it, etc. etc. Putting it off basically.

 

However, googling one day recently I found a U.S. company that makes laser cut wooden kits for concrete framed industrial buildings. I liked them a lot, less so the price, which with the exchange rate, postage, customs, etc. means that something to fill this end of the layout would be in the region of £300. However it was enough inspiration to get me started, so, 7 sheets of 60 thou plasticard later I have this:

 

 

 

 

 

The large openings will be filled with etched windows from Ambis, together with brick infill panels. The joints between concrete panels have been done using a scraperboard tool, which produces a most satisfying and clean groove.

 

 

 

Inside, an egg-box re-inforcement of plasticard will hopefully prevent warping in a loft that has recorded temperatures between 3 and 45 degrees Centigrade over the last 12 months...

 

 

 

Hopefully I'll keep my layout mojo now and with help from everyone on here, start bringing things up to a better standard all round.

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Barclay

[Barclay]

First trial fit of the new warehouse on the layout, and it it's OK - the road to the storage cassette will need a fairly tight turn to get 'round the corner of it, but, hey, I've managed without a fiddle yard for 25 years so I'm not too worried. I've sited the 5 storey part further forward than planned because I think it looks better which has necessitated shortening one siding by about 3 inches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've pretty much run out of plasticard and solvent now so apart from adding a roof parapet I can't go much further. All the visible part is done though so colour may be the next step, and concrete is quite a tricky thing. I'm very inspired by Pete Johnson's Canada Street so I'll be looking at his concrete structures on the 'EM gauge 1970's' website , and will also try to make it look something like the concrete on this building which was a quickie from a laser cut card kit by Scale Model Scenery - I love the colouring on this building, which isn't fully captured by the camera.

 

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Barclay

[Sandhole]

I've just started to look at RM Web again after a long time.
Life has somewhat taken over.
This layout has started the juices flowing again. 
I always enjoy your stuff.
I have the drawings you sent me, which I will do something with when my mojo comes back fully.
This is everything I love.
Cramped, yet open. The size of the warehouse sets it off properly.
It looks used. Marvellous.

[Giles]

I think this layout is rather wonderful! I'm very much looking forward to seeing more of it!

[MacDuff999]

Well, 'Barclay', I have just been looking at and reading about your 'Saltport' layout, the name of which I found when reading the EMGS Newsletter article on your Neilson tank build, which I was in touch about by e-mail. I'm not so sure you should feel 'uncomfortable' about your scenic abilities, as in my view you have modelled what I would regard as a semi-urban, industrial scene rather well. The general appearance and image you have created is, I think, pretty realistic, with the varying levels, dividing walls, and a late 20th. century, almost post-industrial feel - a bit like Delph in Saddleworth, if you know the location. I particularly like the Scale Model Scene laser-cut building in the background; I think you might be hiding your light under a bushel there (perhaps the building itself to a degree). It certainly makes me keen to press on with my own project. In similar vein to yourself perhaps, I prefer to model the urban scene, feeling my interest and early stages ability is much more suited to factories, retaining walls and bridges, rather than fields, grassy embankments etc. Keep up the good work.

 

Ian.       

[Barclay]

Thanks for the comments. Steady progress on the warehouse but a quick fix at the weekend was some work on the engine shed. This was the first building on the layout some 25 years ago, and is, of course the Wills 2 road shed reduced to a single road. I like the Wills brickwork although I realise now the shed was built in running bond brickwork instead of English bond. I can't do much about that but the interior has no detail at all, so I just painted it cream for some reason at the time, and it's been annoying me for a while. So 2 pieces of Slaters brick embossed sheet were cut to shape, painted white, weathered, pushed into the opening and stuck to the existing walls, and it now looks a little more believable. More to do around the shed though - it still lacks facilities for ash, sand, and all the general clutter of a working engine shed.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Barclay

[Barclay]

The warehouse now has a more complete structure, including roof parapets so the visible part is ready for paint. First a quick dusting of Halfords' grey primer:

 

 

The colour of concrete can be quite hard to define. I mixed up an unholy concoction of grey, brown, white, and yellow and I think this is acceptable. It then had a very light weathering coat, but I was a little scared of ruining it with too much. It's not a particularly old structure in 1947 anyway:

 

 

 

 

 

The ladder on the side is a laser cut kit from Scale Model Scenery. they call it 'laserboard' and it looks like a cross between card and very thin ply. It went together very easily with wood glue and was primed and painted with Halfords' sprays in no time. I think it helps add something to the model. The kit that inspired this model, by ITLA Scale models in the U.S. has a classic fire escape of the sort you see in all the American cop shows so this is a kind of UK version of that. Be terrified to climb it though...

 

 

 

Until the model shop is open again I'm short of Wills brick sheet for the infill panels, but I'm also short of etched windows until Ambis' etchers open up again so it can't be helped. Completion will have to wait.

Edited May 20, 2022 by Barclay

[Barclay]

No further progress to report on this structure, although I do now have the bits I need. However, some discussion on another thread has encouraged me to add a little more about the layout in general, so we might as well start at the beginning....

 

As a student in the late 80's, I wasn't doing much modelling, but I did know that when circumstances permitted I wanted to build an industrial layout, and in EM gauge, a completely fresh start from the R-T-R stuff I had been using up to that point. I even managed a (very) rough sketch of the kind of thing I wanted:

 

 

 

I think I mentioned in post #1 that I have no flair for art!

In the mid 90's construction finally started and the plan even bore a certain resemblance to the original idea, although the right hand end, originally just a traverser, was later replaced by a scenic board, inspired by Iain Rice's 'Shadwell Basin' plan.

 

 

 

These photo's show the early days, with the copperclad track starting to appear, and my first and at the time, only loco, an LMS '350' diesel built from a modified Kitmaster kit with a scratchbuilt chassis:

 

 

 

 

At the time I have to admit I had no idea where the layout was meant to be or what it should be called - that came a fair bit later, and will be described in the next gripping instalment !

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Barclay

[5050]

I like the sweeping curve right through the middle of a crossover. Reminds me of something I've seen in a photo.

[Barclay]

The original idea was that this would be a lineside industry, with its own loco or two. As the number of loco's grew, this no longer seemed plausible, and the idea of a port system, with perhaps an industrial estate thrown in, slowly developed. It was while idly flicking through the road atlas one day (you do that, don't you??) that I found a pleasingly empty area in the region of the Manchester Ship Canal between Runcorn and Ellesmere Port. Reference to Don Thorpe's 'The Railways of the Manchester Ship Canal' showed me that this area was once the location of Saltport, a facility near the meeting of the Rivers Weaver and Mersey, which opened in 1891. However it never had a good rail connection, and with the completion of the Manchester Ship Canal it was only used as a transshipment facility for sailing ships, which were too tall to proceed further down the canal. Contemporary photo's suggest something of a 'wild west' atmosphere, with timber structures and, of course, the sailing ships, and with the demise of these Saltport itself faded away, after a life of only ten years.

 

Never mind that - here was my location, and, in model form, Saltport has thrived, with a rail connection near Helsby on the LNWR/GWR joint line to Birkenhead. Of course if this had all happened the MSC Railway would almost certainly have served it, but my desire to build all sorts of industrial loco's from a variety of builders meant that I had to create the Saltport Harbour Authority Railway in order to justify them.

 

Let us take a short tour of the modelled part of the line:

 

At the left hand end is a large steel framed building with loading docks for rail and road, and a crane in the yard for good measure. The building was constructed from American DPM modules, and took an entire 'Designer Bulk Pack' to build. Enjoyable work though, and I wish it was still as easy to obtain some of these US products, because although HO scale they are plenty large enough for our needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Barclay

[Mol_PMB]

This looks great! Inspiration for the little layout I'm just starting, which is set about 20 miles further upstream.

Most of those classes of loco did actually work on parts of the MSC Railway, though I think the LMS 350hp shunter they trialled was one of the jackshaft types.

Keep up the good work

Mol

[Sweet pea]

Lovely little layout, definitely an inspiration for fellow modellers.

[Barclay]

Moving along, we come to what I euphemistically call the 'boiler house' - as you have probably guessed, some Wills windows with an Airfix engine shed roof on top, plus a chimney. There is a pipe bridge of sorts across to the next building, though I do still need to model the lagged pipes as they go up the side of the building, and add some more general clutter and details around the building. The siding that serves it begins as a normal point, and then tightens considerably. It does work, but only with four-coupled loco's and you have to undo the 3 link coupling first. I imagine cable shunting to get them out again. The Commer Superpoise is made from a white metal kit.

 

 

 

 

The next building is known as the 'Factory' though  I can't imagine what they do in there. It, too, is made from many Wills windows. I think if I were doing it now I might do something different, but it does the job. That Measham Collieries wagon is ex-Heckmondwike, a lucky second hand find at an exhibition.

 

 

 

On the right side of this structure is a small gap at the back of the engine shed, and in here lie the mortal remains of the Coopercraft Bedford, what a poor kit that was after their very nice AEC Monarch. Perhaps others have made a decent job of it, but mine wasn't fit to show it's face! Buffer stops are all Mikes Models, mostly LNWR and L&Y variety.

 

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Barclay

[Sandhole]

Thank you for posting these shots and track plan.
This layout has atmosphere in spades.
Regards,
Chris.

[Barclay]

Moving on now to the engine shed area. Because the layout was originally intended to be a small lineside industry the shed is small too - far too small to serve a good sized port complex. I just have to assume that it's a small running shed and there is a larger works elsewhere. I would dearly love to transform this area into said works but it would involve wholesale changes to the layout which I can't really face at the moment, so for now it suffices, the better since I bought a display cabinet and was able to remove some of the loco's from the layout, which does give a more spacious air.

On the left here we see one of the line's internal user wagons - an old Highland Railway brake. This is a lovely scratchbuild in card which I picked up cheaply secondhand. The original chassis was based around a R-T-R wagon so had to be replaced with soldered up bits of brass and some white metal castings. It also received a new brass roof and handrails. I do need more internal use wagons as I currently use LMS brake vans which is hardly likely. (I like them though...)

 

 

 

 

A more general view shows the tank which is a combination of Mikes Models and Wills items. The background buildings are a mixture of Walthers and scratchbuilt.

 

 

 

The NCB van suggests either a social visit or that someone is on the scrounge for parts, most likely the SHA!

 

 

 

The works' own van is an Army surplus Austin 'Tilly' 

 

 

 

This area is one of the most recent to receive the scenic treatment, if I can call it that. It still lacks detail and clutter and I think I need to darken the surface to tone it better with the rest of the layout. I'm keen to build a sand drying furnace and I think it will go here somewhere.

 

 

 

We now reach the point where the line once entered the fiddle yard traverser but with a house move 20 years ago a little more space was realised so we will move onto the extension next time.

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Barclay

[SteveyDee68]

11 minutes ago, Barclay said:

 

 

More photos and information on your delightful locos, please, especially the crane loco hiding to the back right of this photo!

 

Cracking layout - oodles of atmosphere.

 

Steve S

[2mmMark]

I like this a lot. It reminds me of Allan Sibley & Brian Dorman's Allied Marine layout from the 1970s.

Mark

[Barclay]

I loved that layout - probably the first industrial layout I saw in print.

[Sandhole]

56 minutes ago, Barclay said:

I loved that layout - probably the first industrial layout I saw in print.

The classic Mike Edge layout, Cwm Afon was and still is my favourite industrial layout.
Sorry Barclay.
The size and scope of it, together with those superb locos, both steam and diesel, blew me away.
Leeds also had Sundown and Sprawling. Possible THE FIRST truly modern image diesel layout.
I still run my ancient Q Kits Falcon.

[Barclay]

Where the old fiddle yard once began we can descend the steps next to this rather sturdy bridge, to cross a cobbled back street, and examine some unremarkable occupied arches, before venturing up this rather spooky ramp to emerge back into the sunshine in the high level East Yard. Most of this is Wills scenic sheets, used as intended, though I do grout the cobbles with Polyfilla as I think it looks better, and I am tempted to try it with their brickwork as well.

 

 

The building visible under the bridge is by Townstreet, but I struggled to keep it from falling to bits and it has now been replaced

 

 

 

 

Apart from removing hideous backscene joints I don't manipulate my photo's as a rule but there is a small hole in the scenery in there at the corner so the right hand shrub has been inserted digitally ! The light is real though as this part of the layout sits under a Velux window.

 

 

 

The Dennis 2 Ton platform lorry is from an old kit by Anbrico and the track in the foreground is from some Ratio track bases and is the only track on the layout that actually has chairs.

 

 

The tracks cross the ramp by means of two more bridges:

 

 

 

 

We are now in the sorting sidings at the furthest end of the layout, a whole 12' 4" from our starting point. This scene has changed a lot this year with the carcass of the new warehouse now filling the background of this view. 

 

 

 

This brings our short tour to an end, so we'll talk of locomotives next time, or maybe operation.

Edited May 25, 2022 by Barclay

[Sandhole]

5 hours ago, Barclay said:

Where the old fiddle yard once began we can descend the steps next to this rather sturdy bridge, to cross a cobbled back street, and examine some unremarkable occupied arches, before venturing up this rather spooky ramp to emerge back into the sunshine in the high level East Yard. Most of this is Wills scenic sheets, used as intended, though I do grout the cobbles with Polyfilla as I think it looks better, and I am tempted to try it with their brickwork as well.

 

The building visible under the bridge is by Townstreet, but I struggled to keep it from falling to bits and it has now been replaced

 

 

Apart from removing hideous backscene joints I don't manipulate my photo's as a rule but there is a small hole in the scenery in there at the corner so the right hand shrub has been inserted digitally ! The light is real though as this part of the layout sits under a Velux window.

 

The Dennis 2 Ton platform lorry is from an old kit by Anbrico and the track in the foreground is from some Ratio track bases and is the only track on the layout that actually has chairs.

 

The tracks cross the ramp by means of two more bridges:

 

 

We are now in the sorting sidings at the furthest end of the layout, a whole 12' 4" from our starting point. This scene has changed a lot this year with the carcass of the new warehouse now filling the background of this view. 

 

This brings our short tour to an end, so we'll talk of locomotives next time, or maybe operation.

This is why you and Ruston are my Sensei's.
Tha atmosphere fair explodes out of these pictures.
Thank you for posting them.
Chris.

[Barclay]

Operation - this has never been a big thing for me, I always seem to prefer building models. I have a number of friends with main line model railways who take it very seriously indeed, with working timetables, mechanical interlocking, even bell codes. and I must say I find all of this quite hard work (sorry guys).

 

However I do like a little shunting from time to time and it's nice to have a system that defines the task, rather than just moving wagons about randomly. The system I use is adapted from one described by P.D. Hancock in 'Narrow Gauge Adventure' and is dependent on each wagon having a card that contains a series of destinations. These are initially drawn up on a spreadsheet, sized to fit 6 neatly to an A4 sheet. They are then printed off, laminated, and cut into individual cards:

 

 

The cards are kept in a pack, which is shuffled, and the top 6 (determined by the size of fiddle yard) are picked up:

 

 

 

The corresponding wagons are made up into a train, which duly arrives on the layout.

 

 

The brake van is removed and placed in a siding

 

 

And then the wagons are shunted to the next destination shown on their card:

 

 

 

 

 

As the wagons are spotted, the card has the destination ticked off with a Sharpie pen, and is hung on a hook next to the siding in question:

 

 

This continues until the entire train has been disposed. The next move is to either repeat with another 6 wagons, or, if the layout is looking a little full, remove some of the wagons that have been on the layout for a while. To achieve this the cards for these wagons are removed from their hooks:

 

The loco. must now retrieve them from their sidings. Their next indicated destination will be off-scene, at one of 3 locations, Industrial Estate, Exchange Sidings, or Docks. These are represented by the 3 sorting sidings at the front of the layout. These sidings are filled until they reach capacity, at which point the wagons are drawn out, a brake van attached, and a loco. takes them off to the fiddle yard, from which they go back into the stock box, and their cards back into the pack.

 

 

When the card is used up, a little M.E.K. rubbed on it will remove the Sharpie ticks and you can start again. I find it takes a while to go through one phase of the operation, especially with 3-link couplings, and this is usually enough for one session, but the variations are more or less infinite - certainly no pattern ever emerges, so it feels fresh every time.

 

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by Barclay

[Barclay]

Locomotives - My first EM gauge loco. was built some years before I had a layout to run it on. It started when I happened on an old Kitmaster '08', already built up static, in my old local model shop, Karlgarin Models in Chelmsford. I modified the loco. to resemble the LMS version by replacement of a large part of the sides, with new battery boxes and no vacuum exhauster boxes. A chassis was built in brass (with a junior hacksaw!) and it received Gibson '08' wheels, a DS10 and Romford 40:1 gears. It did run, albeit not brilliantly, and was my only loco. when the layout was in its early stages of construction some years later. It did have some shortcomings - the cab roof profile for the LMS loco. should be an arc rather than a more complex shape, and the LMS loco. had 4' wheels, which had to be conveniently ignored. However the biggest problem was that the plastic cranks would keep shifting, and some eventually split. This put the loco. on the shelf until one lucky day at the expo-EM second-hand stall, when I found an '08' with a dodgy Lima body, but a chassis clearly kit built. It wouldn't run on the test track but as it was only £15 I took a punt and was very pleased to find that with some tweaking of back to backs and quartering, and new pick ups, it ran like a dream. I believe it is based on the old and much missed Impetus kit. Thus the loco. runs again, and acquired a repaint at the same time in the new 1946 livery. Further developments are afoot however - I want to correct the cab roof profile and I do want to fit the correct wheels. A couple of years ago I managed to obtain a Crownline chassis kit and I intend to build this using some Sharman 4' tender wheels together with cranks made up from an etch produced by Justin from Rhymney Models. The current chassis will be re-used to build up a blue 08 using an old Hornby body, suitably modified, and I might also use that original chassis, fitted with compensation and a new power train to go with a modern Hornby 08 body and frames that I have got my hands on. Thus one will become 3.....

 

First pic shows the loco some years ago before rebuild, and the second as it is now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by Barclay

[Barclay]

The second loco. to see service on the layout was one of the LNWR's 0-4-2 Bissel tanks. This was built from an M&L kit, picked up second hand at my local model shop. When I asked for wheels they said "Romford or Gibson?" They had both in stock! Those incredible days are probably gone but John Dutfield's in Chelmsford is still a great shop, if you are in the area.

 

The loco. has recently featured in its own thread as I rebuilt it so suffice to say here that as built it wasn't a great runner, and also suffered from the Gibson loose tyre syndrome. last year I rebuilt it with twin beam compensation and a slower revving Mitsumi motor in place of the original DS10. I'm very happy with the running now, and I'm hoping the superglued tyres will stay put.

 

This picture was taken 13 years ago with our old compact digital camera and, as with the diesel picture, I find it more pleasing than that taken recently with the smart phone, despite its mega pixels. A better lens perhaps, or maybe the softer focus hides the errors better !

 

Before:

 

 

After:

 

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by Barclay

[Mol_PMB]

Very nice!

I was brought up in Danbury and we were spoilt for good model shops in both Chelmsford and Maldon. Good to hear that at least one of them is still there.

Karlgarin Models still exists too, though no longer in the area.