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Widford


wamwig
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Hi All

 

Well the time has come and with retirement rapidly approaching at the end of the year (although if there is still work to do I may still do 1 or 2 days a week for a year or two) it is time to actually physically start my retirement project, which is to be a long wanted layout featuring Widford on the Buntingford Line, which is provisionally called "Ash Valley".  I think Widford is probably the most picturesque station on the line and with the road bridge at one end there is an ideal scenic break, with the other end disappearing into the trees, oh the trees, there are so many of them and are what make Widford.

 

I am an East Herts lad, born in Hertford and have lived most of my life in Ware, so Widford is very local to me.  My first dilemma is whether to make the layout so it can be exhibited or should it be a layout that never leaves home? At the moment I am tending towards an exhibition layout, as my wife sees it as an opportunity to visit various parts of these isles (assuming we can one day again) but it also has to fit in the car!  My initial thoughts are a 10-12ft scenic section (so possibly three 4ft x 2ft or 4ft x 2.5ft boards), thus giving a little compression, and with probably 4ft fiddle yards at each end.  The time era is likely to be any time from the formation of BR to the end of the Line in 1965, thus allowing J15's, N7's and the Lea Valley DMU's, plus the odd Class 15/16 and many Wickham products on test.  Sadly nothing remains of the station today, although there are many pictures and plans.  I also have access to local LIDAR ground model data of the area, which will help when it comes to the vertical scenery!

 

Once I have sorted the baseboard layout, hopefully by the end of the year, I shall post more.

 

Anthony

WidfordStation.jpg

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Here is a plan of the area I will be modelling, this is an extract of an 1898 1/2500 OS Plan reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.  Although it is 1898 not that much changed over the years to 1965 but I also have several other 1/2500 maps of the area, also courtesy of the NLS.  The intention is to use the road bridge as a scenic break at one end (probably including Widford Lodge as the only non station related building) and the other would, as I said previously, disappear into the trees!  Now to try and 'compress' this into the space available!  Although it is a single track end to end there is scope for some interesting shunting in the siding and cattle dock.

 

Widford for RMWEB.jpg

Edited by wamwig
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And here is a profile along the roadway, obtained from free LIDAR data and produced using QGIS, including the driveway past Widford Lodge and showing the level of the River Ash.  The profile shown follows the red line on the plan above and I have taken many sections through the area using QGIS to aid with building a fairly accurate ground model.

Widford LIDAR 1.jpg

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For those that don't know Widford and I am sure that is many of you, The Buntingford Railway and Local History Society have a website that describes the railway including a page of photographs of Widford. 

 

http://www.thebunt.co.uk/widford.html

 

Assuming I am including Widford Lodge (a residential property) there will be eight 'buildings' on the layout, although one is a small storage 'shed' and another is what I guess is a wooden platelayers 'shed' partly hidden in the trees.  The others are the Station Building itself, a waiting room, a toilet block, the Porters hut and a Saxby signal box, which luckily RM had an article some time ago showing how to convert the Wills kit.  There is also a grounded van body.  The road will have several vehicles available, including at least three buses (I am also a member of the Model Bus Federation), likely to comprise an RT, an RF and an STL all of which were used on the 350 route that passed the station and which I already have (only 1 or 2 will be on show at any time though) and, except passengers on the trains, there will probably be around 30 figures, including several 'vignette' scenes.

 

Anthony

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Ok its not a lot but here is the first part of Widford completed, a fairly obvious part, I think these are the Ancorton laser cut kit.  Hopefully it won't be too long before there is something to plonk it on!

coal staithes.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Not much been done recently as I wind down at work but I will be 'retiring' in less than a week so hopefully progress can be made then, for now though Intentio have reproduced the specific station building valance for Widford for me, an offer on their Facebook page to reproduce any valance for the same price as a standard valance was too good to resist, less than an hour from an idea to finished product, well done Intentio.

Widford Valance.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Apologies for the lack of updates, while I 'retired' at the end of 2020 I almost immediately went back to work for the same company to undertake a specific project.  That project is coming to an end in the next month or so and therefore I should be back onto the project.

 

Things have not been quiet though, the decision has been taken that it will sadly have to be a home layout as after a lot of thought there was no way I could get a suitable exhibition layout into the car and still have any space! Discussions have also taken place with a view to getting some of the buildings laser cut and I have started to draw them up.

 

In the meantime I have started to assemble some figures for the layout and because there is unlikely to be that many in total (around 36 I reckon excepting train crews/passengers and that is pushing it but allows for several 'cameo' scenes) I'm pushing the boat out and most are probably going to be from Modelu with the remainder from Hardy's Hobbies and Dart Castings.  

 

Anthony

Edited by wamwig
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  • 7 months later...

Time to resurrect this topic, 'work' lasted a little longer than I expected (other interesting projects came up) but it seems to have tailed off now, so it's  time to start "Widford" in earnest.  Another rather momentous decision taken was that "Widford" was to have it's own room and so over this last week what was once the garage (but hasn't actually seen a car for many years) has been converted to a fully insulated hobby room.

 

With finishing off (painting, skirting etc) layout building is unlikely to be started until the new year but it will have the scenic along the long side (on the right of the 'now' picture) and storage areas on the shorter sides.  Here is what the garage looked like last weekend and also yesterday. More in the new year.

Garage before.jpg

Garage before 2.jpg

Garage 3.jpg

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Still have this bookmarked, still interested in progress ;-)

 

I used to live just a little distance away in Sawbridgeworth and often strolled around the course of the Buntingford branch on weekend walks.  Some good pubs around there as well...

 

So I hope the garage progresses well, and you're able to crack on with some modelling in the near future.

 

Cheers

Paul

 

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I seem to be absorbing anything to do with ex-Great Eastern lines. Lovely job on the valencing and looking forward to seeing this come together. 

 

Equally interested in seeing the room taking shape as well. All good stuff. 

 

Rob. 

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3 hours ago, NHY 581 said:

I seem to be absorbing anything to do with ex-Great Eastern lines. Lovely job on the valencing and looking forward to seeing this come together. 

 

Equally interested in seeing the room taking shape as well. All good stuff. 

 

Rob. 

Thanks Rob

The Valencing is pretty good, hopefully I can get the station buildings laser cut as well so I can use it, Intentio do Cressing and Widford is just a smaller version of it.

Enjoying the Sheep Chronicles, the room is drying out nicely so might just get painted later this week

Anthony

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On 29/11/2021 at 21:18, Flymo749 said:

Still have this bookmarked, still interested in progress ;-)

 

I used to live just a little distance away in Sawbridgeworth and often strolled around the course of the Buntingford branch on weekend walks.  Some good pubs around there as well...

 

So I hope the garage progresses well, and you're able to crack on with some modelling in the near future.

 

Cheers

Paul

 

Hi Paul

Realistically with the time of year, modelling is likely to start next year. I used to live in Ware (for about 50 years) so Widford was always close for me. Being a bit of an aviation geek as well I am also modelling some local aircraft including a few from RAF Sawbridgeworth as a Mustang from the airfield crashed close to the railway at Easneye.

Anthony

Edited by wamwig
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11 hours ago, wamwig said:

Hi Paul

Realistically with the time of year, modelling is likely to start next year. I used to live in Ware (for about 50 years) so Widford was always close for me. Being a bit of an aviation geek as well I am also modelling some local aircraft including a few from RAF Sawbridgeworth as a Mustang from the airfield crashed close to the railway at Easneye.

Anthony

 

Combining the two interests, have you read a copy of this:

 

https://sbwhistory.com/product/where-the-lysanders-were/

 

RAF Hunsdon is equally interesting to study the history of, given its use as a base for notable Mosquito missions.

 

Cheers

Paul

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54 minutes ago, Flymo749 said:

 

Combining the two interests, have you read a copy of this:

 

https://sbwhistory.com/product/where-the-lysanders-were/

 

RAF Hunsdon is equally interesting to study the history of, given its use as a base for notable Mosquito missions.

 

Cheers

Paul

Hi Paul

 

Yes I have a copy and very interesting it is too, I know about Hunsdon as well, my father was a schoolboy (and started work at 14) during WW2 and he lived in Stanstead Abbotts, many Mondays he had to trek up to the airfield to retrieve his bike that had been 'borrowed' by a Hunsdon airman returning to base having got off the train at St Margarets.

 

And still nobody really knows the purpose of the Amiens Prison raid, the book on that is good too, another connection is my father later worked for Thurgood in Ware (before doing nearly 40 years for de H/HSA/BAe at Hatfield) and being coachbuilders they built many wooden parts for de H, including for the Mosquito.  I have also sat in the prototype (at Salisbury Hall) and in the sadly missed BAe operated example, both many many years ago now! What an aeroplane hopefully there will be one back in UK skies soon.

 

Anthony

Edited by wamwig
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21 hours ago, wamwig said:

Thanks Rob

The Valencing is pretty good, hopefully I can get the station buildings laser cut as well so I can use it, Intentio do Cressing and Widford is just a smaller version of it.

Enjoying the Sheep Chronicles, the room is drying out nicely so might just get painted later this week

Anthony

I should be able to make Cressing a bit smaller. It will be a nice little project especially as its a dinky station already!

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2 hours ago, BrushType4 said:

I should be able to make Cressing a bit smaller. It will be a nice little project especially as its a dinky station already!

Philip

It is indeed it looks around half the size of Cressing (same depth but around half the length) and with some 'fancy' brickwork on top of the walls, lots of pictures on The Bunt site! An even dinkier station then!

Anthony

 

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As I said not much to report for a while, painting the room is coming on though! Although had my Covid booster today so who knows for the next few days? Still awaiting a new door, it was due to be delivered today but apparently they are still awaiting the glass for it!

IMG_20211209_093521.jpg

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On 01/12/2021 at 18:13, wamwig said:

Philip

It is indeed it looks around half the size of Cressing (same depth but around half the length) and with some 'fancy' brickwork on top of the walls, lots of pictures on The Bunt site! An even dinkier station then!

Anthony

 

We should put our combined weight behind them at Intentio - I too would like the Widford buildings and have broached the subject with them a year or so back, including the signal box. They have Mardock box in their portfolio so it wouldn’t take much to produce Widford. Making the leap to the rest of the buildings would complete the job!

best,

Marcus

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11 hours ago, EHertsGER said:

We should put our combined weight behind them at Intentio - I too would like the Widford buildings and have broached the subject with them a year or so back, including the signal box. They have Mardock box in their portfolio so it wouldn’t take much to produce Widford. Making the leap to the rest of the buildings would complete the job!

best,

Marcus

And the little Porters Hut would make an ideal small building for any layout

 

Anthony

unnamed (38) 2.jpg

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On 12/12/2021 at 09:17, wamwig said:

And the little Porters Hut would make an ideal small building for any layout

 

Anthony

unnamed (38) 2.jpg

It’s based on a standard signal or lamp hut - there’s a diagram in the back of LNER constituent signalling. I must admit that I have thought of commissioning Intentio to do the lot as I just don’t have the time to design and scratch build the buildings and build all the rolling stock. Each building (station, the old WHBR waiting room, signal hut/porters room, toilet, tin shed, signal box and storage shed, as well as their current coal staithes, should keep GER modellers quiet for a while and be useful to NG and others too. One thing at at time, though…

Edited by EHertsGER
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4 minutes ago, EHertsGER said:

It’s based on a standard signal or lamp hut - there’s a diagram in the back of LNER constituent signalling. I must admit that I have thought of commissioning Intentio to do the lot as I just don’t have the time to design and scratch build the buildings and build all the rolling stock. Each building (station, the old WHBR waiting room, signal hut/porters room, toilet, tin shed, signal box and storage shed, as well as their current coal staithes, should keep GER modellers quiet for a while and be useful to NG and others too. One thing at at time, though…

Well I guess there would be at least two sales of all those then! We did take a look at the storage shed (next to the signal box) and while it appears to be around the same size, dimension wise, as Intentio's 'standard' Enginemans Hut (albeit with the door on the end and a bigger window), it seems to have been made of some sort of precast block rather than bricks (they are somewhat deeper than a standard brick).

 

Anthony

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18 hours ago, EHertsGER said:

It’s based on a standard signal or lamp hut - there’s a diagram in the back of LNER constituent signalling. I must admit that I have thought of commissioning Intentio to do the lot as I just don’t have the time to design and scratch build the buildings and build all the rolling stock. Each building (station, the old WHBR waiting room, signal hut/porters room, toilet, tin shed, signal box and storage shed, as well as their current coal staithes, should keep GER modellers quiet for a while and be useful to NG and others too. One thing at at time, though…

Always happy to help :)

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