Clayton Underwood - BR 70-80s

[Davexoc]

So Clayton Underwood is a twist on reality, based around Calvert in North Bucks. as the name suggests, it is neither Grendon Underwood, Quainton nor any of the Claydons, or Calvert come to that. The back story goes that the GCR line never closed, and it was used as a mainly freight line to take traffic away from the Oxford - Leamington line and also the WCML. The junction just to the south, Grendon Underwood, was also maintained to allow a link to the GWR joint direct line to Birmingham. With the Varsity line just to the north linking Oxford and Cambridge, onward access to the MML and ECML were also possible, and BR abandoned Swanbourne sidings, modernising Clayton Underwood in preference. This meant maintaining a small staging yard, with crew and fuelling facility to allow traction changeovers. DMUs maintained a link between Aylesbury and High Wycombe, through to Milton Keynes and Bedford, although the Met. electrified through to Aylesbury, which meant Reader's Digest had to load at Clayton Underwood which had a dedicated new platform for parcel traffic alongside the typical GCR island platform.

 

Back in late 2019 I must have had a premonition about the events to unfold, because I built some baseboards during the winter months. I had a plan, but that has deviated slightly, as what looked OK on paper didn't work quite so well in reality. So when lockdown came, I had a headstart, and progress has been quite good, despite having worked all the way through. I was going to do a blow by blow account, but decided against that, so instead, here we go with something that is operational, but far from complete. I won't promise to update weekly, but on a more ad-hoc basis, as I find RMweb can become too much of a distraction at times.....

 

 

The view north towards the station and yard, with a Western emerging from the tunnel to the south below.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[5BarVT]

Like the back story.  Westerns on GCR, can’t beat it!!!

Paul.

[Kris]

Lovely looking layout. I particularly like the fact that the track is not at a "normal" spacing.

[Davexoc]

6 hours ago, 5BarVT said:

Like the back story.  Westerns on GCR, can’t beat it!!!

Paul.

 

It won't be just Westerns, I have Warships, Hymeks and others to run it in a mainly hydraulic mode. I guess that affection came about from attending Swindon Apprentice Training School, and sitting in D1023 one lunchtime while being run up, because I never saw them in service...

 

3 hours ago, Kris said:

Lovely looking layout. I particularly like the fact that the track is not at a "normal" spacing.

 

I have tried to maintain a spacious feel, and some might frown on running straight and parallel with the baseboard edge, but the GCR is straighter than most, and I couldn't get it to work with sweeping curves any other way.

[Davexoc]

Didn't achieve as much as anticipated this weekend, having come down with a summer cold on Friday/Saturday, daughter/grand-daughter to blame there I'm thinking. Anyway, a bit more static grass applied in the end, and some garden details for the low relief houses progressed.

 

Bird's eye view, and HST-P about to pass a BR green survivor, 47256 on a domestic coal service, so must be late 70s, but hang on, isn't that a NSE 47 in the yard? But then there is a GWR 28xx there too. The latter is because it was my first footplate experience with steam, thanks to Bachmann and the GWSR....

 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[Davexoc]

The scene is becoming more verdant, more grass and foliage getting planted.

 

 

The station is modified, as the canopy was way too narrow for platform. The central section was retained, but a Ratio canopy has been grafted on, apparantly BR condemned the glass one, so it was replaced with more modern sections. Still beter than a bus shelter though...

 

 

I'm not really into scratchbuilding structures, but bashing stuff is another matter. The bridge here is actually three arches, one of which was cut in half(ish) to get the required width overall, and the wings are cut down high retaining walls.

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[Davexoc]

A dabble with water to create an abandoned clay pit. First pour bubbled, quite significantly, which I think was due to the temperature/humidity and the possibly the glue holding the base material possibly not being fully dry. A bit of pond weed and two more pours soon sorted it out, just need some ripples now....

 

 

Wanted to try and get a reflection of a passing 20 hauled MGR, natural light and phone camera, so not brilliant.

 

 

And the reverse angle....

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[Davexoc]

Quick update, the abandoned claypit has lost it's millpond look and gained some ripples. And more greenery has gone down at this end of the layout. Up and down DMUs pass at the southern end of the layout.

 

 

 

NSE 47 with an engineers train occupying the headshunt, with a 37 on traction gas tanks and an 08 in the yard. Currently working on the gardens of the low relief houses just visible through the trees on the right, plus some of the facilities around the servicing shed.

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[Davexoc]

A bit of progress on the servicing shed. It is actually three buildings cut and shut, two sheds and a low relief signal box to be precise. The two sheds are from different batches, so the side windows don't quite match, and the signal box is now a single storey side extension with roller shutter door. The three lights at each end have been drilled through and a length of optical fibre inserted through to a LED on the inside, with a blob of clear epoxy resin at the lamp end. It doesn't give much in the way of light, but it gives the effect of being lit. I did take another photo froma different angle, but it is a bit blurry....

 

 

The pits are Peco, and the centre has scratchbuilt refuelling and watering equipment.

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[ess1uk]

Looks great 

[Davexoc]

Various things have been going on, both on and off the layout. Now that the drier weather is coming to an end, I damp-proofed the brickwork and have patch reboarded the bottom of the wall in the railway room. I believe the house was once a show house, as the garage was plastered. But damp and black mould kept appearing, so I pulled some off revealing the DPC to be one course of bricks up from the floor slab, so discontinuous....

 

On the layout I have three identical mini boards drying after gluing together. They will form three different scenes above and behind the tunnel end. Plan is one will be a preservation site, one an older rail served industrial site, and the third possibly a scrap yard or wagon repairer. I can then choose what to play around with while supervising grandchildren on the mainlines....

[Davexoc]

One of the mini-boards dropped in place. Access is from the depot entry/exit road/yard run around road, up a curving incline to run over the fiddle yard throats.

 

 

A view into the servicing shed, further clutter required for sure....

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[Davexoc]

Progress has been a bit slow recently, probably because I keep jumping between different bits and pieces....

Got around to fitting a few point levers around the yard, NG Brass straight ones, which have now been planted. Just need to be careful during track cleaning now, because they are pretty delicate. I have also reinstated the temporary backscene, just a pale blue affair at the moment, as can be seen in the view looking from the servicing point outgoing road, into the yard.

 

 

The Thame tanks appear to have got lost if they are heading south through here. Could have come this way when the Tesco tunnel collapsed at Gerrards Cross though, but that was a bit later...

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[lmsforever]

Nice a localy based layout looks good we did have hymeks through Ayesbury on the daily newspaper trains in the sixties.

[Davexoc]

Have been playing with weathering effects on some Dapol opens. These were obtained cheaply in 'Blaenavon' red originally. Sprayed grey with a rattle-can without removing the markings first. Then some spare decals added utilising the Johnson 'Klear' method, the keen eyed will note that they are actually for 16 tonners. Burnt Sienna oil colour was then crudely added and left for a day, before brushing with a white spirit dampened brush. This was followed by black and then rust enamel washes to add extra layers of grime. Hiding behind are some ex GWR and LMS grain hoppers that have had a similar treatment. Seems to work reasonably well, so more of the fleet to follow me thinks......

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[Davexoc]

Planted a load of yard lights today, so a night shot of the servicing shed. Need a load of ladders now....

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[millerhillboy]

superb layout, I particularly like the concrete area around the shed

[Davexoc]

Progress has been a little slow recently, one weekend was taken up by a family pre-Christmas meet-up, then got wiped out after having the Covid booster last weekend.

Popped up to Railway Conducter near Weedon to purchase some brass tubing for some signals, also bought some 1mm diameter as well, just to try out. So having found that one strand off each LED fitted through the tubing, I spent some time making streetlamps, brass tube with a single LED out of the box in shot, one strand cut, soldered and bent. Really cheap to make, just need to extend the base/cables to reach through the baseboard now, I reckon £14 using two lengths of tubing and a box of LEDs, for 50 lights.

 

 

A quick placement trial....

 

 

Then the swapable tunnel cover boards have ballasted track and a bit of grass applied. The preservation site board in situ over the tunnel...

 

 

Then the other two with different track formations, one destined to be a rail served private site, the other a scrap yard.

 

 

I may make another fiddle yard board, then I could use them off the main layout....

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[Davexoc]

I decided the street lights needed more of a base, so a short length of 2mm brass tube has been added. This means the wire has to be extended with enameled wire, carefully soldered and insulated before the 2mm tube is soldered onto the 1mm tube. It gives them a little more height and more to plant into the baseboard (shown on the right).

Trying a slightly different approach, the twin-head light in the middle, destined for the platform, which has enameled wire through the tube and anodes soldered above the tube, with the cathodes soldered to the tube. Just need to now encasulate the wiring in something and add the 2mm tube base.

The little unit on the left is a red LED for fitting to a bufferstop, and behind a set of mileposts from N Brass Loco, which are MP48 onwards, which just happen to be about right for where Clayton Underwood would be, Quainton being MP 44.

 

 

Anyway, that is about it for this year I guess, as 4 grandchildren descend on us tomorrow.

 

So, Merry Christmas everyone, and here's to 2022.....

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[Davexoc]

So the latest from 'The Covid Cave' aka 'The Railway Room' is a change to the backscene. I puchased a copy of Railwy Modeller just before Christamas which included two sheets of photo backscene in the bag. They looked quite a good representation of the area, but were too short. Covid hit, so I was fortunate enough to get wifey to pick up another copy of the mag, and after some experimentation I found that although the scene is repeated, the foreground obscures the most prominent features to make it less apparent. I was hoping the 'milder' version might give me more time to get some things done during my enforced isolation, but concentration and enthusiasm waned as the days passed.....

 

 

 

 

I think you'll agree, the backscene makes a huge difference?

Back to some bridgework now.....

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[SouthernBlue80s]

Great layout. Yes a backscene makes all the difference.

Cheers

Steve

 

[rob D2]

Great layout - excellent GCR feel to it

[Davexoc]

So this pair arrived today, a New Years Day bargain from Sheffield, a snip at £150 for two motorised bubble cars....

 

 

Obviously a bit out of my time-frame, but I have a cunning plan.

Shall get them run and tested before any modifications commence though....

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[Davexoc]

The downside scenic break needed a bridge of some sorts, but what to go for? I decided on a GCR style bowstring girder type.

The one I was actually looking at is a skew one near Kingsey, between Princes Risborough and Thame on the GWR/GCR direct route, and readily viewable on Google streetview. GCR built similar around Leicester and Nottingham.

The real thing is quite a complex structure of girders and lattice hangers/crossbraces, mine is merely a hardboard deck with coffee shop stirrers and card strips. Early on to get the feel.

 

 

Still some work to do, but after blow over with some primer. Not sure what colour the end product should be, currently it is green.

 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored

[Davexoc]

The bowstring girder bridge is coming along, the brickwork added with coping stones, and a coat of primer. Road deck filled and sanded.

Still debating the colour, the strengthened current version is green, but I'm leaning towards weathering the grey for the 70s-80s period.

A little bit of filling required yet...

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by Davexoc
Photo restored