2FS - Smokey Bacon

[SteveBedding]

Introduction

 

I have to start somewhere... Having been a 'consumer' of RMweb for several years, I feel I ought to put down my plans for posterity – I’ll add my disclaimer now – although I’m a technical comms engineer by profession, I’m a real luddite when it comes to this form of media.

 

Like many projects, the idea is formulated long before any real progress is made; some may call this planning, but often (as in this case) it is simple procrastination! Having been away from railway modelling for over 25 years I decided a while to actually get back into it – I had built several ‘plonk & play’ OO layouts and decided that a move to N gauge was called for – the principle of more trains per sq ft appealed. The initial concept was for LMS/S&DJR layout based around Mangotsfield Junction between Bath & Bristol, and several years of research and stock collecting ensued – but like all good intentions, this plan somehow never got off the drawing board!

 

However, following a change in domestic management, a new lease of enthusiasm has burst forward; SWMBO, who is also a railway fan (ex-FGW ‘trolley dolly’ ) has ‘authorised’ the existence of a model railway (on the condition she gets her own one as well…) but did insist on it being GWR/WR. Since we met in Wiltshire it seemed reasonable to look locally and Calne leapt out as an interesting subject.

 

 

Before the cries of ‘oh no, not another GWR branch line terminus’ I have to say that Calne has many features that make it ‘different’. Three distinct aspects make it stand out from the crowd…

 

For much of its existence, the carriage of pigs out-numbered the passengers - the presence of the Harris bacon and sausage factory required numerous movements of cattle wagons and modified Siphons, it also meant that there was an old WW I hangar within the boundary of the station.

The nearby RAF stations of Compton Bassett, Lyneham and Yatesbury, led to the running of many troop trains; also Calne was one of the receiving stations for the recovery of men and material that had been evacuated from Dunkirk. More military connections and usage were found due to the relative proximity of Salisbury Plains, and finally, RAF Yatesbury was used as one of the assembly areas during the Suez crisis.

The potential mixture of locomotive power was a major attraction. Although for the majority of the time the line was operated by small tanks (14xx, 57xx/87xx, and 45xx), Dean Goods and Collett 2251s were a familiar sight being used for the engineering trains. Another oddity was that main line locomotives, fresh from the Swindon works, would be seen hauling scheduled services that would eventually go on from Chippenham as a part of a more significant service – these would have been freshly painted and in pristine ex-works condition. Lastly, wartime southern/south western England could easily excuse a ‘Q1’.

 

Well, that’s the reasoning explained and the justification (if justification is ever needed for model railways…), it just needs to move forward from concept, to plan and… …to production!

Edited March 18, 2012 by SteveBedding

[Anglian]

I hope it begins to take shape. Where will you start 2mm FS track building perhaps?

[SteveBedding]

Initial Layout Planning

 

With the concept set in stone, details of the real site are needed – there are several good reference books available on the Calne Branch and these have been invaluable. Also OS maps and track diagrams give the size and perspective of the site.

 

This is where the concept being ‘set in stone’ becomes more like ‘set in thick custard’! As much of the rolling stock would need to be kit built, or heavily modified RTR, and good old Peco Code-55 not providing all of the exact point work needed a re-think was required. I was aware of 2mm Finescale and when I saw ‘Wansbeck Road’ at an exhibition, I was persuaded to make the leap to this standard. Having joined the 2mm SA and become involved with the Oxford Group at Abingdon I have had much encouragement and guidance in this direction (Big thanks to ‘Mitziblue’, ‘Missy’ and the rest of the group )

 

With the concept back on track, the basis for the plan could take shape. Using maps of the site…

 

1936 OS Map 1:2500

 

1940s(Late) 40ft Track Plan

 

Judicious use of a photo editor package allowed for a composite ‘map’ to be created that superimposed the later track plan (post 1942) on to the 1936 OS map. The key differences from the ’36 track layout was the increase in length of the platform (all the way up to the signal box) and the addition of another siding near on the south side by the Harris ‘by-product’ factory.

 

Composite Track Plan (Showing Post 1942 Platform & Sidings)

 

Even in 2mm scale, a full size layout would come out at about 14ft x 3ft - oops too big! Reality check - head for the land of compromise! [As an aside, I'm aware of an 'EM' layout of Calne that comes in at about 28ft x 3ft - that's quite some size!] Addressing the design considerations (much better than limitations or constraints):

 

The layout should:

Be portable

- Not too heavy (I’d like to show it someday

- and I still have to move house regularly!)

- Fit in the car (OK I’ve got a Landover so that does give me a degree of scope).

Fit in the house/garage/reasonable sized shed.

Have sufficient depth for scenic views (no track-work too close to the edges).

Overall size must include the fiddle yard.

Taking all these into consideration, the layout design came out to be 12ft (3600mm) x 2ft 3†(675mm) overall across 3 boards; the running length was to be 10ft (3000mm) with 2ft (600mm) for the fiddle yard. This is a compromise – to get the depth of field and spacing on the sidings, the compression across the width fell out less than that across the length. The purists may care to question this distortion, but I think that it still retains the character and functionality of the station.

Another steep learning curve was to use Templot to translate the maps to a real ‘model’ track plan.

 

Templot Representation of Calne 1942 in 2mm

 

I’m no expert at Templot and the track plan still needs a lot of refinement, but it is sufficient at this stage to be able to size and build the framework for the base boards, but that will be another saga…

 

Steve

[artizen]

Nice.

[mitziblue]

Nice start Steve really looking forward to reading more.

 

Mark

[-missy-]

Hello Steve

 

Well for a 'luddite' they are a couple of brilliant first posts! Im definately with Mark on this, long may this thread continue....

 

Missy

[Southernboy]

Ditto to comments above ...

 

I think I'm going to like this

[Engineer_London]

Very interested to see this project.

 

What I really like and commend is the planning approach, setting the design and use objectives for the layout at the beginning, and working from the OS and prototype to create the plan.

 

Looking forward to following developments - will encourage my own project development [though I chose a GW branch that could be done with R-T-R - in N gauge!].

 

From a fellow new media Luddite, not even at the Templot stage!

[Bartb]

Hi Steve Good luck with this project, I look forward to seing more. I Lived in Calne for 11 years, and walked the line (What was left) many times. I found this at the old station site in 1986.

[beast66606]

Chris Hewitt of the Liverpool MRS made an EM model of Calne many years ago - Michael Delamar should be able to put you in touch.

 

I assume you have "Tbe Calne Branch" book ?

[SteveBedding]

Firstly, thanks to everyone for you comments – I was somewhat surprised to get interest so quickly! Mark, you need to get to bed earlier & Missy, you need a lie in!

 

Beast – I think it was Chris Hewitt’s layout that I was aware of, it is being shown at the 2011 Calne Model Railway Show (http://www.monitor-computing.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/bmrg/exhibitions/calne/index.htm) and I hope to get to have a good look to see what can be ‘plagiarized’. I have both books titled ‘The Calne Branch’ (Maggs & Tanner) and several references on local history – but I very interested to see how someone else has developed their model. Also of interest, a 00 Layout of Black Dog Halt will be at CMRS 2011, this was the next stop along the line.

 

Construction Planning

 

A free weekend at last! Great expectations of baseboard construction and real progress; after too much time spent in ‘conceptualising’ I was looking forward to using tools and materials to actually produce something… … however the vagaries of Wiltshire’s weather put paid to any cutting (and certainly no gluing) – it’s not known as ‘Wet Wiltshire’ for nothing. Whilst I had some fairly precise ideas on how I wanted the baseboards to come together, the enforced delay made me rethink the designs.

 

Having studied other layouts, I had come to the conclusion that I wanted to combine an ‘open-frame’ ply construction with foam blocks – this would give a reasonable degree of structural strength with the benefit of the lightness of the foam. One other feature I wanted was a continuous ply track bed; I have seen methods of point operation that would work through a thickness of several inches, but since I have semi-decided to use Tortoise motors (I reserve the right to change my mind as no plan is finalised until after it is completed – and even this may change…), a minimal thickness will simplify installation.

 

Following a real ‘Blue Peter’ session – 30 sheets of A3 Templot output, Pritt stick paper glue, and sticky tape, I assembled full size mock-ups of the three boards. This allowed me to assess each part that need to be cut, and prepare a cutting list/sequence so that all cuts of the same dimension/size would be done at the same time. In this way, any tolerances or measuring errors would be consistent across each part.

 

Smokey Bacon – Cutting Plan - Baseboard 1

 

Smokey Bacon – Cutting Plan - Baseboard 2

 

Smokey Bacon – Cutting Plan - Baseboard 3

 

One significant benefit of this was the ability to assess the positioning of each of the cross members. On the surface it would appear that 4 cross members in a 1200mm length would fall at 240mm intervals (centres); however, Sod’s Law thoroughly applied in this case and that using these intervals would place almost every cross member almost directly under a point tie-bar! Careful repositioning gave intervals that mostly fell between 200mm and 250mm but one came in at 270mm – this should be acceptable, but it may be that some additional bracing is required – I’ll address this if it does become a problem.

 

Something I should stress at this time (another disclaimer... ) is that the progress (?) I have described so far is the result of over 3 years of random research and study; I have now almost exhausted my fund of instant output and now will have to work at producing something tangible. I don't have a timetable for Smokey Bacon, but I would like to have it ready for the Diamond Jubilee of the 2mm Association - since that will be in 2020, I might just make it!

 

Steve

[DDolfelin]

I didn't quite follow what led to the Hanger at the station but I'm thoroughly enjoying your preparation so far.

Look forward to the pics.

[SteveBedding]

Harris' By-Product Factory

 

The hangar at Calne was a part of the factory complex belonging to C. & T. Harris (Calne) Ltd (producers of bacon, sausages, and general pig by-products etc). The main factory, including the abattoir, was up in the town centre but the 'By-product' part of the factory, was sited on the private sidings off the main part of the goods yard. The hangar itself was an old WWI hangar which was purchased by Harris' from RAF Yatesbury when the flying training was reduced there after the WWI and relocated to Calne (the hangar, not the flying training...). I'm not certain of the date of this but it was present on the 1923 OS Map (although no private sidings existed at that time). Once Harris' built their own sidings, they fitted an awning and a small loading dock with island platform to the north side of the hangar.

 

View of Harris' Factory from Station Road c1950 - Frithe Collection

 

As to the type of the hangar, I suspect that it was an early type of General Service Flight Shed which was the standard RFC description/name for this type building (they were predominantly known as 'aeroplane sheds' in those days - the term became 'aircraft shed' between the wars, and eventually 'hangar' became the common term by the early 1930's). A number of sheds/hangars remained on the site of RAF Yatesbury up till the present day - many of which have now been restored/refurnished for commercial use. The 2 pictures below are of broadly similar sheds which give a perspective of the construction and finish of such buildings.

 

Examples of early RFC/RAF Aircraft Sheds at RAF Yatesbury - http://news.webshots.com/album/555198779cpjjNd?start=0

 

Steve

[bcnPete]

Hi Steve

 

Welcome to 2FS and RMWeb - always nice to see another 2FS layout on the forum.

 

This looks to be a very interesting project with a nice narrative and presentation...compelling reading although I now yearn to eat a bacon sarnie with HP sauce

 

Look forward to more updates - Good luck,

 

Pete

[DDolfelin]

Totally agree!

[2mm Andy]

Hi Steve,

 

Good to see more 2FS on the Forum - it is certainly a good time to take up 2mm modelling, and this looks to be an interesting project.

 

I look forward to reading more in due course.

 

Andy

[Pilgrimsjulie]

Well I am glad to see that (SWMBO) has been mentioned!!! I look forward to seeing how this progresses with out the expert help of her!! At least I can see how far you get when you don't come and see me!!

Pilrimsjulie!!

[DDolfelin]

Ooo .. er.

[t-b-g]

I moved to Calne in 1969 and remember being taken by my Dad to look at the remains of the station. It had closed a short while before and the track had been lifted but the station buildings were intact, if a little the worse for wear. If I had been any older than 9 I might have better memories or might have taken some photos!

 

I recall that during the school holidays we would go down to the Harris factory and watch the pigs being slaughtered. I couldn't face it now but back then it was just something interesting for schoolboys to watch!

 

Calne sparked my interest in model railways and my first kit was a Ks Dean Goods. I must have been about 11 or 12 and although I glued the body together and painted it, the thing never ran. It was to go on my own model of Calne, which never happened.

 

I had the pleasure of operating on Chris Hewitt's model briefly at York show last year and although it is a few years old now it still stands up as a very good layout.

 

Good luck with the project!

[Calnefoxile]

Steve,

 

You beat me too it!!!

 

Even though I'm a died in the wool diesel man, I have always had this urge to build The Calne Branch in N, and also in the time period you have stated, although I have also thought about doing a 'Might have been' layout, as if the Branch survived and setting it in the 70's/80's.

 

I have the same books that you have and I also live in Calne, I also know the Grandson of Don Lovelock, who was the last Station Master at Black Dog Halt, and have seen many of his photos of the Calne Branch, some of which have been published.

 

But anyway good luck with the project, and yes you are correct Calne Branch, by Chris Hewitt, and Black Dog Halt, by Chris Leigh, will both be at the Calne Show in 2011, http://www.calnemrs.org.uk/ and afterwards Black Dog Halt will be handed over to the Calne Heritage Centre for permanent display, at the moment the layout resides with us at our clubroom.

 

Many Regards

 

Neal Mansell

Chairman

Bentley Model Railway Club

[KevinWalsh]

This looks like it will be a fantastic layout. I lived in Calne in the early 80's (Dad was based at Lyneham) and remember as a teenager having a mooch around inside the dis-used harris factory on several occaisions before they pulled it down.

 

Kev

 

 

[SteveBedding]

Cutting and More Cutting…

 

As with cricket – rain stops play, and Wiltshire has most certainly lived up to its reputation over the past week or so! That said, some progress has been made on the baseboards; I have become quite adept at quickly moving the benches and saw in and out of the garage between showers!

 

(By the time I got hold of the camera to document the progress, glorious sunshine appeared!)

 

Several sheets of plywood have miraculously transformed into what might appear to the uninitiated as a pile of kindling – to the more discerning observer, they are the basis of the frames for the three boards… One of the benefits of having done a series of cutting plans for each of the board was that an overall cutting list could be produced; from that it was obvious that there were a ‘standard’ dimensions that were repeated across many of the parts.

 

 

The advantage of this was that the number of times that the settings of the saw needed to be adjusted; once the three ‘large’ dimensions (1188mm, 675mm, & 663mm) had been cut giving ‘sheets’ of the required length/width, then it was a simple matter of running through the required number of parts at the appropriate height (175mm, 125mm, 119mm, & 113mm). Lastly, the 75mm setting was used to produce the final four ‘side’ panels, and to part-cut the 17 cross braces and end-panel inners to the ‘scenic’ baseline height (the final part of the cut was completed using the trusty jigsaw).

 

Three major learning points came out of the preparation of the baseboard frames:

 

• 
   
  
• ‘DIY-Store’ plywood is of appalling quality – no matter how fine the saw blade - it splinters significantly on the edge! (The jigsaw was far worse than the circular saw.)
  
• DON’T TRUST the accuracy of the in-store cutting! I’d made allowances for potentially inaccurate measuring, but I was very disappointed when I found that their saws didn’t cut square or even a ‘true’ straight line.
  
• The old adage of ‘measure twice – cut once’ is most certainly valid. However, do make sure that when you measure, you look for the right number – fortunately, I only cut one small panel at 636mm rather than 663mm (other than the minor discrepancy in dimension, I was a very nice bit of cutting I thought…)
  

In my defence, I had looked to source better quality plywood, but I did find that there was a distinct lack of ‘good’ timber merchants in my local area, and those that could provide nice birch ply, wouldn’t rough cut it to fit in my car! I don’t mind driving like the hunchback of Notre Dam for a short time, but 30miles/1 hour is too far/long to be comfortable or really safe!

 

For all the cosmetic shortcomings of the ply, it will be mostly hidden by a proper facing and no one is going to look under the boards . Also, there isn’t anything that cannot be hidden by the judicious use of filler followed by a good sanding down, and when it is fully painted, who’s going to even look for it…

 

The design calls for ‘standard’ sizes for all three baseboards and whilst all the parts have been meticulously cut, I thought it would be prudent to use a ‘jig’ to ensure that each board was assembled consistently. Using some scrap 9mm ply and 50mm sq PSE I have started on making a frame in which each of the boards can be put together – more on this later.

 

1200mm x 675mm assembly jig.

 

Also at this time, with the frame components assembled and before each complete baseboard frame was glued up, it was time to mark out and pre-drill the holes for the connecting bolts and interlocking pins. Also, each of the cross members was drilled (using a hole-cutter) to reduce the overall weight and facilitate later cable runs; I sure that later on I’ll find that the wiring positioning will require additional routing but that will be addressed if and when it arises…

 

 

One final consideration needed to be addressed in this pre-production stage; the overall layout length will be 3600mm and one of the original design constraints was for it to be able to fit in a ‘house/garage /reasonable sized shed’… …Well it just so happens that SWMBO has a 12’x7’ shed (currently flat packed…) that is intended for her proposed N-gauge ‘roundy-roundy’ layout. With a small adjustment (and permission from SWMBO of course), Smokey Bacon could be made to fit in this shed – the solution is to make 2 versions of Board 3. One would be full size at 1200mm and include the fiddle-yard for normal operation, and a second would be fixed in the shed (at a nominal length of 1100mm) and whilst would provide ‘home-operation’ – this has yet to be designed (no rush). However, in order to make life a lot easier later on I have made a ‘spare’ end-panel for Board 3 that can be used later on for this alternative…

 

… and whilst I was making one spare end-panel, I had a thought of ‘What if’?

 

One day, it may be possible for Smokey Bacon to grow! The next stop along the Calne Branch was Black Dog Halt; this totally inappropriate (and unauthorised by SWMBO…) thought of expansion/project creep could lead to a second option for Board 3 (leaving Calne), a simple single track Board 4 (compressed scenery between Calne and Black Dog) and Board 5 for Black Dog Halt itself, and lastly some form of ‘universal’ fiddle yard… …with this in mind, it was just as easy to make two ‘spare’ end-panels for Board 3 (just in case) .

 

On a final note (and slightly off-topic) ‘Missy’ raised the serious question of what constitutes a valid excuse not to model going to see real trains is most certainly valid! It doesn’t take much lateral thinking to justify it as research. However, I would like to propose a further (possibly better) excuse/justification… This weekend we visited the Kent & East Sussex Railway, to partake of the Wealden Pullman experience – this combined the essential items of trains with exceptionally fine dining.

 

First the 'research...'

 

BR (Ex GWR designed) 16xx Class No 1638 - From my 'biased' perspective, it is good to see that these GWR panniers get everywhere...

 

The 'Wealden Pullman' - WD 'Austerity' 0-6-0 Saddle Tank K&ESR No. 23 Holman F. Stephens (formerly WD 191 Black Knight, ARMY 91), 2 Pullman carriages (Barbara and Theodora), a BR Mk1 Kitchen/Dinning Car, and an SR Maunsell NBO.

 

...and now the really special bits...

... the service was excellent, the food outstanding, and the atmosphere sublime - I can highly recommend this to everyone!

 

And so whilst still suffering the effects of overindulging I shall now have to go and lie down...

[gwrrob]

Steve.I thought you would have had the pork dinner but seriously thats some impressive carpentry there.I look forward to following your progress.

[bcnPete]

And so whilst still suffering the effects of overindulging...

 

That Duck and all the trimmings looks mighty fine

 

Really enjoyed to read this post - It's always good to have future plans for extensions in mind too.

[Pilgrimsjulie]

Well I am glad to see that progress is being made and it looks good....Mind you SWMBO wouldn't be much help at this stage!!! Apart from making the coffees and keeping the worker fed!! As for the excuse.....Well I thought it was a fantastic evening and loved seeing all the trains and learning more from all the knowledge given to me!! Let alone the excellent food and service. Just got to plan the next excursion and hopefully another good excuse for no work to be done on Smokey Bacon...