Whitemarsh Yard

[Will Vale]

Whitemarsh Yard is a post-privatisation OO layout inspired by the revitalised Whitemoor Yard. The name came about when I was researching Whitemoor - I kept typing Whitemarsh by mistake, I don't think my mind was ready to believe that there could be a moor in the fens!

 

 

I started the layout last year, inspired by a spur-of-the-moment purchase of the Hornby 08, and the fact that when our currency fell (I live in NZ, alhough I grew up in Ely and Sheffield) the pound was the only one which seemed to fall more. UK models looked very attractive, and fairly affordable, plus now that I lived halfway around the world the UK scene would have all the cachet (and research problems) of foreign image modelling

 

The track plan is simple - four turnouts and a double-slip on two boards of (metric) 4' by 12". A third board of 5' by 12' is intended as a fiddle yard, but I haven't built it yet - in total it comes in at a bit under 2000 square inches. The genus of the plan was not prototypical - I had some sketches in a notebook for a Dutch-outline Inglenook with an extra siding for a spare loco, and bought the pointwork for same on a trip back to the UK in 2006. It sat in a box while I worked on other things, until I started thinking seriously about a UK layout. The original Inglenook is on the left board, and it's completed with a passing loop and space for a small depot on the right as a nod to all the inspiring TMD layouts out there. The idea was to keep the left board relatively free of regional influence so that I could run Dutch stock on it from time to time. I then laid and wired the track (Peco code 75) and installed the Tortoises and various DCC bits for hands-off operation.

 

 

At this point I started looking around for a prototype - in the fens to suit my childhood and the UK/Dutch thing - I know this is totally the wrong way around! Somehow I ended up at the new Whitemoor Yard, and worked out that I could use my left board as the yard entrance, and either have two fiddle yards with through traffic, or one fiddle yard and have trains pull into the run around and reverse into storage sidings and the virtual quarry off scene to the left. The latter is what I ended up doing. Once  I'd found Whitemoor things snowballed, and with an exhibition invite for the layout for 21/11/10 the 2010 challenge was a great way to get a head start on finishing the layout as well as participate a bit more on RMWeb, where I'm a relative newbie.

 

I've tried to detail the layout as close to the prototype as possible, while fitting in features that I wanted, like the field of sugarbeet and fen drains which make the setting clear. I also picked a second prototype for the depot area, which is inspired by Ipswich. Various bits have been built for this but none of them are finished yet - they're visible in this picture showing roughly where they'll end up on the finished layout.

 

 

The layout is set in July, so that I could just about have cow parsley, rosebay willowherb, buddleja and beets all at the same time. The grass is fading, except by the water where it's still quite lush. It may have rained recently accounting for the high water level in the field drain.

 

 

I've really enjoyed learning some new scenery techniques for the grass and water - my last layout was desert, and the one before that was Z gauge, so I couldn't really use the long static grass  This time I made sure to get some in there. Note that there are 5 little fish in the drain, for the RMWeb 5th anniversary - apart from the turnouts I didn't get the number five in too often, sorry! For authenticity, the RMWeb fish are enjoying the froth where water is spilling over the sluice :D

 

My favourite part of the hobby is probably detailing and painting things, especially if they have bright colours or are grotty - or both  Favourites on Whitemarsh include the flange lubricators and flowers:

 

 

 

I also took some pictures of my Dutch stock to see if the left-hand side would support the idea of dual-nationality. First impressions are that it doesn't look too bad - the permanent way isn't really right for NS, but the scenery isn't far off, although usually ditches and drains in the Netherlands are much shallower.

 

 

Here's an overview of where the layout was at the end of October - all the pictures show it in this state, although the 60 and the MOAs were worked on after the deadline.

 

 

 

Operationally the idea is to exchange loaded and empty trains of engineers' stock from the main yard and the rest of the network, both represented by a sector plate fiddle yard under the bridge. My stock is marshalled in rakes with instanter or knuckle couplings in between, and Sprat and Winkles at each end so locos only need the Sprat and Winkle loops. An 08 pilot handles the moves into the yard, since not all the long wagons and long locos can go through the pointwork without derailing - plus this looks better and provides a bit more interest. While the pilot is busy propelling the wagons into the yard, the loco can go and refuel, or hang around on the loop or in the depot headshunt depending on how soon it's going out again. On top of this, like the prototype various light engine moves are possible, with EWS locos moving between Whitemoor and Peterborough, and GBRf locos going to the new depot at March station.

 

The loop is long enough to run around a rake of 3 MOAs and one OCA/OBA, but using it as a headshunt it's possible to get 4 MOAs (or hopefully a rake of autoballasters - roll on December) in and out of the yard. Since the board join is in the middle of the loop, it would be feasible to extend this later if desired. It still feels like a big layout to me compared to my previous one - that was A3!

 

 

 

Obviously things aren't done yet - I ended up doing a lot of overtime when I was hoping to be working on the layout - but I've done a fair bit more since the end of October, and it's getting there! This has been a really fun project, made much more so by the support and encouragement of the forum. It's also covered some firsts for me - first real prototype setting, first weathering from photos, first DCC sound installs, first non-roundy-roundy exhibition layout, first use of etched brass bits etc. All the help I've had from RMWebbers with learning how to do these things has been much appreciated. Thanks all, and thanks as well to all the wonderful folk who put their pictures of Whitemoor on Fotopic - particularly Geoff Tibble and Paul Johnson.

 

If you'd like to know more, please read my Whitemarsh blog, my Workbench blog, or my challenge thread. Hopefully there'll be something useful there

 

Cheers for taking the time to read this, and good luck to all the entrants - there are some amazing layouts!

 

Will