The Long Line

[Long Line]

Railway modelling has been described as a journey and  this project is an ongoing one. Compiled from previously published sources from over a decade of modelling and exhibiting the base document for this text (written in 2018) is that used at Warley NEC 2015.

 

INTRODUCTION

The Long Line is a UK outline N Gauge exhibition model railway. It was born from Castle Hill GWR (built between 2002 and 2006. This was a double to single track design using the track plan from Adderbury; and reminiscent of Filleigh on the Devon and Somerset Railway (Barnstaple Branch). This incorporated a straightened and approximated length lattice viaduct (5ft long) of a similar design to that which was built nearby. The name Castle Hill coming from an earlier time at Filleigh and the phrase ‘Long Line’ was born out of disparaging comments made by Southern men towards the GWR’s route to Barnstaple. The model was well received attending 50+ shows and in wanting to keep the popularity and exhibition nature of my modelling for years to come I started considering the building of a replacement during 2008.

 

EXTENSION OR REVISION?

January 2009 plans were aired at the South Wales Model Show / Rhondha to extend the layout (then 30ft) to be as long as Caerphilly Castle in the Steam Museum, Swindon as had been suggested by the museum manager the previous September. I planned to do so by adding to the left end a representation of Morebath Junction and by Easter that year the larger baseboards were built (some were at Ally Pally that year) and some architectural models started. However the loss of a suitable space through a club room move halted any construction for long enough for me to loose faith in this increased single track project and it was cancelled. What was needed, were means of simultaneously operating numerous trains on multiple lines across the scenic section to aid public entertainment. With such in mind the old singe track viaduct was sold after the Fleet Air arm show of 09 and the layout made double track throughout. Using the same simple timber framed method as originally used I now opted to build it to 60ft including a section of Goods running line incorporating the old quarry siding behind the station and a new goods loop. As possibly too long for some venues I built and rewired the model so that varying lengths could be displayed to suit venue size, budget and operator availability. I now searched for a plausible ‘GWR what if that might contain a large viaduct (as I wanted to keep this element in the newer model)?’ to base the new model upon. Two options arose, firstly it could be a line based somewhere between Bristol and Gloucester on the Severn Estuary. Secondly it could represent one of the un-adopted solutions to crossing Dartmoor that had arisen in the late 1800s prior to the building of the South Devon Railway. I chose the latter initially focussing upon the works of Thomas Rendell and his Plymouth Devenport and Exeter Railway but this later proved unsuitable, so I switched the location to the Mid Devon Railway between Heathfield and Brent anchoring the model upon a location where the railway might have crossed the River Dart which as a popular tourist area would be easily recognizable to viewers.

 

INTERIM DIVERSIONS

Whilst concluding what else I might model I took this time to also start another small layout based upon  a single board and using PCB soldered track and code 40 bullhead rail built to tighter check rail tolerances and 9mm gauge: to both look and work better than current N gauge RTR examples. Inspiration for this model came from the Fairford Branch and a tongue in cheek representation of South Legh came into being named Aston Magna (a road sign we passed each September on the way home from The Steam, Swindon Show).

 

THE LONG LINE APPESRS

From autumn 2009 to 2012 I published and worked on whilst exhibiting the growing model. Taking various amounts from 24ft to 75ft to a variety of shows, all the time operating it as an end-to-end design with hidden storage tables and cassettes at each end. ‘The Long Line Project’ as it had by now been titled was made up from an ever growing number of alphabetically titled scenic sections (front or public view from left to right), L M N O (M being the original station boards). It was not a modular layout, but one railway of which individual or neighbouring sections could be exhibited. Some sections were further divisible by individual baseboard lengths, which were noted numerically from left to right, (E.G. N1-N4).  The scenic section remained 11” deep, with the boards no more than 14 inches deep so it could still fit inside my Landrover. It was straight across its entire length and required between 2 and 6 operators.

 

During 2013 I again extended the layout with 3 new scenic sections and some interim boards but now started to include some bends into the length and moved the linear position in the layout of some scenic sections relative to their neighbours, re-naming them as required to keep the alphabetical system. These alterations were part of a growing desire to make the model more, representative of the proposed railway and the area in question (which I had now a much greater understanding of) and to give some much needed assurance of stability, by widening its overall footprint.

 

A CHANGE IN APPROACH

Throughout its many changes and extensions the layout had remained DC analogue control. But I felt the time had now come to forget the flexible length option for shows. The occasions we had taken the layout out so far and these were only up to 60 or so feet, suggested that this would not be going out too often as way too much work. So as less bookings, were needed in future I could worry less about trying to please all comers event wise.  This has allowed me to re-wire the entire layout with a much simpler solution using a localised plug and socket system and hand held controllers with 65ft leads. This permits operators to walk with their trains across the model and interact with the various local controls as they proceed, in essence becoming proper drivers. In designing this system whereby it is envisaged a ‘real’, signalmen located behind the station will manage all the train movements and the operators drive under instruction a new and exciting concept comes to mind. If the huge number of practical issues were overcome then maybe members of the audience could after some form of brief training; take a train across the layout working to signals and unsupervised! This gives forth the possibility of the project becoming a public interactive ride and not merely and exhibit. But we shall see?

 

FIRST LONG LINE OUTING PROPER

The Warley NEC show of 2014 saw the layouts next significant public appearance, being its first at over 100ft in length. The model now included a portion of the bank to the summit including an additional pair of viaducts and another small settlement. Minor electrical issues plagued the first day until resolved then it worked fine but the preparatory and event workload was significant and presented a host of issues to consider. Many comments were made as to the scope of the model being built and the commitment required, my replies at this time were the first public instances suggesting that I was not finished yet, joking that there were many more letters in the alphabet. In truth however save the completion of what existed at the show that day plus six more boards half finished in the workshop, despite a desire to do so, I was unsure where to go next or how?

 

LAST PUBLIC OPERATION

Outside of life, the workload of wiring and some more scenic improvements took up all the time and energy I had up to the next public operation of ‘Long Line’ at Ally Pally in 2015. Here was assembled just under 3 miles of railway in miniature and despite the great effort from the 10 operators who never stopped taking trains across the model all weekend. I had worked on the layout for 3 weeks solid prior to loading up thursday evening and departing not long after midnight to be on site for 9am. I was first in the venue Friday and last out Sunday save for the venues own electricians and I came away exhausted, barely making it home Sunday night without crashing the Landy trailer combination on the A5 in the small hours of Monday morning. I had a lot to dwell on but save unloading and returning to work that week my only immediate conclusion was that I would take the time to write down what had occurred. Then speak to the co-operators, respected others who’d seen the layout that weekend etc and get as much feedback as I could recorded as soon as possible. After which I would take a break from the project and work on my many other, models and projects whilst I considered the big layouts issues which were many.

 

IN CONCLUSION

From adversity a list of key requirements appeared during the remainder of that year. No order of importance was required as each was felt mission critical, in essence ‘a go, or no go issue’.

 

The model would not go out again until it was visibly complete (except individual parts or models as a static demos’ and in accepting that there are always jobs or tweaks to be done in the life of any layout).

 

It would need new lighter, dust and shower proof packing cases.

 

It must be assembled within four hours regardless of increased length or complexity.

 

It must be tested thoroughly and the regular operating team must sufficiently understand the job to do so without need for re-instruction at shows.

 

I’d need significantly more stock to run the model properly, effectively at least three times as many trains and these would need far more vehicles in each.

 

All the trains must be finished to my ever growing list of ‘finer’ levels of accuracy to prototype and level of finish; including see through chassis and brake gear, 3 link couplings, aging and weathering and populating.

 

The model must represent the period suggested i.e. Late February and not lush high summer!

 

I need a new accurate plan of the layout shape and dimension to assist in any alterations or extensions and to plan its packing, unloading and assembly without unnecessary re-handling at shows.

 

There would be no more public feeding of key information until a final plan is agreed and ostensibly built, so as to allow freedom for redesign.

 

Finally, that all the points are regardless of timescale.

 

JANUARY 2024

The position today as I have relayed to the few enquiries I occasionally get across the demo table at shows: is that the layout still lives! Asides from changes in life, work and two long periods of serious illness the past nine years have seen me extending and exhibiting Aston Magna, and building up my stock and locomotive collection. I made further experimentation with N gauge track standards and scenic methods and acquired a prototypical understanding of the proposed route of the Mid Devon and its plausible use, had it been built.

In understanding the regions railways far more I also started a small, finer scale model based on Postbridge high on Dartmoor harking back to my earliest learning’s of the regions un-built railways. Along with some plastic kit, sci-fi scratch building, exhibition stewarding and organising and more recently the initial planning, for my retirement project: Paddington. Which is the uncompromising scale model I always wanted to build but didn’t believe I could and is a journey I will relay elsewhere one day. The relevance of these activities and many more besides are that they have helped me grow as a modeller and student of the periods railways, whilst occasionally driving me to opening the plans of The Long Line Project and again assessing what could or should be done next. Consequently the suggestions for the project have over this period varied in scope from extension, reduction, replacement and the bonfire! Many times the subject has regained the attentions of me and a small band of modelling friends and railway experts for a period, and in most instances something of use or inspiration came from these discussions, doodles and lively debates as to the nature of the layout, our hobby and exhibiting today.

 

Typing today with the now much altered plan of 2012 strewn over the model bench beyond the laptop, I can say with some certainty that there is a solution, that I am happy with it and that it presents such a positive outcome for the project that it gives me the resounding confidence that was lacking back in 2018 to complete the task in hand. Over time the issues that plagued its continuation have been removed or resolved. What has critically changed in more recent years is the level of thought that has gone into the project and of the improved materials and methods employed. Despite our modellers need to make the world fit onto the baseboard, Working from large scale ordnance survey plans; it is now a true to scale linear depiction of the proposed route as it climbs across the foothills of Dartmoor, it bends in all the right places and all the scenic vistas are presented correctly. It now encompasses far more potential for prototype railway operation and hopefully public enthrallment and education. There are a few twists like; DC Analogue control with some sound effects, colour-light signalling and electric point control in 1942 and as a proposed but not built line some might have been train formations and plausible rewrites of history.

 

Experience is only any good if you learn from it and I have. So more use has been made of out-sourced modelling solutions, the latest techniques and products, and more care is being taken to correctly emphasise less detail over a larger area. When next seen whole it will look completely different, but to those with an old copy of BRM in hand or a good memory for model railways, they will see the old layout somewhere in there, if looking anew.

 

Progress wise the significantly increased layout structure is around 75% complete and much of the component models and materials are already built or acquired. I now have sufficient re-worked to the correct standard stock to operate the model but do have a list of oddments and ‘special workings’ to build as time permits once the model is operating again. The layout and stock remain my own property and a few key folk kindly assist on occasion to make some cumbersome jobs easier and to provide much needed specialist skills or knowledge I do not possess. The layout is stored at home within its cases and for now boards only comes out to be worked upon. Timescale wise there is no completion date scheduled or plans to publicly operate the layout until it is finished as this was a primary conclusion post 2015 and remains the position. Realistically I have at least two more years work ahead of me allowing for my many other diversions, so that could easily become 4 years! However a location for its initial testing and crew training are being sourced and its next public operation has been agreed. Parts and models will continue to populate my demo stand at shows from time to time, even if they are not specifically noted as Long Line components and I shall endeavour to put items which might be of interest to RM Webbers on this thread as I feel worthwhile from time-to-time.

 

On one final point: The Long Line Diaries (British Railway Modelling). After 17 episodes the series was cut short for editorial and publishing reasons many years back but I continued to record the ongoing saga. But alongside the work of building and exhibiting the model at the time it proved too much work for one man so it remains a work in rough. Who knows maybe one day when we have a conclusion to the tale, I may look at my notes and photo libraries again with a view to writing up the journey?

 

Many thanks go to Andy York in anticipation of his assisting in replacing my previous images and assisting me in editing out any confusing or outdated info which the thread contained.

 

cheers Mark

Edited Saturday at 20:41 by Long Line
updated text as new introduction to thread

[Guest jim s-w]

Hi Mark

 

Large is different things to different people. I see a lot of layouts in the 20ft scenic range so I picked 35 feet as a figure (had to pick something).

 

Thus long line is more than welcome.

 

Thinking about it perhaps 1/2 a scale mile would be better (thinking of other scales) but then half a scale mile of t gauge isn't a large layout and doesn't have the problems in building, transporting and operating that a big layout does. So perhaps stick with 35 feet, regardless of the scale.

 

Cheers

 

Jim

[Long Line]

As much as I had built to an exhibit-able standard back in 2010 and when the layout was still a straight line..

The operators viewpoint of the 75ft at Steam Museum of the Great Western Railway Swindon.

Keith Ware  in foreground and Robin fox what we thought then was a long way off, have control here. The thin straight nature of the model at this stage suited this location behind Caerphilly Castle, but concerns were appearing from all involved about the risk of being knocked over, like a row of dominoes.

Cheers Mark

 

Edited February 7 by Long Line
replaced image

[Long Line]

Dart Viaduct, or baseboard (O1) as its known as on LL.

To the left is the UP direction to Castle Hill Station and eventually Heathfield junction and beyond through the Teign Valley to Exeter. This bridge is the first of three which dominate this end of the project.

The pic' below shows the mixed auto Goods, which is representative of a service which occasionally worked between Tiverton and Tiverton junction (on another railway) and is my personal favorite. Posed for a photo running wrong line around a failed fitted goods.

The second shows Keith Ware's 1986-94 stock crossing the same spot, taken at Steam Museum Swindon in 2011, below the viaduct can be seen another occasional visitor to The Long Line...'the who house'.

 

 

Edited February 7 by Long Line
replaced pics

[Long Line]

Links to videos about or featuring The Long Line, in varying states of development

The first four videos were all done at LL's first outing at steam in 2009, this was at a very early stage of the construction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZnxA7d7R4c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WKR8rbw_8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_JZCrVVdG8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC8wwa-9AuE
This lad approached us asking if we could give his new train a test, I don't think he envisaged one as long as this though?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmYW2YMCn2k
Taken at Wigan in 2010, LL features at 4mins 4 sec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXG06rosK98&feature=player_embedded
Taken at Ally Pally in 2012, LL features at 6mins 33sec

BRM's Ally Pally movie, LL features at 12mins 46sec

Many thanks go to those who have posted LL films on you-tube.

Edited September 4, 2013 by Long Line

[Long Line]

1st outing of THE LONG LINE over 100ft long

After a 2 year forced absence from the exhibition circuit whilst major surgery was undertaken.. we will be exhibiting the now much larger and bendy!..model for the first time on 23^rd and 24^th November 2014 at the Warley Model railway exhibition at the NEC Birmingham. 

 

Our stand Number is E24

 

Cheers Mark.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Long Line

[Long Line]

Warley Nec 2014

LL's 1st outing over 100ft and with the bends added for stability and closer realism to the prototype.

Pic by Keith Ware looking from the Down end,  towards Heathfield/Exeter

The layout runs the length of the barrier in view.

cheers Mark

 

Edited February 7 by Long Line
replaced pic

[Long Line]

Latest video from Keith Ware of LL at NEC Warley this year...

 

 

Mark

[Long Line]

This is a great video and has been priceless in explaining to people about the layout and in better understanding how to develop the model further. I just wish we had a video of it at Ally Pally the following year when it was working better.

 

If anyone did film the layout at Ally Pally in 2015 i'd be very pleased to hear from them?

Edited January 4 by Long Line
improved text

[Long Line]

A rearward view from Ally Pally 2015. Looking in the Up direction this was taken early on Saturday morning as we warmed up the loco's and ourselves for what would become a very busy weekend walking too and fro with trains.

 

You can also see one of the 65ft long controller leads which return to the transformer box located in the layout centre under board M5 (station platforms). To stop the leads become twisted and knitted into a knot in the middle as the guys walked up and down the model some simple rules were devised.  With the lowest number controller always passing nearest to the layout and you must not turn around at the end with the controller in your hand, i.e. always keeping it besides the layout.

 

Edited January 4 by Long Line
improved explanantion

[Long Line]

Ally Pally 2015 again and even as doors opened the issues of keeping the audience entertained with trains began to appear, i was frantically making up more for the guys to work across the model as by now we had 4 trains in motion at once ( 2 in each direction) with 7 or more parked in the goods loop, WD sidings, station yard and waiting for a path off the goods line. 

 

By 10am we had 27 trains in use which was proving insufficient already.

 

Accordingly I dashed about the show in search off more 'new model' brake vans to buy which were in scarce supply back then, so i could build yet more trains. I took to splitting freights into 2 or 3 new trains, incorporating full brakes on fitted freights and re -using locos on other ones. We even run single and multiple light engine movements and as many passenger services with additional vehicles tacked on to create new ones as plausible.

 

In the end there was around 50 different trains crossing the model all weekend, and all far to often too!

[Long Line]

Quickly built from scrap in the tool box and added Friday evening prior by a couple of the chaps operating these temporary white signals were added to show the electrical isolation sections to the operators and assist the public in understanding why trains were stopping in critical areas as they awaited the train in front to clear the next section.

 

Several times over the weekend we witnessed the audience discussing the sight of distant trains delaying following ones up and explaining among themselves the why and how such was needed and done. This was a very pleasing situation as one of the things i  wanted to do with the project was show how a real railway works and would influence ideas and changes to the model in years to come.

[Long Line]

The remodeled baseboard M1 with its canted right end  which now bent the layout at this point both giving much needed stability and representing the area modeled more closely. Ether side can be seen the existing boards which it mated to, left being the village area and right the station. Including the adaptations on the original layout Castle Hill, as one of the earliest boards being built in 2002, this was the 4th and final version of this particular section!

 

The road over bridge is the 3rd model to stand in this area, being re-used from the previously straight version.

 

The corner pub and adjoining house clearly having now traveled West somewhat. I will need to fill in the new gap with more Devon cottages, ideally with thatched roofs which have proved difficult to realistically create in 148th scale so far.

[Long Line]

The state of play in the workshop on the Monday evening after our return from Ally Pally. 

 

Cases of boards and lots of pieces without cases, stand alongside associated bits of equipment awaiting a new way and place in which to keep the now much increased volume of stuff all safe, which needed to be sourced asap due to pressures of work in the machine shop!

 

After 3 weeks continuous work on the layout, it at had all gone out the doors 4 days prior and was now safely back.

By this point i was truly shattered lol.

[Long Line]

Various Long Line models on display at Manchester MRE in 2016. 

 

Working upon the stock and individual models proved sufficiently enthralling and enough modelling to sate my appetite during this period which also involved a house and business changes. After all those hundreds and hundreds of wagons weren't going to build themselves and as was proving plainly evident, it was fruitless to assume that the RTR manufacturers were ever going to sufficiently supply my models in N gauge anyway.

[Long Line]

The next step forward came through the building of a small 1/76th scale winter 1944 diorama. I did this as i wanted an excuse to  build a model tank which i'd not done since a teenager and as i wanted to learn winter modelling. Long Line is supposed to be late February 1942 and historical met office data  told me that during  a 3 month period encompassing my models date there were only 10 or so clear days, the rest being hindered by fog, snow, frost or freezing mist. I didn't want  to cover the layout in thick snow but a feeling of a very cold and icy morning was desirable. 

 

But as with many of our models long Line is covered with lush green scenery, a result of the products chosen and available at the time mostly.

 

It was of key concern to me that if the layout were to appear again it must be 'period correct' so to speak. 

 

Companies such as Crycell produce products in small quantities suitable for winterizing small scale models but the costs of using such over an entire layout of many hundred square feet was clearly implausible. Accordingly i did some experimenting and devised a solution using domestic acrylic primer undercoat diluted with acrylic spraying thinners. Both could be purchased by the litre so making it far cheaper to create and unsparingly use.

 

The effect was a success, as the thinners dried they retracted the solution into puddles leaving areas of dried paint which was a good representation of ice and frost in my view? With the use of varying opacities of mix it was credible to suggest that differing depths and translucence of ice or snow might be created.

 

 

[Long Line]

My research on the proposed route of the Mid Devon Railway has been ongoing for years as my understanding of why, how and where the line might have been built improved.

 

The only plans deposited in Devon records office were for  the The Brent, Ashburton and Heathfiled Railway of 1897. This suggested 2 lines connecting Heathfield and Ashburton, then Buckfastleigh to Brent. Such would utilize the existing section of the Dart Valley Railway between Ashburton and Buckfastleigh.

 

But these were not that of the Mid Devon Railway which would have been one line between Heathfield and Brent and further north east than those.

 

There were several pieces published in the newspapers of the day which suggested a few key anchor points around which the route may be worked out. Nameley: Exeter Flying Post 22nd November 1897.

"A new railway has been proposed from Heathfield Junction to Brent. The route would go through woods to Liverton, through a tunnel below the Jolly Sailor Inn and would go in front of Wood Place. A station is proposed between Headborough and Rew. At Buckfast there would be a 100ft viaduct over the River Dart"

 

This gave me enough anchor points to work out the route in brief and the topography of the region sorted the rest. As trains don't like hills and tunnels are expensive! And whenever possible companies build railways for profit, so they go through somewhere commercially important or provide the cheapest solution to both construction and operation as possible.

 

Part of the route laid out on the desk whilst designing the model, you can just make out the route snaking across the top portion of the plan.  The bottom picture shows the area covered in the model as seen to date including the river dart viaduct to the left with its easily recognizable island. The station area and quarry to its rear and to the right the location of the small hamlet.

 

Edited January 4 by Long Line
improved text

[Long Line]

Taken from L W Pomroy's book on the Teign Valley Railway, Oxford Publishing Company. The map attached shows the route via a bold solid line built by the South Devon Railway Company as exists today. Also a line from Exeter to Plymouth going West of Heathfield to Ashburton then Buckfast and via Brent onto Plymouth via a more Southerly route below Ivybridge. This was the second of the proposals presented to Parliament in 1845 but not acted upon.

 

The plan also shows the route of 1897 describe by my model. Shown as the lighter dashed line and being further up hill from both Ashburton and Buckfastleigh. This fits with the piece published in the newspapers in my previous post. For me this is the only sensible route as all others require steep inclines into Ashburton and Buckfast which negates the very idea of a South Devon Banks avoidance route. The mid Devon is a much smoother affair at 14.3miles long with no greater than 1:150 required.

 

Naturally you'd need to get to Heathfield from Exeter first. But i disregard this as the Teign Valley route has Longdon Bank and the Dawlish option Teignmouth Bank. Which in effect cancel each other out over the first half of the route through South Devon. The raisen-detre to the Mid Devon proposal was for freight traffic to avoid the banks south of Newton Abbot as well as the bottleneck it often was.

 

The plan also shows a short line connecting my route to Ashburton and the Dart Valley Railway.  Although just off my model i have looked into this, but have my doubts as it would require a gradient of approx 1:45!

 

Edited January 7 by Long Line
Additional info

[Long Line]

A major issue has been overome today in the next phase of the project.

 

Namely somewhere flat dry and secure to test assemble the whole 110ft of the project for the first time. Then a year or so later to test run it in anger. This issue has plagued me for ages so its great to finally know we can put it all up on occasion.

 

Couple of months-ish and we'll see if my measuring and geometry were close to right 😛

 

An older pic of the much altered plan (hanging to straighten out the creases on the wardrobe door) and a tape showing the centre line of the project on the hall floor proving it should fit ok.

Edited February 9 by Long Line
Added text