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[JZ]

Not been happy with my Somercombe layout for a few months. A few things I am not happy with.

Ballast. Not neat enough, looks too much like modern untidy ballasting.

Bridge. I love it, But there is some expansion in warm weather and this leads to a kink forming.

Continuous running. I think I really want a terminus.

 

So, what to do..................

 

I previously wanted a seaside terminus, but this got sidlined when it took up too much space. Now I have the space and I built a roundy-roundy.

 

I have always though of Weymouth as a quite modelable station. so I use it as an inspiration for this plan.

4 road station, small goods yard alongside and a line off to a quayside/harbour.

It also gives me an excuse for other things I have always yearned for, namely an engineshed and turntable.

No drawings yet, but the station would be along the back of the layout, with a wall, road and terrace of houses behind. At the front, a road and shops and pub. As at Weymouth, the quay line would come by the side of the goods yard and around a tightish(24") curve onto a road. It would then dissappear between a bus garage and warehousing. This would form a continuous run as I don't want full wagons going to and from the harbour (and it gives me facility to run-in loco's).

Up from the station, a 4 road engine shed and turntable plus servicing facilties for steam, then 3, possibly 4 carriage sidings. Once past the junction for the shed and sidings, the line will start to climb gently.

I plan to have services similar to those seen at Weymouth, though I will add a 14xx and autocoach for the Abbottsbury branch and an M7 and push-pull set for a West Lulworth branch. I may add a short spur of the Portland line for the change-over of loco's on the quayside.

[petethemole]

That looks promising. I have a similar project in the planning and making/collecting stock stage, although I hope to get started soon; it's been at that stage for far too long. I'm intending to use a compressed (for length) version of the pre-1957 layout of the station, possibly cutting out one of the middle sidings between the main platforms. It looks like a very interesting station to operate with a good variety of traffic. My solution to the Quay and Portland lines will be governed by space, so will probably use the LSWR side excursion platform converted to a through road, with the two lines diverging off-scene. The goods yard will have to be smaller than the original and the huge arrays of sidings will also be off-scene. Good luck with yours.

Pete

[JZ]

I envisage a larger harbour, off-scene, than Weymouth, for more Channel Island cargo. Still have it worked by short WB loco's.

I would like to know more about the changing of loco's for the quay. If anyone has information...............?

[westerner]

There is a part of me that wishes I had taken the option of a Terminus with a a branch going to a quay except i would have based it on Kingswear. Look forward to your updates. As a child in the fifties spent meany holidays in Weymouth and watching the boat trains traverse the quay line.

[Sidecar Racer]

I envisage a larger harbour, off-scene, than Weymouth, for more Channel Island cargo. Still have it worked by short WB loco's.

 

Your going to need a GWR 1366 then , cantt get much shorter .

[gwrrob]

 

Your going to need a GWR 1366 then , cantt get much shorter .

 

.....and DJH make a decent kit of one.

[lapford34102]

I would like to know more about the changing of loco's for the quay. If anyone has information...............?

Hi,

There were two sidings either side of the the Tramway just before it went out into Commercial Rd. The Coal Siding on the goods shed side and Melcombe Siding (also know as Coleman's, after the coal merchant who had staithes there IIRC) on the other side.

If a train such as a Boat was going down the tram it would stop short of the sidings and as a result effectively blocking everything. The train engine would then come off the train and run into the coal siding. The tram engine would either be waiting on the Tram to take over or if it was a busy time use the Melcombe siding. In reverse the the train engine and banker would be positioned in the coal siding, the train would come up the Tram, the tram loco would come off and depending on where it was needed next either park up in Melcombe or go straight off else where.

Goods was usually marshalled in Jersey sidings and run straight down. goods coming up from the Quay were taken into Jersey to be sorted.

It was actually a bit more complicated than that sometimes such as Summer Saturdays but it'll give you the idea.

 

HTH

 

Stu

[JZ]

Thanks Lapford. It is what I suspected about the change-over, although I will use the stub of the Portland branch for the train engine.

 

A 1366 may be on the cards, but as the largest steam loco used was an Ivatt 2MT tank, I may use a 45XX as I plan heavier traffic than that seen at Weymouth. I already have an 03 and an 08(though it was 12s that were used in the quay)

 

Buildings will be inspired by Weymouth, timber on a brick base.

 

Can't say I've evr paid much attention to the buildings around the station, though I have visited the interiors of many of the pubs. Again, I do not intend to copy, rather give a flavour. I have 2½ hours down there on Sunday, so will take the camera with me.

 

Now to get on with the track plan.

[JZ]

Drawn up the first draught plan. Not to scale and the goods shed will be swung to fill the dotted area more.

For coaling I have a Hornby coaling tower, which may be a little OTT, but I like it. The engine shed will be cobbled together Airfix/Dapol kits or possibly the Bachmann one. The station building itself will be scratchbuilt in the style of, rather than copy of, Weymouth. The longer platform at the top will be for excursions, the bottom one for branch trains to "Abbottsbury" and "West Lulworth".

Goods yard is small because I envisage more facilities on the quay branch, remember that this is only inspired by Weymouth.

Must come up with some names for the layout that sound Dorset-like. Abbottsbury is lkely to be Monksbury, but for the others I am stumped.

Nothing set in stone yet and I am open to criticism.

[JZ]

I plan to start pulling Somercombe apart over the Christmas period and get the baseboards rebuilt to suit. I hope to start track laying around April time when the ambient temperature is more conducive. In the meantime I have been collecting/building low relief buildings for the streets behind and at rightangles to the station. Not made a start on the station building itself though. May now put a third line in from somewhere up the incline so quay trains do not block the line while changing loco's, though this will mean some kind of brake device to hold the train. I now have the Bachmann 4 road engine shed, but still wait for the Metalsmith's 70' t/t, could be that I end up using the Walther's/Heljan one I have.

The period will be around 1958 to 1966. This will give me a fairly wide range of loco types and give me an excuse for an original Merchant Navy. One type that did not not make the period is an Adam's T1. I picked up a Craftsman kit on ebay a few weeks back and will probably finish it in BR lined black and as one that did survive into BR ownership. This will be my first foray into etched loco kits, though I have done a few wagons and coaches. The plan is to use this on the West Lulworth branch trains.

[The Great Bear]

Must come up with some names for the layout that sound Dorset-like. Abbottsbury is lkely to be Monksbury, but for the others I am stumped.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hardy%27s_Wessex

 

Budmouth?

[JZ]

Many thanks GB. I may well take a few names from the list, but not too many in case it becomes cliched

[westerner]

You could always delve into the Mayor of Casterbridge for a suitable place name. I think Hardy renamed most Dorset towns

[JZ]

Collecting buildings for the layout at the moment. One thing Weymouth has is many pubs and I intend to have a few . While browsing on ebay the other week, this caught my eye. A rather tatty US kit of unknown origin, but something about it took my fancy.

On arrival it fell to pieces with barely a touch and is now in the kitchen being turned into something a bit more English looking. I will probably put a pitched roof on and the steeple on the turret will go. The main door is to be replaced withh something more suitable for a pub.

[dantimmy]

Hi just came across this page, I weymouth born and bred, that yanky hotel wouldn't look out of place on the corner of king street, which is currently the somerset public house. obviously without the spire. I found these months ago and if you haven't already seen them, might provide some inspiration/help.

 

Weymouth station and goods depot

http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?f=216&t=90953

 

Weymouth Terminus birds eye view

http://www.weymouthinoldpostcards.co.uk/pageaerial%20south%201950.htm

 

If you need any pics taken of buildings etc in the future feel free to ask, i'll be out taken a few for myself soon as I am seeing if a weymouth quay layout is at all possible.

 

Dan