East Hoathly (OO Gauge)

[KevinWalsh]

Dipping my toes into the dark arts of web forums, I'm going to be building a layout on my interpretation of what might have been if the Ouse Valley Line in Sussex had been built and escaped Beeching's axe too.

The station I've chosen is East Hoathly, between Uckfield and Hailsham (where it connects with the Cuckoo Line).

I'm looking at the late 40's to early 60's period, but with some licence so I can run DMU's.

Track is going to be Hornby ready to plant stock (simply because I have a huge quantity of it and don't need the expense of buying other brands).

 

So far I have laid out the proposed baseboards on the floor and sketched the plan onto them, giving me a scenic front of 11" by 2" and a fiddle yard back section of 11" by 2". Most of the buildings are ready to plant plastic and resin ones that I have picked up along the way, and a Metcalfe mill kit (yet to be built).

 

What I could really do with is links to photos or the actual photos themselves of operations on the Cuckoo Line and Wealden Line from the period in question so that I can alter the detailing of my layout to be more accurate.

 

Apologises for the rambling nature of this post.

 

Kevin

[dseagull]

Another user from Hailsham. Wow

 

The A.C Elliott 'Cuckoo Line' book is well worth getting hold of (It's in the library), as is the small 'Hellingly Hospital Railway' book for general views. The former has plenty of good information, especially.

 

Interesting idea, as well - Good luck with it!

[number6]

Sounds interesting - you can do no harm having a look through these images on the Bluebell archive - annoyingly small with big copyright symbol on them but inexpensive to order and fast to arrive by post if any take your fancy. Definitely search for anywhere alone the Cuckoo Line as well as Polegate and Eastbourne. There are some super photos of a Terrier and LBSCR motor set working the line in the 50s: Terrier 32636 extraordinary as that is the same stock as 60 years before. You can also divert all those inter regional trains with foreign stock down the Ouse valley line.

 

Bluebell archive

 

Cuckoo Line images by date

 

best

Raphael

[KevinWalsh]

Thanks for the tips guys.

 

Kev

[Mighty]

Also, try looking at Derek Hayward's excellent website with photos of the Blubell and surrounding disused lines for an idea of the lie of the land. It may help with scenery and give you a few ideas.

 

It can be found here.

[KevinWalsh]

Finally decided on the track layout, see attached pic.

 

 

The various boxes represent the following :-

 

 

Burgandy - Yard Crane Dock (possibly, subject to changing my mind)

 

Dark Blue - Flour Mill Building

 

Light Blue - Signal Box

 

Black - Platforms and Station Buildings

 

Red - Double Level Crossing

 

Green - Coal Staithes

 

Grey - Cattle Dock

 

Purple - Footbridge

 

Yellow - Goods Shed (the shed attached to platform will be for parcels and TPO vans)

 

 

 

The outer oval is the down line and the inner oval is the up line. The level crossings is at the London end of the station and the Signal box is at the Country end of the station. My idea is to use the bay platform on the up side as a branch terminus for shuttle trains to and from Hailsham/Polegate; the bay platform on the down side would be for parcels stabling and TPO loading prior to mail run to Crawley processing centre, and shuttle trains to and from Uckfield.

 

I'm still playing with ideas for the scenic breaks (not sure if I'll use tunnels or bridges).

 

 

 

The ends are flattened because I produced the plan on MS publisher, for realism picture the ends as a 2nd rad outer curve and a 1st rad inner curve.

 

 

 

Any comments / criticisms gratefully accepted , just be gentle about it please.

 

Kevin

 

[KevinWalsh]

Been sketching on the layout plan today and sorted out how the scenic breaks are going to take place. At the London end the curves will go into a cutting and have a road bridge over the top at the halfway point, and at the country end the lines will go into a tunnel just after the signal box. Further research on the period has shown a booboo in a previous post, the post processing centre during the 50's/60's was at Redhill and not Crawley. Also I am adding a footbridge from the down platform over the down bay to the front of the layout (viewing side), and I think the 2 roads in the goods yard need to be extended a little bit with a crossing put in for the road to continue from the station forecourt to the mill and up onto the back of the scenic area.

[witherbrow]

looking forward to seeing this develop even more so as its a local place

[KevinWalsh]

Hi Witherbrow,

 

Hopefully I will get cracking on the baseboard constuction in the new year and then it's on to track laying. I'll probably post pics once I have the track laid. This layout will cover 5 * 4' by 2' and 1 * 4' by 1' boards, so lots of carpentry ahead of me

 

 

[KevinWalsh]

Can anyone tell me where the distant and home signals should be placed, bearing in mind that the crossovers at either end of the station are bi-directional.

 

Thanks

 

Kev

 

 

[KevinWalsh]

Just been ready the post on pros and cons of DC vs DCC, I think given the fact that this is my first layout and because I have enough Hornby controllers for the 3 sections (Up-line, Down-line and Goods Yard) I will stick with DC for East Hoathly.

 

It may be the case in the future, once I have finished the layout and operated it for a couple of years, I could possibly re-evaluate my position.

 

 

 

All I need now is the time and space to crack on with the layout

 

 

[flyingsignalman]

After receiving your pm I've had a look at your track plan and came up with the following diagram.

 

 

I had drawn the diagram from the signalman's point of view but I've posted it upside down so it corresponds to your plan.

 

I've made a number of assumptions regarding the layout; the main one being that the signal box by the level crossing has been downgraded to a crossing keepers post and is controlled by the main signal box. The crossing box only controls the level crossing and wicket gates.

 

The 2nd assumption is that the parcels siding originally connected to the up line only but during relaying the layout shown was adopted. This means that the parcels siding is only served by shunt moves from the up line and moves from the down line directly into it are not allowed.

 

The dotted lines indicate track circuits which mean that the up advanced starting and down home signals are fitted with diamond signs.

 

The points in the yard are all hand worked. I've shown trap points at the exit of the parcels siding and the yard siding as they would have been provided prototypically but you don't need to put them in.

 

I hope the plan is clear enough to be legible; I keep drawing them out and forgetting they're to be reduced in size for posting!

[KevinWalsh]

Hi Keith,

 

Thanks for the detailed reply to my PM, I think I understand the diagram, and I have my eye on a few bits and pieces of spares/repairs signalling items on the infamous eBay so hopefully will be able to construct all the relevant signals.

 

 

Kev

[KevinWalsh]

Time for an update:-

 

I now have all the buildings I need for the scenic section and will start building/modifying them soon. I've got all the softwood to frame the underside of the baseboards and should start on those this week, and also drill the holes for the captive nut/hex bolt arrangement for joining all the boards together.

 

After going through all my boxes of railway bits, I have found that I have more than enough coaches for the layout (got carried away earlier this year on buying from boot sales and eBay), all I need to do know is fund the purchase of loco's (steam and diesel), DMU's and stacks of goods vans (4 of which will become donors to be converted into LBSC Poultry vans) - looks like I won't be changing my car this year!

 

After much discussion with other forum members and large amounts of research on the web and in the library, I know have most of what I need to make the layout, stock and operation look like the real thing, however I'm not overly worried about being prototypical as I'm building this to have some fun with and if I can ever get it good enough maybe even show it off at a show or 2.

 

Kev

[KevinWalsh]

Update time:-

 

Spent most of the day trimming the loft flooring boards I'm using as baseboards and framing the undersides of them, before bolting them all together. As you can see from the pics my carpentry skills leave much to be desired and once I got them all together I realised there are several booboos with my original rough drawn trackplan; time for a re-think, might have to lose one of the fiddle yard roads and some points will need to be moved so that they aren't over joins (Doh )

 

Kev

 

ps. pics 7 and 8 are in the wrong order

[dseagull]

As said, will certainly be keeping an eye on this one!

 

Intrigued though - what boot sales did you strike lucky at?! - I went to Nash Street/Rainbow Farm throughout the year, and found very little (apart from 80's tat!) bar some Bachmann PO Wagons on one occasion! Did go to Cophall on a couple of occasions - once saw some rather overpriced Lima (25 quid for an unboxed BR Blue 31, anybody?!), but again, little else.

[KevinWalsh]

As said, will certainly be keeping an eye on this one!

 

Intrigued though - what boot sales did you strike lucky at?! - I went to Nash Street/Rainbow Farm throughout the year, and found very little (apart from 80's tat!) bar some Bachmann PO Wagons on one occasion! Did go to Cophall on a couple of occasions - once saw some rather overpriced Lima (25 quid for an unboxed BR Blue 31, anybody?!), but again, little else.

 

 

 

Hi mate,

 

I got most of my lucky finds from Hailsham market on Friday mornings with a couple of blinding bargain boxes of track from cophall, mind you we do go every week as the dog enjoys walking roung that one. Also bought a few boxes of odds and sods containing just 1 item that I wanted, the rest went up on eBay in smaller lots to raise funds for my own eBay purchases.

 

Kev

[KevinWalsh]

Update time:-

 

Been too busy with callouts and booked work to do anything on the layout recently and as I'm at Brighton Modelworld this weekend operating the club layout it looks like next weekend will be my first opportunity to get some work done.

First thing to be done is to plane the baseboards to make a snugger fit and then I plan to start making the legs for each board.

[KevinWalsh]

Update time:-

 

Haven't managed to get anything done on the layout.

 

Tracked down the diagrams and a photo of a poultry van so that I can convert some bog standard 12T goods vans into the poultry vans that worked the Uckfield traffic, these should look good alongside the cattle vans and sheep vans that I've aquired recently.

 

Should have all the signage I need for the station in the next couple of months courtesy of Fred Boniface in return for the station announcements I recorded for his layout.

 

As the coming weekend is a write off due to work and family commitments, it looks like it will be a couple more weeks before any progress can take place.

[KevinWalsh]

Update:-

 

Haven't had time or money to get anthing done on the layout since last update.

 

All I've been doing is making, painting and detailing items for the club N gauge layout (how anyone does this scale all the time is beyond me, my eyes are going all screwy ), as well as preping NETHERHALL & FLETCHING for it's photoshoot at the end of April. Also spent some time going through the scrapyard box and making some working items of stock from all the kn"%$&d bits and pieces.

 

The list of what I need is getting stupidly long and unless the crime rate climbs through the roof I can't see business getting to the level where I can go into a model shop and splash out big style.

 

Following the arrival of my station signage from Fred Boniface with a slight change to the spelling I've decide to rename the layout EAST HOATHLEY; this should avoid any rivet counting moans and means that the background bovine oudure to the layout can be adjusted for anywhere should I ever change the period/region of traffic on the layout.

 

Kev

[Spam Can Man]

I must admit, one of the problems I have found with joining baseboards together especially with exhibition layouts is the amount of spare nuts and bolts you have to carry around as well as spanners etc. I have tried using the hinge halves used with a loose pine in the past which is worst than useless as they are so flimsy. For my model of the former SECR station Lordship Lane, I used these little devices which are strangely known in the theatre trade as "Coffin Locks" ! My baseboards are made from 6mm birch ply tops with 9mm ply sides. The ends are made of 18mm ply. The coffin locks I use have lugs on them catalogue numbers GEN145 and GEN146 and can be secured with an 8mm Allen key. You need to cut 88mm by 17mm slots in the ends of the baseboard to take them and they screw in from the inside of the baseboards. I drilled a 10mm hole in line with the hexagonal hole in the latch half to take the Allen key. I still use pattern makers dowels to get accurate alignment of the boards, as you turn the Allen key the latch locates in the receptacle half and draws the two boards tightly together. Perfect! The only tool you need is an 8mm Allen key! I get mine from a theatrical supply shop in London Flint Hire &Supply Ltd, email address is sales@flints.co.uk I have attached a piece from their online catalogue showing what they look like. Unfortunately I cannot show you on my baseboards as they are currently down at our clubroom and due to the Covid-19 I'm not allowed in there!

[Nearholmer]

They’re interesting fasteners.

 

I use 6mm bolts plus butterfly nuts - the amount of force needed to hold baseboards together isn’t great enough to merit ordinary nuts and a spanner IMO.