Bostcroft

[LNERandBR]

So after spending most of my time lurking on RMWeb I've finally decided to brake cover and see what people think to my layout.

So this is Bostcroft.

I started building it in 2003 and in 2009 it attended it's first show at the Boston Model Railway Exhibition. It has since been to a number of other local shows such as Castor in 2010 and Stamford. It's just been back to Boston's 2012 exhibition which was last weekend.









If I'm honest it's poorly designed for the amount of space I have. What you see here is the full extent of the Scenic section without the fiddle yard. This is all that will fit into my room. The Fiddle Yard is of a traverser type with space for loco storage at each end. The scenic section is 8ft by 3ft with the Fiddle being 6ft by 3ft. This gives 14ft overall length which splits down small enough to fit into my Ford Focus Estate.







The layout has undergone many changes of era and area since I started it. Needless to say the layout isn't based on anywhere in particular.
To begin with it was supposed to have been set in 1930's in the ex-Great Eastern area of the LNER. However this soon changed as I found little time for wagon building let alone learning Loco Kit building which the stock would have required.

Therefore as time went on I moved the era to the Late 1950's and started collecting suitable stock. With very few RTR ex LNER loco's of the same quality I ended up purchasing many ex LMS types and tried to adjust the back story accordingly. Now with more and more LNER loco's coming out from the RTR manufacturers along with Hornby's Gresley Suburbans it's starting to pull back towards the Eastern Region where it's supposed to be.

























All track is Peco Code 100 with insufrog points. Although I have plans to change at least the points at the throat of the yard to electrofrog. It's wired for DCC and is usially ran using my preferred Lenz LH100 system. Most loco's I use on it are sound fitted.

The buildings are mainly Metcalfe although there are a few Bachmann Scenecraft ready to plant and a couple of superquick kits.

Future planned additions currently include Signals, a water crane for near the platform and an ash pit for the engine shed.

Sorry for not including any stock in the images. Also there are some car's and vans for the road and a roof for the signal box which I haven't fitted before taking the photos.

It is available for Exhibitions.

[edp2]

Nice layout Stephen

 

I like the embankment at the front. It helps give the impression one is looking down at a station from a hillside, pulling you into the scene.

 

Ed

[Andrew P]

Having just found this from Deeping Lane I see it is the total oposite and looks really good. I saw Deeping at the Mansfield show earlier this year with Neil (Mason) and it performed really well so you have a little jem there, and this looks good too. All the best Andy.

[Markeg]

Like the Layout Stephen, good use of Metcalfe buildings.

I am going to build a similar size LNER branchline (Ponteland) off my 20'x8' layout (Gosforth).

 

Mark

[LNERandBR]

Thanks for the nice comments.

 

I've made a start on building an ash pit for the engine shed as up until now loco men haven't had anywhere to drop their fires.

 

I'll post more pics as it progresses.

[RhBBob]

And Stephen's layout is even better in the flesh The '03' with the Lenz Gold chip and its attendant 'electronic inertia' is worthy of my further attention !! Another project for my list.

 

Thanks again for the invite - Steve and I thoroughly enjoyed both days.

[LNERandBR]

So as promised here are some pics of the ash pit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to go for a brick plasticard surround which isn't completely finished yet. The only issue I have currently is what to use for the walls. I don't fancy cutting up small pices of embossed plasticard as I don't think they'd join up very easially. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Also do you think it's deep enough? The bottom isn't glued in yet so I can make it deeper if needed.

 

Here are some pics of a loco stood on shed. Sorry for the tools and whatnot in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a few close ups of the L1. This is a Hornby model which I've weathered and fitted sound to.

 

 

 

Any comments or suggestions would be welcome.

[LNERandBR]

I've been redesigning the Boston MRS Website. In doing so I've found the following pics from Bostcoft's first exhibition outing. I thought I'd share them with you all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was before I had the lovely Hornby Gresley Suburbans I now use for the passenger trains on the layout.

 

Also yes that is the LNER Garrett you could see in a few shots. It's been built by my brother and he was desperate for it to go on display at the show. Only trouble was it was too wide for the main platform at Bostcroft so it ended up stood in the bay platform or the engine shed for the weekend.

[LNERandBR]

I've picked up lots of parts from MSE at the Castor Show this morning to install Signals on the layout. I hope to have these operational.

 

In the meantime here are some photos of the Fiddle Yard. These were taken before the layout's first show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The traverser uses kitchen draw runners and is aligned by eye. At either end of the traverser there are sidings for loco storage. This allows a loco having brought a train into the fiddle yard to be uncoupled from it's train and moved into the far end storage sidings. A loco at the scenic end storage sidings can then be brought back onto the stock ready to go back 'on scene'.

Of course then at some stage an empty traverser siding can be used to move loco's between the two storage areas. All without lifting loco's off the track,

 

The only problem I have had is opposite rail ends catching togehter causing shorts within the DCC system. Therefore all the loco storage sidings are now dead and loco's must be pushed into them.

 

Here are some general pics from the scenic end all taken during the week before the layout's first show when I had it all up in my dad's garage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LNERandBR]

I've got a question regarding the signalling.

 

At the Castor show I've bought two signals. One for the Bay Platform and one for the main platform but what about the goods yard?

 

I like to hold a goods train in the loop and bring a passenger train into the main or bay platforms before it departs. Also I often run a goods train into the loop when there is a passenger train in the main platform.

 

When I was at the Castor show with the layout two years ago I got speaking to a gent who suggested that the point from the loop into the goods yard would be hand operated. Given that I'm having goods trains arrive in the loop would that be correct? He suggested this as I could then have a shunting signal positioned to protect the main passenger running lines.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on this?

[tom82]

Layout looks great, The person to ask is Mike [The Stationmaster] try asking the question in the Permanent Way, Signalling & Infrastructure section you may get a better answer there

.

 

Tom

[LNERandBR]

Well I'm home now after a susscessful first day at the Mansfield show.

 

Bostcroft ran well after we got the track spotless. As usual I was very busy operating so didn't get that many photos but those I did get of the layout are below:

 

 

 

A few of the new lighting rig which has been built this week. It's actually worked very well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully I'll get some more photos tomorrow. (and a few of the other layouts at the show  )

[LNERandBR]

So finally here are the photo's I took of Bostcroft on Day 2 of the Mansfield show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the day's station pilots was this 03 shunter as seen previously in the thread. The Sentinal and Jinty also had a turn as they are now fitted with the same lenz Gold Mini and Capacitor unit combinations to get them over the dead frog pointwork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some general views of the Station, Factory, Allotments and Goods Yard.

 

 

The engine shed including the finished ash pit and pile of ash. The latter is made from real ash from the firebox of a 5in Gauge steam locomotive.

 

 

 

The new paved area at the end of the Station. Before this was an area of green grass but I felt it needed filling with something more substantual. Further detaling is needed here.

 

 

My new B17. I'm rather pleased with the weathering on this one. It just needs a proper coal load to finish it off.

 

 

 

 

My class 31 which is fitted with a Howes Sound Decoder with the correct original engine sounds. One of my favourite sound fitted loco's. It received quite a few positive comments during the course of the show. I'm also pretty pleased with its new weathering job.

 

 

 

 

A shot of the road scene at the back of the layout.

 

 

Bostcroft is now stored in the corner of my room as it doesn't currently have any more exhibition invites. I gave out two info sheets during the Mansfield show so

fingers crossed this may change.

 

I'm very eager to get the layout out and about on the exhibition circuit. As it all fits into the back of my Focus Estate and only needs two operators expenses are very reasonable. Exhibition Managers please PM me for an info sheet in your interested.

[RedgateModels]

Just need to practice your breaking down there mate

 

oh and cracking last pic, even there's not a train in sight, really shows off the modelling

[LNERandBR]

Thanks Ian.

 

I'm sure I'll get faster at taking it down. It's getting the stock off which takes me too long really. One or two loco's spent the whole weekend stood at the end of the fiddle yard. And I had plenty of others if any did play up.

 

Talking of Playing up I must take a look at the CV's on the D11 and see if I can get it running better.

[RedgateModels]

I'd be tempted to take the decoder out and test it on DC - see if there's a stick somewhere ...

[LNERandBR]

That may be an option.

[LNERandBR]

I've been playing with the D11 this afternoon and after removing the caps from the motor and fiddleing with the Motor Control CV's I think I've cracked it. Going to take it to the club to check it on a continious run before sigining it off though.

[LNERandBR]

Well Bostcroft is all loaded up ready to head off to the Nottingham show tomorrow. Hope to see you there if your going.

[sjrixon]

Congratulations on a great piece in BRM this month.

 

Really made nice use of the space at a decent sized fiddle yard!

[LNERandBR]

Thanks, here are some more up to date photos of the layout. Since the photos were taken for BRM the trackplan has been altered slightly:

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were all taken at the 2016 GCR Model Show.

[Neal Ball]

Looks like a lovely little layout.

[lmsforever]

Liked the article in BRM.

[LNERandBR]

Thanks for the kind comments. A few more photos of the layout:

 

 

 

 

 

[LNERandBR]

Bostcrot's first outing for a while will be at this weekends Immingham Model Railway show. It's all loaded up ready to go, I just need to remember how it all goes together!