Westfield Priory

[gc4946]

I'm keen to complete this layout this year, but debated to myself whether I should have a station on here, as having no station would remind me of the former Fratton sidings that I saw in my youth.

 

However, the station will stay, as I have no room to build and store another board at home.

 

A set of Scenecraft street lamps will be sourced - if available - from the forthcoming Doncaster event, otherwise I have all the outstanding parts in stock, except for station signs which will be specially ordered online.

[gc4946]

Work's started on painting the platform, waiting shelter and Wills ground level signal box kit in Southern Region colours.

 

I hope to complete them - apart from signage - by the end of next weekend (bank holiday)

[gc4946]

Aided by a warm day, and quick-drying paints, I'm progressing with the station platform.

Much of my stock represents the immediate post-nationalisation era, although some stock is BR late crest and/or post-1956 SR green. I'm pretending the Southern Region forgot to replace the old SR signage!

 

 

However, I envisage this also representing a preservation era station, albeit with run-round facilities only for small tank locos and short passenger trains.

 

Until it's glued to the board, I won't apply the white platform edging in order to check clearances

 

 

[gc4946]

Making progress on both the ground level signal box and waiting shelter

 

 

 

[gc4946]

I've trial fitted the station and signal box on the board to check height clearances, especially when I pack the layout away when I put the lid on top.

 

This was tested by adding a Merit gas lamp on the platform and checking Scenecraft's street lamps (44-559) - both lots of fittings were satisfactory.

 

 

 

 

 

[gc4946]

I wanted to keep my recent momentum going, so this morning I unboxed the layout.

 

Firstly, the rail sides were painted with a Woodland Scenics TT4580 paint pen.

Next, offcuts of Gaugemaster/Noch grass matting were added to represent clumps of grass.

 

 

Then I painted the Woodland Scenics vinyl matting in various shades of brown and grey, as a less messy way to represent ballasting and groundwork.

 

 

Finally I glued the platform down, bedded it in with offcuts of grass matting, then masked off and painted the white platform edging.

 

 

[gc4946]

Sankey Scenics' customised names finally arrived today so I've applied them to my structures.

 

 

 

Lamps have also been added with SR's target signs.

 

 

 

For the time being, I added a buffer stop at the football stand end, but can be removed at any time if I want to run it as a through station.

 

Otherwise, the layout is more or less complete.

 

 

[gc4946]

I undertook some minor rectification tonight :

 

 

- odd unpainted baseboard areas painted;

- drunken station lamp now standing upright;

- replacement of Peco lineside cable box with a Merit goods yard lamp;

- painted the back of one buffer stop in brown

 

Then I'll give the track a good clean ready for launch of services shortly.

 

 

[gc4946]

Quickly rigged up the layout plus approach 715 x 147 mm board.

 

Terrier 32678 (Hornby) tested with ex-SR pill box brake van (Bachmann)

 

Terrier in headshunt

 

Terrier with accompanying Maunsell BCK (Hornby)

 

Terrier awaits departure with BCK and brake van in tow as mixed freight (no freight available today)

[gc4946]

It's been ages since I last unpacked this layout!

 

The box protected its contents very satisfactorily except for some dust at one end which was quickly cleaned off.

There's plans afoot for greater use of this layout, after restructuring my storage boxes to differentiate between long-stored models which are core to my collection and those models which I'll regularly use.

 

I have both pre-WW2 and 1950s scenarios in mind, details of which will be shortly be announced.

 

 

 

[gc4946]

Westfield Priory will be a moveable feast - 1930s south London, 1950s-60s south coast.

 

Due to limited run-round length, only small or medium sized tank locos or diesels can operate on loco-hauled services.

LNER N2 and N7 tanks will work cross-London freights from Hornsey and Bishopsgate respectively.

A used but detailed Hornby Railroad Jinty 3F in LMS livery will shortly arrive in the post. It'll be used on freight from Brent sidings.

 

For regular Southern passenger services I'll invest in an EMU - as yet undecided between a 2BIL or 2HAL - the platform's long enough to hold a 2-car unit.

[gc4946]

Today I collected my Hornby Railroad LMS 3F tank from the sorting office.

It'll be fitted with mini tension locks prior to its use on the layout.

[gc4946]

Today I obtained Hornby's 2-HIL from Rails of Sheffield. 

Even though this unit's formation was brief from 1959 to 1961, it suits me OK because I own some late crest BR Southern Region steam locos and the unit's number begins with 26, the day of the month of my birthday.

However I don't remember seeing 2-HALs in service, only when the DMBS vehicles were converted in pairs for stores use visiting SR depots and works on a regular cycle. I saw those stores units in service and at their end of their departmental careers I noticed one (or both?) of these units stored in Fratton's goods sidings prior to scrapping.

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by gc4946

[gc4946]

After running-in trials on my oval Horniman Park layout, the 2-HIL has been accepted and will immediately take up service on Westfield Priory.

I own three loco-hauled Hornby Maunsell carriages and am loath to take them out of their boxes in case the separate door handles snap off with repeated packing and unpacking. My home situation is such I have to put the layout and stock away after each running session. 

Hornby's Southern Railway EMUs have moulded-on door handles; moreover the 2-HIL didn't have roof-mounted air horns fitted at the time when in service.

Edited March 1, 2020 by gc4946

[gc4946]

On 25/02/2020 at 21:14, gc4946 said:

For regular Southern passenger services I'll invest in an EMU - as yet undecided between a 2BIL or 2HAL - the platform's long enough to hold a 2-car unit.

 

 

Due to the delay in arrival in UK of my pre-ordered R3810 Rocket train pack until spring in the meantime I identified and purchased a Hornby R3161A Southern Rly 2-BIL no. 2041 on an auction site at an attractive price, now awaiting delivery.

I wanted an example in Maunsell's lined livery and a low-numbered 2-BIL.

2041 was built in November 1936 originally numbered 1964, re-numbered in January 1937 (source: bloodandcustard.com) to go alongside my condenser-fitted Oxford Rail N7, of which the gear was removed from the class between 1935-38 (source: lner.info)

Edited March 5, 2020 by gc4946

[gc4946]

The Maunsell-liveried 2-BIL set arrived and I now have all the elements ready to operate "Westfield Priory" in pre-WW2 era.

At the moment there's no Southern Railway-hauled freight services, it's all done by cross-London trip freight provided by other companies.

Edited March 7, 2020 by gc4946

[gc4946]

Today I rearranged layout modules in the spare room in order I can easily extract this layout if I want to run trains.

 

I tested various clearances - the main findings are:

- the longest locos that I can use in the headshunt if running round are M7 0-4-4T, N2 and N7 0-6-2Ts;

- max length of loco hauled carriages in platform loop without stock fouling are 2 x 57-footers or equivalents;

- the platform is long enough for a SR EMU to clear the station throat but will impede running round, so a freight train will have to shunt whilst the EMU is out of the station.

[gc4946]

I've ordered HMRS Pressfix BR mixed traffic lining transfers to finish off my modified (older ex-Dapol) Hornby extended bunker Terrier as 32646, which I remember stuffed and mounted after withdrawal as a pub sign on Hayling Island.

Once completed the Terrier will share duties with my Hornby M7 30031. However I don't know if Hornby's Maunsell push-pull set still have separately fitted door handles fitted, otherwise I'll assign the M7 to parcels and freight.

[gc4946]

This'll probably be my last model train acquisition for the time being.

According to Hornby's website, their R3810 Rocket train pack isn't due now till this summer.

It's Hornby's R3260 2-HAL no. 2653 as first running in 1939.  

Therefore I now own a 2-BIL, a 2-HAL and the one-off 2-HIL.

Edited March 18, 2020 by gc4946