Milliedale on Sea - A spot of history,

[Black Sheep]

The old goods yard has been squeezed in to the east of the running line (remember, we're on the west coast, so east is upwards on the plan) 

 

So, the original goods yard was constructed north of the station (left on plan) away from the sea front and has gradually been squeezed over the years of platforms being built longer (can't go the other way as we're going over the town itself and can't build) 

 

The last expansion resulted in a line of the goods yard being lifted to extend the platform with a larger goods facility being built the other side of town, the small yard simply handles goods traffic for the centre of town / the holiday park. 

 

So, looks like my plan is complete  

[Black Sheep]

Small update:

 

The loft has been decorated and carpeted, been having some help with the layout planning…

 

[Black Sheep]

I'm pleased to say we're slowly getting there!

 

The layout room was always low on the list of priorities overall but I'm hoping to be at baseboard building / mocking up stage around Christmas. 

 

The house renovation was always going to take a little longer than expected, especially since the darling little monkey in the last post popped into our lives two years ago. 

 

The layout room is in the eves of the house backing on to what will be a guest bedroom (currently full of stuff we've only just started unpacking after 3 years!), the wife thinks the dividing wall is under the ridge, it's not, it's a foot further back in my favour

 

 

One of my other hobbies can be seen planned out on the floor - it's 1:64 scale, not standard Scalextric, I don't have that much space!

 

 

My small workbench 

 

And now, the moment I felt I was getting somewhere...

 

 

In and tuned to Radio 2

 

I'm planning on building a bench out of this system: http://www.richardsonsuk.co.uk/25mm-square-tube-system/p47to carry the layout while allowing for storage under it. 

 

Thanks for sneaking behind the curtain and looking behind the scenes

 

[Black Sheep]

Working on the kitchen and playroom downstairs, hopefully after these are done I can spend a bit of time sorting the railway room on the excuse that the stuff piled on the floor could be better stored if the bench was in place. 

 

Still planning on using the richardsons steel sections to build a bench onto which I can sit a layout, however I have been wondering if I'm biting off more than I can chew with it and I'm unable to picture how the raised sections of the layout will interact with the roof...

[Black Sheep]

I've aquired a Heljan roundhouse which should save some space on the depot side of things, the plan is to anglicise it. 

 

 

Still not convinced on the goods yard, the area in front of the depot should be the town but I'm tempted to squeeze the yard in between depot and town instead of wedged against the station, this way it's directly served by the sorting sidings (fiddle yard)

 

would welcome people's opinions and suggestions. 

 

The railway is raised up across the front, but ground level has risen to make the lines at the back on a 6ft retaining wall (with a ladder down from depot to pub back yard!) with larger buildings in the town to hide the curve of the viaduct a bit 

 

the left hand end is under not Butlins

[Black Sheep]

Test piece that the boards with scenery on will fit round the top of the stairs:

 

 

The taller sections represent church spires and chimneys, the shorter represent general structures and the railway as it sits on a viaduct right across Milliedale on Sea

 

The bad news is, I don't believe the roundhouse will fit...

Edited February 8, 2016 by Black Sheep

[Black Sheep]

First of four baseboards from Tim Horn having the final bracing added and drying,

 

I found the ends of the spine didn't align perfectly so had to break the bond of the last 6 inch so going to dry assemble and screw before taking apart and gluing, however, it's progress on Milliedale-on-Sea!

 

 

There's also been development of the track plan.

[Black Sheep]

Something lurks in the darkness of my loft...

 

 

Just spent a couple of hours being helped by she who must be obeyed in assembling baseboards, so two down, two half built. 

 

Need to get some legs sorted out and then the next stage of planning can begin!

 

 

Anyone any idea where to get adjustable feet for baseboard legs from? 

 

ta

Edited June 20, 2016 by Black Sheep

[MartynJPearson]

I got some a while back from ebay - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-x-Baseboard-adjustable-brackets-levelling-feet-Free-P-P-Value-Pack-/160820639803?hash=item2571a8383b

 

They are sturdy and have a decent range of adjustment, meaning I could get away with less accurate sawing

[Black Sheep]

Boards still under construction but couldn't resist laying out the plans to get a feel for how things fit. 

 

Put together a quick video overview to show the most recently shared (see track plan above) stage of planning full size. 

 

https://youtu.be/ThWbfE0fXwc

[NWJ]

Something lurks in the darkness of my loft...

 

photo-72.JPG

 

Just spent a couple of hours being helped by she who must be obeyed in assembling baseboards, so two down, two half built. 

 

Need to get some legs sorted out and then the next stage of planning can begin!

 

 

Anyone any idea where to get adjustable feet for baseboard legs from? 

 

ta

Just seen this - if it's not too late look at this: http://www.stationroadbaseboards.co.uk/cart_feet.htm

 

He might have what you need

 

Good luck with the build!

 

Neil

[Black Sheep]

Just seen this - if it's not too late look at this: http://www.stationroadbaseboards.co.uk/cart_feet.htm

 

He might have what you need

 

Good luck with the build!

 

Neil

 

That's precisely where I ordered from in the end

 

Thanks

[Black Sheep]

So, not much more to update, tweaks are slowly being made to the track plan, been re-invaded by the in-laws again and I've finally settled on control for driving the layout, but still settling on options for signaling (but likely to be MERG CBUS of some sort)

 

I'm going to be using MERG's DCC offering and have ordered the first item, the CANCAM, once built I'll order the powersupply and CANCAB as funds and build speed allow.

Will post pics when there are any!

Edited July 4, 2016 by Black Sheep

[Removed a/c]

Shall enjoy watching this, was thinking of a seaside layout myself, not sure whether to do N or 00. 

[Black Sheep]

Do N, you can let the layout sprawl much more!

 

I've heard a rumour that Bachman might be re-introducing 3mm to the UK which would give a best of both...

 

So, I need to get on with this and get too far along to consider selling up and going 3mm and my attention has turned to the electronics for now:

 

This is the MERG DCC command station: 

 

 

Well, it will be once I've finished attaching bits! 

 

Once this is built I'll be able to build a controller to pilot it and start playing with DCC locomotives, if I can get the Dapol couplings to work with low speed control offered by DCC then we're full steam ahead!

[Black Sheep]

It's been a while since behind the scenes in Milliedale on Sea, so, what's been going on? 

I made it to TINGS, tried to go a few years ago and do RMweb Live and TINGS in the same weekend but got muddled between the Warwickshire Agrecultural Showground at Stoneleigh and the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre Leamington so I missed it as I'd got a lift there. 

 

Spent too long on the motorway on the bike without having a break as I was trying to get home in time for bedtime and did my wrists in due to how I'd got the bike's controls set up - made me realise that this was the issue and my wrists are getting better - came away with a reasonable haul of goodies:

 

 

 

some of which seem to have disappeared, presumably to return in late December… 

One of the items acquired is a streamlined duchess on a Minitrix Britania chassis, and for some reason, painted in Southern livery - I intend to strip the paint and paint it matt black with LMS lettering and have her as City of Coventry as I can't face doing the stripes twice!

Princess Eliza (the streamlined duchess I've been working on for some time) is painted and awaiting stripes. 

 

I also now only have one BR liveried steam locomotive, a J94, the rest having been re-liveried to LMS but keeping their identities as I don't fancy trying to get the smoke box numbers in place!

 

not sure what to do with the J94, it was for the shunting layout originally built to use items bought for me as gifts that were out of time period for Milliedale on Sea but I fear this may be abandoned once I get going on MoS properly - perhaps a re-paint into LMS as war surplus and station pilot? 

 

I also have an old 08 that I need to get running with the intent to make it look a bit like an early LMS diesel shunter along with an ex L&Y pug kit. Lots to build but trying to focus on building the layout itself! (keep reading for how this is going) 

 

I've detailed my encounters with Dapol's couplings previously and had decided to place magnets where I want to leave items of rolling stock but I'm now seriously considering DG couplings again, partially for the price. 

 

So, that gets us to sometime in September, what next?

 

I've been asked by a friend who'd like to give N gauge a go to design a layout for him, it's during this time I've realised I've planned in code 55 with a few (lots) double and single slips, which aren't available in code 80, having a mild panic about some of my older locos running happily on it as I've had different responses from different people on the subject - I've got a length of code 55 flexi track to check they don't bounce along! 

 

Other than work getting in the way and spending time with my family I've been doing work around the house to get my daughter's play room finished and have now persuaded Millie that the next thing to do on the house is get the layout on it's legs so we can store things under it to clear the spare room so we can finish that off. 

 

This requires completing the excellent Tim Horn baseboard kits that I received in April. 

 

This is the fourth board being assembled

 

 

While my wife was out at Disney Frozen on Ice with our daughter I've made it out into the garden and started on legs, the TH boards don't come with legs, he advises trestles from B&Q or similar, however my layout will only be sitting a few feet off the floor, more like bed height than table height due to the loft roof.

 

 

The plan is to create a plywood piece that slots into the framework of the board and offers some support while popping the next board on and tightening it up. This will have softwood legs down to adjustable feet and a brace to take out any lateral wobbling. 

I probably should sketch the design out so I don't forget it before building it in a week or so (most likely a month or so)'s time. 

Edited October 15, 2016 by Black Sheep

[Black Sheep]

I think the track plan is finished!

 

Unless anyone can see anything amis?

 

 

The exit from the marshalling yard / depot needs catch points when exiting to the South (right) as a headshunt is not present. 

 

The large circle is a gasholder to give some height and distract from the curve of the viaduct. 

 

the goods yard is just above the station, the shed being on the road by the station platform. 

 

the left hand curves are hidden, as is the reverse loop. 

 

The bay platforms will be occasionally used to store coaches and the line down the middle of the station is an excursion siding designed to hold as much train as possible out of the way.

The sidings across behind the Church and School are marshalling yard, again, designed to hold as many wagons as possible.

Edited October 16, 2016 by Black Sheep

[Black Sheep]

Now that the baseboards are assembled (no trackbed just as yet and still tweaking the plan in place, Allow me to give you a bit of background to...



I'm afraid I don't know much about Milliedale-on-Sea as I'm a bit young to remember it in it's prime, used to go there from time to time for family holidays and to visit a great aunt (thankfully not a great aunt like that of the G.A. in Swallows and Amazons!) but my grandparents used to take my parents for their summer holidays. 

I often used to wonder what it was like in it's heyday, I used to sit on the sand and look out at the oddly truncated pier with it's pleasant, but not quite grand enough pier head, look across the bay at the spa centre and outdoor pool and look back at the double station buildings, walking past the run of large guest-houses to the cliff lift back up to the holiday park - all caravans by the 1980's but what did it used to be like? 

Well, to find out a bit more I've been in touch with the local history society who meet in the 'Old Cobblers' every 5th Tuesday of the month, this is what I've found out. 

Milliedale on Sea sits in front of Milliedale, a small market town near the sea, wedged between a section of Morcambe bay and the forrest of Bowland south of the river Lune but far enough from Blackpool and Fleetwood that the Victorians paid it some attention and with the arrival of the railway, surprisingly a branch of the Lancaster and Carlisle (later Furness before becoming part of the LNWR) built a branchline down towards Blackpool, however the funding ran out and only the section down through the headland was completed, leaving the first station (later the through platforms) and the foundations for starting a viaduct over the lower lying ground. The station was finished as two lines to be able to use it as a run-around with a long siding between in which a train could be stored either freight awaiting a road, or a trip working. 

It wasn't long before the Midland arrived from Manchester building the larger station building and the terminus lines, having swept around the grand curve of the viaduct It was shortly after this that Milliedale was forgotten and the whole town that had grown up around and absorbed the market town became the resort town of Milliedale on Sea. 

After acquiring the LNWR in the 1920's grouping, the LMS made the original station a through station to give access to the North, over time they also widened the embankment behind the town to build locomotive facilities and the marshalling yard to handle the freight that could not be handled by the goods yard by the station (the older LNWR goods siding to the north of the station having long gone)

So, that's the tale of two stations covered!
I would have found out more, but the local history group appear to be lightweights, talkative after a beer or two, but not for long, not sure how much I trust their account, but there's no other information other than people's holiday memories... 

Edited December 20, 2016 by Black Sheep

[Black Sheep]

It's been a while, had a few issues with real life (mainly related to vehicles) to resolve but managed to find a bit of time here and there to make some progress on the layout, but nothing worth showing. 

 

One of the issues I've been looking into is the height of the sea wall, which of course makes the raised track bed sit higher, you may recall the layout sits in the eves of the loft conversion, our road slopes, when sat looking at the layout, from right to left, the roof line following the road (instead of the roof of the terrace stepping) 

 

As such, the tightest headroom is at this end, guess where I planned to put the cliffs and tunnels! 

 

9mm plywood was sourced from my local DIY shop, track plan attached, cut to give some clearance each side of the running lines and then cut and placed in position

 

 

 

The bridge is a KS Laser designs, based on one in Manchester, sits at a slightly different height to the scalescenes arches I was planning on using...

[Black Sheep]

So, the plywood warped and warped badly so I'm thinking of switching to 10mm foam board with a small bit of ply glued on where it may need re-enforcing for the point motors (servos using MERG's servo mount kits. 

 

Anyone used foam board for raised track?

[Black Sheep]

I apologise, I've neglected this as bits are getting done very steadily,

 

The church has been assembled and awaiting some finishing touches: 

 

 

need to colour the stonework edges and add a flagpole, 

It's taken some time to complete being done bit by bit in my lunchbreak 

 

The ex LNWR station was completed at Christmas but awaits finishing touches:

 

 

 

Work continues on the ex Midland station under the watchful eyes of Clive:

 

[Black Sheep]

Small update, I've finally got a locomotive running under DCC power, Black 5 5305 Leonard Freear taking the honours. This was my first N gauge loco, it's about 13 years old and named after my Grandfather 

 

just need to finish reading the tech sheets from MERG so I can get the the booster finally checked and part of the set up

 

Edited September 29, 2017 by Black Sheep

[Black Sheep]

I apologise for the lack of updates, things have been happening slowly but have neglected to update here (members also on the N gauge forum may have a sense of deja-vu) 

 

On a trip away for our anniversary myself and Black Ewe were staying at Hutton Roof so went to visit Milliedale on sea, specifically to see if we could find any trace of the lido / spa centre and in a way I wish we hadn't, it looked absolutely rotten boarded up and clearly disused and hard to see in, the only benefit of going was to see how it physically fitted into the sea wall. Black Ewe took some photos on her phone as mine doesn't have much memory. 

 

need to work out the bridge height for the elevated track-bed so I can get started on the Lido plans (assuming the heritage group can stay sober long enough to visit the public records office on my behalf ) 

 

What I know about the lido so far is that it was a salt-water lido constructed in 1926 comprising an art deco winged building comprising of mens and ladies changing rooms, sun decks, cafe and separate pump house supporting the diving platform. The building was adapted with the central roof line raising to accommodate the restored cliff railway which was completed by the holiday camp on the cliff top. 

 

The lido was significantly altered some time around the early 60's making it almost un-recognisable but I've seen no records as to why. 

 

Slightly closer to home, as shown in previous posts on here, I've pretty much completed St Leonard's church that sits on the main road behind the promenade but more on that, and the CofE school that accompanies it later. The only additional detail is that the CofE school accompanying St Leonard's is St Kathleen's school, the two buildings being named after my grandfather who passed away a few years ago and my grandmother who passed away recently. 

 

more updates to follow to get the two threads back on track. 

 

 

[Black Sheep]

So, dribs and drabs from the historical society at the Old Cobblers, they've been bribed into surveying the various raised sections of trackbed that still exist, some of it is a Sustrans cycle route, other sections still carry the single track line into the town but most services terminate at the original Milliedale station, only a few actually continue over the bridges to the insultingly named "Milliedale Sands" station, the less said about that the better! 

So, hopefully we'll have the bridge heights, lengths and, some research into which sections were arched, which were blocked up and other details. 

We do know that one of the pubs did have a ladder from it's yard up the retaining wall to the motive power depot so that enginemen could slip down for a quick pint before heading home or even in the middle of a shift! Just can't remember what it was called, we know it was the pub next to the brewery,  got a partial list of pub names from the 1940's, just need to confirm locations;

Wharf Cottage,
Old Crown
Punchbowl
Oaklands
The Branch Road Inn
The Railway
Queens (always just called 't' Queen's' so not sure if it was Queen's Arms or Queen's Head)

and not forgetting, The Old Cobblers!

 

 

The first of the pubs to be modeled is The Old Crown with some help from Clive who makes a good paperweight. 

 

 

Not much is actually known about it's history, it's located quite close to the seafront, unusual for a coaching house on what was once a fishing hamlet (remember, Milliedale itself was a separate town back from the seafront until the railway came and the two have grown together taking on the Milliedale on Sea name for the whole) It's presumed it was actually built in the style of a coaching house but there are a couple of people think it had more to do with the RNLI and became a pub later, being dorms and stabling. 

The model itself is the newly released metcalfe coaching inn (it's been available in 00 for a few years) but the stonework replaced with scalescenes brick papers and tiles on the roof. 

As ever, chimneys will be fitted later!

[Black Sheep]

Some sketch modeling took place to see what things felt like with the raised track in place and work out the heights. 

 

 

 

bit tighter than planned between church and front lines

 

 

enough space here for the brewery though. 

 

Over Christmas the railway's sea-front hotel was built but detailing being left for when it's added to the layout.