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Loughborough Road


ALANP

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Hello,

 

I thought you might like to see what I and St. Simon have been up to!

 

Loughborough Road could be almost anywhere in the UK, there being examples in Nottingham, Leicestershire and Brixton, and no doubt elsewhere as well. Our Loughborough Road is in West Bridgford (without an e – pointed out to us at an exhibition by someone who had been born there – red faces all round!). The layout is a “might have been” fantasy but includes some real features. My Grandfather lived on Loughborough Road in West Bridgeford in the late 19th Century and had a boot and shoe business with shops – at various times – in Nottingham (in Cheapside), Carlisle and Chorley. His home in Loughborough Road has become a factory on our model.

 

Loughborough Road is a main road running south from Nottingham through West Bridgford to – Loughborough. The Midland Railway line linking Kettering/Melton Mowbray/Nottingham runs through West Bridgeford and slightly further East was the London North Western and Great Northern Joint Railway line built to link Market Harborough & Peterborough/Melton Mowbray/Nottingham. There is no evidence that any station was proposed for West Bridgeford but it is not entirely impossible that the good citizens of West Bridgford – in 1900 a thriving and growing suburb – might have ambitiously established a terminus for the Midland Railway with LNWR running powers and all linked into a growing Nottingham suburban railway network. Just to the North of our imagined station is Trent Bridge Cricket Ground. They found a narrow site allowing access to the station between the Paley & Co. factory and what became the Midland hotel.

 

The station has one regular passenger platform and a small goods yard. The council were anxious to promote their town and funded a traverser at the platform end which allows all but the largest engines to escape. This bears a strong resemblance to the GWR Moor Street traverser – there were 2 there but the remains of only one are visible today – and no doubt was built by the same contractor. Commerce through the Goods yard reflects the area – no doubt Paley & Co moved their boots and shoes to their other locations, gunpowder vans deliver explosives to local mines (no health and safety restrictions to protect the local citizens?) and there seems to be a trade in pit props. For some reason a daily Lancashire and Yorkshire train (presumably its final stop ) delivers fish and fish products from Fleetwood to the Cod Liver oil factory. One wonders why East Coast fish are ignored. Red brick seems to be the local building choice. The Loughborough Road Miners association has its meeting rooms overlooking the station.

The 00 layout is a fiddle yard to terminus scheme built on a slight curve – there are lots of comments that there are no straight lines but the curved track disguises three straight baseboards joined at angles. The time period is 1900 to 1930 allowing the use of Midland, LNWR and LMS passenger and goods stock. Layout operation requires thought and planning – and the use of a station pilot – to shunt goods vehicles into and out of the limited goods yard. Stock and buildings are mainly kit bashed and are currently DC operated. 

  

There are two influences which must be acknowledged. The first is a layout I saw at RISEX some years ago, called Oxford Victoria which had been built for an Oxford club competition limiting the size to 8 square feet. I thought it was a small jewel and, although not limiting myself to 8 square feet have tried to emulate it. The second inspiration came from Graham Muspratt. My son and I have helped with his layout at exhibitions from time to time and he has included little cameos featuring his Father and Grandfather – a very personal touch which brings, for me at least, the layout to real life. Loughborough Road includes not just a “real” location where my Grandfather lived but has allowed me to use the names of other members of my and my wife’s family.

 

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Hope this interests you. I will add some comments on stock at a later date!

We will be at Watford on May 11th and are always happy to listen to praise.....or criticism!!!

 

Cheers,

 

Alan

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Very nice modelling

Is that a traverser at the platform ends ?

Brian

Brian,

 

Yes it is. The layout is short and I was saving space - and it adds a bit of interest! Many people at exhibitions question whether traversers were ever used and we point to Moor Street. The Traverser does look like Moor Street after consulting pictures and going and looking. It was deliberately kept shortish to mainly cater for tank engines.

 

The base is a piece of good quality plywood with brass angle on the edges and sliding on more brass angle. The mechanism depends on captive nuts, a length of stud and a winding handle. The only major problems have been my inability to think ahead about the gearing - it takes a little while to move a loco from one side to the other - and the wiring - to avoid the wire fraying.

 

Hope this answers your question; please feel free to ask more!

 

Alan

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  • 1 year later...

Hi,

 

Well, Loughborough Road has been very quiet if late, but be rest assured, it is still with us and is going to some shows, in particular it is to be shown at RMweb Live on the 12th & 13th September in Coventry (see here for all the details: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/forum/239-rmweb-live-1314-september-2014/ )

 

I'll let Dad (ALANP, aka Mr Loughborough Road) update you on all the recent developments and what you'll be able to see at RMweb live and other exhibition dates!

 

Simon

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Brian,

 

Many people at exhibitions question whether traversers were ever used and we point to Moor Street.

 

Alan

Hi,

 

Yes, in fact to add to Dads point, we've seen plans that show that Paddington was originally designed to sue Traverses at the blocks, but I don't believe they were ever installed.

 

Simon

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  • 3 months later...

RMlive 2014

took these.....love the bookmakers, sorry my pictures are a little scrappy

the likes are yours  :sungum:

Loughborough Road

med_gallery_17883_3195_347717.jpgrmweb2910show131

 

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I recognised the Skytrex and they did mention the middle building wills sheets if i remember correctly, and the one to the right was scartchbuilt.

 

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a close up

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and the full building but a bit fuzzy

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try to pack so much in i just did not check all my pictures, so some are a bit poor...but you get the idea

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Hi Jaz,

 

Glad you like the layout, here's a few shots from the weekend, The layout on Saturday Morning:

 

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A couple of the new 3D Printed LNWR Metropolitan Tank alongside the Keyes Midland Met Tank:

 

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Finally the new Barclay Tank, this and the 'Ironside' will have names fitted in due course:

 

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We really enjoyed the weekend and would like to thank Andy Y and the Warner's Team, we had lots of good comments on the layout and our new lighting rig worked really well. Also a special mention to Graham Muz for helping us over the weekend.

 

We do have some stuff still to do, such as Motorise the traverser, some tweaks to stock, and fit all new prototypical Signals.

 

Also, look out for Loughborough Road in a future issue of BRM.

 

Any Questions, please ask and Dad or I will try and answer!

 

Simon

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Ohhhh congrats.When you know which month do say.

Hi,

 

It was only arranged to be in BRM at some point on Saturday evening, but when we know, we'll say.

 

Plus I forgot to mention that the layout will be at the Sudbury show on the 4th October.

 

Simon

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