Horniman Park V2.0

[gc4946]

The name of the athletics club is now revealed.

 

 

The club will be called Greenfields Jubilee Harriers and Lord Westgrove has persuaded the railway to build a private station to serve the club and estate named Westgrove Halt.

 

Five people meet to discuss plans (from left to right) :

Lord Westgrove (in bowler hat), A. Smith-Crisp, C. Lane, P. Grove, P. Castle.

 

The other side of the club house is shown below. The chimney, base and signage aren't yet completed.

 

[gc4946]

Club house now completed.

 

Added detail including sleepers (for firewood), barrels for water and beer, parked-up bikes, a few watching spectators, a cook/tea lady and, of course, athletes.

 

 

 

 

The structure will be stored away and the wooden platform will now be tackled.

Edited February 11, 2018 by gc4946

[gc4946]

Westgrove Halt is complete.

 

It appears in the state as it would have been during the interwar era, so no white platform edging present.

 

However I had to strengthen the vertical platform struts at the back using 3mm square styrene in order to avoid them splaying outwards.

 

 

[gc4946]

This'll be my module featuring Westgrove Halt, Greenfields Jubilee Harriers' club house and garage for athletics equipment storage

(715 x 297 mm)

 

We turn the clock back to summer 1937.

Lord Westgrove's chartering a train consisting of B12/3 8572 and Gresley BCK for athletes and officials to attend the Amateur Athletics Championships at White City.

(Who knows, some might be picked to represent England at the British Empire Games in Sydney in February 1938)

 

 

At present, there's no freight activity in Westgrove's Siding, a private siding established for goods traffic for the Lord's estate.

 

 

Each module has Fleischmann Profi track finishing 50 mm from the edge and special linking pieces 100 mm long join the boards.

[gc4946]

 

Work's begun on painting the edges of the board brown.

 

Gravelled surfaces were made from sandpaper - the increasing use of motorised transport during the interwar years meant more gravel laid down for parking!

 

I haven't yet decided on the exact location of the platform, whether placed midway or towards one end.

 

A trip to a model shop will be needed soon for grass matting and scenic scatter materials.

[gc4946]

Planned fictitious Chester Central loco stabling point, 1948-49.

 

 

From back to front:

 

1013 County of Dorset - lived there for a time after university graduation

1016 County of Hants - lived there during my childhood

2884 class no. 3802 - preserved, based at Tyseley at the time when my mum lived in Birmingham

Duchess no. 6248 City of Leeds - my current location

J72 8671 - my sole ex-NER representative, allocated to Bidston shed around 1948

 

None of them are modelled straight from the box - at the very least they've been re-numbered and re-named, also the 2884 class was modified from Hornby's Churchward tender-drive version.

Edited March 26, 2018 by gc4946

[gc4946]

Chester Central, late 50s/early 60s:

 

From back to front:

 

45407 - preserved, based at Speke during time when my family lived in Liverpool

46169 The Boy Scout - I was a boy scout in my youth

42086 - recorded at New Brighton in April 1966 when our family lived there on the last of the Bank Holiday steam-hauled specials between New Brighton-Wrexham

1028 County of Warwick - my county of birth

5994 Roydon Hall - near where my mum was born in Diss

 

All re-numbered from manufacturers' original versions.

Edited March 25, 2018 by gc4946

[gc4946]

Chester Central, 1934-35:

 

 

From back to front:

 

Crab 2765 - preserved, its final depot before withdrawal was at Birkenhead

Ex-Midland 4P Compound 1015 - mum's month/day of birth

Ex-GCR J11 5313 - late gran's date of birth

4946 Moseley Hall - Moseley was my place of birth

2748 - GWR pannier

 

The Midland Compound has Hornby's Margate loco and tender bodies on newer Chinese Railroad chassis, similarly, the GWR pannier.

All but the pannier tank have been re-numbered/re-named as appropriate.

Edited March 25, 2018 by gc4946

[gc4946]

Moving forward at Chester Central to 1938.

 

 

Look who's the new kid on the block!

6229 Duchess of Hamilton fresh from Crewe Works - I modelled that because the loco was allocated to Edge Hill when my mum studied at teacher training college in 1961.

[gc4946]

 

Work's begun on painting the edges of the board brown.

 

Gravelled surfaces were made from sandpaper - the increasing use of motorised transport during the interwar years meant more gravel laid down for parking!

 

I haven't yet decided on the exact location of the platform, whether placed midway or towards one end.

 

A trip to a model shop will be needed soon for grass matting and scenic scatter materials.

I'm considering acquiring another board to represent and update this athletics club house scene for the 1980s/90s.

The grounded carriage body would be swept away with a new purpose-built block and a spectator stand added as part of the "Westgrove Stadium" development.

Edited April 8, 2018 by gc4946

[gc4946]

This is the back story and plans for updating Greenfields Jubilee Harriers' site representing the 1980s/90s:

 

Athletics activity at the club was reduced during World War 2 and the private halt was unused for most of the time.

The wooden platform survived intact at nationalisation, but demolished by 1950 due to its decrepit condition and low usage, because by then its users travelled by private transport.

Westgrove's Siding was also abandoned at the same time due to low freight usage, coal traffic was the last regular user, otherwise freight for the Lord's estate went by road; it was subsequently lifted.

 

By the early 60s the grounded carriage bodies had reached the end of their lives and were demolished to be replaced with a larger purpose-built brick club house.

At the time the second Lord Westgrove started to modernise the club and its stadium, although funds were limited and initially no spectator stand was built.

 

In 1974, funds were available to build a spectator stand, initially without a roof, and plans emerged to replace the cinder tracks with all-weather synthetic materials, the tracks were relaid in 1979. The local council wanted to modernise the stadium to include a leisure centre and seek possible British Rail access.

 

In 1983, British Rail opened an unstaffed station called Westgrove Stadium, initially as a request stop.

 

The stadium was modernised in order to meet International Amateur Athletics Federation's (IAAF) requirements for hosting national and regional athletics events.

GRE/British Athletics League matches and other regional competitions were hosted in the stadium.

 

In model terms, this will translate as follows:

 

The board will be the same size, 715 x 297mm.

 

For the club house, I've identified a possible adaptation of Triang-Hornby's R474 station building

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/triang-Hornby-r474-platform-station-1690279377

 

I'll source a damaged version because I may add a second storey.

 

The spectator stand could be a Subbuteo or Zeugo football accessory

https://www.subbuteoworld.co.uk/c142-1970-s-subbuteo-terracing-1st-design

 

although they offered a covered version as well

 

Obviously there'll be more car parking, high-security fencing and gates.

 

The station platform will be adapted from Peco and/or Hornby parts, but I haven't decided if the platform will adjoin the club house/spectator stand.

 

Wonk won't start yet because it'll take time to source the structures.

[gc4946]

I've just returned from a week's holiday on Fuerteventura where the only trains seen were tourist road mini trains in Caleta de Fuste and Corralejo.

 

I'll also definitely go ahead with this 1980s/90s athletics stadium update project because I want to recreate memories of attending GRE/British Athletics League matches and other competitions as a spectator.

 

 

(Examples from my collection)

 

... as a start to that, tonight I sourced from an auction site a damaged Triang R474 station building to convert into a club house and a damaged Subbuteo covered spectator stand.

 

I'll provide removable league and competition banners and signage.

Edited April 20, 2018 by gc4946

[gc4946]

The damaged Triang station building and Subbuteo stand arrived today.

 

I think the stand needs cutting down to one set of terraces using the non-tunnel stand.

Moreover for accuracy, I would need to model the back of the stand including staircases.

 

Edited April 26, 2018 by gc4946

[scottystitch]

I just found this. Looks like a great concept. Some really nice modelling too.

[gc4946]

My spectator stand will be a marriage of Triang and Subbuteo parts.

 

I found these Triang platform steps in my spares box. They'll lead to the mezzanine entrance for the terraces (indicated by the tan-coloured stumps).

Toilets will be installed at ground floor level.

 

As I need (and have ordered) more spares from both ranges, work won't begin in earnest until after May Day bank holiday weekend.

 

)

 

 

[gc4946]

Work's begun on the club house.

 

It'll have a second storey with grandstand views over the stadium and will act as a corporate hospitality facility.

Bashed from two upper-storey Triang signal boxes with outdoor staircase from the same building.

 

Awaiting parts from used Triang's R473 station building on order.

 

[gc4946]

Work's started on the spectator stand.

 

 

(Subbuteo aficionados look away now)

Original double-deck Subbuteo stand now cut down to single-deck and will be modified, painted and completed as a single structure, not flat-packed.

 

I also dug out my limited collection of athletes, all standing in front of the stand. Will need many more figures to complete.

 

I hope to complete both athletics club house boards by late summer.

 

 

 

[gc4946]

In between seeing the Tour de Yorkshire live and watching snooker on TV I've made progress on the back of the spectator stand and the club house.

 

 

As the back of the stand will be visible from passing trains, I've modelling that in some detail including staircases and toilets.

 

 

To reduce the club house's layout footprint, I attached the stairs within the building and may add a small lift in one corner to allow catering supplies and mobility impaired persons to access the upper storey.

 

Edited May 8, 2018 by gc4946

[RedGemAlchemist]

Very nice work, gc4946. Giving me ideas for my own layout, as like you I need to conserve space while keeping character and setting.

[gc4946]

A slightly earlier finishing time from work today has seen more progress on the club house.

 

The first floor has been installed and Triang moulded brick pattern sections added, also ground floor entrances inserted into structure.

Looking from athletics trackside, an open balcony will be created for spectators and officials on the first floor.

 

Railside view shows the hole in first floor corner where a dummy lift is to be fitted, I'll create that as a bolt-on extra in 1980s style.

 

[gc4946]

I had a Triang signal box base left over and was unwilling to cannibalise or scrap it so after some thought I altered it to look like an overflow athletes' changing room.

 

 

The staircase was sawn away but the protrusion with the yellow door was left intact - imagine it's a store.

Door frames were made from the window frames of Triang's R474 station building, although I've yet to fabricate the doors.

 

 

The front windows (in yellow) look like a style associated with toilets or changing rooms.

The moulded first floor signal lever frame and seating were also sawn away.

All gaps were filled in with left-over Triang moulded brick sections.

 

 

[gc4946]

I'm trying to follow a scenario of what exactly happened to the location during the interwar years and during the 80s/90s.

 

 

The white tower is a lift for catering supplies and mobility impaired people to access the first floor.

 

 

The 80s/90s era buildings are laid on top of the original board's base.

Everything's bigger and more of a tighter fit.

I've yet to build the platform, which will be located on the other side of the track from the stadium,

however to preserve the original road access it'll only fit a 2-car class 101 or similar first-generation unit, a 121/122,  Pacer, or 153, otherwise it'll be a case of selective door operation or "move to the front coach".

[gc4946]

Today I found out that I had enough parts left over or in stock to build THREE more stations!

 

 

Work's progressing on the halt, using leftover Wills parts with scratchbuilt brick pillars, posed on top of the re-issued Gaugemaster (ex-Pola) Mortimer station building, which I'll use in conjunction with Knightwing's platform kit.

 

I can also make up a short SR concrete platform using Ratio and Peco parts.

 

I haven't decided on station names yet, although my policy on Horniman Park is not to name stations or locations after individuals who I know or have known in my life.

Edited May 20, 2018 by gc4946

[gc4946]

Today I've made more progress on the interwar era Greenfields Jubilee Harriers/Westgrove Halt module.

 

 

 

Gaugemaster grass matting cut and glued, fencing and gates fitted, platform glued down, however other structures yet to be dealt with.

[73c]

Looking good.